The Weekend Playbook: A free BBQ party, whole-cow burgers, and a rum dinner

blues explosion

Freebie of the WeekThe Blues Kitchen is having a one-day takeover of sister joint XOYO and loading it with vinyl, barbers, soul food, BBQ, live bands, DJs, market stalls, and sazeracs. If you want to get involved (and why wouldn't you??), we’re offering five pairs of tickets to the event to some lucky readers. Just email here

Thursday, August 29thLobsters, crabs, and prawns, oh my! NicoPopsUpAlot is back with his fourth Lobster Pot, a three day shellfish explosion. Don a bib and get involved here

Learn how to make sushi at Soul Kitchen; for 20 squid, they’ll set you up with all the fixings, and a cocktail to ease the process of learning -- and it's BYOB if you really want to ease it. Get rolling here

Friday, August 30thByron Burger's following one lucky Scottish Shorthorn from pasture to table and turning the entire beast into burgers for their Wholey Cow feast at the Camden Town Brewery. Alongside a cows-worth of patties, there'll also be chili cheese fries, mac and cheese hash browns, and beef Marys (named Bloody Bulls)... and the whole thing lasts two days. Go. Here. Now.

Saturday, August 31stThe Great Drag Race rolls into town today, with dudes nobly raising money for charity by dressing up in wigs and such, then running through the streets. They have a video link (woo hoo!), and tons more info right here

Revisit the days when a train journey was a decadent luxury and the only oysters were the ones in the dinner car, with a trip to Brixton for the pop-up Feed Your Soul on the Orient Express. Get Venetian, Serbian, and Turkish cuisine, and know that proceeds are all going to charity, too. Climb on board here

Sunday, September 1stThere are fewer things classier than drinking wine from a car boot (except maybe from an actual boot), hence why seven independent wine shops will be showing off their wares w/ food & music from a car park tonight. £15 gets you ten tastes of new wine, so head right here

Tonight, Yummy Choo & Pink Pigeon Rum are teaming up to give you a five course Mauritian meal with two rum cocktails, plus a talk, tastings, then three more rums... and to top it off... a shot of Mauritian Penny Blue Rum. Pore over the website right here

Monday, September 2ndAs if Callooh Callay wasn't awesome enough (what with a secret-bar-within-a-secret-bar-within-a-wardrobe), their upstairs bar has now been transformed into the Hennessy Clubhouse, styled after the games room in the Hennessy family home. Don a smoking jacket and leave your cane at the door

Coffee-/ foodie-/ cocktail-spot Caravan in Exmouth Market is bringing you The Caravan Sessions -- a night of beer & soul food w/ fried chicken and watermelon, BBQ corn with cumin and chili, and pork ribs with hot sauce and slaw. Stop your drooling and click here