City guideLondon · Sat 7 – Sun 8 November
London this weekend: Alexandra Palace fireworks and Istanbul at the V&A
Fireworks and drones at Alexandra Palace, Constantinople to Istanbul at the V&A, Battersea Park Fireworks, Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph, The Nue Black Aesthetic at the Design Museum and Bar Douro in Soho.
The weekend at a glance
Choose a pick to find it on the map; scroll down for the full story.
Sunday · 8 November
All weekend · Saturday and Sunday
Sunday
8 November
Sun 11:00Free
Ceremony · Whitehall
Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph
The National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph honours those who died in the two world wars and later conflicts. Guns fired by the King’s Troop on Horse Guards Parade mark the two-minute silence at 11:00, before thousands of veterans march past.
Whitehall opens to the public at 8:00; no tickets are needed, but space is limited and there are security checks, so come early and leave large bags at home.
All weekend
Saturday and Sunday
Sat 20:00 and Sun 18:00From £18
Fireworks · Alexandra Palace
Fireworks and drones at Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace’s Bonfire Night festival runs over a full Saturday and Sunday for the first time: fireworks with hundreds of drones from Celestial, a bonfire, a funfair, ice skating, street food and a German beer festival in the Great Hall.
Saturday’s display is at 20:00, followed by a DJ set from Eats Everything; Sunday is a family day with the show at 18:00. Tickets are from £18, under-10s £5.
Sat and Sun, 10:00–17:45£27 at weekends
Exhibition · South Kensington
Constantinople to Istanbul at the V&A
Constantinople to Istanbul: One City, Two Empires opens on Saturday: more than 200 objects from 1,600 years of the capital of the Byzantine and then the Ottoman empires, from the carved ivory Veroli Casket to Osman Hamdi Bey’s 1887 painting Ladies Taking a Walk.
Saturday and Sunday 10:00 to 17:45, in Galleries 38 and 39; weekend tickets are £27, weekdays £25. It runs until 9 May.
Sat 20:30 and Sun 19:00
Fireworks · Battersea Park
Battersea Park Fireworks
Wandsworth Council’s fireworks in Battersea Park are designed by Titanium, the company behind the Mayor of London’s New Year’s Eve shows, with a different display and soundtrack each night, a funfair and street food.
Saturday’s display is at about 20:30, after a Rudimental DJ set; Sunday’s at about 19:00. Gates close half an hour before each display, and tickets are sold in advance only, never at the gate.
Sat and Sun, 10:00–18:00From £15.29
Exhibition · Kensington
The Nue Black Aesthetic at the Design Museum
The Design Museum’s first survey of Black design opened on Friday: more than 100 works by 16 designers, among them Samuel Ross, Bianca Saunders, Mac Collins and Ini Archibong, across fashion, architecture, furniture and product design, curated by the writer Charlene Prempeh.
Saturday and Sunday 10:00 to 18:00, on Kensington High Street. Adult tickets are from £15.29, children from £7.65.
Sat and Sun
Restaurant · Soho
Bar Douro, a new Portuguese restaurant in Soho
Bar Douro, the Portuguese restaurant under the arches at London Bridge, opens its third site on Wednesday at 10 Greek Street. Chef Neuza Leal adds vaca velha: beef from Portuguese cows six years and older, imported by the restaurant and cooked over an open grill.
The breed and farm change each week. Tables can be booked through its website; it’s a short walk from Tottenham Court Road station.
Sunday
Sun 11:00
Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph
The National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph honours those who died in the two world wars and later conflicts. Guns fired by the King’s Troop on Horse Guards Parade mark the two-minute silence at 11:00, before thousands of veterans march past.
Whitehall opens to the public at 8:00; no tickets are needed, but space is limited and there are security checks, so come early and leave large bags at home.
The Cenotaph All weekend
Sat 20:00 and Sun 18:00
Fireworks and drones at Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace’s Bonfire Night festival runs over a full Saturday and Sunday for the first time: fireworks with hundreds of drones from Celestial, a bonfire, a funfair, ice skating, street food and a German beer festival in the Great Hall.
Saturday’s display is at 20:00, followed by a DJ set from Eats Everything; Sunday is a family day with the show at 18:00. Tickets are from £18, under-10s £5.
Alexandra Palace Sat and Sun, 10:00–17:45
Constantinople to Istanbul at the V&A
Constantinople to Istanbul: One City, Two Empires opens on Saturday: more than 200 objects from 1,600 years of the capital of the Byzantine and then the Ottoman empires, from the carved ivory Veroli Casket to Osman Hamdi Bey’s 1887 painting Ladies Taking a Walk.
Saturday and Sunday 10:00 to 17:45, in Galleries 38 and 39; weekend tickets are £27, weekdays £25. It runs until 9 May.
Victoria and Albert Museum Sat 20:30 and Sun 19:00
Battersea Park Fireworks
Wandsworth Council’s fireworks in Battersea Park are designed by Titanium, the company behind the Mayor of London’s New Year’s Eve shows, with a different display and soundtrack each night, a funfair and street food.
Saturday’s display is at about 20:30, after a Rudimental DJ set; Sunday’s at about 19:00. Gates close half an hour before each display, and tickets are sold in advance only, never at the gate.
Battersea Park Sat and Sun, 10:00–18:00
The Nue Black Aesthetic at the Design Museum
The Design Museum’s first survey of Black design opened on Friday: more than 100 works by 16 designers, among them Samuel Ross, Bianca Saunders, Mac Collins and Ini Archibong, across fashion, architecture, furniture and product design, curated by the writer Charlene Prempeh.
Saturday and Sunday 10:00 to 18:00, on Kensington High Street. Adult tickets are from £15.29, children from £7.65.
the Design Museum Sat and Sun
Bar Douro, a new Portuguese restaurant in Soho
Bar Douro, the Portuguese restaurant under the arches at London Bridge, opens its third site on Wednesday at 10 Greek Street. Chef Neuza Leal adds vaca velha: beef from Portuguese cows six years and older, imported by the restaurant and cooked over an open grill.
The breed and farm change each week. Tables can be booked through its website; it’s a short walk from Tottenham Court Road station.
Bar Douro Soho