Originally published on Tuesday, 30th April 2013

The Culturist: May

We're going around the world in 31 days this month. Go tropical with some fruity al fresco drinking, see Pedro Almodóvar's latest film before heading to Barcelona's Boqueria market on the Southbank (this weekend), try some cuisine à la Colombia, and finally channel some NYC at a rooftop party, photography exhibition – or make the trip for the Met's highly anticipated Punk exhibition. Otherwise there's lots of theatre (our eyes are on Othello) and a new King's X hotel. Jazzy.

AL FRESCO: SHRIMPY'S OUTSIDE GRILL

Opens May 16, KXFS, Goods Way, N1C 4UR

May is here and so (hopefully) that means al fresco drinking and dining. King's Cross Filling Station's canal-side forecourt bar will be opening mid-month with a new addition: Shrimpy's Outside Grill. The weekly changing menu will consist of four charcoal-grilled dishes (meat, veggie and fish options) which are all designed to be eaten with your humble fingers – chilli and cheese corn on the cob, skirt steak and chimichurri buns, squid and chorizo tortas and the Shrimpy's Seafood Bucket to share. The drinks list is simple and on tap – prosecco, fro-margarita, beer and slushies.

ESCAPE : Bompas and Parr's Tutti Frutti Lake at Kew Gardens

May 25 & November 3, £16.50 Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, TW9 3AB

Gastronomical geniuses Bompas and Parr are back and going tutti frutti for summer. If you rowed across their punch bowl atop Selfridges, you'll want in for some boating fun. In honour of Kew Gardens' festival IncrEdibles, a celebration of edible plants, the Palm House Pond will be transformed into a giant fruit salad bowl, complete with a floating pineapple island. Drift around the lake via slices of papaya, melon, durian and pears, and explore the secret (or not so anymore) grotto beneath the pineapple. This sh*t really is bananas!

FILM: I'm So Excited

Opens May 3, £14.75 Curzon Soho, 99 Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 5DY

Almodóvar fans will already be geared up for his newest release, I'm So Excited. It's a break from his warped stories of late (namely The Skin I Live In), returning to his earlier comedic style. I'm So Excited is the tale of a plane heading for disaster en route to Mexico City due to a defective landing gear, featuring a cast of old-time faves, plus cameos from Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas. Instead of panicking, the passengers and crew opt for a mile-high goodbye party. We're so excited (sorry).

INTERNATIONAL : PUNK: FROM CHAOS TO COUTURE

May 9 – August 14, $25 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York, 10028-0198

Punk goes luxury at the latest exhibition by The Costume Institute at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. PUNK: Chaos to Couture examines punk's impact on high fashion from the movement's birth in the 1970s through to its continuing influence today. The exhibition narrows the gap between fashion and art, politics and music, with seven spaces tying the different worlds together. Expect to see original punk works from Vivienne Westwood, Sid Vicious, and The Clash to the high-fash mob Burberry, Balenciaga and Versace, to name a small few.

PHOTOGRAPHY: BLUMENFIELD STUDIO: NEW YORK 1941 – 1960

May 23 – September 1, free admission South Building, Somerset House, Strand, WC2R 1LA

Erwin Blumenfeld, one of the most distinguished photographers of the 20th century, will have his life's work (from his Central Park studio) showcased at Somerset House. Having made his stamp on fashion, advertising portraiture and even 'war effort' propaganda, meander though Blumenfeld's idiosyncratic style, which includes a 15-year collaboration with Vogue and Alexander Liberman, original publication clippings and rarely seen fashion films from the early 60s. It's a retrospective that defines post-war New York.

FESTIVAL : BOOK AHEAD LATITUDE

July 18 – 21, weekend tickets £190.50 Henham Park, Suffolk, NR34 8AQ
Book tickets here

Latitude, the UK's favourite multi-arts festival, returns this July in the idyllic surroundings of Henham Park, Suffolk. Offering an unrivalled selection of music and innovative arts programming, this year is no exception with highlights including Bloc Party, Kraftwerk (3-D concert), Foals, Sean Lock, Dylan Moran, Daniel Kitson, National Theatre Wales, Ed Harcourt, Carol Ann Duffy, Germaine Greer and many more. Get booking!

CAFÉ: CLUB COLOMBIA

May 17 – 25, mains from £15 InterContinental London Park Lane, One Hamilton Place, Park Lane, W1J 7QY
Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to reserve

Colombian food has yet to hit the big time in London, but this might be the beginning of something. One of Bogotá's top restaurants, Club Colombia, is setting up shop in the InterContinental Hotel's Cookbook Café, led by CC's head chef Harry Sassoon. While the location may not be as exotic as the Colombian original (in an ivy-covered grand house), the menu will be. Expect traditional dishes with a dash of modern – crab backs cooked in coconut milk, empanadas, sea bass ceviche, grilled red snapper and creole pork belly confit. It's also known for its brunch, so book in for a refreshing Sunday alternative (and make to sure to order arepas).

PARTY: XOYO LOVES FUTUREBOOGIE

May 4, 3pm-3am, £25 Day: Dalston Roof Park, 18 Ashwin St, E8 3DL Night: 32-37 Cowper St, EC2A 4AP

If you missed out on the first installment of XOYO Loves – held on the roof of the South Place Hotel followed by a raucous after party at the club itself – then book quickly for the second in the series. House label Futureboogie is heading up this day-to-night party, with its DJs (alongside Crazy P Soundsystem, Maxxi Soundsystem and Waifs & Strays) starting off at the Dalston Roof Park – with a BBQ courtesy of the Blues Kitchen – before crawling over to XOYO to finish off. We're giving away a pair of tickets to the full party – simply email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to enter.

HOTEL: GREAT NORTHERN HOTEL

Opens May 9 The Great Northern Hotel, Pancras Road, N1C 4TB

The King's Cross bang continues. This month sees the reopening of the Great Northern Hotel (just behind its big-bill refurb brother, The St Pancras International). We're most interested in the restaurant – news just in is that Mark Sargeant (of Gordon Ramsey at Claridge's) will oversee the Plum + Spilt Milk brasserie. There is also Kiosk, its takeaway stand, and the glass-topped GNH bar, which is inspired by French railway restaurants and overlooks the west concourse of the station.

BOOK: JAZZ. NEW YORK IN THE ROARING TWENTIES

£34.99

One for the jazz enthusiasts. Leaf through charming illustrations, facts and anecdotes about the New York jazz scene of the 1920s. It also comes with an accompanying CD, or follow with the animated jazz film Chico Y Rita.

BOOK: THEATRE. REGENT'S PARK OPEN AIR THEATRE

May 16-June 15, £25-£55 Regents Park, NW1 4NU

Finally, some open-air theatre for summer. Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning classic, To Kill a Mockingbird, starts off the season at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. Bring a picnic blanket and bask in the twilight as you become intertwined in the drama of the 1960s classic. Arrive early to get your food orders in – skewers off the BBQ is our choice – and champagne, lots of champagne. Pride and Prejudice and The Winter's Tale are also in the line up.