Looking for things to get up to throughout the week? Check out our roundup of Things To Do In London This Week.
All weekend
CELEBRASIA: South East Asian culture is celebrated at Battersea Power Station's CelebrASIA festival throughout this weekend. Watch live performances including dance, orchestras and DJ sets, browse themed market stalls, and try your hand at crafts including lantern making. Plus there are food stalls selling dishes from Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore. 5-7 September
CLASSIC BOAT FESTIVAL: All manner of vintage vessels moor up at St Katharine Docks (next to the Tower of London) for the Classic Boat Festival this weekend. Even if you don't know your port from your starboard, it's a fascinating spectacle, with around 50 preserved vessels on display, including Dunkirk Little Ships. FREE, 6-7 September
HALAL FOOD FESTIVAL: The World Halal Food Festival brings dozens of food stalls to the London Stadium in Stratford, offering you a chance to sample Halal food from around the world, from burgers and hot dogs to cakes and pastries. Watch celebrity chefs whipping up their own Halal dishes and, if you like what you see, stock up on ingredients before you leave. 6-7 September
IN CONVERSATION AT KEW: Kew Gardens launches brand new event series In Conversation at Kew, with well-known faces taking part in conversations on stage, while you watch with a picnic. TV nerdery, history, gardening and nature are the topics each day, with Matt Baker and Nicki Chapman among those taking part throughout the week. This weekend, it's a Gardener's World Live special on Saturday, followed by Countryfile On Stage on Sunday. 4-7 September
LONDON PODCAST FESTIVAL: Headphones at the ready for London Podcast Festival at Kings Place, which sees both mainstream and niche podcasts recorded in front of a live audience, with some streamed online too. Highlights this weekend include No Such Thing As A Fish, Wrestle Me, and Reign with Josh Smith. 4-14 September
TOTALLY THAMES: An annual celebration of London's rivers, Totally Thames Festival is back for a month of tours and river cruises, music performances, talks, art installations, theatre shows and guided walks. Highlights of this first weekend include the free River of Hope exhibition showcasing artworks made by local schools, and a mudlarking exhibition in the Roman Amphitheatre at Guildhall. 1-30 September
SOUTHBANK CENTRE FOOD MARKET: Korean BBQ, French crepês, Ethiopian vegan fare… Southbank Centre's street food game is STRONG. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday (plus bank holiday Mondays!) the riverside arts centre hosts an al fresco market, with over 30 traders and more than 15 different types of cuisine. FREE ENTRY. Every Friday-Sunday (sponsor)
VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR: Eric Carle's children's book The Very Hungry Caterpillar is the inspiration for a new trail at Ham House and Garden in south-west London. It's designed for younger children and their families: pick up a trail sheet when you arrive and follow the illustrated signs to learn about the life cycle of a butterfly. 1 September-12 October
FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY: See photographs shortlisted for the World Food Photography Awards on display at the Museum of the Home in Hoxton until this weekend. The pictures come from all over the world, and showcase all of the ways food affects our lives, from growing, harvesting and cooking, to eating, celebrating and surviving. FREE, until 7 September
GIUSEPPE PENONE: Sculptures and works from 1969 to today by Italian artist Guiseppe Penone are on display at Serpentine South Gallery, extending beyond the gallery into the surrounding park too. Penone is a leading figure in the Arte Povera movement which celebrates the simplicity of natural materials and artistic techniques, and the works on display here showcase the relationship between humans and the natural world. FREE, until 7 September
THE GREAT GATSBY: F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby takes the form of a musical at the London Coliseum, following a run on Broadway. It's a visually stunning show, telling the story of millionaire Jay Gatsby's infatuation with friend and neighbour Daisy Buchanan, and the fallout surrounding it. Until 7 September
CATS IN CARTOONS: The Cartoon Museum puts felines in the spotlight for its Cats in Cartoons exhibition, showcasing the greatest cats to grace TV, comics, newspapers and magazines, including Bagpuss and Garfield. Until 7 September
COLDPLAY: A Film For The Future has been created to accompany Coldplay's newest album, Moon Music, and it's being shown in a limited number of screenings at Lightroom in King's Cross. As is Lightroom's way, viewers are completely immersed in the film, with projections on the walls, floor and ceiling. Until 8 September
Saturday 6 September
VINTAGE MARKET: Merton Abbey Mills hosts a vintage market on the banks of the River Wandle. 30 vintage traders from across London and the south-east pitch up to offer mid-20th century and vintage furniture, interior decor, homewares, posters and prints, books, records, vintage clothes and more. A great reason to explore this lovely corner of London if you've never been. 10am-4pm
EMERGE EAST: Free festival Emerge East returns to the banks of the Thames for its biggest event yet. Enjoy live performances headlined by Shayna Marie from Capital Xtra, and taste delicious home cooked food by talented residents who become street food traders for the day. Browse independent brands at the Emerging Makers' Market and relax in the Riverside Sauna, with views over the Thames. Children are well catered for, with a Big Fish Little Fish family rave session, and nature-inspired workshops for all ages. FREE, 11am-9pm (sponsor)
DRAG BRUNCH: Stars of UK and US Drag Race perform at the Drag Brunch at Between the Bridges on South Bank, with additional performances by London's finest drag stars and the venue's own resident queen, Miss Leigh Ding. Ticket includes an hour of bottomless bubbly along with live entertainment. 11.30am-3pm
BRASSWORKS: Kicking off with a parade through Woolwich at lunchtime, Brassworks is a loud and lively day of free outdoor concerts in the courtyard at Woolwich Works, with various brass bands and DJs each given their own time to shine. FREE, 12pm-9pm
DANCING CITY: The final day of free open-air theatre, circus and dance festival Greenwich + Docklands International Festival takes the form of Dancing City, which brings performances to a variety of outdoor spaces in Newham. Also on today's programme is The Weight of Water (2.30pm/6.30pm), a dance show on a floating platform highlighting the effects of climate change, in Thamesmead. FREE, from 1pm
LAMBETH WALK: Part guided walk, part promenade theatre and ever so slightly twisted and macabre, it's difficult to describe Minimum Labyrinth's Doin' the Lambeth Walk (Oi!). Tour the little-known backwaters of Lambeth and meet some strange characters along the way. Just brilliant. 2pm
DENMARK STREET SESSIONS: Famous music thoroughfare Denmark Street — AKA Tin Pan Alley — is the venue for free one-day music festival Denmark Street Sessions. Expect "part street party, part open house, and a series of intimate live shows" at stores, bars and venues in and around the area to keep you grooving through the afternoon and late into the night. FREE, 2pm-11.30pm
BURLESQUE: Songs by Christina Aguilera, Sia and Diane Warren feature in Burlesque the Musical, which brings to a close its West End debut at the Savoy Theatre. Set in an underground nightclub, it tells the story of Ali, who searches for her mother in New York and discovers an underground world of music and dance. 2.30pm/7.30pm
A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS: Stage and screen actor Martin Shaw stars as Sir Thomas More — scholar, ambassador, Lord Chancellor and friend to King Henry VIII — in A Man For All Seasons at the Harold Pinter Theatre, which ends today. See the historic figure forced to choose between his loyalty and his own conscience, for which he eventually pays the ultimate price. 2.30pm/7.30pm
HEDONIST NIGHTS: Rooftop bar Glasshouse at NYX Holborn is open late for Hedonist Nights, inspired by the outrageous style and legacy of Leigh Bowery. Drink your way through a specially-concocted cocktail menu, with a DJ soundtracking the night. 6pm-11pm
LATINAS OF LONDON: Camden's Jazz Cafe hosts the third edition of Latinas of London, a night showcasing the most exciting female voices emerging from London's Latin music scene. Enjoy performances by genre-defying artists including Venezuelan vocalist Luzmira Zerpa, UK-Colombian alt-pop artist Lisey Tigra, and Peruvian jazz singer-songwriter Brisa, all hosted by singer-songwriter and scene trailblazer Desta French. 7pm
MYRA DUBOIS: Drag persona Myra DuBois brings her UK tour Cosmic Empath to Hackney Empire, which sees her questioning where her great gift for compassion comes from, with her trademark wit and musical numbers thrown in. 7.30pm
THE SWITCHBOARD PROJECT: Dramatic comedy theatre show The Switchboard Project is set in 1985, and follows volunteers answering calls at the Gay Switchboard in King's Cross during a time of crisis for the LGBTQ+ community. It shines a light on the critical roles women played in the AIDS crisis and the development of the queer community. See it at the Hope Theatre in Islington. 7.45pm (and until 13 September)
SCARED TO DANCE: Poet laureate Simon Armitage is the guest DJ at tonight's Scared To Dance club night at The Victoria in Dalston. He joins resident DJ Paul Richards to play a mixture of post-punk, indiepop, new wave, and art rock music, with a playlist featuring artists like David Bowie, Joy Division and Alvvays. 10pm
Sunday 7 September
SUMMER FLEA: Enfield's former IKEA warehouse, now a live music venue, Drumsheds goes back to its retail roots, hosting the Drumsheds Summer Flea. The outdoor market spans 200 traders selling vintage furniture, homeware and decor items, as well as jewellery and unexpected oddities. 10am-5pm
DAYBREAKER: ALIVE LDN is a dance music and wellness festival taking place at Hackney Bridge, with a live DJ set from Groove Armada, along with yoga, run clubs, sauna sessions and exhilarating dance experiences. It's organised by Daybreaker, the community hosting sober morning wake-up raves all over the world. 10am-8pm
BLITZ WALKING TOUR: Mark the 85th anniversary of the Blitz through the eyes of contemporary artists who responded to the intense aerial bombing with their paintings and drawings. The London Archives offers a tour around the St Paul’s Cathedral area, led by City of London Guide Lecturer Jonathan Wober of London On The Ground. 11am-1pm
SHORT FILMS: The first of two events in The Shortest Nights: British Short Film Festival takes place at Rich Mix in Shoreditch. Comedy shorts, brief films about human connection, and lots and lots of dogs feature on today's programme. The festival continues at Rich Mix on Tuesday. 12pm
STEVE ASHLEY: Celebrated British folk singer-songwriter Steve Ashley performs live at the Green Note in Camden, offering a programme of contemporary songs inspired by the English tradition in a matinee show. 2.30pm
DISAGREEING WITHOUT HATE: Conway Hall kicks off a new term of Ethical Matters debates with Professor Paul Dolan from LSE exploring the concept of 'Beliefism' and how it affects our interactions with those holding opposing views. Find out why many of us struggle to engage with people whose opinions differ strongly from our own, and how tolerance can enhance various aspects of our lives. 3pm-4.30pm
IYAD RIMAWI: Syrian composer Iyad Rimawi performs a special one night only show at Barbican, full of cinematic storytelling and melodic scores blending Arabic and classical elements. He's joined by a whole host of musicians to showcase his unique style, including his work songwriting and producing for the pioneering Syrian band Kulna Sawa. 8pm
