Something For The Weekend 7-9 Oct
Two days of arty, party, foodie fabulosity, right here says Charlotte Cox
ELLE's cultural round-up
ART: Frieze London
What is art? Tough question, and one you may have spent hours stroking your chin over at A-level. Much easier to answer is: where is art? Because this weekend, it's at Regent's Park. Returning for its 14th year, Frieze London gathers together over 160 of the biggest, best and most boundary-pushing galleries into a big fancy tent, letting you see all that's causing a stir in sculpture, painting and installations. Frieze Projects is where you'll find the emerging Next Big Things, while at Frieze Masters you can check out everything from ancient artefacts to Picasso. Grab a glass of fizz, furrow your brow and people-watch it up – now that's OUR definition of art.
6-9 Oct; from £26
Frieze London, Regent's Park, NW1 4NR
ART: The Other Art Fair
The trouble with Frieze is that it triggers art-appreciation addiction. We need even edgier pieces! By even more exciting artists! NOW! Thank goodness, then, we can get our next fix right away at this alternative showcase of 130 emerging artists at The Old Truman Brewery. With everything from a Brexit Photo Booth to a sleep installation (snoozing encouraged) to a virtual experience of solitary confinement (eek), it's four days of nothing but the most cutting edge on the scene. Just don't ask what we'll do afterwards *shakes from art withdrawal*
6-9 Oct; from £4
The Other Art Fair, Old Truman Brewery, Hanbury Street, E1 6QR
DRINK: London Cocktail Week
It's the most wonderful week of the year… A time when you can swap Yorkshire Tea for Long Island Ice Tea, green juices for Grand Marnier and water for, well, ANYTHING. Yep, London Cocktail Week is back, bringing us seven magical days where our £10 wristband entitles us to bargain £5 cocktails at 200 of the city's top bars (that's right: 200), plus entry to the Old Spitalfields Market cocktail village (that's right: a whole VILLAGE of brilliantly boozy pop-ups). Throw in tours, tastings and masterclasses, and that's a helluva lot of caiprinhas, Collins, cosmos, campesinas, Cointreaus… you catch our drift.
Until 9 Oct; £10
London Cocktail Week, Spitalfields, London E1 6EW; plus bars citywide
POP-UP: Denim 'N' Dine
Denim. You may have noticed it's been quite The Thing of late. But in a time where denim coats, bags and even undies (yikes) are de rigueur, there's been one glaring hole in the denim domination. Where, oh where – you've probably been wondering – is the denim supper club? Well, at last it has arrived. Set in a handmade denim atelier in Walthamstow, here you'll find sewing machines and cut-offs – but also a seven-course taster menu courtesy of Michelin-trained chef Pedro Passinhas, formerly of the Fat Duck. Plates include roasted squid and lacquered quail, wines are carefully selected to match – and as for the dress code? You don't really need to ask.
Throughout October; £50
Denim 'n Dine, 14b Blackhorse Lane, E17 6AA
NIGHTLIFE: Amine Edge & DANCE present CUFF
Seems like every time there's a new house music movement, you'll find a French duo right at the forefront. Acid house had Daft Punk. Electro had Justice. And now, G-House has Amine Edge & DANCE. Mixing the ghetto bounce of gangsta rap and the hi-octane energy of house (y'see: G-House), these boys are pioneering a whole new sound as head honchos of their own label, CUFF. And the good news is, they're in town to play an exclusive vinyl set at Ministry of Sound this Saturday. Expect hip-hop, house, funk, and beats by the bucketload – check out free album Past Before Future to see what we mean.
8 Oct; £29
Ministry of Sound, 103 Gaunt Street, London, SE1 6DP
FOOD: Aquum
If Craig David has taught us anything – and surely, he has taught us much – it's that it IS possible to come back cooler than before. Which brings us, rather tenuously, to relaunched Clapham hangout Aquum. So let us, ahem, fill you in: once a straightforward late-night bar/club, Aquum has reopened this week as a new, improved venue focused on food and quality cocktails. So what's its flava? Well, head chef Anastasios Tologlou serves up a Greek menu of sharing plates and grilled meats, drawing on his experience at some of the world's top Michelin-starred restaurants (Medlar, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal); while an extended cocktail list features specialties such as the Greek Rose Spritz and Metaxa Espresso. You could say that Aquum is born to redo it…
Now open
Aquum, 68-70 Clapham High St, London SW4 7UL
FILM: BFI London Film Festival
Once again, the biggest event of the UK film-going calendar is upon us, which means two things: 1. You can catch everything from major premieres (Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in La La Land; Lupita Nyong'o in Queen of Katwe), to art-housey animation (try My Life As a Courgette – really) to the just-plain-great-looking (Jake Gyllenhaal, Joseph Gordon Levitt, and we DID mention the Gosling, right?) at film houses all over the city. 2. It's your chance to eat pick 'n' mix and popcorn for 12 days straight. Ace.
5-16 Oct; prices and locations vary
To find out which tickets are still available, see here
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