How to Spend a Rainy Day in Bruges

The Belgian city of Bruges is known for its picturesque beauty; filled with cobble-stoned winding streets and stunning architecture showing its rich history. On our visit we were planning to spend a lot of time walking throughout the compact town and get lost in its charm. Unfortunately the weather had different plans, and the day we visited it was cold, pouring non-stop with rain. We'd also managed to coincide our visit with a festival, which meant the iconic square was obscured from view by large white tents. Not ideal. We are planning a do-over in sunnier weather, but in the meantime here are my top tips for making the most of a rainy day in Bruges, as there is still plenty to see and do when trying to avoid the cold and rain.

Everybody's Talking About Jamie at the Apollo Theatre

[AD – gifted] Everybody's been talking about Jamie. Inspired by the BBC documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at 16, the musical with a book and lyrics by Tom MacRae and music by The Feeling frontman Dan Gillespie Sells has been a West End hit since transferring to London from Sheffield in 2017, winning a slew of WhatsOnStage Awards and being nominated for five prestigious Olivier Awards too. And this week I finally had a chance to see for myself what all the buzz was about.

Gingerline's The Grand Expedition – A Steampunk Dining Experience

[AD – gifted] The Grand Expedition is a new immersive dining experience promising to provide visitors a "flying, feeding, floating" night out. Set up in a secret location not too far from Central London, audience members are encouraged to dress up as aviators to fully immerse themselves in the Jules Verne-esque adventure.

Rock of Ages at New Wimbledon Theatre [UK Tour]

[AD - Gifted] When Rock of Ages was playing in the West End I was obsessed with the show. The feel-good story, rockin' 80s score, absolutely perfect casting, and the hilarious absurdity of some of the characters, mashed together in a winning combination that had me return 20+ times. Yes, I thought it was THAT good. There is no other musical or play I've seen that often (or even more than a handful of times), so needless to say I was very excited when a new UK tour of my favourite 80s-inspired musical was announced. This week the tour hit the edge of London at the New Wimbledon Theatre and I was thrilled to be invited to attend the gala night.