Waterloo Quarter Food Festival

This culinary celebration takes in talks, cookery demonstrations, dining events and a grand food fair to cater for all tastes.

With bars and restaurants around Waterloo joining force, there will be: cookery theatre and a food fair opposite The Old Vic (Sept 6), with three local chefs showing off their skills ahead of a street market; Cubana’s cocktails and smoothies taster nights; an Indian summer BBQ (Sept 20); cake decorating (Sept 25); butchery demos (Sept 12), and a Bollywood night (Sept 20), too. Spice up your life.

September 1-30. Various times, various prices
Various venues 
Tube | Waterloo 
wearewaterloo.co.uk

 

Deloitte Ignite Africa Weekend

Artist Yinka Shonibare (famed for his Nelson In A Bottle plinth offering) curates this weekend of African flavoured festivities that includes screenings, talks, debates and performances.

There’s also a drumming workshop, and a perfomance by Afrobeat co-founder Tony Allen.

Aug 31-Sept 2. Various times, free
Royal Opera House, WC2E 9DD
Tube | Leicester Square
roh.org.uk

 

Terror Down Under Double

Part of the Scala Beyond season, these consecutive double headers look at horror from Down Under.

Outback terror Night Of Fear, which predates The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, kicks things off, followed by psycho-thriller Bad Boy Bubbly, cult classic Next Of Kin, and ‘Poms-in-peril’ film Wake In Fright.

Aug 29-30. 7pm, £6
Roxy Bar and Screen, SE1 1LB
Tube | Borough
roxybarandscreen.com

 

Rise of the Non-Conformists

This exterior street art exhibition, part of the Whitecross Street Party, has but two weeks to run, so get down while you can and spy some of the eye-catching offerings transforming the street.

There’s everything from billboard-sized paintings to apocalyptic skull cyclists and all manner of sculptures.

Until Sept 9. Open 24 hours, free
Whitecross Street, EC1Y 8JL
Tube | Old Street
wxstreetparty.co.uk

 

Rockaoke

Do you find the normal karaoke choice is too pop, too bland, too weak and lacking in six-string action?

If so, then you are not alone, and Rockaoke, taking up residency at Madame JoJo’s on the last Wednesday of every month, can put this right.

The ultimate backing band, they’ve worked with more than 30,000 lead singers, as well as the odd celeb, too (Michael Schumacher, Justin Lee Collins, er, James Corden). So get ready to rock out to your fave tunes!

Wed, Aug 29. 6.30pm-10.15pm, £5
Madame JoJo’s,  8-10 Brewer Street, W1F 0SE
Tube | Leicester Square 
madamejojos.com

 

Maggie Maggie Maggie

2012’s ‘best of British’ vibe gets a novel spin with this night of laughs looking back on the years of the UK’s first female PM, as well as at the success, or lack thereof, of the current country-runners.

Arthur Smith hosts, with Tony Slattery, Hardeep Singh Kohli, and Terry Alderton providing the gags.

Sat, Sept 1. 7.30pm, £10+
Hackney Empire, 291 Mare Street, E8 1EJ 
Station | Hackney Central
hackneyempire.co.uk

 

Pop-up Barbershop

Single malt scotch whiskey Auchentoshan and top London male grooming outfit Murdock London bring you this pop-up barbershop.

Sign up early for a free barber experience (wet shave, hot towel facial), and complimentary cocktails and whiskey tasting alongside the grooming talks.

Sat, Sept 2. 6pm-10pm
Zetter Townhouse, EC1V 4JJ
Tube | Farringdon
auchentoshan.com

 

Photos: Mat Slater