Entertainment

As well as testing the very outer limits of the NHS, bringing the country to a standstill and perhaps unexpectedly leading to an explosion in the domestic production of banana bread, the pandemic has also brought changes to our vocabulary.

A project that combines storytelling with dynamic yoga to help children develop their physical and mental health and improve their overall well-being has started.

An Americana-inspired five-piece band, No Coward Soul, have released their second album called The Boondox.

South Westminster’s award winning cultural community festival SouthWestFest has launched a crowdfund campaign to help fund a re-imagined safe and socially distanced festival for 2021.

A beginner’s film-making weekend is looking for participants to sow new seeds of grassroots cinema as the industry takes a hit from COVID, writes Charlie Parry.

A coalition of industry leaders and street performers, supported by comedian Eddie Izzard, joined forces at the weekend to protest against Westminster City Council and their proposed new busking and street entertaining restrictions.

An author’s new book reveals the trials and tribulations of dating in your mid-thirties from the black perspective in London. Symona’s Still Single, Lisa Bent’s debut romance novel is now on sale.

Construction on Sidcup’s new cinema and library complex is due to start in January, Bexley Council has announced, after contracts finalising the work were signed this month.

Artists from Zippos Circus celebrated being awarded funding of more than £600,000 from the government’s Culture Recovery Fund on the day their tour opened in Blackheath. Zippos Circus opened on October 22 and celebrated the funding in style at the opening of their show with knife throwers, foot jugglers, acrobats, comics and motorcycle daredevils.

A singer has said she is “taking back control” on her newly released anthem about empowering women, writes Melissa Kasule. Rita Ekwere known as Ray BLK, born in Nigeria raised in Catford, shares a taste of what is to come on her highly anticipated album with new single – Lovesick.

Winter in London is going to be a little different this year, but it’s not all festive doom and gloom, Winter Market at the Southbank Centre returns with alpine-style chalets and seasonal pop-ups bringing some much-needed festive cheer to the capital.

A film portraying an ode to rock’n’roll and the beauty of Brixton and South London life will be released on November 2. South of the River follows front man Aaron as he navigates life, love and cancer.

London’s Transport at War A new permanent gallery has opened which explores the crucial role London’s transport has played in global conflicts, from keeping civilians safe on the home front to supporting efforts on the front lines.

The Case of Katelyn Burns Actress Toyah Frantzen has taken home the coveted Best Director award at the Flight Deck Film Festival, an online film competition based out of New York City. Written, produced, and directed by Toyah, the award-winning short film The Case of Katelyn Burns, who grew up in Peckham, is now in the final stages of the film festival circuit.

No two words fill parents with more dread than these: half-term. Keeping little ones entertained isn’t easy, but the trick is to do your homework and ensure you’re prepared for all eventualities. Here Paloma Lacy gives out some top tips on what to do this half-term.

Building on the success of their return to live indoor performance last month, City of London Sinfonia (CLS) will return to Southwark Cathedral this autumn with six socially distanced performances.

Theatre Peckham Following six months of closure, Theatre Peckham celebrates its reopening with a multi-artform programme of socially distanced, in-person and participatory digital events, taking place throughout October and into November. The line-up features theatre, new writing, spoken word, poetry, scratch nights, panel discussions, workshops, seminars and exhibitions.

A town hall has started a new platform to show off the best of the borough’s creativity in a digital setting. Wandsworth Art, a new website dedicated to helping residents connect with local artists, has more than 200 artists already signed up to take part, with the number growing daily.

After a seven month hiatus, the Jazz Cafe is back with a whole new look from September 18. Afrobeat veteran Dele Sosim will return for the opening weekend of the long-awaited reopening of one of London’s most beloved venues.

An immersive, outdoor performance featuring a captivating 3D sound design has been given a six-week extension. C-o-n-t-a-c-t, created during the summer in a world where social distancing became the ‘new normal’, tells the story of a moving and unexpected encounter.

A new collection of art depicting life during The Blitz and World War II has been commissioned to mark its 80th anniversary. The 80 pieces of art are based on real-life stories discovered in wartime records available by Ancestry, a company that specialises in family genealogy.