Events in London
» Whats On Events in London
Talks and discussions
Monday 8 December
* Securing a fair green transition: balancing climate action and economic equity, 9.30am - 3pm, online. Info: Overseas Development Institute
* Domesticating politics; how religiously conservative parties mobilise women in India, Anirvan Chaudhry, 12:30 - 2pm. Info: Institute of Development Studies
Tuesday 9 December
* The Nordics’ Leadership to the World - a panel discussion with Nordic Investment Bank president André Küüsvek, Frederique Dahan, André Küüsvek, Dora Meredith, Rebecca Harding, 5.30 - 7.30pm. Info: Overseas Development Institute
Wednesday 10 December
* Extraction fashion: unequal exchange and degrowth explored, report with Tansy Hoskins, Morena Hanbury Lemos, Ruth Ogier, Federico Arcuri and Marula Tsagkari, online, 12.30 - 1.30pm. Info: War on Want
* Sites of Life, Ségolène Ragu, Masa Nazzal, Aya Chouaib discuss new exhibition that brings together Palestinian and Lebanese artists whose work reimagines everyday life through posthumanist perspectives, 6 - 8pm, £5, P21 Gallery, 21-27 Chalton Street, NW1 1JD. Info: P21
* Between the Dust and the Door, Mualem-Doron introduces exhibition on the destruction of Palestinian homes, from the 1948 Nakba to the genocide in Gaza, 6-8pm, £5, P21 Gallery, 21-27 Chalton Street, NW1 1JD. Info: P21
Thursday 11 December
* Archiving Gaza in the Present: Memory, Culture and Erasure, book launch with Dina Matar, Venetia Porter, Selma Dabbagh, Emily Tripp, Atef Alshaer, Yara Sharif and Nasser Golzari, 6.30pm, from £5, P21 Gallery, Chalton Street, NW1 1JD until 9 January. Info: P21
* Keep it clean: the crucial pathway to reducing healthcare-associated infections, Silvia Bertagnolio, Clare Chandler, Stephanie Dancer, Folasade Ogunsola, Giorgia Gon, Wendy J Graham, Om Prasad Gautam, Kat Holt, Emilio Hornsey, Claire Kilpatrick, Liam Smeeth, Elena Dalla Vecchia, 5.45 - 7.30pm, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, WC1E 7HT
Friday 12 - Saturday 13 December
* 140 Years Beyond the Berlin Conference, Alan Lester, Hakim Adi, Penelope Corfield, Esteban Alfaro Salas, Marie Rodet, Onyekachi Wambu, Arunma Oteh, Dominique D. Calhoun, Biki Minyuku, Tim Modu, Olu Alake, Dele Ogun, Nels Abbey, SOAS, Thornaugh Street WC2. Info: Africa Centre
Monday 15 December
* Middle East in Review 2025, Leila Molana-Allen, Karl Sharro, Faisal Al Yafai, 7pm, from £5.94, Frontline Club, 13 Norfolk Place, W2 1QJ. Info: Frontline
Tuesday 16 December
* A ‘virtual mechanism’ for financing social protection and SDG recovery, Fardosa Abdullahi, Iffath A. Sharif, Kevin Watkins, Laure Beaufils, Renato Domith Godinho, 2- 4pm, online and in person, Overseas Development Institute, 4 Millbank SW1P 3JA. Info: ODI
Thursday 18 December
* International Migrants Day festival, part of the Cultural Hangout Festival London 2025, stalls, cultural exhibitions, performance, panel discussion, workshops, including Creating a fairer system - challenging extortionate visa fees and longer settlement routes and Heritage Education as a Foundation for Tolerance and Mutual Respect, free legal advice and help desks + party, St John’s Church Hyde Park Crescent, W2 2QD. Info: [email protected]
Exhibitions
* Emergency Exits: The Fight for Independence in Malaya, Kenya and Cyprus, how post Second World War “Emergencies”, as they were termed by the UK, shaped Britain, its former territories and the modern world, Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road SE1 6HZ until 29 March. Info: IWM
* Thirst: In Search of Freshwater, from ancient Mesopotamia and Victorian London to modern-day Nepal and Singapore, the exhibition combines art, science, history, technology and indigenous knowledge to deepen understanding of our relationships with freshwater, free, Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road, NW1 2BE until 1 February. Info: Wellcome
+ Thirst: an exhibition bridge over troubled water
* Kerry James Marshall: The Histories, “the most important artist” in the US, who places the lives of Black Americans front and centre, £23.50-£25.50, Royal Academy, Piccadilly, until 18 January. Info: RA
+ ‘If you say Black, you should see Black’
+ ‘My paintings don’t fit the narrative’: Kerry James Marshall on why he’s depicting black enslavers
* Botanical Tales and Seeds of Empire & Flora Indica: Recovering the lost histories of Indian botanical art, The Singh Twins examine the global mythologies of plants and the histories of Empire + Flora Indica – a world first display of work by historical Indian botanical artists, admission included in Kew entry fee, Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, Kew Gardens until 12 April
+ The Singh Twins light up the dark links between empire and botany
+ The Singh Twins spotlight Kew’s role in the business of Empire
* A Story of South Asian Art: Mrinalini Mukherjee and Her Circle, artists who have shaped the trajectory of Indian Modernism, £17, Royal Academy, Burlington House, Piccadilly W1J until 24 February. Info: RA
* Nigerian Modernism, Nigerian artists working before and after the decade of national independence from colonial rule in 1960, Tate Modern, Bankside SE1 9TG until 10 May. Info: Tate
* Mumbai + London: new perspectives on the ancient world, small exhibit focussed on Greek god Dionysius and India’s Vishnu, British Museum, Great Russell Street, WC1B 3DG until 11 January 2026. Info: Exhibition
* Mil Veces un Instante (A Thousand Times In An Instant), Mexican artist Teresa Margolles’ cuboid on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square is a memorial to trans people worldwide
* Collecting and Empire, trail making connections between archaeology, anthropology and the British Empire, British Museum, Great Russell Street, WC1. Info: British Museum
* British Library, installation of 6,328 books marks the contributions of migrants to UK, Tate Modern, Bankside, SE1. Info: Installation/ 7887 8888
* Inspiration Africa: Stories Beyond the Artifacts, exploration of V&A galleries through the lens of African heritage, free, second Saturday of every month, V&A, Cromwell Road, SW7. Info: V&A
* African Deeds, showcases a collection that includes diaries, cassette interviews, videos, photos and documents of three generations of family history, inspired by grandfather Thomas’ land title deeds brought from West Africa in 1901, Black Cultural Archives, 1 Windrush Square, SW2 1EF. Info: BCA
* Target Queen, large-scale commission by British-Indian artist Bharti Kher, Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre
* Making Egypt, exploring ancient Egypt's creativity and how it continues to influence art, design and popular culture today, £10, Young V&A, Cambridge Heath Road, E2 9PA. Info: V&A
* Imaging Peace, outdoor exhibition featuring global community peace photography projects, part of ‘Lost & Found: Stories of sanctuary and belonging’, a free programme of arts and ideas at King’s College, Strand, WC2R 2LS. Info: Peace exhibition
* The Presence of Solitude, through film, photography and costume, Taiwanese artist Val Lee explores isolation, solitude and the resulting human connections, free, Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road until 11 January. Info: Hayward
* I Still Dream of Lost Vocabularies, examination of political dissent and erasure through the idea of collage, Sabrina Tirvengadum, Sunil Gupta, Qualeasha Wood, Jess Atieno, Sheida Soleimani, free, Autograph, Rivington Place, EC2A 3BA until 21 March. Info: Exhibition
* Parliament of Ghosts, site specific work by Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama that repurposes colonial-era furniture and jute sacks alongside newly crafted elements, inaugural show at Ibraaz, 14 Mortimer Street, W1W 7SS, a space dedicated to Global Majority culture, until 15 February. Info: Ibraaz
* Wildlife Photographer of the Year, from £15.50, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, DW7 5DB until 12 July. Info: Museum
* Jennie Baptiste: Rhythm & Roots, the Black British photographer offers a visual narrative of the dynamic movements which shaped and define British music, fashion, and youth culture, Somerset House, Strand, WC2R 1LA until 4 January. Info: Somerset House
* Secret Maps, the stories hidden in some of history’s most mysterious maps, £20, British Library, 96 Euston Road NW1 2DB until 18 January. Info: Library
* The Land Carries, work by three international artists: Ahmed Akasha (UK), Dina Nur Satti (US) and Yasmin Elnour (Bahrain) responding to material in the Petrie Museum of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology, 1 - 5pm, Petrie Museum, University College London, Malet Place, WC1E 6BT until 16 May. Info: Sudan exhibition
from Thursday 11 December
* Sites of Life, explores how Arab artists imagine and enact life beyond the human, £5, P21 Gallery, 21-27 Chalton Street, NW1 1JD. Info: Exhibition
* Between the Door and the Dust, Gil Mualem-Doron’s examination of the deliberate destruction of homes and the worlds they sustain, from the 1948 Nakba to the West Bank occupation and the genocide in Gaza, £5, P21 Gallery, 21-27 Chalton Street, NW1 1JD. Info: P21
Film
* Dreamers, queer romance set in an immigration detention centre, where two UK asylum seekers find love and community in the face of darkness, National Film Theatre, Curzon Bloomsbury, Peckhamplex, Genesis, Ealing Picturehouse, Ritzy, Odeon Streatham
* It Was Just An Accident, Jafar Panahi’s award-winning Iranian black comedy thriller is a powerful indictment of state-sponsored terror and a moving drama of individuals seeking to rebuild their lives after being subject to it, Barbican, Rich Mix, Castle, Garden, ICA, Cineworld West India Quay, Picturehouses Central, Crouch End, Finsbury Park, Hackney, Ritzy, West Norwood; Odeon Luxe Holloway, Vues Finchley Road, Islington
+ Twice-jailed Panahi spins a moral tale for our authoritarian times
* Palestine 36, exciting drama set in 1936 at the beginning of a three-year Arab uprising — against the British, Ritzy Picturehouse
+ Palestine 1936: A story for today
Monday 8 December
* Black Ops, preview episodes from the second series of popular TV show, 6.15pm, National Film Theatre
* Colossal Wreck, a personal odyssey inside the COP28 climate conference. Are these get-togethers all about false promises or the only hope for saving the world? + Q&A with filmmaker Josh Appignanesi and artist-photographer Diana Matar, 6.20pm, Curzon Bloomsbury
Tuesday 9 December
* New Women (Xin nuxing), iconic silent star Ruan Lingyu’s heart-wrenching performance as a single mother driven to the brink by inequality and objectification + intro by Cynthia Gu, 6.10pm, National Film Theatre
Wednesday 10 December
* Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Sea, follows Filipino fishermen and Coast Guard officers risking their lives in some of the world’s most contested waters. At its centre is Arnel Satam, a fisherman chased by the China Coast Guard — revealing the daily danger coastal communities silently endure + director Q&A, 6.15pm, Rich Mix
Thursday 11 December
* Xala, Ousmane Sembène’s 1975 adaptation of his own novel is a striking critique of economic, social and moral corruption, 6.15pm, National Film Theatre
Friday 12 December
* Dreamers, queer romance set in an immigration detention centre, where two UK asylum seekers find love and community in the face of darkness, Arzner, 10 Bermondsey Square SE1 3UN
from Friday 12 December
* It Was Just An Accident, Jafar Panahi’s award-winning Iranian black comedy thriller is a powerful indictment of state-sponsored terror and a moving drama of individuals seeking to rebuild their lives after being subject to it, National Film Theatre, until 18 December; Lexi until 19 December
+ Twice-jailed Panahi spins a moral tale for our authoritarian times
Saturday 13 December
* Deewaar, 50th anniversary screening of Yosh Chapra’s classic tale of two brothers on different sides of the law still shines, 2:25pm, National Film Theatre
* The Silences of the Palace, 1994 film in which generations of women haunt a once grandiose Tunisian palace, whose secrets are dislodged by the return of a young woman who once called it home, 8.30pm, National Film Theatre
Sunday 14 December
* Through the Olive Trees (Zir-e darakhtan-e zeyton), the final part of Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami’s Koker trilogy is a touching, funny account of how a (fictionalised) director returns to a village after its destruction by an earthquake to make a film, 12:30pm, National Film Theatre
* Lost/ What Rules the Invisible, the first is street photographer Ho Fan and Sun Po-ling’s 1970 experimental feature Lost, the second is Tiffany Sia’s 2022 What Rules the Invisible, a short film that reworks mid-20th-century Hong Kong travelogue footage, 6.30pm, ICA, The Mall
Monday 15 December
* Middle East in Review 2025, Leila Molana-Allen, Karl Sharro, Faisal Al Yafai, 7pm, from £5.94, Frontline Club, Norfolk Place, W2. Info: Frontline
Performance
* The Horse of Jenin, an ode to the power of imagination and the resilience it brings, constructed from the fragments of Palestinian actor and comedian Alaa Shehada’s memories, Bush Theatre, Uxbridge Road, W12 8LJ until 20 December. Info: Bush
+ A Palestinian tale straight from the horse’s mouth
* After Sunday,Ty, Leroy and Daniel have signed up to a new Caribbean cooking group led by their occupational therapist, but when you are locked in a secure hospital, too much food for thought can be a bad thing, £10 - £35, Bush Theatre, Uxbridge Road, W12 8LJ until 20 December. Info: Bush
+ Caribbean-British ‘kitchen sink’ drama set in a secure hospital
* Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, the lives of two US Marines, an Iraqi translator and a Bengal tiger collide, £12 - £57, Young Vic, 66 The Cut, SE1 8LZ until 31 January. Info: Young Vic
from Tuesday 9 December
* Evita Too!, ”join the disco dictators as they tell the wild story of Isabel Perón, the go-go-dancer-turned-president who led Argentina for 18 disastrous months”, from £30, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road until 31 December. Info: Southbank Centre
TV and radio
Monday 8 December
* Global Eye, current affairs, 7pm, BBC2
* Sorry, I Didn’t Know, Black comedy quiz, 11.45pm, ITV1
* Small Boat, drama series inspired by the drowning of 27 migrants in the Channel in November 2021, 10.45pm, Radio4
Tuesday 9 December
* Small Boat, drama series inspired by the drowning of 27 migrants in the Channel in November 2021, 10.45pm, Radio4
Wednesday 10 December
* Small Boat, drama series inspired by the drowning of 27 migrants in the Channel in November 2021, 10.45pm, Radio4
Thursday 11 December
* Heart Lamp, story by Indian writer Banu Mushtaq, originally written in Kannada between 1990 and 2023, 10.45pm, Radio4
Friday 12 December
* Michael Palin’s Himalaya: Journey of A Lifetime, tepid celebrity travel, 9pm, BBC2
* Heart Lamp, story by Indian writer Banu Mushtaq, originally written in Kannada between 1990 and 2023, 10.45pm, Radio4
Thanks to volunteer Daniel Nelson (editor of Eventslondon.org) for compiling this list.