City Events November 2017 to January 2018

WINTER IN THE CITY NOVEMBER 2017 TO JANUARY 2018

www.visitthecity.co.uk ART AND EXHIBITIONS FAMILY MUSIC SPECIAL EVENTS THEATRE WALKS AND TALKS

ART AND EXHIBITIONS

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FAMILY 10

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MUSIC 12

SPECIAL EVENTS

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THEATRE 22

WALKS AND TALKS

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Advent Procession p.15

The Square Mile may be covered in a blanket of frost and the nights may be darker, but don’t let the cold keep you at home this season – the City of London is hot with events that will draw you into the fresh winter air.

A City favourite, the Lord Mayor’s Show (p.18) returns to the Square Mile for its 802nd ceremony. Witness pomp and pageantry as the incoming Lord Mayor takes to the streets in a glistening golden coach, flanked by marching bands and hundreds of floats in the world’s largest unrehearsed pageant.

mulled wine. Keep the festive spirit going with a trip to the City’s original Christmas market (p.20) at Guildhall, where you can purchase gifts, food and enjoy a traditional Weihnachtsmarkt.

Carol services are also aplenty at the City churches, and a special family service will take place at St Paul’s (p.11).

Only four days after the show, the new Lord Mayor officially launches the festive season in the City. Head to the historic Leadenhall Market to watch him switch on the Christmas Lights (p.19) whilst you sip on hot

Fancy a break from Santa?

Take advantage of the City’s incredible art offering with contemporary still life exhibition Nature Morte (p.4) or the work of the pioneering prodigy Basquiat: Boom for Real (p.8).

For more events and information about the City go to www.visitthecity.co.uk or visit our City Information Centre

by St Paul’s Cathedral, where our friendly, multilingual staff are ready to help you plan your days out: City of London Information Centre St Paul’s Churchyard London EC4M 8BX

The information in this leaflet has been researched and compiled in good faith and checked as thoroughly as possible with the relevant sources. It is correct to the best of the publisher’s knowledge at the time of printing (October 2017) and the publisher cannot accept any liability for errors and omissions howsoever caused. No payment was either solicited or received for inclusion of entries (with the exception of the back page advertisement) and it does not claim to be fully comprehensive.

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To celebrate the launch of the new polymer £10 note featuring author Jane Austen, see the Bank of England Museum’s exhibition that explores the Bank’s literary connections and appearances over the last three centuries.

When: 10am-5pm (last entry 4.30pm) FREE Bank of England Museum Bartholomew Lane EC2R 8AH www.bankofengland.co.uk/ museum T 020 3461 5545

Ongoing

Sculpture in the City The popular public art exhibition returns to the Square Mile’s insurance district. This year’s exhibition includes works from internationally-renowned artists including Damien Hirst, Paul McCarthy and Gavin Turk.

FREE to view at any time Pick up a free map from the City Information Centre, St Paul’s Churchyard EC4M 8BX Around St Botolph without Bishopsgate, Lime Street, St Mary Axe, Great St Helen’s and Undershaft EC3 www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/ sculptureinthecity

Ongoing

Nature Morte Confront what it means to be human. Explore the transience of time and the challenge of mortality as the 16th-century tradition of still life meets modern art in Guildhall Art Gallery’s new exhibition Nature Morte. Featuring 100 works by major international contemporary artists - including Michael Craig-Martin and Gabriel Orozco, as well as London-based

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Stories from the City: The Bank of England in literature

5 Art and Exhibitions

Ongoing

artists - this exhibition goes beyond the two-dimensional and invites you to pause and look anew at the human condition.

Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 12noon-4pm FREE Guildhall Art Gallery Guildhall Yard EC2V 5AE www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/ naturemorte T 020 7332 3700

Until 16 December

A Smarter City Until 6 December

Life on the London Stage Uncover the lives of performers on the London stage, from the days of Elizabethan theatre to the 20th century. Original records that document the successes of some of London’s most celebrated performers will appear alongside workhouse records, court registers and other sources. From Shakespeare’s forgotten brother to Charlie Chaplin and the stars of Music Hall, Life on the London Stage will delve into the past and show a fascinating record of the lives of London’s entertainers.

Mon 9.30am-4.45pm; Tue-Thu 9.30am-7.30pm (check for closures) FREE London Metropolitan Archives 40 Northampton Road EC1R 0HB www.lifeonthelondonstage. eventbrite.co.uk T 020 7332 3851

To create a City that is competitive, open, interconnected and intelligent, the Square Mile must embrace new technologies. The City Centre’s latest exhibition displays shortlisted entries to the ideas competition on Smart Infrastructure. The City’s official architectural scale model is also on display, alongside facts, figures and data about the Square Mile.

Mon-Sat 10am-5pm (City Model exhibition Fri and Sat only) FREE The City Centre 80 Basinghall Street EC2V 5AG www.thecitycentre.london T 0207 6008 362

Until 7 December

1199 Grant of Shrievalty Discover one of the City’s oldest documents, an 1199 grant from King John which gave Londoner’s the right to vote for their own Sheriff. The peacekeepers and taxcollectors of the City, the office of Sheriff dates back further than any other in the City, including the Lord Mayor.

Mon-Sat 10am-5pm; Sun 12noon-4pm FREE

Heritage Gallery Guildhall Art Gallery, Guildhall Yard EC2V 5AE www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/ heritagegallery T 020 7332 3700

Discover more about London’s most beloved bear in this small exhibition that includes original costumes and props from the new film.

When: 10am-6pm FREE Museum of London www.museumof london.org.uk /paddington

John Akomfrah: Purple

Until 5 January

The Discovery of Roman London Until 1 January

The Forum of Rome David Roberts’ painting The Forum, Rome forms the centrepiece of a new display in Guildhall Art Gallery which explores why the forum was so important in the Roman world, how it would have looked, and what exactly happened there.

The display also examines the painting in the context of Roberts’ Roman series, his wider work, and depictions of the Grand Tour by other artists.

Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 12noon-4pm FREE Guildhall Art Gallery Guildhall Yard EC2V 5AE www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/ guildhallartgallery T 020 7332 3700

Until 2 January

The City Is Ours As the number of people living in cities continues to grow, explore the pleasures and challenges of urban living through a range of digital and physical interactives and films.

When: 10am-6pm FREE Museum of London 150 London Wall EC2Y 5HN www.museumoflondon.org.uk T 020 7001 9844

Until 3 January

Bonus Levels Lawrence Lek re-imagines London in a fluid state of space and time.

Delve into fictitious utopian worlds and virtual landscapes created by Lek in a series of exclusive video games to be played at the museum.

When: 10am-6pm FREE Museum of London 150 London Wall EC2Y 5HN www.museumoflondon.org.uk T 020 7001 9844

By linking objects, archives and stunning 19th-century illustrations this exhibition tells the remarkable story of the discovery of Roman London over the last three centuries.

Mon-Fri 9.30am-5pm; Wed until 7.30pm; open alternative Sats FREE Guildhall Library Aldermanbury EC2V 7HH www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/ guildhalllibrary T 020 7332 1869/1871

British artist and filmmaker, John Akomfrah creates his most ambitious piece to date an immersive six-channel video installation addressing climate change, human communities and the wilderness. At a time when, according to the UN, greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are at their highest levels in history, with people experiencing the significant impacts of climate change, Akomfrah’s Purple brings a multitude of topics into conversation including animal extinctions, the memory of ice, the plastic ocean and global warming.

Sat–Wed 11am–8pm, Thu & Fri 11am–9pm FREE The Curve Barbican Centre Silk Street EC2Y 8DS www.barbican.org.uk/ johnakomfrah T 020 7638 8891

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Behind the Scenes of Paddington 2

Until 7 January

7 Art and Exhibitions

©P&Co Ltd./SC 2017

Until 19 December

Discover the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat, the pioneering prodigy of the 1980s downtown New York art scene. This unprecedented exhibition brings together an outstanding selection of more than 100 works from international museums and private collections.

Featuring rare film, photography and archive material, the show captures the spirit of this self-taught artist, poet, DJ and musician whose influence, since his death at 27 in 1988, has been enormous.

Thu–Sat 10am–10pm, Sun–Wed 10am–6pm Admission: £16. See website for concessions and discounts Photo: © Edo Bertoglio, courtesy of Maripol.

Artwork: © The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Licensed by Artestar, New York

From November

London Mithraeum

London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE returns the Roman Temple of Mithras to the location of its discovery in the heart of the City. Situated on the site of Bloomberg’s new European headquarters, this much anticipated new cultural space will showcase the reconstructed temple, a selection of the remarkable Roman artefacts found during recent excavations, and a series of contemporary art commissions responding to one of the

Designer Bookbinders Annual UK Bookbinding Competition Exhibition

Barbican Art Gallery Barbican Centre, Silk Street EC2Y 8DS www.barbican.org.uk/basquiat T 020 7638 8891

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17 – 29 November

Basquiat: Boom for Real

9 Art and Exhibitions

Until 28 January

See the work of entrants to the annual Designer Bookbinders competition. All originally designed and made to a high quality, this year’s bindings are for book Emily Dickinson: Selected Poems and will be displayed alongside a supporting exhibition.

Mon-Fri 12noon-6pm (Sat 25 Nov 12noon-4pm) FREE Layton Room, St Bride Foundation Bride Lane, Fleet Street EC4 8EQ www.designerbookbinders.org.uk T 020 7353 3331

From 11 December UK’s most significant archaeological sites.

The Temple of Mithras, originally constructed around AD 240, was first discovered in 1954 during the excavation of a World War II bomb site. It captured the imagination of the public, with an estimated 400,000 people visiting the uncovered remains. Today, seven metres below modern street level, the London Mithraeum will offer visitors an immersive experience and bring the bustling world of Londinium to life by unlocking the stories behind the city’s first Londoners.

Tue-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 10am-5pm First Thursday of the month 10am-8pm FREE, booking required London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE 12 Walbrook EC4N 8AA www.londonmithraeum.com

Criminal lives, 1780-1925: Punishing Old Bailey Convicts Between 1700 and 1900, Britain stopped punishing the bodies of convicts and increasingly sought to reform their minds. Exile and forced labour in Australia and incarceration in penitentiaries became the dominant modes of punishment. Discover this exhibition which traces the impact of these punishments on convict lives using the LMA collections.

Mon 9.30am-4.45pm, Tue-Thu 9.30am-7.30pm.

FREE London Metropolitan Archives 40 Northampton Road EC1R 0HB www.criminal-lives.eventbrite. co.uk T 020 7332 3851

Whether you have a budding young baton-waver of your own or just want to bring the whole family to experience the LSO, this concert is for you. With music by Leonard Bernstein, and worldclass conductor Marin Alsop leading the way, celebrate 100 years of Bernstein at this LSO Discovery Family Concert.

When: 2.30pm-3.30pm Admission: £10-£15, child £5 Barbican Centre Silk Street EC2Y 8DS www.lso.co.uk T 020 7638 8891

4, 11, 26 November & 10 December

Roman London family walk Travel back 2,000 years and explore Londinium. Listen to fascinating facts and suprising anecdotes as you explore sites such as the old fort gate into the city and the remains of the city’s Roman amphitheatre.

When: 12noon-12.45pm Admission: £7.50, child £5 Museum of London 150 London Wall EC2Y 5HN www.museumoflondon.org.uk T 020 7001 9844

2 – 23 December

Get inspired by the technologies that shape how we live in the city at a weekend extravaganza of free family activities.

Expect digital workshops and demonstrations, craft activities, performances, tours and interactive story-telling.

When: 11am-4pm FREE Museum of London 150 London Wall EC2Y 5HN www.museumoflondon.org.uk

Join Santa in the Victorian Walk – a life-size recreation of a Victorian London street. Each child who meets Santa receives a special gift, with the option to take home a photograph of the magical moment.

When: 10am-5.30pm Admission: £11 (£10 advanced booking) Museum of London 150 London Wall EC2Y 5HN www.museumoflondon.org.uk/ grotto

Celebrate your City!

18 November, 16 December & 13 January

Tower Bridge Family Activities

Come inside Tower Bridge for a whole day dedicated to interactive, family-friendly activities and performances.

When: 10am-4pm Admission: £8.70, concs FREE, child £3.80 Tower Bridge Exhibition Tower Bridge Road SE1 2UP www.towerbridge.org.uk/ learning/families/ T 020 7940 8397

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LSO Family Concert: Celebrating Bernstein

11 – 12 November

11 Family

4 November

Victorian Santa’s Grotto

16 December

Family Carols Enjoy Christmas favourites in a 45-minute service in the beautiful setting of St Paul’s. Children especially welcome.

When: 11am FREE St Paul’s Cathedral St Paul’s Churchyard EC4M 8AD www.stpauls.co.uk/christmas T 0207 246 8350

18 – 29 December

Colouring in 2018 Colour your way into 2018 by decorating a Museum-inspired calendar which you can take home. The perfect way to plan your year, there’s also a chocolate coin for every child.

When: 10am-4.30pm (22 & 29 Dec 10am-1pm) FREE Bank of England Museum Bartholomew Lane EC2R 8AH www.bankofengland.co.uk/ museum T 020 3461 5545

27 December – 1 January

Christmas holidays Join daily activities between Christmas and New Year, showcasing festive celebrations around the world. Meet Scrooge, Bob and some mysterious ghosts in a family celebration of A Christmas Carol or discover the legend of Babushka or the story behind Hanukah at interactive storytelling sessions. Design a festive party hat to take home and learn the art of henna at a creative craft workshop.

When: 11am-4pm FREE Museum of London 150 London Wall, EC2Y 5HN www.museumoflondon.org.uk/ families

Hear Menotti’s tragic – and extraordinarily topical – opera which follows a political dissident on the run from the secret police.

The Consul is the piece that launched Menotti’s distinguished career and won him the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1950.

When: 7pm Admission: £25, concs £15 Silk Street Theatre Guildhall School of Music & Drama EC2Y 8DT www.gsmd.ac.uk T 020 7638 8891

EFG London Jazz Festival 2017

Free Friday Lunchtime Concerts BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concerts: Shostakovich Plus Featuring the finest chamber music performances from established performers and upand-coming artists alike, these concerts delve into Shostakovich’s chamber works. Expressions of passion, pain and defiance, they’re sometimes furious and wild, sometimes biting with irony, sometimes stark and muted.

Hear them in this series complemented by composers from across the centuries.

When: 1pm-2pm Admission: £14 LSO St Luke’s 161 Old Street EC1V 9NG www.lso.co.uk T 020 7638 8891

Guildhall Symphony Orchestra

November sees the EFG London Jazz Festival take over the Barbican Centre. This year’s edition is the 25th anniversary of the city-wide celebration and will bring Jazz icons like Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock and Pharoah Sanders to the stage, with gigs on almost every night of the week.

There will also be performances from the very best up-andcoming acts, Jazz-inspired films and even free gigs in the foyers.

Check website for times and prices.

Barbican Centre Silk Street EC2Y 8DS www.barbican.org.uk T 020 7638 8891

17 November, 12 & 26 January

3 & 10 November

22 November

Make the most of your lunchbreak and enjoy a free, 45-minute informal concert at LSO St Luke’s. With live performances and introductions from presenter Rachel Leach, these free concerts are the perfect opportunity to learn more about music and the instruments of the orchestra, so just turn up and enjoy.

When: 12.30pm-1.15pm FREE LSO St Luke’s 161 Old Street EC1V 9NG www.lso.co.uk T 020 7638 8891

20 November

Stockhausen: Stimmung & Cosmic Pulses Experience two defining masterpieces from the father of electronic music. From the trance-like vocals of Stimmung to the immersive surround sound of the earth-shattering Cosmic Pulses (accompanied here by a laser installation from audiovisual artist Robert Henke), Stockhausen’s music demands to be heard and felt live.

When: 7.30pm Admission: £17.50–£30 Barbican Hall Barbican Centre Silk Street EC2Y 8DS www.barbican.org.uk T 020 7638 8891

Hear two renowned conductors for the price of one. Tying in with the Barbican’s Esa Pekka Salonen Composer Focus, the Finnish conductor leads the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra in one of his own compositions, LA Variations, which has proved popular with audiences and critics alike since its premiere in 1996. Following this, Adrian Leaper takes the baton to conduct Mahler’s enduringly popular Fifth Symphony. A technically challenging rollercoaster ride of a symphony that journeys from the throes of darkness to ecstatic joy.

When: 7.30pm Admission: £10-£15, concs £5 Barbican Hall Silk Street EC2Y 8DS www.gsmd.ac.uk T 020 7638 8891

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The Consul

10 – 19 November

13 Music

1, 3 & 6 November

15 Music

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2 – 3 December

Advent Procession

24 November

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra/ Mariss Jansons Mariss Jansons and his Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra bring their peerless sound to bear on Beethoven and Prokofiev. Beethoven pianist par excellence; Yefim Bronfman, explores the secrets of Beethoven’s surprisingly gentle Fourth Concerto, before Jansons and his Bavarian players unleash Prokofiev’s wartime ‘symphony of the greatness of the human spirit’.

When: 7.30pm Admission: £15–£55 Barbican Hall Barbican Centre Silk St EC2Y 8DS www.barbican.org.uk T 020 7638 8891

30 November

Tan Dun: The Martial Arts Trilogy with the London Symphony Orchestra The scores for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero and The Banquet are brought to life by their composer Tan Dun as he conducts the LSO. Accompanied by footage from the films.

When: 7.30pm Admission: £17.50-£35 Barbican Hall Barbican Centre Silk Street EC2Y 8DS www.barbican.org.uk T 020 7638 8891

Experience one of the year’s most dramatic services as a procession moves from darkness to light.

Words and music focus on the Advent theme of light in darkness, hope in despair, and a new relationship with God in Christ.

Sung by the Cathedral Choir.

When: 6pm FREE St Paul’s Cathedral St Paul’s Churchyard EC4M 8AD www.stpauls.co.uk/christmas T 0207 246 8350

2 – 10 December

3 December

Discover an intriguing mix of early and new music as Spitalfields Music Festival returns, bringing extraordinary international artists and visionary collaborations.

Hear old masters combined with the work of contemporary artists in House of Monteverdi and Schumann Street and experience Spitalfields Music’s first visual art exhibition There Will Be Two Wars all in Spitalfields’ opulent historic locations. Enjoy an array of musical explorations, including shows for younger ears.

Dates, times and prices may vary; check website for full listings www.spitalfieldsmusic.org.uk T 020 7377 1362

Sing along with the LSO’s choirs and Brass Ensemble in this Christmas spectacle, featuring audience carols and other festive favourites. Feel yourself be carried away with the massed voices of 2,000 people in the Barbican Hall – a great way to get into the festive spirit.

When: 7pm-9.10pm Admission: £12-£30 Barbican Centre Silk Street EC2Y 8DS www.lso.co.uk T 020 7638 8891

Spitalfields Music Festival

LSO Sing: A Choral Christmas

The Cathedral Choir and Chorus perform Handel’s perennial favourite with the City of London Sinfonia.

When: 6.30pm FREE, booking required St Paul’s Cathedral St Paul’s Churchyard EC4M 8AD www.stpauls.co.uk/christmas T 0207 246 8350

13 January

Join baritone Christopher Purves as he explores the boundless dramatic worlds of George Frederic Handel, in a powerful recital. In recent years, Christopher Purves has emerged as one of the supreme dramatic baritones of our time – an artist of gripping theatricality and sense of character. This compelling allHandel recital will be supported by the virtuoso period-instrument players of Arcangelo.

When: 7.30pm Admission: £15–£40 Milton Court Concert Hall Milton Court, Silk St EC2Y 9BH www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on T 020 7638 8891

Accompanied by speciallycreated visual projections, Sir Simon Rattle conducts the Genesis Suite, a single work of seven movements, each by a different composer, and each telling a different story from the book of Genesis.

When: 7.30pm-9.45pm Admission: £15-£55 Barbican Centre Silk Street EC2Y 8DS www.lso.co.uk T 020 7638 8891

Christopher Purves sings Handel

7 December

LSO Season Concert: Mozart & Tchaikovsky Hear Nikolaj Znaider take on the roles of both conductor and soloist to explore the compelling links between Mozart and Tchaikovsky. Two composers born into different musical worlds, each with a unique voice – Mozart’s elegance and grace, Tchaikovsky’s tempestuous drama – are nonetheless linked in intruiging ways, Tchaikovsky revering the beauty of his predecessor’s music so much that he described Mozart as a ‘musical Christ’.

When: 7.30pm-9.30pm Admission: £15-£55 Barbican Centre Silk Street EC2Y 8DS www.lso.co.uk T 020 7638 8891

10 January

Guildhall Studio Orchestra Following last-year’s sell-out concert, award-winning singerpianist Liane Carroll makes a welcome return to the Milton Court Concert Hall stage to collaborate with the Guildhall Studio Orchestra on songs from her new album.

When: 7pm Admission: £15, concs £5 Milton Court Concert Hall Silk Street EC2Y 9BH www.gsmd.ac.uk T 020 7638 8891

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Handel’s Messiah

7 January

17 Music

6 December

LSO/Barbican: Genesis Suite

25 January

LSO Season Concert: Essential Debussy François-Xavier Roth marks the centenary of Debussy’s death with the masterworks that established the composer as the father of Impressionism.

The music of Claude Debussy is unmistakable for its beauty, testament to the suggestive power of music. Debussy at his best has the power to evoke both the foreign and the familiar – breathtaking natural landscapes, mystical scenes, the nostalgia of childhood.

When: 7.30pm-9.25pm Admission: £15-£55 Barbican Centre Silk Street EC2Y 8DS www.lso.co.uk T 020 7638 8891

28 January

Video Jam x Basquiat with Young Fathers, Ibibio Sound Machine & more Flash back to ‘80s NYC as contemporary artists from either side of the Atlantic pay homage to the massive cultural impact of Jean-Michel Basquiat with a series of new collaborations.

Video Jam pairs filmmakers with musicians who create bespoke live soundtracks, and this gig will see animation, narrative film and video art sound-tracked by the kinds of music that Basquiat inspired – from the scuzzy Hip Hop of Mercury-winners Young Fathers to the Afro-funk of Ibibio Sound Machine.

When: 8pm Admission: £17.50-£22.50 Barbican Hall Barbican Centre, Silk Street EC2Y 8DS www.barbican.org.uk T 020 7638 8891

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19 Special Events

4, 15 November, 2 & 20 December

Yoga in the Walkways

Experience Yoga in the high level walkways of Tower Bridge.

Returning bright and early this winter, enjoy incredible views of the City as you salute to the sun.

Wed 7.50am-8.20am, Sat 8am-8.50am Admission: £25

Tower Bridge Exhibition Tower Bridge Road SE1 2UP www.towerbridge.org.uk

18 November

Make it: Christmas crafts 17 November 11 November

Lord Mayor’s Show The incoming Lord Mayor of the City of London takes to the streets in a glistening coach as part of a three-mile long ceremony full of pomp and pageantry.

The show is a London institution and hasn’t missed a year since Wellington’s funeral blocked the whole city in 1852. The modern procession fills the space between Bank and Aldwych from 11am until about 2.30pm, cheered by a crowd of around half a million people and watched live on the BBC by millions more.

The 802nd year of the journey will culminate in a special fireworks display from 5.15pm, and will launch from floats between Blackfriars and Waterloo.

When: 5.15pm Procession from 11am FREE to view From Mansion House to Fleet Street via Cheapside and St Paul’s then back via Embankment; fireworks best viewed from Victoria Embankment www.lordmayorsshow.org

11 November

Lord Mayor’s Show face painting After watching the procession, head to the Bank of England museum and step into the world of Ratty, Mole, Badger and Mr.Toad. Professional face painters will transform young visitors onto one of the well-known characters from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, a former Secretary of the Bank of England.

When: 11am-5pm FREE Bank of England Museum Bartholomew Lane EC2R 8AH www.bankofengland.co.uk/ museum T 020 3461 5545

Leadenhall Market Christmas Lights switch on Join the Lord Mayor for the official opening of Christmas in the City and stay and enjoy the festive food, drinks and entertainment.

When: From 6pm FREE Leadenhall Market Gracechurch Street EC3V 1LR www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/ leadenhallmarket

Make miniature matchbox toys and hand-sewn tree decorations ready for Christmas at this handson craft workshop. All materials are provided and no experience is necessary as crafter Stewart Johnson will lead you in creating your own beautiful festive gifts.

When: 1.30pm-4pm Admission: £28 Museum of London 150 London Wall EC2Y 5HN www.museumoflondon.org.uk T 020 7001 9844

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21 Special Events

14 December

A Celebration of Christmas

27 – 28 November

Celebrity readers join the Cathedral Choir and City of London Sinfonia for this popular annual celebration.

When: 6.30pm FREE St Paul’s Cathedral St Paul’s Churchyard EC4M 8AD www.stpauls.co.uk/christmas T 0207 246 8350

City of London Christmas Market Indulge in guilt-free shopping at over 100 stalls selling gifts, books, food and drink and enjoy themed workshops at the City’s original Christmas Market, supporting the British Red Cross.

With guest appearances from Loyd Grossman and Cyrus Todiwala, visitors can also venture into the largest medieval crypt in London for a spot of lunch or Champagne cream tea. For something more festive, enjoy a traditional Weihnachtsmarkt in

the Guildhall Yard for a Gluhwein and Bratwurst.

Preview Night: 27 Nov 5.30pm-9pm Christmas market: 28 Nov, 10.30am-8pm Admission: market tickets £5 (including a complimentary glass of wine). Preview Night tickets £40 Guildhall Great Hall Gresham Street EC2V 7HH www.redcross.org.uk/market

4 December

City Christmas Fair Enjoy a festive shopping experience at the City Christmas Fair in aid of Wellbeing of Women. Browse over 50 amazing stalls filled with luxury items – with everything from exquisite jewellery to delicious food, unique gifts and fabulous stocking fillers – you’ll be sure to find gift inspirations and last minute buys. Unwind with a glass

of fizz at the Champagne Bar, place a bid in the very popular silent auction and buy raffle tickets for a chance to win fantastic prizes.

When: 11am-8pm Admission: £10, concs available Drapers’ Hall Throgmorton Street EC2N 2DQ www.wellbeingofwomen.org.uk T 020 3697 7000

7 December & 11 January

20 December

Ditch the packed lunch and feast on some proper Greek wraps, Jamaican jerk chicken, cracking Korean dumplings and more, all in the glorious surrounds of Guildhall Yard. Market stalls sell tasty foodstuffs from around the world.

When: 12noon-2.30pm FREE Guildhall Yard EC2V 5AE www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/ yardevents

Join a traditional carol service in the presence of the Lord Mayor, plus a glass of wine and a mince pie to get you in the Christmas spirit.

When: 5.30pm FREE St Lawrence Jewry Guildhall Yard EC2V 5AA www.lawrencejewry.org.uk T 0207 600 9478

Guildhall Yard Lunch Market

Lord Mayor’s Carol Service

23

19, 26 November & 3, 10 December

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7 – 11 November

Pravda

6 November – 19 January

Rome MMXVII

This winter, the Royal Shakespeare Company transports you to Shakespeare’s Rome with a thrilling London Season comprising four of the playwright’s most gripping plays in repertoire: Coriolanus, Julius Caesar, Antony & Cleopatra and Titus Andronicus. Led by Season Director Angus Jackson, this extraordinary collection exposes the decadence, politics, power play and corruption of Ancient Rome, charting the decline of an empire from birth to eventual implosion.

When: 7.15pm (see website for full schedule) Admission: £10-£57.50 plus booking fee. Limited number of premium seats available at £75 Barbican Theatre Silk Street EC2Y 8DS www.barbican.org.uk/theatre T 020 7638 8891

It’s 1985 and Lambert Le Roux is a South African press baron who dominates the British newspaper industry. He headhunts Andrew - a young, inexperienced journalist - to run his most recent acquisition, but it’s only a matter of time before Andrew’s conscience collides with what Le Roux is asking of him. Will integrity triumph over ambition?

When: 7.30pm each evening. Sat matinee 3pm Admission: £10-£14 Bridewell Theatre 14 Bride Lane EC4Y 8EQ www.sbf.org.uk/eveningprogramme T 020 7353 1700

Theatre

Star

Palimpsest return to Dr Johnson’s House with specially commissioned monologue, Star, marking David Garrick’s tercentenary. Set in 1747, Garrick radically overhauls British Theatre, becoming the brightest star in the firmament.

When: 4pm & 6pm Admission: £25 Dr Johnson’s House 17 Gough Square EC4A 3DE www.drjohnsonshouse.org T 020 7353 3745

22 November – 2 December

Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical

A colourful and vibrant spectacular featuring all-time dance and pop hits from the 80’s and 90’s, the story follows three friends brought together under very differing circumstances on their adventure from the glamour and sparkle of Sydney as they ‘Go West’ into the heart of the Australian continent and desert.

A journey to the heart of fabulous!

When: 7.30pm, Sat matinees 2.30pm Admission: £14.50-£23 Bridewell Theatre 14 Bride Lane EC4Y 8EQ www.sbf.org.uk/eveningprogramme

13 – 23 December

Snow Mouse Watch two friends embark on an adventure in a magical forest full of play, puppetry, music and wonder in this enchanting tale for the very young to enjoy with their families. Enter The Pit and find a sleeping mouse in a sparkling snow covered wood.

Together with the mouse, explore the winter wonderland in this theatrical experience that will engage emotions and inspire imaginations.

When: 10.30am, 1.30pm and 3.30pm Admission: £8.50, child £7.50 The Pit, Barbican Silk Street EC2Y 8DS www.barbican.org.uk/theatre T 020 7638 8891

23 – 29 November

Post-Mortem Guildhall School final year actors perform Coward’s play that follows a young soldier dying in the trenches who has visions of visiting his surviving family and friends still enjoying wealthy decadent lives in the early thirties.

Written in 1930 when he was 31 years old, it is a surprisingly bitter vilification of the ruling classes

who seem to have learnt nothing from the mass homicide of the First World War. When: 7.30pm, 2pm (24, 27, 29 Nov) Admission: £10, concs £5 Milton Court Theatre Silk Street, EC2Y 9BH www.gsmd.ac.uk T 020 7638 8891

Learn something new about London, history and literature – and enjoy a complimentary glass of wine - at one of Guildhall Library’s regular evening events. Highlights include: Jews in the Fire Service in WW2 (23 Nov); Black Tudors: The Untold Story (30 Nov); How the Regent’s Canal Arrived at the City’s Door (4 Dec); Empire State: How the Roman Military Built an Empire (7 Dec); Bloods and Penny Dreadfuls: A Tale of Sensational Victorian Fiction (14 Dec).

When: 6pm-8pm Admission: £5 plus booking fee, please book in advance via our Eventbrite site www.ghlevents.eventbrite.co.uk Guildhall Library Aldermanbury EC2V 7HH www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/ guildhalllibrary T 020 7332 1871

Ongoing

Each week you can pop into free public lectures on a huge variety of subjects at Gresham College. This season’s highlights include: Martin Luther and his Crusade Against the Pope (1 Nov), Homer’s Iliad (23 Nov), NOW That’s What I Call Carols: 1582 (5 Dec) The Romance Story (4 Jan) and Here Comes The Sun (24 Jan).

Dates and times vary; check website for full listings FREE Gresham College Holborn Viaduct EC1N 2HH www.gresham.ac.uk T 020 7831 0575

Explore some of the best architecture in the City with specialist guides on foot and through the lens with a weekly programme of photography and walking tours.

Various times available Admission: £25.50-£35.50 www.open-city.org.uk/tours

Gresham College Lectures

Until 28 December

The City is Ours: Lunchtime Sessions Meet people who are changing London at free lunchtime talks and workshops on food, energy, transport, housing and more.

Thu 1pm FREE Museum of London 150 London Wall EC2Y 5HN museumoflondon.org.uk T 020 7001 9844

Ongoing

Afternoon Talks Find out something fascinating about London at one of Guildhall Library’s free talks. Highlights include: Five Years as Dockyard Apprentice (2 Nov); History and Treasures of Guildhall Library (23 Nov); The Thomas Crapper Legacy (24 Jan); History of Birds (30 Jan).

When: 2pm-3pm FREE Guildhall Library Aldermanbury EC2V 7HH www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/ guildhalllibrary T 020 7332 1871

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Evening Talks

Ongoing

25 Walks and Talks

Ongoing

Open-City Architecture Tours

9 November

Monument Masterclasses: An Evening with 5x15 Enjoy a talk from renowned literary salon 5x15 on the evolving relationship between nature and the built environment, taking inspiration from a constantly changing city skyline still shaped by the lasting impact of the Great Fire of London in 1666.

When: 7.15pm-8.15pm Admission: £20 The Monument Fish Street Hill EC3R 8AH www.themonument.org.uk

20 November

Chinese Art 1911-1932 As the imperial system collapsed in China, the ‘New Culture Movement’ focused debate on new categories of ‘modernity’ and ‘tradition’. Join Professor Craig Clunas as he explores how for artists, the ‘New Culture Movement’ posed the questions of what it meant to be both modern and Chinese – challenging them to show how ancient techniques could remain relevant.

When: 1pm-2pm FREE, first-come, first-served Museum of London 150 London Wall EC2Y 5HN www.gresham.ac.uk/lecturesand-events T 020 7831 0575

27 Walks and Talks

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3 & 9 December

Charles Dickens’ London Join a guide on a walk through Victorian London to discover his inspiration for the characters and plotlines of A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist and more.

When: 3pm-4pm Admission: £20 Meeting point supplied on booking www.museumoflondon.gov.uk T 020 7001 9844

7 December

Guildhall Tours 23 November

Homer’s Iliad Homer’s Iliad, the earliest Greek poem, narrates the archetypal war between ‘Europeans’ and ‘Asiatics’. Hear Visiting Professor Edith Hall in the first of three lectures looking at Wolfgang Peterson’s blockbuster Troy (2004), the genesis of the Iliad between the Mycenaean Late Bronze Age and the 8th

century, when the epic was first written down.

When: 1pm-2pm FREE, first-come, first-served Barnard’s Inn Hall Holborn EC1N 2HH www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures -and-events T 020 7831 0575

24 November

2 December

Taking Stock: The Third LMA Disability History Conference Combining presentations and workshops, join a conference which looks at how we know about impairment, disability and people with disabilities from the past. What are the sources and how do they get created?

What do they tell us? What don’t they tell us? Could they be misleading us? Come and join the big debate.

When: 11am-3.30pm FREE London Metropolitan Archives 40 Northampton Road EC1R 0HB www.takingstocklma.eventbrite. co.uk T 020 7332 3851

Talking Back!

The fifteenth LGBTQ+ History and Archives conference hosted at London Metropolitan Archives is being programmed by the Oral History Society LGBTQ Special Interest Group. The day will explore powerful histories expressed through oral recordings, ways of collecting and sharing in heritage and community settings and how marginalised histories can be brought into sharp focus through effective oral history practice.

When: 9.30am-4.30pm Admission: £15, concs £10 London Metropolitan Archives 40 Northampton Road EC1R 0HB www.talkingback.eventbrite.co.uk T 020 7332 3851

Take a tour of the iconic Guildhall complex, including the Great Hall and its crypt.

When: 10.45am Admission: £7 (booking required) Meet guide at Guildhall Art Gallery Guildhall Yard EC2V 5AE www.cityoflondonguides.com T 020 8398 4715

29 December

Second Great Fire of London walk On Sunday 29 December 1940 the City of London was subjected to an incendiary bomb attack by the Luftwaffe that devastated the financial district and nearly destroyed St. Paul’s. Join a guided walk on the 77th anniversary of the raid, led by a Blue Badge Guide, and discover the impact of the fire, the damage that is still visible, and pay tribute to the surprisingly small number of those killed.

When: 5pm-7pm Admission: £13.33 Guildhall Yard London EC2V 7HH www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/secondgreat-fire-of-london-walktickets-37925535297 T 07503 932036

Contemporary Still Life

Guildhall Art Gallery Until 2 April 2018 cityoflondon.gov.uk/naturemorte Opening Mon-Sat 10am-5pm; Sun 12noon-4pm Admission £8, concessions £6 Follow Guildhall Art Gallery on

@GuildhallArt

/visitthecity

/GuildhallArtGallery

Jim Skull, Mr Smith, 2009 paper maché, polyester yarn © the artist. Photo: C Lebedinsky