Festive Ice Skating!

Christmas, a time for growing bellies and shrinking budgets, has just got better.  Kill two birds with one stone at Hoxton Square's ice rink - don those skates, bust those moves and burn those calories - and the best bit?  It's all for FREE!

As part of Destination Hackney's Christmas project to 'make Hackney sparkle', visitors can enjoy a light display and take to the ice without paying a penny.  It's only on until Saturday 22nd December, so make the most of it while it lasts! If, like me, you’ve been given the label of ‘Bambi on Ice’ a few too many times for it to be funny and the thought of donning skates has you running for the hills, don't worry. Half the fun is laughing at yourself (and other people). Grab some friends, drink a mulled wine or five (probably best to do this after) and ‘chill out’! 

Cinema in the Snow!

At last! Christmas is here and what better way to celebrate than with a glass of mulled wine, a cheeky mincey P and a Narnia-esque journey through a magical wardrobe into a snow-filled cinematic festive extravaganza? 

Following the rip-roaring success of their summer programme, Pop-Up Screens is bringing Christmas to Brick Lane by hosting a series of festive films including my personal faves: Home Alone, Elf, Edward Scissorhands and the Nightmare before Christmas to name a few. With three screenings a day from 18th December until 23rd December, tipples including mulled wine and regular (or ‘pimped’) hot chocolate and festive decorations adorning every inch of The Dray Walk Gallery, The Cinema in the Snow is sure to get every child (both inner and outer) in the mood for festive cheer.

Tickets are available here, and although they're a bit steep at £14, it's only Christmas once a year!

UK Chilli Stand Off!

Don’t let the name alarm you.  Instead of a horrendous ‘who can eat the hottest chilli’ contest, which would have a Nando’s ‘plain for kidz’ girl like me running for the hills, the UK Chilli Stand Off refers to a sort of X-Factor type contest…except instead of talentless singers, we have eight talented chefs…and instead of singing, we have steaming pots of chilli con carne.   With a 12pm and a 4pm sitting on 17th November, ‘cooking doesn’t get tougher than this’ with eight chefs battling it out to win the title.  And the best bit? We get to play the role of a chilli guzzling Gregg Wallace, as we critique the chef’s efforts alongside guest judge, John Torode.   

Competitors include Dishoom, our national street food treasure, The Ribman and Tim Anderson (the 2011 Japan fanatic Masterchef winner) to name a few.  Wash it all down with 2 Texan beers and a tequila cocktail (included in the £40 ticket) while enjoying live music.  Who said the proof is in the pudding?

Rain Room

In Britain, it never rains, it pours.  In celebration of this, Random International have created an installation of cascading water, which opened at The Barbican last week. 

This multisensory experience, allows visitors to hear, see and feel the splash of rain without getting wet.  Instead of emerging from the exhibition looking like a drowned rat, a la Thorpe Park’s Tidal Wave, this installation keeps you dry as a bone.  Visitors can feel Moses-esque by ‘parting’ the rain, as the installation tracks movements and stops the water as visitors walk towards it. 

A light at the far end of the rain room provides a dramatic backdrop for the water to glisten against.  So escape the outdoor weather and head to the rain room to keep dry.  It is open until 3^rd March and admission is free so there’s no excuse to miss it!

Vogue's Fashion Night Out!

Stuck for something to do tonight?  Anna Wintour has the answer.  Four years ago, in an effort to give our failing retail economy a serious cash injection, Vogue launched their Fashion Night Out; a one night extravaganza, which allows us mere muggles to live the high life of the fashion world by transforming the shops of Oxford and Bond street (as well as a few other venues) into an emporium of fashion shows, champagne receptions, flash mob stages to name a few!  Tonight, Vogue’s unbeatable influence on the fashion world is brought to the fore as shops ranging from Topshop and H&M right through to Anya Hindmarch and Vivienne Westwood take part by offering goody bags, cocktails, entertainment and that all important discount!!  Head to GAP to be involved with Flash Mob dances, Christian Louboutin to fulfil all your fortune telling curiosities and Jimmy Choo for cocktails, music and a photo booth.  You’d be an absolute idiot to miss this one!

Notting Hill Carnival

With all the Olympic hype, it's easy to forget that the Notting Hill Carnival, Europe's largest street festival, is upon us once again already!

For the Carnival novices among us, Sunday (26th August) is children’s day with smaller floats and costume awards, while Bank Holiday Monday (27th August) is for the big dogs with the main Carnival procession. 

While many people avoid The Carnival like the plague, other people's view is that it should be on everyone's Bucket List. The infectious samba beats, bustling atmosphere and sizzling rhythms get people hooked for life.  For those of you who decide to brave it, I thought I would share a few hints and tips that people have picked up along the way:

- It may sound geeky, but wear comfortable shoes.  No-one wants to be party pooper because their compeeds have run out.

- Get there early in order to get good views.  

- Take a hipflask (and some water), and drink spirits, not beer, unless you want to be searching for a loo all day.  Drinks can also be quite pricey, so bringing your own booze should save a few pennies.

- Don't bring too many valuables with you - this way, you can relax all day and you don't have to worry if you end up having one, or two, or five too many bevvies.

- Most importantly, go with a positive attitude.  People are there to let loose and party, so you should do the same.

For more information on good sound systems, carnival parties and places to eat, the Notting Hill Carnival website and Time Out London have a comprehensive list of recommendations.  Here is handy map from Time Out which marks out the route of the procession and good places to grab a drink, party on down or simply people watch.

Transport for London also have a dedicated transport page for the Carnival, so be sure to check it out before you head off.  Blow that whistle, get those salsa hips swinging and enjoy!

STREB - Prepare to be amazed!

Now, I have only just heard about this amazing event (which is why it is already midday before I write about it) BUT there is still a chance to catch some of the amazing events around London today.

Cirque du Soleil type acrobatics are coming to London for one single extraordinary day in July (today).  Commissioned especially by the Mayor of London and London 2012 Festival, Brooklyn's visionary choreographer Elizabeth Streb hopes to thrill London with an electrifying series of daredevil, surprise events around the City.  Streb aims to totally disarm spectators with her one-off creation!  Performers push the human body to the impossible, by creating daredevel stunts that relate to ancient rituals from around the world.  Already this morning the STREB team have executed the 7:30am 'Waterfall', a bungee jump from the Millenium Bridge which allows them to 'kiss the water' and the 10:00am 'Skywalk' where spectators could see the STREB team running down City Hall.

For 12:30pm, get to St. Paul's cathedral sharpish, where the performers will be attaching themselves to a spinning steel wheel.  It's bound to be breathtaking.  As time marches on, their website releases information about their next movements, so be sure to keep track of them here.

Showstoppers!

In a weekend jam packed with Jubilee celebrations, I took myself off to the Southbank Udderbelly festival to see a friend in action, playing percussion for Showstoppers!  I know I'm bound to be a tiny bit biased but it was genuinely one of the best things I have seen for a long time and they only have two more Udderbelly shows left before they jet off to Edinburgh for the festival, so get on it quickly.

Showstoppers is an improvised musical, where the power of the show's theme lies in the audience's hands.  In our particular performance, people suggested everything from 'colonial India' to a 'vampire's crypt'.  For the next 70 minutes we were transported to India, and entertained with a story about a train journey, based on the orient express.  With sly interjections from  'the director', the performers were required to think of new lines and songs on the spot (including singing them in particular ways, such as 'in the style of Avenue Q', which they nailed).  I was genuinely mesmerised at their expertise and obvious intelligence at thinking up new stories and musical interludes immediately.  And not only that, the play was genuinely hilarious!

I'll be going back again; every single show is unique, as with each new audience, comes different story ideas.  I'm telling you folks - it's the best way to spend £15 and to top it off, there is a nice outdoor area to enjoy a cheeky bevvy post-performance.

The Great Wall of Vagina

Like it or loathe it, the widely talked about Great Wall of Vagina has arrived in the Capital.

From Essex vajazzles to One Born Every Minute, vaginas are everywhere. However, nowhere puts the female nether regions in the spotlight more so, than Jamie McCartney’s Great Wall of Vagina.  With 400 participants ranging from 18-76 years old, the artwork took 5 years to make, used ½ a tonne of plaster and has resulted in 9 metres of vaginas  (now there's a sentence I never thought I'd write!) The collection includes mothers, daughters, identical twins, and even a pre and post labiaplasty mold. The presentation of the artwork is far from being a pornographic pervert party; instead, it is a provocative response to cosmetic labial surgeries and encourages people to take a deeper look (pun intended) at what constitutes normality, by changing female body perception through art.

It's free, on at the Hay Hill Gallery and is here until 2nd June.

Sundance comes to Blighty!

I am excited!  For the first time ever, the Sundance Film Festival is crossing the Atlantic to showcase the crème de la crème of Sundance's selection of American and international independent films in a four-day jamboree of film and music at the O2 arena!  The Sundance London festival kicked off today and lasts until Sunday (26th-29th April) and with about 14 screenings a day, there is plenty of films to cater for all tastes.  Robert Redford, founder of Sundance, commented that he felt this year was the best year yet for Sundance talent.  Although many screenings and panel discussions have sold out, there are still some really exciting events up for grabs, so take a look.

Although the ticket's aren't super pricey to begin with, Guardian Extra are offering 2 tickets for £15 for selected screenings so there's really no excuse to miss out!  I'm off to see Lena Dunham's (director of Tiny Furniture) second film, Nobody Walks, at the weekend, so I'll let you all know how it is!

In addition to film screenings galore, there's the chance to meet the filmmakers, grab some food and catch live music performances from Tricky, Placebo and Rufus and Martha Wainwright - it all feels so glamorous!

Marilyn

Getty Images

You only need to say ‘Marilyn’, and the world immediately knows exactly who you’re talking about.  We’ve all seen a million photos of Marilyn Monroe, from her iconic breezy white dress picture, to more sincere, sadder shots.  This month, Getty Images is providing us with more insight into the Hollywood star’s successes and downfalls through an exhibition commemorating the 50^th anniversary of the iconic beauty’s untimely death.  In addition to photos capturing intimate moments and behind the scenes video footage of the star, the exhibition displays David Gainsborough Roberts’ collections of original dresses and costumes worn by Marilyn. 

It’s free and finishes on 23^rd May, so there’s no excuse to miss out on seeing unique pics of the best blonde bombshell the world has ever seen.

Easter Saturday Frivolities!

The Easter long weekend is upon us (hooray!) and there's plenty going on in and around London to keep us entertained.

Easter Saturday (7th April) brings us the old Oxford versus Cambridge Boat Race, which can mean only one thing...(drum roll please) - it's the Oxford versus Cambridge GOAT race too!!!  Spitalfields City Farm is hosting the annual race between two goats, one named Oxford, and the other named Cambridge.  Dressed in little outfits (light blue and dark blue of course), they run as fast as their little legs will carry them around the farm.  In addition to goat themed market stalls and goat themed entertainment (who knows what that involves?!), there's an official bookie and sweepstake!  So place your bets boys and girls, because it's set to be goatally awesome!

Space on Earth!

Yayoi Kusama’s exhibition at the Tate Modern looks right up my street!  With everything from the weird to the wonderful, the main attraction is her infinity mirror room (her largest to date) with hundreds of hanging changing colour LED lights – now do you see why I’m so excited about it?!  This is the closest most of us are ever going to get to experiencing floating in space.

The exhibition showcases the 82 year old’s astonishing array of media from painting, drawing, sculpture, film, performance and immersive installations.  In 1977, Kusama voluntarily checked herself into a psychiatric home where she has remained.  Since then, her work has been representative of psychiatric trauma and obsessive repetition (as seen through her infamous dots).  So while the infinity mirror room may seem astronomically beautiful, it’s conceptualisation has probably come from a much deeper and darker place than any of us care to venture. 

Regardless of this, I’m planning to check it out at the weekend.  If anyone’s been or is going, let me know what you think!

Who Run the World? Girls!

Now, I know my post titles are making it look like I have an unhealthy obsession with Beyonce (me?! Never!) BUT today is International Women's Day and I thought I'd tell you all about a seriously girl power Southbank Centre event - Women of the World Festival (WOW).

Southbank's WOW festival is running from now until 11th March (Sunday) so get down there quick!  With music, talks, debates, mentoring and workshops from influential women, WOW festival hopes to celebrate us women, learn about our history, recognise past injustices and enjoy each other's company.  With performances from icons such as Sinead O'Connor, Annie Lennox and Emilie Sandé, I think it's worth checking out.

All my single ladies - thinking of putting a ring on it?!

There are fewer things in life that are more thought about by some girls, than how they want to be proposed to.  A certain sister of mine will settle for nothing less than a husky drawn sleigh ride, under the northern lights followed by a romantic meal in the snow when the said event will take place - demanding much?!

The weird and wonderful is slowly becoming a lot more accessible to us ladies, with London's Sea Life Aquarium (one of my favourite places ever!!) offering a wacky water proposal for our leap year day of proposal opportunities (29th February).  Couples can book onto a private guided tour around the exceptionally atmospherically lit water wonderland, only to be met with a deep-sea diver greeting you with a sign of your chosen message!

Will this leap year make a splash?

Fabulous Fridays!

Every last Friday of the month, the V&A hosts specially themed evenings with live events, food and drinks while you browse the one-off displays and late-night exhibition openings.

In celebration of their new jubilee Queen Elizabeth II exhibition, this weeks Bright Young Things, on Friday 24th February (6:30-10pm), looks set to be a right royal bash as we're invited to step into the fabulous world of Cecil Beaton, the royal photographer with a love of all things glamorous.  So ladies, don your tiaras and flapper dresses, men, dust of your top hats and get down there to sip cocktails and boogie away to live jazz.  With drinks and costumes at the ready, guests are free to hear excerpts from Beaton’s Vogue diaries, watch theatrical sets, pose the night away and take in his masterpieces that capture his world of glittering beauty.

All events are free but places are designated on a first come, first served basis so get down there early to avoid missing a royal evening of glamorous fun.

Flipping Heck!

Guardian.co.uk

 On your marks, get set, flip!  

The combination of a good festival with one of my top favourite treats (pancakes) is a winner.  London clearly feels the same, as there are a selection of pancake events and races around the city tomorrow to mark Shrove Tuesday (21st February).  My pick of the bunch is the Parliamentary Pancake Race held in Westminster's Victoria Tower Gardens.

Now in its 15th year, three teams, consisting of Lords, MPs and Press (this could be one way to settle The Leveson Inquiry!) will be flipping mental as they race round the course in relays.  The event's rules and restrictions, which Natasha Kaplinsky is responsible for enforcing, clearly state that continuous flipping must occur throughout the race, the frying pans must not be used as weapons and the leftover flour and eggs must not be 'propelled' at any other participant or used as a distraction.

The event is used to raise the awareness of Rehab, a charity that helps people with brain and spinal injuries, disabilities and mental health issues.  It is free to watch and is probably one of the only times you'll get to see these high flyers whizzing around in silly hats.  Try not to let temptation get the better of you with all those extra eggs lying around...

For more pancake related fun, check out the Great Spitalfields Pancake Race, the Better Bankside Pancake Race, Poulters Company Pancake Race and the Leadenhall Market Pancake Race.

Celebrating 50 years of The Sunday Times Magazine!

Talk about bad timing!  The Sunday Times Magazine's 50-year anniversary bumper edition fell on the one weekend that snow swept the nation.  Being the drama queens we are here in England, it meant that newspaper deliveries to homes and newsagents were scarce.  As a result, The Sunday Times Magazine's hard work and efforts were a tad wasted.  

But Hurrah!  Luckily, there are still some remnants of their 50 year celebrations as the Saatchi gallery is hosting a free exhibition, showcasing the work of some of the world-famous photographers who have contributed to The Sunday Times Magazine since its launch in 1962.  With a selection of the publication's best photos from the last half a century, there are sure to be some breath-takers!  Hurry though, as it's only on until Sunday (February 19th).

Fireworks!!

As some of you may know, fireworks are in my top 5 things in life so obviously i'm going to tell you all about a firework display in Greenwich this Sunday, 5th February at 6pm!  It will be right next to the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich and the park is staying open later than usual to allow optimum viewing and photo snapping opportunities!

For more info head here.

Cirque du Soleil: Totem!

Last night I was literally lost for words after seeing Cirque du Soleil: Totem at The Royal Albert Hall. My initial feeling of being slightly inadequate next to the super toned, super flexible, 6-packed (but still skinny?! How do they do that?!) bodies that were flying around on stage soon disappeared, as the only thing to do was stare in awe as the spectacle unfolded.

The theme focuses around the evolution of man and traces the human journey through each act which include everything from cave men and chimpanzees to aliens and nutty professors! With synchronised uni-cycling, trapeze artists, balancing acts, acrobatics, skating and trampolining galore, it was sometimes hard to decide which part of the stage to focus on! In addition to the phenomenal talent of the performers, the music and set design were amazing too, with a transparent trampoline and HUMAN mirror ball!  The only, very small criticism I would make, is that I hadn't realised that the last act was the finale because all of it was so impressive.  I found that I was left wanting more after the final curtain call, but that probably just shows how greedy I am for Cirque!

Totem ends on 16th February, so I suggest you grab those last minute tickets ASAP! Although some of the tickets can be very pricey, The Royal Albert Hall has a very well kept secret. We bought our tickets for the gallery section, and I honestly think it was the best £20 I’ve ever spent. Although it is completely standing, the view from the top is unbeatable and you can really see how high the performers actually go (I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re scared of heights though).

While normally I get performer envy after a show, I think I’d rather sit this one out and watch a woman being swung by her head from a man on skates from a distance thanks!