From photography and fashion to Halloween ghost tours, here are the best of this month's events from in and around London.
Photomonth – from 1 Oct
Celebrating the art of photography, Photomonth is taking place across galleries and a number of other venues in East London, demonstrating and applauding diversity in contemporary photography.
Photomonth has been running for an impressive 15 years, and provides excellent opportunities for up-and-coming photographers to get their images into exhibitions alongside the work of more renowned artists.
Featuring the Dalston Street Show, the Photoblock at the Old Truman Brewery and many more, the programme also has talks, workshops and seminars, encouraging everyone to engage in photography and the world around them. Entry to many of the exhibitions and activities is free.
London Literature Festival – 5 – 16 Oct
Now celebrating its tenth year, the 2016 London Literature Festival explores the theme of ‘Living in Future Times’ and the ways in which writers can show us better worlds to come, with a heavy focus on science fiction.
Ticketed events include the HG Wells Time Machine reading with Christopher Eccleston and a live discussion with Louis Theroux regarding his first theatrical documentary, My Scientology Movie. Tickets to these events can be purchased from the festival website – if you’re interested, act fast, as popular events are already selling out.
There are also a number of unticketed events taking place in Royal Festival Hall’s Clore Ballroom and Poetry Library, with talks, family events and poetry readings all free of charge.
BFI London Film Festival – 5 - 16 Oct
Returning for its 60th anniversary, the British Film Institute (BFI) London Film Festival will run over 12 days, presenting the best of this year’s hard-hitting documentaries, dramas and more, with almost 250 different features in total.
This year, the festival is opening in Odeon Leicester Square with Amma Asante’s A United Kingdom, a powerful love story about the King of Bechuanaland marrying a London office worker despite strong opposition from the government and their families. Other films showing at the festival include Free Fire, Lion and The Birth of a Nation.
You can purchase tickets to a wide variety of events at the festival, including the headline galas, competitions and special presentations. Price start at £6.50.
Picasso Portraits – from 6 Oct
Running until early 2017, Trafalgar Square’s National Portrait Gallery is hosting Picasso Portraits in association with the Museu Picasso in Barcelona. Sponsored by Goldman Sachs, the exhibition will provide a temporary home to over 75 of Picasso's portraits, combining his ealier and later works.
Many pieces in the exhibition have been generously loaned by places such as the Art Institute of Chicago, Centre Pompidou, and The Museum of Modern Art, New York, including some which have never before been on show in the UK.
The exhibition opens at 10am daily, closing at 8pm on Thursdays and Fridays, and 5pm every other day of the week. Standard tickets cost £17, with concessions receiving a £1.50 discount with valid ID. The first 100 tickets will be sold for £5 every Friday. You can book tickets online via the National Portrait Gallery website.
The Vulgar: Fashion Redefined – from 13 Oct
Curated by Judith Clarke and Adam Philips, The Vulgar: Fashion Redefined is an exhibition which takes a close look at the evolution of vulgarity in fashion, and how our perceptions of vulgarity have changed over the years.
Showcasing more than 120 items, the garments and outfits on display have been carefully selected from public and private collections. There are some recognisable names, with Lanvin, Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton all featured.
The Vulgar will run at the Barbican Art Gallery until early February. Tickets cost £14.50, or £10 for those with a valid student ID, and can be booked via the Barbican website.
Hampton Court Palace Ghost Tours – from 31 Oct
From October 31 until late February, Hampton Court Palace are running dedicated ghost tours, giving you the exciting opportunity to hear all about the paranormal activity that has taken place with the palace’s walls.
There are three ghosts said to wander the corridors of the magnificent building, once owned by Henry VIII: Catherine Howard (one of the King’s ex-wives), Dame Sybil Penn and ‘Skeletor’, an unknown ghost caught on Hampton Court’s CCTV.
With the tours starting (appropriately) on Halloween, they will take place twice a day on Saturdays and Sundays over the next few months. Tickets cost £27.50 and the tours last approximately two hours. On Halloween itself, you can opt for a special late night tour which will run from 10.30pm until 12.30am. Tickets for the Halloween special are priced at £35.