October 2022's must-sees

Oscar-winning actress Helen Hunt stars in the European premiere of Eureka Day, Jonathan Spector's 2018 drama about a progressive school in California, whose liberal values are seriously challenged by an outbreak of mumps. Described as laugh-out-loud funny, clever and thought-provoking, it's a timely exploration of what happens when the school's parents try to arrive at a consensus on compulsory vaccination (clue: the results aren't pretty). Eureka Day runs at the Old Vic until 31 October.

America's National Football League returns to London with three pulse-quickening games. The Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints open the international series on 2 October at the purpose-built Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, followed on 9 October by the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers, who are making their first London appearance. This year's series finishes on a high at Wembley Stadium, with the Denver Broncos playing the Jacksonville Jaguars on 30 October.

Arguably the greatest American painter of the 19th century, Winslow Homer was a self-taught genius. Born in 1836, his life encompassed the American Civil War, the abolition of slavery and the country's spectacular rise to wealth and power, and his work reflects on these turbulent times - as well as a nostalgia for a simpler past. This first major British exhibition of Homer's work at the National Gallery features 50 of his greatest works, and runs to 8 January 2023.

Would you believe a river once ran right through Mayfair? Though the River Tyburn was covered over in the 18th century, its course can still be traced on a map, which reveals a series of winding streets cutting across Mayfair's otherwise regular grid. You can follow it from South Molton Lane to Avery Row, across Brook Street and along winding Bruton Lane - and while you may not find any water, you can always quench your thirst at Le Magritte Bar.