Events & Happenings

Step out of your hotel and into our pick of this month’s most captivating events

The Bloomsbury

SHOESTRING CINEMA

A little can go a long way in filmmaking. The creatives featured at the London Independent Film Festival produce extraordinary features on minimal budgets. Frights, fantasy, feel-good - whatever you’re into, you’ll find a film to fall in love with at the LIFF, all enjoyed in the renovated arthouse comfort of East London’s Genesis Cinema. London Independent Film Festival

Genesis Cinema

14th-23rd April liff.org

Forged In Steel

What does it mean to replicate a symbolic object in a new context? That is the question behind this profound installation, in which Rachel Mars will forge a replica of the stolen ‘welcome’ gate from Dachau concentration camplive at the Barbican over four days. With audience members donning welding masks and a live-composed soundtrack, this is sure to be an extraordinary experience.

Rachel Mars: FORGE

The Pit, Barbican Centre 17th-20th May barbican.org.uk/ whats-on/2023/event/ rachel-mars-forge

SEE THE WOODS

Cecilia Vicuña brings an ancient South American art of record-keeping to the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall in an installation of sculpture and sound. Two 27-metre hanging sculptures, woven from materials including plant fibres, cardboard and local found objects, are the centrepiece of an immersive experience that asks how we can come together to repair the destruction of our forests and indigenous communities.

Cecilia Vicuña:

Brain Forest Quipu

Tate Modern

Until 16th April tate.org.uk

WHAM BAM AM DRAM

The premise of The Play That Goes Wrong is simple: in the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society’s new murder mystery production, everything that can go wrong, does! This side-splitting theatrical demonstration of sod’s law has been delighting audiences for a decade. Never mind whodunnit - the question is, can this uproariously unlucky show hold itself together until the final curtain?

The Play That Goes Wrong Duchess Theatre

Until October 2023 theduchesstheatre.co.uk

The Kensington

TO BOLDLY GROW

The world’s most famous flower show returns in May, teeming with gardening inspiration. From accessible gardens designed to support the recovery of the injured to rewilding gardens from the mountains of Korea - and even a mushroom garden - there’s something for every green thumb and green mind.

RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Royal Hospital Chelsea 23rd-27th May rhs.org.uk/shows-events/ rhs-chelsea-flower-show

Four Miles To Glory

One of the oldest amateur sporting events in the world, the Oxford & Cambridge Boat Race still draws huge crowds for a day of spectacle and jeopardy (will they sink?). Choose your side on this infamous university rivalry, or simply embrace the spirit of the occasion as a neutral onlooker - the Boat Race is always a great day out.

The Boat Race

Putney to Mortlake

26th April theboatrace.org

GANGNAM STYLE

From Samsung to Squid Game, the products and popular culture of South Korea have rocked the world for decades. This V&A exhibition explores the brilliance and wonder of Korean art, fashion and design, and how its recent meteoric rise has captured imaginations around the globe.

Hallyu! The Korean Wave V&A

Until June 2023 vam.ac.uk

Quacking Good Fun

The London Wetland Centre encompasses over 100 acres of lakes, pools and gardens, home to water birds, rodents, amphibians and damp minibeasts of every kind. Spring is a perfect time to visit, as birds return from their winter holidays - including a few special ducks who like to hide along the Easter trail… Spring activitiesand Easter trail

London Wetland Centre

Throughout Spring wwt.org.uk

The Marylebone

PAINT THE TOWN GREEN

St Patrick’s Day in London is a celebration of the many things Londoners and the Irish have in common - not least their love of a good party! Join the 50,000 revellers expected to take part in the annual parade from Hyde Park Corner for its 20th year, and enjoy the very best of Irish art, music and food.

St Patrick’s Festival

12th March london.gov.uk/events/stpatricks-festival-2023

STRINGS OF SPRING

Classical it may be, but the Spring/Summer programme at the Southbank Centre is far from stale. This is a wideranging slate of performances that explores and celebrates the many directions in which orchestral music is moving in the 21st century, from contemporary edits of beloved works to brand new 2020s compositions.

Classical Music Programme

Spring/Summer 2023

Southbank Centre

February to June 2023 southbankcentre.co.uk

Right On Cue

The politics of the rehearsal room come out front in this wry production of Jack Thorne’s brilliant new play, directed by Sam Mendes, which witnesses the inevitable clash of Richard Burton and the exacting vision of his director, John Gielgud as they prepared for the legendary 1964 Broadway run of Hamlet. Johnny Flynn plays Burton, Mark Gatiss is Gielgud

Bristol VITAL VOICES

Folk fever flourishes in late April, as the Bristol Folk Festival hails from the city, as do many of the artists who inspired and followed in his wake. Come, join us and witness the city’s most wonderful works of wall art.

Bristol Street Art Tours

Where The Wall Saturdays & Sundays year-round wherethewall.com

DIE HARDBACK

A group of strangers gather in a city hotel on a stormy spring weekend. They pore over cryptic texts, exchanging whispers in shady corners. Who or what is behind this mysterious behaviour? CrimeFest, of course. The International Crime Fiction Convention is coming back to Bristol - best go along and investigate…

CrimeFest

Mercure Bristol Royal Hotel 11th-14th May crimefest.com

A JOLLY JAUNT

The Motive and the Cue National Theatre

From 20th April nationaltheatre.org.uk

BEAN SCENE

There are few greater celebrations of the global passion for the beautiful brew than the London Coffee Festival. Enjoy curated selections in the Tasting Room, meet coffee artisans at the Roasters Village, enjoy barista skills in Latte Art Live, discover the finest coffee kit for at home it’s rocket fuel heaven.

London Coffee Festival

Truman Brewery, Brick Lane 20th-23rd April londoncoffeefestival.com draws incredible musicians from the west country and all around the world to the stages of the city. From the greatest players of traditional tunes to the bold experimenters mixing old with new, there’s something for Folk folks of every flavour.

Bristol Folk Festival

28th-30th April

Multiple venues bristolfolkfestival.org

WALL-TO-WALL WONDER

Many of us never think twice about the blank walls flanking our city streets. But where some see brick and mortar, others see canvas. Bristol has had a thriving street art scene for decades - Banksy himself

On your feet! There’s nothing quite like a good walk, and that simple pleasure is celebrated for a whole month by Bristol Walk Fest. Whether your preference is for a social ramble or to challenge yourselfwhatever your speed, there’s a path for you at Walk Fest.

Bristol Walk Fest

Throughout May bristolwalkfest.com

The Westbury

Pastel Perfect

Unrelated to sugared shades, pastel is a unique artistic medium with a history spanning more than four centuries. This fascinating exhibition brings that history to light with a rich and varied collection of works, documenting the rise of pastel’s popularity in the 18th century and the many ways it has been used since.

Pastel Revealed

National Gallery of Ireland

Until June 2023 nationalgallery.ie

Rock Of The Irish

The oldest rocks in Ireland are a mind-bending 1.7 billion years old, formed somewhere south of the equator. Dublin itself sits on limestone from the tropics, dating around 330 million years ago. This exhibition brings those extraordinary timescales to life, telling the geological story of Ireland through centuries-old samples, everyday objects and an eight-by-six-metre floor-map.

Down to Earth: Exploring Ireland’s Geology

National Museum of Ireland

Open year-round museum.ie

Hanging Out

What’s the second-best hangman in England to do on the day they abolish hanging?

Written by Martin McDonagh, famed for dark comedic works like In Bruges and 2022’s highly acclaimed The Banshees of Inisherin, this major new production turns a comedic lens on a momentous and bizarre moment in British history.

Hangmen - Martin McDonagh

The Gaiety Theatre

11th March-8th April gaietytheatre.ie

BACH TO BASICS

Composed for a Good Friday service in Leipzig 299 years ago, Bach’s St John’s Passion still captivates audiences around the world every year. It is simply a masterpiece - dramatic, devotional, profound and intricate, an experience for people of all faiths and none. This year, the National Symphony Orchestra collaborates with some of the most expressive vocalists in Ireland to bring the Passion to life once more.

J.S. Bach’s St John’s Passion National Concert Hall

7th April (Good Friday) nch.ie

The Croke Park

GREEN DAY

Right

Being in Dublin on St Patrick’s Day is an experience like no other. The famed parade will wind through the streets all day Friday before rising star rockers

Pillow Queens take over the Festival Quarter on Saturday along with 12 incredible Irish music acts. Literally unmissable - you couldn’t avoid the celebrations if you tried!

St Patrick’s Day Festival

17th & 18th March stpatricksfestival.ie

TARTUFFE TIMES

The titular criminal beguiles the head of a noble French household in this modern reimagining of the 17th century comedy reluctantly banned at the time by King Louis XIV. The rest of the family set out to bring down l’imposteur - but when the going gets tough, will Tartuffe get going, or double down on his deception?

Tartuffe - Frank McGuiness

Abbey Theatre

3rd March-8th April abbeytheatre.ie

OH BROTHER, WHO ART THOU?

Arthur Miller’s classic tale of two estranged brothers meeting to settle their father’s estate remains as compelling now as when it was first staged 55 years ago. What is the price of family duty?

Of personal ambition? And what kind of person does it take to pay that price?

The Price Gate Theatre

From April 13th gatetheatre.ie

TAKE ME TO CHURCH

We all love to have a drink and a dance - but how often do you get to do that in a restored 17th century church, complete with spectacular stained glass and an original Renatus Harris organ? The Church bar and café is just that, perfect for a special evening in the heart of Dublin. Drop by SundayThursday for free traditional music and dance.

The Church Bar

Open year-round

Free traditional Irish music & dance Sun-Thurs from 7pm thechurch.ie

The Dupont Circle

SPOKEN WORLD

Step inside the world’s first voice-activated museum and see the words you use every day brought to life in some rather new and exciting ways. You can hear the word on the street on Lexicon Lane, paint adjectives across a landscape in the Word Worlds room or get your karaoke on and learn how the legends of songwriting conjure their hits.

Planet Word Language Museum

Open Weds-Sun, year-round planetwordmuseum.org

Above Behind the scenes at Crawford Art Gallery, Cork. Left The world’s first voiceactivated museum dedicated to the spoken word, Washington.

Right The Cork International Choral Festival hosts choirs from all over the world in April.

Horsing Around

Follow in the hoof-steps of the steeds that carried Woodrow Wilson and Teddy Roosevelt on an enchanting ride through Rock Creek Park. An oasis of calm in the bustling city, the park’s 1700 acres make for great exploring on foot, but the best way to see them is from the saddle. And if you fancy making some more animal friends when you’re done, the park connects directly to the Smithsonian National Zoo.

Rock Creek Park Horse Center Rock Creek Park

Seasonal opening times rockcreekhorsecenter.com

Pretty In Pink

We hope you like pink, because for four weeks in spring, that’s the shade almost every D.C. vista is cloaked in. It’s for the Festival that commemorates 1912’s gift of cherry blossom trees to Washington from the then Mayor of Tokyo. Smarten up for the Pink Tie Party, move to the rhythm of the Taiko drums at Sakura Taiko Fest, and join the crowds for the legendary parade on April 15th.

National Cherry Blossom Festival 20th March-16th April nationalcherryblossom festival.org

Aids And Angels

One of America’s great theatrical epics, Angels in America is Tony Kushner’s multi-award winning 1991 drama of two couples struggling through the AIDS epidemic. In a timely adaptation, director János Szász brings part one of this historic and thoughtful duology to the Fichandler stage in an in-the-round format that brings the audience emphatically in. Go! Angels in America Part One: Millennium Approaches Fichandler Stage 24th March-23rd April arenastage.org

The River Lee

In Fine Voice

Five days, five thousand voices raised in song. The Cork International Choral Festival invites choirs from across Ireland, Europe and around the world to lift spirits of audiences in venues, churches, schools and on street corners around the city. With an eclectic programme and a welcoming atmosphere, it’s the perfect way to get immersed in choral culture.

Cork International Choral Festival

Venues across Cork 26th-30th April corkchoral.ie

Frame Of Reverence

Great works of art can stand alone - years of experience and passion encapsulated in a single object. But peel back the paint, look behind the periods of musical history brought to life by the Cork Opera House Concert Orchestra, from Symphony No. 1 to Revolution 9. The Cork Proms: Beethoven, Broadway and the Beatles frame, and you’ll find that each is made of dozens of stories of creation, restoration and research. It is these stories that this pioneering Crawford Art Gallery exhibition tells, bringing the lives and histories of key works from the National Collection into the light.

BEHIND THE SCENES: Collection at Work

Crawford Art Gallery

Until 10th April crawfordartgallery.ie

Roll Over Beethoven

What do Beethoven, Broadway and The Beatles have in common? It’s no riddle - they’re the subjects of this year’s Cork Proms! Three very different

Cork Opera House 6th-13th April corkoperahouse.ie

Inimitable Island

Carved into the cliffs, the architecture of the rarelyinhabited Dursey Island should be seen to be believed. For its size, this starkly beautiful little isle has quite the rich history. Take a boat around the shore to witness its hidden wonders, or make landfall across the treacherous Dursey Sound on Ireland’s only cable car! It’s an adventurous day trip from Cork.

Dursey Island

2hr drive from Cork

Cable car reopens on 1st March durseyisland.ie