The Spitalfields community enjoys its entertainment and throughout the year puts on a huge number of events for Londoners and visitors alike.
The next big one on the calendar is the
Music Winter Festival, starting 10th December and running through to 20th December.
One thing (among many things, to be honest) this part of the city has going for it is its slew of historic buildings, and many of the festivals that are put on here take full advantage, utilising them as venues for shows and performances.
This year's Winter Music Festival will be no different in this respect, with places like
Shoreditch Church,
Hanbury Hall, and
Christ Church Spitalfields all playing their part in this year's festivities.
Highlights include, on 12th December, a show by the
London Contemporary Orchestra at Shoreditch Church. The 90-minute event will showcase three works from the last 35 years, and tickets start at a reasonable £5, going up to a still-pretty-reasonable £15.
Here's something that's sure to be popular -
In the House - recitals by students from the Royal Academy of Music inside Georgian houses in Spitalfields. This is a great chance to enjoy the interiors of some fine historic houses, with an exquisite soundtrack provided by the Royal Academy of Music. In the House takes place on 14th December.
Despite its name, the festival's events don't all have a musical focus. For example, on the 17th you can enjoy, or be spooked out by,
Are You Sitting Comfortably? Taking place at The English Restaurant, local writers will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up as they share their ghost stories with those who like to be scared. The event's organisers promise "one of London's most enjoyable and quirky nights out." Tickets for this one are £8 in advance and £10 on the door.
Free events include live performances (from midday to 3pm) at the
Christmas Market (11am to 4pm). The market takes place at Crispin Place in Spitalfields on 10th December.
When you think of open mic nights, you probably imagine comedy wannabes dying on their backsides, but this festival's
Open Mic Night (15th December) will be an entertaining mix of songs performed by hosts Streetwise Opera and Crisis Skylight with those sang by members of the public. Brave ones.
The above is just a small selection of what the Spitalfields Music Winter Festival is offering this year. Click
here to find out more.
