Things To Do Today In London: Friday 19 July 2019

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Things to do

MOON FESTIVAL: The 50th anniversary of the Moon landings is commemorate with a week of art exhibitions, music performances, pop-up science lectures, film screenings and street parties at Moon Festival. Kick things off with an opening street party tonight. Woolwich, various prices, book ahead, 19-26 July

LYRIC FEST: The Lyric Hammersmith Theatre runs a free two-day festival open to all. It begins tonight with a barbecue, live music and mass karaoke session, before the main family day of activities tomorrow. Lyric Square (Hammersmith), free, just turn up, 19-20 July

BOTANICAL MARKET: Stock up on house plants of all varieties at the Green Rooms botanical market sets up shop. Browse plants, herbs, pots, planters, terrariums and all manner of other equipment for caring for plants, and pick up tips from advice sessions and workshops. Canopy Market (King's Cross), free entry, just turn up, 19-21 July

Green Rooms Botanical Market comes to King's Cross

MOON EXHIBITION: The UK’s biggest exhibition dedicated to the Moon opens in Greenwich. Lunar samples and artworks are displayed side by side to see what the moon has meant to us and what we've learned from it. The future of our interaction with the moon is also charted out. National Maritime Museum (Greenwich), £9, book ahead, 19 July-5 January

CROSSRAIL AND CHARTERHOUSE: Find out what lies beneath the historic Charterhouse, including a 14th century plague pit which was unearthed during Crossrail construction work. London Town Tours guide Julie Chandler leads a tour focusing on the tunnelling, station design, the trains, the archaeology. Charterhouse (Clerkenwell), £20, book ahead, 10.30am-12.30pm

WARTIME WORK: Hear from Naomi Games — daughter of war poster artist Abram Games — about the current exhibition on her father's work. She examines some of his posters, including those designed for the government during the second world war, including some of the clever photographic tricks he used. National Army Museum (Chelsea), free, book ahead, 11.30am

PAVILION LATE: If you haven't yet seen the Colour Pavilion at Dulwich Picture Gallery, head there tonight for a late night opening. Art, heritage and identity are the themes of the evening, with pop-up talks from artists and designers, live music, and food and drink available to buy. Dulwich Picture Gallery, free, book ahead, 6pm-10pm

DARK MATTER: Science Gallery stays open late for an evening themed on dark matter, tying in with the current exhibition. Watch live performances, video art and live sculpture as part of the evening's entertainment, along with talks, workshops, and a chance to view the exhibition after hours. Science Gallery (London Bridge), free, book ahead, 6.30pm-10pm

LIFT OFF: On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Moon landings, catch a screening of First Man, the 2018 drama film about astronaut Neil Armstrong. Ryan Gosling plays Armstrong, with Claire Foy as his first wife, Janet. Harris Academy South Norwood, £8.50/£7/£5, book ahead, 7.45pm

COCOA BUTTER CLUB: Experience an evening of cabaret, burlesque, circus, drag and dance courtesy of The Cocoa Butter Club, a lively show that celebrates performers of colour. Tonight's theme is 'colourful carnival of cabaret', with guest performances from House of Burlesque. Underbelly (South Bank), from £14, book ahead, 9.30pm

QUEER BRUK: Non-stop bangers create a Pride/Carnival mash-up at Queer Bruk — a club night for queer people of colour. Expect dancehall, afrobeat and soca tunes pumping away until the early hours. Everyone welcome. VFD (Stoke Newington) £5.92, book ahead, 10pm-3am

Tube ponderings with Barry Heck

Our resident tube fancier dishes out daily thoughts on the London Underground.

Happy 88th birthday to Sudbury Town station. This Piccadilly line station was the first designed in this distinctive style by Charles Holden.

Follow Barry Heck on Twitter @HeckTube.

Good cause of the day

Head to London Fields Brewery to sup tasty craft beer on behalf of a good cause, Hackney Winter Night Shelter. Over 30 breweries are represented at Craft Beer Cares, including recognisable names such as Beavertown and Cloudwater. The session runs from 6pm-11pm, although there are daytime events over the weekend if you're more of the day drinking type. Tickets get you ten beer tokens, and if that doesn't satisfy you, there are more tokens for purchase inside the event.