Things to do
LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA: The London premiere of Broadway musical The Light in the Piazza opens today. Set in Florence in summer 1953, the love story follows Margaret Johnson and her daughter Clara, whose hat is blown into the hands of local dreamer Fabrizio Naccarelli. Southbank Centre, £20-£150, book ahead, 14 June-5 July
FLOWER ARRANGING: London-based flower company Pelaton hosts a flower arranging workshop. Learn about the various stages of bouquet making and have a go yourself, before tucking into a healthy brunch. It's Pleat (Westfield White City), £35, book ahead, 10am-1pm
BRITISH PROPAGANDA: Professor David Welch uses posters, pamphlets and leaflets to illustrate a free talk about British propaganda in the second world war. He discusses artefacts with messages ranging from the rude (specifically anti-Nazi and anti-Japanese publications), to defiant and cheeky humour. National Army Museum (Chelsea), free, book ahead, 11.30am
NATURE WALK: As part of Greenwich Book Festival, author Bob Gilbert leads a nature walk, taking place entirely within the surrounds of the Old Royal Naval College. Gilbert wrote Ghost Trees and The Green London Way, and focuses the walk on the idea that the beauty of nature can be found in all corners. Old Royal Naval College, £9/£8, book ahead, 11.30am-1pm
CULTURAL INFRASTRUCTURE CRISIS: Find out how the Open Data Institute is using data to tackle the decline and closure of the capital's cultural venues in this free lunchtime lecture. London has lost 61% of its LGBT+ venues and 35% of grassroots music venues — but the decline could be reversed with the right intervention. Open Data Institute (Shoreditch), free, book ahead, 1pm-2pm
MUSEUM LATE: The Garden Museum stays open late to celebrate British Flowers Week. Enjoy a post-work drink surrounded by specially-erected floral installations by top designers, and peruse two exhibitions of flower art. Your ticket includes a glass of wine or soft drink, and the cafe is open all evening. The Garden Museum (Lambeth), £10/£8.50/£5, book ahead, 6pm-8pm
OPEN STUDIOS: 120 painters, sculptors, jewellers, theatre designers and performers showcase and sell their work at Bow Road Open Studios. It's a chance to visit areas usually off-limits to the public and chat to artists about their creations. Bow Arts Studios, free, just turn up, 6pm-9pm (and tomorrow 12pm-6pm)
STORY NIGHT: Vanessa Woolf of London Dreamtime leads a story night as part of Southwark Festival of Words. Several London-based storytellers take part, each having time to spin their own yarn for the adult audience. John Harvard Library (Borough), free, book ahead, 7pm
BLACK FLAMINGO CABARET: The Black Flamingo Cabaret is an evening of wordplay and gender-defying drag featuring black and queer performers. It's hosted by Dean Atta as the Black Flamingo, and subverts gender norms through spoken word and poetry. Part of The Last Word Festival. Roundhouse (Camden), £10, book ahead, 7.15pm
UNIVERSILLY CHALLENGED: Head to the Royal Institution for comedy show/quiz Universilly Challenged. Take part in the origami olympics, have a go at building the leaning tower of pasta, or have your geeky knowledge tested in the science quiz, hosted by comedians Jonny Berliner and Simon Watt. Bring your own team, or be placed into one on the night. Royal Institution (Mayfair), £16/£10/£7, book ahead, 7.30pm-9.30pm
HMS PINAFORE: Watch a performance of Gilbert & Sullivan's opera HMS Pinafore on board the Cutty Sark. Performed by the Charles Court Opera, it tells the story of Josephine the Captain’s daughter and her love for a lowly sailor, despite being promised in marriage to the First Lord of the Admiralty. Cutty Sark (Greenwich), £25, book ahead, 7.45pm
Tube ponderings with Barry Heck
Our resident tube fancier dishes out daily thoughts on the London Underground.
Back in 2016, when Crossrail was just two years away, my Londonist colleagues put together this ‘CrossAle’ map of craft beer pubs in the capital. Now it’s 2019, and Crossrail is still two years away, but at least most of these fine boozers are still trading (alas, the poor Grape and Grain in Crystal Palace is not).
Follow Barry Heck on Twitter @HeckTube.
Good cause of the day
Launching today, Choose Love X A Mile In My Shoes is a Refugee Week pop-up, offering visitors a chance to momentarily step into the shoes of a refugee living in London. Borrow a pair of shoes that belonged to a refugee and take a walk while listening to a recording about the story of their life. Find out more here.
What we're reading
- Domino's apparently tried to deliver pizza to the Queen at Buckingham Palace.
- Thousands left without water after a burst pipe in Hampton.
- Why a London school is seeking charity help.
- Ouch.
