Your primary focus in March and April 2020 ought to be making the most of the deals associated with Premier Club Rewards London hotels. If you are already all booked into Park Grand London Kensington for this period, though, then you will also be in search of things to do in London. Luckily, there is no shortage of activity in the capital at this time of year – if anything, there is too much going on to make it to everything. So, to make it easier, we have compiled a list, cherry picking the best of the best across the board.
March
Theatre
Waitress is on at the Adelphi Theatre this March and is something everybody should be adding to their list of musicals to see in the West End this year. It is ultimately a tale of love – for others, of food, and most importantly, the self. Jenna is a waitress in an American diner, where she makes delicious, buttery pies and slogs away, earning a low salary, which her abusive husband wastes the majority of anyway. So, when she falls pregnant, and her life is no longer her only responsibility, she must start making different choices… Be sure to try the Apple Pie Martini (or Apple Pie-tini) during the interval – they are served at the bar and are welcomed with open arms after drooling over the pies being whipped up in the first half.
Address: Adelphi Theatre, Strand, London WC2R 0NS
Book now: www.waitressthemusical.co.uk
Tickets: £37-£97
Literary
London Book and Screen Week takes place annually, coinciding with The London Book Fair, and aims to unite readers, writers, gamers and film fans with a range of events and talks that show the interconnectivity and process behind the pathway from book to screen. A jam-packed program will welcome to literary London the likes of Jonathan Lynn, one of the creators of hit TV series Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister, as well as mesmerising poet and spoken word performer Scarlett Sabet in conversation with Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page. Head to their website to get the full line-up of events and buy your tickets.
Date: 9-14 March 2020
Book now: www.londonbookandscreenweek.co.uk
Tickets: £20-25
Sport
March will mean the end for the 6 Nations Rugby tournament, an annual rugby union event hosted in the UK, Ireland, France and Italy and a highlight of the rugby season. The participating teams are Italy, France, England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland and the fixtures for March are as follows:
7 March 2020: Ireland vs Italy and England vs Wales
8 March 2020: Scotland vs France
14 March 2020: Italy vs England and France vs Ireland
Of all of these fixtures, your only London-option to watch the game at the stadium is England vs Wales at Twickenham Stadium in South West London. Tickets are quite pricey and sell like hot-cakes, though, so you may want to opt to watch from the comfort of a cosy pub near your perch in Lancaster Gate hotels – that way you can get any or all of the matches in. A great spot for watching sports games in the area is Leinster Arms - you are a convenient one minute walk from your hotel in this case! Alternatively, The Mad Bishop & Bear by Paddington Station always gets it right when it comes to a few drinks and a cheeky game of rugby!
Music
Candlelight Concerts always pull together a good show, and this March is no exception, bringing to North London’s iconic Alexandra Palace all your favourite cinematic classics with Music From The Movies. Whether it is the thrilling medley from Jurassic Park, or the energetic tunes from ET, they cover all the music from some of cinema’s most beloved soundtracks. Don’t worry if classical music isn’t usually your thing – given the context, it is very accessible.
Date: 21 March 2020
Address: Alexandra Palace Way, London N22 7AY
Book now: www.alexandrapalace.com/whats-on/music-from-the-movies-with-london-concertante/
Tickets: £16.92-42.50
Exhibition
Year-round, you should be heading to the Natural History Museum in South Kensington and just around the corner from Grand Royale London Hyde Park, because it is a remarkable collection of the world’s most impressive, dated artifacts from dinosaur bones to exhibits on human anatomy. However, you should visit specifically before the end of May, when the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award exhibition finishes, a display of lightboxes showcasing a hundred of the best wildlife photographs taken by photographers from around the world – the hundred having been selected from 50,000 entries! From a frog in the jaws of a snake, to an emperor penguin mid-hatch between its father’s legs; the exhibit is a breathtaking, refreshing and heartwarming display of the natural world. Exit through the giftshop and be sure to grab a copy of the portfolio book for those who couldn’t make the exhibition, a calendar for your kitchen and postcards of all your favourite photographs. Though tickets for entry into the museum is free, the exhibition costs but is worth every penny.
Date: 18 October 2019 – 31 May 2020
Address: Cromwell Rd, South Kensington, London SW7 5BD
More information: www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/exhibitions/wildlife-photographer-of-the-year.html
Tickets: Adult £13.95, Child £8.25, Concession £10.95, Family £29-£39.50
Food
Many people like the idea of being able to visit every restaurant in London, and some may even think it possible if they are visiting the city often due to Premier Club Rewards London hotels. However, this underestimates just how many restaurants are continuously being opened – as soon as you reached the end of your list, a new list will have formed while you were eating. This March, there are a couple of restaurants whose openings are much anticipated by both locals and restaurateurs alike. Club Mexicana Taqueria is a vegan Mexican restaurant opening in Kingsley Court off Soho’s famous Carnaby Street. Veganism and veganuary was hugely popular in London this year, suggesting the market’s need for restaurants just like Club Mexicana Taqueria. Alternatively, Little Kudu is opening, an extension of the wildly successful South African restaurant Kudu in Peckham, a small variation of the laid-back, tapas-esque restaurant that we suspect will make just as mighty a roar as its predecessor.
Address: Club Mexicana Taqueria, Kingly Court, Kingly St, Soho, London W1B 5PW
Little Kudu, 117 Queens Road, SE15 2EZ
More information: www.clubmexicana.com/
Comedy
If the March weather in London starts bringing you down, there is nothing a few side-splitting laughs can’t fix. London is a hotspot for comedy, so you are in the right place if you are looking for a laugh. London-local Rob Beckett is one of the UK’s most popular stand-up comedians, who some may recognise from British comedy TV like Mock The Week, and he will be putting on a London show as part of his new tour at the Eventim Apollo this March. This brand new show will cure any Winter-blues you had.
Dates: 6 – 7 March
Address: 45 Queen Caroline Street, London, W6 9QH
More information: www.robbeckettcomedy.com/
April
Theatre
The musical everyone’s talking about, The Book of Mormon has taken London’s West End by storm following an overwhelmingly successful start on Broadway. It is an utterly hilarious, but written by comedy duo Trey Parker and Matt Stone (writers of Southpark), so expect some raucously cheeky songs and delightfully rude humour. It encapsulates the idea of a guilty-pleasure, and is the perfect way to cheer up your month of April when the weather can’t do that for you.
Address: Prince of Wales Theatre, Coventry Street, London, W1D 6AS
Book now: www.thebookofmormonmusical.com/london/
Tickets: £35-150
Literary
For two weeks in April, the European & Nordic Poetry Festival is on at various venues in London, Norwich, Kingston, and Kildare, with ten events that bring together hundreds of poets from the European continent. You can expect a diverse, dynamic, and unique experience filled with moving words, startling insight and powerful performances. It is a showcase of poetry in the 21st century and a must-do for those wanting to enrich their trip to London with some culture.
Date: 3-14 April 2020
Address: Various
Book now: www.europeanpoetryfestival.com/programme
Sport
The London Marathon is sponsored this year by Virgin Money, and is one of the world’s most iconic running marathons, with visitors flocking from around the globe to participate. If you haven’t booked a ticket for participation either late in 2019 or early in 2020, then you will probably struggle to get your hands on a ticket as a result of this popularity. Instead, you could pick a perch along the route, perhaps a scenic riverside spot along the Thames, and appreciate the relative calm caused by the road-closures. Being part of the buzzing atmosphere that comes with cheering on the runners is quite thrilling and it goes without saying that this is uplifting and helpful for the runners, too. So, watch the marathon live and admire some great displays of human resilience and perseverance.
Date: 26 April 2020
Address: Blue Assembly Area: train to Blackheath Station, followed by a 10-minute walk
Green Assembly Area: train to Maze Hill Station, followed by a 10 to 15-minute walk
Red Assembly Area: train to Maze Hill or Greenwich Station, followed by a 10 to 15-minute walk
Yellow Assembly Area: train to Blackheath Station, followed by a 10-minute walk
More information: www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com/
Music
As part of Snoop Dogg’s “I Wanna Thank Me” tour, he will be at London’s O2 Stadium performing mid-April for doting fans of his world-renowned rap music. Special guests include Warren G, Tha Dogg Pound, Versatile, Obie Trice & D12. Head to this enormous music and sports stadium in east London to sing and dance along to West Coast rap legend, affectionately known as the Doggfather, and his 17th album.
Date: 15 April 2020
Address: The O2, Peninsula Square, London, SE10 0DX
More information: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/snoop-dogg-i-wanna-thank-me-tour-the-o2-london-tickets-73442284851
Exhibition
Picasso and Paper is on throughout March and ends two weeks into April, meaning that if by the start of April you haven’t been to see this exhibit at the Royal Academy of Arts, then you need to prioritise this before it ends. This exhibition of the one and only Picasso’s work was arguably the best way to start 2020, reminding the world of the artistic beauty and genius within it. Walking among more than 300 works from Picasso’s 80-year career, you find yourself in awe of what the man was capable of.
Date: 25th January – 13th April 2020
Address: Burlington House, Piccadilly, Mayfair, London W1J 0BD
More information: www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/picasso-and-paper
Tickets: £18 – £22
Food
The Eat & Drink Festival takes place from March through half of April, and is the kind of event that every visitor to London partial to a tasty nibble ought to be bee-lining for. This indoor food festival is a celebration of food as well as a venue for eating it, and offers the opportunity for visitors to not only taste incredible flavours but also learn how to make them through mouth-watering workshops and displays. Experts are on alert around the festival, ensuring that you are always well-advised on which food to eat and what drinks to pair it with.
Date: 27 March to 13 April 2020
Address: Hammersmith Rd, Hammersmith, London W14 8UX
More information: www.eatanddrinklondon.com/
Comedy
When people heard that South African comedian Trevor Noah would be taking over from Jon Stewart as host of The Daily Show, nobody could have guessed how incredibly successful he would be and how smoothly he would totally own the role. Now, Noah is touring his show Loud & Clear and will be in London at the O2 this April. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to weep with laughter with one of comedy’s greatest successes.
Dates: 3 April 2020
Address: The O2, Peninsula Square, London, SE10 0DX
More information: https://www.nme.com/news/trevor-noah-confirms-spring-2020-london-o2-arena-show-2490433
Given the sheer quantity of London discount hotels, it is a wonder you aren’t visiting every month! But even with just the March and April calendars spread out before you, there is no question of whether you will have enough to do. Head to any one, two, seven or all of these events to get a taste for London from every angle.
