David Hockney is the subject of a solo show at Tate Britain, Robots take over the Science Museum and there's a Revolution in Russian Art at the Royal Academy, just three of the best events in London in February 2017.
London International Mime Festival and the Barbican present Charleroi Danses Kiss & Cry, a multimedia dance piece resulting from a collaboration between filmmaker Jaco Van Dormael and Belgian choreographer Michele Anne De Mey in which a pair of hands create a microscopic world. A woman near the end of her life remembers her greatest loves, starting with her first and truest: a boy whose hand she touched for a few seconds on a crowded train when she was twelve years old. Blending cinema, movement, text and theatre, human hands portray the characters of a sensual drama as a film is screened at the same time as it is created.
An annual taster and a chance to dip into dance with tickets a mere £15 Sadler's WellsSampled covers a wide variety of dance, from classical ballet to hip hop, contemporary and tango. The 2017 festival includes work from Russell Maliphant, Spain's award-winning Iron Skulls Co. presenting the surreal Sinestesia, and dotdotdot dance, a new company of three young British flamenco dancers. You can also sample an extract from Northern Ballet's Casanova before the full length production is staged here in May 2017. It's not just about the performances; there are beginners' workshops on Saturday 4th February so you can have a go too.
This production of Travesties broke box office records at the Menier Chocolate Factory, becoming the first play in the company's history to sell out ahead of its first preview. Now, with previews from 3rd February 2017, the play transfers to the Apollo Theatre in the West End. Patrick Marber directs Tom Hollander and the full company from the Menier - including Freddie Fox, Peter McDonald, Forbes Masson and Clare Foster - in Tom Stoppard's comedy of art, love and revolution. Tom Hollander is "hilarious in this mind-bogglingly entertaining Stoppard revival"(Telegraph), starring as minor British diplomat Henry Carr, who is stationed in 1917 Zurich and misremembers James Joyce, Tristan Tzara and Lenin.
Child's Play at the Foundling Museum brings together a series of powerful images by artist Mark Neville of children at play in diverse environments around the world. Taking place at a time when up to 13 million children have been displaced due to armed conflict, the exhibition comes as a reminder of our responsibility to ensure that all children across the world should have the opportunity to play safely. Photos of children in Scottish and English communities and the war zones of Afghanistan and Ukraine show beautiful moments of free, spontaneous play in the most unfavourable environments.
A stunning visual treat, this year's Orchids Festival at Kew is inspired by the vibrant colours, culture and plant life of India. Thousands of orchids and tropical flowers are used to create beautiful floral displays in and around colourful rickshaws, Indian soundscapes and films. On Tuesday and Thursday evenings you can visit the display for a series of special after dark events with Indian music, Bodhi leaf and mandala colouring, and drop-in yoga sessions. Decorate your hands with henna and meet Kew's science and horticulture experts to learn about their work.
After previous sell-out successes, Fare Healthy is back this February and it's moving to the Truman Brewery. Perfect for those who continue New Year detoxes post January, it's a feel-good festival of food, fitness and wellbeing, bringing together some of the most inspiring people in these industries. The line-up includes renowned blogger Deliciously Ella, Rude Health co-founder Nick Barnard, nutritionist Amelia Freer, blogger Izy Hossack, wellness guru Madeleine Sha, chef duo Tart London and fitness apparel brand Lululemon. Expect food demonstrations, nutrition talks, exercise classes and pop-up eateries.
A landmark play in gay theatre, Mart Crowley's groundbreaking The Boys In The Band transfers to the West End in 2017, being staged at the Vaudeville Theatre for a limited two-week run. Set in a New York apartment, the seminal piece sees nine men gather for a birthday celebration. Doctor Who actor Mark Gatiss plays Howard, a self-avowed 'pock-marked, Jew fairy' who receives a surprise gift: a beautiful male hustler. When party host Michael - played by Ian Hallard - gets an unwanted gift of his own, the night descends into hilarity and heartbreak.
Showcasing the evolution of modern robotics from a 1582 iron manikin to one of the first walking two-legged robots, the Science Museum's new exhibition explores the deep-seated drive to recreate ourselves and how robots have been shaped by religious belief, the industrial revolution, 20th century popular culture and dreams of the future. Robots will reveal the remarkable 500-year story of humanoid robots with over 100 robots on display, 12 of which will be working models that you might get to interact with. In addition to the exhibition, the Science Museum has also launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise £35,000 to rebuild the UK's first humanoid robot, Eric. If successful, Eric will form the centrepiece of the Robots exhibition.
Works by the acclaimed artist Vanessa Bell, a central figure of the Bloomsbury Group, go on display at Dulwich Picture Gallery from February 2017. The exhibition charts her move from the refined Impressionism of her early training to a more radical, experimental style. Approximately 100 works, arranged thematically, reveal Bell's bold experiments with abstraction, colour and form. Through portraiture, still life and landscape oil paintings as well as ceramics, fabrics, works on paper, photographs and related archival material we can see how Bell became a pivotal figure in modernist painting.
Some of London's leading chefs take to the kitchens with the aim of elevating the humble bar snack to new heights in a cook-off and blind tasting to find the nation's best Scotch Egg. Chefs from Ealing Park Tavern, The Rat Inn, The Cinnamon Collection and Tang meet at The Canonbury Tavern in Islington to compete in the famous Scotch Egg Challenge. A must-see (and taste) event for any foodie fan, entrants are judged on three categories - taste, texture and appearance - and there's enough scotch eggs for the audience to feed their faces for free. Previous winners have included the Harwood Arms, Princess Victoria and Holborn Dining Room who convinced the judges with their delicious combination of white pudding and sausage. With a big screen showing all the action live from the kitchen, this is a truly egg-cellent event.
As he approaches his 80th birthday, David Hockney is the subject of a major exhibition at Tate Britain in 2017. Gathering together an extensive selection of Hockney's most famous works, this exhibition celebrates his achievements in painting, drawing, print, photography and video across six decades. Presented as a chronological overview, the show highlights how he continues to change his style and ways of working, embracing new technologies as he goes. From his portraits and images of Los Angeles swimming pools, through to his drawings and photography, Yorkshire landscapes and recent success at the Royal Academy, this retrospective offers an insightful overview of Hockney's impressive career.
This year's Imagine Children's Festival has a strong Nordic focus running throughout, Julian Clary and award-winning illustrator David Roberts introduce their new book, Children's Laureate Chris Riddell invites you to spend an afternoon with him, and cyclist Chris Hoy presents a new range of books for young readers. In keeping with Southbank Centre's year-long Nordic Matters, there are appearances from Icelandic authors and illustrators including Birgitta Sif, Pernilla Lindroos, Bolatta Silis-Hoegh and award-winning writer Rakel Helmsdal among others. Visit immersive, interactive exhibition Adventures in Moominland and hear the London premiere of Finnish band Hevisaurus - four dinosaurs and a dragon - who play power metal for children at the Royal Festival Hall.
Choreographer Pina Bausch created Masurca Fogo, which takes on the subject of desire and the human need for love, with her signature tongue-firmly-in-cheek wit. Dancers fling themselves down water slides and cram into a crowded beach hut for a party, always with "Bausch's sharp mudlarker's eye for social ritual" (The Guardian). Set to a soundtrack that features an eclectic mix of k.d. lang, the Balanescu Quartet's reinvention of German electronic band Kraftwerk and traditional African and Portuguese music, Masurca Fogo is an upbeat piece of dance theatre.
Eton College will exhibit a rare collection of 18th and 19th Century British Watercolours at the 2017 Works on Paper fair, where drawings and prints, photographs and posters are presented each year. Pictures drawn by hand, in ink, pencil, crayon, chalk, pastel, gouache or charcoal can be seen at the fair which returns to the Royal Geographical Society this year. Ranging in price from the affordable (at £500 and less), to the majority on offer from £750 to £7,500, and plenty above £10,000, works include early, modern and contemporary art as well as museum quality pieces. Other highlights this year include works by Edward Lear, a large watercolour by Julius Caesar Ibbetson of figures skating on the Serpentine and a Paul Sandby watercoour of Windsor Bridge.
Ed Balls, Ore Oduba and Lesley Joseph are just three of the stars to appear at the live version of the popular, glitzy BBC television show. They'll appear along with Louise Redknapp, Daisy Lowe and Danny Mac performing their most popular dances at Wembley Arena and The O2. The live show follows much the same format as the BBC series, featuring performances from 2016's most popular celebrity and professional pairings, impressive routines by the professionals and the occasional verbal sideswipe from judges Len Goodman, Craig Revel Horwood and Karen Hardy. The tenth anniversary tour will also feature a brand new host, Countryfile's Anita Rani, who was a semi-finalist in the 2015 series.
Ealing Music and Film Festival returns in February 2017 for its fifth year with a series of concerts covering three centuries of music, from Scarlatti, Haydn and Mozart through Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, Brahms and Mahler. There's even a selection of 20th century film music. On the film side of things, there's a screening of David Cronenberg's Spider, the 2002 film starring Ralph Fiennes, Gabriel Byrne, Miranda Richardson and Lynn Redgrave, in partnership with Classic Cinema Club Ealing, at Ealing Town Hall. New for 2017, the first guided location walk and film screening of 2014 film Pride, written by Stephen Beresford and directed by Matthew Warchus, part of which was filmed at the 'Island Triangle' in North Acton - a contender for the UK's most filmed location.
Crossrail, which has seen 26 miles of new tunnels created under London, has also revealed previously inaccessible areas of subterranean London; an archaeologist's dream. The discoveries resulting from churning up the ground rock of our city go on display at the Museum of London Docklands from February 2017. Among the significant finds are prehistoric flints, showing Mesolithic tool making 8,000 years ago, a Tudor bowling ball, Roman horse shoes and human remains found near Liverpool Street Station. Through these fascinating finds - including one skeleton from the 17th century Bedlam cemetery who died from the Plague - we can explore 8,000 years of human history.
Kele Okereke and his London-based band, Bloc Party, have added a second show at the Roundhouse, after the first date sold out in less than 10 minutes. These gigs come after the release of new single Stunt Queen and following one of their biggest ever live shows at the legendary Hollywood Bowl. Twelve years after Bloc Party's first album, Silent Alarm, was released in 2005 the band return with an art-punk infused indie rock performance, in support of their fifth studio album Hymns.
Crowned the 'King of Comedy' at the 2012, 2013 and 2014 British Comedy Awards, comedian of the moment Jack Whitehall is now 'At Large' on his solo stand-up arena tour. Having also delved into acting and writing - he stars in the award-winning Channel 4 series 'Fresh Meat' and writes for the BBC sitcom 'Bad Education' - Whitehall's latest live stand up comedy show will see him perform three London arena gigs when he stops by Wembley Arena for three nights and at The O2 for one night in February 2017. Unashamedly middle-class, the young comedian is known for near the mark jokes and audiences can expect plenty of 'do I laugh or shudder?' moments.
A daring new co-production from the Young Vic, Look Left Look Right and HighTide, See Me Now has been created and performed by sex workers. Male, female and transgender, they come from all walks of life and are teachers, cleaners, parents and more. But, behind closed doors, they're also paid to make their clients feel good. With some doing it for the money, some for love and some for unexpected reasons, this unique new show sees London sex workers share their painful, touching and sometimes hilarious stories.
The National Theatre presents a swift, contemporary celebration of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in February. Set against a vibrant urban backdrop, the Ben Powers production brings the most famous love story of all time to life for a new generation with dancing, live song and plenty of excitement to make it suitable for 8-12-year-olds. Part of the Shakespeare for a younger audience series, the National Theatre is also staging a modern adaptation of Macbeth in February.
Revolution: Russian Art 1917-1932 is a powerful new exhibition that explores one of the most momentous periods in modern world history, when centuries of Tsarist rule were overthrown and Communist Russia was born. Hosted by the Royal Academy of Arts, the exhibition looks through the lens of the period's groundbreaking art with works on display by avante-garde artists Kandinsky, Malevich, Chagall and Rodchenko, who all lived during the events and aftermath of the fall of the Tsar rule in Russia. With photography, sculpture, film and propaganda, this exhibition will mark the historic centenary by focusing on the 15-year period between 1917 and 1932, when Russian art flourished across every medium.
The Roundhouse Rising festival returns for its seventh year in 2017, offering a programme of gigs from emerging artists alongside a series of workshops and seminars aimed at 14 to 25-year-olds. Highlights include an evening hosted by BBC Music Introducing, the album launch for Rising Sounds 2017, performances from Glaswegian four-piece Catholic Action, afrobeat artist and MOBO nominee Mista Silva. Roundhouse Resident Artists on-the-rise Edges and hip hop collective SumoChief also make an appearance and there's a club night bringing together DJs and tastemakers from around the globe. In a first for the festival, Roundhouse Rising alumni, rapper Little Simz, who made her debut here in 2014 performs in the main space.
Opening on Valentine's Day, Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge! will be the first film of 2017 to be given the Secret Cinema treatment. Guests will be invited to step back in time to an all-dancing, all-singing 1899 Paris to lose themselves in the sexy, disreputable Belle Époque. As ever, the full details are under wraps but, true to Secret Cinema form, it's sure to be one hell of an experience. Tickets go on sale on Thursday 8th December at 1pm.
He started out in the early 1990s photographing clubbers for i-D magazine, in 2000 he won the Turner prize in 2000, and now German born photographer Wolfgang Tillmans is the focus of a solo Tate Modern exhibition. Offering a new focus on his photographs, video, digital slide projections, publications, curatorial projects and recorded music, the exhibition reveals the work he has produced in the fourteen years since his 2003 Tate Britain show. In March, Tillmans will also take over Tate Modern'sSouth Tank for ten days with a commissioned installation featuring live music, fusing his two passions of art and clubbing.
With the aim of bringing Shakespeare to younger audiences, the National Theatre is staging a bold contemporary retelling of Macbeth in 2017. One of Shakespeare's darkest plays, the story of war, witchcraft, murder, treason and treachery has been adapted to appeal to 13-year-olds. Justin Audibert directs a cast of eight in the bold new version. Part of the Shakespeare for a younger audience series, the National Theatre is also staging a modern adaptation of Romeo and Juliet in February.
Continuing his commitment to diversity, Rufus Norris, artistic director of the National Theatre, brings a very modern take on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night to the Olivier Theatre. Directed by Simon Goodwin, the production sees Tamsin Greig take on the classic male role of Malvolio, which will be reimagined as Malvolia. "That play is about lots of gender confusion anyway" states Norris, making it an appropriate twist. The narrative follows Viola, who is washed ashore on a remote island, and her lost twin brother, Sebastian. What follows is a whirlwind of mistaken identity and unrequited love, with Malvolia being swept up in the madness.
The foot-stamping Flamenco Festival London, an annual festival at Sadler's Wells these past fourteen years, includes a gala performance by legendary Gypsy dancer Juana Amaya, Olga Pericet, Jesus Carmona, Patricia Guerrero, and Rocio Marquez, considered one of the shining voices of flamenco today. Opening this year's festival is the UK premiere of FLA.CO.MEN by the rule breaking Israel Galvan. Flamenco Festival favourite, and one of Spain's leading dancers, Eva Yerbabuena returns with Apariencias in which she is accompanied by four dancers and her critically acclaimed ensemble of musicians, including African guest singer Alana Sinkey.
The National Gallery displays Cagnacci's Italian Baroque masterpiece, The Repentant Magdalene, this February - the first time the piece has been on display in the UK for 30 years. The work is widely regarded as Cagnacci's masterpiece, full of drama and sensuality as it depicts Mary Magdalene rejecting her life of sin and excess in favour of following Christ. Lavishing attention of her glittering costume, shoes and jewellery, as well as her naked body, the painting is unlike any other representation of the Magdalene. Loaned from the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, this display offers visitors to The National Gallery a rare chance to see the painting first hand.
Conceptual documentary photographer and Deutsche Borse Photography Prize Winner Richard Mosse has created an immersive multi-channel video installation in the Barbican Curve. Incoming sees the experimental photographer collaborate with composer Ben Frost and cinematographer Trevor Tweeten to use surveillance technology in order to comment on the current refugee crisis in Europe. To create the piece, he used advanced new thermographic weapons and border imaging technology that can see beyond 30km to record footage off the coast of Libya, in Syria, the Sahara and the Persian Gulf.
The Young Vic continues to break boundaries in 2016 and in February the maverick theatre stages a new take on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Directed by Joe Hill-Gibbins, who drastically reworked Measure for Measure back in 2015, the production dives into the subconscious of Shakespeare's masterpiece and gives it a wild house party twist, presenting "a grownup play about adult relationships" instead of one about "fickle adolescence and wacky fairies".
The UK's largest cycling show returns to ExCeL London with plenty of gear to browse and buy and industry experts giving talks on all aspects of cycling, from BMX to cross country riding. Brands already confirmed for the technology hub include Headkayse, Tailfin and Quadribel. Other attractions include a Bloc Cycling Bar, Street Velodrome and Test Track. What's more, a ticket to The London Bike Show also grants entry to two other events running at the ExCeL centre at the same time: the Triathlon Show: London and The Telegraph Outdoor Adventure & Travel Show.
The Telegraph Outdoor Adventure and Travel Show returns to ExCel London in February, site sharing with the Bike Show, the Triathlon Show and the Dive Show. Suitable for the whole family, the show has plenty of free have-a-go attractions including the Discovery Zone, Adventure Theatre, Adventure Playground and Survival Camp. There will also be plenty of expert speakers to take inspiration from.
Organised for over 20 years by Diver, Britain's best-selling diving magazine, the London International Dive Show is the place for scuba diving enthusiasts to get the latest information on diving holidays, training courses, and dive gear. With features like the try dive pool and 3D free-dive simulator you can even dive in and try out the latest equipment. Get tips on where to go for your next dive holiday at the themed travel areas, and hear presentations by the world's leading divers who all have their own specialities - from wreck divers and wildlife experts to photographers and film-makers. The show takes place alongside The London Bike Show, The Telegraph Outdoor Show and the Triathlon Show: London all of which are at the ExCel Exhibition Centre, and one ticket gets you into all four shows. The ExCeL is located at the Royal Victoria Docks, near to Canary Wharf, Greenwich and the O2 Arena. For hotels close to the ExCeL and the best deals, take a look at our Nearby Hotels page.
The Triathlon Show: London taps into the new wave of enthusiasm for the sport which combines swimming, cycling and running, made even more popular by the Brownlee brothers' London 2012 Olympics medal winning performances. The sports show at the ExCel Centre has everything triathletes need to help prepare for their next competition. Not only suitable for experienced triathletes, the show has a wealth of information for those looking to undertake their first triathlon. The show takes place alongside The London Bike Show and The Telegraph Outdoor Show of which are at the ExCel Exhibition Centre, and one ticket gets you into all three shows. The ExCeL is located at the Royal Victoria Docks, near to Canary Wharf, Greenwich and the O2 Arena. For hotels close to the ExCeL and the best deals, take a look at our Nearby Hotels page.
The Whitechapel Gallery hosts an exhibition on Eduardo Paolozzi, one of the most innovative and irreverent artists of the 20th century. Known as the 'godfather of Pop Art', Paolazzi challenged the conventions of art with his collages, sculptures and prints from the 1950s through to the Swinging Sixties and advent of 'Cool Britannia' in the 1990s. This major exhibition spans five decades and showcases more than 250 works, with everything from the artist's post-War bronzes and revolutionary screen prints to his bold textiles and fashion designs.
After starring in Mary Stuart in late 2016, Juliet Stevenson returns to the Almeida stage this year to star in Hamlet, playing Gertrude alongside Sherlock and Spectre star Andrew Scott, who makes his Almeida debut in the title role. The star will be following in the footsteps of his on-screen nemesis Benedict Cumberbatch, who tackled Shakespeare's toughest role in 2015 in what became the fastest-selling play in London theatre history.
Gin Festival, the UK's largest gin event, comes to Tobacco Dock this February and there are plans to make it even bigger. Back for the third time after previous sell-out success, the festival has over 100 gins to showcase and gives visitors the chance to sample exclusive and new gins from a variety of producers. You'll be given a special Gin Festival glass and a brochure detailing information about each of the gins and producers, with a suggest garnish for each. As well as the gin, there will be live entertainment, talks from gin industry experts and food.
Tower Bridge may be the most famous bridge in the world, but did you know there's a secret Victorian chamber lurking underneath it? Didn't think so. Well, now you're being given the opportunity to explore the Bascule Chamber, which houses the bridge's huge counterweights used during bridge lifts, with a unique installation presented by The Guildhall School and Tower Bridge. Terra Incognita - Here be Dragons is a site-specific light and sound installation that sees the atmospheric secret space transformed with light, sound and projected imagery that asks the audiences to review and re-evaluate their relationship with the city and its history and character.
After a sell-out success in 2016, Two Man Show is back at the Soho Theatre. Created by Fringe First Winners RashDash, the award-winning show is a genre-defying exploration of gender, language and humankind. Abbi and Helen present the show as seen through the eyes of John and Dan, who hear people say that men have all the power, but it doesn't feel like that to them.
Griff Rhys Jones takes the title role and comedian Lee Mack stars in a major revival of Moliere's classic comedy The Miser with Sean Foley directing the new adaptation. A biting satire about a wealthy and tyrannical father, The Miser attempts to set up a love match with a much younger woman. Unfortunately, she is already devoted to his son. Director Sean Foley has already given us the hugely successful production of Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense and with such well known names in the lead roles, this has all the ingredients to be a must-see piece of theatre. The play opens at Bath Theatre Royal and travels to Richmond Theatre before opening at the Garrick Theatre in the West End on Wednesday 1st March 2017.
Imelda Staunton returns to the West End after her triumphant and Olivier Award-winning performance as Mama Rose in Gypsy to star opposite Conleth Hill in a new production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Multi Tony and Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Edward Albee, who sadly passed away recently, penned the 1962 play examining the breakdown of the marriage of a middle-aged couple. Martha (played by Imelda Staunton), much to her husband George's displeasure, has invited new professor Nick and his wife Honey to their home for some after-party drinks, leading to a moment of devastating truth-telling.
Indhu Rubasingham directs the UK premiere staging of award-winning American playwright Lindsey Ferrentino's brutally funny drama about an Afghanistan war veteran, who returns home to Florida and experiments with a pioneering virtual reality therapy to heal her deep emotional scars. Kate Fleetwood, who starred opposite Patrick Stewart in an "era-defining" (Evening Standard) 2007 production, stars as the American soldier who builds a new world to escape her pain.
For those who still aren't sick of hearing about Brexit, the National Theatre is staging a Brexit-inspired production this February. Rufus Norris and Carol Ann Duffy have collaborated to create My Country: A Work In Progress, which has been made as part of a nationwide listening project. In the days after the EU referendum, the National Theatre began the project in which a team of interviewers spoke to people all around the country to hear their views of the country and the town they live in, their lives, their future and the referendum. The production will be staged in London before touring around the country.
Stephen Karam's comedy Speech & Debate follows three misfit teenagers who are brought together by a sex scandal in their school. With nobody taking them seriously, they find refuge in the debate society and speak out, resulting in hilarious consequences. Living in a social media minefield, Howie, Solomon and Diwata struggle with homophobia, online privacy and hot to get the lead in the school play. Tom Attenborough directs the play, which is given its UK premiere at the Trafalgar Studios in February.
David Bowie, Rihanna, Little Mix and Drake have all been nominated for this year's Brit Awards, the annual celebration of British and international music. One of the biggest music award events in Britain, hosted in 2017 by Michael Buble, the BRITs features performances by some of the nominated acts - that list includes Little Mix, Emeli Sande and The 1975. Robbie Williams gets a BRITs icon award, presented to artists who have made a "lasting impact", and ten winners will be announced on the night, all of whom receive a statuette, alongside the previously announced 2016 Critics' Choice winner.
Don't be shocked... the Wellcome Collection's new spring 2017 exhibition, Electricity, may be full of surprises but it's also an education. It gave life to Frankenstein's monster but electricity can used as a life-giving force in real life too. This exhibition shows the developments in the application of electricity in healthcare as well as its contradictory life-giving and death-dealing powers. Alongside three new commissions by international artists John Gerrard, Camille Henrot and Bill Morrison, there are over 100 objects from ancient spark-inducing amber to exhibits helping us imagine what the future of electricity might look like.
A festival dedicated to the increasing interest and innovative in the beer industry in the UK, Craft Beer Rising returns to The Old Truman Brewery this February. The annual event brings together over 150 UK and international brewers, some of London's finest street food and music to dance to. Breweries taking part include London Beer Factory, Hiver Beers, Meantime Brewing Company, Hoxton Cidersmiths, Smith and Turner, Brewdog, Portobello Brewing Company and Sonnet 43 Brew House. The street food and music line-up are yet to be announced, but with last year welcoming Rob DA Bank, we're sure we won't be disappointed.
The capital's premier celebration of automotive history, the London Classic Car Show features a whole host of classic and vintage cars. At its centre is The Grand Avenue, a motoring catwalk inside the ExCeL showcasing 40 of the world's most desirable classic cars. Other highlights include a celebration of 70 years of Ferrari road cars, and car manufacturers like Aston Martin and Maserati displaying new models alongside their heritage cars. Celebrities from the motoring world have, in previous years, included James May, Arian Newey, David Coulthard, Jenson Button, Sir Stirling Moss, Ari Vatanen and Gordon Murray. More big names are promised for 2017. Tickets to the show also give entry to a sister exhibition, the inaugural Historic Motorsport International (HMI), which is being held in an adjacent hall at ExCeL.
Hugely influential on the drum'n'bass scene Goldie has been an artist, DJ, actor - in that Bond movie - he has played the Royal Albert Hall, and was runner up in the BBC's 'Maestro' competition. Now he breaks new ground yet again. A first for Ronnie Scott's, Goldie and The Heritage Ensemble play brand new arrangements of tracks from his 1995 album, Timeless, at four special shows. The group includes musicians from the Heritage Orchestra which helped bring the 1995 album to life in a memorable show at London's Royal Festival Hall two years ago.
Twenty years on from her death, Kensington Palace traces the evolution of Princess Diana's style in Diana: Her Fashion Story. From the demure, romantic outfits of her first public appearances to the glamour, elegance and confidence of her later life, the exhibition will explore how Diana navigated her unique position in the public eye. From her earliest royal engagements, she was closely scrutinised and soon learned to use her image to engage with and inspire people. Visitors will be able to see extraordinary garments from her collection, the pale pink Emanuel blouse worn during her engagement portrait by Lord Snowdon in 1981, Victor Edelstein's iconic ink blue velvet gown work at the White House when the Princess danced with John Travolta, and a blue tartan Emanuel suit worn for an official visit to Venice in the 1980s, which will go on public display for the first time having recently been discovered and acquired by the Royal Palaces.
A ten-day event, the Cut Festival brings together international artists, east London barbers and activists to explore both the history and current social relevance of barber shops. The multidisciplinary art festival explores the centuries-old practice of barbering - from the black barbershops of nineteenth century North America to the healing rituals in India - and how it has united communities, healed ill bodies and provided a way for individuals to illustrate their own identities. The festival will display photographs of different barbers from around the world, provide haircuts to the homeless, and host a series of events, exhibitions and discussions. Highlights include Cut to the Chase, inviting seminal artists and barbers to engage in conversations about identity, gender and race through the medium of barbershops and art; The Art of Barbering Exhibition, a group exhibition of photography, GIFS, video, drawing and publications; and Barbershop Takeover, offering a day of free specially curated performances.
The play that made Tom Stoppard's name overnight, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead is staged at The Old Vic for the first time since its London debut in 1967. The 50th-anniversary celebratory production will be directed by David Leveaux and star Daniel Radcliffe and Joshua McGuire. Against the backdrop of Shakespeare's Hamlet, the mind-bending situation comedy sees two hapless minor characters take centre stage, becoming increasingly out of their depth. With the young double act stumbling their way in and out of action, Stoppard's play sees the audience witness the ultimate identity crisis.
The Royal Academy of Arts tells the story of a nation in flux with its new exhibition, America after the Fall: Painting in the 1930s. After the Wall Street Crash of 1929, America was in crisis, with a quarter of the population unemployed and homelessness, starvation, sickness and crime fast becoming widespread. This exhibition of 45 iconic works will show how artists responded to this rapid social change and the economic anxiety. The once-in-a-generation show will bring together works rarely seen together, including Grant Wood's American Gothic (1930) which has never before left the North American shores. Works by Jackson Pollock, Georgia O'Keeffe, Edward Hopper, Thomas Hart Benton and Philip Guston will also be on display.
Winner Matt Terry headlines this pop tour, performing his most popular covers from the live TV shows. Runners up Saara Aalto and 5 After Midnight also perform, alongside finalists Emily Middlemas, Ryan Lawrie, Sam Lavery and the most divisive contestant Honey G. Proving the enduring popularity of Simon Cowell's 'search for a star' TV show, The X Factor Live Tour is watched by over three million people, making it one of the most successful annual arena tours in the UK for the past twelve years.
The ENO presents a world premiere of Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale. The tale of love, loss and reconciliation sees the King of Sicilia mistakenly believe that his virtuous wife Hermione is having an affair with his good friend Polixenes, the King of Bohemia. The production will be directed by Olivier award-winning actor Rory Kinnear, who brings his considerable Shakespearean experience to the production. The cast, meanwhile, includes Iain Paterson, Sophie Bevan, Leigh Melrose, Anthony Gregory and Susan Bickley.
Writer-director Debbie Tucker Green brings her verbosely-titled new play, A Profoundly Affectionate, Passionate Devotion to Someone (-Noun), to the Royal Court Theatre for its premiere this February. The title may be wordy but the subject is simple: relationships. The story follows three couples who are at crossroads in their relationships. Looking at what might be, what once was and what could have been, it delves into regret-filled pasts, disappointing presents and uncertain futures. Debbie Tucker Green's previous credits for the Royal Court include Hang, Truth & Reconciliation, and Random.
Staged in the shadow of the Houses of Parliament for 18 years, the Rehab Parliamentary Pancake Race pitches MPs, Lords and political correspondents against one another to see who's the fastest pancake tosser. A huge draw for tourists, it's not only great fun but it's also for a good cause. As Alistair Stewart OBE, a member of the losing media team in 2016, says, "So often in life, we take ourselves a little too seriously. The Rehab Parliamentary Pancake Race really is an eggs-cellent way for our MPs, Lords and even my colleagues in the media, to show that we don't mind sending ourselves up for a good cause."
In celebration of Shrove Tuesday, pancake enthusiasts leg it down Dray Walk at The Old Truman Brewery near Brick Lane with a frying pan and slab of batter for a relay race with a difference. All participants need for The Great Spitalfields Pancake Race is a team of four spirited souls dressed up in wacky costumes and armed with a frying pan (pancakes are provided). Heats kick off at 12.30pm, followed by the finals and ceremonial prize-giving (for the winners: an engraved frying pan, of course). All entrants receive hot pancakes and there's an award for the best-dressed team too so pick a theme and don the appropriate garb - however ridiculous. It's a really eccentric occasion made only better by the wandering clowns and string band playing in the background.
This February, punk rock trio Green Day - frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt on bass and Tré Cool on drums - are due to play a major live gig at London's O2 Arena before an even bigger Hyde Park concert in July 2017. They've been around since 1994 and, after a succession of hit albums, the band's 2004 rock opera American Idiot reignited the their popularity with a younger generation. With their fifth album - their first in four years - Green Day's Revolution Radio presents a collection of "vibrant punk rock, uncluttered by outsize grandiosity or conceptual overthink" says Rolling Stone.