Events

The annual Lebanese designers’ exhibition - ‘From Beirut to London’ - is underway again, at the Arab British Chamber of Commerce in the heart of Mayfair.

Presented by the UK Embassy of Lebanon, the event showcases the very best of the country’s underrated heritage craftsmanship, featuring stalls and stands from leading Lebanese designers in the fields of fashion, jewellery, art, home décor and artisanal works.

It runs until November 26th, and will be back again in 2024 if you’re not able to make it on this occasion.
 

Roll out the barrel. After a hiatus of two years since the last Czech ‘Beer Day’ due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the annual event saw a healthy turnout on its return this September to the grounds of the embassies of the Czech and Slovak republics in London’s Notting Hill.

In the autumn of 1983 a mere 500 copies of the new book by a largely unknown author called Terry Pratchett hit a small number of shops and libraries across the UK. It was called The Colour of Magic, and 500 copies was all that publishers Colin Smythe Ltd, a small company based out of Gerrards Cross in Buckinghamshire, had printed up for the home market. Pratchett’s previous releases, The Carpet People in 1971, Dark Side of the Sun in 1975 and Strata in 1981 had all been well received by critics, but their sales could generously be described as “modest”.

This summer, car enthusiasts have an abundance of options to indulge in their passion with numerous car shows and motoring events on offer. We have compiled a list of our top picks, where you can feast your eyes on an impressive range of supercars, both vintage and contemporary, that are sure to make you drool.

London Concours 6-8 June 2023

Director-founder Geoffrey Hughes, a lover of the racecourse since boyhood, studied decorative art, learnt about the art market by working in auction houses, started his first gallery in Whitstable aged 22, now sells paintings and bronzes that will stand the test of time.   

To mark 25 years on Motcomb Street, the gallery are presenting a collection of 25 paintings and bronzes by 25 of their most successful artists, from April 19th until May 13th.    

An eye catching, flamboyant set greeted us as we entered the auditorium at G Live and set the scene for a wonderfully camp, kitsch show. The glittery, excitable audience buzzed as the lights dimmed and we were taken back to Baz Luhrmann’s 1992 film and the drama surrounding Scott Hastings (Kevin Clifton) and his new dance partner Fran (Maisie Smith).

At last its summer, time to get out there and enjoy everything the great British social season has to offer.

Isle of Man TT

28 May - 11 Jun

The Isle of Man TT is the ultimate 'must see it' event for motorsport fans across the globe. Every May and June the Isle of Man, a tiny country between England and Ireland, turns into motorcycle nirvana as the world’s greatest road racers gather to test themselves against the incredible ‘Mountain Course’ - a 37.73 mile beast of a course carved out of the island’s public roads.

Elusive but increasingly high regarded wines from the Czech Republic were on show aplenty at the Czech Embassy in London’s Notting Hill late this April, with a ‘Wine Day 2022’ convened that showcased ten wineries from across the nation. And, marking the event this year an ambitious new project was kicked off along with Cordoba Worldwide, to put wines from the country on map in the UK.

It was certainly a blast of a performance at The Barbican this March, in the first of the Czech Philharmonic’s (Česká filharmonie) two-concert residency at the London venue in The City.

They were last on a stage together in August 2019, but now nothing is going to prevent the on-the-spot and off-the-cuff comedy antics of Paul Merton’s Impro Chums. The adlibbing troupe – comprising Mike McShane, Suki Webster, Richard Vranch, Kirsty Newton, and, of course, Paul Merton – could barely be happier that they are now returning to the nation’s stages with another selection of games spurred on by those all-important audience suggestions.