Big beats, busy bees and one very serious rubber duck
This week starts with salsa, live music and Edinburgh previews, then wanders through family art, community sewing and a spot of bumblebee detective work. By Thursday, a giant Ugandan xylophone has arrived in Lewisham. A perfectly normal four days, then.
In this week’s Loop:
Monday-night salsa, live sets and fresh comedy
Free family art and a handy holiday-camp save
Community stitches and midweek stand-up
Bee spotting and hypnotic sounds at the Fox & Firkin
🗓️ Our picks for 20–23 July
SalsaMotion Salsa Classes
Monday night footwork without the central London trek
SalsaMotion brings friendly weekly classes and social dancing to the Lee–Hither Green border, with different levels for complete beginners through to more experienced dancers. Come solo, bring a partner or simply accept that somebody will eventually make you turn the wrong way.
Book your place here! Lessons start at £10 for one, or £15 for two.
Monday 20 July @ 7:00pm - 10:00pm
Lochaber Hall Community Centre @ Manor Lane Terrace, SE13 5QL
Ozone Presents at Little Nan’s Deptford
Bristol meets London, with a few genres thrown in for good measure
A six-act evening covering indie, hip-hop and electronic music, with Venus, Eva Scott, DaMellow, Fisaya, Freddie Perfect and Chicos on the bill. It is £5, right by Deptford station and finished by 10:30pm — unusually sensible behaviour for a Monday gig.
Further details and tickets are available here.
Monday 20 July @ 7:00pm - 10:30pm
Little Nan’s Deptford @ Deptford Market Yard, SE8 4BX
Abandoman & Glenn Wool: Edinburgh Fringe Double Bill
Brand-new jokes, improvised bangers and an air-conditioned room
Happy Mondays Comedy is bringing two work-in-progress shows to New Cross. Abandoman turns audience suggestions into live improvised hip-hop, while Canadian comic Glenn Wool previews his latest stand-up hour. Sion James hosts, with student tickets from £5, general admission at £8 and a £12.50 option including a Lewisham Foodbank donation.
Book tickets and check further details here.
Monday 20 July @ 8:00pm - 10:30pm
Amersham Arms @ 388 New Cross Road, SE14 6TY
Note: Doors open at 7:30pm. This is an 18+ event.
The Green Room by Philo
Free family creativity, with no artistic qualifications required
A relaxed family arts session built around creativity, play and making things together. All ages are welcome, entry is free and it is a solid first-day-of-the-holidays plan for anyone whose children have already announced that they are bored.
Reserve a free place or find out more here.
Tuesday 21 July @ 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Goldsmiths Community Centre @ Castillon Road, SE6 1QD
Community Sewing Circle – Mottingham
Bring a project, borrow the supplies and have a proper local natter
Beginners, experts and everyone between are welcome at this free weekly sewing circle. Bring your own materials or use what is available, then settle in for some shared stitching, problem-solving and probably a conversation that wanders well beyond hems.
No booking is needed — simply drop in. Details can be found here.
Wednesday 22 July @ 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Mottingham Library @ 31 Mottingham Road, SE9 4QZ
Note: Photos may be taken during the session. Let the event leader know on arrival if you would rather not be included.
Fordham Park BeeWalk
An hour of looking closely at the park’s smaller residents
Join B.E.E Project Officer Tilly for a gentle walk through Fordham Park, learning how to identify local bumblebees and hearing more about the national BeeWalk monitoring scheme. It is free, outdoors and considerably more calming than most Thursday-morning plans.
Book your free place here.
Thursday 23 July @ 10:30am - 11:30am
Fordham Park @ SE14 6LU
Nyege Nyege Presents Nakibembe
Six musicians, one enormous xylophone and a Lewisham garden takeover
Uganda’s Nakibembe Xylophone Troupe makes its UK premiere with an outdoor performance on the embaire — a giant wooden xylophone played by six musicians at once. Expect layered polyrhythms, joyful traditional music and the Fox & Firkin garden sounding quite unlike it usually does.
Tickets cost £12–£15 and can be booked via this link.
Thursday 23 July @ 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Fox & Firkin @ 316 Lewisham High Street, SE13 6JZ
Note: This is an outdoor 18+ event.
Pick n Mix ✨
Holiday help, active evenings and a free comedy bath
🌞 Summer Holiday Camp – Future Stars Coaching Lewisham - Tuesday 21 July, 10am. Football, multisports, creative activities and team games for ages 8–11 at Bellingham Gateway Youth & Community Centre, running Tuesday to Friday until 14 August. Lewisham HAF places are free for eligible children; paid places cost £25 per day.
🏐 Volleyball Training for Everyone -Tuesday 21 July, 8pm–9:30pm. Adult coaching for beginners and experienced players at Caius House in Battersea, a little west of the usual Loop patch. Tickets start at £16.42.
🦆 The Laugh Bath - Wednesday 22 July, 7:30pm–10pm. Free stand-up from rising Southeast London comics, a professional headliner and the fiercely contested Rubber Duck Award.
See you next week ~