Things to do this weekend is sponsored by EcoWorld Ballymore.
All weekend
TOTALLY THAMES: The annual celebration of London's river is back again, for a month of tours and river cruises, music performances, talks, art installations, theatre shows, guided walks and more. This weekend, step into the historic Watermen's Hall, hear from author Ben Aaronovitch, or have a go at sea kayaking on the Thames — just a tiny selection of the full programme. 1-30 September
MEATOPIA: Carnivores, unite! Food festival Meatopia takes over Tobacco Dock for three days of live cooking and exclusive dishes celebrating cooking over fire, plus a beer hall and live music to get the party started. 2-4 September
PUB IN THE PARK: Making its final London stop this summer, Pub in the Park comes to Chiswick for three days of food, drink and live music. Craig David, Beverley Knight and Sophie Ellis-Bextor are on the music line-up, with Tom Kerridge among the chefs doing live demos. 2-4 September
LONDON TATTOO SHOW: Keen to get your next tattoo, or just looking for inspiration? Seasoned tattoo enthusiasts and those without a single inking (yet) are welcome at the Big London Tattoo Show, which has around 360 world-class tattoo artists present. There are also fairground rides, side shows, and other entertainment. 3-4 September
CAMDEN TANK PARTY: Camden Town Brewery celebrates the 10th anniversary of its tank parties with... well, with an epic tank party. Head to Camden Beer Hall for Unfiltered Hells lager and Unfiltered Pale Ale poured straight from the tank, the return of Strawberry Hells, plus brewery tours, roaming bands, DJs, kids's activities and more — plus dogs are welcome too. 3-4 September
DANCE YOUR STYLE: Taking place on both Saturday and Sunday, Red Bull Dance Your Style is a free-to-watch dance competition, with dancers going head to hear to compete for the audience vote. Expect a line-up of street dancers, moving to unexpected funk, rap and old school hits spun by live DJs. FREE, 3-4 September
THE SECRET GARDEN: It's the final week of The Garden Museum's summer holiday exhibition, The Secret Garden. It's a celebration of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s beloved classic children’s book The Secret Garden, showing how different artists have illustrated it in the century since it was published. There are family-friendly games and trails, and kids go free. Until 4 September
EDVARD MUNCH: Also closing this week is Edvard Munch Masterpieces From Bergen. The Courtauld Gallery exhibition is the first time this major collection of 18 paintings by Munch has been shown in the UK, from his early works to his highly expressive later paintings. Until 4 September
BBC PROMS: As we approach the final week of this year's BBC Proms, there's plenty of live music to be enjoyed this weekend, including Glass Handel, an operatic spectacle juxtaposing works by Philip Glass and Handel, taking place at Printworks London. Until 10 September
GDIF: A giant rotating zoetrope which was created for Burning Man, a promenading theatre production, and a rainbow island of foam. Some of the highlights of this year's Greenwich + Docklands International Festival, which carries on this week and next. Most events FREE, until 11 September
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: Fan of Marvel Studios? You need to know about Secret Cinema's new Guardians of the Galaxy live immersive experience. Choose between just the immersive experience, or watching the film + immersive experience, with locations and characters you'll recognise, recreated in typical Secret Cinema style. Until 30 October
LITHUANIAN MEMORIES: Head to ArtsDepot in North Finchley for Walk with me through my Memory Lane, an art exhibition by Regina Skridailiene. It's a series of artworks exploring the childhood memories and landscapes from her early life in Lithuania. FREE, 3-17 September
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A pawfect day out for the whole family
This Saturday, join EcoWorld Ballymore for the free Embassy Gardens Pawfect Street Party in Nine Elms. The family-friendly event features dogstacle courses, relay races and pooch pageants for your four-legged friend, along with entertainment and games for human visitors. Browse market stalls selling goodies for both dogs and people, and make the most of special offers and promotions from the onsite businesses at Embassy Gardens.
The event is held in association with animal charities Wild at Heart Foundation and PAAW House, and includes the PAAWstival Awards 2022 — enter your favourite photo of your dog in one of six categories, for a chance at winning the £1,000 top prize.
Embassy Gardens Pawfect Street Party takes place 3 September, 11am-7pm. Book your free ticket now.
Saturday 3 September
CAMDEN INSPIRE: Free two-day festival Camden Inspire is a celebration of the local community and businesses, taking place just off Camden High Street and featuring interactive street art, live music, food, drink and entertainment. The music stage is curated by the likes of Roundhouse and Green Note, and everything from tacos to gnocchi is available at the food and drink stalls. FREE, 2-3 September
PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP: Join Photographer in Residence Joseph O' Sullivan for a street photography workshop at Montcalm East hotel near Old Street. Begin at the hotel's photography studio before heading out onto the streets of east London to learn different techniques and snap some shots under O'Sullivan's expert guidance. 10am-1pm
WANSTEAD VINTAGE: Wanstead United Reformed Church is the venue for Wanstead Vintage, a fair with stallholders selling antique and vintage items from the 1800s through to 1990. Look out designer fashion from the likes of Chanel and Hermes, jewellery from classic makes such as Monet and Oscar de la Renta, silver cutlery and object d’art, furniture, iconic posters, pictures, lighting and more. 10.30am-4.30pm
CRAFTY FOX: Browse and buy handmade homeware, crafted ceramics, fashion, artwork, one-off jewellery pieces, organic skincare, stand-out kidswear and more as Crafty Fox Market takes over Mercato Metropolitano for its first autumn event of the year. The 30 stallholders have been handpicked for the event, and the venue is a food market, so plenty of options for tasty refreshments as you shop. FREE, 11am-5pm
VINTAGE KILO SALE: Into vintage fashion? Bag it by the kilo — literally — at Peckham Vintage Kilo Sale, where you pay for your chosen goods by weight (£20 per kilo). Fill your bag with new outfits then take it to the till to be weighed. There's no minimum or maximum weight, so you could get some new togs for just a few quid if you choose carefully. 11am-5pm
COMMUNITY MARKET: Japanese retail company Muji hosts a community market at Angel Central Piazza, providing a space for local suppliers and artists to sell their wares and keep 100% of their own sales. Fresh vegetables, baked goods, Japanese breads, arts and crafts, clothing, homewares and toys are among the items being sold, and there are also free origami workshops going on all day. FREE, 11am-5pm
INTERESTING CONFERENCE: Enjoy an afternoon of 16 short talks on 'interesting things' at the Interesting Conference at Conway Hall. Topics range from lawn bowls to long grief, via Charles Darwin and 'Detroit on Thames'. Intriguing. The full line-up is being gradually announced on Twitter. 12.30pm-4pm
LAUREL AND HARDY SOCIETY: The quarterly meeting of the Laurel and Hardy Society takes place at the Cinema Museum in Kennington. Non-members are welcome to attend for a fee, and enjoy screenings of Should Married Men Go Home? (1928); The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case (1930); Come Clean (1931); Scram! (1932); and Pack Up Your Troubles (1932). 3pm
ATTENBOROUGH AND HIS ANIMALS: Final chance to see Attenborough and his Animals at Wilton's Music Hall. The family-friendly stage show combines clowning and physical theatre, with two performers bringing to life the animals seen in David Attenborough documentaries. 3pm/7.30pm
JAWBONE: To coincide with the publication of new photobook Jawbone: The Autobiography of a Film, the BFI screens 2016 film Jawbone, about a former junior boxing champion who, returns to his childhood club hoping to train and fight again. Writer-actor Johnny Harris, actors Michael Smiley and Ray Winstone and director Thomas Napper take part in a Q&A at this screening event too. 6pm
BRITANICK: Comedy duo Nick Kocher and Brian McElhaney — together known as BriTANick — appear at Soho Theatre. It's the London debut for the Emmy-nominated writers for Saturday Night Live and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, so we're not sure what to expect — but their online videos have had 50 million views and their New York and LA shows always sell out, so worth a punt we reckon. 8.45pm
Sunday 4 September
PECKHAM SALVAGE YARD: Head to Copeland Park for Peckham Salvage Yard, a flea market-style event with over 60 traders taking part. Rummage through 20th century furniture, French antiques, vintage clothes, reclaimed lighting and unexpected oddities. 11am-5pm
BEETHOVEN: Pianist Sir András Schiff comes to the Albert hall to perform Beethoven's final three sonatas (as we all know that's no. 30, 31 and 32), at this morning Prom. 11.30am
DIVERSE SPITALFIELDS: Join author and Londonist contributor David Fathers for a walking tour of Diverse Spitalfields, tying in with his recent book, Diverse London. Learn about the four different groups of migrants who have arrived in the area over the past 300 years, and pass sites including the former homes and shops of the silk weaving Huguenots, and ghost signs which give clues about previous inhabitants' identities. 12pm-2.30pm
TIM PEAKE: Astronaut Tim Peake makes an appearance at the London Palladium to talk about his 2015 experience of being the first British astronaut to visit the International Space Station to conduct a spacewalk while orbiting Earth. He also shows photos and never-seen-before footage of his career, and reveals what life as an astronaut is really like. 2pm
HOOTERS COMEDY: Nope, nothing to do with *that* Hooters — this early evening show at 2Northdown features a quadruple bill of smoking hot stand up, including Leicester Square New Comedian Of The Year Finalist 2021 Karen Hobbs, and Kate Norris, who makes up 50% of one of our fave comedy duos, Norris and Parker. 6pm
EDWARD ENNINFUL: End your week on a fashion-forward note, as Southbank Centre hosts an evening with British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful, in conversation with actress Michaela Coel. Enninful discusses his journey breaking into the exclusive fashion industry, as a Black, gay, working class refugee, and how he's changing the industry by putting first responders, octogenarians and civil rights activists on the cover of Vogue. 7.30pm
