South Bank Top 10: Everything but the Jubilee

The UK is currently gearing up for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Two weeks ago we gave a rundown of everything Jubilee inspired happening around South Bank.  This week we have comprised a top 10 of things to do for those who would like to take a break from the Jubilee extravaganza, and discover something different in the area…

If you want to find out about more events, as well as places to eat, drink and shop, you can also:

Download our FREE Riverside London app for iPhone and Android to keep up to date on the go

Follow us on Twitter @southbanklondon

Follow us on Facebook facebook.com/southbanklondon

Visit our website www.southbanklondon.com

1. James Bond Tour with London Duck Tours, 20 May

Prepare to be shaken and stirred with a fun-filled tour through the capital from road to river. Take in many central London locations used in the classic film series and launch into the river Bond-style alongside MI6!

2. Poetry Of Unknown Words at Royal Festival Hall, until 25 May

See five double-sided prints (shown recto and verso) in response to work by Gertrude Stein, HD, Mary Wollstonecraft, Emmy Hennings and Valerie Solanas.

3. Vincent Minnelli Season at BFI Southbank, until 31 May

A major survey of the director’s bold excursions in the musical and the melodrama.

4. Travelling Light at the National Theatre, until 2 June

Following Vincent in Brixton and The Reporter, Nicholas Wright’s new play is a funny and fascinating tribute to the Eastern European immigrants who became major players in Hollywood’s golden age.

5. Culture in Stone at gallery@oxo, until 2 June

Showcasing the work of three artists, each of whom celebrate the art of Shona sculptures by combining ancient cultural heritage with aspects of contemporary life. FREE

6. Festival! At National Theatre, until 4 Jun 12

As we approach a summer of unprecedented festivity, images from the Corbis archive will take you into the pop-up worlds of the vibrant, the sacred and the very, very odd. FREE

7. The Suit at Young Vic, 21 May - 16 June

In the dusty heat of a 1950s South African township, a young worker returns home to find his wife in bed with her lover. The lover escapes, leaving behind his suit. The only revenge the husband takes is to instruct his wife to treat the suit as an honored guest. But how long can she endure this cruel and pitiless sentence?

8. Build the Truce at IWM London, 24 May - 22 September

An interactive video display on the themes of truce and war. FREE

9. Cocktails & Steak at Gillray’s Steakhouse & Bar, London Marriott Hotel County Hall

Gillray’s Steakhouse & Bar is the most English of English dining destinations. Situated at the London Marriott Hotel County Hall, the bar offers a sophisticated Thames-side destination, featuring a selection of 33 English gins and an impressive cocktail collection.

10. Behind the Scenes Tour at SEA LIFE London Aquarium

You can team up with expert aquarist guides to go deep behind the scenes and discover how the Aquarium cares for over 600 marine and fresh-water species.

TTFN!

The South Bank London Team

South Bank Top 10: The Diamond Edition

The Diamond Jubilee is fast approaching so now is the time to book your tickets for the biggest Jubilee celebrations on South Bank.  We have composed a Top 10 list to help you celebrate like a Royal on the first weekend of June. If you want to find out about more events, as well as places to eat, drink and shop, you can also:

Download our FREE Riverside London app for iPhone and Android to keep up to date on the go

Follow us on Twitter @southbanklondon

Follow us on facebook facebook.com/southbanklondon

Visit our website www.southbanklondon.com

1.Celebrate the Diamond Jubilee, OXO Tower Restaurant,  2 - 5 June

Whilst the entire country enjoys their four day weekend, OXO will be celebrating with a series of special events to mark each stage of the festivities including live screening of the Buckingham Palace concert, an OXO style street party and an Epsom-inspired ‘Royal Enclosure’.

2.Food and Wine Festival, Southbank Centre , 1 - 5 June

The World Food and Wine Festival will be a fantastic free celebration of gastronomic and cultural diversity, incorporating international street food, live demos and a high profile speaker programme during a weekend

3.Diamond Jubilee Lunch onboard KPMG Thames Clippers, 3 June

Enjoy lunch, tea and champagne onboard KPMG Thames Clippers on 3 June.
A drinks reception, quintessentially British lunch and afternoon tea will be served with a champagne toast to the Queen on the passing of Tower Pier. Limited tickets remaining. For further information, click here or to reserve tickets email alison.murphy@thamesclippers.com

4.Jubilee Afternoon Tea, Park Plaza Riverbank, 3 June

Park Plaza Riverbank London and the adjoining five-star suites of Plaza on the River Club & Residence are hosting a very special afternoon tea service in honour of the Queen on Sunday, 3 June 2012. Enjoy a traditional British Afternoon Tea to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee with views of the River Pageant.
For further information and to book, click here

5. Queen’s Diamond Summer Courtyard Party, Park Plaza Riverbank, 3 June

Head to Chino Latino Park Plaza Riverbank on Sunday 3 June to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in style. They will be hosting a summer courtyard party at the front of the hotel facing the River Thames. Chef Seebach will be on hand to provide some delicious snacks from the barbeque, as well as the bar team - offering a range of drinks from Champagne to beer. For more information and to book click here

6. London Eye Champagne Experience, available daily 12pm - 8pm

To really make your London Eye Experience sparkle over the Jubilee weekend, enjoy a glass of Pommery Brut Royal Champagne served by your host while you relax and enjoy the sublime views of London. For more information and to book click here

7. National Theatre, Inside Out, 1 June - 9 September

To add to the celebratory spirit, activities normally conducted inside the Theatre will spill out onto the terraces and squares, with a packed festival programme of free activities.  In Theatre Square, the annual Watch This Space programme will showcase the best of national and international outdoor performance.

8. London Wonderground, Southbank Centre, 8 May - 30 September

Prepare yourself for a magnificent, brand-new amusement ground for the capital. A world of circus, sideshows and strange curiosities.  On the Jubilee Weekend, Global Country Music Celebrity Tina C presents her Global Depression Tour, and The Tassel Club’s Cirque du Cabaret presents London’s longest running vintage inspired cabaret show.  Click here for tickets. 

9. Extraordinary Heroes , IWM London, open daily 10am - 6pm

If you’re looking for a historical and educational slant to your bank holiday, the new Lord Ashcroft Gallery houses the world’s largest collection of Victoria Crosses alongside the 48 VCs and 31 George Crosses already held by the Museum. Find out the stories behind the medals in this free interactive exhibition.

10. The Lady with the Lamp, Florence Nightingale Museum, open daily 10am - 5pm

Explore the life and times of one of the most influential figures in nursing through interactive exhibits, art installations and a stethoscope audio tour.

Guest Blog: BFI Southbank

Hi from the BFI Southbank!

We have two very exciting previews coming up that we’d like to tell you about…

Café de Flore is a love story about people separated by time and place but somehow connected in a profound and mysterious way. Tragic and hopeful, the film chronicles the lives of Jacqueline, a young mother with a disabled son in 1960s Paris, and Antoine, a recently-divorced, successful DJ in present day Montreal. The film glides between eras and countries and people; seemingly bound together by love in its many forms. This incredibly poignant and captivating film is one not to be missed.

All in Good Time is the funny and warm-hearted story of a young couple dealing with the trials and tribulations of family life. Atul and Vina are newlyweds, forced to spend their honeymoon in Bolton with Atuls’ parents. However, thoughtless patriarch Eeshwar seems determined to emasculate and embarrass his son at every opportunity. As time passes, consummating their union becomes an impossibility that threatens the couple’s future together. A colourful mix of heartbreak and hilarity, All in Good Time is a sensitive and sweet-natured portrait of family life.

The exciting news is that the red carpet screening for ‘All in Good Time’ will be followed by a Q&A with director Nigel Cole, writer Ayub Khan-Din, and cast members Meera Syal, Harish Patel, Reece Ritchie and Amara Karan and Time Out’s Dave Calhoun, so you can get your questions answered from the film makers themselves.

AND because we are really nice, we’re offering the chance to win tickets to these fantastic one-off previews! To enter click here

See you soon,

BFI Southbank Team