Things To Do This Weekend In London: 22-23 March 2025

All weekend

THE STITCH FESTIVAL: Embroidery, batik, pattern design, punch needle, crochet and dressmaking are just some of the skills and hobbies encompassed in The Stitch Festival in Islington. Shows, talks and workshops are programmed throughout the weekend, with 150+ traders selling supplies and equipment. 20-23 March

PALACE GARDEN: It's an open garden weekend at Hampton Court Palace, meaning you can enter parts of the gardens and ground without paying the usual admission fee. The Great Fountain Garden and the Kitchen Garden are among the areas which are open, though you'll need to pay to visit the palace itself, the maze or the Magic Garden Playground. Note that the Hampton Court Palace Half Marathon takes place on Sunday, so it's likely to be busy then. FREE, 22-23 March

HELIOS: Time's running out to see a 1:200 million scale sculpture of the Sun on display at the Old Royal Naval College's Painted Hall. Helios is a work by artist Luke Jerram — who has previously installed his Moon and Mars sculptures in various buildings around London — and can be viewed in these ethereal surroundings. Until 25 March

Last weekend to see Helios at the Old Royal Naval College

BARNES MUSIC FESTIVAL: Pianists, saxophonists, organists, singers and a concert band are some of the performers lined up for this year's Barnes Music Festival, which takes place at venues across the area. The schedule this weekend includes a Jane Austen-themed Regency tea dance, Barnes Choir performing at St Mary's Church, and Music & Wine, where each composition is paired with a glass of vino from English vineyard Sandridge Barton. Until 30 March

SADDEST SHOW ON EARTH: A new, free exhibition is open at The Vaults in Waterloo, with a dark undertone. The Saddest Show on Earth by artist and conservationist Sophie Green looks at how humans have exploited nature and the animals around us, with themes of consumerism and environmental despair. Artworks include photo-realistic illustrations of animal species on display on plinths. FREE, 18-30 March

LONDON SOUNDTRACK FESTIVAL: Drum roll please, as the London Soundtrack Festival arrives in town, celebrating the music of films, TV and video games. Live orchestral performances, in-conversation events, and film screenings introduced by composers are among the events on the programme. 19-26 March

STILL THE HOURS: Hampton Court Palace hosts the world premiere of a genre-defying promenade experience. Wander through the palace after dark, accompanied by audio telling the story of women who lived or worked there. Suffragettes, royal mistresses, queens and maids all feature, their stories told by actors including Kathryn Hunter and Miranda Richardson, and backed up by historical research. 19-30 March

Still The Hours is an audio journey through Hampton Court Palace © Historic Royal Palaces, photography by Ali Wright

JOHN MORLEY: The first solo exhibition of work by painter John Morley in almost 30 years opens at the Garden Museum. John Morley: Artist Gardener showcases his paintings and pastels of flowers, fruits and garden plants, many of which have never been publicly displayed. 19 March-20 April

IDEAL HOME SHOW: Pimp up your pad at the Ideal Home Show at Olympia. Interior designers, furniture suppliers, home accessory stores, and garden DIY experts congregate to help you make the changes you want in your home. Eat & Drink Festival runs alongside it, where you can tuck into all manner of street food at The Great Eat, stock up your kitchen cupboards with produce from the Artisan Producers Market, and pick up tips, inspiration — and possibly a new recipe or two — from celebrity chefs on the Eat & Drink Stage. 21 March-6 April

VICTOR HUGO: The imaginary worlds of the author of the Hunchback of Notre-Dame are revealed in the Royal Academy's new show, Astonishing Things: The Drawings Of Victor Hugo, which opens on Friday. His artworks are lesser-known than his writing; here's a chance to see his ink and wash visions of imaginary castles, monsters and seascapes. 21 March-29 June

Saturday 22 March

Caroline Kent of Scribble & Daub leads a creative workshop

CATSTRAVAGANZA: The cat equivalent of Crufts comes to the Copper Box Arena in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, in the form of London Catstravaganaza 2025. Watch pedigree and house cats compete for awards including Best Kitten, Best Cat, Best Household Pet Kitten and Best Household Pet, along with a chance to meet renowned cat breeders and shop for kitty-themed goodies.9am-4pm

RIVER RACE: The Head of the River Race is rowed annually from Mortlake to Putney, with up to 400 crews of eights taking part. Get down to the river's edge to watch the action unfold. FREE to watch, 9.15am

CREATIVE WORKSHOP: Caroline Kent, illustrator and founder of stationery brand Scribble & Daub, leads a creative workshop at the Ham Yard Hotel. Learn the art of using a dip pen and ink to create illustrations, which you'll then hand paint and take home with you. 10am-1pm

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL BRUNCH: The Clapham Grand's High School Musical brunch series continues with a party themed around the third and final film in the franchise. It's shown on a large screen, with sing alongs, an hour of bottomless booze and a costume competition included in your ticket. 11.30am-4.30pm

MILITARY MUSIC: The Massed Bands of His Majesty's Royal Marines give two concerts at the Royal Albert Hall today for the Mountbatten Festival of Music, which showcases the skills of some of the world's finest military musicians while raising funds for Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charities. 2pm/7.30pm

IMITATION OF LIFE: Douglas Sirk's 1959 melodrama, Imitation of Life, explores the intersecting lives of two single mothers — one black, one white — navigating difficulties in a patriarchal society. This film screening at Barbican Cinema is part of the Noah Davis series, celebrating art and cinema focused on identity and representation. 3.20pm

XHLOE AND NATASHA: Comedy duo Xhloe and Natasha bring a double-bill of their Fringe shows, A Letter To Lyndon B. Johnson Or God: Whoever Reads This First, and What If They Ate The Baby? to Soho Theatre. The former explores children’s innocence and their relationship with war, set to a Beatles' soundtrack, while the latter is a dystopian take on the 1950s American housewife. 6.45pm (and until 29 March)

Xhloe and Natasha perform at Soho Theatre

CANDLELIGHT CLUB: Regular speakeasy event The Candlelight Club returns to an historic ballroom at a secret south London location for its Spring Ball. Get dressed up for an evening of live jazz and ragtime music from seven-piece band Trudgeon's Troubadours and DJs the Bee’s Knees. Cabaret host Champagne Charlie presides over the night, which also features burlesque, tarot reading and Charleston dance classes. 7pm-1am

GUJARATI DANCING: Subrang Arts presents Taaliyo na Taale, a showcase of the folk dances known as 'Garbas' from the cultural heart of Gujarat, West India, which are recognised by UNESCO as the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. See it at Croydon's Fairfield Halls. 7.15pm

VOXCETERA: The Voxcetera Chamber Choir is at St Michael's in Highgate for a performance of famed chamber work Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem, as well as pieces by composer James Whitbourn, who died last year. 7.30pm

TCHAIKOVSKY: There's a rare chance to hear Tchaikovsky's ambitious Manfred Symphony tonight, in a performance from Fulham Symphony Orchestra at Sinfonia Smith Square in Westminster. Leoš Janáček's Taras Bulba and Poème by Jeanne Demessieux are also on the programme. 7.30pm

FUELFEST: Taking place at Barbican, FuelFest celebrates 20 years of Fuel Theatre, which specialises in "fresh work for adventurous people by inspiring artists". It comes to an end today with a final performance of Oracle Song by Melanie Wilson a collaboration between the artist and an AI machine, exploring the complexity of human and animal relationships. 7.45pm

EARTH HOUR: For one hour on Saturday evening, London's switching the lights off for WWF's Earth Hour, raising awareness of the effects of global warming. Individual businesses and households are encouraged to take part by turning off the lights, but several of the capital's major landmarks will be plunged into darkness too. FREE, 8.30pm

Sunday 23 March

Hunt out a bargain at Walthamstow Flea Market

DALSTON BLACK HISTORY: Music history, activism, gentrification and social cleansing, and civil rights are among the topics covered on Black History Walks' tour of Dalston. Join a guide for a two-hour walk marking 75 years since the SS Windrush arrived from the Caribbean, covering history from the 1950s up to the 2000s. 10am-12pm

MID CENTURY MODERN: 85 midcentury dealers and modern designers descend on Dulwich College to sell artwork, furniture, lighting, rugs, textiles, ceramics, wallpaper and more, dating from the 20th century. The Midcentury Modern also has food vans on site, and if you buy any large items, delivery is available. 10am-4pm

ADAMS ANTIQUES FAIR: The Adams Antiques Fair returns to the Royal Horticultural Halls in Westminster, with over 130 exhibitors selling antique jewellery, silver, decorative pieces and collectables. If you're keen to be first in, get there early as a queue usually forms before opening. 10am-4.30pm

CHISWICK'S LITERARY GIANTS: As part of Literary Footprints Festival, join tour guide Jenny Mill for a stroll around Chiswick, seeing the former houses of two Nobel Prize winners, a Booker Prize winner and other literary greats, including E.M. Forster and W.B. Yeats. 11am-1.30pm

The People of the Documentary is shown as part of Screen Cuba

WALTHAMSTOW FLEA MARKET: If you're up for an afternoon of bargain hunting, make for Big Penny Social where Walthamstow Flea Market takes place. It brings together 60 dealers selling vintage and pre-loved furniture, homewares and clothing. 11am-5pm

ROMEO & JULIET: Barbican Cinema screens Romeo & Juliet, the Royal Ballet's retelling of Shakespeare's famous love story. It's an Encore screening, meaning it's not streamed live, but is a recording of the current production, which runs until May at the Royal Opera House. 2pm

SCREEN CUBA: As part of the Screen Cuba film festival, Holborn's Garden Cinema screens The People of the Documentary, about a planned artistic exchange featuring 400 Cuban artists, which had to be scaled back when Trump came to power (the first time). Show in Spanish with English subtitles. 2.30pm

SOPRANO SONGBIRD: West End musical star Gina Beck — who has performed in Matilda, Wicked, and The Phantom of the Opera — stars in her debut solo concert, Soprano Songbird, at St Paul's Church in Covent Garden. She performs songs from shows she has starred in, alongside long-time friend and co-star Simon Bailey, in aid of the MS Society. 5.30pm

MOONLIGHT SIRENS: "Batten down the hatches, lock up your sons and assume the brace position..." Honky tonk bar the Duke's of Highgate welcomes all-female blues group the Moonlight Sirens to the stage this evening. FREE, 8pm