WINTER IS COMING: (CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT) Sculptors attempt to create artworks from two-meter ice blocks in London’s annual Ice Sculpting Festival; Lord Mayor’s Show, celebrating the yearly appointment of London’s new Lord Mayor (on photo is last year’s mayor); Dino Snores may be a cultural sleepover for kids, but adults are free to enjoy it as well.
Those passing through the center of London between November 22, 2013, and January 6, 2014, should drop by Hyde Park, part of which will be transformed into a Winter Wonderland over the festive season. London’s best-loved green space will boast a traditional German-style Christmas market with wooden chalets, Bavarian bars and cafés, funfair rides, a giant observation wheel, clowns and acrobats, plus the obligatory Father Christmas and elves. Discover a “Christmas Less Ordinary” at Taste of Christmas this November. Moving to the enchanting venue of Tobacco Dock and with an exciting line-up of London’s best restaurants, foodie entertainment and a boutique Christmas food market, the all new Taste of Christmas really will be the culinary event of the festive season. (www.tasteofchristmas.com). Indulge in some top-drawer London dramatics as Jude Law stars as Henry V in Michael Grandage’s production of Shakespeare’s patriotic history play at the Noel Coward Theatre. The show will run from November 3, 2013, to February 15, 2014 (www.delfontmackintosh. co.uk). Taking place from December 6 to 17, 2013, the Spitalfields Winter Festival is an end-of-year musical celebration not to be missed. Taking place at several Spitalfields locations in East London, the festival “explores the area’s hidden corners” with early and contemporary music, musical tours, opera for under 2s, and free events which bring together global and local artists (www.spitalfieldsmusic.org.uk). Following a sell-out success in 2006 and a triumphant limited run in 2012, the Argentine Fuerzabruta show returns to London for an extended run in late 2013 and early 2014. “A dazzling experience that
floods the senses with a nonstop collision of music, emotion, and aerial imagery,” the adrenaline-fueled show is sure to pack out North London’s Roundhouse venue once again. The show will run from December 23, 2013, to March 2, 2014 (www.roundhouse.org.uk). New Year’s Eve wouldn’t be New Year’s Eve without fireworks. London’s impressive display is a sight to behold, with the perennial pyrotechnical show taking place on the River Thames, below the London Eye. The best views are from Victoria Embankment, the South Bank, and the Westminster and Waterloo Bridges. If you can see the Eye, then you’re in for a treat. Situated next to Canary Wharf subway station—and completely free—the London Ice Sculpting Festival is the place to chill out in the capital after New Year. Teams from around the world compete over two days to create the most artistic and unusual works, and there are ice-sculpting classes for those who want to try their hand at carving out a frozen masterpiece. Estimated dates are January 10–12, 2014 (www.londonicesculptingfestival.co.uk). Fans of Night at the Museum with Ben Stiller will be delighted to hear of the London Natural History Museum’s Dino Snores night, taking place on January 10, 2014. Suitable for kids aged between 7 and 11, nocturnal activities will include a torch-lit tour and a live show about creatures that bite and sting called “Revenge of the Minibeasts.” After snuggling down in the shadow of the Diplodocus skeleton in the museum’s central hall, overnighters will enjoy a hearty breakfast (www.nhm.ac.uk). n
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