Gary Kemp

“This month’s hotlister is actor Gary Kemp, who is appearing in the forthcoming Pinter Six – Party Time / Celebration at The Harold Pinter Theatre…” Jenny Halpern Prince “London at weekends is family time. I spend the morning watching my two youngest boys play football in Regents Park. Before then we’ll get a fab breakfast at Greenberry Cafe in Primrose Hill which we love, especially because they love dogs, which is great for our Labradoodle, Piper, who gets a biscuit to take under our table! Our Sunday lunch might be at Jeremy and Chris’s Fischer’s restaurant on Marylebone High St - great schnitzel, loved by our boys. Follow that by their delicious Viennese Sacher Torte (only if I’ve done an early morning run on Hampstead Heath!). We’re not stay-at-home types at weekends and we love doing galleries and museums or a walk - the Christian Marclay 24 hour Clock at the Tate Modern was a winner as was the Videogames exhibition at the V&A. After that we’re ready for baths and the Strictly!” Gary Kemp

CIRCUS 1903

Have you seen the Greatest Showman and did you love it? Have you seen the theatre production of War Horse and did you love it? If the answer to both those was yes then you’re gonna let out a little squeak of joy when you hear about Circus 1903. Fresh from the Paris Theatre in Las Vegas, Circus 1903 is coming to London’s Southbank Centre from the 19th December for 3 weeks ONLY. With acrobats, contortionists, jugglers, trapeze and high-wire performers plus life size elephants from the puppeteers of War Horse. The mammoth cast features performers from all over the globe who are set to make our jaws drop to the floor as they transport us back to the golden age of circus. The Circus 1903 ringmaster is David Williamson, an internationally acclaimed comedy magician with whom the cheeky “elephants” play with as he entertains the crowds. Peanuts the baby elephant will also be making plays for some fun with the children in the audience too. Much like War Horse, spectators have said its takes seconds to forget they aren’t real animals which is testament to the award winning puppeteers and the skilled gymnasts who operate them. Tickets start at £25 and it’s going to be a sell out so hurry and book in now. Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

MIRACLE

Black Friday not only brought some outstanding deals to our Christmas shopping, but it also brought New York’s famous ‘Miracle on 9th Street’ pop-up bar phenomenon to the Henrietta Hotel in Covent Garden. The popular concept began in New York and has since spread across the globe thanks to it’s festive fabulousness. We read it described as if someone had detonated a grenade full of Christmas inside a bar. SOLD. Book a slot from now until Christmas eve and enjoy a ‘Christmas cocktail concoction, designed by original Experimental Cocktail Club alumni Nico de Soto’ in a heavily decorated room filled with kitsch Christmas objects, a stunning Christmas tree, stockings, alpine inspired snacks and everything you could imagine from a nostalgic Christmas venue. So take a break from playing elf and escape the shops for a ‘Snowball Old Fashioned’ or ‘A Partridge In A Pear Tree’’. (just two of the options from the thirst inducing cocktail list).Facebook | Instagram

SHERLOCK, THE GAME IS NOW

Sherlock Holmes is the drama gift that keeps on giving. With movie franchises, tv series, theatre productions, museum tours and more, Mr Holmes and his side-kick Watson show no signs of slowing down, as now they have their own immersive escape game for us to enjoy called The Game is Now. Honestly, how they find time for any crime solving is beyond us, but we mustn’t judge when they’re putting on such great entertainment. The 100 minute game, in the centre of London will see a team of 4-6 journey through the intricate sets and environments, working together to solve the puzzles in the time limit. Featuring original content and specially recorded video sequences from various versions of the show there are guest appearances from Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman amongst others who will help each team along the way. It’s time to dust of the ol’ deerstalker hat and don your cloak for adventure time. Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

SEASONAL SPEAKEASY

Some Voices have been billed as London’s coolest choir by Time Out so who else would you want to go see sing some massive tunes than these guys eh? Rather more importantly though we’ve seen them before at a Bowie themed evening and can indeed vouch for their incredible talents and frankly if you can’t trust the opinion of the Halpern Hotlist then who can you trust. Ahem. Some Voices Seasonal Speakeasy at The Troxy on Monday 10th December is priced at £10 which is a bargain when you think you get to enjoy a 500 strong choir with a live band singing classics from Amy Winehouse, Shirley Bassey, Plan B to Basement Jaxx. Trust us, they get your goosebumps raving with their voices and you can “party like it’s the end of prohibition”. It’s a seated occasion so the sooner you buy your tickets the better the seats you’ll get. Simple . Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

KUTIR

Kutir is a brand new high-end Indian restaurant that’s just opened in Chelsea, from the creator of Gymkhana and Jamavar executive chef Rohit Ghai. Kutir translates as a ‘small cottage in the middle of nowhere’ and although located in the middle of London’s wealthiest boroughs, making it far from ‘nowhere’, it is indeed nestled down a side street and away from the bustling shoppers of the Kings Road. Enough about the name though because what you want to know about is the food. The menu takes inspiration from the royal hunting traditions of the Indian countryside, with a focus on seasonal ingredients like game and seafood. There are both tasting menus and also treats A La Carte which include dishes such as Truffle Mushroom Khichadi, Jackfruit Kofta, 24hr Lamb Roganjosh or perhaps keep it simple and order a classic Chicken Tikka Masala. With a CV as impressive as Ghai’s, we’d say it’s safe to assume we will be in very safe and tasty hands here at Kutir. Kutir is open now on Lincoln Street and you can make a reservation via the website. Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

WAKEY WAKEY

As we’re sure you all well know, Alexandra Palace is an incredible grade 2 listed building in North London built in 1875 to serve as a public centre of recreation, education and entertainment. It still stands to this day with jaw dropping vistas of the city and a never ending list of events, music listings and more, that keep us all entertained. What you may not know is that it used to house a theatre with a “feat of Victorian engineering” that allowed the actors to fly- something that would have been quite the marvel back in the day. However, with modern theatrics and the popularity of the West End, the theatre was closed to the public for 80 years...until now. Starting in December, the theatre space will once more be open and current events in the calendar include Letters Live, Ronnie Scott’s performances, Luna Cinema, Horrible Histories, stand-up comedy and of course, your classic drama productions including Richard 3rd. It’s pretty tough to find a venue better than this one sitting at the top of London so we predict roaring success for the newly renovated space. Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

PARTY ANIMALS AT THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM

Looking past Christmas- Who’s ready to see in 2019 like a true party animal? Because the Natural History Museum are hosting an unBEARably exciting shindig, underneath Hope the blue whale skeleton that dominates the entrance hall. Hosted in partnership with events company It’s Unknown, there will be musical bingo, some insect canapes, a silent disco, animal themed activities, DJ, band, massaoke (big hits all sung by the crowd), plentiful drinks and basically a roarly good knees up. You can dress up all shmancy but with some elegant animal touches to fit in with the theme and explore the exhibitions on the night too if the massaoke is getting a little too loud. Tickets are from £89 and the evening kicks off at 8pm leaving you 4 hours of escapades before the clocks strike midnight. All is set to be a WILD night….we’re not lion about that! Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

CHOOSE LOVE

If you head over to Carnaby Street, duck onto Foubert's Place and take yourself into the Choose Love store. Make some purchases and leave with nothing. “Sorry, what?!” you say….bear with us. The Choose Love store is a new model of charitable giving that raised nearly £1 million in 2017. They raise funds for refugees and stocks items such as nappies, tents, sleeping bags and more, which you buy and they are then in turn given to those in need. 100% of donations from the store go straight to supporting front line services and thousands of meals amongst other things, are provided over the cold winter months. The store was created by Help Refugees in partnership with creative collective, Glimpse and has a huge celebrity backing. So take the money you were going to spend on unwanted socks for Uncle Albert and plain and simply, Choose Love instead this Christmas. Facebook |Instagram | Twitter

FITOONS

Fitoons is a brilliant app designed for kids by the guys at Avokiddo. The app is all about exercising, eating healthy and getting fit but in ways that kids find fun and interactive. It’s educational but they can play games whilst learning. A bit like cutting up veggies really small in a spaghetti bolognaise they won’t even realise they are reaping the healthy benefits as they will be distracted by the games. They can pick characters, dress them up, copy exercises, cook in the virtual kitchen and overall learn healthy habits that will hopefully stay with them as they grow. Whilst we may not necessarily always want to encourage too much screen time for the little ones, when they get so much healthy output like with Fitoons, we think it’s worth it. Facebook | Instagram | Twitter