Things to do
STREET FOOD: Get away from your desk this lunchtime, and swap your normal sandwich for something altogether more exciting. Pasta, bao buns, steak and chips and Greek souvlaki are among the dishes available at food market Cabot Street Bites. Cabot Square (Canary Wharf), free entry, just turn up, 11am-3pm
ELMER: Take the kids along to Elephant Park (Elephant & Castle) to track down a herd of colourful Elmers. The sculptures have been in place for a while, but today sees a number of free events, including an Elmer-themed tea party, craft activities and theatre performances. We've also heard a rumour that Elmer himself might make an appearance... Elephant Park, free, just turn up, all day
LIVE MUSIC: Head down to the canal after work for a relaxing evening of free live music. Folk-pop singer-songwriter Lucy May Walker is the performer at tonight's Merchant Square music sessions. Get yourself a drink from the floating bar, then bagsy a deckchair to hear her set. Merchant Square (Paddington), free, just turn up, 5.30pm-7.30pm
CAPTURED SHIPS: Ever heard of the Prize Papers? The term refers to papers seized from ships captured in wartime between 1650 and 1815, and often used in court to prove that their owners were the enemy. Learn more about them in this free lecture, including correspondence between wives and husbands, parents and children, and business partners. National Archives (Kew), free, book ahead, 6.30pm-8.30pm
CATHEDRAL LATES: It's the last of St Paul's Cathedral's summer lates for this year. Visit the world-famous building after the daytime crowds have gone home, watch the sun set from the galleries, and explore the current exhibition about the cathedral's restoration. St Paul's Cathedral, £12.80, book ahead, 7pm-8.30pm
INSTAGRAM WORKSHOP: Up your Instagram game at this walking Instagram workshop. Travel from St Paul's to Southwark in a small group, snapping as you go and picking up tips on taking better photos using the right filters, and employing hashtags to gain more likes. St Paul's, £20/£12, book ahead, 7pm-9pm (sponsor)
CLASSIC CARS: Head down to Greenwich Market after work to see classic cars and bikes park up for a showcase of vintage vehicles. Ogle them while you tuck into street food and enjoy live rock music. Greenwich Market, free entry, just turn up, 7pm-10pm
FRANKENSTEIN: Theatre company Ilyria continues its series of open-air theatre performances with a rendition of Frankenstein in the grounds of Fulham Palace. Actors, singers, stage effects and puppetry bring Mary Shelley's tale to life — bring a blanket or low chair to sit on to watch the drama. Fulham Palace, £15/£10, book ahead, 7pm-10pm
FARMYARD CINEMA: Head to Waterloo's little-known farm for an open-air screening of Unbranded, a documentary about a group of men who travelled across America on wild horses. Get there early to toast marshmallows and get stuck into the bar and street food stalls. Oasis Farm (Waterloo), £20, book ahead, 7pm-10.15pm
FIGHT LIKE A GIRL: New musical Fight Like A Girl tackles the topic of women's boxing. It uses true stories and accounts from young female boxers to challenge gender stereotypes in the sport. Mountview Theatre (Peckham), £15/£10, book ahead, 7.30pm (until 31 August)
TEMPLE CINEMA: Deep inside the Andaz London hotel is a Masonic temple, and tonight a new series of horror film screenings begins there. Scare yourself silly with 2017 Spanish-made ghost film The Orphanage, surrounded by marble pillars and a gold, zodiac-adorned ceiling. Andaz London (Liverpool Street), £20, book ahead, 7.30pm-10.30pm
ARETHA & ME: Singer Patti Boulaye performs her new show, Aretha & Me. See her compare and contrast her life with that of Aretha Franklin, performing some of Franklin's best-known songs along the way. Underbelly Festival (South Bank), from £17, book ahead, 9.30pm
Tube ponderings with Barry Heck
Our resident tube fancier dishes out daily thoughts on the London Underground.
Ever caught the tube between Polland Hark and Falk Charm? One person who might have done was the Reverend WA Spooner, who died on this day in 1930. The good reverend was famous for swapping consonants in phrases, often with unintended comedic effect — a piece of wordplay we now call a spoonerism. Tube stations offer plenty of material. Poor Mark, Ratimer Load, Booting Tec... every time I pass through Swiss Cottage, my brain wants to convert it to 'Quiz sausage'. Spooner was born in 1844 just of Grosvenor Place, so today his closest station would be Pyde Cark Horner. Follow Barry on Twitter @HeckTube.
Good cause of the day
Look out for a pop-up maze at Marble Arch today. Following Women’s Equality Day on 26 August, ActionAid is asking people to walk around the maze to engage with the realities for women and girls around the world when they attempt to seek justice for violence perpetrated against them. It's free to visit, and in situ 7am-12pm on Thursday.
What we're reading
- A disused supermarket has been transformed into a homeless shelter.
- More than 350 people were arrested at this year's Notting Hill Carnival. Vastly more people had a great time.
- Heat from the tube could be used to heat London homes in winter.
- Every single journey Taylor Swift would need to make in London Boy.
