Enjoy the first of two May bank holidays with free festivals, film screenings and games.
You Can, In Portland (5th-7th May), Free Get a taste of Portland in Shoreditch this spring at a pop-up shop at Old Truman Brewery with stalls from the Oregon city’s top designers and makers selling things like ceramics, clothes, stationery, and bike gear. As well as stalls and static cycling, there will be talks, vegan tattooing, spoken word slams, DJ sets along with beer, wine, and coffee tastings.
Samsung Great Court Games – (5th May), Free A free digital workshop run by Samsung and the British Museum. Tablets, phones and all sorts of technology are available to help you solve challenges, play digital games and explore trails through the museum. You can drop in at any point during the day, but you’ll need to bring a passport, national ID or driving license as a deposit which, of course will be returned when you leave.
New Cross and Deptford Free Festival (5th-6th May) The South London community-led festival is back for another year of over 30 free screenings at 22 venues across New Cross and Deptford. The programme is an eclectic mix of independent, art-house and mainstream fayre, that also highlights local filmmaking talent. All tickets are first come, first served.
Days of Poland Festival – (6th May), Free Days of Poland is the biggest Polish Festival in the whole of the UK. Held at Potters Field near Tower Bridge, this festival introduces visitors to Polish cuisine, music and arts – both traditional and contemporary. The festival has activities for kids and adults including face painting and other attractions.
Canalway Cavalcade (5th-7th May), Free An annual early May bank holiday celebration of London’s aquatic-dwelling communities, taking place along the Grand Union Canal between Blomfield Road, Warwick Avenue and Warwick Crescent. Around 130 water homes will be moored along the picturesque route, dressed up for the pageant. Visitors can also expect old British fair traditions, including Morris dancing, real ales, trade stalls, children’s entertainment, live music and plenty of refreshments.
Listen: 140 Years of Recorded Sound (5th- 13th May), Free As the name suggests, this exhibition is an auditory rather than visual experience. Celebrating the origin of the recorded sound, it follows a timeline from 1877 featuring key events in sound recording history, with rare and unpublished recordings as well as a specially commissioned audio installation by composer Aleks Kolkowski. The exhibition is part of the Season of Sound, celebrating the British Library’s sound archives.
