The London Traveler

If you fancy a bit of razzmatazz for your New Year, this will be the 23rd London Parade – and what a way to go!
Okay, maybe cheerleaders are not your thing. And they’re not mine, though faced with the enthusiasm shown by the girl in the photo, I might have to change my mind a bit!
But the great thing is that this is a very British parade. And that means it will be stuffed full of all kinds of eccentric and offbeat entries, as well as cheerleaders from the UK and US.
Each London Borough is entering, with diverse themes – …read more

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I wonder if the London Sales have lost their cachet.
Everywhere in England, from the High Street to the great out of town hypermarkets, bright red stickers proclaim up to 90 percent off. In this recession, many retailers are slashing their stock, trying to get enough cash through the tills in the next few days to pay the rent bill.
Go down Oxford Street and you’ll see many of the same stores you can visit anywhere else. There’s nothing so special about that.
But that’s only one side of the story. In fact, London’s big department stores still provide the best shopping you …read more

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One of the big attractions of Christmas for many of us is the Midnight Mass. It’s special because it’s Christmas; it’s special because it’s at a time most of us are usually getting ready for bed (unless we’re out clubbing); it’s special because of the carols and the choirs and the candlelight.
So, where to go for the best Midnight Mass in London? Let’s start with Westminster Cathedral, a huge Catholic basilica with a finely trained choir and a magnificent organ. Here, the mass setting is Charpentier’s Messe de Minuit, lovely French baroque music – an unusual choice in England. Mass …read more

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It’s nearly Christmas, and what could be nicer than to celebrate with a pint of Brodies’ Hoppy Ho Ho Ho?
That’s just one of over a hundred beers available at the Pig’s Ear Beer Festival, which opens tomorrow at Ocean in Hackney.
It’s the twenty-fifth Pig’s Ear – organised by the East London and City branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), and devoted to showcasing the best of real ale.
Winter ales always make a strong showing here with a good selection of porters, stouts, and old ales – a rare but lovely English beer style. There’ll be a few spiced …read more

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You have a couple more days left to register your interest in RCA Secret 2008.
This intriguing art sale features postcards which have been painted or decorated by numerous artists, some well known (Grayson Perry, Tracy Emin,  Paula Rego and Anish Kapoor feature this year) and some less so. Musicians and fashion designers have also created some of the cards. There are 2,700 works available this year.Britart, photography, printing, there’s a huge selection of different styles and media.
You pay £40 and you take your choice. But you don’t actually know who painted which card, so it’s a bit of a lucky …read more

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Christmas markets are traditional in Germany and Central Europe, where you’ll find all kinds of Christmas goodies on sale – gingerbread, gluhwein, marzipan stollen, Christmas decorations. There’s a huge Christmas markets in Nuremberg, for instance.
Greenwich Market will have a special Christmas  Market running from  December 10th. There will be mulled wine for adults and for the kids, Santa will be in his grotto (at a small charge of £3 per child) from 20th to 23rd December.
There will be a huge Christmas Market in Hyde Park, too. It’s open from 22nd November all the way to 4th Jauary 2009, 10 am …read more

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Well this is a bit different from Sotheby’s. I’ve been window shopping at Sotheby’s – I actually furnished much of my Stoke Newington house from the Criterion Auction Rooms!
The Islington branch is in that little bit of Essex Road that hasn’t been complete ly gentrified yet. You find lovely antiques, but you can also find a solid wood Victorian kitchen table like the one in my grandad’s kitchen for ten or fifteen quid  – if you’re lucky.
Auctions are on Mondays. That gives you Friday and the weekend to look at the lots. A viewing here is always fun – it’s …read more

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We’ve all seen the comic cuts where someone sneezes or scratches his nose and ends up buying a Van Gogh he can’t pay for as the auctioneer bangs his gavel…
Don’t worry.  It’s not going to happen to you. Not at Sotheby’s, anyway – you have to  register, and use a numbered paddle to bid. So you can watch the action in the auction room without wondering if you’re going to end up with a few million quid’s worth of Post-Impressionist and no money to pay for it.
So you can settle down, and watch what’s going on. You’ll see bidders raising …read more

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Coming up at the beginning of August is the Great British Beer Festival (GBBF).
Run by the Campaign for Real Ale, it’s volunteer staffed – I’ll be doing a stint on the bar this year – and is the nation’s premier festival for real ale and fine foreign beers.
There will be at least 450 beers available throughout the festival. And the Champion Beer of Britain will also be chosen out of what’s become an increasingly strong field of contenders. While national brewers do sometimes win – Greene King IPA got the silver award a few years back – microbrewers have a more …read more

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Shoot London is running a photo treasure hunt in Hackney next weekend.
Ten clues will take you to different corners of Hackney, which you have to capture with your camera. To participate, you need a team of two to four people, and you need to reserve your tickets online.
Shoot London’s photo-hunts are usually paid for events,  but Hackney Council has subsidised this one so it’s free. It’s a great opportunity to hone your photographic skills and compare your photos to what other people are taking – and an all round, enjoyable day out.
Where: Hothouse, 274 Richmond Road, London Fields E8
When: Saturday …read more

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