CULTURAL CALENDAR

CULTURE

PHOTO: © JOHAN PERSSON Sweet Dreams

This sleepy tale will have you wide awake. Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty returns to Sadler’s Wells to celebrate its 10th anniversary and enchant new and old audiences alike. Tchaikovsky’s brilliant score sets the backdrop for this tale told anew... Enter Princess Aurora’s world of faeries, vampires and supernatural love. 29 Nov to 15 Jan 2023, sadlerswells.com

THE CULTURAL CALENDAR

Brave the winter weather for these cosy events, says Tessa Dunthorne

JOIN US FOR JOURNEY TO ZERO

In association with Skydiamond, C&TH is hosting a sparkling evening, dedicated to how luxury and sustainability should be one and the same. With guests including Anya Hindmarch, George Lamb and Arizona Muse (pictured), this is not one to miss. 29 Nov, tickets £75. countryandtownhouse.com/culture/journey-to-zero

CHRISTMAS CAROLS

Glyndebourne Opera presents world-class yuletide music this

December with the return of its charming Christmas concerts. From familyfavourite operas to rousing carols, it promises to be a heartwarming festive showstopper. 10-11

December, glyndebourne.com

A CORNISH CHRISTMAS

Explore the Padstow Christmas Festival and its vast array of food, crafts and stocking fillers, with hosts Rick Stein, Nathan Outlaw and Paul Ainsworth all providing foodie demonstrations, too. 1-4 Dec, padstowchristmasfestival.co.uk

CAPTURING AN ERA

Lee Miller’s exceptional archive of photographs, on show at Newlands House until January, explore the wartime correspondent’s life, including her longtime friendship with Picasso. Until 8 January, newlandshouse.gallery

A JEWEL IN THE NORTH

Boodles heads home to Liverpool to celebrate its 225th birthday this winter. The exhibition, taking place in the city’s museum, traces its growth from small family jeweller to dazzling Bond Street brand. Until March 2023, liverpoolmuseums.org

TWINKLE IN YOUR EYES

Stuck on gift ideas? See p123 – but if you’re still looking for inspo Design Centre Chelsea Harbour is transforming into a luxury shopping experience this Christmas ,featuring snazzy showrooms and festive manicures. 1-3 Dec, dcch.co.uk.

Vanessa Haynes on stage at Cadogan Hall during the 2020 jazz festival The Critical LIST Big releases for winter

THE C&TH GUIDE TO THE… EFG LONDON JAZZ FESTIVAL

The capital gets groovy from 11-20 November 2022

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the London Jazz Festival and, boy, are we in for a treat. The event’s electrifying line-up will range from global stars, special collaborations and new commissions, to the freshest new music and up-and-coming names from around the UK.

TURN UP...

The capital’s largest pan-city event, London Jazz Festival 2022 is held across venues large and small, classic and quirky. Catch UK electronica star Bonobo DJing at Printworks (19 November), or five-time Grammy Awardwinning superstar Dianne Reeves live at Cadogan Hall (12 November). Or venture down into the crypt of St Giles church in Camberwell, to find out what happens when jazz harp meets rap (11 November).

TUNE IN...

The jazz genre encompasses an eclectic range of styles, instruments and voices, meaning there’s always something new to discover during the festival. Catch the LSO Percussion Ensemble and composer-cellist-singer Ayanna Witter-Johnson in concert at LSO St Luke’s on Old Street (12 November) or watch the BBC Concert Orchestra come together with the Marcin Wasilewski Trio to pay tribute to great Polish jazz trumpeter Tomasz Stan´ko (16 November).

Theon Cross performs in 2019

JAM OUT...

Jazz was born out of a thirst for musical innovation and experimentation. With that in mind, London Jazz Festival has several ways to get involved and get inspired, from a Cuban salsa dancing workshop (20 November), to a class learning traditional African dance moves with French Nana at the Southbank Centre (12 November).

You can also tap your toe along to performance group Kinetika Bloco’s team of over 50 young people performing a varied set on samba drums, steel pans, brass and woodwind, all in carnival costumes accompanied by dancers (18 November).

Olivia Colman hands down the baton to Imelda Staunton, who takes on the role of the late Queen Elizabeth II in the long-awaited fifth season of The Crown, set in the turbulent Nineties. 9 November, netflix.com

TV

Stormzy drops his highly anticipated third studio album on 25 November, his first in three years. The grime superstar retreated to Osea Island in Essex to record This Is What I Mean, in an experience the musician has described as ‘beautifully free’.

MUSIC

Daniel Craig returns as private detective Benoit Blanc in the second Knives Out film, starring alongside Kate Hudson and Dave Bautista in a new whodunnit story set on a private Greek island. 23 December, netflix.com FILM

After a 16-year hiatus, Cormac McCarthy is making his comeback – with not one but two new novels about madness and morality. Following The Passenger is its companion book, Stella Maris, published on 6 December. (Pan Macmillan, £20)

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PREVIEW

Combat dark winter nights at one of the glowing light shows taking place this season, says Ellie Smith

Every winter, the UK sparkles with light festivals aplenty across the countryside. Taking place across parks and in the grounds of historic houses, they feature a glittering combination of illuminated trails, laser shows and interactive displays – and seem to get even more dazzling each year.

Perhaps the most famous is Kew Gardens’ Christmas At Kew, now a firm favourite on the winter calendar, with sparkling tunnels of light, dancing lakeside reflections, and trees drenched in jewel colours (16 November to 8 January 23, kew.org).

An equally beautiful display takes place at Kew’s sister venue, Wakehurst, in the heart of Sussex, with its Glow Wild extravaganza. Here, the show sees the botanical garden’s wild woodlands coming alive with a glistening trail of handcrafted lanterns, light installations and projections, with this year’s theme being colour, and the role it plays in our everyday lives (24 November to 1 January 23, kew.org/wakehurst).

Over in Cheshire, historic estate Dunham Massey’s winter spectacle returns for its sixth year. Enter beside giant glittering deer, wander beneath tree canopies, and stroll beside colour-changing lakeside reflections – then pause for a moment of quiet reflection in the crystal and fire garden, aglow with hundreds of flickering flames (18 November to 2 January 23, nationaltrust.org.uk).

Always a highlight, too, is the trail at Waddeson Manor in Buckinghamshire. As the sun goes down, the 19th-century Manor’s handsome façade is illuminated with dancing lights to sequenced music, and visitors are invited to stroll around the Pleasure Gardens under the stars. All this, plus handmade mince pies and mulled wine. What’s not to love? (12 November to 2 January 23, waddesdon.org.uk)

Glow Wild at Wakehurst in Sussex

MY Cultural Life

Downton’s Jessica Findlay Brown is binge watching the Kardashians

I’m tuning into… Bad Sisters and Minx. What I’m reading… Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason (Orion, £8.99). The last thing I watched was… Lena Dunham’s Catherine Called Birdy. Wow. What I’m most looking forward to seeing… My husband’s face when he becomes a father. Favourite painting… Combing the Hair by Degas is a favourite that I always go to find at the National Gallery – I also love Far from the Beaten Path by Dan Hollings. Favourite film of all time… It depends what time of year it is, right now it’s back to When Harry Met Sally. The ultimate autumn movie. Band/singer I always have on repeat… Laura Marling and Neil Young. My ultimate cultural recommendation… Walk everywhere, you might stumble upon a diamond of a spot. Hidden gallery, tiny restaurant, a quiet square, music. Or an old friend. Cultural guilty pleasure… The Kardashians, Love Island, re-runs of The Hills, Any reality TV. I love it! What’s next for me is... A spot of child labour, then I’m going back to the First World War – and learning how to play football.