This week's best things to do in London, including the London Film Festival 56th BFI London Film Festival Across London Incorporating venues from the BFI to the Ritzy cinema in Brixton, the London Film Festival is all-encompassing and has programmes to suit everyone. Glitzy gala screenings will this year roll out the carpet for new films from Great Expectations to Dustin Hoffman's Quartet and comedy gorefest Sightseers. Documentaries on show include Canned Dreams, with tales behind food production, and a film about life in a remote villlage in northern Greenland called Village at the End of the World. When: October 10 - 21 How much: various prices Ether Festival Southbank Centre Ether is a festival of modern and contemporary music celebrating its tenth year and, as ever, promising pioneering work that embraces the newest technology. The programme includes pianist Rolf Hind, choreographer Rui Horta and a cat called Mia performing the sonatas of John Cage and a movement-responsive laser show that responds to rhythms of six dancers, called Chunky Move. When: October 5 - 20 How much: various prices Modern British Childhood Museum of Childhood Guaranteed to prompt waves of nostalgia, this exhibition at the Museum of Childhood documents childhood years played out between the London Olympics of 1948 and 2012. From war-time memorabilia such as ration cards, to NHS prescription glasses, cassette players and Happy Meals, the museum has collections of clothing, toys and books that portray how many children's horizons widened as their material conditions improved. The influence of technology on a child's life is another theme, as is the prominence of safety fears associated with play. Film and television footage accompanies the exhibits as well as photography from the era. When: October 13 to April 14 How much: free Bloomsbury Festival There are more then 150 free events to tempt people to arty, literary Bloomsbury this weekend. SOAS is staging a world music showcase in Russell Square, while at the Postal Museum you can create your own retro postcards. A film programme at Birkbeck Cinema includes the original 1924 Peter Pan, a musicial take on Dickens's female characters at The Foundling Museum and a dance retelling of Hedder Gabler by RADA graduates. When: October 20 -21 How much: free