Your guide to London's culture and transport news and events taking place across the city.

Your guide to London's culture and transport news and events taking place across the city.

Things to do in London in February 2020

The ianVisits guide to February's unusual events, tours, lectures and exhibitions happening around London.


Saturday 1st February

Monthly open day at one of London's more curious and delightful museums, devoted to the history of the sewing machine.
2020-02-01
2pm to 5pm
 
Tooting
Tooting

More London events on Saturday 1st February

Sunday 2nd February

Monthly open day at the museum to London's first international airport - in Croydon.
2020-02-02
All Day
 
Croydon
Croydon
Monthly opening of the organ collection, with many playing music through the day.
2020-02-02
11am to 5pm
 
Amersham
Amersham
A monthly opening of the Victorian museum of industrial testing equipment.
2020-02-02
11am to 5pm
 
Southwark
Southwark
Monthly open day at Gatton Park, the core 250 acres of the estate originally laid out by Capability Brown.
2020-02-02
1pm to 5pm
 
Reigate
Reigate
See hundreds of clowns arrive to attend an annual church service.
2020-02-02
Starts at 3pm
 
Hackney
Hackney
Chris Bertish gives an intimate talk about how he crossed the Atlantic on a paddleboard
2020-02-02
3:30pm to 10am
 
Greenwich
Greenwich

More London events on Sunday 2nd February

Monday 3rd February

This lecture will offer a surprising exploration of the wide-ranging consequences of Einstein’s ideas, and how they shape our everyday lives.
2020-02-03
1pm to 2pm
 
Barbican
Barbican
This panel discussion will focus on assessing the implications of the Brexit process for the future of Anglo-German relations.
2020-02-03
6:30pm to 8pm
 
Holborn
Holborn
Northern Ireland expert, Brendan O’Leary, assesses what we’ve learnt from previous union break-ups to discover the potential futures that may unfold from the UK’s exit from the EU.
2020-02-03
6:30pm to 8pm
 
Holborn
Holborn
Hear her in conversation with journalist Philippa Thomas as she reflects on speaking out and showing that one person can most definitely make a difference.
2020-02-03
7pm to 8:15pm
 
Camden
Camden
A book related talk by Robin Ince on anxiety, imposter syndrome, grief and creativity.
2020-02-03
Starts at 7:30pm
 
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell
A note that some sort of vessel of significance is passing through Tower Bridge this evening.
2020-02-03
Starts at 8:30pm
 
Southwark
Southwark

More London events on Monday 3rd February

Tuesday 4th February

The speaker is a space scientist who has worked on the Webb’s instruments; she will take the audience on a tour of both systems, showing how they can give us an understanding of the life cycle of our universe right back to the Big Bang.
2020-02-04
1pm to 2pm
 
Barbican
Barbican
A talk about Abram Games (1914-96), one of the twentieth century’s most innovative and important graphic designers.
2020-02-04
2pm to 3pm
 
City of London
City of London
This talk will shed light on this exciting period in the Big Apple's history
2020-02-04
6pm to 7:30pm
 
Notting Hill
Notting Hill
Talks about two modern buildings built from concrete.
2020-02-04
6:30pm to 8:45pm
 
Euston
Euston
A series of lectures exploring the imaginative conservation and reuse of historic buildings
2020-02-04
6:30pm to 8pm
 
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell
Join architect and technologist Xavier De Kestelier as he speculates on the future of architecture beyond planet Earth.
2020-02-04
6:30pm to 8pm
 
Kensington
Kensington
Free
What factors promote peace and what actions are justified to achieve it? Join us as we discuss the history, ethics, and politics of peace.
2020-02-04
6:30pm to 8pm
 
Holborn
Holborn
Hear Richard Chartres, retired bishop of the Church of England, talk about The Chapel Royal and its reformation.
2020-02-04
7pm to 8pm
 
Tower Hill
Tower Hill
ultural commentator, journalist and enfant terrible of the Russian music scene Artemy Troitsky, will reveal and explain the shape and thrust of cultural protest in Russia today.
2020-02-04
7pm to 8:30pm
 
Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury

More London events on Tuesday 4th February

Wednesday 5th February

Get a glimpse behind the scenes at Southbank Centre on a tour that gives a rare insight into the history of the site and the people who have shaped it.
2020-02-05
6pm to 7:30pm
 
Southwark
Southwark
This lecture will ask how these events came to be so notorious, how and why they were remembered on each side, and how they shaped the history of civil conflict and ideas of coexistence and nationhood in the societies that endured them.
2020-02-05
6pm to 7pm
 
Barbican
Barbican

More London events on Wednesday 5th February

Thursday 6th February

Ceremonial military guns will go bang bang at the Tower of London and Green Park to mark HM The Queen’s Accession to the Throne.
2020-02-06
12pm to 1:30pm
 
Robert Griffith explores the actions of the 5/60th Rifles during the Peninsular War.
2020-02-06
Starts at 6pm
 
Chelsea
Chelsea
This illustrated lecture by Dr. Stephen M. Payne will chart the history and design of the ship and show why she was dubbed ‘Queen of the Seas’!
2020-02-06
6pm to 8pm
 
City of London
City of London
Witness a mock Victorian surgical demonstration presented within the original architecture of an old operating theatre.
2020-02-06
6:30pm to 8:30pm
 
Southwark
Southwark
An event exploring the significance of ‘women writing women’ – from 18th- century travel writers responding to representations of ‘The East’, to 21st - century retellings.
2020-02-06
Starts at 6:30pm
 
Holborn
Holborn
In the epic successor to one of the most important books of the century, Thomas Piketty challenges us revolutionize how we think about politics, ideology, and history.
2020-02-06
6:30pm to 8pm
 
Holborn
Holborn
An expert-led discussion about how hospitals can harness the latest technological developments and what the future of hospitals might look like.
2020-02-06
7pm to 8:15pm
 
South Kensington
South Kensington
A talk about the same.
2020-02-06
Starts at 7pm
 
Islington
Islington

More London events on Thursday 6th February

Friday 7th February

Kathrin Pieren and Susan Gordon from the Jewish Military Museum uncover the important contribution of Jewish women in the First and Second World Wars.
2020-02-07
Starts at 11:30am
 
Chelsea
Chelsea
Using recently catalogued papers of the Board, this talk examines how the country faced up to this crisis of public health.
2020-02-07
2pm to 3:30pm
 
Richmond
Richmond
A panel discussion will discuss topics surrounding anti-racism, social inclusion and the problems faced in the 1970s/80s and how those issues are still prevalent today in the Punk scene.
2020-02-07
6:30pm to 8pm
 
Barbican
Barbican
Photographer Thomas Laird tells the story of his 10-year journey across Tibet to remote monasteries and temples, to document some of the greatest treasures of Buddhist culture.
2020-02-07
7pm to 8:30pm
 
Camden
Camden

More London events on Friday 7th February

Saturday 8th February

Home to Doorkins Magnificat, Southwark Cathedral are delighted to be hosting this day all about cats.
2020-02-08
10am to 5pm
 
Southwark
Southwark
Hear about Anita's feisty, challenging and sometimes fiendishly clever, but always wonderful mogs, as well as their eccentric owners. Battle lines are drawn daily, usually involving claws and teeth!
2020-02-08
2pm to 4pm
 
Notting Hill
Notting Hill

More London events on Saturday 8th February

Sunday 9th February

Harmful practices due to belief in witchcraft have seen a huge increase in the past six years both globally and in the UK and Kirsty Brimelow QC and author and campaigner Syd Moore have joined forces to expose this phenomenon.
2020-02-09
3pm to 4:30pm
 
Holborn
Holborn

More London events on Sunday 9th February

Monday 10th February

A lecture exploring what – in light of the 2019 General Election – both the new Government and the railway industry needs to do on the challenges facing UK rail.
2020-02-10
6:15pm to 7:30pm
 
Vauxhall Bridge
Vauxhall Bridge
Discover the remarkable scientific artefacts and stories housed in its extensive, world-class archives
2020-02-10
6:30pm to 10pm
 
St James
St James

More London events on Monday 10th February

Tuesday 11th February

This lecture looks at the mythology that has gathered around the Golden Ratio, and also consider the fairness of cake-cutting, and changing choices in "the Monty Hall problem".
2020-02-11
1pm to 2pm
 
Barbican
Barbican
In his talk, Andy Mitchell CBE, Chief Executive Officer at Thames Tideway Tunnel will outline the background to the Thames Tideway Tunnel project.
2020-02-11
4:30pm to 7:30pm
 
Pimlico
Pimlico
Following a full screening of The Death of Stalin, director Armando Iannucci will take part in a Q&A based on politics in film and TV.
2020-02-11
6pm to 8:30pm
 
Holborn
Holborn
An "in conversation" with the leading human rights lawyer, Cherie Blair CBE QC
2020-02-11
Starts at 6:30pm
 
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell
A series of lectures exploring the imaginative conservation and reuse of historic buildings
2020-02-11
6:30pm to 8pm
 
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell
Join best-selling author, historian and broadcaster Tracy Borman as she gives a lecture on ‘Henry VIII and the men who made him’.
2020-02-11
7pm to 8pm
 
Tower Hill
Tower Hill
An illustrated talk taking you through the railways which defined and served the Crystal Palace.
2020-02-11
7:30pm to 9pm
 
Upper Norwood
Upper Norwood

More London events on Tuesday 11th February

Wednesday 12th February

A 1-hour talk on the development of the great cemeteries of South London.
2020-02-12
2pm to 3pm
 
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell
Maria Charalambides, a Professor in Mechanics of Materials will discuss her varied research career and how it has recently moved into tackling the plastic pollution crisis affecting our land and sea.
2020-02-12
5:30pm to 6:30pm
 
South Kensington
South Kensington
Make your own medical romance cover, play surgical Top Trumps, join a mystery treasure hunt, and hear short talks on the often surprising history of emotions in surgical care.
2020-02-12
6pm to 9pm
 
Harley Street
Harley Street
A special edition of BBC Radio 3’s Free Thinking explores how visions of a better future are realised through architecture and design.
2020-02-12
6:30pm to 8pm
 
Holborn
Holborn
Join circadian neuroscientist, Russell Foster as he explains what we know about sleep, how it is measured, how it affects us, and what are the causes and consequences to our health of poor quality or lack of sleep.
2020-02-12
7pm to 9pm
 
Holborn
Holborn

More London events on Wednesday 12th February

Thursday 13th February

Ever wondered what the future of transport might hold? Well, now is your chance to navigate the twists and turns of travel with Imperial experts...
2020-02-13
6pm to 9pm
 
South Kensington
South Kensington
Daniel Kowalsky, one of the principal international experts on the subject, examines the controversial role of the Soviet Union in the Spanish Civil War in the light of the opening of Russian archives.
2020-02-13
6pm to 7:30pm
 
Holborn
Holborn
Explore the orchid festival after dark in these evening events taking you into the world of Kew and Indonesia.
2020-02-13
Starts at 6:30pm
 
Richmond
Richmond
Take a peek behind the scenes this Valentine's with HistFest at the Museum of London's Archaeological Archive
2020-02-13
6:30pm to 9pm
 
Islington
Islington
In October 1726, Mary Toft was found to have given birth to 17 rabbits in Godalming, Surrey, or did she?
2020-02-13
7:15pm to 8:30pm
 
Camden
Camden
An evening of William Feaver discussing the first part of his biography of Lucian Freud.
2020-02-13
7:30pm to 9pm
 
Paddington
Paddington
The ‘Dark Side of Jewellery’ is, of course, funerary jewellery, which played such a big part in the Victorians’ social attitude to death, funerals and mourning.
2020-02-13
Starts at 7:30pm
 
Highgate
Highgate
A talk about historic crimes such as The Great Train Robbery and the techniques used to bring the criminals to justice and how modern resources could have resulted in a faster result.
2020-02-13
7:30pm to 9pm
 
Farringdon
Farringdon
£5.00
This talk will trace the myth around the oceans & look at different varieties of Mer-folk & their encounters with humans.
2020-02-13
8pm to 10pm
 
Southwark
Southwark

More London events on Thursday 13th February

Friday 14th February

Using survivors' own accounts, Terry Brighton gives voice to the men who rode down the 'Valley of Death' at Balaklava with the Light Brigade.
2020-02-14
Starts at 11:30am
 
Chelsea
Chelsea
Explore the orchid festival after dark in these evening events taking you into the world of Kew and Indonesia.
2020-02-14
Starts at 6:30pm
 
Richmond
Richmond
Expect live music, DJs, drinks, film projections and exclusive access to parts of the house usually closed to the public.
2020-02-14
Starts at 7pm
 
Mayfair
Mayfair

More London events on Friday 14th February

Saturday 15th February

Join a guide to explore the many architectural surprises at the Charterhouse.
2020-02-15
2:15pm to 3:45pm
 
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell
A documentary film which recounts the lives of passengers travelling on the longest rail route in the world - the Trans-Siberian Railway.
2020-02-15
3pm to 5pm
 
Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury

More London events on Saturday 15th February

Sunday 16th February

£12.00
Wade in a wild river and experience a different perspective of London history and urban wildlife.
2020-02-16
11am to 1pm
 
Deptford
Deptford

More London events on Sunday 16th February

Monday 17th February

The true stories of the fearless first women of flight
2020-02-17
7:15pm to 8:30pm
 
Camden
Camden

More London events on Monday 17th February

Tuesday 18th February

Bus travel in South London is London but not as you know it. Adults tell children there are no monsters, most of the time this is true, but not always.
2020-02-18
2pm to 5pm
 
Forest Hill
Forest Hill
Dr Alex Hildred (Mary Rose Trust) will challenge long-held perceptions regarding diversity in Tudor England.
2020-02-18
5:15pm to 6:30pm
 
Euston
Euston
We explore the philosophy and politics of immigration detention and ask whether the state should be allowed indefinitely detain people who have committed no crime.
2020-02-18
6:30pm to 8pm
 
Holborn
Holborn
This hour long lecture with two short films of ten and five minutes reveals a story of forgotten heroism while portraying the mainly white, homophobic England of just over one hundred years ago.
2020-02-18
6:30pm to 7:45pm
 
Kensington
Kensington
Hear the story of one of the most tragic, cataclysmic and romantic episodes in history, and examine the circumstances of Anne's fall.
2020-02-18
7pm to 8pm
 
Tower Hill
Tower Hill
Cruise speaker Graeme Payne talks about a cruise down the Amazon on the "Braemar".
2020-02-18
7pm to 9pm
 
City of London
City of London

More London events on Tuesday 18th February

Wednesday 19th February

This talk will tell the story of the growth and development of East London.
2020-02-19
2pm to 3pm
 
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell
This lecture uses examples from cutting-edge science and medicine to explore the ethical questions which advances in robotics, personalised medicine, transplantation and artificial intelligence pose for doctors, patients and society.
2020-02-19
6pm to 7pm
 
Barbican
Barbican
A series of lectures exploring the imaginative conservation and reuse of historic buildings
2020-02-19
6:30pm to 8pm
 
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell
This February, we’ll be learning about the lost letters of the English alphabet, discover the secrets of better building design and bust some data mining myths.
2020-02-19
Starts at 7:30pm
 
Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green

More London events on Wednesday 19th February

Thursday 20th February

Free
Including imagery from NASA, Phases juxtaposes a light-based installation with a selection of astronomy-inspired collection items not usually on public display.
2020-02-20
10am to 5pm
 
Aldwych
Aldwych
Exploring the concept of the hero, this lecture begins before the walls of Troy, with Achilles, and ends in the 19th century with Garibaldi, one of the first heroes of the age of mass-media.
2020-02-20
Starts at 2pm
 
Greenwich
Greenwich
The lecture discusses the Cato Street plotter identities, motives and impact, and the forgotten fact that their failure ended British revolutionary fantasies for a century.
2020-02-20
6pm to 7pm
 
Barbican
Barbican
Game theory is the 'science of interaction'. This talk will explain some insights of game theory and apply them to current politics.
2020-02-20
6:30pm to 8pm
 
Holborn
Holborn
Hungry to know how you can eat more sustainably? Curious about the future of the food on our plates?
2020-02-20
7pm to 9pm
 
South Kensington
South Kensington
This talk is based on Simon Morris’s research for the Camden section in the London Topographical Society's forthcoming catalogue of London Parish Maps.
2020-02-20
7:30pm to 9pm
 
Hampstead
Hampstead

More London events on Thursday 20th February

Friday 21st February

Join Dr Peter Chasseaud as he discusses how maps and aerial photography were used in military operations in the First World War.
2020-02-21
Starts at 11:30am
 
Chelsea
Chelsea
This LGBTQ History Month, an exploration into London's evolving queer landscape through time.
2020-02-21
Starts at 6:45pm
 
Barbican
Barbican

More London events on Friday 21st February

Saturday 22nd February

This day of talks will look at different aspects of how the Victorians amused themselves.
2020-02-22
All Day
 
Southwark
Southwark
£20.00
With the eyes of the world on Tokyo 2020, Japan Now returns for its finale, exploring the big issues with writers, translators, filmmakers and artists. A keynote day of talks.
2020-02-22
9am to 6pm
 
Camden
Camden

More London events on Saturday 22nd February

Sunday 23rd February

50th anniversary green bus running service centered on the Epping Ongar railway.
2020-02-23
All Day
 
North Weald
North Weald
A monthly open day at a quirky transport museum housed in an old water pumping building.
2020-02-23
10am to 4pm
 
Enfield Town
Enfield Town
Three floors filled with teddy bears in this annual show and fair.
2020-02-23
10:30am to 4pm
 
Kensington
Kensington
A free community event marking 200 years since the Cato Street Conspiracy plot was discovered.
2020-02-23
12pm to 3pm
 
Marylebone
Marylebone

More London events on Sunday 23rd February

Monday 24th February

Eat bacon on the day before Shrove Tuesday.
2020-02-24
All Day
 
A series of lectures exploring the imaginative conservation and reuse of historic buildings
2020-02-24
6:30pm to 8pm
 
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell
David Sainsbury will set out a new theory of economic growth which explains why the G7 countries have experienced slowing rates of labour productivity over the last twenty five years
2020-02-24
6:30pm to 8pm
 
Holborn
Holborn

More London events on Monday 24th February

Tuesday 25th February

See lots of people from the City of London's livery companies, in their full regalia running around Guildhall tossing pancakes.
2020-02-25
10:30am to 2:30pm
 
City of London
City of London

More London events on Tuesday 25th February

Wednesday 26th February

A lecture by medieval history expert Lucy Beckett on the Charterhouse and Carthusian order.
2020-02-26
1:45pm to 3pm
 
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell
Robots are going to take our jobs eventually – in fact it’s already started. This is a comical, yet real, look at what the future looks likes and ways to future-proof yourself and your business.
2020-02-26
6pm to 8:30pm
 
Holborn
Holborn
Bestselling author and historian Julie Summers reveals how the identity of 'Vogue' magazine was forged in the Second World War.
2020-02-26
Starts at 6:30pm
 
Chelsea
Chelsea
A talk about Lucian Freud by William Feaver, for many years the art critic for The Observer
2020-02-26
Starts at 6:45pm
 
Shoreditch
Shoreditch
Authors Leyla Daybelge & Magnus Englund will be giving an illustrated talk about the story of the Isokon, the Pritchards artistic network and the legacy of the Bauhaus artists during their time in Britain.
2020-02-26
7:30pm to 8:30pm
 
Hampstead
Hampstead

More London events on Wednesday 26th February

Thursday 27th February

In this talk Tudor Allen describes the history and development of Swiss Cottage.
2020-02-27
2pm to 3pm
 
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell
A panel discussion on the British monarchy’s use of mass media from the 1930s.
2020-02-27
6pm to 7:30pm
 
Euston
Euston
Explore the orchid festival after dark in these evening events taking you into the world of Kew and Indonesia.
2020-02-27
Starts at 6:30pm
 
Richmond
Richmond
Diarmaid MacCulloch introduces his ground-breaking biography of Thomas Cromwell, the self-made statesman who sent the kingdom on a Protestant course for centuries.
2020-02-27
7:30pm to 9pm
 
Richmond
Richmond

More London events on Thursday 27th February

Friday 28th February

Former Scots Guards officer Hugo Clarke discusses the project he led while serving in Iraq to establish a new Basrah museum.
2020-02-28
Starts at 11:30am
 
Chelsea
Chelsea
Hyperloop is potentially a revolutionary means of future passenger and freight transportation system.
2020-02-28
2pm to 3:30pm
 
Strand
Strand
Explore the orchid festival after dark in these evening events taking you into the world of Kew and Indonesia.
2020-02-28
Starts at 6:30pm
 
Richmond
Richmond
Party like it’s 1999 and you’re dancing in a disused Underground station.
2020-02-28
6:45pm to 10pm
 
Covent Garden
Covent Garden
To mark the publication of his biography, One of Them, an "in conversation" about his extraordinary life.
2020-02-28
7pm to 8:30pm
 
Camden
Camden
An illustrated talk by Dr Leo John De Freitas on Sir John Tenniel, the Victorian illustrator and cartoonist.
2020-02-28
7pm to 8:30pm
 
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell

More London events on Friday 28th February

Saturday 29th February

Update on the project to build Gresley class P2 No. 2007 Prince of Wales – Britain’s most powerful steam locomotive
2020-02-29
11am to 1pm
 
Covent Garden
Covent Garden
An open morning at The Courtauld Institute of Art to find out more about The Courtauld's short courses offered throughout the year for anyone with an interest in studying art
2020-02-29
11am to 1pm
 
Farringdon
Farringdon
This immersive session explores attitudes to and experiences of poverty in Britain from the 1834 Poor Law Reform Act to the mid-twentieth-century introduction of the Welfare State.
2020-02-29
Starts at 11am
 
City of London
City of London
Annual festival -- music, fun, procession and charity bar.
2020-02-29
2pm to 5:30pm
 
Surbiton
Surbiton
Come and meet Jeff Jones who tells the extraordinary story of the birthplace of boxing in London's East End.
2020-02-29
Starts at 2pm
 
Whitechapel
Whitechapel

More London events on Saturday 29th February

Home > What's on in London > 2020 >  2020