Unmissable Things to Do in London in December 2021
The goose wouldn’t be getting so fat if it was heading out to all these Unmissable Things To Do in London this December from curious cabaret to a banging Bangla fiesta.
The Big Give | Until 7 December
Double your donation to some incredibly deserving charities including those based in London until 7 December.
Late at Tate Britain: Life Between Islands | Tate Britain | 3-5 December | Free (with a ticket)
‘Life Between Islands is a spectacular, frank but joyous, mixed-media celebration of the British-Caribbean diaspora that is long overdue’ Read our full review
Discover the Carribbean-British culture behind the astounding exhibition with this series of workshops, music, talks and more including the best gallery late event in London.
La Clique | The Leicester Square Spiegeltent | Until 8 January | From £39.50
The vivacious variety extravaganza returns contains some epic acts including hilarious hula boy Craig Reid. Let’s hope producer Underbelly can match the heady heights of the show’s heyday.
Arty Farty Xmas Party | Shoreditch Town Hall | 4 December | 8pm | £20
The ultimate offbeat Christmas party with alternative cabaret royalty Le Gateau Chocolat, Lucy McCormick (currently starring in Emma Rice’s Wuthering Heights) and the siblings grim, Bourgeois and Maurice.
Polari Workshop with Dan de la Motte | London LGBTQ+ Community Centre | 4 December | 6pm | FREE
Join Dan De La Motte for a chance to learn the secret gay slang which was a patchwork language of Italian, Romany, Yiddish, Cockney Rhyming Slang, backslang and acronyms.
CdF x Rebel Dykes + Fireworks Revisited + Live Q&A | Rio Cinema | 5 December | 2:15pm | £13.50
‘Rebel Dykes is a rabble-rousing, sexy, raucous documentary set in 1980s post-punk London that tells the unheard story of a community of dykes who met doing art, music, politics and sex, and how they went onto change the world.’
This screening is a great chance to see it and support Club Des Femmes.
Urban Makers: Festive Makers’ Market | Mile End Ecology Pavilion | 11 & 12 December | 11am – 5pm
Shopping is a given at Christmas but why not support an up and coming maker at this thriving market by Urban Makers in less trendy but real east London.
THE GROTTEAUX | Woolwich Works | From 16 December | From £15.50
New venue Woolwich Works is worth a trip down saarf and what better excuse than this grotto speakeasy packed full of circus and cabaret acts. Special guests include the skilled vaudeville artist Symoné, wild comedians Suzi Ruffell and Shaparak Khorsandi and iconoclastic drag from Soroya Marchelle and Prinx Silver.
Kabaret Kollective | Tramshed | 16 December | 8pm | £10
Groundbreaking avant-garde nouveau acts collide with a conversation on what makes cabaret political. So relevant with Rebecca Frecknall’s raw production of Cabaret (read our review) a sensation in the west end. This is your chance to get to the grassroots of this form.
Rhumba Club’s Christmas Jamboree | Paper Dress Vintage | 16 December | 7:30pm | £9.04
A wonderful chance to discover the kitsch delights of Rhumba Club’s wonky pop live at the vintage store cum concert hall.
Bangladesh@50 Victory Day Concert | The People’s Palace, Queen Mary University of London | 17 December | 6:45pm | From £15
A dance and musical spectacular to celebrate 50 years of Bangladesh independence in the opulent surroundings of London’s most beautiful secret Art Deco venue, The People’s Palace in Mile End. The south-Asian line up features: Naz & Bolly Flex, Mumzy, Nish, Khiyo, IMD, Iksy, Taal Torongo and DJ Osmani Soundz for an eclectic and stomping good night out.
Canopy Christmas Market | Canopy Market, King’s Cross | Tuesday – Sunday until 23 December
Meet Audra who sells shiny brooches aplenty and a whole host of inspiring sellers, makers and cocktail shakers at this irresistible year round market’s Christmas special.
Yoko Ono: MEND PIECE for London | Whitechapel Gallery | Until 2 January | FREE
Yoko Ono’s instruction to mend the items in this exhibition comes from the Japanese tradition of kintsugi – repairing broken crockery. Take part. Make do and MEND.
Did we miss any big incredible things to do in London this month?
We almost certainly did – please let us know in the comments below!
Occasionally the To Do List team are forced to work together.
Rupert likes: free, cheap & offbeat London, especially: cabaret, art, theatre, pop-ups, eating out, quirky films, museums, day trips, social enterprise & much more.
Stuart likes: nice pubs, film marathons, not doing real marathons, bad comedy, plays/musicals with shorter second halves, and the Oxford comma.
