City Life Festival

City Life will celebrate cities as sites of connectivity and creativity, where people, industries and ideas collide and new possibilities are generated.

Running throughout October, the festival will explore the relationship between urban spaces, communities and identities and champion London as a place of inclusivity and diversity through a mix of supper clubs, creative workshops, screenings, performances and discussions.

Tuesday 2 October: Museum of Londoners: Lily Cole x Rohan Silva (Museum of London)

Actor and entrepreneur Lily Cole talks to Second Home co-founder Rohan Silva about life in London, the importance of 'belonging' and the ever-changing face of our city.

Thursday 4 October: Municipal Dreams (Holland Park)

Historian John Boughton takes us on a tour of some of the best and most remarkable British housing estates, revealing their complex stories and the inspiring ideologies of those who created them.

Sunday 7 October: Sheffield Doc Fest presents: The Changing Face of London (Spitalfields)

Four film salons exploring the connections of place, politics and culture in London from 1960s to the present day through world-class documentaries.

Tuesday 9 October: Soho Record Stores (Libreria)

Music historian Bill Brewster and his guests recall the heyday of the record store, when vinyl was the only game in town and Soho was the central meeting place for scenesters of all stripes.

Wednesday 10 October: Forgotten Women (Spitalfields)

UK Broadly Editor Zing Tsjeng is joined by writers Sharlene Teo and Daisy Johnson for an evening of reading, discussion and storytelling.

Thursday 11 October: Voices of London Showcase (Holland Park)

We shine a light on the city's poets writing (and navigating) racial and cultural identity politics in London. Their works explore family, heritage, the community they live in, and the people they work with.

Saturday 13 & Sunday 14 October: Bass in the City Weekend (Spitalfields)

A weekend celebrating the influence of Caribbean culture on life in London featuring screenings, discussions, food, drinks, creative workshops and music from Reggae Roast sound system.

Tuesday 16 October: Kamal Ahmed – A Very British Man (Spitalfields)

Journalist Kamal Ahmed and Second Home co-founder Rohan Silva discuss Kamal’s book The Life and Times of a very British Man, which tells his story of growing up in 1970s Britain as one of the first generation of mixed race British children.

Saturday 20 October: The Collective City (Spitalfields)

How the future city will be greater than the sum of its parts – a one-day exploration of the power of collective consciousness, feeling, intelligence and action.

Thursday 25 October: Fashioning London (Holland Park)

Fashion historian Amber Butchart, trend consultant Katie Baron and writer John-Michael O’Sullivan discuss the city's eclectic fashion past, present and future.

Saturday 27 October: STANCE presents: Heartbreak in London (Libreria)

What does Heartbreak mean to you? Join award-winning arts and current affairs podcast, Stance as they present a fresh culture-filled look at Heartbreak in London.