7 Glorious Things To Do In London This Weekend (19-21 July 2019)

16 Jul 2019 | Updated on: 27 Sep 2022 |By Abi Sritharan

This weekend, immerse yourself in contemporary art and royal history, plus a bottomless brunch in Mayfair with a Latin twist

Hysterical by Gary Card at Phillips, Mayfair (from Thursday)

Set designer and illustrator Gary Card is taking over Phillips Gallery in Mayfair this weekend for a month-long, totally immersive exhibition. Card has curated work by Cindy Sherman, Paul McCarthy, George Condo, Erik Parker, which is presented against an immersive backdrop, created by Card. The body of work draws upon farcical and neurotic themes within contemporary art, straddling the worlds of comedy, cartoon and psychedelic dream.

Gary Card, Hysterical at Phillips 2019

Date: 18 July-21 August Time: 10am-6pm Price: Free Location: 30 Berkeley Square, Mayfair, W1J 6EN Closest Station: Bond Street

Website: phillips.com

Something in the Air: Experimental Perfume Club at Harvey Nichols, Knightsbridge (From Wednesday)

Embark on a unique olfactory experience this weekend at Harvey Nichols. As part of a new collaborative series, the Experimental Perfume Club is taking over the fifth floor of the department store for a two-week exhibition, which explores the art and alchemy of fragrance. Expect an invigorating, immersive display during which you can learn about the Dalston-based perfumer’s bespoke, layering scents.

Date: 17-30 July Time: 10am-9pm (Mondays-Saturdays), 11.30am-6pm (Sundays) Price: Free Location: 109-125 Knightsbridge, Belgravia, SW1X 7RJ Closest Station: Knightsbridge

Website: harveynichols.com

BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, South Kensington (all weekend)

Enjoy daily live performances at the Royal Albert Hall, as BBC Proms returns for summer. Kicking off on Friday, the event – which has taken place at the Hall since 1941 – brings together the world’s greatest performers and orchestras for an eclectic array of stunning symphonies covering centuries of composition.

Date: 19 July-14 September Time: Varies Price: From £16 Location: Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, South Kensington, SW7 2AP Closest Station: South Kensington

Website: bbc.co.uk

Queen Victoria’s Palace at Buckingham Palace (from Saturday)

This year marks 200 years since the birth of Queen Victoria. To commemorate the occasion, Buckingham Palace is hosting a special exhibition during its summer opening of the staterooms. The exhibit will explore the life of the queen and how she turned the once-private house into the royal residence we know today. Highlights include an oil on canvas portrait of a young Victoria painted by Thomas Sully shortly after she moved into the palace, and a beautiful ball gown worn by the queen to the Stuart Ball in 1851, as well as a gilded casket, in which Queen Victoria kept her children’s baby teeth. Entry to the exhibition is included as part of the staterooms entry ticket.

Date: 20 July-29 September Time: 9.30am-6.30pm Price: From £25 (adult), £14 (child) Location: Buckingham Palace, Westminster, SW1A 1AA Closest Station: Green Park Website: rct.uk

Clym’s Coat Check at Sketch, Mayfair (all weekend)

Sketch has collaborated with illustrator Clym Evernden on a new multifaceted, immersive installation, which is on display until early September. It is Evernden’s first public-facing exhibition and comprises murals, hand-painted upcycled denim garments and projected animations. As if we needed another excuse to visit Sketch this weekend?

Date: 11 July-1 September Time: 7am-2am (weekdays), 8am-12.30am (weekends) Price: Free Location: Sketch, 9 Conduit St, Mayfair, W1S 2XG Closest Station: Oxford Circus

Website: sketch.london

Tulum Bottomless Brunch at Ella Canta, Mayfair (Saturday)

Ella Canta is bringint the tase of Tulum to Mayfair this Saturday. A new three-course bottomless brunch menu celebrates modern Mexican cuisine, soundtracked by Latin beats curated by Tulum local and Coco Beach Club resident DJ, Manuscula. Try octopus tostada with spicy peanut sauce and avocado; shrimp quesadilla with molcajete sauce or tortillas with pumpkin seed sauce and hard-boiled eggs, served with free-flowing margaritas.

Date: 20 July Time: 11.30am-4pm Price: £49 per person for three courses and unlimited margaritas Location: One Hamilton Place, Park Lane, WIJ 7QY Closest Station: Green Park

Website: ellacanta.com

Brendan Murphy at The Maddox Gallery, Mayfair (Saturday)

Artist Brendan Murphy was working in finance until the 9/11 attacks turned his life – and his perspective – upside down. The day it happened, he took refuge in the countryside, spending a night painting in the house that would become his studio. At his latest exhibition in London, Rush of Blood to the Head at The Maddox Gallery, 10 sculptures and 20 paintings explore some of his go-to sources of inspiration – algorithms, equations and formulas – in the context of human emotion. His work brings together the colour and chaos of Jackson Pollock and Jean-Michel Basquait with the symbology of academia, with the aim of bringing viewers into the present.

Date: Until 20th July Time: 10am-6pm Mondays, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday; 10am-7pm, Thursday; 11am-5pm, Sunday Price: Free Location: 9 Maddox Street, Mayfair, W1S 2QE Closest Station: Oxford Circus

Website: maddoxgallery.com

Looking for more things to do in London? Read our monthly guide to what’s on in July HERE.

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