A barn and some French fertilizer, a night in a factory and an eco-friendly Christmas fair. "Suburban Junkies?" we hear you gasp fearfully. But worry not, o intrepid reader, for your favourite run-down of London's finest distractions has plenty of alternatives for your more urban addictions.

This weekend's guide is brought to you by Le Manoir, Raymond Blanc's Michelin two star restaurant and luxury hotel set in a 700 year-old mansion. They are offering two Urban Junkies subscribers the chance to win a night's stay, inclusive of a French breakfast and two places
on the Raymond Blanc seasonal dinner party cooking course. To enter, just tell us the answer to "Who is Raymond Blanc?" in the subject line of your mail to competition@urbanjunkies.com.

And read about our experience at the cookery school and hotel here.

Le Salon
This year's Fertilizer Festival brings, in their own words, some of the best musical sh_t from across the Channel. Following on from yesterday's inaugural selection of musical manure, tonight's instalment at the Cross Kings, the former-Backpackers on York Way, focuses on a host of the finest Gallic electro-folk and new-breed chanson stars around.

Barndating
Now this is just genius. We all know how hard it can be to find the next Mr or Miss Right, or Right Now if we're being honest about it, yes? And we are all painfully aware of the terrible barn-dance famine that's sweeping the world. Dreadful. So what happens if we combine the two? Speed-dating and barn-dancing: barndating. Or Speed-dancing, I suppose. Though that's a rather different beast.

Adrian Crowley & Danny Schmidt
The Luminaire tonight brings together two songwriting legends-in-the-making for one incredible evening of guitar-driven glory. With a new single out on Fence Records and regular stints with the James Yorkstons and Adems of the world, Adrian Crowley is a growing star on the post-folk horizon. Danny Schmidt, meanwhile, is a somewhat grittier affair: from sublime folk to troubled blues, the Texan singer/songwriter has 'cult legend' nailed to his very soul.

A 2nd Night at the Factory
Celebrating Phonica Records' fourth birthday, Baltika and Tropicalhotdog are throwing another of their Cable Street Studios extravaganzas. Far from your average club night, expect everything from psychedelica to sexy minimal house, hefty techno to bitch-pop and disco. It's strictly guestlist only, with a great DJ line-up, but email names to Tropicalhotdog tropicalhotdognight@gmail.com by 3pm on Friday for your chance to squeeze in.

Kulture2Couture
This much-lauded two day celebration and promotion of black British designers is awash, on its first day, with a bumper-packed array of workshops and seminars from some of the country's fashion finest. Whether it's business strategies or make-up masterclasses, ethical diamond trade or a career in costume design that tickles your trend-driven taste buds, Kulture2Couture is the place to be.

Nuke Them All
Bastard love-child of Antisocial's Bboss and Computer Blue's maestro Fonteyn, Nuke Them All is a veritable fiesta of dancefloor filth and electro debauchery. With a line-up that includes Meat Raffle's Milan and Boombox's Jerry Bouthier, plus a live set from the incredible Afrikan Boy and visuals by Alex Sedano, be warned that you might not leave this one till Christmas.

Vieux Farka Toure & Zeep
Son of the late Grammy-winning musician Ali Farka Toure, Malian guitarist/singer/songwriter Vieux Farka Toure has been busily carving out an international name for himself over the last few years with his unique desert-washed blues. Zeep, meanwhile, is the new project from the ex-Da Lata and Smoke City crew, yet their sound is far from predictable. Put the two together and its an explosion of international influence and riff-heavy magic.

A Green Christmas Fair
Once upon a time, the festive period was about the simple things: monogrammed stockings on the fireplace, brandy-laced Chrismas pud, woolly jumpers from you senile gran. Now its all about iPhones for your 12 year-old nephew and the latest Louboutin pumps for your lady. If, however, you long for a simpler, more humanitarian approach to gift-giving, try this one day fair for everything from biodynamic wines to climate-change calendars.

Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius
Some things get better with age. Whiskey is one of them; Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius another. Initially this oratorio about a postmortem soul and its encounters with demon and angel alike wasn't so well received. But, with time, its innovation and vision have earned it incredible repute. What better way, then, to elebrate the composer's 150th birthday than with this surprise hit?

The17
Perhaps more of a Do than a See, and maybe even with a touch of the Drink beforehand, ex-KLF frontman, Bill Drummond's latest project is a series of performances solely for performance's sake. With the promise of no recording and no spectators, a choir of 17 random individuals gather together in a room to create an original piece of vocal magic that will never again be shared. No experience is necessary, everyone is welcome, and with no audience to stress you out, this is one for both performative types and closet belters alike. Since each performance is entirely unique, The17 is the chance to make history. Not that anyone else will ever know.

Honour Bound
At first glance, Honour Bound might just seem like a performative biography of Australian David Hicks and his incarceration at Guantanamo Bay. So complex, intelligent and intense is the story's telling, however, that it decimates such simplifications at every level. Through powerful, breathtaking choreography, video and audio footage from Hicks's parents and officials, and huge, Matrix-like scrolling internal governmental papers and accounts from fellow detainees, the cage in which his harrowing tale occurs becomes electrified, its vividness at once a pleasure and an assault on every sense. It may not be the easiest of ways to spend your weekend, but Honour Bound is an absolute treasure.

Take a Deep Breath
More than just a pretty face, the Tate Modern turns its wise symposial eye upon that most overlooked bodily function: breath. Over a three day series of interdisciplinary performances, exhibitions, discussions and workshops, under the gaze of a varied collection of academics, artists and specialists, the act of breathing will be examined in every possible context, from the biological to the spiritual, the literary to the ecological.

BBC Good Food Show
You name it, and if it's even vaguely culinary, then the Good Food Show will have it by the crate. Celebrity chefs and a cooking theatre; organic geese and grocery boxes; Christmas puddings and champagne buffs; artisanal chocolate liqueurs and flavoured vodkas; whisky, wine and, well perhaps not women. Unless their made from pastry and served with a balsamic glaze.