Top 10 Events In London To Look Out For Before The End Of 2019
London is a huge, metropolitan, multinational city. Not only does that mean that most things in the world are readily available, or easily shipped to London; it also means that something is constantly going on over here.
Food festivals, cinema festivals, big premieres, concerts, thematic parties and god knows what else, you name it, is always happening in London. Big worldwide events like the Fashion Week also stop by Europe’s most international megalopolis.
A lot of people come here just for the events; a lot move here permanently, in search for more opportunities, entertainment and leisure. Regardless, every season you can look forward to something new.
So, without further ado: here are the big events that will be happening in London this fall, and why you should look into them.
Dear Evan Hansen coming to theatres
The incredibly popular and renowned emotional tearjerker from Broadway, Dear Evan Hansen, is coming to London theatres.
2019 has in general been the Broadway year in London, having brought such big hits like Waitress and Hamilton, among many others, so this isn’t a huge surprise. Still, it’s a very big thing – and it would do you good to not miss out on this play coming to the city if you’re into Tory award-winning emotional stuff about troubled teens.
Tuesday, October 29, 2019 – Saturday, June 27, 2020
Festival of The Dead
Sporting the “The most imaginative, immersive and out right wicked events any where on planet earth” headline on eventbrite, this celebration will only last for two days (from the 19th to the 20th of October), but is sure to leave you impressed.
Combining the elements of a carnival, a festival, a circus and a clubbing experience, this event takes heavy inspiration – you could say that it’s outright based on, that it references or, even, simply just celebrates – the Day of The Dead holiday from Latinx culture.
The organisers state that the audience participates in the events just as much as the crowd, which is why they encourage people to come in their deadly best.
The tickets, which are on sale already, are anywhere between £27.67 and £280, so I’d say hurry while the cheaper ones are still available.
London CRAFT Oktoberfest
This London version of the incredibly famous German celebration called Oktoberfest is hosted by the German Kraft Brewery of the Elephant & Castle zone in London.
Over three days, from the 4th until the 6th of October 2019, you’ll be able to taste the best lagers South London has to offer, while also being offered popular German foods like pretzels and bratwursts, and being entertained by live music and dancing.
Not only that, but it’s also free entry, with no reservations or ticket purchases required, which makes sense but is still neat nonetheless. You only have to actually pay for the food and drinks (well, the beers).
London Vegan Oktoberfest
While it is, indeed, the second Oktoberfest-tied event – which might seem slightly weird, I understand – this one caters exclusively to the vegan populace.
It’s the second year in a row that it happens, and it was a huge success the first time.
It will be a wonderful platform for a lot of vegan producers; it will let vegans relax without fear that they might be unknowingly consuming something of animal origins, and without frustration that everybody else around is eating bratwursts; it will feature live music for people to get fired up while they’re enjoying beer and various delicacies.
The entry is also free – just pay for the food and you’re good to go.
Leytonstone Loves Film
Being the birthplace of Alfred Hitchcock, Leytonstone is deeply involved in the history of cinema.
As such, this two-days-long event, lasting from the 27th until the 29th of September, with screenings of both international and local works, this event will span all over the Leytonstone area in London, with pop-ups in different, unexpected areas. Its hope is to give a platform, as well as to ‘bring people together over a shared love of film to inspire a new generation of makers, risk takers and radical thinkers’, according to the official website of the London Borough of Waltham Forest.
Its nature – spanning the whole borough, with pop-up screens in multiple different, ‘surprising’ locations means that it’s free amd umticketed, which is an additional bonus
BFI London Film Festival
Yet another film festival, this one is London’s biggest.
It involves a lot of things – from the opening night gala, with ‘The Personal History of David Copperfield’, to numerous Q&As and masterclasses involving numerous filmmakers, workshops and numerous other activities.
It will last for a little under two full weeks, from the 2nd until the 13th of October, and will offer you an opportunity to have an exclusive viewing of new films by such big names as Martin Scorsese, Bruce Springsteen, Sarah Gavron and others, among all else. It will also involve DJ nights, VR showcases and more.
Tickets range in price anywhere from £10 to £32, with various conditions and concessions. For more information, visit this page.
MCM Comic Con
Hello to all of my nerds (I say this lovingly, in a relating manner!) – let me hear you all holler!
Comic Con is back in London, from the 25th until the 27th of October. And, just like all Comic Cons worldwide, this is an event to behold.
It gives you a chance to witness all kinds of fun tomfoolery and let people engage with a number of their hobbies that they don’t have a luxury of having fun with seven days a week.
It will feature a line up of special guests, varying from the iconic MARVEL comics artist George Pérez (and it’s his last appearance at the London Comic Con, so in case you’re a fan you really don’t want to miss this one), to Bryan Dechart – the facial model for one of the protagonists of the video game titled Detroit Become Human, to Sophia Lillis and Wyatt Oleff – stars of IT and IT: Chapter 2, the iconic voice actors Troy Baker and Nolan North, amongst many other people.
To see the full line up, visit the official website.
The tickets vary in price from £17.50 to £69.59, depending on what you want to see and how you want to participate. For more information, go here.
London Winter Wonderland
A yearly celebration that rolls up from the 25th of November until the 5th of January, this choice might be basic, but it’s also guaranteed to be fun.
From adrenaline-rush inducing rides, to horror rooms, to the capability to showcase your aim (and win adorable plushies – I have a plushie of a really big Bulbasaur from a year ago!), to delicious street food, to the overall atmosphere of fun that can be enjoyed with anyone – be it family, friends, significant others – of any age, Winter Wonderland is definitely something not to miss out on.
The entry is free; the rides, attractions and foods, obviously, aren’t, but they aren’t deathly expensive. (Unless you fail to get a plushie you really want and blow hella cash on the same single one out of spide. Happens.)
BBC Music Introducing LIVE
Introducing a lot of really wonderful musical talent to the public, as well as offering internship opportunities, industry sessions and panels with such moguls as MTV, Universal Music UK and Warner Records, among many others, and many other opportunities, this event is a must for everyone interested in the music industry just as a lover, but also for everyone looking to start/boost a career in this sphere.
Tickets vary in price from £12.50 to £35. The event lasts from the 31st of October until the 2nd of November. For more info, visit the official website.
London Cocktail Week
A fan of delicious, colourful drinks of varying alcoholic content? Like bar-hopping with friends? Enjoy trying out new drinks all the time? Love posh bars, but find them a bit too expensive?
Whatever the reason for your interest in an event like this, London Cocktail week will be right up your alley. Lasting from the 4th till the 13th of October (so a bit over a week, actually), this event allows people to experience drinks in 250 participating bars across the city.
There’s no wristband, but there is a ticket – you need to purchase a £10 pass through DrinkUp.London app. It’s still a sweet deal, because you’ll get discounts in bars where, usually, only the really rich kids can allow themselves to drink at with no reservations.
