Things to do
FOOD FESTIVAL: Wear your stretchy clothes if you're heading down to SW16 — Streatham Food Festival begins today. Take part in a food tour across all four days, visiting various restaurants and cafes around the area and trying their dishes (priced at £2-£5 each), or head for the food fair on Streatham Green on Saturday. Various Streatham locations, 20-23 June
RENT CEREMONY: One of London's quirkier annual events, the Covent Garden Rent Ceremony is worth a watch if you're in the area. The Chairman, trustees, Town Crier and a jazz band march around the Piazza in full get-up in order to pay a peppercorn of five apples and five posies of flowers to the landlords. Covent Garden, free, just turn up, from 4.30pm
LIVE MUSIC: Head to Paddington's relaxing floating pocket park for an evening of free live music from London-based singer-songwriter Natalie Shay. Get there early to bag a deckchair, and swing by the local bars and restaurants for food and drink... or shelter if it rains. Merchant Square (Paddington), free, just turn up, 5.30pm-7.30pm
MIGRATION LATES: The Migration Museum stays open late for a Refugee Week event. Storytelling, performances, music and food are part of the event, which explores themes of identity and culture, and the preservation of Syria's oral and cultural heritage. Museum of Migration (Lambeth), free, book ahead, 6pm-10pm
NIGHT MARKET: One of our go-to weekend activities, Crafty Fox Market mixes things up by hosting a weekday night market. Expect the usual eclectic range of makers and artists selling their unique wares, plus workshops and portrait painting sessions. Brixton Village, free entry (charge for portrait painting), just turn up, 6pm-10pm
ANIMAL HISTORY: From Ice Age creatures to a medieval menagerie, to working animals during the Industrial Revolution, a panel of experts reveals London's animal history in this lecture. It ties in with the current Beasts of London exhibition, which also showcases the capital's animal residents. Museum of London, £15/£10/£9, book ahead, 6.30pm
FALLEN ANGEL: As part of Highgate Festival, join the Museum of Walking for a stroll through Tracy Chevalier's novel Fallen Angel. Wander past Parliament Hill and through Hampstead and Highgate, ending with a private tour of West Highgate Cemetery. Tufnell Park station, £24-£30, book ahead, 6.45pm-9pm
WHISKEY MASTERCLASS: Whiskey brand Bushmills hosts a foraging and cocktail making masterclass. Learn how to forage for ingredients here in London before using the ingredients you've found to create your own unique whiskey cocktail. There's also a chance to taste several Bushmills blends. FARE (Old Street), £15, book ahead, 7pm-11pm
MIXRACE MIXTAPE: Everyday racism, homophobia and fragile male egos are some of the topics covered by 'dragademic' John Paul Zaccarini in his show The MixRace Mixtape. He looks at the identity politics of gender, class, race and sexuality through humorous stories, rap and spoken word. Roundhouse (Camden), £10, book ahead, 7.15pm
PODCAST LIVE: As part of Independent Book Week, Book Off! podcast hosts a special live recording. Joe Haddow hosts London-based authors Viv Groskop and Chris Power as they to go head to head to each pitch a book they love and think everyone should read. Stoke Newington Bookshop, £3, book ahead, 8.15pm
Tube ponderings with Barry Heck
Our resident tube fancier dishes out daily thoughts on the London Underground.
You've got to admire Acton Town's book share, perched on a sill overlooking the tracks. I popped along on Tuesday and found only this idiosyncratic trio: a Joanne Harris novel, a tome about hybrid-powered boats, and the life of Stalin. Wonderful. Follow Barry Heck on Twitter @HeckTube.
Good cause of the day
Head to Ciné Lumière tonight for a special Refugee Week screening of Midnight Traveler, followed by a panel discussion. The film follows the directors — an Afghan couple — and their children, who fled to Europe following a threat from the Taliban. The event is organised by the RBKC Refugees Welcome Committee. Find out more and book tickets.
What we're reading
- Serpentine Pavilion overshadowed by resignation of CEO Yana Peel.
- The murder that spawned South Bank's 'skateboard graveyard'.
- New pictures from inside Tottenham Court Road Crossrail station.
- Council cracks down on rough sleepers in Stratford shopping centre.
