What's on in August 2011
Summertime and the living is easy... Take a look at our guide to what London has to offer during the sunny month of August.
There's plenty going on but for us August 2011 is the month of the open air cinema!
It's here at last and we're obsessed. Huge screen + beautiful setting + picnic + date = unbeatable romance. See our GDG review for more info.
2) Films on Fridges (Fish Island: July 27th - Aug 13th)
It does what it says on the tin! Films projected onto hundreds of old fridges next door to the site of the London 2012 Olympics. The line up is eccentrically sports-centric from Cool Runnings to Chariots of Fire.
3) The Marinsky Ballet (Covent Garden Royal Opera House: now until Aug 13th)
For the 50th anniversary of their first appearance in the West, the formerly named Leningrad State Kirov Ballet are back in London. From the classic Swan Lake to the emotionally intense Anna Karenina this is a must see, and with tickets from as little as £8.50 no one can complain that ballet is an expensive date! Click here for our full review of the wonderful Royal Opera House.
4) Portobello Pop-Up (Beneath the Westway freeway, Portobello: Aug 4th - Aug 21st)
A fantastic non-profit microplex cinema digitally screened under the Westway. Films include the classic Withnail and I and Cinema Paradiso. Tickets are sold on the door and are just £4.00 - talk about a cheap date!
5) Pop up at the Palace (Banqueting House, Whitehall: now until Aug 28th)
Treat your date to a magnificent slice of English tradition! For one month only you can enjoy a delicious afternoon tea in the spectacular setting of the Great Hall at the Banqueting House. You're then perfectly placed to continue your date with St. James' Park and the National Gallery just minutes away.
6) Rooftop Film Club (Queen of Hoxton, Shoreditch: now until Sept)
Film lovers will be able to eat fabulous food, drink cold beer and watch their favourite movies as the sun goes down and the stars begin to sparkle. No more hot stuffy cinemas, this is the incomparable film experience in the fresh air of a warm summer's night.
7) Notting Hill Carnival (Notting Hill: Aug 28th - Aug 29th)
London's very own Caribbean carnival. Steel bands, scores of incredible floats and mile upon mile of stalls, this is a tropical party you won't forget!
8) Cabaret Floridita (Floridita, Wardoor Street: now until end of Aug)
Every Wednesday night you can enjoy fabulous cabaret and live entertainment at this iconic London restaurant. Stars of the West End stage mix with burlesque performers to provide you with an unforgettable evening.
9) Crazy For You (Regent's Park Open Air Thetre: now until Sept 10th)
The Regent's Park Open Air Theatre is a firm favourite here at the GDG - one of the best summer dates in London in our humble opinion. This year Gershwin's Crazy For You provides the perfect date night material. Pack a picnic (and an umbrella!) and you're set for a perfect evening. Click here for our full review.
10) The Nomad Cinema (Nationwide: now until late Sept)
Finally, the king of the pop-up cinema! On a neverending tour of London (and further afield), The Nomad brings magical and carefully curated films to wide-eyed audiences at an inspiring range of beautiful, curious and downright strange screening locations. Nomad film events embrace and enhance the venue, offering new ways of seeing and new ways of remembering an uplifting range of films, from classics to cult, noir and silent, to mainstream guilty pleasures. Playful, mischievous and mysterious, The Nomad wanders into town, unpacks cinema magic, then disappears into the night, leaving no trace. If you do one thing this August - take your date to a Nomad screening - you won't regret it!
