> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.paperweightmag.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # How to make the most of the last days of summer - URL: https://www.paperweightmag.com/how-to-make-the-most-of-the-last-days-of-summer/ - Published: 2026-08-23T10:42:23.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-23T11:21:31.000Z - Description: Sunday, 23rd August 2026 - Author: Sunday Paperweight - Tags: Sunday Paperweight Can you believe that it's nearly Autumn already? This is the last week of 'official' summer, and also the last week for several brilliant theatre shows, not just those at the Fringe. September also signals the end of silly season, and we're looking forward to bringing you an expanded UK Affairs section from next week. In the meantime, here are some ideas for how to spend the rest of it. Here's what's coming up: **Darkroom:** A project that was delivered on time and under budget! **At Home:** A bread recipe to improve your daily life that doesn't take as much effort as sourdough **En Route:** Europe regains proper business class seats that won't break the bank and Virgin Trains' Channel Tunnel plans are approved **On the Town:** Theatre critic Anya Ryan reviews two sell-out shows, and Cal Roscow visits an Edinburgh tapas institution ### Darkroom Photograph of the week, as chosen by Paperweight Magazine's picture bureau: At the risk of inviting remarks about watching paint dry, this week's *Darkroom* features the freshly repainted and refurbished Hungerford Bridge. 'Why?' we hear you ask! Well, the endeavour saw the railway closed for just 22 days, which was exactly how long the works were expected to last. We think it's worth celebrating an infrastructure project that was completed on time and within budget. Get this team onto Hammersmith Bridge and HS2 immediately. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/7c/977c5cdf-7176-4cbd-bf06-fc5902787e82/content/images/2026/08/3F9R729-2.jpg)](https://www.paperweightmag.com/p/5cd0eaef-4f66-4540-8259-053b045ce4dd/?member%5Fstatus=free) New paintwork is visible on Hungerford Bridge's lattice girders, the railway bridge leading into Charing Cross station, part of the structural repair work completed during the station's 22-day closure. Credit: Xiu Bao/Alamy Live News ### Greater Things 1001 ways to live your life greater: With autumn drawing closer, this is the perfect opportunity to free yourself from additive-addled supermarket bread by learning a recipe for a home-made loaf. This week's *Greater Things* espouses the joys of simpler recipes (no sourdough starter in sight!): [№ 9 | Teach yourself one quick and easy bread recipePeople are far too easily impressed by freshly baked-at-home bread. And it’s all sourdough’s fault. Endless talk of ‘keeping your starter alive’ has put most people off giving it a go, leaving a select few to bask in the unearned glory of something that can be![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/7c/977c5cdf-7176-4cbd-bf06-fc5902787e82/content/images/icon/Roundel-b94b8f1b-4465-45d1-9c1a-6ba9a1443e5b.png)Paperweight MagazineSunday Paperweight![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/7c/977c5cdf-7176-4cbd-bf06-fc5902787e82/content/images/thumbnail/emma-miller-iAwKWtoPh6g-unsplash-26553ff2-e878-448a-8d66-fa9eab1049f4.jpg)](https://www.paperweightmag.com/p/43ddf0d8-46e3-48a3-ad2b-e5ddbd77eecd/?member%5Fstatus=free) ### At Home The latest from Paperweight's At Home bureau: And if you're thinking about trying out some of Keir James-Tough's quick and easy bread recipes, you might want to consider investing in a kitchen stand mixer. Here are five solid options for all budgets: [The best kitchen stand mixers from frugal to fantasticKeir James-Tough rates five of the best stand mixers for every budget![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/7c/977c5cdf-7176-4cbd-bf06-fc5902787e82/content/images/icon/Roundel-47a4726c-fa1e-417d-b8c2-ec2b354ada20.png)Paperweight MagazineKeir James-Tough![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/7c/977c5cdf-7176-4cbd-bf06-fc5902787e82/content/images/thumbnail/linus-belanger-HsqdtgpKZe0-unsplash-a64b3c7a-aea8-41d9-82cf-54b26283a50d.jpg)](https://www.paperweightmag.com/the-best-kitchen-stand-mixers-from-frugal-to-fantastic/) ### En Route The latest from Paperweight's En Route bureau: Ever since British Airways scrapped its former-British Midland fleet, Europe's business class offering has consisted of an expensive ticket price for an economy seat. Apart from a few occasions where long-haul aircraft fly on short-haul routes, travellers find themselves disappointed to learn that the higher fare just nets you a middle-seat space. Eurowings is set to change that with [the launch of their "Premium BIZ" seat](https://www.eurowings.com/en/information/on-board/premium-biz-seat.html?ref=paperweightmag.com); a proper business class product akin to what the Americans get for their domestic flights. There's a small catch; the launch is predominantly in order for them to offer a more comfortable seat for Dubai-bound flights. While we won't be taking them up on that destination, these same aircraft will be flying routes across Europe, including to and from London from just £120. The Office of Rail and Road has finally [approved Virgin Trains' plans to run up to 20 daily return services](https://www.orr.gov.uk/search-news/green-light-virgin-trains-international-services?ref=paperweightmag.com) between London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. This agreement runs from 1st October 2020 to 31st December 2040\. Anyone who has tried to book a Eurostar ticket for a specific time or date, and found themselves forking out for hundreds - if not thousands - of pounds, will be pleased to know that the monopoly might be soon coming to an end. There are still several hurdles to overcome, including Virgin seeking permission to run routes not offered by Eurostar, but we already know that 12 high-speed Alstom trains are on order (the same manufacturer that built the Pendolinos for the Group in the 2000s). Like every announcement about the Channel Tunnel, we'll believe it when we see it, but here's hoping that better UK-Continental Europe train travel is on the way! ### On the Town What's happening in town this week: We're delighted to announce that theatre critic Anya Ryan has joined Paperweight as a contributor this month, reviewing two shows that are well worth your time: [Review: Sam Eley is Basil Crumbwick★★★★★ | With flashes of The League of Gentlemen, this sad, bitter man is on course to be one of the comedy greats![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/7c/977c5cdf-7176-4cbd-bf06-fc5902787e82/content/images/icon/Roundel-8c4d481d-d74a-408c-8910-f4438803f67a.png)Paperweight MagazineAnya Ryan![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/7c/977c5cdf-7176-4cbd-bf06-fc5902787e82/content/images/thumbnail/Sam-Eley-Basil-Crumbwick-6397a232-1d33-4f25-a6b8-e06f32603da3.jpg)](https://www.paperweightmag.com/review-sam-eley-is-basil-crumbwick/) [Review: Elf Lyons is The Woman on the Edge★★★★☆ | Elf Lyons brings the audience into her psyche through this powerfully personal, yet wonderfully weird, high-concept show![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/7c/977c5cdf-7176-4cbd-bf06-fc5902787e82/content/images/icon/Roundel-bb878a94-99c0-4c13-8f6b-b8a287b01366.png)Paperweight MagazineAnya Ryan![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/7c/977c5cdf-7176-4cbd-bf06-fc5902787e82/content/images/thumbnail/Elf-Lyons-Sharing-Image-cad43d2a-ce6c-479c-a673-c9974c502d1c.png)](https://www.paperweightmag.com/review-elf-lyons-is-the-woman-on-the-edge/) And if you're heading to either of those, take a short walk to Bruntsfield to try out an establishment that's doing tapas that even those who don't usually like the idea of 'small plates' are sure to enjoy. We'd highly recommend trying the 2025 Granbazán albariño: [Restaurant review: Piggs★★★★☆ | Cal Roscow takes a trip to Bruntsfield to try the tapas at an institution for the insatiable![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/7c/977c5cdf-7176-4cbd-bf06-fc5902787e82/content/images/icon/Roundel-54334de7-dcae-4a27-9f16-d7322629ef5f.png)Paperweight MagazineCal Roscow![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/7c/977c5cdf-7176-4cbd-bf06-fc5902787e82/content/images/thumbnail/Piggs-Bruntsfield--June-2024--1-1-495d17ea-d7e0-46b3-a816-0c036de4c14d.webp)](https://www.paperweightmag.com/restaurant-review-piggs/) ### London **East of the Aldgate Pump** Whitechapel Gallery turns 125 and marks it by handing its building over to the flagship strand of Backyard Biennial: East, a self-declared antidote to "stuffy, over-curated art biennials", spanning painting, textiles and installation from twelve East End artists including Denzil Forrester and Rene Matić, spread across three galleries. [Free entry.](https://www.whitechapelgallery.org/exhibitions/backyard-biennial-east/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX.** *Until 6th September 2026.* **The Ropery** Also part of the Backyard Biennial, a participatory installation with designer Sanne Visser drawing on East London's long-forgotten rope-making trade: drop in to twist, braid and knot alongside a growing communal piece, with a commissioned film alongside. [Free entry.](https://www.whitechapelgallery.org/exhibitions/backyard-biennial-east/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX.** *Until 6th September 2026.* **In The Neighbourhood** The free, midweek fringe of All Points East, in Victoria Park: DJ Yoda's 90s Mixtape Live, Trojan Sound System, DJ Kizzi, stage takeovers from Cafe 1001 and Rich Mix, community performances from Grand Union Orchestra, family theatre and fitness classes. [Free admission.](https://www.allpointseastfestival.com/in-the-neighbourhood/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Victoria Park, Grove Road, London E3 5TB.** *Monday 24th until Thursday 27th August 2026.* **British Wildlife Photography Awards** This year's grand prize goes to a toad photographed at pond-floor level, while a boxing pair of hares and a napping cygnet round out a free show tucked into the Studio gallery. [Free admission.](https://www.horniman.ac.uk/event/british-wildlife-photography-awards/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Horniman Museum and Gardens, 100 London Road, Forest Hill, London SE23 3PQ.** *Until 21st February 2027.* **Outdoor Cinema: Beautiful Thing** Hettie Macdonald's Thamesmead-set teen romance turns 30 this year, and the Barbican marks it by turning its brutalist Sculpture Court into a stand-in for the film's own housing-estate backdrop. [Tickets from £20.](https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2026/event/outdoor-cinema-beautiful-thing?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS.** *Friday 28th August 2026, 8.30pm.* **Making Two Temple Place: The Hands That Made the Victorian World** The research team unpicks how artisans, soldiers and prisoners shaped nineteenth-century material culture, how manual skill fed social mobility, and whether reclaiming handwork might do us any good in an era of technological acceleration. [Tickets from £8.](https://twotempleplace.org/events/making-two-temple-place-the-hands-that-made-the-victorian-world/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Two Temple Place, London WC2R 3BD.** *Thursday 27th August 2026, 7pm.* **NIGO: From Japan with Love** The Design Museum hands its galleries to the Bathing Ape founder and current KENZO artistic director for the first museum retrospective of his career anywhere outside Japan, complete with a recreation of his teenage Harajuku bedroom and a life-size glass tea house. [Tickets from £15.29.](https://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/nigo-from-japan-with-love?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Design Museum, 224-238 Kensington High Street, London W8 6AG.** *Until 4th October 2026.* **Tracey Emin: A Second Life** Last chance to see the 40-year survey of Emin's confessional practice, from painting and neon to the never-bettered shock of My Bed, before it closes. [Tickets from £22.](https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/tracey-emin?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG.** *Until 31st August 2026.* **Channel One Sound System: Carnival Warm Up** One of the world's most revered sound systems gets the neighbourhood tuned up ahead of Carnival proper. [Tickets from £18.54.](https://villageunderground.co.uk/events/channel-one-sound-system-carnival-warm-up-28th-aug-village-underground-london-tickets-ry872y/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Village Underground, 54 Holywell Lane, Shoreditch, London EC2A 3PQ.** *Friday 28th August 2026, 11pm until 4am.* **South London Soul Train: All-Dayer** The first ever all-dayer for a night that has been running for well over a decade, out in the Fox and Firkin's garden: DJ Cash Money and MC The Chill One join host Jazzheadchronic, with Mati Baz and George Aresti slinging deep funk vinyl from mid-afternoon. [Tickets from £8.](https://foxfirkin.com/event/south-london-soul-train-w-dj-cash-money/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **The Fox and Firkin, 316 Lewisham High Street, London SE13 6JZ.** *Saturday 29th August 2026, 2pm until 9pm.* ### Last chance to see: **The Car Man** [Tickets from £15.](https://www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/matthew-bournes-new-adventures-the-car-man/?ref=paperweightmag.com) Sadler's Wells Theatre, Rosebery Avenue, London EC1R 4TN. *Until Saturday 29th August 2026.* **A Midsummer Night's Dream** [Standing tickets from £5, seated tickets from £28.](https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/whats-on/a-midsummer-nights-dream/?ref=paperweightmag.com) Shakespeare's Globe, 21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London SE1 9DT. *Until Saturday 29th August 2026.* **A World Elsewhere** [Tickets from £18.](https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/whats-on/a-world-elsewhere/?ref=paperweightmag.com) Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Shakespeare's Globe, 21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London SE1 9DT. *Until Sunday 30th August 2026.* **Wanton** [Tickets from £20.](https://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/wanton/?ref=paperweightmag.com) Southwark Playhouse Borough, 77-85 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD. *Until Saturday 29th August 2026.* **The Talking Drum: Voices from the Andover Estate** [Tickets from £25.](https://parktheatre.co.uk/events/the-talking-drum-voices-from-the-andover-estate/?ref=paperweightmag.com) Park Theatre, Clifton Terrace, Finsbury Park, London N4 3JP. *Until Saturday 29th August 2026.* **The Magic Flute** [Tickets from £15.](https://www.arcolatheatre.com/event/the-magic-flute/?ref=paperweightmag.com) Arcola Theatre, 24 Ashwin Street, London E8 3DL. *Until Saturday 29th August 2026.* ### Manchester **Rocket Wednesdays** A 30-foot Skybolt 2 rocket lands in the Science and Industry Museum's Upper Yard for the summer, with live science demos and a Martian trail round the galleries for kids under twelve. [Free admission, museum tickets required.](https://www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk/whats-on/summer-2026?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Science and Industry Museum, Liverpool Road, Manchester M3 4FP.** *Wednesday 26th August 2026.* **Thursday Night Live** With the Comedy Store's building troubles taking Manchester's biggest room out of action, the Frog and Bucket's weekly new-material night offers a home for stand-up. [Tickets from £10.](https://frogandbucket.com/shows/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Frog and Bucket Comedy Club, 102 Oldham Street, Manchester M4 1LJ.** *Thursday 27th August 2026, doors 6.45pm.* **Current Joys** Nick Rattigan's lo-fi indie-pop project plays New Century's basement room to close out the bank holiday weekend. [Tickets from £24.](https://newcenturymcr.com/new-century-hall/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **New Century Hall, 41 Corporation Street, Manchester M4 3AA.** *Sunday 30th August 2026.* **RUNWAY x nympha: alt pride** The city's queer club night RUNWAY teams up with nympha for an alt-pride takeover of Soup: a free-entry bar set upstairs, rolling into a full club send of techno and Latin bass, raising funds for Trans Mutual Aid Manchester. [Tickets from £6–£16.](https://ra.co/events/2438565?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Soup, 31-33 Spear Street, Manchester M1 1DF.** *Friday 28th August 2026, 8pm until 4am.* ### Glasgow **You'll Be Alright / Ye'll Be Awright Pal** CommonSpace hosts a show built entirely by young Glaswegians from the GoMA Yotuh Group. [Free admission.](https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/venues/gallery-of-modern-art-goma/current-exhibitions-and-displays?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Gallery of Modern Art, Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow G1 3AH.** *Until 27th September 2026.* **Susan Calman: Work in Progress** The comedian and broadcaster road-tests new stand-up in the room she cut her teeth in, before it gets polished for a proper tour. [Tickets from £13.](https://www.thestand.co.uk/whats-on/glasgow?ref=paperweightmag.com) **The Stand Comedy Club, 420 Great Western Road, Glasgow, G4 9HZ.** *Sunday 30th August 2026, doors 7pm, show 8pm.* **1984** The Citizens' main stage reopens for the season with Orwell's dystopia, a suitably heavyweight statement a year on from the theatre's own reopening. [Tickets from £19.50.](https://citz.co.uk/whats-on/1984-play/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Citizens Theatre, 119 Gorbals Street, Glasgow G5 9DS.** *Opens Saturday 29th August, until 26th September 2026.* **The Barras Market** Scotland's oldest market turns 105 this year: antiques, bargains, a food hall with proper vegan options, and stallholders who have been at it for generations. [Free admission.](https://market.barrowland.co.uk/blogs/the-barras/visit-us?ref=paperweightmag.com) **The Barras Market, Gallowgate, Glasgow G1 5AS.** *Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th August 2026, 10am until 4pm.* **Sean Choon and The Prawn Monsoon** King Tut's eight-week Summer Nights showcase of emerging Scottish acts closes out with a band name that alone earns them the slot. [Tickets from £14.](https://www.kingtuts.co.uk/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, 272a St Vincent Street, Glasgow G2 5RL.** *Saturday 29th August 2026.* ### Edinburgh [Review: Sam Eley is Basil Crumbwick★★★★★ | With flashes of The League of Gentlemen, this sad, bitter man is on course to be one of the comedy greats![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/7c/977c5cdf-7176-4cbd-bf06-fc5902787e82/content/images/icon/Roundel-2db263d3-cefe-465a-9d1d-09493a0bd345.png)Paperweight MagazineAnya Ryan![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/7c/977c5cdf-7176-4cbd-bf06-fc5902787e82/content/images/thumbnail/Sam-Eley-Basil-Crumbwick-5a2d6888-c777-4d07-9a7c-60bd43fdcd5c.jpg)](https://www.paperweightmag.com/review-sam-eley-is-basil-crumbwick/) [Review: Elf Lyons is The Woman on the Edge★★★★☆ | Elf Lyons brings the audience into her psyche through this powerfully personal, yet wonderfully weird, high-concept show![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/7c/977c5cdf-7176-4cbd-bf06-fc5902787e82/content/images/icon/Roundel-a83f550f-1e4c-4235-bf96-b296d5975fde.png)Paperweight MagazineAnya Ryan![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/7c/977c5cdf-7176-4cbd-bf06-fc5902787e82/content/images/thumbnail/Elf-Lyons-Sharing-Image-b4cd0681-8b53-406a-b935-164660fc16cc.png)](https://www.paperweightmag.com/review-elf-lyons-is-the-woman-on-the-edge/) **Phil Green: The Boy Who Nearly Grew Up** Free Fringe in the vaults under the Cowgate, running to the very last day of the window. [Free entry, donation collected at the end.](https://freefringe.org.uk/venues/banshee-labyrinth-cinema-room/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Banshee Labyrinth, 29-35 Niddry Street, Edinburgh EH1 1LG.** *Daily until Sunday 30th August 2026, 1.30pm until 2.15pm.* **Edith Alibec: The Void** Further down the same rabbit warren: a "post-human" clown, playful and quietly devastating by turns, interrogating the audience about what fills the void she has discovered she does not have. [Free entry, donation collected at the end.](https://freefringe.org.uk/venues/banshee-labyrinth-cinema-room/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Banshee Labyrinth, 29-35 Niddry Street, Edinburgh EH1 1LG.** *Nightly until Sunday 30th August 2026, 8.55pm until 9.55pm.* **These Folk** An improvised folk musical, also Free Fringe: Justin Brett and Susan Harrison build a brand-new song-filled folk tale from audience suggestions with a live band, uncovering the mythic hidden in the mundane. [Free entry, donation collected at the end.](https://freefringe.org.uk/venues/banshee-labyrinth-cinema-room/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Banshee Labyrinth, 29-35 Niddry Street, Edinburgh EH1 1LG.** *Wednesday 26th August 2026, 12.20pm until 1.10pm.* **Black Coral** One of Summerhall's free Fringe visual-arts shows: Rudy Kanhye works across sculpture, screen printing, painting and poetry to explore "coolitude", indentured labour and the diaspora of the Indian Ocean. [Free admission.](https://www.summerhallarts.co.uk/event/black-coral/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Summerhall (Sciennes Galleries), 1 Summerhall, Edinburgh EH9 1PL.** *Until 13th September 2026, Tuesday to Sunday, 11am until 5pm.* **Stockbridge Market** Forty-odd independent traders by the Water of Leith: fresh bread, smoked salmon, Japanese street food, macaroons, soap, ceramics. [Free admission.](https://www.stockbridgemarket.com/stockbridge.html?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Stockbridge Market, Saunders Street, Edinburgh EH3 6TQ.** *Sunday 30th August 2026, 10am until 4pm.* **Heyday: Masha Mar & Prosumer** Queer house night with Berlin-honed Panorama Bar alumnus Prosumer, now an Edinburgh resident, alongside LA-via-Serbia selector Masha Mar. [Tickets from £9.](https://www.sneakypetes.co.uk/2026/08/28/heydaymasha-mar-prosumer/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Sneaky Pete's, 73 Cowgate, Edinburgh EH1 1JW.** *Friday 28th August 2026, 11pm until 3am.* **Soul Jam: All Night Passion** Edinburgh's longest-running regular disco party gets its first 5am festival finish since 2019, with Aberdeen institution All Night Passion along for the ride. [Tickets from £6.](https://www.sneakypetes.co.uk/2026/08/29/soul-jamall-night-passion/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Sneaky Pete's, 73 Cowgate, Edinburgh EH1 1JW.** *Saturday 29th August 2026, 11pm until 5am.* ### Belfast **The Ignorant Art School: Outside the Circle x Belfast** A touring group show built around radical, non-hierarchical art education, in its final week at Golden Thread before it moves on. [Free entry.](https://goldenthreadgallery.co.uk/event/the-ignorant-art-school-outside-the-circle/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Golden Thread Gallery, 23-29 Queen Street, Belfast BT1 6EA.** *Until 29th August 2026.* **Not So Fast Fashion** A talk with textile artist Alison Gault, tied to the museum's fashion exhibition, on slow craft, mending and the quiet ecological cost of a wardrobe refresh. [Tickets £5, booking required.](https://www.ulstermuseum.org/whats-on/not-so-fast-fashion?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Ulster Museum, Stranmillis Road, Botanic Gardens, Belfast BT9 5AB.** *Saturday 29th August 2026, 2pm until 3pm.* **Susan Hughes: A Feeling in the Blood** New work from the Belfast-based artist fills the MAC's galleries for the rest of the summer. [Free admission, booking essential (suggested donation £5).](https://themaclive.com/exhibition/susan-hughes-a-feeling-in-the-blood?ref=paperweightmag.com) **The MAC, 10 Exchange Street West, Belfast BT1 2NJ.** *Until 18th October 2026.* **Ashes to Fashion** Gowns, everyday clothes and one particularly well-travelled opera cloak, drawn from fifty years of the museum's fashion collecting. [Tickets from £8.](https://www.ulstermuseum.org/temporary-exhibition/ashes-fashion?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Ulster Museum, Stranmillis Road, Botanic Gardens, Belfast BT9 5AB.** *Until 13th September 2026.* **St George's Market** Belfast's Victorian market hall, named the UK's best large indoor market in 2023, does its full Saturday spread of continental cheese, tapas, crafts and live music under the roof opposite the Waterfront. [Free admission.](https://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/stgeorgesmarket?ref=paperweightmag.com) **St George's Market, 12-20 East Bridge Street, Belfast BT1 3NQ.** *Saturday 29th August 2026, 9am until 3pm.* ### Birmingham **The Lost Scriptures: Birmingham v Manchester** Throughout the 1980s, MAC hosted pivotal moments in early UK hip hop, including the seminal Birmingham versus Manchester battles in its Outdoor Arena. This free drop-in day, part of Break Mission CIC's oral-history project, reunites crews from both cities in that same arena for battles, music and performances. [Free admission.](https://macbirmingham.co.uk/events/the-lost-scriptures-birmingham-v-manchester?ref=paperweightmag.com) **mac (Midlands Arts Centre), Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham B12 9QH.** *Saturday 29th August 2026, throughout the day.* **BYMT Sea Change** A world-premiere musical from British Youth Music Theatre, written by Birmingham writers Will Jackson and Elinor Peregrin: modern coastal Britain collides with the myth of the Selkies, told through 36 young performers, folk melodies and sea shanties. [Tickets from £20.](https://www.birminghamhippodrome.com/calendar/bymt-sea-change/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Birmingham Hippodrome (Patrick Studio), Hurst Street, Southside, Birmingham B5 4TB.** *Friday 28th until Sunday 30th August 2026.* **Birmingham Weekender 2026** The city centre goes disco for the bank holiday: hundreds of mirror balls, open-air DJ takeovers from Huey Morgan and others, dance from Birmingham Royal Ballet and Talawa, all free and spread across the Bullring, Victoria Square and New Street Station. [Free admission.](https://www.birminghamhippodrome.com/calendar/birmingham-weekender-2026/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Bullring, Birmingham B5 4BU (and other city centre sites).** *From Saturday 29th August 2026 (continues to Monday 31st).* **Triple Threat: Preet Singh, Muhsin Yesilada & Richard Blackwood** Three very different comics share one stage for a single mixed bill, the MTV-to-Celebrity-Big-Brother veteran Blackwood among them. [Tickets from £20.](https://www.glee.co.uk/birmingham/whatson/triple-threat-birmingham?ref=paperweightmag.com) **The Glee Club, The Arcadian, 70 Hurst Street, Birmingham B5 4TD.** *Sunday 30th August 2026, 6pm.* ### Brighton **Flights: Laurence Tidy** Pencil drawings fill Phoenix's street-facing Window Gallery for its final few days. [Free admission.](https://phoenixartspace.org/Events/flights-laurence-tidy/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Phoenix Art Space, 10-14 Waterloo Place, Brighton BN2 9NB.** *Until 30th August 2026 (Wednesday to Sunday, 12pm until 5pm).* **Together For Colombia: Music, Art & Community** A one-off benefit night of music and art in support of earthquake relief. [Tickets from £5.](https://www.komedia.co.uk/shows/together-for-colombia-music-art-community-in-support-of-earthquake-relief/?eid=20792&ref=paperweightmag.com) **Komedia, 44-47 Gardner Street, Brighton BN1 1UN.** *Thursday 27th August 2026, 7.30pm (doors 7pm).* **Komedia Comedy Club** The venue's long-running weekend stand-up bill: a rotating line-up and still one of the ways to spend a Brighton Friday or Saturday. [Tickets from £16](https://www.komedia.co.uk/shows/komedia-comedy-club/?eid=18914&ref=paperweightmag.com)[.](https://www.komedia.co.uk/shows/komedia-comedy-club/?eid=18914&ref=paperweightmag.com) **Komedia, 44-47 Gardner Street, Brighton BN1 1UN.** *Friday 28th and Saturday 29th August 2026, 8pm (doors 7pm).* ### Bristol **Free Solo Jazz Dance Class** Bonny Chung leads a free two-hour solo jazz session in the handsome surrounds of Coopers' Hall. [Free admission, no booking required.](https://bristololdvic.org.uk/whats-on/free-solo-jazz-dance-class?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Bristol Old Vic, King Street, Bristol BS1 4ED.** *Wednesday 26th August 2026, 7pm until 9pm.* **Sofar Sounds: Secret Gig** Bristol Old Vic quietly slips a Sofar Sounds night into its foyer, the line-up a mystery until the acts step up. [Free, no booking required.](https://bristololdvic.org.uk/whats-on/sofar-sounds-foyer-2026?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Bristol Old Vic, King Street, Bristol BS1 4ED.** *Thursday 27th August 2026, 8pm until 10pm.* **Old City Sounds** Bristol's free bank holiday music festival returns for a fourth year across King Street, Welsh Back and St Nicholas Market, running from the nearly-60-year-old Old Duke Jazz Festival to a silent disco on the Glassboat. [Free admission.](https://www.bristolbid.co.uk/projects/old-city-sounds-2026/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **St Nicholas Market, Corn Street, Bristol BS1 1JQ.** *Saturday 29th August 2026, 12pm until late.* **The 45s** Bristol's own "fuzzy-scuzzy-Motown-rock" trio take over the Old Vic's foyer bar for a free, no-frills night of wall-to-wall bangers. [Free, no booking required.](https://bristololdvic.org.uk/whats-on/the-45s-aug-26?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Bristol Old Vic, King Street, Bristol BS1 4ED.** *Friday 28th August 2026, 9pm until 11pm.* **Old City Sounds: After Dark** The daytime festival tips into a proper night out once the sun goes down, with drum and bass collectives taking over the Crown and DJs running the Mother's Ruin's Rathouse until the early hours. [Free admission.](https://www.bristolbid.co.uk/projects/old-city-sounds-2026/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **The Crown, 16 Wine Street, Bristol BS1 2PH.** *Saturday 29th August 2026, late until 4am.* ### Cardiff **Museum Lates: Helios** The last of the summer's after-hours openings for Luke Jerram's touring installation of the sun, seven metres of internally lit nylon suspended in the rotunda. [Free admission.](https://museum.wales/cardiff/whatson/12970/Museum-Lates-Helios/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **National Museum Cardiff, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NP.** *Saturday 29th August 2026, 6pm until 10pm.* **Dan Johnson: A Summer of Deep Listening** Chapter's former artist-in-residence leads playful sound and listening workshops inspired by the composer Pauline Oliveros. Open to all ages and abilities. [Tickets £6 to £12.](https://www.chapter.cymru/whats-on/a-summer-of-deep-listening?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Chapter, Market Road, Canton, Cardiff CF5 1QE.** *Saturday 29th August 2026, 2pm.* **Riverside Market** Cardiff's original farmers' market, running since 1998, sets up on the embankment with Welsh cheese, sourdough, Brazilian pastries, Sichuan dumplings and a Valencian orange juice stall usually worth the queue. [Free admission.](http://www.riversidemarket.org.uk/riversidemarket?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Fitzhamon Embankment, Cardiff CF11 6AN.** *Sunday 30th August 2026, 10am until 2pm.* **Teen Mortgage + Cowboy Hunters** The same noisy touring double bill that hits Sheffield on Tuesday lands in Clwb's upstairs room at the weekend. [Tickets from £20.](https://clwb.net/whats-on/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Clwb Ifor Bach, 11 Womanby Street, Cardiff CF10 1BR.** *Saturday 29th August 2026, 7pm.* ### Liverpool **Simply Vibrant Makers Market** A bank holiday weekend of independent stalls fills the Bluecoat's courtyard. [Free admission.](https://www.thebluecoat.org.uk/whatson/sv-market?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Bluecoat, School Lane, Liverpool L1 3BX.** *Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th August 2026, 11am until 4pm.* **Gender Stories** A Suffragette teapot, a drag queen's wardrobe, Grayson Perry and David Hockney all in one room: this survey of gender and self-expression closes out its run at the Walker. [Free admission.](https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walker-art-gallery?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Walker Art Gallery, William Brown Street, Liverpool L3 8EL.** *Until 31st August 2026.* **Take Me Home County Road** Adam McCoy's homegrown country-and-western comedy, about a County Road girl chasing a Nashville dream, plays out its closing week at the Royal Court. [Tickets from £18.](https://liverpoolsroyalcourt.com/main%5Fstage/take-me-home-county-road/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Royal Court, 1 Roe Street, Liverpool L1 1HL.** *Until Saturday 29th August 2026.* **Madness & Specials: A 2 Tone Tribute Night** Gladness and Stereotype recreate two ska greats back to back in the Baltic Triangle's biggest shed, for anyone who wants their bank holiday to start with a skank. [Tickets via Skiddle.](https://campandfurnace.com/whats-on-in-august/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Camp and Furnace, 67 Greenland Street, Liverpool L1 0BY.** *Friday 28th August 2026, doors from 7pm.* **All Day Funk, Soul and Motown** Five hours of daytime soul and Motown for anyone who would rather be home before midnight. [Tickets via Skiddle.](https://campandfurnace.com/day-parties/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Camp and Furnace, 67 Greenland Street, Liverpool L1 0BY.** *Saturday 29th August 2026, 3pm until 8pm.* ### Newcastle **Celebrating WanBel** A quietly extraordinary display of Papua New Guinean carving, shields and ceremonial objects tucked into the Great North Museum's world cultures wing. [Free admission.](https://www.northeastmuseums.org.uk/greatnorthmuseum/whats-on/wanbel?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Great North Museum: Hancock, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4PT.** *Until 20th September 2026.* **Alphabetti Writing Group** A relaxed, drop-in peer writing session in Newcastle's small-but-punchy theatre. [Free, admission.](https://www.alphabettitheatre.co.uk/alphabettiwritinggroup?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Alphabetti Theatre, St James Boulevard, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4HP.** *Thursday 27th August 2026, 5.30pm.* **Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2025 and Exploring Identity** Five centuries of portraiture paired with this year's shortlist for one of the UK's biggest portrait prizes in the Laing's upper galleries. [Free admission.](https://www.northeastmuseums.org.uk/laing/whats-on/herbert-smith-freehills-kramer-portrait-award-2025-and-exploring-identity?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Laing Art Gallery, New Bridge Street, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8AG.** *Until 5th September 2026.* **Wild 2 Life Show** Some of the Great North Museum's usual glass-case residents are swapped for the real, moving thing, as handlers bring live creatures onto a stage inside the museum. [Tickets from £12.](https://www.northeastmuseums.org.uk/greatnorthmuseum/whats-on/wild-2-life?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Great North Museum: Hancock, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4PT.** *Tuesday 25th until Friday 28th August 2026.* **Northern and Modern Soul All Dayer** A full afternoon and evening of Northern and modern soul on Gateshead Quays, timed for the long bank holiday. [Tickets from £21.](https://theglasshouseicm.org/whats-on/northern-soul-all-dayer/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **The Glasshouse, St Mary's Square, Gateshead Quays, Gateshead NE8 2JR.** *Sunday 30th August 2026, 1pm.* ### Nottingham **Concrete Heritage, Rolling Archive** Skate Nottingham's month-long festival tracing skateboarding, art and culture in Hyson Green, split between free coaching sessions at Maples Street skatepark and workshops at the gallery itself. [Free admission, booking required.](https://nae.org.uk/event/concrete-heritage-rolling-archive/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **New Art Exchange, 39-41 Gregory Boulevard, Nottingham NG7 6BE.** *Until 31st August 2026.* **NAE Open 2026** The sixth edition of the gallery's open-submission show: painting to textiles to sculpture, all made by Nottinghamshire-based and Global Ethnic Majority artists. [Free admission.](https://nae.org.uk/event/nae-open-2026/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **New Art Exchange, 39-41 Gregory Boulevard, Nottingham NG7 6BE.** *Until 12th September 2026.* **Classic Thriller Season: The Mantrap** The Theatre Royal's summer strand of vintage stage thrillers continues, old-fashioned suspense played entirely straight. [Tickets from £19.50.](https://www.trch.co.uk/whats-on/classic-thriller-season-the-man-trap-7wt8?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Theatre Royal, Theatre Square, Nottingham NG1 5ND.** *Tuesday 25th until Saturday 29th August 2026.* ### Sheffield **When The Sky Gets Bright** Disabled and neurodivergent artist collective Babeworld on being chronically online and chronically ill, in film and installation, including an interactive landline-phone piece built with the gallery's young collective. [Free admission.](https://www.sitegallery.org/exhibition/when-the-sky-gets-bright/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Site Gallery, 1 Brown Street, Sheffield S1 2BS.** *Until 27th September 2026.* **Teen Mortgage plus Cowboy Hunters** Washington DC noise-punk duo Teen Mortgage, one half of them originally from Liverpool, bring their Iggy Pop-approved racket to Yellow Arch on a Tuesday, with local outfit Cowboy Hunters in support. [Tickets from £22.](https://leadmill.co.uk/event/teen-mortgage-plus-cowboy-hunters/?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Yellow Arch Studios, 30-36 Burton Road, Sheffield S3 8BX.** *Tuesday 25th August 2026, doors 7.30pm.* **King Lear** Ian McDiarmid, still best known to some as Star Wars' Palpatine, returns to the Crucible to play Shakespeare's king in a new production opening this week. [Tickets from £20.](https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/king-lear?ref=paperweightmag.com) **Crucible Theatre, 55 Norfolk Street, Sheffield S1 1DA.** *Opens Saturday 29th August 2026.* ### Weather Forecast Forecast data provided by OpenWeather London ![The week's London weather forecast](https://gen.sendtric.com/weather/2c3553ea2b40) Manchester ![The week's Manchester weather forecast](https://gen.sendtric.com/weather/a3bf6e8bed66) Glasgow ![The week's Glasgow weather forecast](https://gen.sendtric.com/weather/7bfb6d2c3e24) Cardiff ![The week's Cardiff weather forecast](https://gen.sendtric.com/weather/1a9f889ccf61) Brighton ![The week's Brighton weather forecast](https://gen.sendtric.com/weather/36ca73a7eb0c) *Get Sunday Paperweight delivered to your inbox every week* [*when you subscribe to a free Paperweight membership*](https://www.paperweightmag.com/membership/)*.*