Things To Do This Week In London: 1-7 July 2019

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Things to do this week is sponsored by The Donmar Warehouse.

All week

Flip Fabrique perform Transit at Underbelly. Photo: Elijah Grant

TRANSIT: Quebecois circus company Flip Fabrique brings its latest show, Transit, to Udderbelly Festival for a residency. Expect plenty of high-flying routines and aerial acrobatics inside that riverside purple tent. Underbelly (South Bank), from £21, book ahead, until 7 July

WIMBLEDON: It's Wimbledon week! If you haven't got tickets to watch the action live in SW19, get yourself down to one of these London locations where the matches are being screened. If you're really keen to get close to Centre Court, peruse our guide to handling the on-the-day queueing system. 1-14 July

SUMMER OF COLOUR: Fitzrovia's Summer of Colour festival celebrates the completion of the roadworks on Tottenham Court Road, and the arrival of summer. Events throughout the week include live music, a food market, crafting workshops and food and drink tastings in shops, businesses and streets around the area. Fitzrovia, free, book for some events, 1-14 July

Spitfire Sisters comes to The Space

SPITFIRE SISTERS: Theatre show Spitfire Sisters tells the true story of the women in 1940s Britain tasked with delivering fighter aircraft to forces on the front line. The play follows one 19 year old, who sets off armed only with a compass. The Space (Westferry Road), £15/£12, book ahead, 2-6 July

THE OTHER ART FAIR: The newest incarnation of The Other Art Fair takes place at Canopy Market in King's Cross, offering the public a chance to buy artworks directly from the artist. The programme also includes creative workshops, upcycling sessions and a special supper club. Canopy Market (King's Cross), £9-£95, book ahead, 4-7 July

Monday 1 July

A music double bill in Camden

LIVE MUSIC: There's a double bill of live music in Camden, as folk singer Mary-Elaine Jenkins and acoustic guitarist Thom Ashworth take to the stage for an evening of traditional songs. The Green Note (Camden), £10, book ahead, 7pm

TOUR DE FRANCE: Former Tour de France cyclist — and one-time team mate of Lance Armstrong — Jonathan Vaughters chats to journalist Jeremy Whittle ahead of this year's race. He discusses his own cycling career, and his new autobiography, One-Way Ticket: Nine Lives On Two Wheels. Bridewell Theatre (Fleet Street), £14/£25, book ahead, 7.30pm-9pm

PRIDE FASHION WEEK: The Positive Runway Pride Fashion Show offers upcoming LGBT fashion designers a chance to showcase their work, in a show that aims to raise awareness of sexual health and commemorate those lost to HIV/AIDS. Underbelly (South Bank), from £17, book ahead, 7.45pm

Tuesday 2 July

Watch Hidden City at Barbican Cinema

EYES WIDE SHUT: Tying in with the current Stanley Kubrick exhibition, Design Museum takes a closer look at his final film, Eyes Wide Shut, focusing specifically on the ambitious set design and creative process behind it. Design Museum (Kensington), £12/£8/£5, book ahead, 6.30pm-8pm

HIDDEN CITY: Watch a double bill of subterranean films. The Hidden City looks at what's going on underneath the streets of Madrid, lit only by headlamps and night vision surveillance, and Under Night Streets depicts a night on the tube in the 1950s, and the labourers who work in the darkness to keep the city on the move. Barbican Cinema, £12, book ahead, 6.45pm

LAUGH TRAIN HOME: Comedy night Laugh Train Home showcases the work of established and up-and-coming comedians. Tonight it's the turn of Darren Harriot, who looks at why, at the age of 30, he's never been in love, and Huge Davies, who specialises in dark humour and surreal songs. The Honor Oak (Forest Hill), £8/£7, book ahead, 8pm-10pm


Sponsor message

The Donmar Warehouse confronts our relationship with Europe — and you can see it for an absolute bargain

Photo: Marc Brenner

It's difficult to fathom that David Greig wrote Europe 25 years ago, such is its resonance today. Allow us to set the scene. Trains are no longer stopping at a station on a European border, but no one knows why. Then there are the two new arrivals that the stationmaster has to deal with. Two people who polarise the local population. Now does it sound shocking that this play was written in 1994?

Europe is the first production under Michael Longhurst's tenure as artistic director at the Donmar, and stars recognisable talents including Billy Howle (On Chesil Beach), Faye Marsay (Game of Thrones) and Natalia Tena (Harry Potter series).

The Donmar Warehouse comes with such pedigree that plenty of the performances only have limited availability left. But fear not. The theatre has a new scheme called Donmar Daily Release. Every day at 10am, 40 tickets are released priced from a bargainous £10, for the show seven days later. Don't dilly dally over snagging them. A deal this good isn't likely to hang about.

Europe runs at the Donmar Warehouse until 20 August.


Wednesday 3 July

Grayson Perry talks about divided Britain

GRAYSON PERRY: CityLit hosts Grayson Perry, giving his thoughts on the subject of Divided Britain. The contemporary artist discusses how art and creativity can be used to bridge the gaps separating different members of our society. Guildhall, £40, book ahead, 6.30pm-8pm

MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM: Shakespeare In The Squares offers an open-air performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream in the usually private Connaught Square. The action is updated from Shakespeare's original, and is set in 1920s Britain. Connaught Square, £25/£12.50, book ahead, 7pm-10pm

MINDING THE GAP: 2019 documentary Minding The Gap is nothing to do with the infamous tube gap. Instead, the film offers an insight into the lives of young skateboarders in Chicago. Watch a screening of the critically acclaimed documentary, preceded by a showing of short film Hiking. Harris Academy South Norwood, £8.50/£7/£5, book ahead, 7.45pm-10pm

Thursday 4 July

Celebrate Independence Day

INDEPENDENCE DAY: Whether you're a homesick American or just love all things USA, celebrate Independence Day with special events, menus, parties and talks across the capital.

COMEDY: Comedians Rosie Jones and Rhys James both offer previews of their Edinburgh shows. Jones brands herself as the world's first and only disabled, gay and northern comedian, while James tries out material for his show Snitch. Theatre Deli (Broadgate), £12/£10, book ahead, 7.30pm-10.30pm

UNDER THE STARS: Enjoy a night of comedy underneath the stars in an open-air courtyard. Netflix stand-up star Mae Martin, Live at the Apollo star Fin Taylor, star of BBC Three’s Pls Like Emma Sidi, award-winning comedian Rob Carter, and The Mash Report correspondent Pierre Novellie all perform. Battersea Arts Centre, £12-£15, book ahead, 8.30pm

Friday 5 July

The Big Pride Cabaret at Madame Tussauds

CULTURE CLASH: Contemporary Records Specialist Mark Dunton delves into the history of pop and rock concerts in Royal Parks, specifically asking why Pink Floyd weren't allowed to hold a concert in Hyde Park in 1968, but the Rolling Stones then got permission to hold a legendary gig there in 1969. The National Archives (Kew), £6-£7.50, book ahead, 2pm-3.30pm

GO WEST: Gunnersbury Park Museum stays open after hours for its first ever LGBTQ+ late. Dance to queer classics, get crafty in a zine-making workshops and test your knowledge in a queer history pub quiz. There's also a chance to visit interactive pop0up exhibition Rainbow Pilgrims which tells the stories of LGBTQ+ migrants in the UK. Gunnersbury Park Museum, £6, book ahead, 7pm-10pm

PRIDE CABARET: Madame Tussauds kicks off Pride Weekend with Holly Stars' Big Pride Cabaret. The waxwork museum stays open late for a drag extravaganza hosted by cabaret act Holly Stars, with live music and show tunes, lip syncing, comedy and more. Madame Tussauds (Baker Street), £20, book ahead, 8pm

Saturday 6 July

Image: Pride in London

NORTH SHORE: Take a guided walk along London's North Shore, running along the Thames from Westminster to the City. Visit architectural secrets including watergates, palaces, hotels, medieval cloisters, churches and Parisian boulevards along the route, and learn about the history of the area through the centuries. Villiers Street (Embankment), £12/£10, book ahead, 10.30am-12.30pm

PRIDE: It's Pride Parade Day, so expect to see plenty of rainbow flags, glitter, and outrageous outfits if you're in London today. It's an extra special celebration this year, as it marks 50 years since the Stonewall riots, which sparked the LGBT rights movement. The parade begins at Portland Place, winding through Oxford Circus, Regent Street, Pall Mall, Trafalgar Square and Whitehall Starts at Portland Place, free, just turn up, from 12pm

EVENING WITH THE MOON: Spend your Saturday evening gazing at the Moon under the guidance of Royal Observatory astronomy experts. The family-friendly event includes a Moon-themed planetarium show and a chance to look through the 18-tonne Victorian telescope, all to mark the 50th anniversary of the Moon landings. Royal Observatory (Greenwich), £16/£8, book ahead, 6.30pm

Sunday 7 July

Watch Ali Baba at Fulham Palace

OPEN SESAME: Theatre company Illyria offers a family-friendly performance of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, outdoors in the garden at Fulham Palace. Bring a rug and settle down to watch the folk tale, about a carpenter who stumbles across a thieves' den full of jewels and treasures. Your kids'll be shouting 'open sesame!' at doors for weeks to come. Fulham Palace, £14/£8.50, book ahead, 2.30pm-4.50pm

VAUXHALL PLEASURES: Bridget Cunningham and London Early Opera perform 18th century style music in the outdoor setting of Coram's Fields, in an evening reminiscent of those that would have been held at Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, a Georgian pleasure garden. Coram's Fields (Bloomsbury), £10, book ahead, 6pm

BRIDGET CHRISTIE: Award-winning comedian Bridget Christie showcases her work in progress at an intimate show in a north London pub. The Bill Murray (Islington), £10, book ahead, 6.30pm-7.30pm