Rejuvenate Your January!

Congratulations! You’ve passed the midweek slump of the first full week back at work since Christmas and…it’s cold, it’s wet and it’s depressing! So, cheer yourself up by doing some fun things in January.

Of course, you may be trying to hold onto that festive feeling, in which case you might want to take a last turn around one of London’s outdoor ice rinks before they close – both the rink at the Natural History Museum and the one at Somerset House are open until the 12^th.

If you’ve recovered from your new year celebrations but feel you can tackle another, then head to Trafalgar Square and Chinatown on Sunday 26^th to celebrate the start of the Year of the Rat. London has one of the largest Chinese New Year celebrations outside of China with a massive parade that wends its way from Chinatown to Trafalgar Square. There are dragon and lion dances, music, stage performances and tasty dim sum. You’re a Rat if you were born on or after Chinese New Year (the exact date varies according to the lunar calendar) in 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996 or 2008. I’ll be there – even though I’m the Year of the Dragon!

Loved London’s Christmas lights? Then wrap up warm and make a bee line for Canary Wharf between the 16^th and 25^th to see their Winter Lights – last year’s were fabulous, so I’m expecting great things again this year. There’ll be over 25 light installations to enjoy, plus street food stalls if you’re feeling peckish or need a hot toddy to warm you up.

Perhaps your new year’s resolution to put a bit of zing in your life? Well then, head to The Adventure Travel Show at Olympia Exhibition Centre (18^th and 19^th) and see where 2020 takes you. Or maybe it was to invest in some new art to brighten up your home? Well, you’re in luck as the London Art Fair takes place at the Business Design Centre in Islington (22^nd-26^th).

Fancy taking in a bit of culture? The English National Opera’s Carmen opens at the London Coliseum on the 29^th, La Boheme opens at the Royal Opera House (10^th) and the English National Ballet celebrates its 70^th anniversary with gala performances at the London Coliseum (17^th and 18^th). And as one door closes at the Royal Academy, another opens with Lucien Freud’s Self-Portraits closing on the 26^th and Picasso and Paper, which explores the artist’s work with and on paper, opening on the 25^th.

Need a bit of peace and quiet? The 44^th London International Mime Festival has just started across a variety of venues, including the Barbican and Sadler’s Wells. However, if you want to be amazed by twists, turns and acrobatics, Cirque du Soleil’s new show Luzia opens at the Royal Albert Hall (12^th). Plus The Queen of Pop, Madonna, is in town with her Madame X tour at the London Palladium (opens 27^th).

Forget the January Sales (who needs more stuff anyway?), soak up some history and grab a bargain with a visit to Hampton Court Palace, who are offering half-price tickets when you book online. Or head to Banqueting House on Whitehall on the 30^th for the Feast of the Martyrdom of Saint Charles, which commemorates the one and only time we’ve executed a king of England for treason (Charles I back in 1649).

In terms of other historical anniversaries in January, Madame Tussaud opened her first waxwork exhibition in Gray’s Inn Road (4^th in 1834), Henry VIII married wife number 2 Anne Boleyn (24^th in 1533) and wife number 4 Anne of Cleves at Greenwich Palace (6^th in 1540), Lord Nelson was buried in St Paul’s Cathedral after being killed at the Battle of Trafalgar (9^th in 1806), the world’s first underground railway opened between Paddington and Farringdon (10^th in 1863) and Income Tax was introduced (9^th in 1799) – which reminds me, I must do my tax return!

Finally, it’s your last chance to see the Gauguin Portraits exhibition at the National Gallery (closes 26^th), Northern Ballet’s Dracula at the Royal Opera House (closes 16^th), and the wonderful Pre-Raphaelite Sisters exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery (closes 26^th), and don’t forget to pipe in your haggis and raise a glass to Scottish poet, Robert Burns, on the 25^th!