Even as the temperature begins to dip, signaling the end of another summer season, London’s event schedule is just heating up.
Every day of October offers something new; festivals, concerts, art exhibitions, and many more extensions of the Big Smoke’s historic lore and dynamic culture.
So no matter your interests, the month ahead is sure to provide enough entertainment for everybody to enjoy. Take a look at the list below to find an eclectic mix of events taking place this month:
The Big Draw
The artistically inclined among us will no doubt be in attendance, but even if you haven’t sketched in some time, participating in The Big Draw is always a pleasure. Billed as the world’s largest drawing festival, The Big Draw takes place every day in October in a wide variety of venues, including museums, art galleries, parks, libraries, and schools.
While touring heritage sites like the British Museum, the British Library, and the National Gallery, those in attendance are invited to draw, sketch, or otherwise express themselves through artwork. This year’s theme is STEAM, or improving the traditional STEM educational model of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths by adding Art to the equation.
A launch event takes place at the award-winning Whitworth Art Gallery, and another unmissable event will be held at the Royal Society, so you can expect to be surrounded by truly elegant settings while you put crayon, charcoal or indeed pencil to paper.
888Live London Festival
Beginning on the 13th October, the 888Live London Festival offers poker players from all over the U.K. an opportunity to test their mettle against professionals. Hosted by Aspers Casino, the series features 17 different tournaments to choose from, running the gamut from £120 buy-in daily Lightening Six-Max event to the £2000 buy-in High-Roller tournament.
The games begin with a £220 buy-in Opening Event, which offers £100,000 in guaranteed prize money to players who can navigate the minefield and survive. But the big draw will be the Main Event played out over four days, with £200,000 in guaranteed payouts up for grabs.
The 888Live Festival series invites poker enthusiasts to bring their game up against some of the best players on the planet – including three-time World Series of Poker gold bracelet winner and pro Dominik Nitsche.
London Oktoberfest
While the traditional Oktoberfest gathering is a decidedly German tradition, we Brits are known to put a pint or two down ourselves.
Last year’s edition of London Oktoberfest was cancelled only 20 minutes before the first drinks were downed, but that was because the crowds simply outpaced organizers ability to serve them. This year a new organization has taken over, and more than 50,000 revelers are expected to don their lederhosen or dirndl before imbibing the finest in German ales.
Along with the liquid libations, attendees can also sample traditionally prepared brezel (knotted bread), bratwurst (German specialty sausage), schnitzel (breaded pork cutlet), hendl (traditional chicken dish), and schweinebraten (roasted pork).
The party takes place in Millwall Park, near Canary Wharf, and ticket prices range from £5 to £10 for general admission to £42 to £60 for inclusive VIP packages. The fun festivities of Okotberfest London 2016 began on the 29th September, and the party doesn’t end until the 9th October.
Dance Umbrella
Another jewel in London’s festival-capital crown is Dance Umbrella, which spreads 15 days of world-class choreography and interpretive dance across 16 venues throughout London.
You won’t find anyone doing the “Running Man” routine, and instead audiences will be treated to elite level dance performed and choreographed by highly trained talent from all over the world.
The opening event, titled Unknown Pleasures, takes place at Sadler’s Wells Theatre on the 7th October, with five esteemed choreographers combining their talents anonymously to form one cohesive performance.
After that, almost any time, day or night, will see leading choreographers like the Greek Olympic team’s Dimitris Papaioannou presenting his show Primal (Wed-Thurs-Fri, 12th – 14th October, 8 pm at The Old Truman Brewery), and Indian dance superstar Aditi Mangaldas with a performance of Inter_rupted (Thur-Fri-Sat, 20th October to 22nd, 7.45 pm at Barbician Centre).
This year’s Dance Umbrella festival concludes with a performance of Dream City by the Dutch troupe De Dansers (Saturday 22nd October, 3 pm and 6pm at the Unicorn Theatre).
Image credits: Drawing picture by Jorge Royan / http://www.royan.com.ar, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23087845
Westfields by HerryLawford – http://www.flickr.com/photos/herry/6153348496/in/photostream/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16647988
Oktoberfest by by Markburger83Derivative work: Lauro Sirgado (talk · contribs) – Self-photographed (Original text: Personal photoshoot 2011, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37602748
Dance Festival by Nazareth College from Rochester, NY, USA (Bend and Snap Uploaded by Ekabhishek) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons