1. Tickets to Dizzee Rascal
*This event has now been cancelled.
UK music icon Dizzee Rascal comes to Kempton Park in Sunbury for a huge outdoor show on Saturday, August 31, and we have FOUR pairs of tickets (worth £90 a pair) to give away. Enter the competition here.
Kempton’s summer concerts also include a return of Classic Ibiza, which has sold out shows around the UK with a medley of nostalgic dance hits, accompanied by a 32-piece orchestra.
Aug 30, tickets from £35 summertimelive.co.uk/kempton.
2. Summer dining
A fleet of beautiful balloons has landed in the Surrey countryside near Leatherhead for a summer of gastronomic delights. Dressed in raspberry and rose stripes, six stationary hot air balloons now frame the bucolic Italian Garden at luxury hotel Beaverbrook. Each basket seats up to four and offers a twist on alfresco Japanese dining. Expect an array of indulgent dishes such as fresh ceviche, sashimi on ice and a tabletop Yakiniku grill. Enjoy with a Moet & Chandon Champagne flight, bien sûr.
Available Weds – Sun, lunch and dinner, £135pp (vegetarian £85pp); beaverbrook.co.uk.
Johan Persson
3. Red Speedo at The Orange Tree
Ray lives to swim. He’s within touching distance of international glory and a life-changing sponsorship deal, but everything changes when performance-enhancing drugs are discovered in the club’s refrigerator. The UK premiere of Red Speedo is directed by Matthew Dunster (The Pillowman, 2:22 A Ghost Story) and stars Finn Cole, best known for his role as Michael Gray in Peaky Blinders.
Catch it at Richmond’s Orange Tree Theatre until Aug 10, tickets from £15; orangetreetheatre.co.uk.
4. Mess Fest
A day of paint, foam, inflatables and more for under 12s and their families comes to Walton’s Apps Court Farm.
Aug 24, 12-6pm, tickets £25 (kids) £15 (adults) with early bird offers; messfesttickets.co.uk.
5. Riverside art
The towpath near Molesey lock will be adorned with the work of local artists over the bank holiday weekend as members of the Molesey Art Society display their latest work. Aug 25 & 26, 10am-5pm.
6. Never Let Me Go at The Rose
Kazuo Ishiguro’s haunting sci-fi tale of three friends consigned to a terrible fate comes to the stage with a new show opening at The Rose next month. Directed by Christopher Haydon (Remains of the Day) and adapted by Suzanne Heathcote (lead writer on Killing Eve), this new version of the bestselling novel takes a prescient look at what it means to be human in a world of out-of-control science.
Sept 20-Oct 12; rosetheatre.org/never-let-me-go.
Hampton Court Food Festival
7. Hampton Court Palace Food Festival
Hampton Court Palace Food Festival returns over the bank holiday weekend with all manner of cheeses, chutneys, craft brews and more, from over 150 producers. There’s live music too from the Polka Dots Trio.
Aug 24-26, 10am-6pm; tickets free to members, adult day admission from £27.20; hrpfestivals.com.
8. Open Mic Night
Get up and sing or sit back and enjoy the best local talent at the Cecil Hepworth Playhouse in Walton.
Aug 16, 7.30 pm; ticket £5.50 go towards helping to run the theatre; cecilhepworthplayhouse.co.uk.
9. Welcome to wellness
Gatton Park near Reigate is opening its 250 acres of ‘Capability’ Brown parkland and Edwardian gardens, while wellbeing coach Theresa Jauregui runs mindful yoga sessions on the lawns. These sessions are suitable for beginners and the more experienced who want to enjoy yoga in a beautiful setting. Theresa will also give tips on positive ageing.
Aug 4; noon-5pm. Tickets: £6, £6 adults, children go free, yoga payment on the day £7.50; gattonpark.co.uk.
Mike Page
10. Foodies Festival
Foodies Festival will visit Stoke Park in Guildford for a weekend boasting a host of award-winning local chefs, and chart-topping music stars, including: Blue, Sister Sledge and the exhilarating Symphonic Ibiza Orchestra with live vocals and DJ.
Aug 30-Sep 1. Tickets: £21, adults, £4 child, under 6 go free; weekend tickets from £42 (3-day); foodiesfestival.com.
11. Shop till you drop
Curated by Dapper & Suave, the family fun day and market returns to Denbies in Dorking with a whole host of goodies on offer for your home and garden, as well as jewellery and arts and crafts. Aug 18; 11am-4pm. Free.
12. Kids workshops
Head2Head Sensory Theatre is offering an exciting summer programme of workshops from its new base in Oxted. Suitable for budding builders – check out the LEGO challenge – and performers and artists, each session is packed with positivity.
Aug 7-23; times vary. Tickets: £7.50 per 90-minute session; h2hsensorytheatre.com.
13. Material Thinking at The Lightbox
Woking’s Lightbox is hosting Material Thinking – an exhibition that brings together selected pieces by major artists from The Ingram Collection with work by contemporary artists associated with the Fine Art programme at the University of Gloucestershire (UoG), recognised as one of the country’s most innovative art schools.
Until Oct 13; Tues-Sat, 10am-5pm; thelightbox.org.uk.
14. Ocean Film at G Live
Dive into a night of adventure thanks to the Ocean Film Festival World Tour which is bringing a new collection of thrilling sea-themed films to G Live in Guildford. The festival is a celebration of the planet’s oceans, with wild seafaring voyages and fascinating marine-life – up on the big screen!
Sep 19; 7.30pm. Tickets: £16.50-£18.50; oceanfilmfestival.co.uk.
15. Lumos Live
Lumos Live heads to Painshill in Cobham for a Sunset Candlelight Experience featuring the work of Hans Zimmer, Andrea Bocelli and Ludovico Einaudi all performed amid thousands of candles.
Aug 17; 6pm. Tickets from £20; lumoslive.co.uk.
16. Harlequin Theatre at Reigate Castle Grounds
Reigate Castle Grounds hosts many productions for Harlequin Outdoor Theatre, including a This is My Theatre adaptation of the E Nesbit children’s classic Five Children & It (Aug 28, 2 pm; £15). Retelling the story that’s captured the imagination of generations of kids, it centres on the adventures of Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane, and their baby brother, who stumble on a Psammead—a sometimes malevolent sand fairy who can grant wishes.
The same company (see thisismytheatre.com) returns to the Athenian forest on the same day (7 p.m.) to follow the travails of four lost lovers in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. A week later, The Duke’s Theatre Company rolls up with its colourful version of As You Like It (Sept 4, 6.30 pm; £18.50 adults). Finally, the award-winning Illyria company of players brings the season to a close with a spot of Gilbert and Sullivan, as The Gondoliers sails in (Sept 7, 6pm; £18.50 adults).
For further details, visit: harlequintheatre.co.uk.
