Witches, wizards, and muggles! One of London’s biggest Harry Potter celebrations returns to King’s Cross this September. ‘Back to Hogwarts’will be back with Butterbeer, LEGO Harry Potter giveaways, giant wand spinner and much more!
‘Back to Hogwarts’
Photo: Urban Adventurer
‘Back to Hogwarts’ is a yearly event held at King’s Cross on the 1st September every year to mark the departure of Hogwarts Express from platform 9 ¾.
The event originally began as a small fan gathering before turning into a huge international celebration. Now, Harry Potter fans travel to London from all over the world – many in costumes – to be part of the fun.
This year, the event runs from 1st – 3rd September, starting with the announcement of the train to Hogsmeade at 11am on 1st September. The countdown is followed by a Harry Potter themed tune, ‘Hedwig’s Theme’, by famous composer, John Williams.
During the three-day celebration, fun activities will keep all witches, wizards and muggles entertained. You can try Butterbeer, play Hogwarts Legacy on PlayStation5 (courtesy of Warner Bros. Games), snap magical photos at photo corners and participate in Harry Potter LEGO giveaways.
And that’s not all!
Spin Bloomsbury’s giant wand spinner to find out whose wand best suites to you and grab some free gifts!
To enhance your experience make sure you show up in your best Harry Potter outfit!
Do You Have Everything You Need for the Celebration?
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Do you have everything you need for the ‘Back to Hogwarts’ celebration? House robe, magic wand, spell book, train ticket, your acceptance letter…
London’s best Harry Potter fandom shop, House of Spells offers 10% OFF EVERYTING with the code ‘URBAN’ both in-store and online!
Whether you’re a brave Gryffindor, an ambitious Slytherin, a loyal Hufflepuff or a highly intelligent Ravenclaw, you’ll definitely find everything you need for your first day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Harry Potter Movie Marathons
Cinemas will put Harry Potter movies back on big screens. ODEON will present Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on the 1st September weekend, while Everyman King’s Cross cinema will screen all 8 Harry Potter movies and selected Harry Potter movies nationwide.
Step into the home of the legendary frontman of Queen. Thousands of Freddie Mercury’s personal collection are going under the hammer this September, but before the auction fans of the late legend have the chance to get a glimpse of the over 1,400 items in an exhibition for completely free!
Hand-Written Lyrics, Stage Costumes, Personal Items and His Precious Piano
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Auction house, Sotheby’s have used each of their 15 galleries to showcase over a thousand items from Freddie Mercury’s personal collection, the iconic musician collected for over 50 years.
The collection is carefully categorised. Each room has a different theme laid out thematically.
Being a fan of Japanese art, Freddie had a vast collection of furniture, kimonos, paintings, graphics, ceramics and even a piano with amazing Japanese illustrations on it. Only his closest friends were allowed to see this precious collection. And now, over 30 years of the legend’s death, fans get the privilege, too.
The ground floor is revolving around Mercury’s personal life. Visitors can wander through his dining room, the lounge, the kitchen, and admire ‘crazy little things’, such as his adorable collection of cat statues, and his favourite games he played at home and when on tours, including a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle.
Photo: Urban Adventurer
There are also fan arts and official merchandise related to the Queen’s tours.
Don’t miss Freddie’s signature on a magazine, he gave to one of his fans, named Rita.
Photo: Urban Adventurer
There is an entire room dedicated to the Queen’s golden and platinum albums and Mercury’s iconic crown and red velvet cape he wore on the Magic tour in 1986.
Photo: Urban Adventurer
On the first floor the exhibition showcases Freddie’s on-stage life by displaying his costumes, hand-written lyrics and sketches, his walk-in dressing room, awards he won and his beloved Yamaha G2 Baby Grand Piano. This is the one he composed numerous Queen hits on, including Bohemian Rhapsody.
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Among his on-stage costumes, you can find the iconic black silk velvet jacket worn in the Bohemian Rhapsody promotional video in 1975 as well as a stage-worn red satin silk kimono decorated with fans in the 1976 tour in Tokyo.
You don’t want to miss the famous green door to Mercury’s Garden lodge covered with layers of messages by fans after his death.
Photo: Urban Adventurer
There are never-seen-before original hand-written lyrics of the Queen’s greatest songs on display, including Bohemian Rhapsody, We are the Champions and Don’t Stop Me Now.
There are a lot of other items to marvel at, such as MTV Video Music Award, Brits Award, a huge Wurlitzer jukebox and a bar counter with stools…all going under the hammer in September 2023.
Freddie Mercury loved auctions and he was Sotheby’s regular customer, so “this would be the route he would wanted. He would have found all this a blast.” – said Freddie’s one-time fiancé and long-time friend, Mary Austin about the auction.
Practical Info
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own Exhibition is open every day from 4th Aug – 5th Sept 2023
The exhibition is completely FREE for all | NO booking required
Ready for your next adventure? New exhibition opened at Japan House. WAVE: Currents in Japanese Graphic Artsrepresents 60 well-known and emerging Japanese artists, many of whom heavily inspired by anime and manga.
“A funfair. Exactly like you don’t remember.” Says the website of London’s first adult-only funfair, Fairgame.Prosecco flavoured candyfloss, classic fairground games and boozy slushies. 18+ only.
Located on the riverside of Canary Wharf, London’s first adult funfair, Fairgame is unmissable by a giant yellow inflatable duck floating on the river.
Fairgame brings back your childhood memories at funfairs when you wished the fun would last forever.
Frozen Margarita with edible straw
Photo: Urban Adventurer
The 20,000 sq ft venue features a riverside terrace, three ‘bumper bars’ serving cocktails, craft beer and boozy slushies with edible straw, a number of street food vendors and a candy stand with Prosecco-infused candyfloss and other boozy sweets.
Re-Awake Your Inner Kid
Prosecco-flavoured candyfloss at Fairgame
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Fairgame is an adult only venue. You must be over 18 to enter.
The funfair features all your childhood favourite games with every game hooked up to innovative RFID tech and digital leader boards. This is the funfair, exactly like you don’t remember.
How to play
Games tickets are £15pp (18+)
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Book your tickets online and once you’ve received the confirmation email, follow the link provided to register your team (or you can play solo if you want 👍).
On your arrival, you’ll get your RFID card. Scan the QR code on the back of the card and log in. Now you can track your team scores on your phone.
Your gaming session starts 30 minutes from your arrival. This allows you to have some food and drink or use the cloak room.
You can play all the games twice by simply touching your card on the card reader. You have 75 minutes to play all the games.
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Feel free to order some drink at the bar and bring it to the gaming area. There are handy glass holders at each game to keep your drink safe while you’re playing.
Be as competitive or sociable as you want to be. Finish on the top of the leader board to win a candyfloss or a cute pink one-eyed teddy. 🧸🩷
Friendly members of staff are always at hand if you need any help with the games.
Photo: Urban Adventurer
After finishing your games, you can stay at the food hall or the outdoor terrace for as long as you like.
Perfect Summer day out with friends!
Ready for your next adventure? Breath-taking immersive light show opened in London, called ‘Genesis’. Embark on a journey through time and space and witness the first three day of creation of the Earth.
Inspired by an annual exhibition under the same name in Tokyo and curated by the same curators, Hiro Sugiyama and Takahashi Kintarō, ‘WAVE’exhibition displays artworks from Japan’s most significant graphic artists.
Many of the artists are heavily influenced by anime and manga and well-known for their iconic designs and collaborations with the most famous brands.
WAVE: Currents in Japanese Graphic Arts represents a selection of 60 well-known and emerging Japanese artists.
The artworks displayed in the exhibition include elements of pop art, surrealism, and illustration, representing a variety of styles and artistic backgrounds from artists from their early twenties to their late eighties.
Inspired by Anime/Manga
Kageyama Tōru: Sharaku
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Among the artworks on display, you’ll find many artists heavily inspired by anime and manga, such as Kageyama Tōru who is best known for his book cover designs in Japan. Besides anime and manga his main influence are European and Chinese landscapes, as well as 18th century Japan’s ukiyo-e woodblock print tradition.
Hayakawa Motohiro: X Planet Battles
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Hayakawa Motohiro’s bold and colourful paintings represent vintage sci-fi heroes, aliens and robots in psychedelic, dreamlike landscapes. His illustrations and characters are heavily engaging with comic-style battle scenes.
Terada Katsuya (Untitled)
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Terada Katsuya is an anime and manga artist who designed characters for video games, Japanese animated films and series and worked on some of the most famous American comics: Iron Man and Hellboy.
Artist Oki-chu’s unmissable style is called ‘automatism’ and he is known for his elaborated pen and pencil drawings. His primary influences are the world of anime and manga and video games. This influence is tangible in his artworks.
Japan’s Leading Artists and Illustrators
Tanaami Keiichi: Shōnen Tiger 02, Shonen Oja, Shōnen Tiger 01
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Visitors have the privilege to see original artworks from Japan’s leading illustrators and commercial illustrators.
Tanaami Keiichi is one of Japan’s leading pop artists. He has worked as a graphic designer since 1960s. He is an illustrator, and video artist, showing his artwork in numerous exhibitions in Japan and abroad.
Maki Kahori: Meditative Flower
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Maki Kahori is best known for her incredibly detailed flowers and plants motifs. She has collaborated with the biggest brands, such as Apple and Adobe Systems.
Uno Akira is one of Japan’s leading artists and illustrators, best known for his timeless characters and fantasy scenes.
Yamaguchi Harumi is a leading name in Japanese advertising. She is known for her female character, ‘Harumi Gals’. A glamours, strong, confident, and active female figure free from traditional feminine roles.
Hanai Yusuke’s name might be familiar to many of us by his collaboration with Vans. Hanai is influenced by beatnik, hippie and surf culture. In his artworks, he depicts an adventurous, wanderlust lifestyle.
Ichijō Hikaru: Twins
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Ichijō Hikaru, influenced by print technology and designs bold images of athletic female figures. She has collaborated with Nike and Calbee.
Book cover design by tupera tupera
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Tupera Tupera, a designer team of husband and wife, have created some of Japan’s most popular children’s books, including ‘Shirokuma no pantsu’ (Polar Bear’s Underpants).
The book is available to purchase in the shop of Japan House.
‘Heta-Uma’ – Ugly but Beautiful
Yumura Teruhiko: GONZO’S Underground Mix Vol.7
Photo: Urban Adventurer
‘Heta-Uma’ movement (translated as ‘bad but good’) also represents itself at ‘WAVE’. ‘Heta-Uma’ movement emerged in the 1970s thanks to a manga magazine, called GARO. ‘Heta-Uma’ challenges our perspective of what is ‘ugly’ and what is ‘beautiful’. It asks the question: can something that is considered to be ugly, be beautiful at the same time?
Make Your Own WAVE Badge Workshop
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A fun badge-making workshop is connected to the exhibition where you can choose from a number of ready-made badge designs based on the 60 different artworks featured in the exhibition or use your creativity and create your own.
‘Heta-Uma’ Colour-Changing Cocktail inspired by WAVE Exhibition at AKIRA Restaurant
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Make sure you visit AKIRA Restaurant upstairs for amazing bento boxes and try the new exhibition-inspired colour-changing cocktail: ‘Heta-Uma’
‘Heta-Uma’ Cocktail
Orange-infused shōchū, sake, star anise, and blue curaçao are shaken over ice, before being poured into glass filled with ice and lined with grenadine. Next, lichee and yuzu juice added to the blend to form a white cloud in your glass. Finally, the cocktail is garnished with a raspberry soaked in absinthe and set light in front of your eyes.
Mix the cocktail well to see it changes colour from dreamy blue to vivid orange.
Bento Box at AKIRA Restaurant – Japan House
Photo: Urban Adventurer
TIP: From Tue – Fri AKIRA Restaurant offers £10 OFF* their signature bento boxes at lunchtime. *Online booking only.
‘Genesis’ is a 30-minute immersive journey through time and space for visitors to witness the creation of the world.
Architecture and cutting-edge technology have been brought together for the perfect composition of sound, light and video to create an ethereal atmosphere.
The Swiss Church has been carefully measured and calculated from the ceiling to the pillars to bring a mesmerising spectacle to life.
Light, Sky, Water & Earth and Nature
Photo: Urban Adventurer
The breath-taking journey that represents the first three days creation, guides you through the elements of light, sky, water & earth, and nature.
On the first day, light was separated from darkness. The light is called ‘day’ and the darkness is called ‘night’.
On the second day, vastness was created to separate water. This expanse is called ‘sky.’
On the third day, dry soil was formed in which water was collected. The dry ground is called ‘land’ and the water is called ‘sea.’
On the same day, plants and trees were formed giving beautiful bright colours to the Earth.
The experience opened on 28th July and will end on 22nd October 2023.
Ready for your next adventure? Don’t miss on the monumental Mars installation by Luke Jerram this Summer! As part of Kensington and Chelsea Festival from 1st July – 31st August, the breath-taking installation of Mars: War & Peace will be displayed at three different locations and completely free to visit. Just book your time slot on Eventbrite.
London is full of magical places to visit – just think of filming locations, such as 9 ¾ at Kings Cross Station, Leadenhall Market or London Zoo. However, if you want to take home some muggle memento from your trip, House of Spells is a must-visit for all Harry Potter fans!
Urban Adventurer has teamed up with House of Spells and offer a 10% DISCOUNT on ALL products – online and in-store (just whisper the code to the cashier when paying 🤫) – if you use the secret code: ‘URBAN’
House of Spells is London’s best fandom-themed shop with a massive range of Harry Potter related products.
There are separate sections dedicated to each Hogwarts Houses: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.
The selection of merch, collectables, magic wands, and accessories are insane! No matter which house or character is your favourite or what size your budget is, you’ll definitely find something you want to take home with you.
Photos: Urban Adventurer
There are whole sections dedicated to Harry’s owl, Hedwig, our favourite house elf, Doby, and platform 9 ¾!
There is a full range of magic wands of all the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts characters from Harry to Dumbledore to Grindelwald.
Happee Birthdae Harry
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Harry’s birthday is on the corner (31st July) and it couldn’t be celebrated better than going for a round trip in London, visiting all the iconic filming locations and end the day at London’s most magical shop.
To help you make the most out of your day, make sure you use the secret code: ‘URBAN’ when shopping (either online or in-store) to get a 10% DISCOUNT.
Is House of Spells for Harry Potter Fans Only?
Photos: Urban Adventurer
House of Spells is a two-story house of adventure to the magical universe of the greatest franchises. They have sections dedicated to Game of Thrones, Stranger Things, Lord of the Rings, Gothic items, and a huge area revolving around Vikings!
Put your claws on a life-size dragon egg, wield a sword like a Viking or go Upside Down while sipping your fav tea from a Demogorgon mug.
Photos: Urban Adventurer
The varieties of goods and merch are endless!
Do you have a sweet tooth?
Sink your teeth into one of the enchanted Wizards chocolate bars (lots of flavours available), try a chocolate frog (don’t let it hop out of the window!) or sip a magical potion (shake the bottle gently to see the magic).
And they don’t stop there.
Anime fans, keep reading!
Photos: Urban Adventurer
House of Spells now have an amazing range of anime merch from the most popular anime series. Think of Naruto, One Piece, My Hero Academia, Death Note or Attack on Titan.
From water bottles to mugs to figurines and collectables, you’ll surely find something to fall in love with.
Oh, and don’t forget to snap some photos for your Insta because House of Spells is truly an Insta heaven. 📸
Ready for your next adventure? Just a 5-min walk from House of Spells, ‘Scenes in the Square’ (Leicester Square) features a range of bronze sculptures of the most iconic movie characters from the past 100 years. Mr Bean, Paddington Bear, Wonder Woman and the latest addition, Indiana Jones, just to name a few. Can you find them all?
Famous UK artist, Luke Jerram’s newest monumental installation, Mars: War & Peace is now on display at St John the Baptist Church and is completely free to visit.
Mars: War & Peace installation is 7 metres in diameter and is a 1:1 million-scale sculpture. This means, each centimetre on the spherical sculpture represents 10 kilometres of the surface of the Red Planet.
The artwork is a 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the surface of the Mars transporting visitors to discover deserted wastelands, craters, volcanos, and valleys in a perfect detail.
[Photos: Urban Adventurer]
Ready for your next adventure? Lewis Carroll inspired restaurant opened at Waterloo Station. The Rosariumis inspired by English Victorian gardens and serve classic British food with a Wonderland twist.
Hi Barbie! Barbie movie is finally released and what could be a better way to celebrate it than grabbing a delicious pretty in pink dessert before or after the movie?
Celebrating the launch of the Barbie movie in cinemas on 21st July, Fully Loaded offers a limited-edition Barbie-themed bubble waffle and milkshake combo for just £10.
The Barbie waffle comes with strawberry gelato and fresh cream, garnished with hot pink chocolate heart and baby pink candy balls, finished with glittery Barbie-themed decoration and edible pink glitter dust.
Photo: Urban Adventurer
The Barbie milkshake comes in strawberry flavour, cream on top, garnished with pink sugar powder and candy balls, finished with Barbie-themed decoration and edible pink glitter dust.
Both the bubble waffle and the milkshake are customisable. You can either ask them to be prepared as they are in the photo or choose another flavour and add or change toppings.
Located at Wood Green Shopping Mall, Fully Loaded – an unmissable pretty kiosk on the ground floor – serve freshly made-to-order bubble waffles loaded with the most delicious ice creams and toppings.
The waffles are not just delicious but super Insta-worthy too and there are tons of different flavours to choose from. If you can’t find what you’re craving for, you can customise your waffle by selecting 3 toppings at no extra charge!
Besides bubble waffle, Fully Loaded serves delicious (and pretty) milk shakes, fruit blasts, iced coffee, and even virgin Mojito. Perfect for the Summer.
Ready for your next adventure? Did you know that there’s a café in London dedicated to avocado? Think of classic avocado toast, avocado smoothies, avo soft serve and even cocktails (yes, avocado cocktails)! Avobar is located in the heart of Covent Garden.
Following a three-year renovation process, former Museum of Childhood has reopened to the public as Young V&A Museum where kids can spark their creativity, imagine, play, and design.
Museum of Childhood closed its doors three years ago to undergo a full makeover. From dusty mausoleum of old toys dedicated to bring back childhood memories of parents and grandparents, the museum now has turned into an interactive place for children from 0-14 to stimulate creativity and curiosity.
Young V&A Museum reopened to the public on the 1 July 2023 after a £13 million transformation project. The building has been fully refurbished and modernised, and returned with complete new spaces for different age groups where they can play, design and enjoy interactive displays and participate in workshops.
The motto of Young V&A now is: “Do touch!”
Imagine, Play and Design
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Young V&A has three galleries, each designed to different age groups: Play, Imagine and Design.
The museum is designed with children in mind actively involving children and young people in the designing project. The aim is to foster future generation of artists, innovators, and entrepreneurs by creating a space full of creativity to let imagination free flow.
Play
‘Play’ gallery is aimed at 0-5-year-olds with low-level objects and textural landscape, where the youngest can experience a sensory journey with sparkly, furry, shiny, bumpy, and fuzzy surfaces.
There are tunnels and fun spaces with interactive games to play and to explore.
Imagine
‘Imagine’ gallery is aimed at 5-11-year-olds and it’s all about story telling. There is a mini theatre room with crimson carpet, and a dressing-up wardrobe for kids to encourage them to perform alongside clips being played.
There is a place for shadow puppetry and a doll’s house section where kids can walk between the houses of different heights, some which with interactive elements.
There is also a magical living room that creates optical illusion. Here visitors can become giants or dwarves depending on which side of the floor they’re standing.
Design
Upstairs there is the ‘Design’ gallery dedicated to 11-14-year-olds. This gallery enables kids to unleash their creativity through design. Models, prototypes, tools, and products are on display, and children can design their own objects in the design lab using digital and physical tools.
Temporary Exhibitions at Young V&A Museum
Photo: Urban Adventurer
There is also a new separate gallery for temporary exhibitions. Young V&A Museum’s first temporary exhibition: ‘Japan: Myths to Manga’ is opening this October. The exhibition will bring you for an exciting journey to Japan’s history, its unique landscape, and folklore and explore how these influenced Japanese culture, technology, and design.
This exhibition will be displaying Studio Ghibli and Pokémon related items!
Tickets to ‘Japan: Myths to Manga’ exhibition will be available soon on Young V&A Museum’s website.
Young V&A Museum is open every day and is FREE to visit (except temporary exhibitions).
NO booking required.
Ready for your next adventure? If you’re a fan of K-pop and Korean pop culture, this one is for you. Famous Korean selfie photo booth, Life4Cuts has three different locations in London. Grab your bestie or your significant other and tell your story in four cuts!
Last year, British fashion designer, Anya Hindmarch decided to come up with the weirdest ice cream flavours and launched the ‘The Ice Cream Project’. It was an instant hit and soon became a social media sensation. So, it simply had to come back this year with more wild flavours.
Now, you probably wonder, where the idea came from…
Well, the inspiration lies behind the previous release of Anya Hindmarch’s playful collection from last year. The ice cream and gelato flavours reflected the brand’s accessories collection, including ketchup charm or the glittery baked beans tote bag.
And what was the inspiration this year? Flavours that “typically found in the pantry rather than the freezer.”
Send Your Tastebuds to an Unexpected Adventure
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Tucked away in Pond Street in Chelsea, you’ll find a small pop-up shop, just right next to Anya Café. The windows are full of weird-flavoured ice cream tubs, such as Heinz Tomato Ketchup, Birds Eye Petits Pois, or Kikkoman Soy Sauce, just to name a few; and you’ll most likely find an endless queue waiting to get the opportunity to taste them.
There is an important thing here, though. The idea here was not to produce disgusting flavours, nobody likes. Instead, the idea was to create delicious ice creams, no matter how weird they sound.
Photo: Urban Adventurer
So, when I was there, I wanted to try the one I thought was the weirdest of all. That was Kikkoman Soy Sauce. I won’t lie to you, I had to swallow a small amount of disgust while lifting the spoon to my lips at the first time (haha).
And how I liked it…well, it wasn’t bad at all! Actually, it was surprisingly good! I’m thinking of going back for another scoop of…maybe Blue Dragon Original Sweet Chilli flavour or a Kellogg’s Coco Pops flavour.
If you – like me – constantly on the hunt for the weird and out of the ordinary, ‘The Ice Cream Project’ is definitely something you have to do this Summer.
Ready for your next adventure? Wes Anderson: Asteroid City Exhibition has been extended till 30th July! If you haven’t got the chance to visit it, this is your opportunity.
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