Tucked away in Margaret Street, just 3-min walk from Oxford Circus, there is a lovely hidden gem and it’s a must-visit for K-pop fans. K-POP is London’s first (and only) K-pop-themed restaurant with an atmospheric basement, lovely staff, and great menu of authentic Korean foods.
K-POP is a family owned and family run Korean restaurant and they really put their hearts into it. You are literally served by the members of the family, and they go out of their way to give you the best service possible.
Photo: Urban Adventurer
The 2-story restaurant is dedicated to K-pop music and idols. There are pictures of K-pop idols everywhere and you can listen to the best K-pop music while dining.
Upstairs, there is also a blackboard with rainbow chalks for visitors to write messages or draw something K-pop related.
“I’m good I’m hot I’m fresh I’m fly…”
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Upstairs they mainly serve takeaway orders but there are tables and chairs if you want to sit down.
A beautiful Victorian cast iron staircase leads to downstairs to a smaller yet much more decorative dining area. Wooden and bamboo decorations, a huge mirror and a cute neon sign provide the perfect backdrop for your Insta pics and TikTok videos.
“How you like that?”
Photo: Urban Adventurer
The menu is surprisingly extensive, given that the restaurant itself is not that big. There are so many options to choose from. From starters to noodles and soups to rice dishes there are over 70 different dishes on the menu, including vegan, halal, and glute free options.
To wash your throat, you can order Korean alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks.
Ready for your next adventure? Do you love anime and manga? Are you a cosplayer? Uzumaki London is re-opening their new anime-themed restaurant in July, and it’s bigger and more immersive than ever. Tickets for their opening party are still available.
In collaboration with Bravado (Universal Music Group’s merchandise and brand management company), the legendary British rock band, Queen, opened a pop-up store in Carnaby Street to celebrate 5 decades of music.
The 2-story pop-up shop takes visitors on an immersive journey to explore the band’s history over the decades from the 1970s, when Queen was formed, through the 1980s legendary live performances till today.
‘Queen the Greatest’ opened its doors today (28th September 2021) and will be there for the fans to explore and enjoy until January 2022.
To make it even more exciting, the store will change its entire theme each month. Here’s the schedule:
OCTOBER – MUSIC MONTH
Photo: Urban Adventurer
October will be about album and solo releases.
Check the dates of the limited-edition vinyl releases here.
NOVEMBER – ART & DESIGN MONTH
Photo: Urban Adventurer
November will see the store showcasing a lineup of collaborative partners, such the Japanese designer, Tokolo or a limited-edition bear from Steiff.
DECEMBER – MAGIC MONTH
Photo: Urban Adventurer
In December the store will be filled with everything you need for a magical Christmas, from Christmas jumpers and wrapping paper to accessories, such as drinkware, caps and tote bags. If you love Monopoly, you can even ‘tour’ the world with the band with a Queen Monopoly game.
Fashion Collaborations
Photo: Urban Adventurer
The store has introduced new and exciting fashion collections, including exclusive collaboration with Champion, Wrangler and Johnny Hoxton jewellery.
The Champion collection features unisex T-shirts and sweatshirts, while denim pieces adorned with iconic song titles are up for grabs from Wrangler.
Designer Johnny Hoxton exclusive silver and gold jewellery creations are also available in store.
If you purchase an exclusive Freddie Mercury T-shirt, the profit will go to The Mercury Phoenix Trust. The charity was founded by Brian May, Roger Taylor and their manager, Jim Beach in memory of Freddie Mercury to raise awareness and funds for HIV/Aids. The Mercury Phoenix Trust is being supported by such names like Bono, Stephen Fry and Robbie Williams.
Downstairs archive performances and Instagrammable moments are shown along with signed guitars that are available to buy. Other eye-catchy visual installations are set within the store, such as a Queen themed pinball machine, to tell stories about Queen’s legendary 5 decades.
Ready for your next adventure? The Rolling Stones store is just 1-minute walk from Queen’s pop-up store, so why not pop in and pain it black?
Instead of South Bank, Underbelly’s cheeky upside-down purple cow is wobbling its udder at the former Earl’s Court 2 Exhibition Centre this Summer. London Wonderground Festival opened its gates on 15 July and is going to stay till 26 September to entertain us.
Comedy Shows, Modern Circus, Giant Bubbles & Dinosaurs
Photo: Urban Adventurer
London Woderground is free to enter and there is a mix of free and paid events and programs to choose from.
Some of the highlights
360 All Stars: A modern urban circus with BMX riders, acrobats, break dancers and basketball freestylers.
Dinosaur World Live: A roarsome interactive show for the whole family to discover the pre-historic world of dinosaurs.
London Comedy Allstars: A huge line-up of the best comedy talents on every Saturday.
The Coir of Men: Featuring folklore, pub songs, Broadway, classic rock, and sing-alongs The Choir of Man is an “ultimate feel-good show” for all ages.
The Gruffalo, The Witch and The Warthog: A guitar-playing puppet show for the little ones with a touch of magic by Julia Donaldson. The ticket includes a post-show book signing.
Amazing Bubble Man: Spellbinding bubble tricks combined with art, magic, and comedy.
Giant bubbles, square bubbles, bubble volcanos, people inside bubbles and much more presented by the talented Louis Pearl who has been thrilling his audience over 30 years.
‘Austentatious’: Bringing Jane Austine’s lost novels into life by talented improvisers. No two shows are the same.
There are plenty of street food and drink on offer at London Wonderground Festival. Sit down under one of the floral seating areas and enjoy the vibes along with a cold beer and a light meal.
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Or sunbath in the sandy city beach with a cold Summer cocktail in hand while enjoying a live DJ playing the best classic Summer hits.
Info
The festival is open from 15th July – 26th September 2021
The Rolling Stones have opened their first flagship store on the iconic Carnaby Street. Yay!
The news was announced on the 20th August 2020 on all the mayor media from BBC News to The Independent.
Watch the YouTube video premiering the band’s new store. The video was recorded during pandemic, when Carnaby Street was empty.
Missed the grand opening? Watch first-hand videos here.
RS No. 9 Carnaby
The band’s first shop is on Carnaby Street and the location has been chosen for good reason. “Soho has always encapsulated Rock ‘n’ Roll, so Carnaby Street was the perfect spot for our own store.” – explained The Rolling Stones.
The shop showcases the band’s colours of red and black. In the window there is a soundwave installation taken from the opening of the famous song, ‘Pain It Black’ from 1966.
The shop floor features song lyrics and the fitting rooms are decorated with artworks from The Rolling Stones’ most famous albums.
The shop also introduces the band’s official colour ‘Stones Red’, the official red colour from Pantone that first appeared on The Rolling Stones’ tongue & lips logo and have been used since then over decades.
The Stones Fashion
The shop is jointly curated by The Rolling Stones and Bravado. Bravado is the Universal Music Group’s merchandise and brand management company.
The store sells branded men, women and kids’ fashion and accessories, the band’s latest albums and exclusive merchandise available in store only. The selection of merchandise reflects the six-decade career of The Rolling Stones.
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones was formed in 1962 in London and one of the most influential and most successful bands of all time with an estimated record sale of 240 million.
The band has released their new album ‘Goats Head Soup’ this September. The album features an all-new stereo mix of the original 1973 album, as well as three never-heard singles: ‘Scarlet’, ‘All the Rage’ and ‘Criss Cross’.
The Grand Opening
The shop’s grand opening was stylishly on 9/9/2020 at well…not 9am but 11am. A moderately long queue had already been formed when I get there to the shop at 8:30am. Half an hour before the opening the staff went around and gave branded face coverings with The Rolling Stones’ logo. They handed out approx. 50 and I was lucky enough to get my hands on one of them.
Shortly after 11am the security started letting fans into the shop. The amount of people was strictly limited due to Covid_19 but to be honest, I didn’t mind. It was way better spending time in the shop without a suffocating crowd. There were no useless arguments over products, and everyone had a chance to take photos, selfies and make videos without being disturbed by the crowd.
The store is really entertaining and immersing. The walls and the floors are decorated with either lyrics or The Rolling Stones’ famous lips & tongue logo. You can take selfies with one of the giant 3D logos or in one of the cool selfie corners.
On the front wall there are giant screens showcasing famous concert footages and animations while the band’s most famous songs are playing.
I was managed to get a limited-edition red vinyl of the band’s new album, Goat Head Soup.
Here it is in all its glory. Hope, one day I could get it signed.
After shopping I headed to see another giant lips & tongue installation under the Carnaby arch. After being polished, the sculpture was ready to become the backdrop of some promo photo shoots with fans.
It will be there for a while, so why not go Rock ‘n’ Roll and take some cool selfie for your Instagram?
Ready for your next adventure? Have you visited Hard Rock Café? Did you know that it’s the world’s premiere music museum displaying such items like John Lennon’s famous round glasses or Freddie Mercury’s favourite microphone?
Hard Rock Café opened its gates at Piccadilly Circus in 2019. It marks the first Hard Rock location with a fresh modern design and the world’s largest Rock Shop.
Why Does Hard Rock Café Rock?
Hard Rock Café is famous for its collectable fashion and music-related merchandise, but probably it’s most famous for its rock-and-roll memorabilia. The café solicits donations of music memorabilia, but also purchase rare iconic items, costumes and photos on auctions.
Interesting Facts
The first Hard Rock Café was opened in London in 1971 and the founders were only given a 6-months lease, and the landlord didn’t think the restaurant would last 3 mounts
The famous Hard Rock logo was created by the celebrity artist Alan Aldridge, who was best known to work with The Beatles
The first concert in hard Rock Café was held in 1973 and Paul McCartney & Wings performed
The famous signature T-shirt came by an accident. Hard Rock Café sponsored a local football team and the team’s T-shirt featured a simple Hard Rock logo. The extra shirts were brought back to the café and were given to loyal customers. The T-shirts were such a hit that later people flooded to the café to buy a T-shirt
Hard Rock Café is the world’s premiere music museum, displaying such items like John Lennon’s famous round glasses, Freddie Mercury’s favourite microphone or Jimi Hendrix’ personal check book
The Hard Rock Signature Series T-shirt have partnered with Eric Clapton, Ozzy Osborne, Ringo Starr or The Who
Hard Rock Calling has become a must-attend festival in London. The festival has seen such stars on its stage like the Aerosmith, The Police, The Who, Stevie Wonder or Paul Simon just to name a few
The 80,000th piece memorabilia that Hard Rock Café acquired was Elvis Presley’s 24-carat gold piano
The Rock Shop
The Rock Shop at Piccadilly Circus is located on the ground level within a 2-level venue and it’s the largest Rock Shop in the world.
You can find some memorabilia here but wait until you go downstairs to the café!
The Café
The café has an impressive neon entrance with two wide stairs leading downstairs in the more than 1,800 square-metre venue. You really feel like a rock star here.
The café is really a museum and its main focus is on contemporary artists. The walls are covered with memorabilia: John Lennon’s famous round glasses, Lady Gaga’s boots, Jimi Hendrix’ iconic purple trousers and Bono’s suit he wore during his 1992-93 ‘Zoo TV’ tour are all displayed here.
There are items and costumes from David Bowie, The Who, the Beatles, Nicki Minaj, Robbie Williams, Rhianna, Rita Ora, Noel Gallagher, Ed Sheeran, Amy Winehouse and the list goes on.
The Menu
The food menu mainly consists of hamburger and fries. They have an extensive cocktail menu, though. They have classic and non-alcoholic cocktail menu and the best part is, you can bring your cocktail glass home if you pay some extra (you’ll get a brand new clean one at the counter).
Hard Rock Café is definitely a rock star among London cafés. If you’re looking for a jaw-dropping venue, this is the one. You won’t see so many exclusive music memorabilia anywhere else. Watch more videos of Hard Rock Café Piccadilly here.
Ready for your next adventure? Dine at the same spot as The Beatles did.
After spending half of the Summer in lockdown, it’s time to hit the city again.
Here are 11 activities after lockdown you don’t want to miss.
The Little Mermaid Cocktail Experience
Source: pexels
Venue: Secret London Venue
When: Various times on Thursdays-Sundays from September (select date during booking)
Age restriction: 18+ with valid ID
Dress code: Casual but costumes and fancy-dresses are very welcome
Duration: Approx. 90 minutes
Theatrical cocktail experience in a secret London venue transformed into a stunning underwater world.
Deep dive into the world of old fairy tales and let yourself immerse into the mystical world of mermaids. Discover the hidden cave with glimmering pearls and uncover secrets and solve mysteries.
When: Various from 5 July to 31 July 2020 (find schedule here)
Age restriction: Please, check the certification of the movie you want to see
Runtime: Approx. 2 hours
Enjoy a contact-free movie magic on a 40-foot screen. Tons of movies to choose from. From Pixar Animation films to superhero movies to heart-warming timeless classics. All from the comfort of your vehicle. Order your food and drink online and enjoy a delivery service straight to your car.
When: Various dates from 20 July to 9 Nov | MONDAYS ONLY
Time: Start from 6pm
Age restriction: 18+
Dress code: Face paint & neon accessories provided
Duration: Approx. 1 hour
UV lights, reactive body paint and various music will help you to get into the groove at Queen of Hoxton disco room on every Monday. Cool face paint and glowing accessories provided. NO EXPERIENCE necessary.
When: Various dates and times from 4 July to 30 Dec
Duration: Approx. 2 hours
Age restriction: 18+ with valid ID
DUO London’s best bartenders will show you step-by-step how to make 5-star 100% Insta-worthy cocktails. You will make 2 Instagrammable cocktails, 2 of DUO shooters, plus you will receive a welcome drink on your arrival.
If it’s not enough, the best mixologist of the day will take home a small prize.
NOTE: Seating is unreserved. You can find a seat on first come first serve basis.
Celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of the great organist Luis Vierne (1870-1937), St Paul’s Cathedral is featuring six symphonies organ recitals under the Dome of the Cathedral.
Go behind the scenes and explore the design and process of the most innovative sneakers from 3D printed to self-lacing to 100% recyclable. Discover brands and style icons that have shaped sneakers scene such as Nike, Puma or Adidas, and meet the newest releases such as MSCHF Studio’s ‘Jesus Shoes’.
The Dumpling Fest is dedicated to Asian delicacy and will bring 8 stations with local food traders, tons of dumpling samples, a world-class pop up bar and top-notch London DJs. Make sure your tray is always full.
Where: Start at Hackney City Farm and end on Brick Lane
When: Play from Tuesdays to Sundays between 11am to 4pm
Duration: 2-4 hours
NOTE: Smartphone with Internet access needed to play the game
13 riddles are waiting to be solved, each of them are local secret or curious story. As you play, colourful hidden gems will be revealed and wonders of Brick Lane will be explored.
Play in group of up to 5 people or solve all the mysteries on your own.
A night to remember the late Amy Winehouse and her legacy. Enjoy Amy’s heart-touching music from her Frank & Back to Black albums performed with a talented live band.
Who said lockdown has to be boring? You can still be part of something big from your sofa.
Join NASA for a space themed concert or Lady Gaga for a world-shaking virtual event. Find yourself in Lapland watching Aurora Borealis live or lose yourself within the red rocks of Petra in a virtual guided tour.
The best part is: All FREE
One World: Together At Home
globalcitizen.org
#TogetherAtHome
When: 18th April 2020 (you have to sign up to be part of it)
Together At Home is a series of virtual concerts, curated in collaboration with Lady Gaga. It’s aim is to inspire people to stay at home and to support healthcare workers and WHO during these difficult unprecedented times.
Celebrities who take part in:
Andrea Bocelli, Adam Lambert, Alicia Keys, Rita Ora, Samuel L Jackson, Jack Black, Jennifer Lopez, Camila Cabello and the list goes on.
National Symphony Orchestra’s Space-Themed Concert with NASA
pixabay.com
#NASAatHome #Apollo50th #NASA60th
When: Friday, April 24, 2020 at 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM EDT
Participate in National Symphony Orchestra’s space-themed concert. The large-scale concert will be taken place in collaboration with NASA at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Meet (virtually) such stars like will.i.am, Natasha Bedingfield or astronaut Michael Collins.
The concert will include Apollo 50th and NASA 60th celebrations.
Visit the Museo Ferrari
#MuseoFerrari
Museo Ferrari takes visitors on a magnificent journey. Discover the most famous and successful F1 cars, legendary prototypes and GTs, and, the road cars that have set the benchmark for the entire car industry.
Discover every corner of the rose-red city through a narrated online tour. Visit all the destinations on the map and enjoy a 360-degrees view while listening about interesting facts about Petra.
Since you cannot go and visit Churchill’s war rooms these days, the museum goes to your living room. Enjoy an amazing VR experience and explore Churchill’s secret war rooms, he used during WWII. If you have seen The Darkest Hour movie, Churchill’s war rooms will definitely be familiar.
Click “play” button on the button left corner for an automated tour or discover the rooms by yourself using “dollhouse” or “floorplan” mode.
18 gallery rooms and more than hundreds of paintings to be discovered virtually at National Gallery. Use a VR head set and lose yourself in the gallery’s unique collection or simply take 360-degrees VR tour using smartphone, laptop or desktop.
Go behind the scenes and discover why the creatures of Kubo and the Two Strings were a huge challenge for the team, how they designed miniature costumes for the puppets in Box Trolls, how stop-motion technique actually works and learn fascinating little-known facts about Coraline.
Live Streams from Around the World: African Animals, the Maldives, the Northern Lights, Alaska and More
Holiday Pirates collected 21 fab live streams from around the world to keep you entertained during lockdown.
Check a choice of beach in the Maldives, join the elephants in Africa, admire snow covered mountains in Alaska, see how a polar bear family lives in Denmark or lose yourself under the Northern Lights in Canada.
Celebrating a century of cinema, bronze sculptures of iconic film characters have been displayed at Leicester Square, some of which even come to life after dark.
Snap a Selfie with Your Favourite Film Characters
Crunch a Carrot with Bugs Bunny in the flower bed
Watch Mary Poppins landing on the corner of the square
Pose with the nation’s hapless hero: Mr Bean
Have your lunch with Paddington Bear
Sing along and dance in the rain with Gene Kelly
Oh, and don’t forget to snap a selfie with Leicester Square’s permanent resident: Charlie Chaplin
Heroes Come to Life After Dark
Don’t miss any of the iconic movie characters! Check the map here and discover Batman, Laurel and Hardy and Wonder Woman. They’re there somewhere in the square waiting to be discovered.
Make your experience more immersive by clicking on each character on the map on Leicester Square’s official website, you can play official soundtracks related to each film.
The sculptures are free to visit and are going to stay in Leicester Square until 31st July 2020.
BONUS: Hands Prints and Time Capsule at Leicester Square
Have spotted the handprints at Leicester Square at Vue cinema? How about the time capsule sealed by Harrison Ford?
Denzel Washington’s hand print
Helen Mirren’s hand print
John Hurt’s hand print
Judy Dench’s hand print
Kenneth Branagh’s hand print
Time capsule sealed by Harrison Ford in 1993. To be opened in 2093.
Ready for your next adventure? Here’s a little throwback to unforgettable movie premieres taken place in London.
Yoshiki, the Japanese composer, described as one of the most influential musicians and composers in Japanese history, appeared in London to shoot a special video clip at Tower Bridge, yesterday afternoon.
Yoshiki
Among others, Yoshiki has composed the theme song for Golden Globe Awards, theme songs of various Hollywood movies and has performed at Carnegie Hall in New York as well as at Wembley Arena in London in 2017.
In Europe, Yoshiki is best known for composing the third opening song, “Red Swan” for the highly successful anime series: Attack on Titan. Click here to listen to “Red Swan” on Yoshiki’s official YouTube channel.
Live Performance at Tower Bridge
Fans didn’t have much time to prepare themselves. The announcement about Yoshiki’s special video shoot on 22nd June appeared on his social media channels on only two days before.
The performance was announced to start at 3pm on 22nd June at Butler’s Wharf Pier, Shad Thames. By 2pm many of his fans had already been gathering there. I arrived by 1:30pm hoping Yoshiki might arrive earlier giving early fans a chance for a selfie and hand-shake but I had no such luck.
Waiting for Yoshiki at Tower Bridge London
Butler’s Wharf Pier a beautiful and atmospheric hidden passage along River Themes, decorated with giant anchors and ship propellers. The passage gives place to cosy restaurants with a view to Tower Bridge.
The performance started with an hour delay, at around 4pm. On his arrival, Yoshiki looked humbled, modest and collected. He looked happy to be surrounded his fans and gave an amazing and touching performance.
Emotional Moment
Tower Bridge provided the perfect background for Yoshiki’s touching piano play. The most emotional moment was when he experienced the song so deeply during his performance that his outpouring emotions made him cry.
Between two video shoots Yoshiki surprised his fans and performed Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, along with one of his fans sang the song.
Fans from All Over the World
It was an honour to see such a true artist during his performance surrounded with his fans, all from different nations. There were fans from Japan, China, Italy, Poland, Hungary and many other different countries.
The video shooting ended at 5pm. On his way to his car, Yoshiki gave autographs and thanked his fans for being there.
If you want to see videos of Yoshiki’s live performance in London, click here.
Ready for your next adventure?
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