The best place to go shopping for original and authentic Christmas gifts and decorations is a Christmas Market.

On our Dates For The Dairy blog we talked about the fantastic markets in Germany and Austria where you can buy hand made tree decorations, traditional Christmas food and sweets, and original toys and gifts. But you don’t have to travel all the way to Austria or Germany to experience the excitement of a Christmas fair. This year Covent Garden’s Delux Christmas is promising to be just as good as the overseas fairs.

Covent Garden market will be bustling with people exhibiting and selling everything from gourmet mince pies to hand knitted jumpers. There will be different events taking place every day during the fair. These include nativity plays with the choir of St. Pauls church and performances from Acrobatics Company Cirqu U Arial, and there’s even a Couture gift wrapping service so you can present your unique gifts in style. Visit the Covent Garden Delux Website to find out exactly whats on on the day that you visit.

London’s Wine Show is on this week and ends on Sunday. If you want to pop down this week and take advantage of two for one tickets visit The Wine Show website or call 0870 890 0094.

There are still tickets available at the door for tonight as well as the finale on Sunday. Tonight’s preview evening allows a chance to discover wines from the Languedoc-Roussillon region and Islington’s Business Design center will be transformed into a Mediterranean setting. The red carpet evening will feature a barbeque of dishes from the region to complement the wine, tutored wine tasting sessions, talks and entertainment hosted by wine connoisseur Oz Clarke.

Sunday is promising an equally vibrant event with more food, wine tasting and tutoring from wine experts. Don’t miss this once a year experience!

The nights are getting colder and misty and Halloween is on its way – theres no better way to cosy up your home around this time of year than adding a few glowing jack o lanterns around the place. These are must have accessories for any Halloween party whether it’s a grand scale monsters ball or just a quiet night in with a horror film.

If you have never carved a pumpkin before get straight down to Selfridges Food Hall on Saturday the 27th or Sunday the 28th of October where there will be demonstrations of how to create the most elaborate designs whilst staying safe and clean. You can watch the pumpkin artists for hours and then get carried away buying the tools of the pros.

If you have kids take them along and let them get inspired! There will also be plenty of other children’s entertainment around the store such as magicians, witches and Halloween craft stands, where kids can have a go at making scary masks. All events take place on both Saturday and Sunday the weekend before Halloween.

This weekend on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th the West End will be taking over Leicester Square hosting a whole range of musical performances. The show is free for everyone to watch so if you’re in London at the weekend try and stop by.

This years star performances will include acts from Dirty Dancing, The Lord of the Rings, Wicked, The Sound of Music, Chicago and loads more. The cast from each show will be performing two or three numbers.

There will also be a mix of music and dance performances from top West End venues such The Borderline, Ain’t Nothin But…, West End Kids, Zoo Nation and many more – there is something for everyone.

There will also be interactive displays and exhibits, apparently there might even be some daleks and cybermen from the popular Dr Who series! Opportunities will be available to make your own animated film, have a makeover, create a puppet show or have a go at stage combat, Parkour or circus skills. You can do all this for free at West End Live.

If you’re a fan of the hit TV show Grand Designs or you are a bit of an interior design lover yourself then get down to the ExCeL London on the 8th – 10th June for Grand Designs Live 2007. The venue will be hosting an interior design exhibition offering inspiration for kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, fireplaces, gardens and all the accessories you can imagine. There are many great design shows in London but this is thought to be one of the best and really takes interior design to the extreme.

Last year the exhibition attracted over 50,000 visitors all looking for ideas for their own homes or for their client’s homes. The exhibition is a fantastic day out with excellent places to dine; last year Jamie Oliver brought highlights of his restaurant Fifteen to the show.

The exhibition will be open on Friday 8th and Saturday 9th from 10am to 7pm, and Sunday 10th from 10am to 6pm. Tickets cost £14 in advance, £18 on the door and children under 16 go free. See the Grand Designs Live official website for more information.

There are loads of things to do and see in London this Sunday – treat your mum in style! Perhaps a VIP Champagne flight on the London Eye or afternoon tea at the Marriott County Hall sound like perfect ways to spend your day – or maybe your mum would prefer the annual Florimania event at Hampton Court Palace?

If your mum’s more impressed with food and drink, the Royal Garden Hotel is offering a Mother’s Day lunch package with a four course menu, or No. 5 Cavendish Square is offering a three course meal for just £25. Or how about a Sunday lunch cruise along the Thames?

Let’s hope for some sunshine too – that would make the flight on the London Eye or the cruise along the Thames perfect.

To find out more, click here.

La Dolce Vita is an Italian festival held in the centre of London at The Olympia. It is a four day event that celebrates some the county’s most popular culture and really makes you feel like you’re in the centre of Italy. The festival will be packed with hundreds of exhibitions all devoted to Italian cuisine, fine wines, fashion, travel, property and loads of Italian related events.

If you fancy visiting the festival you can go on Thursday 8th March (opening night) known as the Gala Evening, doors open at 6pm and close at 10pm, the price of a ticket is £35. Alternatively you can go Friday 9th to Sunday 11th when the cost of a ticket is just £16 for adults and £8 for children, children under 5 years can go free.

If you fancy a taste of real Italian culture without having to travel too far then La Dolce Vita could be right up your street. The festival is being held in The Grand Hall at The Olympia Exhibition Centre in London. See the official website for more information on the different events taking place.

Face of fashion is an exhibition during February and March focusing on the portraits of fashion photographers from Europe and America. The five photographers are Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott, Corinne Day, Steven Klein, Paolo Roversi and Mario Sorrenti.

The exhibition takes place in the National Portrait Gallery and is open daily between 10am and 6pm, although advanced booking is recommended. Full price for a ticket is £8; however there are discounts for senior citizens and children under 12. You can book tickets online or call 0870 013 0703.