THOROUGHLY MODERN MINI: Slava's Snowshow, Royal Festival Hall

I always find the Southbank particularly beautiful and exciting around Christmas and this year is no exception. Slava’s Snowshow is just one of the many wintery delights that the Southbank has to offer.

My friend and I walked excited past a row of magical looking stalls and into the warm and bustling theatre of the Royal Festival Hall where we were met with a friendly atmosphere and the sound of jazzy music flowing through the building.

The auditorium was a flood of aquamarine, blue and turquoise light, only the beginning of what was to come.

The show begins with light cascading into smoke around the stage leaving only a melancholy clown wandering the stage wearing an oversized yet strangely fetching sun yellow all-in-one. The show consists of little talking, relying on music, colour, and overall sensory and visual wonder.

Some parts are subtly enticing such as a unique scene in which the clown works with a beautiful coloured ball on stage. The pitch black auditorium with one bright orange sphere floating delicately captivates the audience completely.

Other parts are eccentric or funny. It is a fantastic show thanks to these contrasts. There are sad moments, frightening moments, silent moments and moments where the whole audience both young and old were in hysterical laughter.

The best parts for me though would have to be the three large scale events which occur at climactic points. The audience gasped at the sight of a vast spider's web slowing descending, made from woven white thread, the giant web is pulled over the audience, by the audience.

I was situated near the back and watched as the web drew near, the look of wonder on people’s faces. Laughter murmured across the hall as people pulled the web over their heads. It was incredible that this can work in such a large audience - it was truly memorable.

This is the very reason I love going to plays, musicals and shows because when the whole audience is brought together, it is like nothing else. The show is a unique and extremely beautiful experience and it ends with giant inflatable balls of different colours floating above the audience. I was filled with joy as I and many other people rushed out of their seats to jump up and hit the massive spheres over the audience.

Snow fell from the ceiling and the show officially came to a close, although everyone continued to gaze in awe at the globes still suspended above their heads.

This show broke the boundaries of modern theatre and I urge you to catch it while it is still on.

Slava’s Snowshow continues until Sunday 8 January, 2012, book here.

Written by Thoroughly Modern Mini, Eloise Kenny-Ryder.

Udderbelly Festival at Southbank

The Udderbelly Festival comes to the Southbank every summer, inhabiting a flexible structure (a large upside down purple cow!) that seats four hundred and hosting many creative performances including plays, concerts and comedy shows. Boasting twelve weeks of affordable entertainment on the beautiful Southbank and an eccentric garden that has many delicious food and drink stalls, it is a great place to hang out in the warm summer months.

In the coming weeks comedy legends like Jason Byrne and Mark Dolan will be strutting their stuff for the London crowds. The shows I am most excited about are ‘Frisky and Mannish’ and ‘Showstopper’. Frisky and Mannish: The College Years is the newest show from an extraordinary comedy duo - they never fail to produce a great show, and are both exceptionally musically talented and hilarious. More unmissable entertainment is sure to come from Showstopper! who improvise a musical. Each show the brilliant cast create a brand new musical on the spot, making every performance different and unique.

I stumbled across Udderbelly by chance a few weekends ago, while out on the Embankment with a few friends. We stopped to see what was on offer, and sat in the sunshine with a glass of cider each. It has a great atmosphere, and with free entry anyone can walk in and enjoy an event.

Shows on every day until 17 July, book here.

Benugo Bar at the BFI

The Benugo Bar at the BFI is one of London’s best kept secrets, it's upstairs from the riverfront cafe.

This venue caters for everyone with wholesome roasts on offer for family lunches, or cocktails for evenings with friends. Many of my chums seem to choose it as a meeting place for those nervous first dates. Everyone loves hanging out on the Southbank, but in the winter months it’s not as fun to sit on the chilly benches... Benugo is the perfect alternative.

The place is filled with shabby chic mismatched furniture, and everyone from businessmen to scruffy artists, the atmosphere is friendly and yet there is an intellectual feel. I went to Benugo Bar with my best friend for an early evening drink and catch-up last weekend . We drank: cloudy lemonade, we ate: delicious handmade chips.

OXO Tower Restaurant

The OXO Tower Restaurant is located on the eighth floor of London’s famous tower, along with the less expensive brasserie. This rooftop venue is owned my Harvey Nichols and has all the style of the Knightsbridge shop. The relaxed attitude is noticeable immediately you are welcomed in, unusual for a restaurant of this calibre.

Not quite Michelin star standard food for Michelin star prices, but the beautiful view makes up for it - best to go on a clear evening and watch the sun set as you eat. We were lucky enough to see a spectacular red sky that reflected a romantic glow over the whole restaurant. With one of the most impressive wine lists around, you can drink anything from OXO's own-label Vin de Pays d'Oc at £18 to '82 Petrus at £4,200.

The staff were ridiculously attentive but not in a distracting way, although I was a little disconcerted at the start of the meal when there seemed to be more waiters than customers. I struggled a bit with the predominantly fishy menu but eventually the tempting descriptions led me to a few suitable options. I had the vegetarian starter, arancini, which are essentially fried risotto balls, these were little bundles of joy, although I found the accompanying greenery a bit plain and the truffle quite flavourless. For mains it was hard to choose, and as all around us couples were devouring delicious looking meat food envy made it hard to make a final decision. We went for lamb and duck, I had the lamb (well actually I had the duck too as it was too good not to steal several bites off my companion's plate). There were none of these silly ‘tiny’ portions for mains – I had lots of different things to try on my plate, including parmesan gnocci (amazing) and mango and carrot sauce (surprisingly delicious). It was so good I was almost too full for pudding, which I always find to be a very upsetting dilemma at the end of a meal. We shared the chocolate plate, which was rather large so better for two. It included a mini tower of earl grey chocolate mousse and a bizarre chocolate and mint sorbet.

A walk along the South Bank after dinner concluded the perfect evening.