Image by Phoebe Ferris-Rotman

The Tricycle has been running since 1980 and despite being in the northwest, far from the glamorous West End theatre hub, it has become one of London’s most adored and respected theatres. Eleven years ago a one-screen cinema was added on and in 2001 the Creative Space was built for educational workshops.

The theatre’s directors try to present work which reflects the cultural diversity of its neighborhood Kilburn, a heavily immigrant area and has put on plays by Irish, African-Caribbean and Asian writers.

The cinema kiosk serves ice cream and candy and it has a bar/café which has a simple menu of pasta, sandwiches and jacket potatoes. There is a separate eating area which doubles as an exhibition space. On Mondays cinema tickets are only £6.50.

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The Tricycle | Art & culture, Bars, Cinemas, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Theaters
269 Kilburn High Road | North-West | +442073281000
Box office Mon – Sat 10:00 – 21:00, Sun 14:00 – 21:00 | Café & bar Mon – Sun 12:00 – 23:00 (12:00 – 20:00 for food)

Copyrights Spotted by Locals London

Image by Matt Bramford

Rich Mix, like the Barbican, is one of those art centres that caters for pretty much everybody. It’s my local cinema, but at the same time is a gig venue, bar, café and art gallery – it’s a big red cultural hub.

The building has three cinema screens – two large, one intimate. They screen mainstream movies and anticipated Oscar winners alongside independent releases and archival films. It’s much cheaper than those horrid West End cinemas that charge you a fortune and much nicer, too. The walls are adorned with Timorous Beasties wallpaper – an attraction in themselves, and the actual cinema screens have walls decorated with contemporary geometric patterns that create the illusion, when the lights are low, of Rococo architecture.

As a gig venue, Rich Mix has played host to a huge range of international musicians, from UK-based classical pianists to Bollywood bands. There’s always something on (and I really should start going more myself) and some events are even free. The centre also hosts a rolling schedule of performing arts, comedy, spoken word events and and exhibitions. It’s enough to render you breathless.

The cinema screenings sell out quickly at weekends and on Wednesdays (when there’s the Orange deal on) so I tend to pop by in the day to buy tickets, or book online if I’m feeling frivolous (there’s an added booking fee). When you’ve seen your film, why not pop around the corner for a cocktail in LoungeLover? There’s nothing better.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Rich Mix | Art & culture, Cinemas, Music, Theaters | Cinema £ 9
35 – 47 Bethnal Green Road E1 6LA | East | +442076137498
14:00 – 00:00 (approx) daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals London