5 events in Holborn this week. Discover gigs, comedy, workshops, markets, and more with TownSpot.

What's On in Holborn | Things To Do | TownSpot

Ensemble Échappée’s debut Conway Hall programme explores the theme of “sweet dissonance”, something we experience in life as well as music. Framing the programme are Webern’s fleeting Bagatelles, which were described by his teacher Arnold Schoenberg as “a novel in a single gesture, joy in a single breath”. Heard in this context, the sunny melodies of Mozart’s famed “Dissonance” Quartet—so named for a single shocking note—reveal deeper layers of poignancy. The programme reaches peak indulgence in the fin-de-siècle romanticism of Fritz Kreisler’s rarely heard String Quartet. Mozart, Kreisler, and Webern all use dissonance to communicate complex human feelings—but perhaps opening our ears to dissonance in music can even reveal insights into how we understand friction in our everyday human interactions, conversations, and relationships. PROGRAMME: 6.30pm Mozart | Quartet in C ‘Dissonance’ K465 Webern | Six Bagatelles Op.9 Kreisler | Quartet in A minor

Sunday Concerts: Ensemble Échappée

Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL, UK

Hekayyatna presents a supper club with Chef Seif El Sobky at the Egypt Exploration Society. 

An intimate dinner at the EES building in which ancient and contemporary Egyptian cuisine share a table. Chef Seif El Sobky will serve dishes inspired by ancient Egyptian food traditions, drawing on historical and archaeological research to reconstruct flavours that predate the modern era. Each course is accompanied by a Hekayyatna storytelling thread that connects the food on the plate to its history, geography, and culture.

From the Nile to the Table

The Egypt Exploration Society, 3 Doughty Mews, London WC1N 2PG, UK

“Superman! Champion of the oppressed. The physical marvel who had sworn to devote his existence to helping those in need.” Superheroes were born in the 1930s, a time of great poverty and social unease. Social justice are at their roots – from Superman fighting slum landlords, racists and nazis to the every-mutant outsiders of the X-Men. Superheroes have been saving the world for nearly ninety-years. Join us for a conversation on superheroes, ethics, identity (secret or otherwise) and social justice with comedian, writer, presenter and mental health activist Juliette Burton and freelance journalist, author and academic specialising in Film & Comics Danny Graydon, founder of The Superhero Project. Juliette Burton is an award-winning comedian, writer, presenter, mental health activist and journalist. She is an ambassador for mental health charity ReThink Mental Illness, regular writer for research charity MQ Mental Health and close supporter of Chasing the Stigma, MindOut, Mermaids, Black

Ethical Matters: Can Superheroes Save the World?

Hekayyatna presents a Photography Exhibition centring Egyptian workers. Available to browse during in-person events or Thursday afternoon drop-in sessions throughout June 2026.

Running across the walls of the EES building for the full month, Behind the Scenes is a group photography exhibition that centres the Egyptian workers whose labour has sustained the archaeology and tourism industries, and whose stories have rarely made it into the archive. Contemporary photographs submitted by Egyptian diaspora photographers through an open call are shown in direct dialogue with historical images from the EES's own photographic archive: excavation photographs, field portraits, and documentary images spanning the society's 140-year history. Curated by Egyptian photographer and anthropologist Halima Ibrahim (University of Oxford), the exhibition highlights the hidden hands of the Egyptology industry.

Behind the Scenes

Formed at the Royal Academy of Music, the Karelia Quartet are a promising new ensemble who were recently prizewinners in the CAVATINA Chamber Music Competition. Grieg’s G minor quartet, thought to have been an inspiration for Debussy’s quartet, completes an exquisite programme which also includes Ravel’s quartet, completed when the composer was just 28, and Haydn’s ‘Dream’ quartet, so named because of its serene slow movement. Pre-Concert Recital with Daniel Schultz & Sejin Yoon For the last of our pre-concert recitals showcasing conservatoire students this season, we welcome to the stage Daniel Schultz and Sejin Yoon from the Royal Academy of Music. They perform Chopin’s Cello Sonata, the last of the Polish composer’s works to be performed in his lifetime. PROGRAMME: 5.30pm: Daniel Schultz & Sejin Yoon Chopin | Cello Sonata in G minor Op.65 6.30pm: Karelia Quartet Haydn | Quartet in F ‘The Dream’ Op.50/5 Ravel | Quartet in F Grieg | Quartet in G minor Op.27

Sunday Concerts:Karelia Quartet

We bring our summer season to a close with Quartet Concrète , who you may remember from their sublime performance at our 2025 Fundraising Concert. Schubert’s glorious C major quintet was on the menu at that special performance, and for their Conway Hall return they present another of his masterpieces: the ‘Death and the Maiden’ Quartet. Join us to celebrate three wonderful works for string quartet, and the final concert before the summer break! PROGRAMME: 6.30pm Haydn | Quartet in E flat Op.76/6 Britten | 3 Divertimenti Schubert | Quartet in D minor ‘Death and the Maiden’ D810

Sunday Concerts: Quartet Concrète

This July, The Garden Cinema is once again celebrating South Asian Heritage Month with an array of newly restored classics, anniversary screenings, critically acclaimed new titles, live music, expert introductions, and Q&As.  

The programme includes 8 films:

-The Sundance prize-winning queer drama 'Cactus Pears' + Q&A with director Rohan Kanawade

-The 25th Anniversary screening of 'The Warrior' + Q&A with Director Asif Kapadia

-A new restoration of 'The Girls', the ground breaking debut film by Sumitra Peries, Sri Lanka's first female director.

-70th anniversary screenings of 'Bhowani Junction' directed by the Oscar-winning filmmaker George Cukor and starring Ava Gardner.

-A new restoration of Satyajit Ray's underseen masterpiece  'Days and Nights in the Forest' + pre-recorded introduction by Wes Anderson

-Gurinder Chadha's timeless coming-of-age comedy 'Bend it Like Beckham'

-The new British Bangladeshi documentary 'London Boys'  + Q&A.

-Bhutan's first feature film 'The Cup' + live Dranyen Lute performance.

South Asian Heritage Month at The Garden Cinema

The Garden Cinema, 39-41 Parker St, London WC2B 5PQ, UK

Mother Canteen is back in Camden's St Giles' Square this year to celebrate Pride! 

Featuring craft activities, family friendly performances and a Queer market selling handmade art as well as Mother Canteen's famous 'Hot Mothers' chilli sauce. 

To cool off grab a frozen yoghurt from SNOG's famous pop-up party bus parked up in the square!

Camden Pride - Queer Artist Market and Craft Workshop

Outernet London, Charing Cross Rd, London WC2H 8LH, UK

Mother Canteen is back in Camden's St Giles' Square to celebrate Pride 2026! 

Featuring craft activities, family friendly performances and a Queer market selling handmade art as well as Mother Canteen's famous 'Hot Mothers' chilli sauce.
To cool off grab a frozen yoghurt from SNOG's famous pop-up bus parked up in the square!

St Giles Square, New Oxford Street, St Giles Square New, Oxford St, London WC2H 8AB, UK

In this exciting family workshop, children and adults work together to transform a favourite toy into a real pewter keepsake using traditional sand-casting techniques.

Working in a professional jewellery workshop, you'll create a mould from your chosen toy and discover how molten pewter is poured into the mould, capturing every detail in metal. Once cast, you'll reveal, clean and finish your piece, creating a unique metal version of a treasured toy to take home.

Metal Magic: Cast Your Favourite Toy in Pewter

K2 Academy of Contemporary Jewellery, Studio W11, Cockpit Bloomsbury, Cockpit Yard, Northington St, London WC1N 2NP, UK

Over three days, explore traditional casting techniques including sand, water, ice and cuttlefish casting, then experiment with unconventional applications. Cast onto different materials and take the process beyond the studio by working with gaps, cracks and found street objects. You will use metals including pewter and silver.

Experimental Casting Course

This three-day course explores the art of wax carving for jewellery making. You will learn how to carve, refine and polish detailed designs in hard wax, use a range of tools and a wax heat pen, repair cracks, set stones and create settings. The course also covers spruing, preparing pieces for casting, calculating metal weight conversions and estimating casting costs. At the end of the course, you will receive a useful list of essential tools and suppliers.

Introduction to Wax Carving

Create your own handmade sterling silver ring while learning traditional jewellery-making techniques.

Suitable for beginners and students with some jewellery-making experience.

What's On in Holborn

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