The ianVisits guide to December's unusual events, tours, lectures and exhibitions happening around London.
Saturday 1st December
Roll up your sleeves and get involved in an event on London’s biggest ever tree planting weekend.
All Day
£10.00
Experience some nostalgia riding on vintage buses from the 1930’s – 1980’s on this annual Heritage Bus Running Day.
All Day
£4.00
A church hall filled with Meccano models of all types and sizes.
10:30am to 5pm
Barkingside
Beginning from Poplar, the East End area in which he lives, Bob Gilbert explores, in particular, our relationship with the trees that have helped shape London
2pm to 3pm
Poplar
Monthly open day at one of London's more curious and delightful museums, devoted to the history of the sewing machine.
2pm to 5pm
Tooting
More London events on Saturday 1st December
Sunday 2nd December
Roll up your sleeves and get involved in an event on London’s biggest ever tree planting weekend.
All Day
A monthly opening of the Victorian museum of industrial testing equipment.
11am to 5pm
Southwark
Step back in history and visit the terminus building of London's original international airport - in Croydon.
11am to 4pm
Croydon
Russell Hargrave asks, What were the roots of this crisis, and how did the government get things so badly wrong?
3pm to 4:30pm
Holborn
More London events on Sunday 2nd December
Monday 3rd December
£15.00
Our panel will examine how a colonial state can demolish and construct parts of a city to assert control, organising cities into spaces in which citizens are permitted or excluded.
6:30pm to 7:30pm
Picadilly
With special access, interior designer and artist Ashley Hicks has photographed the State Rooms of Buckingham Palace.
7pm to 8:45pm
South Kensington
£3.00
A talk about why some people are violent, and what can be done to treat them.
Starts at 7:30pm
Camden
A discussion with the two artists.
8pm to 5pm
Wood Green
More London events on Monday 3rd December
Tuesday 4th December
Visionary designer Deanna Van Buren shows how innovative design approaches and systems thinking are helping to transform criminal justice.
6pm to 7pm
Trafalgar Square
Is it possible to restore the cognitive loss resulting from malnutrition, using new artificial intelligence and cognitive models?
6pm to 7pm
Barbican
A lecture on the use of "big data" in policing and social services and the implications for privacy
6pm to 8pm
St James
£18.00
Darcey Bussell, retired darling of the British Ballet and beloved judge of Strictly Come Dancing, shares remarkable stories and memorable images from her new book.
7pm to 8:45pm
South Kensington
More London events on Tuesday 4th December
Wednesday 5th December
9:45am to 10:30am
Bethnal Green
In this illustrated talk, Deborah Hyde will discuss the many alpine characters which have evolved into Santa and Krampus.
6:30pm to 8:30pm
Barbican
This talk by Sheila Cavanagh, Professor of English, Emory University, will describe Boswell’s introduction of his home to Dr. Johnson, including this city’s transition into the home of the Scottish enlightenment.
Starts at 7pm
Holborn
The building and operation of the nearby tunnel, the longest in London.
Starts at 7pm
Islington
Viv Regan of Spiked will explore the threats to open debate and blogging online and discuss what has happened to the lost promise of internet freedom.
7pm to 8:30pm
Holborn
Jeremy Banx, an award winning cartoonist, will talk about his work – and some of his original cartoons will be available for purchase.
Starts at 7:30pm
Greenwich
More London events on Wednesday 5th December
Thursday 6th December
Discover truly remarkable – but surprisingly little known – collections, featuring everything from artworks to scarce anatomical preparations and ext
5pm to 8pm
Camden
Don’t miss the lighting of the world’s most famous Christmas tree.
6pm to 3pm
Trafalgar Square
Learn about Victorian sweets and drinks, as served by Dickens at home and cooked up by his characters.
Starts at 6pm
Clerkenwell
Join Alexandra Epps to discover the secrets of its sacred geometry and perfect beauty within creations from the classical to the contemporary.
6pm to 8pm
City of London
Countdown to Christmas with a festive evening celebration by numbers where you can tackle mind bending puzzles and make your own maths inspired tree decorations.
6pm to 9pm
South Kensington
Free
Is eating chocolate linked to child slavery? Watch this documentary film about the journalists investigating global chocolate production.
6:30pm to 9pm
Holborn
£12.00
A deeply fascinating evening of pointless mundanities
7pm to 8:30pm
Camden
In this talk, Caroline Rance will explore the world of Victorian dissection rooms
Starts at 7pm
Southwark
More London events on Thursday 6th December
Friday 7th December
If you are yet to hear Michael Slater bring the great works of Dickens to life, this is your chance.
3pm to 5pm
Clerkenwell
Aldgate’s Lantern Parade will move through the streets to the beat of the Barbican’s Drum Works leading to a festive fete in the new Aldgate Square.
Starts at 4pm
Tower Hill
More London events on Friday 7th December
Saturday 8th December
Free
Look out for large numbers of people dressed up as Santa and generally behaving as though they are on a pub crawl
All Day
A seasonal cafe pop-up from celebrity chef Ben Tish, carol singers, a live band, 25 stalls of crafts and produce
10am to 4pm
Whitechapel
This Christmas market will showcase 50 different designer makers each day.
11am to 5pm
Bow
The farmyard is set to be transformed with local craft stalls selling all sorts of Christmas gift ideas.
11am to 4pm
Rotherhithe
Browse and buy unique hand-made gifts from London makers, and enjoy the twinkle of the Christmas tree with some hot street food.
11am to 4pm
Bethnal Green
A one-day pop-up event in Shoreditch, to celebrate the beginning of the festive season in true Elizabethan-era playhouse style.
11am to 6pm
Whitechapel
Occasional open weekend of the normally private Eel Pie Island.
3pm to 4pm
Twickenham
More London events on Saturday 8th December
Sunday 9th December
This Christmas market will showcase 50 different designer makers each day.
11am to 5pm
Bow
This event brings together a community of over 70 ceramicists so you can pick up unique and original ceramics, from cups to art sculptures.
11am to 6pm
Whitechapel
Occasional open weekend of the normally private Eel Pie Island.
3pm to 4pm
Twickenham
More London events on Sunday 9th December
Monday 10th December
Book launch and talk about the ongoing restoration of seminal Constructivist building - Narkomfin (Moscow) - of which Alexei is chief restoration architect.
7pm to 8:30pm
Bloomsbury
More London events on Monday 10th December
Tuesday 11th December
In this year’s lecture Johnny will talk about how maths and mathematicians have influenced the world around us for centuries.
2pm to 4pm
Hendon
Jonathan Bate will follow in the footsteps of the 18th-century inventors of the ‘picturesque’ and show how Wordsworth shaped the vision of his native region, leading to the foundation of the National Trust and the idea of a National Park.
6pm to 7pm
Barbican
Free
The ‘Journey from Home’ project is a community heritage project that explores the experiences, feelings and stories of South Asian soldiers during the First World War.
6:30pm to 8:30pm
Richmond
More London events on Tuesday 11th December
Wednesday 12th December
Lucinda Hawksley, a great great great granddaughter of Charles and Catherine Dickens, and the author of Dickens and Christmas, will give an entertaining talk on what it was really like to experience a proper Victorian Christmas.
2pm to 3pm
City of London
Evidence will be presented on which aspects of pay are working well and which are indeed dysfunctional, and on how pay should be reformed.
6pm to 7pm
Barbican
More London events on Wednesday 12th December
Thursday 13th December
Enjoy the opportunity to explore Dickens’s home, dressed lavishly for Christmas, as darkness falls.
Starts at 6pm
Clerkenwell
Screening of one of the most beautiful and imaginative films ever made, A Matter of Life and Death.
Starts at 7pm
Southwark
£8.00
Come to the London of the fin de siecle and meet the writers, poets and strange eccentrics who made the capital seem so weird, perverse and disturbing.
Starts at 7pm
Highgate
More London events on Thursday 13th December
Friday 14th December
£30.00
Experience a Georgian Christmas at the Soane at this exclusive evening candlelit event.
Starts at 6pm
Holborn
A debate exploring how technological developments have transformed architecture and the ways in which practice can foster its relationship with technology today.
6:30pm to 8pm
Picadilly
More London events on Friday 14th December
Saturday 15th December
Occasional open weekend at the recently restored Toynbee Hall to see the exhibition about its history and activity.
11am to 3pm
Whitechapel
Free
A monthly classic car show/meet just behind Waterloo Station.
12pm to 4pm
Southwark
Craft your very own decorative Christmas wreath to take home, using natural foraged materials from the park.
1:30pm to 4:30pm
Bow
This Christmas, join Sheldon and Sacha as they personally introduce you to some of the characters that have more or less walked out of one of his novels in Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park.
4:30pm to 6:30pm
Bow
Late night opening of the postal museum and its underground railway.
6pm to 9pm
Farringdon
Robin Ince once again hosts his iconic annual celebration with a top line up of special guests.
Starts at 7pm
Islington
More London events on Saturday 15th December
Sunday 16th December
Watch loads of pantomime horses racing around the streets of Greenwich.
Starts at 11am
Greenwich
Occasional open weekend at the recently restored Toynbee Hall to see the exhibition about its history and activity.
11am to 3pm
Whitechapel
Wade in a wild river and experience a different perspective of London history and urban wildlife.
11am to 1pm
Deptford
£2.00
Come and view a church full of Christmas trees.
11:30am to 4pm
Hounslow
A talk about why in the age of the internet, where information should be more accessible than ever, we remain so poorly informed.
3pm to 4:30pm
Holborn
More London events on Sunday 16th December
Monday 17th December
No events are listed for today. Sorry.
More London events on Monday 17th December
Tuesday 18th December
No events are listed for today. Sorry.
More London events on Tuesday 18th December
Wednesday 19th December
This lecture will attempt to critique both T.E. Lawrence the historical actor and ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ the cultural construct as products of Western imperialism.
6:30pm to 8pm
St James
A talk by the author of a book on Donald Trump and Russia.
6:30pm to 8:30pm
Bloomsbury
More London events on Wednesday 19th December
Thursday 20th December
Enjoy the opportunity to explore Dickens’s home, dressed lavishly for Christmas, as darkness falls.
Starts at 6pm
Clerkenwell
More London events on Thursday 20th December
Friday 21st December
If you are yet to hear Michael Slater bring the great works of Dickens to life, this is your chance.
3pm to 5pm
Clerkenwell
More London events on Friday 21st December
Saturday 22nd December
Rummage through a selection of salvaged treasures from over 30 handpicked vintage traders.
11am to 6pm
Stoke Newington
£10.00
A festive celebration for the whole family in the Globe Theatre.
1pm to 2pm
Southwark
More London events on Saturday 22nd December
Sunday 23rd December
Rummage through a selection of salvaged treasures from over 30 handpicked vintage traders.
11am to 6pm
Stoke Newington
£10.00
A festive celebration for the whole family in the Globe Theatre.
1pm to 2pm
Southwark
More London events on Sunday 23rd December
Monday 24th December
Take a step back in time this Christmas Eve with a visit to the Charles Dickens Museum.
All Day
Clerkenwell
The annual and wonderful Christmas Eve auction by Harts the Butchers at Smithfield.
10am to 12pm
Barbican
More London events on Monday 24th December
Tuesday 25th December
If you have never seen London almost empty, this is really the only opportunity to do so all year.
5:45am to 9am
Trafalgar Square
Annual swimming event (to watch) takes place in Hyde Park's Serpentine Lake on Christmas Day
9am to 11am
Kensington
£15.00
The one ice rink that will be open on Christmas Day.
12:20pm to 6pm
Hampstead
More London events on Tuesday 25th December
Wednesday 26th December
Morris men are inviting everyone to an ancient midwinter play during their Boxing Day tour of Ewell Village.
12pm to 3pm
Epsom
Come and explore this beautiful nature reserve which is usually closed to the public.
12pm to 3pm
Brockley
More London events on Wednesday 26th December
Thursday 27th December
Take a tour of Parliament over the Christmas holidays.
10am to 4pm
Whitehall
More London events on Thursday 27th December
Friday 28th December
Take a tour of Parliament over the Christmas holidays.
10am to 4pm
Whitehall
More London events on Friday 28th December
Saturday 29th December
£11.25
All available engines will be in steam, including unlimited rides on the Waterworks Railway and the chance to see the Victorian Shand Mason steam fire engine in action.
10am to 4pm
Brentford
Take a tour of Parliament over the Christmas holidays.
10am to 4pm
Whitehall
Free
Top up your seasonal cheer at this day-long event with London’s best drag kings and queens.
12pm to 4pm
Southwark
More London events on Saturday 29th December
Sunday 30th December
£11.25
All available engines will be in steam, including unlimited rides on the Waterworks Railway and the chance to see the Victorian Shand Mason steam fire engine in action.
10am to 4pm
Brentford
£12.00
Love it or hate it, the concrete landscape of Europe’s largest art centre has been dividing opinion for generations.
Starts at 5pm
Southwark
More London events on Sunday 30th December
Monday 31st December
£11.25
All available engines will be in steam, including unlimited rides on the Waterworks Railway and the chance to see the Victorian Shand Mason steam fire engine in action.
10am to 4pm
Brentford
A plant hunting walk to see how many wildflowers can be found at this time of year.
11am to 1pm
