The 12 best things to do in London this weekend (3-4 March)

After the week we’ve had, you could be forgiven for wanting to stay at home and out of the way of the snow.

However, if you have a change of heart and decide to venture outside for a bit, we’ve picked out some of the best options at your disposal - for all budgets.

All of these are still slated to go ahead at the time of writing, but it could still be worth checking on the day if the snow continues.

1. 1.The Big Festival in Greenwich Park

   Avid runners are going to be braving the cold to take part in The Big Half, a half-marathon in Greenwich, and you’re probably looking out at the snow and thanking your lucky stars you didn’t get around to signing up. You can still head out to cheer them on, though, and there’s plenty to keep you occupied aside from the half-marathon itself: food from local traders, two stages of live music and even a chance to test your speed on a giant treadmill.

   https://www.thebighalf.co.uk/event-info/big-festival/ - Free, All day Sunday, Greenwich Park SE10

2. 2.March4Women

   Across London this weekend, people will be out on the streets marching for gender equality. Sue Perkins and London Mayor Sadiq Khan will be among those leading the charge, with the march - timed to mark 100 years since women first got the vote - finishing up in Trafalgar Square.

   https://www.careinternational.org.uk/march4women - Free, Sunday 12pm-3.30pm, Millbank SW1

3. 3.Planet Grow/Hackney WickED Spring Special

   Hackney creative space Grow is putting on a couple of free events this weekend – there’s a reggae jam on Sunday, but before that there’s an opportunity to take in live music and art on Saturday with an event running into the early hours. There’s a DIY art fair during the day, plus a giant mural and audio and visual performances throughout, plus plenty more.

   https://grow-hackney.squarespace.com/events/planetgrow - Free, Saturday 1pm-3am, Main Yard E9

4. 4.Woolwich Public Market

   The folks behind Street Feast are spreading their wings, and SE18 is the newest destination. Public, by Woolwich Arsenal station, will house plenty of street food veterans as well as new traders including Henhaus, a rotisserie chicken stall from the folks behind steak-and-chips joint Stakehaus. Entry is free, and you’ll be able to pay for whichever food and drink takes your fancy.

   https://www.streetfeast.com/visit-us/public/ - Free, Saturday 12pm-late, Plumstead Road SE18

5. 5.Dawn of the Superheroes

   

   If you’ve been spurred to read more superhero stories off the back of Black Panther, and if you’re keen to venture beyond Marvel to take in some of DC Comics’ most memorable characters, this is the exhibit for you. Spanning decades of DC characters in film, the O2 exhibit takes you from Superman in the ‘70s right through to the 2017 iteration of Wonder Woman, with plenty in between.

   https://www.theo2.co.uk/events/detail/dc-exhibition-dawn-of-super-heroes - £10-20, All weekend, Peninsula Square SE10

6. 6.Hackney Record Fair

   If vinyl’s your thing, head out to Dalston and work your way through 50 tables of records from independent labels, collectors, record stores and more. There will be food and live music throughout, plus a record-cleaning service on site for anyone who wants to take advantage.

   https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hackney-record-fair-tickets-40546663161 - £2, Sunday 11am-4pm, Stoke Newington Road N16

7. 7.Mason & Company Bottle Club: Women in Beer

   Hackney Wick craft beer bar Mason & Company has been running its regular bottle clubs for a while, providing attendees with a selection of beers around a theme. This week’s, to mark Women’s History Month, is Women in Beer. There will be a tasting of beers from Wild Card Brewery, Burnt Mill Brewery, Lost and Grounded Brewers, Liefmans, and Brewsters Brewery, led by a beer expert, while all attendees will get a discount on food (and a chance to sample the draft beers on the menu afterwards, of course).

   https://www.facebook.com/events/310765059418046/ - £10, Sunday 4-5.30pm, East Bay Lane E20

8. 8.Studio Ghibli season at Picturehouse Cinemas

   Acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki recently announced he was coming out of retirement to direct one last feature film, entitled How Do You Live?, and a simple glance at his back catalogue should give you an idea of why this is a very good thing. The Greenwich Picturehouse is running a season of Miyazaki’s animations over the coming weeks, including Spirited Away and My Neighbour Totoro, but this week’s offering is Grave of the Fireflies, directed by Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata

   https://www.picturehouses.com/film/grave-of-the-fireflies - £8, Sunday, various times, various Picturehouse cinemas

9. 9.All Too Human

   The latest Tate Britain exhibit focuses on painters such as Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon, and will feature several works from Bacon which haven’t been on display in the UK for a generation. Attendees can also take in work from a variety of other painters from the same era, many of whom made London their home at some stage during their respective careers.

   http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/all-too-human - £17-19.50, Saturday and Sunday 10am-6pm, Millbank SW1P

10. 10.Ferrari: Under the Skin

    The Design Museum is playing host to an exhibition looking at 70 years of car manufacturer Ferrari, from the first ever Ferrari-badged car in the 1940s through to the present-day F1 vehicles. There will be actual racecars on display, as well as memorabilia from the iconic Italian company spanning several decades as a huge name in the automobile industry.

    https://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/ferrari-under-the-skin - £18, Saturday and Sunday from 10am, Kensington High Street W8

11. 11.Oscar season at the Barbican

    

    Sunday is Oscar night, and the Barbican is letting you prepare for the awards ceremony in the best way possible – by showing all of the Best Picture nominees. Lady Bird, The Shape of Water, Get Out, Phantom Thread and more are available to watch at least once over the course of the weekend or next week, so you can catch up with any you missed the first time around.

    https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2018/series/oscarr-week-2018 - £12, All weekend, Silk Street EC2Y

12. 12.RA Lates: Night at the Palace

    The Royal Academy is taking guests back to the 17th Century with this immersive experience night, which will give you a feel for what Whitehall Palace was like back during the rule of King Charles I. You’ll eat in a 17th Century-style banqueting hall, with music described as a combination of ‘baroque, hip-hop and contemporary-classical music’, and we imagine that won’t nearly be the end of the decadence.

    https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/event/ra-lates-night-at-the-palace - £40, Saturday 7pm-11.45pm, Piccadilly W1J

(Images: Rex/Studio Ghibli/My Neighbour Totoro/Pixabay)