What To Do This Weekend 20.10.21

If you spent your Saturday mornings as a kid devouring the Beano, this one’s for you. Tomorrow, Somerset Houses opens an exhibition on Beanotown. Visitors can see a range of comic artwork and artefacts, plundered from Beano’s archive. Expect to see well-known characters like Dennis the Menace, Gnasher, Minnie the Minx, Bananaman and the Bash Street Kids, curated by artist and big-time Beano fan Andy Holden. Tickets cost £16.

Visit SomersetHouse.org.uk

Cliveden Literary Festival kicks off on Saturday 24th October with events and live talks from writers, historians and politicians. Talks will take place on either The Arts Club Stage or in Cliveden’s Great Hall, where you can hear from the likes of journalist Lionel Shriver, history writer Andrew Roberts and author Conrad Black. Highlights include a discussion on anti-Semitism with David Baddiel and Simon Sebag Montefiore, and a talk on the recent catastrophe in Kabul with a former director of the CIA. Tickets cost £120 for a day pass or £195 for a weekend ticket.

Visit ClivedenLiteraryFestival.org

This month, Harrods opens ‘Studio Fifth Floor’, a whole level inspired by the disco era. Expect exhibitions, immersive events and nightclub anthems spun by a range of top DJs. There’s an exhibition by celebrity photographer Richard Young, featuring shots from his book Nightclubbing including some taken at the iconic Studio 54. Check out the stand run by graffiti artist Sophy Robson who’s in store this weekend and next (12pm-6pm) creating personalised artworks for customers. There’s also ‘The Wall Biz’, an immersive dance game where you can show off your moves. Leave time for a couple of games on the retro arcade machines and simulators, too.

87-135 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, SW1X 7XL

Visit Harrods.com

If you watch one thing this weekend, make it this new series which lands on Apple TV on Friday. Invasion is a sci-fi drama that follows an alien attack around the world – from different perspectives. Set across multiple continents, the first few episodes track a Syrian family in Long Island. The plot has been kept strictly under wraps, but judging by the cast – Sam Neill, Golshifteh Farahani and Shamier Anderson – we’re expecting good things.

Visit Apple.com

From Friday 22nd to Sunday 24th October, Laine Brew Co. is hosting the UK’s biggest beer festival in Brighton. Back after a two-year hiatus, the latest Tap Takeover is the biggest yet. Twenty Brighton pubs and 22 independent breweries are involved, including Verdant, North, Five Points, Tiny Rebel, and Brixton Brewery. During the weekend, there are – wait for it – over 130 craft beers on offer. Tune into ‘meet the brewer’ talks, take part in tasting sessions, or just sit back and enjoy live music and DJs. Tickets cost £20pp which includes four half pints of beer, discounts on all brews and access to the huge beer tent in the middle of the city.

Various locations

Visit TapTakeover.co.uk

On Sunday 24th October from 1.30pm, Psycle is hosting a triathlon event in Battersea. The ‘Reps, Run & Ride’ triathlon begins with a 45-minute outdoor strength-training session in Battersea Park, followed by a 5k run to Psycle’s flagship studio on Mortimer Street. To finish, there’s an hour-long spinning class where you’ll be put through your paces by one of Psycle’s trainers. If you’re a member, the event costs two credits, otherwise it’s £44pp.
 
82-84 Battersea Rise, Battersea, SW11 1EH

Visit PsycleLondon.com

Not just a cool guy on your screen right now, Idris Elba has opened a bar and wine shop in King’s Cross. Opposite Coal Drops Yard in the Gasholders building, Porte Noire has a selection of international wines, plus a mini deli with artisan cheese and charcuterie meats, and a French brasserie. Order drinks from the bar or settle in for cheeseboards with wine pairings in the main dining room. If you can’t make it in person, visit the online shop to stock up on Port Noire’s champagne, created by the main man himself.

Gasholder 10, Unit A, King’s Cross, N1C 4BY

Visit PorteNoire.co.uk

Chef Jay Morjaria has opened a deli-restaurant just off Carnaby Street. Diners can choose from a selection of seriously good NYC-style sandwiches packed with cured meats and pickles, like the ‘Classic Pastrami’ featuring hop-smoked pastrami, mustard and sauerkraut; and a kimchi toastie with pastrami, spicy kimchi slaw and three different types of cheese. Wash it down with a couple of craft beers and add on a side of chunky chips and pastrami popcorn.

13 Ganton Street, Soho, W1F 9BL

Visit MammaPastrama.co.uk

Comedian Seth Rogen has just launched a podcast. Each week, he asks a different guest: ‘Do you have a great story? If so, will you share it with us?’ That’s it. But it’s not your typical comedian chat show. Instead, each episode plays like an audio documentary –elaborate sound effects will really transport you into the world of the guest. Also, not all of the stories are funny, and not all the guests are known. From a near-death grizzly bear fight in Canada, to a life-altering celebrity encounter in a cinema, episodes will take unexpected turns. The first features actor Paul Rudd.

Visit Apple.com