Love and pancakes are in the air this February – as long as you can get your pan toss right. There’s lot going on in Battersea this February, and plenty for little ones, too.
Orchid Festival
Let a little colour into your life at Kew Garden’s blooming brilliant Orchid Festival. Inspired by the vibrant colours, culture and magnificent plant life of India, this year’s festival features giant floral displays created using exotic orchids, decorative rickshaws, Indian soundscapes, films and much more.
4-5 March, kew.org/visit-kew-gardens
The Blue Bird
One wintery evening Tyltyl wakes to find a hump-back figure in his bedroom. She is obviously a fairy. Tyltyl must find the bluebird that makes people happy – and he must do so before morning. Tyltyl doesn’t know about bluebirds, or where he might find one but joined by his faithful pets, the search begins… Lightbox Theatre presents Maurice Maeterlinck’s classic fairy-tale about happiness, perception and seeing the extraordinary in our everyday. A visually charming and magical show for young and old alike.
4 Feb / 13 Feb, lightboxtheatre.co.uk
Quidditch tryouts
Calling all Potter enthusiasts: saddle up your broomsticks for a shot at making the Quidditch Premier League. Yes, J. K. Rowling’s fictional game has become a reality that you can play IRL – and it really does include broomsticks. Fancy yourself a champion Chaser? A cracking Keeper? A brilliant Beater, or a super Seeker? Fly down to Clapham Common on 5th or 19th February to have a go at the game and test your prowess on the professional Quidditch pitch.
5 Feb / 19 Feb, quidditchpremierleague.com
Bardeblah
Combining intelligent debate, a group of opinionated players and good humoured fun in a local boozer, Bardeblah is an intellectual game of persuasion centred on contemporary political and social issues. The setup is simple: a statement is selected by the drinking spectators, which is then posed to the two teams sat ready and waiting to debate. A ‘Bard’ chair moderates the proceedings, while the drinkers are free to air their views and ultimately decide which team has the winning point of view.
9 Feb, balhambowlsclub.com
Imagine Children’s Festival
Children can hear some of their favourite authors, join in at free family-friendly performances and get creative in fun workshops at Imagine. Immerse yourself in your favourite children’s classics, whether uncovering the magic of storytelling through pictures with Chris Riddell and Friends or listening to the popular rhyming stories of Julia Donaldson with a double-bill of The Gruffalo & Room on the Broom accompanied by whimsical orchestral music. There’s an immersive tour of Adventures of Moominland and go on, a very special screening of The Little Mermaid and the ultimate party for the whole family at Rave-A-Roo. And that’s just for starters.
9 – 19 Feb, southbankcentre.co.uk
Robot Zoo
How do chameleons change colour? What makes grasshoppers leap so high? How do bats see at night? Enter the fascinating world of the Robot Zoo and discover the mechanisms that give animals their amazing abilities. This family-friendly exhibition features larger-than-life animals that have been innovatively recreated using a variety of familiar machine parts and gadgets to reveal how their real life counterparts see, eat, hunt and hide.
11 Feb – 29 Oct, horniman.ac.uk
Valentine’s Day
Aaah, Valentine’s Day, the one day of the year that pretty much everyone hates. But if you are celebrating, there is lots going on in Battersea. Cuddle up to some cute cats at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home then take one home if you are so inclined. Get your game on at Play Date at The Jam Tree in Clapham, where board games are the secret to true love (who knew?). Or watch a romantic classic at a Clapham Picturehouse’s screening of ‘Dirty Dancing’.
14 Feb
Denmarked
Tales from the council estate of dodgy best friends, that rite of passage, your first arrest, dinner with your social worker and the Christmas dad went to prison. An autobiographical performance told through storytelling, singing, rapping and a loop station.
22 Feb – 11 March, bac.org.uk
Pancake Day
Pancakes are flipping brilliant, aren’t they? Mix some milk, eggs and flour and you’ve got yourself a main course, and a dessert for that matter (just add obscene amounts of Nutella). There are several great places near and on in Battersea where you can celebrate their national day. We love Le Petite Bretagne in Clapham and Senzala Creperie in Brixton Village. If you’re travelling further afield, and fancy being more of a spectator than a consumer, the Great Spitalfields Pancake Race involves fancy dress and inflatable obstacles.
Feb 28
Acting as if you are already free
Join artist Emma McGarry as she invites people to explore the properties of materials, while taking a closer look at the human behaviours of decision-making and power relations in her hands-on art workshops. Running alongside Pilvi Takala’s solo exhibition at the Pump House Gallery, the workshops will offer a series of lively activities throughout the day.
Until 26 March, pumphousegallery.org.uk
