Looking for things to do in London throughout the week? Here's our guide.
All weekend
GREENWICH COMEDY FESTIVAL: Sara Pascoe, Nina Conti, Jen Brister, Rosie Jones, Sarah Keyworth, Michael Odewale, Phil Wang, Sindhu Vee... just some of the headliners on the seriously impressive line-up at Greenwich Comedy Festival, taking place in a seated arena in the grounds of the National Maritime Museum — although tickets are going fast (and in a couple of cases, sold out). Arrive early to make the most of pop-up bars and street food stalls. 17-21 September
CHELSEA ARTS FESTIVAL: We're rather impressed by the line-up at Chelsea Arts Festival, a four-day programme of talks, performances and the like. Actor Ambika Mod, radio DJ Annie Mac, artist David Shrigley, environmentalist George Monbiot, author Marian Keyes, actor Lenny Henry, presenter June Sarpong, writer Kate Mosse, actor Rupert Everett and model Twiggy are among those appearing. Phew! 18-21 September
BRICK LANE CURRY FESTIVAL: For the first time in almost a decade, the Brick Lane Curry Festival takes place in east London, offering henna painting workshops, Bangla-dancing lessons, a procession with themed floats and dancers, as well as various roaming acts and entertainment — including DJs, stilt walkers and magicians — and most importantly, stalls from local restaurants serving regional and specialty dishes. Arrive hungry. 19-21 September
CERAMICS MARKET: Leyton ceramics studio Turning Earth holds a ceramics market, with 60 makers selling their wares, along with wheel pottery demonstrations, and bookable workshops by specialists (Sunday only). 20-21 September
THE SMALLS FILM FESTIVAL: Now in its 18th year, The Smalls Film Festival is at Curzon Hoxton offering two days of short films from around the world, packaged into eight feature-length screenings on themes including inventive animation, Oscar-nominees, joyful new comedy, and astonishing documentaries. 20-21 September
MARIE ANTOINETTE STYLE: The V&A has thrown together some BIG fashion exhibitions in recent years, and now here comes Marie Antoinette Style — a look at how the most fashionable queen in history has influenced over 250 years of design, fashion, film and art. It's likely to be very busy this opening weekend, so book in advance. And maybe swing by the V&A Cafe for a slice of cake afterwards, eh? From 20 September
BLITZ CLUB: The Blitz — the shortlived London club night which launched the careers of Spandau Ballet and Boy George — is the subject of a new Design Museum exhibition. Expect a 'sensory extravaganza' of over 250 items: clothing and accessories, design sketches, instruments, flyers, magazines, furniture, artworks, photography, vinyls and rare film footage. From 20 September
OPEN HOUSE LONDON: Plenty of opportunities to go behind the scenes in all corners of London this weekend for Open House Festival. The programme is immense — almost overwhelmingly so — but highlights include brewery tours, an open day at Bazalgette's Mausoleum in Wimbledon, open evenings at Smithfield Market, guided tours of the Modernist extension to Hackney's German Hospital, and a chance to go on the roof at new development Greenford Quay, among many, many others. Most events FREE, until 21 September.
HERITAGE OPEN DAYS: Ongoing until the end of this week, Heritage Open Days is a national festival of heritage and culture, with several events landing here in London. Visit the little-known British Vintage Wireless and Television Museum, or browse the full programme to see what else is on. Until 21 September
RICHARD ROGERS: The work of late architect Richard Rogers is the subject of the latest exhibition at Sir John Soane's Museum. Talking Buildings showcases him as a thinker, campaigner, humanist and activist, as well as the designer of iconic buildings including Lloyd's of London, The O2, and Paris's Pompidou Centre. Until 21 September
GOOD NIGHT, OSCAR: Will and Grace star Sean Hayes stars in the Broadway transfer of Good Night, Oscar, about the life of pianist and humorist Oscar Levant, particularly the 1958 episode of The Tonight Show with Jack Paar, in which he had "Hollywood's first celebrity meltdown". This is your final chance to see it. Until 21 September
WANSTEAD FRINGE: Take a look at what's on the Wanstead Fringe programme this weekend, celebrating all things E11. Try your hand at pottery throwing, attend a gin tasting, go on a walking tour or take a tour of the crypt at St Mary's Parish Church. Until 27 September
GET DOWN TONIGHT: The hits of KC and the Sunshine Band are used in new West End musical Get Down Tonight at Charing Cross Theatre, inspired by the early years of singer, songwriter, producer and musician Harry Wayne Casey (KC). 19 September-15 November
MATERIAL WORLD: A festival of art, fashion and horticulture, Material World opens inside the Temperate House at Kew Gardens on Saturday. Find out about the botanical origins of the fabrics we wear, learn about the history of cotton, and — this weekend only — join multidisciplinary artist Maryam Sandjari Hashemi to create a collective tapestry using upcycled fabrics. 20 September-2 November
FRIEZE SCULPTURE: 'In The Shadows' is the theme of this year's Frieze Sculpture, a free art trail through Regent's Park, coinciding with the huge Frieze Art Fair next month. Artists including Assemble, Elmgreen & Dragset, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith and Erwin Wurm contribute this year. FREE, 17 September-2 November
THEATRE PICASSO: The works of Pablo Picasso are in the spotlight at Tate Modern — particularly his fascination with performers and their ability to transform themselves into someone else — to mark the centenary of his painting The Three Dancers. The exhibition space takes the form of a theatre, with over 45 works by Picasso from Tate's collection, alongside key European loans, spanning paintings, sculpture, textile and works on paper. Some have never been seen in the UK before. 17 September-12 April
Saturday 20 September
PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION: Today's the final day of the 166th edition of the Royal Photographic Society's International Photography Exhibition at Chelsea's Saatchi Gallery, showcasing contemporary photography from around the world, on topics including family, identity and environmental issues. FREE, 10am-6pm
GREAT RIVER RACE: Part of Totally Thames and sort of like the London Marathon on water, the Great River Race is a 21.6 mile dash along the Thames between Millwall and Richmond, with all manner of rowing boats taking part. It's free to watch from the banks and bridges on the day. FREE, from approx 10.15am
YOUNG DESIGN FESTIVAL: London Design Festival has plenty going on around town this month, but the Young V&A caters specifically for children with London Design Festival: Meet the Playmakers. Designers specialising in product, furniture and architecture design lead a programme of free activities with a focus on using found, waste and reusable materials. The full schedule should be available on the event page sometime this week. FREE, 10.30am-4pm
LIGHTING UP THE LEA: Another Totally Thames event we like the sound of is Lighting up the Lea, a free community open day at Cody Dock near Poplar. Swing by for live music and heritage and ecology workshops for all ages, as well as three new exhibitions including Cabinet of Curiosity No2, a light box installation exploring the tidal Lea's pre-industrial history by the artist Zhiyan Cai. FREE, 11am-6pm
CAMDEN INSPIRE: Celebrate the borough of Camden, both past and present, through an environmental lens at Camden Inspire. This year's festival is in collaboration with Camden Green Loop, the organisation behind the planned Camden Highline, and has a focus on upcycling. Take part in workshops including mosaic making, meditative drawing, and Japanese sashiko mending; get stuck into community gardening projects; or tune into panel discussions on topics such as food waste. From 11am
ART CAR BOOT FAIR: Comedy & The Comic is the theme of this autumn's Art Car Boot Sale, which sees almost 120 artists selling their artworks out of car boots at Granary Square in King's Cross, with comedy entertainment to chuckle at while you browse. 12pm-6pm
MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR: Shakespeare’s raucous comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor has its final performances at the Globe today, bringing to life the antics of the disreputable knight Sir John Falstaff attempting to seduce two wealthy housewives. At time of writing, tickets start at just £8 — bargain! 2pm/7.30pm
CANDLELIGHT CLUB: Regular speakeasy night The Candlelight Club celebrates its 15th birthday at a secret south London ballroom. Dress and dance like it's the 1920s with live music from the six-piece Ritzy Palooza, along with burlesque, tarot readings and other entertainment, presided over by host Champagne Charlie. 7pm
FULL ENGLISH: The Full English is a one-woman show by Melanie Branton that delves into the intriguing history of the English language through performance poetry, entertaining anecdotes, and light-hearted commentary at Barons Court Theatre. From exploring double negatives to the peculiarities of pronunciation, the show is both amusing and insightful. 7.30pm
EMMA: One of our picks of Jane Austen adaptations to see on the London stage, Emma is on at Kingston's Rose Theatre. Austen's fourth novel is transplanted to the 21st century, following Emma Woodhouse as she returns to her hometown from Oxford University for the summer and meddles in the lives of her nearest and dearest. 7.30pm (and until 11 October)
ABSOLUTE MONOPOLY: Underbelly Boulevard Soho brings highlights of last month's Edinburgh Fringe to London through its Fringe Fix programme. Tonight that takes the form of Absolute Monopoly, an interactive gameshow in which comedian Benjamin Alborough attempts to improve the board game Monopoly. 9pm
Sunday 21 September
RUN SHOREDITCH: London's newest running event is the Saucony Run Shoreditch, a 10k from the team behind the Hackney Half Marathon. It takes place on closed roads, beginning at the northern edge of Shoreditch Park, heading out to Newington Green, and ending at the southern side of Shoreditch Park, where a festival zone awaits. 9am
CLASSIC CAR SHOW: The inaugural Bloomsbury Classic Car Show roars into Bedford Square Gardens, showcasing an impressive collection of classic and vintage cars, alongside live music and expert talks about the history and preservation of these swish vehicles. 10am-5pm
VINTAGE FAIR: Frock Me! vintage fair is back at Chelsea Old Town Hall, with 60 exhibitors selling rare vintage and antique clothing, jewellery and textiles spanning from the Victorian era to more recent pre-loved designer labels. 11am-5.30pm
STREET FEAST: Ziggy Green Terrace holds open-air banquet Street Feasts on Heddon Street, part of the Future of Food Festival. Local restaurants serve a variety of sustainably-inspired dishes, with live music, and chefs introducing their own dishes. Ticket includes a welcome drink plus signature dishes from Yokocho, Casa Do Frango, Heddon Street Kitchen, Ziggy Green and Piccolino. 12.30pm
PRIMROSE HILL RAILWAY: Footprints of London guide Laura Agustín leads a walking tour around the Primrose Hill area, telling the story of the navvies (manual labourers) who helped bring the railway to the local area. Visit Camden railway landmarks including a hydraulic accumulator tower, a roundhouse and the tunnels that working horses used, as part of the nationwide Railway 200 celebrations. Begins at Chalk Farm station. 1pm-3pm
A 2-TONE STORY: As part of Streatham Free Film Festival, catch a screening of Pauline Black: A 2-Tone Story at Streatham Library. The documentary tells the story of the frontwoman of the Selecter, a trailblazer of the Two Tone movement. Even better, after the screening there's a Q&A with Pauline herself, offering a rare chance to hear her story and ask questions. FREE, 1.30pm
GODZILLA VA MEGALON: As part of its All Kaiju Attack: Earth SOS! programme of Japanese monster movies, Barbican Cinema screens 1973 Godzilla vs Megalon (Japanese, with English subtitles). Kaiju cinema expert Steven Sloss gives an introductory talk before the screening. 2pm
GEOFFREY FLETCHER: Ever read (or seen the James Mason documentary) The London That Nobody Knows, by Geoffrey Fletcher? Its an early and wonderful example of the 'secret London' genre, now so common. Find out more by joining a special London on the Ground tour exploring some of the locations from Fletcher's book. 2.30pm
LILO AND STITCH: Not seen the newest Lilo & Stitch film yet? Rooftop Film Club Peckham hosts a family-friendly screening of the Disney film about a young Hawaiian girl who adopts a mischievous alien. Kick back on a deckchair with a pair of wireless headphones and watch the mischief unfold on a large screen. 3pm
WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION: Celebrate 30 years of the Women's Prize for Fiction in a special show at Cadogan Hall. Performers including Sheila Atim, Sheila Hancock, Kate Mosse, Lenny Henry, June Sarpong, Sara Pascoe and Indira Varma give live readings of extraordinary writing by women, spanning letters, speeches, essays and fiction. 6pm
BON JOVI EXPERIENCE: Tribute act The Bon Jovi Experience rocks into the Churchill Theatre in Bromley for a lively evening of covers of hits such as Livin' On a Prayer, Always, It's My Life, You Give Love a Bad Name and Bad Medicine. 7.30pm
