Star Trek Convention
Some people call them geeks, some call them weirdos, but one thing’s for sure, Star Trek fanatics are here to stay.
They will be out in force this month at the annual ‘Trekkie’ convention at ExCel arena, with obligatory dressing up and interactive exhibitions based on the series.
Guests lined up include superstars of the franchise, including William Shatner, Patrick Stewart and Scott Bakula.
Oct 19-21, Fri 2pm-9pm, Sat 9am-7pm, Sun 9am-6pm, £29
Excel, London, Royal Victoria Dock, E16 1XL
Tube | Royal Victoria
startreklondon.com
Hunterian Museum
Come here to see body parts – lots of them – in vats, jars and displays. Attached to the Royal College of Surgeons, the museum is the home to more than 3500 grisly anatomical and pathological specimens.
Check out ‘Irish giant’ Charles Byrne’s 7ft 7in tall skeleton, and the tooth donated by Charles Darwin – from a huge extinct mammoth sloth.
You’ll bump into biology students, who spend hours gawking at severed hands, feet, animal corpses, foetuses and brains. Just don’t tuck into lunch before heading here if you’re of a weak disposition.
Open Tues-Sat 10am-5pm, free
35-43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, Holborn, WC2A 3PE
Tube | Holborn
rcseng.ac.uk
La Bodega Negra
Am I in the right place? That’s what your mates will ask when they meet you outside this Mexican restaurant.
You’ll find it tucked away behind a sex shop-esque facade (neon ‘Adult Video’ signs), in Soho’s kinky Old Compton Street.
Be rewarded when you finally get inside with fresh guacamole and tasty barbecued octopus.
For a sneak preview, check out the weird and wonderful images (spiders, churches and women in precarious positions) on its website.
Mon-Sun 12pm-1am, £15
10 Old Compton St, W1D 4TA
Tube | Tottenham Court Road
labodeganegra.com
The Wapping Project
Tuck into modern European cuisine at an old hydraulic power station at this incredibly bizarre restaurant.
Munching on sea bream fish broth and crab dumplings or a lavender panna cotta among the concrete slabs and old machinery really works as a concept.
It’s even become a trendy hangout for architects and media types.
Mon-Fri 12pm-12am, Sat 10am-12pm, Sun 10am-6pm, £15
Wapping Hydraulic Power Station, Wapping Wall, E1W 3SG
Tube | Wapping
thewappingproject.com
London Taxidermy
Visit this unusual shop for an insight into the world of taxidermy.
The place is filled with stuffed animals, some more obscure than others, from game heads and beetles to pickled specimens. Nice.
Open by appointment only, free
The Factory, 265 Merton Road, SW18 5JS
Tube | Southfields
londontaxidermy.com
The Room
Never heard of The Room? It’s billed as the biggest cult film since Rocky Horror, and its appeal is that it’s so bad, it’s good.
Its status was made after audience members stormed out in disgust.
Watch it at this niche venue – don fancy dress and take along plastic spoons (all will be revealed).
Next screening: Nov 8, 8.45pm, £12.50
7 Leicester Place, WC2H 7BY
Tube | Leicester Square
princecharlescinema.com
Read more: Weird London: From chessboxing to Cosplay, join the city’s oddballs and eccentrics this month
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Old Operating Theatre
Now a museum, this was the first operating theatre to open in Britain, first slicing people 150 years ago. Set inside the creepy roof space of a church attached to St Thomas’ Hospital, medical students would come to watch operations (such as amputations in less than a minute) done without anaesthetic. Today you can book a tour to explore these macabre surroundings.
Mon-Sun 10.30am-5pm, £6
9a Saint Thomas St, London Bridge SE1 9RY
Tube | London Bridge
thegarret.org.uk
Project X
Mix murder, time travel, cryptic clues and mysterious strangers and you get this brilliant immersive theatre experience. Unravel the secrets of Project X while wandering Covent Garden as part of a team.
On various dates until Nov 4, £30
WC2E 8RA
Tube | Covent Garden
projectx-london.co.uk
Smallest House in London
A weird sight to behold is this 3ft-tall 6in-wide building. It’s believed to have been built in 1805, between two other houses to block a passage through to St George’s graveyard to stop grave robbers digging up bodies.
There’s supposedly a tiny corridor and miniature bathroom on the first floor.
10 Hyde Park Place, SW1A 1LN, free
Tube | Green Park
Kitty and the Bulldog
This kooky exhibition is all about how British fashion, namely the Victoriana, punk and Gothic periods, has influenced Japan’s oddball Lolita-esque and cutesy subculture (think brands such as Hello Kitty).
Expect OTT frills, headwear and eerie dolly makeup.
Sat-Thur 10am-5.45pm, Friday 10am-10pm, free
Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL
Tube | South Kensington
vam.ac.uk
Dans Le Noir
Be completely in the dark about what you’re about to eat at this quirky restaurant – all they tell you is it’s two courses of ‘international cuisine’. Y
ou dine in darkness served by blind waiters. It’s a strange but fascinating experience, which aims to heighten your taste and smell senses.
And it’s also a giggle – try cutting up your steak when you can’t see your food.
Sun-Wed 6.30pm-10pm, Thurs-Sat 6.30pm-12am, £42
30-31 Clerkenwell Green, EC1R 0DU
Tube | Barbican
danslenoir.com
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Night Safari
Wander around the eerily dark corridors of the Natural History Museum to witness the creepiest creatures at night.
The next Night Safari checking out dinosaurs and creepy crawlies is a ‘Terror Tour’, where five scientists will surprise you with their favourite frightening creatures.
Make sure you head to the bar after for a well-deserved drink.
Oct 31, 7pm-10pm, £28
Cromwell Road, SW7 5BD
Tube | South Kensington
nhm.ac.uk
Swap-a-rama Razzmatazz
Bored of your clothes but too skint to buy new ones?
Then spend a few quid and swap your outfit at this monthly night out in east London, which takes place at various hipster venues, such as XOYO and Floripa.
It offers a whole new take on the phrase: I’m going to get into someone’s pants tonight.
Oct date not yet released, check venue websites for details. £3
91-93 Gt Eastern Street, EC2A 3HZ
Tube | Old Street
floripalondon.com
Ping
This is not your regular bar – here leather sofas meet cocktails alongside ping pong tables. As you would expect, it attracts American college-types looking for a raucous game of beer pong.
Mon-Wed 6pm-11pm,
Thurs-Sat 6pm-2am, free
180-184 Earl’s Court Road, SW5 9QG
Tube | Earl’s Court
weloveping.com
Archipelago-Restaurant
Dine surrounded by Buddhas, palm trees and peacock feathers at this surreal eating experience.
The menu is suitably bonkers, too, with dishes such as crocodile, wildebeest and kangaroo.
110 Whitfield Street, W1T 5ED
Tube | Warren Street, £46
archipelago-restaurant.co.uk
Naked in Public
Let it all hang out at Rio’s Naturist Club with a load of other folks in their birthday suits.
Here you can take a dip in the hot tub, watch TV, go to the tanning room or do laps in the pool.
If all the excitement leaves you hungry, you can head to the snack bar, naturally. Prices vary for men and women.
11am-7am daily, £21
239-241 Kentish Town Road NW5 2JT
Tube | Kentish Town
rios.co.uk
Smelliest Street
Next to the Savoy there’s a Webb sewer gas lamp.
Previously it was ignited by sewer gases (courtesy of hotel guests). Historically the road is known as ‘farting lane’.
Carting Lane, WC2R 0ET, free
Tube | Temple
Roller Skiing
When you tire of roller skating and it’s not yet time to strap on the skis, why not combine the two for this quirky workout?
Just like cross-country skiing but without the snow, it means you can get a piste of the action without even leaving the Big Smoke.
The boots are like the ones you use on snow but it feels like a cross between running, skating and skiing.
Book for a beginner’s lesson or a four-week course.
Sat 11.30am-1.30pm, £24
Triangle Car Park Hyde Park, W2 2UH
Tube | Lancaster Gate
rollerski.co.uk
Read more: Weird London: From chessboxing to Cosplay, join the city’s oddballs and eccentrics this month
Photos: Jonathan Cullinane/manylemons.co.uk, Wapping Project, whereisthewill.com , V&A, Wiki Commons
