Here we are in September already, always a busy month

Totally Thames Festival throughout September.

Returning for another year, the Totally Thames festival graces the banks of the River Thames this September. Bigger than previous years, the celebration will take place across the whole of the month . This year’s 150 events fall under three main themes: the river Thames’ rich history, the 300th anniversary of Handel’s Water Music, and the issue of plastic pollution in rivers and oceans.

Open House London 16-17 September.

The annual Open House London weekend gives Londoners the chance to explore behind the closed doors of some of the capital’s biggest, most renowned and most secret venues for free. This is your chance to explore a bit of hidden London and have a poke around some of London’s best buildings – but it’s not just about being nosy, there are also loads of walks and tours to bring the buildings alive.

Enjoy free access to more than 800 churches, museums, public buildings, private houses, schools and offices, and join tours, guided walks and activities throughout the weekend.

Ride Mail Rail opens 4^th September.

Hitch a ride on the Post Office’s abandoned subterranean railway. The underground 6.5 mile ‘Mail Rail’ once shuttled post between Whitechapel and Paddington, until it shut in 2003 after 80 years. Once considered so clandestine it was used to stash the Rosetta Stone during the First World War, now the disused tunnels have been revamped and everyone from transport geeks to postal buff can experience them.

Time for a Tipple ? Nine Lives in SE1

The owners of cod-1930s Chinese speakeasy Cecil’s have pushed the action on by a couple of decades, rebadging their off-Bermondsey Street premises as Nine Lives. It’s now a 1950s-style California tiki lounge , cocktail-making, using sustainable ingredients (many grown in a yard outside) to produce his reasonably priced, snappy list. Highlights include Moby Dick (a coconut oil-washed whisky and salted-caramel Old Fashioned), and Crossfire (a rum and four fruits New Orleans-style Hurricane). Saturdays are given over to Rent Party (£5 cover charge) when you can get down to a juicy mash-up of eclectic beats on a chunky sound system.

Covent Garden Restaurant  – The Frog opens its doors on the 1^st September.

British cuisine at its best and following the opening of The Frog E1 in 2016, chef Adam Handling has brought his high-octane flavours to Covent Garden for this all-day flagship (the Frogship?). The 90-cover, two-floor dining room can seat up to 15 diners at the pass, while in the basement lies a speakeasy cocktail bar with its own street entrance.

London Design Festival 16 – 24 September.

The London Design Festival spans dozens of locations, includes hundreds of exhibits and has one clear mission: to prove that our city is the capital of design. It’s the perfect chance to explore craft and design at its very best. With some mighty London museums at the helm and loads of events in ‘design districts’ across town, where do you start?

The Beavertown Extravaganza 8 -9  September  at Printworks London.

Over 65 of the world’s greatest brewers (including London favourites) gather for The Beavertown Extravaganza – a two-day festival of beer, talks and tips. Merch, food and beer shop all available on-site too.

Ferryman.

Everything about ‘The Ferryman’ screams big: debuting in the Court’s main house, it’s directed by Butterworth’s James Bond collaborator Sam Mendes and co-produced by Sonia Friedman, and is already booked for a 16-week West End run immediately after its Court apperance. The plot focuses on an unexpected guest turning up to a rural family reunion in the ’80s.

BBC Proms in the Park.

Experience Britain’s largest open-air classical music event with BBC Proms in the Park in London’s Hyde Park.

One of the highlights of the BBC Proms calendar, this spectacular annual outdoor concert is full of patriotism and British eccentricity. Taking place on the closing night of the two-month classical music festival, the main evening performance culminates in a live link-up with the Royal Albert Hall for the traditional Last Night finale.

London Fashion week returns 21 -24 September!

Experience a day out as a fashion insider with the London Fashion Week Festival at The Store, 180 The Strand.

NFL is back again on the 24 September , See the Jacksonville Jaguars return to London for the fifth year, as they battle it out against London first-timers, the Baltimore Ravens at Wembley Stadium.

As many of us get back to work after the summer break, I leave  you with the following quote from Jimmy Dean.

“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”