Cracking Christmas Pop Ups...

In three days' time it's officially December, which means we're allowed to start going Christmas crazy! I've tried to hold back, only mentioning the C-word when totally necessary, however the time has come for us to start donning some tinsel and ramping up the chrimbo cheer!!

We all know how jam-packed December gets with work socials, tonnes of festive events and Christmas jumper parties galore (fear not if you're on the hunt for your 2014 knit, a post of this year's best will be winging it's way to you shortly), so, we need to be organised to avoid missing out on all the fun!

Christmas themed events are popping up left right and centre but to have any chance of joining in we need to act quick smart! Some are already sold out...proof to be wary of all those Scrooges out there. In fact, I'm starting to think that the 'Bah Humbug' may all be an act to put us off getting to the front of the queue!

Leapfrog the Scrooges and check out 3BM's top 5 favourite seasonal soirees going on right now or coming up very soon...

Berkeley Winter Cinema - I was dying to go to this last year but didn't manage to make it down, so this year it's back at the top of my list! A magical Christmas rooftop cinema complete with wooden handmade cabins, hot water bottles, cashmere blankets, hot chocolate and snacks whilst watching a Christmas favourite! I can't think of anything I would rather do...well perhaps pay an extra £20 for the champagne version!! 

Standard tickets are £50 and give you admission to the 5pm and 7pm seating, bottomless hot chocolate and mince pies. Or pay £75 for a glass of champagne and canapes!

Wilton Pl, Knightbridge, 

London SW1X 7RL

Le Chalet at Selfridges - what more could you want than a cosy candle-lit alpine chalet way up in the sky?! Think twinkly trees, thick tartan blankets, lanterns and fur throws - the perfect ski chic log cabin! Don't expect super festive dishes, officially it has an alpine BBQ theme but I've heard great things about the tiger milk ceviche and the spit roast suckling pig. Oh, and lobster macaroni doesn't sound too bad either! My favourite bit...the hot chocolate bar yum yum yum!!! 

Selfridges Roof Top
400 Oxford Street
London, W1H 6HB

Pop up Screens Notting Hill - if the Berkeley option is slightly out of your price range then this will be right up your street at £20 a ticket. Enter through the back of a wardrobe and into a winter wonderland complete with snow! Fear not it's all snug and cosy indoors with a festive helping of mulled wine and mince pies to get you in the mood! Plus, with a movie line-up of our all time favourites of Elf, Love Actually, Home Alone and Arthur Christmas you're pretty much guaranteed to go back night after night!! 

20th Century Theatre

291 Westbourne Grove, W11 2QA

Night Tales - if dancing in a twinkly-lit gazebo whilst drinking copious amounts of steaming mulled wine and devouring treats from gourmet food stalls sounds like your sort of thing, then have I got a treat for you?! Night Tales delivers all of the above and more...a converted outdoor space in East London filled with wild gardens, live music and far too much fun! They've roped in Patty&Bun, Rum Kitchen, Voodoo Rays and Morty and Bob's to lay on the food and a hot cocktail bar to ensure everyone loses their inhibitions and fills that dance floor! 

288 - 299 Old Street

Shoreditch, EC2A 

Cheese On The Terrace at Kensington Roof Gardens - if like us, you like nothing more than devouring platefuls of cheese over the festive period, this is the perfect way to while away an evening! High up away from all the London bustle The KRG team are serving up baked cheeses and fresh bread with the city's skyline as your backdrop! They've literally got all bases covered with a hot cocktail menu to battle those winter chills! I'm already drooling over the thought of Camembert topped with garlic purée, grated Autumn truffle and bread crumbs - divine!

9 Kensington High Street

London 

W8 5SA

London's Sensational Suntraps...

It's June, it's officially summer, and from what I've read, it's set to be a scorcher. Last weekend's sunny, blue-skied days kicked the month off nicely, so we thought what better way to celebrate than a post about all our fav rooftop haunts to give you a little Summer 2014 inspo! 

Forget sitting curled up under a duvet hungover on your sofa - no, no it's all about alfresco drinking, catching some early summer rays and celebrating that London can do something other than rain and moan!

Us London Mice took advantage of the sun last weekend and whiled away our Sunday with good friends and cocktails at The Boundary in Shoreditch. It's amazing how once your settled in a big comfy chair, sunglasses on and a cocktail in hand you feel a million times happier and a world away from the non-stop bustle and stresses of London. 

As we're not all fortunate enough to be members of the fabulous Shoreditch house (not jealous at ALL!!) we've got our thinking caps on for non-member options. They may not have pools and a 'no photo' policy but cocktails and BBQs are pretty much a dead cert and who wants to go somewhere you can't brag to the world about on Instagram anyway?!!

Take a look at our short list and get planning your summer weekends crammed full of daytime boozing and sunny fun...

The Boundary - a firm favourite of all three Mice, you can't get much better than this. If you're after a chic Hamptons style escape then this is the one! A sea of oversized, comfy, white sofas, a wood burning stove centre piece, chill-out music and the best bread baskets I've ever had the joy to sample! Chic, beautiful and the perfect way to spend a sunny day or laidback evening with friends.

Queen of hoxton - a more upbeat option complete with fake grass, mismatched wrought iron tables and chairs, pitchers of pimms, seaside hut toilets and a killer BBQ. Fun, happening and always a great spot for people watching. 

Dead Dolls Club - not a roof we've ventured to as of yet but it's on our June agenda. Dead Dolls itself is a quirky, fun and totally crazy place but now with an added bonus of a rooftop...I'm not sure they're going to get rid of us! Officially members only however the application form is online here and all you have to do is bring them a present (we bought them a dog from Hong Kong - a twist on the China Dog category...) and the members card is yours - AMAZING!

Radio Rooftop - if you fancy something a little more central with great skyline views then The Radio Rooftop Bar will tick the boxes. It's got a strong nod to Vegas with a lot of white going on but it had a fun vibe, great music and delish cocktails - win win!!

Madison - with St Paul's Cathedral literally on the doorstep this gem is all about the view. Warning - there's a relatively high proportion of besuited drinkers here and the queue at the bar is a bit of a shocker, but when you step out of the lift and see the skyline all's forgiven! I haven't been at the weekend but as it's right in the centre of the City, I imagine a Thursday or Friday evening is when the atmosphere's best anyway.

Aqua - slap bang in the middle of town this is the ideal option for a post-shop refuel stop! A pricier option, but that buys you an expertly shaken cocktail, impressive decor and gives you the choice of two different terraces to recline on! 

Sushi Samba - another 3BM favourite, some may say a little touristy, but nobody can blame the visitors with a view like that! We love the orange tree terrace and fire pits for when the evening chill sets in - plus delectable sushi just a skip away from the bar = heaven! 

Kensington Roof Gardens - we recently posted about this little oasis of tropical calm and it's still firmly on our favourites list. A great option to instantly whisk you away from the city with surroundings of luscious gardens, beautiful people and of course flamingos - we're pretty much head over heels!

A few others that we're yet to try, but are filling our diaries with as we type...

Vista
Coq d'Argent Dalston Roof Park 
Frank's Cafe

Party in Paradise...

Another bank holiday weekend but this time jam packed with long sunny days, lots of partying and too much al fresco drinking...our favourite way to pass the time!

We kicked off with some Friday champagne and girlie catch ups...

Got our fitness head on for a Saturday morning (more like lunchtime) jog in the beautiful Victoria Park...

Followed by a few too many ice cold glasses of Marlborough at the newly refurbished Cat and Mutton. However our favourite part of the weekend had to be the fabulous Kensington Roof Gardens One Day party on Sunday...

Not only was it heavenly to rid ourselves of those dreaded Sunday blues but the sun was shining, the beautiful people were out in force and we were high up away from all the city bustle, partying the day away without a care in the world!

I've never been to the venue before but there is no doubt that I shall be back. The setting is beautiful with three different gardens to enjoy, we spent most of our time in the Spanish Garden which as it name indicates has an amazing Mediterranean vibe. Based on the Alhambra palaces in Granada you literally feel a world away among the ornate arches, creeping vines, dusted pink buildings with vivid turquoise peeling painted doors and palm trees decorating every view. 

We also couldn't help taking a little snoop around the Tudor Garden, English Woodland and up to the rooftop Babylon Restaurant which has incredible views over the gardens and London's skyline. Sadly as there were a few too many visitors with glasses of champagne in hand, the flamingos were grazing in private, however usually they can be seen roaming the gardens at their own leisure...I literally love this place!

Anyway back to the party...it was the perfect combination of Ibiza meets Chelsea...amazing DJs, delicious cocktails (served in watering cans), a great upbeat vibe but with a slick and super chic crowd. I half expected the party to have an underlying pretentious air to it, but I can honestly say I didn't experience a whiff of it....everyone was super friendly and just there to have a good time.

Tickets sold out on day one so it was pretty busy but not jam packed, in my opinion the ideal number to avoid toe trampling but still bursting with atmosphere and fun. We literally didn't stop laughing and dancing all day, for us Mice it was the perfect Sunday bringing back memories of fun filled days partying in Ibiza. The only negative I can say is that it wrapped up at 8pm...we would have loved to have stayed all night long but I guess that gives us an excuse to go back!

Fear not...you haven't missed out they are holding one of their legendary Love Brunch parties very soon on 17th May...think a boozy Vegas brunch affair with far too much champagne, DJs and dancing! Check out the site here and get your tickets here - be quick though as the early bird tickets are already totally sold out!!