Calendar

Our roundup of fun and inspiring events, exhibitions and activities to check out

WORDS: LAURA SUTHERLAND

Putting on the glitz

NOW

If you want to indulge your hardworking teen in a bit of grownup refinement as a break from coursework and cramming, treating them to afternoon tea at The Ritz before exam season starts is perhaps one of the classiest ways to do it. From the formal dress code and choice of 18 teas to the house pianist, the hotel’s lavish original Ballroom couldn’t be a more inviting destination for a delicious spread of unlimited sandwiches and scones. However, the showstoppers here are the pastries, from sweet macarons to lightas-air choux buns. And as if that wasn’t enough, guests are welcome to hail the passing dessert trolley down for individual by-the-slice delights.

theritzlondon.com

The gilded age

24 – 28 MAY

Northern Ballet production company’s blockbuster rendition of Great Gatsby returns to the national circuit for Spring 2022, arriving at Milton Keynes Theatre after debuting in Edinburgh. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic American novel is brought to life as dancers glide across the floor in Chanel-inspired costumes to a cinematic score by Sir Richard Rodney Bennett CBE. Allow yourself to be swept away by balletic grace and Jazz Age opulence as you watch Jay and Daisy’s doomed romance implode.

northernballet.com

Invincible Vincent

NOW – 17 JULY

Immersive, multisensory and ground-breaking, the internationally renowned Van Gogh Alive: The Experience has arrived in Edinburgh for its residency in a purpose-built venue at Festival Square. Prepare to be dazzled by Starry Starry Night, soak up Sunflowers and refreshed by Almond Blossom’s beauty. A truly new way for young art bu s to experience iconic masterpieces.

vangoghaliveuk.com

SIMON HADLEY In harmony

6 – 8 MAY

If your family’s music taste is eclectic, then a visit to the three-day Dart Music Festival may be in order. With the motto ‘music for all’, the Dartmouth event is set to host more than 100 performances across a variety of genres, from orchestral to rock and everything in between. Taking place in an array of the town’s hotspots, including the Old Market Square, Bayards Cove Fort and The Guildhall. Head over to the website now to check out the extensive lineup.

dartmusicfestival.co.uk

Acting up

UNTIL 30 APRIL

Bringing all of Jane Austen’s sharp observation and wit to the stage, Je James and James Yeatman’s adaptation of classic Regency novel Persuasion – which is enjoying a run at Alexandra Palace in partnership with Oxford Playhouse – is a perfect reinterpretation to both entertain and inspire bookworms. It’s out with the bonnets and in with a foam party and 21st century soundtrack of Dua Lipa and Frank Ocean as Anna is forced to confront her past when the once penniless Wentworth returns as a rich and successful captain. Will he forgive her for rejecting his engagement eight years ago?

alexandrapalace.com

Out of this world

UNTIL 8 MAY

After almost two years of travel restrictions, Winchester Science Centre and Planetarium invites families on an adventure through the solar system this spring. Presenterled live show Atmospheres takes audiences on a voyage of discovery through the atmospheres of other planets, before returning to Earth to explore how the rising sea levels will a ect life here. winchestersciencecentre.org

Top of the pops

20 MAY

Following November’s sell-out show, Radio City Hits Live 2022 returns to Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena for another night of chart-topping tunes. While the final lineup is yet to be confirmed, last year’s roll call included Ed Sheeran, Joel Corry, The Script and Becky Hill, so expect to see all of the biggest names on stage. mandsbankarena.com

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Final reflections

UNTIL 12 JUNE

If the complications of the past year put paid to your teen’s cultural consumption, fear not! The Tate Modern’s most Instagram-friendly installation, Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirror Rooms is still on, with tickets currently still available for April and May. Don’t miss the last chance to catch this spectacular exhibition from one of the world’s most celebrated living artists. tate.org.uk

Save the planet

UNTIL 19 JUNE

Greta Thunberg step aside, because Design Exhibition Scotland has brought the country’s most innovative designers together to share their sustainable solutions to overconsumption and material waste! Be amazed by the ingenious secondary uses for everything from spent grain to construction waste at the Design for Our Times exhibition at V&A Dundee, where visitors are welcomed to join the ecological discussion.

vam.ac.uk/dundee

COURTESY OF GUCCI

Tailor made

UNTIL 6 NOVEMBER

Dedicated followers of fashion will want to make a bee line for the V&A’s new exhibition, Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear. Partnered with Gucci, it showcases garments by the fashion house’s director Alessandro Michele, alongside pieces by contemporary designers such as Wales Bonner, Harris Reed and Orange Culture to present a celebration of the unprecedented creativity of menswear design and exploration of constructed and performed gender. vam.ac.uk