What’s On This Week: August 3rd - August 9th 2009

So the proverb says (or something very like it), all work and no play make The City a dull place.  So lucky for us there’s a hearty dose of good, clean, fun in the city’s events this week, promising wholesome entertainment for kids young and old.

If you’re feeling particularly creative there’s a chance to make your own musical instruments at Shake, Radical, Roll, a drop-in workshop at the Barbican conservatory on Thursday evening.  Whilst you’re there, a new exhibition of pictures inspired by the journeys, atmospheres and people of London buses is opening in the Library - it’ll be intriguing to see what this particular element of British public transport can inspire, beyond fear for your life whilst trying to navigate the stairs in motion.  It is a multimedia exhibition as well, apparently, so one for the techies.

Those of you on babysitting duty may appreciate the Museum of London’s efforts;  on Sunday afternoon archaeologist John Digger (prophetic name or what?) is telling tales of the secrets that may lurk beneath our city streets.  This follows the weekly Sunday morning Story Time, mildly educational but mostly fun stories about the city’s history of knights, Romans and such like.

Watch out, there’s also a Balloonatic on the loose on New Street Square on Wednesday, threatening to adorn passers by with hats, costumes and toys all made out of balloons.  It’s all part of the City of London festival, which comes to a close this Friday as the young people of the renowned New London Children’s Choir get their chance to shine, performing a range of baroque and classical songs at St Bart’s on Friday Lunchtime.  The Rambert Dance Company’s stars of tomorrow will also be performing this week, as their School will be resident at St Paul’s Cathedral from Wednesday to Friday.

What’s On This Week: 20th July – 26th July 2009

The weather may not have been too encouraging this past week but we Brits are well used to soldiering on through July with cheery optimism and in that vein, there’s plenty happening to celebrate the Great Outdoors in the City this week. 

The prize for ‘most gung-ho’ (aka brave) must go to the Barbican for their ‘Do Something Different’ weekend, a range of free activities from the festival standard dancing classes and al fresco live music to the less conventional staring contests, ice-cream making sessions and sandcastle building competitions.  There’s obviously a family focus but the live music sessions run well into the evenings and promise an energetic and lively collection of Brazilian Music and brass ensembles that will appeal to all ages.  Just pretend that golfing umbrella is really a giant cocktail umbrella… 

Barbican’s neighbours, Guildhall School of Music, are also venturing outside this Thursday for their ‘Inside Out: Picnic Music’ concert on the steps of LSO St Luke’s.  The up-tempo young Matt Fripp Jazz Trio will be providing the soundtrack to your cucumber sandwiches with a mix of Jazz, Latin and Bossa Nova in this laid-back, free lunchtime affair. 

The Exmoor Singers are feeling a little more cautious and have chosen to bring the outdoors indoors with their ‘Echoes of Nature’ concert on Monday at St Giles Cripplegate.  They’ve chosen an interesting programme of folk-ish choral music inspired by the natural environment, ranging from play-it-safe Benjamin Britten to the remember-we-used-to-sing-it-at-school ‘Who Killed Cock Robin?’, a brave choice by even the daring Barbican’s standards.

Barbican Australian Film Festival

A good few years ago it used to be the case in City pubs that if a bar was occupied by English people then the people behind it were bound to be Australian, then came the New Zealanders, South Africans adding their style and characters to London life, though now it seems like it’s best to be able to order your pint in Polish!

In honour of our antipodean bretheren (relatives in my case) tomorrow heralds the start of the Barbican’s Australian Film Festival so if you have never scratched beyond the surface of Australian films then I’d highly recommend a trip over to the Barbican where the festival runs from the 12th March to 22nd March. Inevitably the 1994 hit “The Adventures of Priscilla - Queen of the Desert” does feature and with dressing up being positively encouraged there will be a prize for the most dazzling diva of the evening.

Barbican Australian Film Festival
http://www.barbican.org.uk/australianfilm

The Apex Of Large Hotels

The Visit London 2008 Awards have seen the Apex City of London hotel scoop the top prize for “Best Large Hotel”. The four star hotel in Seething Lane, near the Tower Bridge, beat off strong competition from the Jumeirah Carlton Tower and The Chesterfield Mayfair.

Also in the City, the Barbican received the Silver award for Business Venue of the Year.

See the full list of winners from the Visit London 2008 Awards.

Read more about City of London Hotels.