Festivals & events – All our local tips

Hidden beneath a sculpted bronze awning at number 195 Piccadilly, is a door to the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, or BAFTA as we Brits know and love it.

Best know for its lavish, black tie awards ceremonies, BAFTA is actually a charity dedicated to promoting awareness of the art of the moving image. That means you get to see some very talented people up close and personal. Want to know how? Read on…

Interviews, tributes and masterclasses with renowned actors, craftsmen and women are held regularly, for which members of the public can buy tickets in prices ranging from £5 to £12, or in some cases for absolutely nothing.

Past events have included interviews with actors Viggo Mortensen, Robert Carlyle, Meryl Streep, Sir Ben Kingsley, Vincent Cassel and more. Talent behind the camera is also on show. Previous guests have been Avatar director James Cameron, and writers and directors from the hit TV show Lost.

The building has the air of a modern private club, but dress is usually anything from suits to jeans and a t-shirt. A lounge bar means you can relax into leather sofas and admire the surrounding photos of famous BAFTA members. You never know, you might even see one of them next to you at the bar.

You can attend many of the events by simply visiting the What’s On pages on the website. Sign up for the email newsletter for info on all upcoming film, TV and games industry events.

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BAFTA | Art & culture, Festivals & events
195 Piccadilly | Central
Only open for advertised events

There are few places in London where you can see quality classical or jazz music for a decent price. You may find some little den of iniquity outside the city walls, but the quality of music is likely to be more second-rate than a Ronaldo dive.

Thankfully, largely overpriced Trafalgar Square has a trick up its sleeve, for buried in the catacombs of St. Martin-in-the-Fields church lies the Café in the Crypt; a vaulted subterranean fusion of good food and even better music. The place alone is striking; the up-lit vaults provide the perfect acoustic backdrop to some elegant dining. The last time I went I caught an excellent jazz trio, though classical sets are the meat and cheese.

The staff are incredibly kind and friendly, the clientèle passive and warm, and the food – whilst not exactly Michelin starred – is good enough to come back to many a time. Served on a buffet basis, there are various salads, roasts, pies and other dishes to satisfy almost every taste.

It’s fantastic value, too – lunch or dinner. Compared to other jazz venues like Ronnie Scott’s of Camden’s imposing Jazz Café tickets are fractional. Some nights you can even catch a concert and meal for £20. For the sheer quality the Café oozes this is a great offer. Other night tickets may range from as little as £8 to the bigger classical concertos breaking in at the £20 – £25 mark. Either way, you’d be a fool to miss one of central London’s most beautifully best-kept secrets.

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Café in the Crypt | Bars, Music, Festivals & events, Restaurants (English)
St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church | Central | +442077661158
Mon – Tue 08:00 – 20:00, Wed – Sat 08:00 – 22:00, Sun 12:00 – 18:00

With catchy tunes and big skirts, the musical Hairspray has been seen by over a million people since it opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre at London’s West End. The story of Hairspray is set in Baltimore, Maryland, circa 1960, when the segregration between whites and blacks were still very much a reality in that point in history. It shows how music unites people of all race and colour and the production cast belts out “You Can Stop The Beat”.Sadly, the beat is going to stop for this West End musical. After over 1,000 performances and with famous names like Michael Ball and Phill Jupitus who played the role of Edna Turnblad, Hairspray will stage its last show at the Shaftesbury Theatre on the 28th of March 2010. After its run in London, the show will tour to other UK cities including Cardiff and Edinburgh.For ticket information, visit the Shaftesbury Theatre box office.

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Hairspray | Theaters, Festivals & events | Grand Circle ticket £ 22.50
210 Shaftesbury Avenue | Central | +442073795399
Tue – Wed & Fri 19:30, Thu & Sat – Sun 15:00 & 19:30

On the last Friday of each month, the Victoria & Albert (or V&A) Museum is open till 10 in the evening. Not quite a “Night At the Museum” experience although there had been some odd characters that had come to life in the past Friday Late events. Each month celebrates a theme where related new and archived works in various formats are placed under the spotlight. Past themes included “In the Dead of Night”, “Mad Hatters” and “Animate”.

Friday Late events not only displays relevant works and/or inventions but also provides an opportunity for the public to participate in workshops and masterclasses. However, should you wish not to participate in the themed evenings, you may also browse through the vast collection of the V&A Museum, which is also open during Friday Late evenings.

You also need not worry about being skint if there is more month at the end of money because the Friday Late evenings are free.

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V&A | Art & culture, Festivals & events | Free
Cromwell Street | South-West | +442079422000
Mon – Thu 10:00 – 17:45, Fri 10:00 – 22:00

Every Wednesday night, the West End Comedy Club showcases some of the best stand-up comedians currently on the pro-amateur comedy circuit in London, including previews of Edinburgh Festival shows! Yes, you get to see them first all for just 5 of your good English pounds ladies and gentlemen!

Located in a quiet side street near Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus, a secret band of those in the know gather on the very top floor of The Comedy Pub in what can only be described as a penthouse suite of mirth, a pigeon loft of feathers to tickle your fancy. Oo-er as Kenneth Williams would say. See the Facebook page for details of upcoming acts.

Hosted by the MC, Mr Paul Late, who describes himself as the “bastard son of Harry Hill“, this is a fantastic opportunity to catch acts before they get famous, win comedy awards, and then only appear at hideously more expensive comedy clubs before prostituting themselves to TV comedy news and general knowledge quizzes, followed by a drug-addled death in middle-age. That’s showbusiness folks!

Remember that with any stand-up comedy, some material may offend, especially the curtains, that material is absolutely disgusting.

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West End Comedy Club | Bars, Theaters, Festivals & events | Ticket £ 5.00
7 Oxendon Street | Central
Wed 20:30 – 23:00