Things To Do In London This Weekend: Sept 14 - 16

So long, Stockholm; take a hike, Helsinki. Because this week London Design Festival is back to prove that the world capital of design is right here, no matter what those monochrome-loving Scandis may say. Filling the city’s museums, event spaces, streets and shop windows with all things ergonomic, LDF highlights include a folded-metal alphabet to clamber over (or make photo-montages of swear words from) at Finsbury Avenue Square; a rippling installation over Regent Street by Architecture Social Club; Es Devlin’s fluorescent lion roaring out poetry (really) at Trafalgar Square; and a tour of all things arts and crafts in Shoreditch Design Triangle. One thing’s for sure: a trip to Ikea is off the agenda.

Until 23 Sept

Various venues, see here for the full schedule

Holy. Moly. London’s first 24-hour club has arrived. Yes, you read right: 24-hour club. Like London’s answer to Berlin’s Berghain (with fewer latex-clad Germans), FOLD is where you go when all other doors are closed, when you’d rather pretend it’s not sun-up, or when f**k it, you just fancy a rave after your morning jog and breakfast bagel. Set in a middle-of-nowhere-feeling warehouse in Canning Town, here no one can hear you scream (with ravey joy, don’t worry). This weekend’s party only runs till 6am (pfft) but it’s still a biggun, with a takeover from uber-cool Munich label Ilian Tapes. Expect forward-thinking tech, heads-down raving and maybe, just maybe, the odd latex-clad German.

15 Sept; £15

FOLD, Gillian House, Stephenson St, E16 4SA

If tequila makes you happy, then mezcal – it smokier, sexier cousin – will make you downright ecstatic. And this is the week to find out why, as the spirit takes over the capital for a whole host of tastings, masterclasses and Mexican street food. Try special cocktails at over 40 of the capital’s finest bars, get your agave aquatic-style on the Alfred Le Roy’s mezcal canalboat cruise, then head to the epic tasting festival at Dalston’s TT Liquor on Friday and Saturday. There you’ll find a pop-up basement bar, DJs, tastings – oh, and the UK’s largest-ever selection mezcals to try. Do this, and you’ll have a hell of a weekend. You just may not be able to remember all of it…Until 15 Sept; £25 for a two-hour mescal-tasting sessionLondon Mezcal Week, TT Liquor, 17B Kingsland Rd, E2 8AA

If you haven’t been down to Giant Steps yet (where have you been?) then this weekend is your last chance. This pop-up has spent the summer building a reputation for itself as one of the finest parties in Hackney Wick (not an area exactly short on parties) – so better late than never. Set in the Victorian warehouse space of Swan Wharf and featuring terrace bars, street food and an almighty sound system, this Saturday you can watch it go out with a bang with a set from boundary-pushing funk, soul and hip-hop from the 2000Black collective. While pretending you’ve been the from the start, of course.

15 Sept; £15

Giant Steps, Swan Wharf, E3 2NN

This weekend, we suggest you do a triathlon… Wait, wait! Come back! We’re not talking about an Ironman-style run/swim/bike here (have you READ this page before? As if). We are, instead, talking about a ‘mindful’ triathlon, as championed by US wellness phenomenon Wanderlust 108. Their take on a tri is far more civilised, thank you very much – a 5k run/walk, followed by a 75-minute yoga session to a DJ set by Goldie (yes: THE Goldie), then 25 minutes of guided meditation. It’s returning to Battersea Park this very weekend – where you’ll also find aerial yoga, hooping, walking meditation, free sessions with wellness gurus and a market full of wholesome goodies. Omm.

15 Sept; £42

Wanderlust 108, Battersea Park, SW11 4NJ

This picture absolutely doesn't do justice to the experience you'll have at Aim Escape Rooms. The aim? Well, pretty much what it says on the tin: to escape the room you're locked into through a series of games, locks, puzzles and generally roaming around looking for hidden doors/compartments in blood-stained walls. Pick from four rooms: Psychopath's Den is arguably the scariest, but there's also a Hangover-themed room, a kids’ spy game (though still hard enough for adults) and Patient Zero 2150 - the escape room for science fiction and gadget lovers. This isn't just about finding the right key - high spec technology in multi-area rooms means you really have to use your brain. It's a lot of fun though.

Aim Escape Room, 8 Canter Way, E1. Prices start from £30.