Events

Cultural Things To Do in London – July

Things to do

It doesn’t get hotter than July and 2019 is another scorcher with events and parties galore. If you’re looking for things to do in London this July, keep this page book marked because we’ll be updating it throughout the month with fun new listings.

Happy Birthday, Bang Bang Oriental!

Celebrate Bang Bang Oriental’s 2nd birthday with a Carnival Spectacular Party on Friday 5 July 2019. 

Starting from 7pm, guests can expect an evening of show-stopping entertainment and dazzling performances at London’s largest Asian food hall. Showgirls in glittering high-end costumes will be greeting guests and bringing some sophisticated glamour to the evening’s proceedings. 

Guests will also be able to enjoy 20% off all food and drink from 5 July – 11 July 2019 when they spend £10 or more.*

Bang Bang Oriental is an eco-friendly venue bringing pan-Asian cuisine and cultural entertainment to London. Bang Bang Oriental encompasses a food court, restaurant, and community space – all under one roof.

The venue is open Monday to Thursday from Noon until 9.30pm, Friday and Saturday from 11.30am until 10pm and Sunday from 11.30am until 9.30pm. Three hours of free parking is available.

*T&Cs apply at selected vendors only. Please visit their website for more details: www.bangbangoriental.com 

LOCATION: Bang Bang Oriental Foodhall, 399 Edgware Road, NW9 0FH


Portobello Soul Festival

Portobello Radio is delighted to announce a two-day free festival over Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th of July 2019.  Held at Bay 58, Acklam Village W10.

Portobello Soul, celebrates the spirit, consciousness and ethnic diversity of the area by putting on live bands and DJs, drawn from all cultural corners of London who truly live the W10 ethic.

Organised by Portobello Radio. the festival takes place in some of the area’s finest watering holes and live venues; the festival isn’t just about soul music (although that is indeed ever present) but more about expressing the soul of the area through culture – featuring almost every ethnic group from this community – all of whom have seen their own their won ups an down of late what with Grenfell, gentrification, rent and rate rises and as such needs every opportunity to be able to realise their own worth.

Portobello Soul – The  line-up:

Saturday

Bay 58, Acklam Village 

A mixed bag of  great live music all day : Ese and The Voodoo Children (track link here),  the wonderful salsa big band Conjunto Sabroso, the excellent rockabilly combo Black Kat Boppers who headline Saturday, blue eyed  soul act called The La La Las (), a wonderful  Afro funk jazz band called Amadis and The Ambassadors fronted  by young chap whose parents were  Congolese asylum seekers and a Bajan Calypso singer.

Westbank

From 1pm till 8pm the event covers the history of dance; DJs Piers Thompson does fifties, David Grayling sixties, Les Masco seventies, Greg Weir does eighties, Noel Watson does House etc

Mau Mau

Mau Mau sees the ultimate jazz jam from 3pm – featuring a host of London jazz luminaries through to 8pm/

Duke of Wellington Pub on Portobello

 Jerry Dammers founder of the Specials DJing till midnight.

Sunday

Bay 58-Acklam Village

A traditional Brazilian affair names Roda di Samba sees 12 Brazilian Samba maestros get around a table and play continuously for some 4 hours. It is off the pale; full of amazing Brazilian dancers performing all day and it’s free.

Mau Mau

The Sunday night Hard Way reggae open mic session is now 12 years young and has become a Portobello Institution who which asks patrons to donate can of food on entry which is given to a local food bank This is a true true London event  and perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the area


LOCO London Comedy Film Festival

This month sees the launch of the 7th LOCO London Comedy Film Festival 2019, which welcomes the festival’s most exciting programme yet. Taking place Thursday to Sunday, 11-14th July at the BFI, this year’s festival promises to feature some of the funniest films on screen alongside a riotous shorts programme, LOCO masterclasses with special guests, industry events and training, on top of a 30th Anniversary screening of the rom-com classic When Harry Met Sally, Directed by Rob Reiner and starring Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan and Carrie Fisher, on Saturday 13th July.

This year’s festival will open with Dominic Brigstocke’s Premiere of Horrible Histories: The Movie – Rotten Romans starring Craig Roberts, Kim Cattrall, Nick Frost, Kate Nash and Derek Jacobi. Atti (Sebastian Croft) is a Roman teenager with ‘Atti-tude’, a smart kid who likes to bend the rules. When one of his schemes (selling horse wee as gladiator sweat) falls foul of Emperor Nero (Craig Roberts), Atti is forced to join the army and is sent to miserable, cold, wet Britannia. There the natives are revolting, quite literally, as Boudicca (Kate Nash), Queen of the Iceni tribe, takes on the might of Rome.

things to do

On Friday 12th July, Masters of Love will celebrate its London Premiere at the festival followed by a Q&A with Director Matt Roberts and the cast. Starring Sarah Ovens, Owen Roberts, Eleanor Fanyinka, Bekka Bowling and Lizzy Watts, the film follows wannabe food critic Josh who is dumped by Izzy; his photographer sister Emmy who gets cold feet about marrying Samantha and their stand-up comic friend Niall who is casually seeing sous-chef Lily. Writer-director Matt Roberts’s first feature charts the romantic breakthroughs and break-ups of a close-knit London crew, his sharp insights and humour masterfully realised by a winning cast.

Also celebrating its London Premiere will be Romantic Comedy followed by a Q&A with Director Elizabeth Sankey. With Jessica Barden, Cameron Cook Anne T. Donahue, Brodie Lancaster, Charlie Lyne, Eleanor McDowall, Simran Hans and Laura Snapes, this warm and witty essay film features genre experts and fans who celebrate and critique the rom-com from screwball classics to When Harry Met Sally.

Metal Heart, presented in association with Irish Film London, will also premiere at the festival followed by a Q&A with Director Hugh O’Conor. Starring Jordanne Jones, Leah McNamara, Moe Dunford, Seán Doyleand Aaron Heffernan, this is a charming coming-of-age comedy, challenging and celebrating the bonds of sisterhood.

Shorts Programmes
LOCO 2019 will also present a selection of the best new comedy shorts across four programmes: ‘Awkward Encounters’, ‘Something Funny Going On’, ‘Take Control’ and ‘Intimate Details’, with the award-winners announced on the closing day – Sunday 14th July. Full Awards Nominees listed below.

Masterclasses & Training
Returning for 2019 the festival is delighted to present a public masterclass in association with our new revamped industry training programmes. In 2017 we had the incomparable talent of Alice Lowe share her experiences and wisdom of working in comedy filmmaking. This year festival goers will get the chance to hear from the best in comedy filmmaking talent followed by a chance to ask your own questions.

LOCO 2019 will see an unprecedented week of training for those who have or wish to have a career in Comedy Film or TV. With targeted sessions and networking events for writers, directors and producers, this year’s programme will be divided into two sections: one catering to those new to the industry and the other targeting emerging professionals, ensuring that everyone receives training that is best suited to their level. Following research among previous attendees and followers, we also have more ways to engage than ever, with full day passes or individual sessions of Masterclasses, Panels, One-to-One Surgeries and even a Speed-dating Brunch. Previous alumni have gone on to pen award-winning comedy features, direct for the likes of Netflix and Channel 4 and produce some of the most original and exciting work on the UK Comedy scene.

Denise Hicks, Director of The LOCO London Comedy Film Festival says, “We are so excited to be back, partnering with BFI Southbank for our 7th London Comedy Film Festival. This year we are celebrating the Love of Comedy and the Comedy of Love because we know that above all, comedy can bring people together.

“The future looks bright for British comedy film and TV creators and we’re excited to create a place for the next generation to come together, share the love and spawn some comedy brilliance.”

For tickets and further programme information visit: http://locofilmfestival.com/


Saatchi gallery Sweet Harmony: Youth of Today

Saatchi gallery celebrates 30 years of acid house and the second summer of love with Sweet Harmony I Rave Today, an immersive walk-through rave culture, via multimedia visual and sonic room installations and artworks by some of the rave movements’ most prolific and authentic visual commentators.

The brainchild of Saatchi Gallery’s Director, Philly Adams, Sweet Harmony will recapture the new world that emerged from the acid house scene, reliving the revolution through the voices and the lenses of those who experienced it. 

Philly explains that “the exhibition brings together contributors from past and present, championing new, celebrating current and re-positioning revered artists closely linked to the story. I’ve long been thinking about creating this exhibition for its historical importance and relevance to the music scene today. It will explore the underbelly of the UK Rave scene, how it arrived, how it exported and morphed across Europe and beyond, looking to the ever-evolving scene’s future.”

The show’s narrative vision of relating the ascendency of rave culture with the youth of today has been powered by Philly Adams, who alongside co- curator Kobi Prempeh has assembled a supergroup panel of visionaries including Irvine Welsh, Jeremy Deller, Sheryl Garratt, Juan Rincon (Voltage and SCI -Arc), Jorge Nieto, Creative Director of Village Underground, Craig Richards, Agnes Bliah, Mustafa Hulusi all of whom have made significant contributions in the curation and the execution of the exhibition. 

Their combined reflections have culminated in a unique and timely production staged over the two main floors of the Saatchi Gallery. Saatchi, arguably the most significant purveyor of world class pop art in Britain today, has confirmed the considerable talents of Carsten Nicolai. 

Nicolai, who will present at Art Basel Hong Kong and now – Saatchi – is renowned for his experimental soundworks. Meanwhile, Saatchi now announces the performance and involvement of legendary, jet-setting global megastar, Seth Troxler, a true visionary in the journey of elecctronic dance music. Lost Souls Of Saturn is a joint project of Seth Troxler (voted Resident Advisor’s number one dj in 2012) and Phil Moffa (dj, producer, professor and studio owner). Further exciting acts will be announced.

Sweet Harmony Rave | Today 12 July — 14 September 2019 Press Day 11 July, 10am — 2pm Tickets: £10 and available from Saatchi gallery / Eventbrite