Winterfest, Cabaret and Amy Winehouse: Five events in London this weekend

The lights are switched on, the winter markets have opened and the city is buzzing with shoppers - it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in London.

Even with the festive season in full swing, there’s still plenty of new events kicking off in the capital this weekend.

From Christmas at the zoo to Cabaret and photography masterclasses, we’ve picked out some of the best events happening in London this weekend, November 26 to 28.

The Magic of Christmas at London Zoo

ZSL London Zoo, NW1 4RY

November 27, 2021, to January 3, 2022

Adult tickets £35 and child prices £22.75

The Magic of Christmas at London Zoo opens this Saturday.

Here visitors will be able to dash through the zoo’s very own fairy-lit festive wonderland, following an outdoor trail to find out what their favourite animals want for Christmas. You can also pay a visit to the sensory sweet shop, which is full of candy floss clouds, a marshmallow meadow and a forest of candy canes.

Little ones can join in festive crafts before meeting Santa in his magical grotto at the heart of the zoo and receive a special early Christmas gift to take home.

Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club

Playhouse Theatre, Northumberland Ave, WC2N 5DE

Until May 14, 2022

Ticket prices vary from £25

Jessie Buckley, Eddie Redmayne and Omari Douglas star in the Kit Kat Club’s brand new Cabaret this winter.

The play is a glamorous retelling of the famous story, based on Christopher Isherwood’s 1939 novel Goodbye to Berlin.

One of the most successful musicals of all time, the show features the songs Willkommen, Don’t Tell Mama, Mein Herr, Maybe This Time, Money and - of course - Cabaret.

Amy: Beyond the Stage

Design Museum, 224-238 Kensington High St, W8 6AG

Opens November 26

Adult tickets £14.50 and family tickets £21.50

The musical legend, Amy Winehouse, is being celebrated in an overarching exhibition about her life on and off the stage.

Marking the 10-year anniversary of the singer’s death, the exhibition delves into her emergence as an artist, the musical influences that she drew on, her key albums Frank and Back to Black, and the story behind her iconic beehive, as well as many of her most memorable fashion moments.

Winterfest

Wembley Park, HA9 0GG

Until January 4

Free

After a year-long hiatus, Winterfest returns to Wembley Park, under the theme Reunited in Light.

The event will kick off with an official switch-on of London’s tallest LED tree, made up of 100,000 mesmerising lights and dressed with brand-new digital artwork ‘City Lights’, commissioned by Brent artist Yoni Alter.

Other attractions include ‘Reunion’, a unique light installation from Kumquat Lab, which will be unveiled in Market Square as a world exclusive, and other light installations and a photo exhibition.

Join a Portrait Photography Masterclass

Montcalm East, 151-157 City Rd, EC1V 1JH

November 27

Tickets £15

For budding photographers, the Montcalm East Hotel in Shoreditch is kicking off a series of portrait photography masterclasses starting this Saturday.

Leading the masterclass is portrait and advertising photographer, Harry Adams, who will run three in-depth sessions in the hotel’s photography studio where he is currently undertaking his residency.

The first session this weekend looks at basics of photography and shooting portraits.

Participants can feel free to bring their own cameras, however your smartphone would work just as well.