Around 35,000 revellers will descend on Trafalgar Square to celebrate the Hindu, Sikh and Jain Festival of Light. And whether you celebrate Diwali every year or are new to the festival, it promises to be a colourful, educational day out for the whole family. This year\u2019s festival kicks off with a colourful dance sequence on the Main Stage, featuring, with more than 200\u00a0people\u00a0performing traditional dances from across the Indian subcontinent. Visitors can also take part in yoga, dance and meditation classes running throughout the day, sample a plethora of vegetarian and vegan treats from a bustling street food market and find out more about Sikh and Hindu traditions from a variety of interactive displays, while kids will be entertained with puppet shows, fancy dress and a variety of quizzes and games at a dedicated Children\u2019s Zone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Trafalgar Square. Sun Oct 22. Free.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\u2018Beyond](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1759992972_297_image.webp.webp\")
\nPhotograph: \u2018Beyond Boundaries\u2019 by Shreya Jakhar, from \u2018Longing\u2019 Exhibition \u00a9 Shreya Jakhar
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Hop across dozens of east London venues, like Whitechapel Gallery or Four Corners in Bethnal Green, to make the most of all the photography\u00a0on display\u00a0as part of Photomonth.\u00a0The festival\u2019s hub is at Art Pavilion in Mile End, which will display a group exhibition called \u2018Longing\u2019.\u00a0There\u2019ll also be a new exhibition from Zed Nelson called \u2018The Anthropocene Illusion\u2019, which interrogates the troubled relationship between humans and the environment. There\u2019ll also be around 50 pop-up exhibitions at locations across east London: download the fest\u2019s interactive map to find them all.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Various east London venues. Until Nov 3. Free.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Didn\u2019t manage to nab tickets for the London Film Festival this year? You\u2019ll be glad to know that it isn\u2019t just film screenings, and it\u2019s not all ticketed (it\u2019s touted as the most accessible of the world\u2019s big film festivals for a reason). You can swing\u00a0by the Games Lounge at\u00a0LFF Expanded to try out video games from around the world for free,\u00a0beeline for the mezzanine at\u00a0BFI Southbank to get up close to costumes, props and rarely seen behind-the-scenes photography from the first instalment of\u00a0Wicked,\u00a0or head into the BFI Bar for free film inspired DJ nights \u2013 Friday night\u2019s is dedicated the first hip-hip film\u00a0Wild Style, while Saturday\u2019s celebrates the release of documentary\u00a0Black Is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story.\u00a0There are a bunch\u00a0more\u00a0free talks and workshops<\/a> that are sold out, but you could still try your luck and queue up 15 minutes before they\u2019re due to start, in case there are any no shows.\u00a0<\/p>\n BFI Southbank, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XT. Until Oct 19.\u00a0<\/p>\n 4.\u00a0Pretend you\u2019re on a sunny Italian street\u00a0at\u00a0San Genaro Festival<\/a><\/p>\n Coal Drops Yard is\u00a0transforming into\u00a0a Neapolitan piazza for the weekend. Over two days, the Kings Cross shopping district\u00a0will be decked out\u00a0with stalls selling everything from arancini to panelle while independent chefs will be live cooking and recreating traditional dishes from the region. There\u2019ll be children\u2019s activities as well as an eclectic musical line-up of live DJs, folk musicians and traditional chants. Stick around for a showcase of international short films curated by San Gennaro POP and AnotherStory Lab, plus a photographic exhibition looking at ritual, faith and community in Naples. Brace yourself for a flash mob, too.<\/p>\n Stable Street,\u00a0N1C 4AB. Sat Oct 11-Sun Oct 12. Free.\u00a0<\/p>\n London is getting its first snow of the season on Saturday. Tonnes of the cold stuff will be laid out in Potters Fields Park ready for a troupe of pro skiers\u00a0and snowboarders taking part in an\u00a0\u2018urban pond skim\u2019. Yes, it sounds bizarre, but it also sounds kind of thrilling.\u00a0Throughout the day\u00a0athletes will be charging down a slope onto a pool of water, attempting to skim across it without sinking. If you\u2019ve got some ski experience\u00a0under your belt, you can have a go at pond skimming yourself \u2013 there\u2019ll be coaches on hand to show you how it\u2019s done.\u00a0<\/p>\n Potters Fields Park, SE1 2UD. Sat Oct 11 12pm-6pm. Free.\u00a0<\/p>\n Plant nurseries from across the nation will gather at the Arnold Circus bandstand in Bethnal Green to attend to all your botanical needs on Sunday. Entry is free, but you\u2019ll have to pay if there are any plants that take your fancy. Now is as good a time as any for new additions to your collection \u2013 apparently, autumn is the best time of year to get planting, as the ground still has some warmth while the air turns more cool and moist. The money raised at the fair will go towards the Friends of Arnold Circus charity to maintain the garden (there\u2019ll be cakes and ceramics on sale too!).\u00a0<\/p>\n Arnold Circus Bandstand, E2 7JS. Sun Oct 12 10.30am-3pm. Free entry.\u00a0<\/p>\n See here for\u00a0Time Out\u2019s full guide to the London Film Festival 2025<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke \u2013 from news and reviews to events and trends. Just\u00a0<\/strong>follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n![\"Coal](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1759992973_853_image.webp.webp\")
\nPhotograph: Coal Drops Yard
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