Interns’ choice for December: Get into the holiday groove!

Interns’ choice for December: Get into the holiday groove!

Our interns are ditching museums and galleries this month to explore what outdoorsy winter activities London has to offer. If fresh air is not your thing, fret not! You can still add some magic to your holiday season with a little bit of Harry Potter.

 

Camilla’s pick: Ice Skating 

This month I did the paradoxical choice of not choosing. Ice skating rinks have popped up all over London and they all provide practically the same thing: ice of various quality, fairy lights with or without an accompanying evergreen and horrible skates made of blue plastic. The last one might be my personal and slightly partial opinion. If you want to combine art and the artfulness of wobbling around on ice you might like the rink at Somerset House but if you want the extra thrill of ice skating on top of a building you might choose Skylight at Tobacco Dock. If you want the added comfort of being able to cushion your fall with other people I suggest you choose the tiny rink at Bar Elba. So, pick one of my suggestions or go on a wild quest to find your one true rink and skate away towards the holidays.

Where? All over London, prices range from about £10 to £16.
My suggestions:
Somerset House, Strand, WC2R 1LA
https://www.somersethouse.org.uk/whats-on/skate-somerset-house
Skylight at Tobacco Dock, Wapping Lane, St Katharine’s & Wapping, E1W 2SF. 
https://www.tobaccodocklondon.com/skylight/
Bar Elba, 109-117 Waterloo Road, SE1 8UL
http://www.bar-elba.co.uk/bookings/ 

 

Eeva’s pick: Winter swimming in Hampstead Heath 

Need an energy boost? Want to escape the overpowering Christmas fuss? Why not go for a winter swim in one of the swimming ponds in Hampstead Heath? I can promise you that a dip into the freezing cold water will keep you buzzing through the day better than a double shot cappuccino, while also taking your mind off from Christmas stress. Two ponds are open to the public over the winter season, one reserved for ladies and one for men. If you want to make the experience just that much better, bring a thermos flask of hot chocolate with you and thank me later.

Hampstead Heath Ponds, London NW5 1QR
https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/green-spaces/hampstead-heath/swimming/Pages/ponds-times-charges.aspx
Opening times between 1st of December-26th of January: 7:30am to 3pm.
Single day ticket: £2

 

Ilkka’s pick: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Do you need a little magic in your life this Festive season? Then I can recommend the play by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is presented in two parts but the combined five hours running time doesn’t feel long. The script doesn’t do any justice to the magic happening on the stage, the practical effects are quite enchanting. The story continues where we last left Harry, Hermione and Ron, and we get to know their children better. The performances are solid through and through and everything feels like a “proper” Harry Potter story. If you want to kick-start your theatre evening go through Platform 9 3⁄4 in Kings Cross station.

Palace Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1D 5AY
Tickets from £15 per part, until August 2020.
https://www.harrypottertheplay.com/uk/

 

Photo: Mike Fleming Flickr

 

 

 

 

 


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