Hyde Park is one of the best places in London to see roses in bloom. Image: Shutterstock

After cherry blossom and wisteria, the capital moves on to the next blockbuster botanical: Roses are beginning to bloom across London right now…

The London rose season normally runs from late May through to July. Looking for the best rose gardens where you can sniff (and snap) them this year? Places like Regent's Park and Kew Gardens are home to some of the more glorious looking (and smelling) rose bushes in the capital — and many of these rose gardens are free to visit.

Struggling to keep up with London's botanical calendar? We've put together a guide to which flowers are in bloom when.

London's best rose garden: Queen Mary's Garden, Regent's Park

A beautiful rose garden, tucked away in Regent's Park. Image: Shutterstock

We discovered Queen Mary's Gardens in Regent's Park by accident a good few years ago. Then it took us a couple of years to actually find it again. If it's roses you're after, these well-tended gardens should be high up your list; this is home to London's largest collection of roses (about 12,000, across 85 different varieties).

The circular layout is surrounded by a pagoda-style structure, with abundant climbing roses showing off their colours too.

Queen Mary's Garden is located within the park's Inner Circle, beyond some of London's fanciest gates, along with the gorgeous Japanese pond garden, home to all manner of fairy tale bridges and trickling streams. It's also not far from the Open Air Theatre, and the new Queen Elizabeth II Garden, which opened in spring 2026.

Roses in central London: The Rose Garden, Hyde Park

Hyde Park's rose garden in full bloom. Image: Shutterstock

Although Hyde Park's rose garden's variety doesn't compare to that of Regent's Park, it's hard to believe such a beautiful space can be found so close to the roaring traffic of Hyde Park Corner. And it's not just roses — herbaceous plants are mixed in too. The yew hedge, meanwhile, is apparently designed to be the mouth of a trumpet or horn heralding your arrival in the park, while the flowers represent music notes emerging from said instrument.

Throw in fountains, statues and a pergola for natural beauty steered by the hand of man, smack dab in central London. Find other things to do in Hyde Park, and neighbouring Kensington Gardens, while you're there.

Roses at Kew Gardens

Naturally, Kew Gardens has its fair share of roses. Image: David Hawgood via CC BY-SA 2.0

Botanical paradise Kew Gardens has a rose species named after it, so as you'd imagine it's got the odd rose bush lying around. You'll find the main Rose Garden right behind the Palm House, the resplendent glasshouse overlooking a lake. There's been a rose garden at Kew since the 1920s, but it's been expanded and replanted in the last decade. The gardens are also home to a gorgeous rose pergola crawling with colour every summer — find it in the Agius Evolution Garden near the Princess of Wales Conservatory.

If you're visiting in summer 2026, leave time to seek out the large-scale Henry Moore sculptures, currently in situ in the gardens.

Roses in Holland Park

Look out for roses on the path leading to the Orangery. Image: Peter Smyly via CC BY-SA 2.0

Head for the Orangery in the centre of Holland Park to discover its rose bushes, planted between the cafe and the stable yard. It's a petite offering, with just nine flower beds, but they're planted with precision, each species keeping itself to itself in a satisfyingly neat and tidy manner.

Roses at Ranger's House, Greenwich

Well worth the walk. Image: Royal Parks

Not only is Ranger's House the place to see cherry blossom in London, it's also an excellent spot for rose-bothering. Greenwich Park's own rose garden is planted right in front of the villa house, its redbrick frontage offering a rich backdrop to yellows, pinks, maroons and creams across 40 rose species. Sure, it's an uphill trek from the centre of Greenwich (though there's plenty to see at the unassuming end of Greenwich Park), but in rose season there's a satisfying symmetry about the place, making the schlep so worth it.

The Rose Garden was originally planted here in the early 1960s, and it was enhanced and restored between 2023-5 with new obelisks and herbaceous borders, so it's looking magnificent for the 2026 season, with more seating added, inviting you to linger.

The Rose Garden at Hampton Court Palace

The Rose Garden in Hampton Court Palace. Image: TitTornade via CC BY-SA 4.0

Although Henry VIII had a great many things built at Hampton Court Palace (wine fountain, anyone?), a rose garden wasn't one of them. The Rose Garden is in fact a fairly recent addition, in an area previously used as a kitchen garden. The beautiful scents and colours are only enhanced by the sprawling palatial backdrop. The Hampton Court gardens can be an exhausting excursion — 60 acres, for goodness sake — but make sure the roses are on your route. Visit on a Garden Open Weekend and enjoy free admission.

Roses at Lambeth Palace Gardens

See Lambeth Palace's roses on a rare garden open day. Photo: Londonist

Usually off-limits, Lambeth Palace opens its gardens occasionally between May and September. It's not awash with roses, but the one we spotted on our visit are absolutely charming, scrambling romantically up the old stone walls, and adding a vibrant contrast to the statues.

Find out about upcoming open days.

Rose garden at Morden Hall Park

Morden Hall Park has its own magnificent rose garden. Image: AndyScott via CC BY-SA 4.0

National Trust-owned Morden Hall Park has been home to a rose garden for almost 100 years, and its origins may lay in the nearby snuff mills. Roses were used to scent the tobacco-based product, although the rose garden here was built shortly before the mills closed, so it wouldn't have been put to that use for long. Recently, the rose garden has been restored to how it would have looked in the 1920s. In total, it has 50 formal flower beds, with around 45 different varieties.

Where to find London's best rose gardens: mapped

Plan your rosy day out around the capital with this map pinpointing our favourite spots to view roses:

Image: Matt Brown

London Bridge is the only one not falling down.

Well, it can seem that way. The capital's crossings seem to be in the news every few weeks for some kind of metal fatigue or introduced weight limit. What gives? (Hopefully not the carriageway.)

To make sense of it, we've prepped a little graphic showing all the crossings with some kind of problem or restriction, with more information down below:

Note: for visual clarity, unaffected rail bridges are not shown.

Hammersmith Bridge

Hammersmith Bridge is absolute chuffing bliss at the moment... if you're a pedestrian or cyclist. Gorgeous, Victorian suspension bridge, leafy views, all untroubled by the growl of engines. If you did need to get across in a car or bus, then bad luck. The 140-year-old bridge, designed by Joseph Bazalgette, has a history of structural problems. The latest set have seen the span closed to motor traffic since 2019, much to the chagrin of Barnes residents who've lost a major plank of connectivity. The repair cost keeps spiralling and the politics are messy. It's going to stay this way for a long time yet.

Putney Bridge

Putney Bridge. Often clogged with traffic, but looks just dandy from down here. Image: Matt Brown

A bit of a cheeky entry, as this bridge remains fully open to motors, pedestrians, cyclists, scooters, people on space hoppers and any other legal form of transport. That flippantly listed space hopper might be faster than a car, however. Recent changes to the road network at the southern end, coupled with the ongoing closure of Hammersmith Bridge, have made this one of the most clogged crossings in the capital.

Albert Bridge

This spindly crossing has 'I'm a bit fragile' written all over it. Literally. It's most famous for its signs informing soldiers to march out of step, lest they provoke a resonant wobble. Hence, the bridge's nickname of 'the trembling lady'. The bridge has deteriorated in recent years, and was closed to motor traffic in February 2026 'for up to a year' after cracks were found in the cast iron supports. Opened in 1873, it was never built to take the weight of modern traffic. So, an optimist might say that, with cyclists and pedestrians still welcome, the bridge is living up to its original design specifications.

Albert Bridge. Image: Robert Lamb, creative commons licence

Vauxhall Bridge

Vauxhall Bridge has always looked a little tatterdemalion. The deterioration is now official, after TfL announced a weight limit to the 120-year-old span. No vehicles over 18 tonnes will be allowed to cross from July 2026. Except for buses. And emergency vehicles. TfL are keen to point out that the bridge remains safe, and that the restrictions are to prevent further damage while a repair plan is formulated... but it all feels like a first step towards more severe restrictions at a later date.

Vauxhall Bridge. Image: Matt Brown

Lambeth Bridge

Lambeth's been closed a fair few times of late, mostly to make the bridge safer for cyclists. It also suffers from structural issues, however, and has been placed on the same 'critical' list by TfL as Vauxhall and Westminster bridges. It remains open for now, but will need serious work in the near future.

Westminster Bridge

As with Lambeth Bridge, TfL considers Westminster Bridge to be in "very poor condition" and in need of major upgrades. It, too, remains open... for now.

Let's hope they don't fix those 'interesting' shadows. Image: Matt Brown

Hungerford Rail Bridge

The rail bridge into Charing Cross is also in a sorry state. Major track maintenance has not been carried out since the 1990s. Hence, the bridge will close for 22 days, from 26 July to Sunday 16 August 2026. That means the complete closure of Charing Cross mainline station. The Golden Jubilee footbridges either side will remain open.

Blackfriars Bridge

Parts of the bridge were partitioned off during the first part of works in 2022. Image: Matt Brown

The bridge remains open to pedestrians, cyclists and motor traffic, but parts of the walkways are currently halved in width by fencing. The span is undergoing a bit of an overhaul, including a multi-million pound paint job — started four years ago, but delayed thanks to the works on the super-sewer. In accordance with ancient City custom, a bale of hay has been suspended from the southern arch, to alert boats to the works.

"Eid on the Square provides a wonderful opportunity for Londoners and visitors of all backgrounds to unite and celebrate the huge contribution Muslim Londoners make to our city." Image: Greater London Authority/Caroline Teo

Eid celebrations return to Trafalgar Square on Saturday 30 May 2026, with a day of Islamic-inspired music, food and family activities.

Eid al-Adha — one of the two Eids, the other being Eid al-Fitr — marks the end of Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. This year it takes place between 26-30 May, with London's big celebration happening at the end of this period.

Eid al-Adha marks the end of Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. Image: Greater London Authority/Caroline Teo

Eid on the Square 2026 features, among other things:

🎤 Main stage action throughout the day, featuring performances from London Arab Orchestra, London Turkish Association Dance Group and Khan Brothers Qawwali Group, plus Q&As, calls to prayer and more.

🪶 A Family Zone, with lantern and headdress making, and calligraphy and stencil workshops.

🗡️ Live demos from Muslim Girls Fence, with a chance to pick up fundamental fencing skills from them.

🎪 Stalls from the likes of confectioners Ambala and the Desi Doll Company, as well as face painting.

🍗 Eats from Afghan Grill, Korean Fried Chicken, Halal German Hot Dogs and Fries and loads more.

Image: Greater London Authority/Caroline Teo

Says the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan: "Eid on the Square provides a wonderful opportunity for Londoners and visitors of all backgrounds to unite and celebrate the huge contribution Muslim Londoners make to our city. Together we can continue to show that our diversity is our greatest strength, as we build a better London for everyone. Eid Mubarak!"

Eid on the Square, Trafalgar Square, 12pm-6pm, Saturday 30 May 2026, free.

Head to Belvedere Road, and you can't miss this. Image: Londonist

If you're around the South Bank anytime soon, make a point of ducking into its hinterlands — namely Belvedere Road — where a sweeping new mural can currently be admired.

A joint collaboration between Global Street Art and Bupa, the 773sqm hand-painted mural — one of the largest in Europe — is a patchwork design featuring panels from names including Sophie Tea, Yinka Ilori, Cody Weightman, Coco Dávez and Tom Daley (his panel is a knitted tapestry, naturally).

The mural highlights the link between exercising our own creativity, and our health. According to a study, 85% of people recognise that creative hobbies like drawing, doodling, painting or crafts positively impact health and wellbeing, yet 55% of these people don't regularly make time to get creative.

With artworks themed around topics of fertility, sickle cell, diabetes, anxiety, ageing and grief, the giant mural is a clarion call to whip out pens/pencils/paintbrushes/knitting needles and unleash our inner artists — once in a while, at least.

Although if you choose to be creative on a wall, do seek permission first.

The mural will remain in situ until at least 5 June.

Underground roundel at night. Image: Matt From London

Two planned 24-hour Tube strikes which were due to happen this week have been called off at the last minute.

Members of the RMT Union were due to strike on 19-20 May (12pm Tuesday-11.59am Wednesday) and 21-22 May (12pm Thursday-11.59am Friday). All strike action on these days has now been cancelled.

The strikes are in protest against the planned introduction of a compressed four-day working week for Tube drivers.

An RMT spokesperson said:

At the 11th hour the employer has shifted its position allowing us to further explore our members concerns around the imposition of new rosters, fatigue and safety issues.

The dispute is not over and more strike action will follow if we fail to make sufficient progress.

Additionally, further Tube strikes which were scheduled for 16 and 18 June have now been moved forward to take place on 2 and 4 June instead, if the dispute hasn't been resolved by then.

All weekend

Entertain the whole family at The Big Bahooey © Historic Royal Palaces

BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND: Hurrah, another bank holiday weekend! If you're lucky enough to have any (or all) of the three-day weekend off work, make the most of it with our guide to bank holiday things to do in the capital. Join a walking tour, explore a botanical garden, take up a new hobby or find your new favourite place in London beyond Zone One.

MAY HALF TERM: For most London schools, May half term begins on Saturday. If you've got children — from toddlers through to teenagers — to entertain over the coming week, bookmark our May half term events guide now. It's packed with special events, family shows — and exhibitions featuring submarines, dinosaurs, and a beloved animated duo. It's got several free events too — ideal if you're on a tight budget.

THE BIG BAHOOEY: Try juggling, plate spinning or wire walking; dance at a silent disco; or belt out a tune at the singalongs — just some of the entertainment on offer at the family-friendly Big Bahooey festival in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace over the late May bank holiday weekend. It's included in palace admission. 23-25 May 2026

FOODIES FESTIVAL: Head to Syon Park for Foodies Festival, a three-day celebration of all things edible (and quaffable), with a side of live music. Scouting For Girls are among the performers, with live demos by celebrity chefs, street food and artisan markets, kids' cookery sessions, pop-up bars and more. 23-25 May 2026

STREETHUNT GAMES: Looking for a unique activity for the half-term hols/May bank holiday that's fun AND affordable? Streethunt Games invites you and your friends/family/partner to engage your collective brainpower, and crack crafty crime cases on London's historical streets. Channel your inner detective on these self-guided group adventures, as you solve head-scratching puzzles together. Games are for all skill levels (ages 10+) and can be played at your own pace, with hints if you need them. No wonder Streethunt Games consistently score ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (sponsor)

Immerse yourself in light at the Luminarium. Image: Luminarium

LONDON RIVERS WEEK: Back for its 10th anniversary, London Rivers Week invites Londoners to celebrate, explore, and help restore the city's rivers. This year's theme is Know Your Local River, with a programme of walks, talks and cultural events encouraging people to protect their closest waterway. Many events have already sold out, so hop to it. 23-30 May 2026

LUMINARIUM: A walk‑through inflatable sculpture of coloured domes, pods and softly-glowing champers — known as a pops up at Battersea Power Station. The LUXART 'Luminarium' experience begins in a reception tent and progresses through intimate and soaring chambers, ending in a cupola designed to resemble 20th century stained glass. 23-31 May 2026

CHELSEA AND BELGRAVIA IN BLOOM: While the Chelsea Flower Show takes place at the Royal Hospital Chelsea until Saturday, two FREE themed flower festivals spread out into nearby neighbourhoods. Chelsea in Bloom 2026 adopts an 'Out Of This World' theme, incorporating a nod to Sir David Attenborough in the month of his 100th birthday, while Belgravia in Bloom 2026 is themed on fairy tales. In both neighbourhoods, shops, restaurants and cafes install large-scale colourful floral displays outside, which everyone can enjoy for free. FREE, 18-24 May 2026

SUBWAY COMEDY: Stand-up at the Subway is a new comedy festival staged beneath the ornate brick vaulting of Crystal Palace Subway. 11 shows welcome the ilk of Daniel Kitson, Elis James, Kerry Godliman and improv troupe Shoot from the Hip, with proceeds going towards Crystal Palace Park's upkeep. Some shows are already sold out, so be quick if something takes your fancy. 21-24 May 2026

CRIMINAL: The Museum of Homelessness in Finsbury Park opens a new exhibition exploring the criminalisation of homelessness and acts of resistance dating back 400 years. New work by 10Foot, Gemma Lees, Matt Bonner, Spelling Mistakes Cost Lives and Surfing Sofas is shown, alongside historical material. 21 May-25 July 2026

Dobby's Grave features in new exhibition Holy Pop! Image: Sophie Pearce Third Eye Traveller

HOLY POP: Lively new exhibition Holy Pop! at Somerset House explores contemporary shrines — the objects, collections and domestic displays people use to honour heroes, celebrities and cult figures. Set across three rooms in the Terrace Rooms, the exhibition highlights items connected to Princess Diana, Andy Warhol, Prince and Harry Potter's Dobby — and includes Nina Simone's chewing gum as an example of how everyday objects can become artefacts of devotion. 21 May-19 August 2026

WHISTLER AT TATE BRITAIN: 150 works of art by James McNeill Whistler go on display at Tate Britain, on loan from the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. Perhaps best known among the pieces is Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 (aka Portrait of the Artist's Mother/Whistler's Mother), shown alongside Whistler's notebooks, self-portraits and large canvases, including his soupy depictions of the industrialised Thames. 21 May-27 September 2026

COMIC CON: Dust off your cape — MCM Comic Con is back at Excel London. Guest stars include Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk from TV show Firefly, Dylan Llewellyn (the "wee English fella" from Derry Girls) and Barry Gordon (who voiced Donatello in the original animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). Meet them and other famous faces, along with author talks, costume competitions and more. 22-24 May 2026

JURASSIC OCEANS: Get to know the marine reptiles that once ruled the seas — pliosaurs, ichthyosaurs and the mighty mosasaur — through fossils, hands-on objects and interactive displays at the Natural History Museum's new exhibition, Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep. Touch a mosasaur tooth, feel a replica shark's skin and explore bite-sized science. From 22 May 2026

Today's events: Saturday 23 May

Plants are sold off at the final day of the Chelsea Flower Show. Image: Karen Roe via CC BY 2.0

CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW: A highlight for any green-fingered Londoner, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show takes over the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, with gardeners from all over the country showing off their work; stalls where you can buy plants to take home; and a chance to pick up tips from gardening experts. On the last day, many plants are sold off at reduced prices, making for scenes of palm trees and the like being lugged home on the Tube. 19-23 May 2026

STREATLIFE: 20 London-based food and drink traders take over the grounds of Alexandra Palace for StrEATlife festival, offering panoramic views across the capital as you choose between dishes including lobster rolls and jerk chicken. Wash it down with craft beer from Brixton Brewery (cocktails also available), with a soundtrack of live music and DJs. 23-24 May 2026

RICHMOND ARCHITECTURE: Join Open City for a Richmond architecture walking tour exploring how the area transformed from a Georgian royal retreat into a modern suburb. The route takes in the Grade I-listed Marble Hill House, the 1930s art deco Poppy Factory, and the traditionally-styled Richmond Riverside development from the 1980s. Finish at the Richmond Hill viewing point. 10am-12.30pm

THEATRELAND BLACK HISTORY: Explore the hidden history of African and Caribbean presence in the West End's theatre district on this Black History guided tour. Hear stories of Black magicians, escape artists, and actors who have graced London's stages, while investigating the racial climate and overcoming of stereotypes throughout history. 10am-12pm

TREES OF BROMPTON CEMETERY: Royal Parks Treescape Curator Greg Packman leads a walking tour through the historic landscape of Brompton Cemetery. Discover how the site has evolved since its Victorian origins while exploring the ecology and cultural history of its most notable mature trees. 10.30am-12.30pm

StrEATlife Festival comes to Alexandra Palace. Image: Alexandra Palace

FANTASTIC MR FOX: Dalston's historic Rio Cinema hosts a family-friendly screening of Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox. Arrive early for themed arts and crafts in the lobby led by the Rio team, aimed at primary school-aged children, before the stop-motion adventure begins on the big screen. 10.45am

HOLE-PUNCH COLLAGE: Artist Sophie Rawlingson leads a hands-on hole-punch collage workshop at Dulwich Picture Gallery. Inspired by the vibrant landscapes of Konrad Mägi and the techniques of pointillism, experiment with layering and pattern to build your own imaginative paper artworks. The session is beginner-friendly and open to both teens and adults. 11am-1pm

SOUTHWARK CATHEDRAL: Discover over 900 years of history at London's oldest Gothic church, with a guided tour of Southwark Cathedral. Expert guides lead a one-hour exploration of the building's rich past, including its strong associations with Winchester, the founding of a famous London hospital, and the theatrical characters of Shakespeare's era who once walked its aisles. 11am

It's the final day of the Chelsea Barracks Spring Fair. Image: Chelsea Barracks

SPRING FAIR: Last chance to visit this year's Chelsea Barracks Spring Fair,  bringing a curated selection of independent makers and seasonal food and drink to the Chelsea Barracks estate. Pair it with Chelsea or Belgravia in Bloom, or the Chelsea Flower Show, for a full day out. 11am-7pm

SIP & STITCH: Craft an embroidered hoop piece or upcycle your own clothing at Sip & Stitch London, a creative workshop at London Art Bar (Holborn). The session is beginner-friendly and includes all necessary supplies like fabric, threads and beads, plus a glass of prosecco to enjoy while you work. 2pm-4.30pm

GREEK FOLK: King's Cross venue Jamboree hosts a family concert and crafts afternoon, featuring Greek folk music and dancing. Led by guitar and violin duo Zeeya, explore urban folk traditions and rebetiko rhythms, alongside a dedicated craft table for children. 2pm-4pm

SPEAKEASY BRUNCH: Hidden behind an award-winning pub in Kingston, Ram Jam Records hosts a theatrical bottomless brunch featuring a mix of comedy, burlesque and drag performances, alongside food from Smok'd Kitchen, with an optional 90-minute bottomless drinks package. 2pm-4.30pm

GENTLEMAN JACK: Forget Suranne Jones swishing around in a long black overcoat: Northern Ballet brings Anne Lister's life to the stage in a new Gentleman Jack ballet at Sadler's Wells. The piece follows Lister — pseudonym 'Gentleman Jack' — drawing on her decoded diaries to explore her relationships and defiant life in 19th century Yorkshire. 2.30pm/7.30pm

Catch the final performances of Gentleman Jack at Sadler's Wells. Image: Sadler's Wells

BOXING PLAY: The Lewisham pub where Henry Cooper trained stages a new boxing play. Dancing in the Mirror is on at the Fellowship Inn in Bellingham for just two days, telling the story of Jade, a young boxer who grew up in care, and Mica, a clerk and aspiring actor learning to find his voice. 3pm/7pm

SUMMER SWING DANCE: Get stuck into an evening of 1940s-themed nostalgia with the National Army Museum's Summer Swing Dance. SwingdanceUK are on hand to lead lindy hop and jitterbug lessons for all abilities, accompanied by live music from the South London Jazz Orchestra and vintage styling from Pretty Me Vintage. 6pm-10pm

HANDEL'S ITALIAN FEAST: Food historians Marc Meltonville and Robert Hoare cook up a journey through 18th century Italy at Handel Hendrix House in Mayfair. Discover the dishes the composer would have encountered during his travels, with live demonstrations using replica Georgian kitchenware and recipes from Hannah Glasse's 1747 cookbook. The evening includes a tasting of period-appropriate dishes and a glass of Italian wine. 6pm

THAT 70S CLUB: Signature Brew Haggerston is the home of That 70s Club, a full-throttle throwback night dedicated to the golden era of soul, glam, funk and disco. Dust off your dancing shoes for a playlist ranging from punk energy to dance floor classics, all set within the brewery's canal-side taproom. 7pm

GHIBLI CABARET: Get spirited away at the Divine in Dalston as queer Asian cabaret collective The Bitten Peach presents Ghibli Cabaret. Hosted by Mild Peril, the evening features a line-up of performers including Yuki Sutton and Dosa Cat celebrating the magical animated worlds of Studio Ghibli in the venue's basement space. 7.30pm

WRONG JOVI: The Fighting Cocks in Kingston hosts a high-energy tribute to one of rock's most enduring acts. Wrong Jovi performs a set packed with stadium anthems, live favourites and — for the die-hard fans — rare tracks. 7.30pm

SOUL CITY: Camden's Jazz Cafe hosts a high-energy Soul City: May bank holiday special to celebrate the long weekend. Expect a night of world-class house music ranging from classic gems to modern floor-fillers, with special guests joining the resident DJs on the legendary dance floor. 10.30pm-3am

Today's events: Sunday 24 May

Celebrate all things canine at Greenwich Dog Show. Image: Jeff Oliver

GIANT LONDON FLEA: Organised by Hackney Flea Market and Walthamstow Flea Market, The Giant London Flea brings hundreds of stalls selling vintage clothing, antiques, collectibles, homewares and street food to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. 10am-5pm

GREENWICH DOG SHOW: The Greenwich Dog Show returns to the Old Royal Naval College Grounds for a day of canine competitions and marketplace browsing. Alongside the main show, explore an artisan craft market, refuel at street food stalls and a Gin & Pimm's bar, or even book a dog-friendly afternoon tea on the colonnades. 10am-6pm

OLIVER TWIST: Step back in time on a walking tour exploring the historic and notorious streets immortalised by Charles Dickens in Oliver Twist. Led by an award-winning Blue Badge Guide, the two-hour route uncovers ancient markets, workhouses, and prisons before concluding with a visit to the Foundling Museum in Bloomsbury. 11am

BABY BROADWAY: West End singers perform well-known musical numbers from stage and screen in family concert Baby Broadway at Chickenshed Theatre (Southgate). Aimed at children aged up to six years, the show includes bubbles, puppetry and plenty of audience interaction accompanied by live piano, with little ones welcome to move about freely throughout. 11am

WARRIOR WOMEN: Guide Marie Helly of Footprints of London leads the Warrior Women walking tour through Westminster, meeting the extraordinary figures who shaped history. The route from Westminster Pier along Whitehall covers 2,000 years of stories, from the warrior queen Boudica to Churchill's favourite spy and the campaigners who fought for the vote in Parliament Square. 11am-1pm

Visit Upminster Windmill on an open day. Image: Mangopie23 via CC0

WINDMILL OPEN DAY: It's a public open day at Upminster Windmill and Gardens, when you can explore the fully-restored historic mill and its grounds, with refreshments available to buy. The sails will be turning, weather permitting. 11am-4pm

NEWSREEL RETROSPECTIVE: Bertha DocHouse in Bloomsbury screens Newsreel Retrospective (1968–1972): Power to the People, a programme of digitally preserved films documenting late 60s urban organising. The selection includes footage of a Black Panther rally in San Francisco and the 1968 Columbia University student protests, exploring parallel struggles for social justice. 2pm

FIRST TIMERS FEST: Every band on the line-up is playing their very first show at Signature Brew Haggerston's First Timers Fest 2026, a celebration of London’s grassroots music scene. The event focuses on making music accessible to those historically pushed to the margins, featuring a joyful mix of debut performances, community stalls and raw creative energy. 3pm

CIDER SALON: The London Cider Salon is a tasting event at Tate Modern organised by The Fine Cider Company. Sample a curated selection of ciders and perries, meet producers and hear about traditional and contemporary production methods while celebrating orchard biodiversity. 3.30pm-6pm

Attend a bumper edition of Swiftogeddon. Image: Luke Dyson

SWIFTOGEDDON: A bumper edition of regular Taylor Swift club night Swiftogeddon takes place at Between the Bridges. Dance and sing along to seven hours of non-stop Swift songs, from the biggest hits to deep cuts and vault tracks. Better dig out those friendship bracelets. 4pm-11pm

QUIZZEOKE: Walthamstow Trades Hall is back with its bank holiday tradition, Quizzeoke, combining a competitive brain-teaser with a late-night singalong. The evening kicks off with Neil's Big Quiz before transitioning into a session of CNN Karaoke. 5pm

ZOFFANY ENSEMBLE: The Zoffany Ensemble performs Mozart's Quintet in C major, K.515 and Brahms' Sextet in B flat Op.18, with musicians including violinist Manon Derome and cellist Anthony Pleeth for today's Sunday Concert at Conway Hall. 6.30pm-8.30pm

MULHOLLAND DRIVE The Ivy House in Nunhead hosts a rare screening of the TV pilot of Mulholland Drive, offering fans a chance to see David Lynch's surreal masterpiece as it was originally conceived for television. Presented by Deeper Into Movies, the evening allows for a fascinating comparison between this early version and the final feature film. 7.30pm

LOUISE BALKWILL: Award-winning jazz vocalist Louise Balkwill performs music from her new album, Chatterbox, at the 606 Club in Chelsea. A former winner of the Riga Jazz Stage International Jazz Voice competition, Balkwill is known for her work with The Puppini Sisters and her signature blend of high-energy swing and soulful storytelling. 8pm

AGE OF CONSENT: A reworking of Bronski Beat's 1984 debut album The Age of Consent, this performance brings together Beth Ditto, David Hoyle and David McAlmont alongside Bishi, Planningtorock, Tom Rasmussen and an 80-strong Pink Singers chorus, at Southbank Centre. 8pm

Today's events: Bank holiday Monday 25 May

Browse a vintage market at Beckenham Place Park. Image: So Last Century.

VINTAGE MARKET: So Last Century's Vintage Market returns to Beckenham Place Mansion with around 50 traders selling mid-20th-century furniture, lighting, homeware, ceramics, books, records, antique maps, French brocante, gardenalia and vintage fashion. Street food and coffee are available, and the KnowHowYou sewing school and Verso Vintage shop pop up on site too. 10am-5pm

LORD OF THE RINGS: Miss bank holiday Monday entirely by hunkering down in the Prince Charles Cinema and watching the Lord of the Rings film trilogy — extended editions, mind you — back to back. Running time is 688 minutes, so well over 11 hours. 10.30am

COSTUME DESIGN TOUR: The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden offers a behind-the-scenes look at its professional costume workrooms. Discover how stage-ready pieces are realised in the pattern room and costume store, before heading to the bar to sketch your own designs over a bellini. 11.30am

BEER AND BITES: Forty Hall Estate hosts a laid-back bank holiday afternoon of food, drink and live music on its beautiful front lawn in Enfield. Beer and Bites features a picnic-style atmosphere with cold drinks and colouring packs to keep children entertained. FREE ENTRY, 11am-4pm

GUNNERSBURY CENTENARY: Gunnersbury Park Museum celebrates a century of the west London estate with Gunnersbury Park's 100th birthday party. The massive community bash features live 1920s music, a local market and a giant community picnic blanket, alongside traditional games and museum tours. FREE, 11am-4pm

POKETHON: Waterstones Kingston upon Thames hosts the return of Pokethon!, a dedicated workshop for fans to trade cards and play games. Aspiring trainers can also take part in themed activities including word searches and colouring, with the ticket price including one booster pack to help build their collection. 11am-12pm

FAMILY DAY PARTY: A free, garden-based Family Day Party takes place at Lewisham's Fox and Firkin, featuring circus skills workshops and face-painting. Visitors can enjoy giant games of Connect 4 and Jenga, or sign up for a half-hour 'open decks' DJ slot in the pub's expansive outdoor space. FREE ENTRY, 2pm-8pm

PAINT MONET: The London Art Bar in Holborn hosts a creative afternoon with Bottomless Prosecco! Paint Monet's Water Lilies. Led by a professional artist, you'll use impressionistic brushstrokes to recreate the iconic masterpiece while enjoying two hours of unlimited prosecco, cocktails or mocktails. All supplies including canvas and aprons are provided, and a themed playlist helps set the artistic mood. 2.30pm-5pm

MEGAN HILTY: Broadway star and Smash lead Megan Hilty returns to London for a special solo concert at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. The Tony-nominated performer showcases songs from her career highlights, including Wicked, 9 to 5, and her current Broadway hit Death Becomes Her, interspersed with backstage stories. 2.30pm/7.30pm

GHOST FILMS: The Last Tuesday Society in Hackney hosts Ghost Films: A Seance of Early Cinema, an exploration of the Victorian fascination with the occult. Theatre and film scholar Alex Kirstukas presents a selection of surviving silent films with live commentary, alongside an interactive experiment in raising the ghosts of lost cinematic works. 6.30pm-8.30pm

WHY DIDN'T I GET MARRIED?: Acclaimed playwright Alan Charles is at Fairfield Halls in Croydon with Why Didn't I Get Married?, a provocative courtroom drama exploring singleness and faith. The play follows a group of Christian women who file a class-action lawsuit against the church, challenging cultural expectations through a mix of raw dialogue and humour. 7pm

LDN WRESTLING: Head to Enfield's Dugdale Arts Centre for a high-energy afternoon of sport as LDN Wrestling brings its hard-hitting live show to the stage. Expect a showcase of top-tier grappling talent in a family-friendly environment that has become a staple of the local community arts scene. 7pm

COAL POWERS ON: Pints of Knowledge is at Camden Town Brewery Beer Hall for an evening talk delving into the persistent role of coal in the global energy landscape despite the ongoing international focus on other fossil fuels. 7pm-8.30pm

MAGIC AT THE GATEHOUSE: Highgate's intimate fringe theatre The Gatehouse hosts an evening of seasonal sorcery. The quarterly showcase features a rotating line-up of top magicians, including Liam Ball, Max Fulham, Mark Shortland and Wayne Trice, performing miracles right at the heart of the audience. 7.30pm

CATE BLANCHETT: Hollywood legend Cate Blanchett interviews actor and author Gina Gershon at the Royal Geographical Society in Kensington. Gershon shares unfiltered stories from her 40-year career, including encounters with the likes of Prince, David Mamet and Tom Cruise, plus cautionary tales from the absurdities of show business. 7.30pm-8.45pm

BETWIXT THE SHEETS: Historian Dr Kate Lister brings her award-winning podcast Betwixt the Sheets LIVE to Cadogan Hall in Chelsea for an evening of history's most scandalous and outrageous stories. Joined by a special guest, the show unearths the bizarre moments edited from textbooks, featuring interactive elements and a game of "Sh*ggeth, Marry, Kill." 7.30pm

The Lambeth Country Show in Brockwell Park is one of the highlights of the south London cultural calendar. Except that, in 2026, it's not happening. Here's what's going on — or rather, not.

The Lambeth Country Show has been a fixture of south London's summer for over 50 years, but in 2026 it's been spiked. Image: Eventlambeth via CC BY-SA 4.0

What is the Lambeth Country Show?

With its (literal) roots in 1967's inaugural Brockwell Park Flower Show, the Lambeth Country Show became its own thing in 1974 — a pastoral palooza of livestock displays, craft stalls, jousting, vegetable sculptures: all that countrysidey wholesomeness you don't readily associate with south London.

By the mid 1980s, major music artists had become part of the programming, and the Brockwell Park event was beckoning in crowds of 200,000. Since then, it's been a summer highlight of London's cultural calendar — welcoming 120,000 people over the weekend — a number trumped only by the Notting Hill Carnival.

Why is it cancelled in 2026?

A favourite reason of councils — budget! Or rather lack thereof. Lambeth Council has claimed that hosting the Lambeth Country Show in 2026 would cost it £1m, and that in the midst of scrabbling to source a staggering £84m(!) of savings over four years, it was "not justifiable at this time".

That's not the only reason. In May 2025, campaigners won a lawsuit claiming Lambeth Council was breaking planning laws that stated Brockwell Park must not be commandeered for these kinds of events for more than 28 days in a year (inc. setting up/packing away) without planning permission. The judge found that areas of the park were being used for up to 37 days.

No Chucklehead in 2026, sigh. Image: Londonist

Why's the cancellation such a big deal?

Everyone loves the Lambeth Country Show. It's a chance to get outdoors, blow off the cobwebs, have a couple of Chuckleheads. It's an important platform for various groups too — history societies, charities, sustainability campaigners. Importantly, it is, and has always been, free, unlike many of London's outdoor festivals. It's not just for the people of Lambeth, either; anyone's welcome.

Reaction to the cancellation were generally glum; the Windrush Triathlon Club stating "We're gutted", and Lambeth's Lib Dems called the news "shocking".  

You never know what you'll see at the Lambeth Country Show (although this year you won't see very much). Image: Peter Bright from London, UK via CC BY 2.0

Is there any upside to Lambeth Country Show being cancelled?

Not everyone was quite so upset by the news. Local campaign Protect Brockwell Park — who've had the backing of local resident Mark Rylance — argue that major shows at Brockwell Park are unsustainable, due to various access and environmental issue. However, they're not anti-Lambeth Country Show per se. Instead, they've called for "a return to its lower-impact, smaller community led format, with a greater share of the private operator’s profits used to fully fund that event."

So Brockwell Park's going to have a quiet, regenerative summer then?

Erm. In fact, a whole bunch of the paid-for Brockwell Live festivals — including Field Day, Cross the Tracks and the two-day Mighty Hoopla — WILL go ahead in 2026. Brockwell Live went and applied for special planning permission, which Lambeth Council then approved. The council just decided it wasn't going to secure this permission for the Lambeth Country Show. As blog Brixton Buzz wonders: "If the Council accepts that fewer large-scale events are allowed, the question is obvious: Why was the community event the one chosen for the axe?"

Protect Brockwell Park campaigners say too many large festivals are detrimental to the green space. Image: Stephen McKay via CC BY-SA 2.0

But doesn't the council make a shedload of money from those other Brockwell Park events?

We know that in 2023, usage of the park generated around half a million pounds for Lambeth Council, only half of the figure it claims it would cost to host the Lambeth Country Show. Even if it did make a million plus, the council might decide to put that money elsewhere. We mentioned the £84m of savings, right?

Will the Lambeth Country Show be back in 2027?

No word on this as yet. We've contacted Lambeth Council for comment. However, Brixton Buzz is pessimistic: "Once a flagship community event is paused, it rarely returns in its original form. Some fear this may be less a one-year suspension and more the beginning of a managed fade-out."

Soul II Soul feat MC Chickaboo, Lambeth Country Show 2010, Brockwell Park. Image: Loz Pycock from London, UK via CC BY-SA 2.0

What are the alternatives to the Lambeth Country Show?

There's nothing quite like it. London's got plenty of city farms, of course, though they don't also tend to have jousting, strong cider and legendary reggae acts on the go. You might want to hop on a Suffolk-bound train towards the end of May, for the famous Suffolk Show. This does, however, take place in the week. And you can't readily make for the bright lights of Brixton once you've got your fill of sheep shearing.

This is a sponsored article on behalf of Tower of London River Tour.

Did you know that the UK's first electric tour boat is now in action on the River Thames?

The Silver Raven (a cheeky nod to the Tower's legendary feathered residents) is carving up and down the Thames for the new Tower of London River Tour, a central London sightseeing trip which takes you past an incredible 20+ landmarks, both historic and modern.

Tower Bridge, St Paul's Cathedral, Shakespeare's Globe, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, the OXO Tower and the Shard are just some of the sights on the route.

Step on board at Tower Bridge Quay, beside the Tower of London, and see London from a new perspective on the river.

Sounds great for tourists, right? But the Tower of London River Tour is equally as exciting for long-time Londoners, offering something different to do with family and friends.

Unlike the capital's many traditional sightseeing cruises, this experience is built around live storytelling. The team at Historic Royal Palaces has curated a roster of stories about the capital's history, written by Martha Howe-Douglas, co-creator of BBC's Ghosts, bringing London's history to life in an engaging and entertaining way.

At just 40 minutes long, the round trip is short enough to keep everyone's attention, making it ideal for a family day out (hello, May half term!), and can easily be fitted in around other plans for the day.

No need to worry about the weather either — choose from open-air or covered outdoor seating, or stay snuggled up indoors. Large windows and a glass ceiling offer panoramic views and excellent photo opportunities even if you do decide to stay inside — and that ceiling offers you a glimpse of spots that most Londoners don't see, including the underside of Tower Bridge.

Tower of London River Tour tickets can be bought alone, or as a combined ticket with entry to the Tower of London, offering two memorable London experiences on a single booking.

If you've been meaning to visit (or revisit) the Tower of London for a while, consider this your sign to do so!

The Tower of London River Tour runs daily, with several time slots available each day.

Free things to do in London this week.

Chelsea in Bloom is a free alternative to the Chelsea Flower Show. Image: Chelsea in Bloom

TUBE STRIKES: At time of writing, Tube strikes look set to go ahead between midday on Tuesday 19 May-11.59am on Wednesday 20 May, and from midday on Thursday 21 May-11.59am on Friday 22 May. TfL expects to run a service on most Tube lines, but is warning of disruption.

Catch the final days of this free film festival

Herne Hill Velodrome hosts a free outdoor screening of The Fastest Bicycle on Thursday. The film tells the story of Barney Townsend — grandson of Sir Roger Bannister — attempting the world human-powered vehicle land speed record at Battle Mountain, Nevada.

The screening is part of Herne Hill Free Film Festival, which also screens cult classic Jennifer's Body at Bird House Brewery on Monday, and comes to a close with a silent move night outside Herne Hill station on Friday.

Until 22 May.

Wander around these blooming lovely free flower festivals

The notoriously spenny Chelsea Flower Show is on this week, but if your pockets aren't that deep, there's plenty of free floral fun running alongside the main event.

Free flower festival Chelsea in Bloom 2026 adopts an 'Out Of This World' theme, incorporating a nod to Sir David Attenborough in the month of his 100th birthday.

Meanwhile Belgravia in Bloom 2026 — another free trail —  is themed on fairy tales. In both neighbourhoods, shops, restaurants and cafes install large-scale colourful floral displays outside, which everyone can enjoy for free. They're close enough that you can follow both trails in a single day — provided you wear comfy walking shoes!

Both 18-24 May.

Learn about 200 years of student life

The Fitzrovia Chapel hosts a lunchtime talk on Tuesday, exploring how students have shaped the capital through activism and community since 1826. Professors Georgina Brewis and Sam Blaxland discuss their new research on the history of higher education, accompanied by a short film about student life in London's historic university quarters.

19 May.

Attend a lecture at the zoo

Image: ZSL

As part of the 200th anniversary celebrations of ZSL — the conservation charity which runs London Zoo — it's offering a series of free public lectures. This Tuesday, professor, author and presenter Dr Chris van Tulleken leads a panel discussing how the health of humans, animals and ecosystems are deeply connected. Learn why caring for and protecting ecosystems all over the world is critical for human health, followed by a Q&A session.

19 May.

The man behind the Great Exhibition

Alice MacDonnell — Sir Henry Cole's great (x4) granddaughter — tells the story of Cole's work on the Great Exhibition, the V&A and South Kensington and his campaigns from postal reform to the Christmas card. Watch the free lecture on Wednesday afternoon in person at Guildhall Library, or online via livestream.

20 May.

Be surprised by a mystery film

Visited Theatreship yet? The 305 tonne cargo ship is permanently moored in Docklands, functioning as a cultural centre with a 100-seat cinema and theatre, offering events throughout the year.

Every Wednesday, it holds a free mystery cinema screening. You won't know what film is being shown until you arrive (though clues are posted on Instagram). Once there, if you buy a round of drinks at the bar, you get a chance at guessing the film. The first person to guess correctly gets their whole round for free.

20 May (and every Wednesday).

View an exhibition about slavery under the Nazis

SS guards in Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, circa 1940, courtesy of The Wiener Holocaust Library

On Wednesday, the Wiener Holocuast Library opens a new exhibition on the topic of Nazi slave labour. The Library's own records and collections show how the SS, as well as chemical and manufacturing companies, profited off and exploited slave labourers between 1930 and 1945.

20 million individuals were exploited as slave and forced labourers by the Nazi regime, including concentration camp prisoners, POWs and foreign civilian workers. Some of their stories, including Jewish labourers in Auschwitz subcamps and prisoners of war in the Channel Islands, are told in the free exhibition.

Contemporary photographs of survivors of Nazi slave labour by portrait and documentary photographer Mike Stone also go on display for the first time.

20 May-30 October.

Get a first look at this popular museum's new gardens

Be among the first to visit the new areas of the gardens at the Horniman Museum, as they open on Thursday. A nature-themed play area, a family-friendly cafe, improved access and interpretation on the existing nature trail, an AR trail, a new nursery glasshouse and a community garden are among the fresh elements you can enjoy from today, marking the start of the museum's 125th anniversary celebrations.

From 21 May.

The Horniman unveils new elements of its gardens on Thursday. Image: Horniman Museum

Chill out at a free lecture about polar exploration

Physicist and oceanographer Professor Helen Czerski is at Barnard's Inn Hall in Holborn to give an illustrated lecture about the history of polar exploration, the current state of knowledge about the ice at both poles and the scientific consequences of a changing climate.

21 May.

Soak up some open air blues

If you like free stuff and blues music, you'll already be au fait with Soho's Ain't Nothin' But blues bar, where you can feast your ears on raw, soulful sounds most nights, with no cover charge. This Saturday and Sunday the bar sets up outside, with Kingly Court Presents: Open Air Blues — featuring live sets from acts including Dom Glynn (Sat) and Savannah Gardner (Sun). Full details still to be announced: keep posted here.

23-24 May.

Have a giggle at a comedy street party

It's free entry at the Angel Comedy Street Party on Sunday, which sees comedians performing on the roof of the Bill Murray in Islington. Head down and grab yourself a seat in the street to watch Barry Ferns, Flo & Joan, Chloe Petts and Paddy Young performing.

Though it's free, booking is recommended, and donations to the Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants are encouraged.

24 May.

Find free things to do in May half term

Did you know about London's free maze? Image: Londonist

May half term begins on Saturday, and our helpful half term events guide is packed with ways to entertain children and teenagers in London over the coming week — including a whole section of free things to do. Follow an Octonauts trail, celebrate a beloved author's birthday, explore London's free maze or simply burn off excess energy at a playground — just some of the ways to keep busy without parting with any cash.

The latest book by Darren Coffield, Hen: Mistress of Mayhem - A Portrait of Henrietta Moraes, explores the riotous (and tragic) life of the late model, muse and memoirist. In this extract, the author sets the scene as Moraes settles into Soho, making friends with the infamous barkeep, Gaston Berlemont.

The French House (then the York Minster) was a regular haunt of Henrietta Moraes when she arrived in London. Image: Londonist

When Henrietta first arrived in 1950s bohemia, Soho was still a village in the West End of London.

Its hub was the French pub, formerly known as the York Minster, now officially named The French House, but forever known as 'the French' to the locals. Of all the surviving pubs, the French is still the truest to the spirit of Soho: no fruit machine, no jukebox to drown the conversation and definitely no television.

For someone who led such an unconventional lifestyle, Henrietta's days fell into a set pattern. They would usually begin late morning when she'd leave the attic of the Queen Anne house at the top of Dean Street (where she lived) and amble south down the road with her boyfriend, Michael Law, until they reached the Café Torino on the corner of Old Compton Street. The place reeked of old rubber and disinfectant as a long sticky strip of paper swayed from a central light fitting, brown with glue and black-dotted with dead flies. Here they sat at one of the marble-topped tables listening to Spanish anarchists and Republicans discussing how to overthrow Spain's fascist dictator Franco. It was nicknamed 'The Madrid' and became a favourite haunt of Hen's because the café sat betwixt the Colony and the Gargoyle clubs, from which vantage point she could observe the familiar faces of her quarry going by. It also commanded a clear view of the French, so Hen and Michael would wait at the café to watch the pub fill up before entering the premises by the left-hand door.

"Part of its appeal with women was that they could go unchaperoned and not get hassled"

"Gaston never served pints of beer, only half pints, and refused to serve Coca-Cola because he said he didn't like the type of person that drank it." Image: Londonist

The pub itself was pretty basic, but part of its appeal with women was that they could go unchaperoned and not get hassled, which was unusual back then. Women were often segregated in the other pubs or refused admission altogether. Each day at noon, the French was where Hen would congregate with kindred spirits. It was run by Gaston Berlemont, a balding middle-aged gentleman of Gaulish heritage, who sported a dark suit and had twinkling eyes and a long twirly handlebar moustache. He was also gracious to the working girls — the local prostitutes — who regarded the French as a sanctuary. Once inside they were off-duty and would complain bitterly to Gaston if any man tried to pick them up.

The pub's oak interior had a defiantly French ambiance, the walls lined with faded sepia photographs of the many famous French artistes who'd drunk on the premises between the wars. In keeping with the continental atmosphere, Gaston never served pints of beer, only half pints, and refused to serve Coca-Cola because he said he didn't like the type of person that drank it. But he did sell quarter bottles of champagne, that’s how stylish the French was — as a woman you could go into a pub and order a quarter bottle of champagne for yourself or (as in Hen's case) persuade an unsuspecting admirer into buying you one.

One of the quirks of the French was that Gaston ran it more as a club than a pub. There were two ends of the bar, one end was for the 'intellectuals' — artists, poets, writers, publishers, etc. It was very cliquey. When you first entered through the left-hand door, you'd see all the regulars at the other end of the bar, drinking. After a few years drinking at the 'Shallow End' of the bar you'd become established as a regular and slowly be allowed to move down the bar in a southerly direction towards the 'Deep End'. The cash register in the middle of the bar marked the demarcation line where both ends met. Once you'd got there, you'd made it to the 'Deep End' or V.I.P. (Very Inebriated Person) area. To reach it was considered an honour, despite it being where the grim reaper was regularly harvesting his crop, and Gaston expected those who'd graduated to undergo an initiation ceremony. He would bring out a bottle of 1912 pre-Prohibition French absinthe, and with all the ceremony of a high mass he would also set out paraphernalia; the bottle, the glass, the perforated spoon upon which he would place a sugar lump that helped shoot the alcohol into your system. However, some said his rare bottle of absinthe tasted suspiciously like the house Pernod…

"Gaston had his favourites, and Henrietta was certainly one of them"

"He would bring out a bottle of 1912 pre-Prohibition French absinthe, and with all the ceremony of a high mass he would also set out paraphernalia; the bottle, the glass, the perforated spoon upon which he would place a sugar lump that helped shoot the alcohol into your system." Image: Викидим via CC BY-SA 4.0

Gaston had his favourites, and Henrietta was certainly one of them. He remembered her as 'smashing, voluptuous', and confessed, 'It was as much as any red-blooded man could do to keep his hands off her'. For Henrietta, Gaston was a genius of a landlord, welcoming her with a cheerfulness that lit up her day. Once she became so bored listening to a man complain about his life that she threw her glass of champagne in his face. The pub fell silent, and everybody expected Gaston to bar her. But instead, he twirled his handlebar moustache and smiled, 'Madame, I see that your glass is empty. Please allow me to refill it for you'. He was very diplomatic with drunks too: 'One of the two of us will have to go, and I'm afraid it's not going to be me!' And he would throw people out with such courtesy that they wanted to thank him.

For those bohemians perpetually short of cash, such as Henrietta, Gaston proved a very generous landlord too. The first words she'd utter upon entering were, 'Good Morning Gaston, could I have a glass of Pernod please and could you possibly lend me a fiver?' Whereupon he'd proffer a rolled banknote, handing it over to her discreetly with a nod and a wink and the reassurance that he was willing to wait for repayment. By the till he kept a list of people and their debts written in tiny handwriting in black ink. He said he loaned people money because: 'nine out of 10 people pay it back, one in 10 don't but the amount of money they spend coming in here explaining why they weren't paying me back far exceeds the debt.' So, cultivating customers like Henrietta was a shrewd business move.

But Gaston was less generous in other respects. If someone had the cheek to ask for an extra cube of ice to go with their drink there would be outrage, and if a man wanted to have a crap they had to go through the indignity of asking for the key to the gents washroom, whereupon all the customers' heads would swivel in unison as Gaston bellowed across the bar: 'Who wants the key?'

Hen, Mistress of Mayhem: A Portrait of Henrietta Moraes, by Darren Coffield, published by The History Press.

We featured this book because we know it's the kind of thing our readers will enjoy. By buying it via links in this article, Londonist may earn a commission from Bookshop.org — which also helps support independent bookshops.

Your weekly roundup of Londonist news and features.

A Beatles Museum Is Opening At The Band's Former Savile Row HQ Next Year

Including a chance to go on the rooftop.

Image: Matt Brown/Ewan Munro via creative commons

Charing Cross And Waterloo East Stations Will Close For 22 Days Solid This Summer

Plus a scattering of other dates too.

Image: Londonist

Fantastically Floral Afternoon Teas To Try In London This Spring

Florals for spring? Groundbreaking.

Image: The Library

Two Blue Plaques For London Transport’s First Woman Bus Mechanic

"It's incredibly special."

Image: London Transport Museum

Competition! Win A Bundle Of Grayson Perry x National Portrait Gallery Goodies Worth Over £500

Inspired by a unique self-portrait. (sponsor)

Lavender Fields Near London: 6 Pretty Purple Days Out This Summer

You've seen them on Instagram - now visit for yourself!

Image: Mayfield Lavender

London Colosseum: Olympic Park Could Get NBA Basketball Arena

Britain's largest indoor arena.

Image: Jericho Estates

The Japanese Artist Creating Feel-Good Illustrations Of London

"I'm glad that people can relate."

Image: shiodrawing

Savvy! Secret Cinema Announces Pirates Of The Caribbean Experience For 2027

"A swashbuckling celebration like no other".

Image: RyC - Behind The Lens from San Francisco, United States of America via CC BY 2.0

In Search Of Vestigial London

Remnants of the old city, hiding in plain sight.

Unlimited Bus And Tram Travel On TfL's New 'Weekend Hopper' Fare

But the offer's only fleeting.

Image: Matt From London

North London Has Two New Independent Schools... With 400 Year-Old Roots

Alleyn's grows its community north of the river. (sponsor)

Lewisham Pub Where Henry Cooper Trained Is Staging New Boxing Play

Dancing in the Mirror at the Fellowship Inn.

Image: courtesy of Mobius

50+ Of The Best Things To Do In London This Summer

Your June-September 2026 events calendar, sorted.

Image: Camerawalker via CC BY-SA 4.0

Julia Margaret Cameron: Blue Plaque For Trailblazing Portrait Photographer

Pioneer of scratches, smudges and soft focus.

Image: English Heritage/public domain

Pride In London 2026: Your Guide To The Capital's Biggest LGBTQ+ Party

1.5m people will celebrate in central London.

Image: iStock/coldsnowstorm

The Arboreal Chronicles Of London

History... as written by the trees.

Image: public domain

Visit Buckingham Palace: How To Get Into The State Rooms And Elsewhere

See how the other half live.

Image: Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2024 and Peter Smith

Dagenham's Ford Factory Strikers To Be Honoured In New Sculptures

'Dagenham Agates' to be unveiled close to the site of the picket line.

Image: Thomas Adnak.

Looking Ahead: Things To Do In London This Week: 18-24 May 2026

Cockney singalongs, and Hamlet in a bookshop.

Image: Sean O Connor Photography

This feature first appeared in May 2025 on Londonist: Time Machine, our much-praised history newsletter. To be the first to read new history features like this, sign up for free here.

A two-car DLR train passing over West India Dock in 1987. Image: K Krallis, creative commons

It still feels like a vision of the future. The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) sashays along its east London viaducts, glides among the gleaming giants of Canary Wharf, then dips under the Thames to Greenwich. All with no driver.

The DLR was officially launched on 30 July 1987 when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II became the first person to sit at the front and pretend to drive the train, thereby initiating a tradition that is now a rite-of-passage for any new Londoner.

Image: TfL

She even paid her right-royal way. Both the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh reportedly deposited 40p in the Island Gardens ticket machines ahead of boarding. Their ride didn’t go entirely smoothly. The automatically driven train paused too long at one station, and stopped short at another, prompting an alarm. In the latter case, the royal bodyguards had tried to force the doors open before the train had stopped, which was their normal practice when in a motorcade. Both embarrassments were quickly corrected by manual override, and the first DLR journey was done.

I don’t think the Queen ever rode the DLR again. Had she done so, later extensions could have taken her to stations named after her great, great-grandmother (Royal Victoria), her great, great grandfather (Royal Albert), her great-great-great-great-great-uncle (Prince Regent), and her grandfather (King George V). She might have interfaced with her own Elizabeth line at Custom House or Woolwich, and the Jubilee line (named after her Silver Jubilee) at three further stations. This is, then, our most patriotic rail service, suitably dressed in red, white and blue.

Of course, the DLR didn’t just pop into existence on that glitchy summer’s day. It was several years in the planning, with a fascinating origin story. Many of the memories and anecdotes that follow come from a senior member of the project team that planned, built and operated the DLR. He or she speaks on condition of anonymity. For the sake of convenience, I’ll call them Sam.

From an old tea house in Blackfriars…

The first stirrings of the DLR go back to the 1970s. London’s once bustling docks had largely closed down by this point, superseded by modern facilities at Tilbury and elsewhere, which could handle large container ships. These historic sites were left to tumbleweed, as so memorably depicted in the film The Long Good Friday. But only for a few years. All this land, so close to the river, was ripe for redevelopment, and various schemes for new offices and residential districts were considered. Any such development would need new transport links. Light railways and ‘minitrams’ were the preferred options, first touted in a report of 1973. A tube line was considered, though initially deemed too costly.

Nothing got off the page until 1981, when the government established the London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC), a powerful agency charged with rejuvenating the docks. The LDDC gave London Transport the task of planning out a light railway system to connect the City to the regeneration sites.

This is where ‘Sam’ comes in. They were part of the leadership team who would plan the routes, manage the contracts, get the thing built and eventually operate the new railway.

They had plenty of relevant experience. Years earlier, Sam and some colleagues had looked at the feasibility of bringing back the Finsbury Park to Highgate line (which had closed in 1954) as a light railway. Those plans never got anywhere, and today the route is the popular Parkland Walk trail for bikes and pedestrians. The rejuvenation of the Docklands presented the perfect opportunity to pursue a light railway, and Sam was made part of the senior team. From the start, the project would be managed in an unusual way:

“It was being used by London Transport’s MD of Rail, Tony Ridley, as a test-bed for a 'tighter' management style,” says Sam. “He was also keen that we kept a distance (physical and organisational) from both London Underground and London Transport’s corporate functions, so we didn't want to be in 55 Broadway or other existing offices.

“We actually were based in some old London Transport properties above Blackfriars Station. There had been a Lyon’s Coffee House at Blackfriars, which had been bombed in the war, and we occupied the first floor of that old Lyon’s corner house. It was rather wonderful. And we started to put together the DLR project there.”

Where the magic happened. The Blackfriars first-floor offices where the DLR was masterminded. Image by Tim Brown from the wonderful book London’s Transport in the 1980s, which I’ve reviewed here, and urge you to buy if you like this sort of thing. The building and, indeed, the building that replaced it, have since been demolished. The Bon Appetit cafe, seen on the right, served as “a sort of staff canteen, and also to provide sandwich platters for meetings and so on”. It survived until 2013, though its building remains.

The base was small and quirky, but proved the perfect hub for the project. “The offices were pretty austere and very hard to make, and keep, presentable — we really were squatters and, at times, it felt like it, but I think the setup helped shape the great team spirit we had. It was also a good compromise location for those of us coming from the north of London, those coming from south London, and those commuting in by main-line rail”. Sam also recalls watching the Lord Mayor’s Show from its windows, which overlooked the procession route.

In those days senior LT staff were provided with tea (or coffee) and biscuits each morning and afternoon. As they were away from 'Head Office' they received an allowance, which they used to provide refreshments for everyone: part of the team culture.

So the project kicked off. Task number one was to work out where the railway would run. “The first thing I did,“ says Sam, “was cycle around the area with a photographer, to see what we could do and what the possible routes were. We found we could use a lot of disused structures [such as existing viaducts]. We felt there was surplus capacity on Fenchurch Street, that we could actually go into Fenchurch Street, but British Rail baulked at that.”

They ended up with the western terminus at Tower Gateway, which Sam informs me was previously the City of London’s winter weather equipment site. The quick and (relatively) cheap solution has since been eclipsed by the DLR terminus at Bank, but Tower Gateway remains in use as perhaps the most quintessentially 1980s building in London. If anyone ever proposes to demolish it, then I, for one, will object.

It’s not everyone’s idea of a handsome building, but the DLR’s Tower Gateway terminus deserves preservation for capturing the essence of the 1980s like no other building. Image: Matt Brown

Value for money

The budget for the project was £65 million (£77 million adjusting for inflation). That sounds like peanuts today. London has houses that cost more. But, of course, £77 million went a lot further in the mid-1980s. Even so, it was still a very tight budget for a new rail system covering 7.5 miles of track. To save money, the stations were designed in kit form, with a standard platform canopy, and other design elements. The project was eventually delivered on time and on budget. It was also delivered beyond the original specification. This would evolve to become a driverless railway. It even gained a station when office developers at Heron Quays paid to have a halt at their development, which was absent from the original plans.

Heron Quays platform, pictured in 1990 with nearby docks still largely undeveloped. This station was not in the original scope, but was paid for independently by a commercial development. Image courtesy of Peter Tabor.

The £77 million budget was jointly handled by the Greater London Council (via London Transport), and the London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC). These two organisations — one socialist-leaning, the other a top-down let’s-get-things-done agency — had starkly contrasting attitudes to development. They were often at loggerheads. “At that time,” says Sam, “the GLC and LDDC didn't recognise each other, so we couldn't hold meetings in either of their offices. That led to all sorts of difficulties in [ensuring the] funding was exactly 50:50. I had to go get a cheque from one of them each month and show it to the other to show that they were writing a cheque for the same amount. I kid you not.”

Despite the fiscal gymnastics, the railway turned out to be a bargain at £77 million. “The government had made that money [back] before we’d turned a wheel,” says Sam. “The land value of docklands was increased by DLR, because of accessibility, by way more than 77 million, so that railway, actually didn't have to make a profit or anything. It would pay for itself at the national level long before [services began].”

Trains, planes and… rockets?

The DLR initially ran with 11 two-car units supplied by the German manufacturer Linke-Hofmann-Busch (now part of Alstom). Sam was invited to attend the rollout of the first train from the production line. The DLR Board's Chairman and Deputy Chairman wanted to go with him, but they were not prepared to stay overnight. The solution was to privately hire a small aircraft, with the Deputy Chair himself piloting the plane from Elstree aerodrome to a sports ground in northern Germany. “I paid for the fuel and the lease on petty cash,” says Sam. It’s a far-cry from the micromanaged travel arrangements that senior managers would have to adhere to today.

One of the original two-car units, pictured in 1990 near Heron Quays. Image courtesy of Peter Tabor.

Sam also shared an anecdote about the DLR supplier’s history:

“Linke-Hofmann Busch had a little museum of trains they’d built. There was some fabulous kit, such as a very famous train called, rather risibly, the flying hamburger. But in the middle, there was a cylindrical thing… which turned out to be a V2 rocket motor. In the Second World War, they’d been making V2 rockets. So the DLR was actually the company’s second export to East London… We kept quiet about it at the time because we felt there was still a degree of German phobia”.

Teething troubles

The building of the railway proceeded relatively smoothly. Almost all of the initial network followed old tracks, including the section from the City to Canary Wharf, which revived Victorian viaducts from the London and Blackwall Railway (closed 1968).

One novel problem was encountered when laying the tracks, as Sam recounts: “The railway ballast for the line was delivered using ballast wagons (the sort where there is a hatch on the bottom so the ballast can be released directly onto the track bed). These had previously been used for a grain shipment and so we soon had a fine crop of corn growing through the track. The urban farm at Mudchute had (and still has) a flock of sheep and these inevitably ended up on the track, causing chaos during our test running.

“It also attracted the peacocks that lived in the All Saints churchyard at Poplar, with similar results — we were aware of the problems and bad publicity that would occur if we were to run over peacock or sheep.” Another minor challenge presented itself just north of the peacock peril. “I had real difficulty,” says Sam, “in persuading the staff at the school at Bow Church that they should no longer be telling children that they could 'nip over the fence' onto the [previously disused] track to retrieve lost footballs.”

A modern DLR train snakes through a building site. Even now, Docklands contains many development sites. Image: Matt Brown

As with any big infrastructure project, legal challenges emerged. “Somewhere around Langdon Park station, which was not built until many years later, the line runs through an artificial tunnel. This was built to shield some new multi storey blocks of flats from the presumed noise of freight trains using the line when they served the docks. In fact I don't believe any such trains ever did run. As a result some additional dwellings were constructed above the tunnel, and we had a massive claim for compensation when we started running DLR trains. In fact the nuisance (noise/vibration), when measured, was small, and if any compensation was paid it was small”.

The most notorious incident, however, came during the testing phase. On 10 March 1987, a manually driven train overshot the terminal station at Island Gardens. It crashed through the end of the viaduct and dangled precariously over the street below. Fortunately, the three workers onboard escaped without injury. The incident provided some spectacular photographs, but the wider project was not derailed. Just four months later, the system was deemed safe enough for its royal inauguration.

Sam remembers well the day that the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh officially opened the line (although it would be a few weeks before the public could ride).

“Our chairman and deputy chairman had been in different regiments in the war — and remember that the war was still quite significant in this period. And they each wanted their military band to be playing. So we had to have one military band at Island Gardens station, and another one in the Poplar depot”.

Lasting legacy

The DLR achieved many ‘firsts’. I was surprised to learn that it was the first line in London to operate a penalty fare system. Previously, anyone caught fare-dodging would simply be asked to pay up on the spot, but no more than the ticket price (prosecution could follow if they refused). Penalty fares upped the ante, and helped London Transport recoup lost revenue by requiring fare dodgers to pay significantly more than the ticket price.

The role of ‘train captain’ (as opposed to driver) was also pioneered on the DLR. That role reflected the system’s most famous ‘first’, the way it moves along without the need of a driver. “The only thing we were worried about was the dispatch of trains from stations,” says Sam.

The Railway Inspectorate, who had authority over whether the railway was safe to run, also had concerns that people might be trapped in doors as the train moved off. “Nobody was confident in those days that the technology was good enough. [The Inspectorate] said we don't mind what you do: either have somebody on the train or somebody on the platform. Well, we had fewer trains than platforms, so we put somebody on the train. But we didn't have them driving. So that was also a huge change. I think DLR was the first automatically operated railway in a non-protected environment”. (Theme parks like Disney had automated trains, but under more heavily supervised conditions.)

The Docklands Light Railway went on to be a resounding success. Numerous extensions have since opened, including links to Bank, Lewisham, Woolwich and Beckton. It hasn’t stopped growing yet, either, with a new under-the-Thames link between Beckton and Thamesmead currently under consultation.

Sam concedes, however, that it wasn’t a triumph in every respect. “One of its planning intentions was to enable the creation of job opportunities in the Isle of Dogs for those who had lost their jobs because of the docks closing. Instead we got Canary Wharf. Not many ex-dockers found work there. In other words it was the catalyst for a mega example of gentrification. Others may see this as a success!”

This is a sponsored article on behalf of Alleyn's Hampstead and Alleyn's Regent's Park.

Considering private education options for your child? If you live north of the river, there are two new independent schools you should know about: Alleyn's Hampstead and Alleyn's Regent's Park.

These co-educational day schools share a holistic approach to education, meaning that emotional and academic development are seen as parallel (rather than competing) priorities. Here, a well-rounded curriculum — one which prioritises practical skills and tech confidence as well as academic rigour — meets proactive pastoral care and a rich programme of co-curricular activities.

An intro to Alleyn's

You might already be familiar with the Alleyn's name... Alleyn's School in Dulwich dates all the way back to 1619, when it was established as part of Edward Alleyn's College of God's Gift charitable foundation. Today, it's a co-ed independent school with a longstanding commitment to a values-led education, prioritising respect, opportunity, curiosity, courage and kindness (the Alleyn's ROCCK).

Last September, the same values were brought to its first north London school: Alleyn's Regent's Park, which caters for pupils aged 3 to 11. The growth of Alleyn's School Group continues this September, when Alleyn's Hampstead opens its doors to pupils aged 2-18.

The ethos

Alleyn's Hampstead and Alleyn's Regent's Park share an ethos of 'All We Can Be' — helping young people to reach their full potential in all aspects of life.

The schools support their pupils to be kind, happy and inspired through Alleyn's Emotional Quotient (AEQ) — its robust pastoral care programme — and Alleyn’s Intelligence Quotient (AiQ), a broad, interdisciplinary and forward-thinking curriculum which cultivates intellectual skills alongside tech fluency. They also encourage pupils to 'find their thing', through an extensive co-curricular offering, with activities spanning the performing arts, sport, debate, adventure education and more.

The schools

You'll find Alleyn's Regent's Park on the doorstep of — surprise, surprise — Regent's Park and London Zoo. It's housed in a beautiful former convent, which has undergone a multi-million-pound build and refurbishment programme. Alleyn's Regent's Park boasts a new dining facility, a dance studio and a dedicated wellbeing space. Other notable facilities include Alleyn's state-of-the-art AiQ hub, All Well, and The Bear Pit — a beautiful former chapel now used a space for the performing arts.

Alleyn's Hampstead, meanwhile, is split into three purpose-designed campuses in — you guessed it — Hampstead. There's the nursery & junior school, the senior school, and a sixth form. Each site is dedicated to a specific phase of a child’s education, to help your child thrive at every stage of their development.

Discover them for yourself

You can find out more about both Alleyn's Hampstead and Alleyn's Regent's Park on their respective websites. News of their regular open events will be posted on the relevant page, or you make an enquiry with the admissions team (here for Hampstead and here for Regent's Park) to find out how the school can support your child.

Image: Jericho Estates

A huge new basketball arena is touted for the Olympic Park.

Plans are afoot to build a 25,000-seater arena close to the Olympic Stadium, with the prime goal of attracting NBA basketball. Details remain sketchy, but here's what we know so far...

They're calling it the London Colosseum. This will in no way be confused with the London Coliseum, the historic theatre and opera/ballet venue on St Martin's Lane.

The stadium would be the largest indoor arena in the country, and would also support boxing, Ultimate Fighting, esports and other indoor pursuits. It would be in direct competition with the O2 just across the river.

The NBA is America's top basketball league. In recent years, it has arranged a number of games overseas, including in London. Now, it's looking to start a European league, and London would be a prime target. A new, dedicated stadium would be a boon.

Mayor-backed plans for a basketball stadium have been floating about for a while, as a home for our top team, the London Lions. It is unclear if this latest proposal is directly linked to that.

The project has been put forward by a consortium of Jericho Estates, Peacock Gym, Torch Sports and architects Chybik and Kristof.

The site would also include a new tower... but hopefully not all those cars. Image: Jericho Estates

Architect Ondřej Chybík points out that this would be more than just a stadium.

“A key component of the proposal is a multifunctional tower, featuring a hotel, residences and community facilities, that brings together hospitality, residential, and community uses, extending the life of the site beyond event-based programming and embedding it within the everyday rhythm of the city."

The site would also include academy facilities to train up the next generation of ball-bouncers.

The London Colosseum remains an idea at this stage and has not entered the formal planning process. Indeed, a spokesperson for LLDC was keen to rebut the idea:

"LLDC has been made aware of reports about plans for a ‘London Colosseum’ to be built at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. These reports are incorrect. As landowner of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, there is no agreement between LLDC and any developer, architect or project team to build this arena."

Having the arena on the table, even notionally, does, however, make London an attractive proposition for the NBA Europe league.

Parade, parties and a side helping of LGBTQ+ goodness: here's your ultimate guide to Pride in London 2026.

Around 1.5 million people take part in Pride in London. Image: iStock/ serefozdemir

What is Pride in London?

Pride in London itself is a non-profit organisation that promotes and supports the capital's LGBTQ+ communities. Each summer, it hosts the Pride in London event — a mammoth celebration, and huge platform for those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, questioning, intersex, non-binary, asexual, polysexual, genderqueer or gender variant. Cue huge parties, fantastically fun events, and a parade to end all parades (until the one that happens the following year). Allies, of course, are welcome to join in too.

When is Pride in London 2026?

Image: sasastro via creative commons

The big parade — which attracts crowds of 1.5 million — takes place on Saturday 4 July 2026.

Can I take part in the Pride parade?

Though everyone's welcome to watch the parade, only groups and organisations can take part in it. You need to apply to do this, although applications for 2026 are now closed.

What's the Pride in London parade route?

Click to enlarge

Some 30,000 participants and 300 floats will set off from Hyde Park Corner at 12pm on Saturday 4 July 2026.

They'll then dance and sing their way down Park Lane, along Piccadilly, down Haymarket, into Trafalgar Square and finishing up in Whitehall. The route is studded with toilets, first aid stations and the like. There are also stages with live drag/cabaret/musical etc performances in Golden Square, Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square and Dean Street in Soho, plus a family area at Victoria Embankment Gardens.

Lots of LGBTQ+ bars will be open during the day, particularly in Soho.

How long does the Pride parade last?

Image: iStock/coldsnowstorm

About six hours — from 12pm-6pm — although the partying around town rumbles on waaaay after that, should you be in the market for a proper wingding.

Do you need tickets for Pride in London?

Nope, just show up. Although, if you want to watch from a covered grandstand around St James's Piccadilly/Cockspur Street, a seat will set you back from £55-£75.

What's the history behind Pride in London?

Pride in London is now over half a century old.

The origins of Pride in London can be traced back to the first official Gay Pride march of 1 July 1972. (Although there were actually earlier marches in Highbury Fields in 1970.) Inspired by the events of Stonewall in New York City three years earlier, the parade saw 2,000 participants armed with banners, tambourines, balloons and whistles descend on Trafalgar Square, then march to Hyde Park for a picnic.

Today's route traces that of the inaugural march (though it begins in Hyde Park now, rather than culminating there).

Any good Pride parties/afterparties in 2026?

Image: Adrian Snood via creative commons

Here are a few events on the docket for 4 July 2026 so far. We'll update this list as more are announced:

🏳️‍🌈 There's a massive Pride After Party at Clapham Grand, with mountains of Madonna, plus Pride anthems galore, wrapped up in confetti and disco balls.

🏳️‍🌈 Howl Pride in Hackney Wick bills itself as "a solution to the mainstream horror of London Pride", so one, perhaps, for those who haven't been out and about in the day.

🏳️‍🌈 A special Pride drag brunch at Between the Bridges on the South Bank features Ginger Johnson, Kate Butch and Miss Leigh-Ding — with an hour of bottomless prosecco to get the party started.

🏳️‍🌈 Multiple rooms filled with DJs await at the Fire London Party in Vauxhall — "one of the UK's biggest & wildest Pride parties" — which goes on till 'super late'!

Is TfL doing anything special?

Image: TfL

TfL usually does something to celebrate, including Pride flag liveries on public transport, plus special Pride roundels and poster campaigns. Keep 'em peeled.

Are there other big Pride/LGBTQ+ events in London throughout the year?

Image: HRP

Hell yes. Others include:

🏳️‍🌈 LGBT+ History Month (February)

🏳️‍🌈 London Trans+ Pride (July)

🏳️‍🌈 Croydon Pride (July)

🏳️‍🌈 UK Black Pride (August)

🏳️‍🌈 Bi Pride UK (August)

London also happens to have one of the buzziest LGBTQ+ scenes in the world, so you can get your fill of everything from bookclubs to bars on a daily basis.

You could also celebrate Pride by going to see a show at London's dedicated queer comedy club, a film at its dedicated queer cinema, an exhibition at the Queer Britain museum, explore the British Museum's permanent Desire, love, identity: LGBTQ histories trail... the list goes on and on.

London has also put in a bid to host WorldPride in 2030.

Lead me to more LGBTQ+ content!

Your wish is our command. We've got an ever-swelling coffers of top LGBTQ+ articles on Londonist:

LGBTQ+ things to do

🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQ+ Things To Do In London — Where To Be Queer In The Capital

🏳️‍🌈 9 Of The Best LGBTQ+ Bars And Pubs In London

🏳️‍🌈 10 Great LGBTQ+ Books Set In London

🏳️‍🌈 Common Press: The LGBTQ+ Bookshop That's So Much More

LGBTQ+ features

🏳️‍🌈 "London's Queer Comedy Scene Is Booming - Here's Why"

🏳️‍🌈 "Learning London's LGBTQ+ History Empowered Me To Walk The City's Streets"

🏳️‍🌈 London's Queer, Sex-Positive Spaces: How They Lift Us Up, And Let Us Down

🏳️‍🌈 "I Quit Football Because Of Homophobia - Then I Discovered The London Titans"

🏳️‍🌈 "Why I Started A London Trans Choir"

🏳️‍🌈 "I Created A London Club Night For Queer People Of Colour"

🏳️‍🌈 An Ode To The Royal Vauxhall Tavern

LGBTQ+ history

🏳️‍🌈 Heaven, The Gay Ultradisco - And The Story Of Terry Higgins

🏳️‍🌈 A History Of Soho's LGBTQ+ Bars

🏳️‍🌈 'Sodomite's Walk' And Other Secrets Of 18th Century Queer London

🏳️‍🌈 Pelted with Offal, Mud and Dead Cats: A Travesty In Clerkenwell

2010 film Made in Dagenham told the strikers' story.

The female factory workers who went on strike to campaign for equal pay at Ford's Dagenham factory are to be memorialised in a new sculpture.

In 1968, female sewing machinists at the east London plant took part in the first Ford Factory Sewing Machinists’ Strikes, which led directly to the Equal Pay Act of 1970. A second round of strikes in 1984-85 got their skills recognised as equal to those of their male colleagues. Many of those taking part had migrated to London from abroad: a large proportion were of South Asian heritage.

Image courtesy of the Women's Museum and Valance House, work by Ruth Ewan, photography by Thomas Adnak.

The new public artwork consists of two sister sculptures, collectively titled The Dagenham Agates (Individually: Dagenham Agate 1968: and Dagenham Agate 1984-85). They stand at 2.1 metres high in the form of two oversized agate stones — one representing each round of strikes.

The eye-catching pieces are rainbow striped: Dagenham Agate is an industrial by-product formed from accumulated layers of car paint, which Ford employees would salvage chunks of to take home and make into jewellery and decorative objects. Dagenham Agate (1968) is composed of 187 layers, representing the 187 women who went on strike in June 1968, while Dagenham Agate (1984–85) comprises 150 layers, representing the women who joined the later strike.

Raw ‘Fordite’ AKA ‘Dagenham Agate’. Image courtesy of the Women's Museum and Valance House, work by Ruth Ewan, photography by Thomas Adnak.

Artist Ruth Ewan worked with local people to create the pieces. Scotland-based Ewan's previous works include the Silent Agitator clock which appeared in London as part of Sculpture in the City 2019. One of her works was also shortlisted for the next Fourth Plinth installation.

The factory workers' story was told in 2010 film Made in Dagenham, and later in a (too short-lived, in our opinion) West End musical of the same name.

The Dagenham Agate sculptures will be unveiled on Tuesday 23 June 2026, on Chequers Lane in Dagenham, close to site of the former picket line. Eventually, it will be part of a wider Heritage Trail for the Dagenham Green area.

This feature first appeared in May 2025 on Londonist: Time Machine, our much-praised history newsletter. To be the first to read new history features like this, sign up for free here.

People once moored boats here.

We’re looking at the York Watergate — not in York, but in London. The elaborately chiselled structure was once on the river, used by visitors to the London home of the Archbishop of York. The keen observer will notice that you can’t get a boat up here any more. Obstacles to navigation include 50 metres of lawn, a dual carriageway, an interceptor sewer, cycle superhighway C3, and the Circle-District underground line. It’s like finding a bus stop on the second floor of a shopping mall.

The York Watergate is a relic of another London. When it was built, some 400 years ago, the Thames lapped right up against its fancypants columns. Then, before you could say “vermicular rustication”, it found itself high and dry. Joseph Bazalgette’s mighty Embankment marooned the watergate far from the Thames. It lives on with no practical purpose, though it’s much treasured as an attractive bauble for Embankment Gardens.

Let us recall it to life, as a portal once again. The York Watergate can be our entry point into a London that is neither present, nor wholly lost. A London that was seemingly erased, yet lingers on in trace, remnant and shadow. It is our gateway to Vestigial London…

The not-so-lost rivers

Our watergate leads first to water. Vestigial London can be glimpsed almost anywhere, but is manifest most clearly in its waterways. The central city is built over five notable rivers, all now buried. These are the Walbrook, Fleet and Tyburn to the north; and the Effra and Neckinger to the south. All are now completely covered (apart from the mouth of the Neckinger), but each can be traced by close observation of surface features.

Let’s take the River Tyburn as an example. It rises on Hampstead Heath and flows down to the Thames at Westminster via the West End. Today, it does so in a sewer, but until the 19th century, much of it was above ground. The streets of Marylebone and Mayfair were built to accommodate its natural meanders. If we look at the satellite view of Marylebone, it leaps out like a salmon:

Marylebone via Google satellite view. Oxford Street is the horizontal road at the very bottom of the image.

See it? Marylebone, unusually for London, is largely built on a grid system. But the ancient Marylebone Lane, which tracked along the banks of the River Tyburn, takes a more erratic route. I’ve highlighted it below in case it’s not obvious.

The missing river asserts itself in other ways. Next time you’re on Oxford Street, look at the slopes in the road. A very noticeable dip coincides with the junction of Wells Street. It’s the old river valley. You can see it also on Wigmore Street, the other west-east street a few blocks to the north. This is an obvious but often-overlooked tip for exploring London (or any city): if you find a place where the land slopes up in different directions, then you’re probably in an old river valley.

Let’s follow the Tyburn just a little farther, across Oxford Street and south into Mayfair. The telltale wiggle of the river continues here. If anything, it is even more apparent:

Most of the river was paved-over two or three centuries ago, yet this ancient feature has fossilised into tarmac, brick and Portland stone.

I won’t go into detail about how to follow this not-so-lost river. Several excellent books give full instructions and history of this and other rivers (I’d recommend Tom Bolton’s for the most thorough notes), or watch John Rogers’s personable videos. Suffice it to say, these telltale street patterns and still-extant valleys can be spotted with any of the ‘lost’ rivers. It is Vestigial London at its most obvious.

The Romans still march through London

The satellite view above leads us on to other forms of remnant. See the flamboyantly arboreal road that runs up the left of the image? That’s Park Lane, the busy thoroughfare that separates Hyde Park from Mayfair. Today, it’s one of central London’s few multi-lane highways, and carries more traffic than any other street in that view.

In medieval times this was a simple track, and probably formed the eastern boundary of the Manor of Hyde. Henry VIII built a wall along it, when he acquired Hyde in the 1530s and turned it into an enclosed deer-hunting park. This hard barrier reinforced the old boundary line, and further fixed the route of the lane. The wall vanished when the land was turned to park, but the road still follows its ancient route. Hence, a territorial boundary, defined a thousand or more years ago according to some forgotten agreement between bearded Anglo-Saxons, persists today as the thunderous barrier between Mayfair and Hyde Park. Such examples of ancient frontiers still intruding upon the modern street pattern can be found all over central London.

The satellite view above contains a second ancient road, in the shape of Oxford Street. It is Roman in origin, as are many of the main thoroughfares leading out of London. If we zoom out, and out, and out again, then these 2,000-year-old roads are clear straight-lines, heading out into the provinces. The Roman occupiers fled 1,600 years ago, but their local handiwork can still be seen from space.

Roman roads in pink highlight. I am here only emphasising the noticeable ‘straight bits’, rather than painting the complete routes into the centre. Background map OpenStreetMap © OpenStreetMap contributors

At a more local level, these Roman roads contributed enormously to the development of London. They were originally laid down as a means of getting troops and trade between major Roman strongholds, and so follow the most direct paths as closely as possible. Their arrival points in London determined where the gates in the wall of Londinium (the Roman city) would be built. Hence, the positions of modern day Ludgate, Bishopsgate and Aldgate, among others, are the consequence of decisions made 2,000 years ago. Had a Roman surveyor rotated his groma a single degree to either way, then Bishopsgate would have entered the city at a different point in the wall, and my favourite sandwich shop would not exist.

We can perhaps go further. Parts of Watling Street and possibly Ermine Street followed ancient tracks that pre-date the Roman arrival. Some features of London may therefore trace their positioning and alignment to prehistory. We know precious little about the ancient Britons who walked these lands three millennia ago, but the number 53 bus would not be trundling along Old Kent Road if those feet, in ancient times, had beaten a different path.

The drovers’ trail

Not all ancient roads in London have Roman roots. A medieval drovers’ track, for example, can still be traced on the modern map of north-east London. Known, for reasons lost to history, as the ‘Black Path’, this route still cuts a convincing diagonal from Hoxton to Hackney Central (and thence Walthamstow, though that part of the route is less obvious on the street map). Here’s the satellite view:

This route would have been used by drovers to bring animals into Smithfield from Essex and beyond, on the long, sorry march to market. It was possibly taken in the opposite direction by pilgrims heading to a shrine in Norfolk. Today, it follows well-known but minor thoroughfares such as Columbia Road and Broadway Market — both, incidentally, centres of market trade since Victorian times. It is an atavistic nod to the much older drovers’ market track upon which they are located.

I urge you to walk this route. It is lined with modern buildings, yet there is temporal magic in the steady, linear progress through minor backstreets and parkland edges. It is the ultimate desire line, written irrevocably into the fabric of London by centuries of use.

I find this route particularly fascinating, and I would have devoted a whole feature to it by now, had it not been so comprehensively and charmingly covered by the Gentle Author and John Rogers (again).

The lost bridge

London Bridge has been rebuilt many times. The 1970s structure we see today is a replacement for a 19th century bridge (the one that now stands in Arizona). Both these spans were built on a different alignment to the medieval and Roman bridges. These both straddled the river a little to the east of the current crossing. Happily, the mid-1820s Greenwood map of London was surveyed at exactly the moment that both old and new bridges were in simultaneous existence, so we can get a good look at the street patterns:

Greenwood map, via Layers of London.

As you can see, the older (eastern) bridge is a better fit for the City of London’s street plan. It leads due north up Fish Street Hill and directly onto Gracechurch Street. The new bridge led straight into buildings, which had to be cleared to make way for King William Street. To the south of the river, meanwhile, Greenwood’s map shows how the course of Borough High Street has been diverted west to meet the new bridge; it previously followed that dotted diagonal to hit Tooley Street.

Here’s how things look today:

The old bridge is marked in red, with approach roads in amber. If you look to the north, it’s really obvious how a previously straight approach to the bridge had to be diverted west to meet the new crossing. The modern offices to the south of the old bridge have even preserved in their angles the old course of Borough High Street. This, I think, is deliberate. If you head to Tooley Street, the point where the yellow line becomes the red dotted line is marked with these parallel strips, heading out towards the river:

The brass strips are embossed with text, telling us that this is the old alignment of the bridge. A narrow gap has been left between the buildings, as if in reverence of the vanished structure. Then, if we back-track up to the start of the modern bridge, we find this grandiose stone needle:

It’s often claimed that this is a memorial to the old London Bridge’s spikes, upon which the heads of traitors were gruesomely displayed. Perhaps. But according to one account, the spike’s trajectory indicates the deleted course of Borough High Street, which led to the former bridgehead. Follow it backwards and you’ll reach the brass strips shown above, and thence the site of the old bridge. It's such a wonderful, subtle marker of a vanished alignment — whether deliberate or accidental. I adore it.

We might, then, consider the London Bridge spike as the compass needle of Vestigial London. It is the fingerpost to a phantom crossing, a modern and much-ignored marker of things that were but are no more.

We could spin that needle and follow it to other places where old London still bleeds through the palimpsest. We might head to Red Lion Square, for example, where subtle alignments still hint at lost side-streets. We could return to Roupell Street, whose orientation perfectly matches earlier irrigation ditches seen in the John Rocque map. I’ve written before about how the shape of King’s Cross station was determined millennia ago by geological forces. We haven’t even talked about the history of place names, often the last echoes of vanished people, landmarks or trades.

Vestigial London is infinite, everywhere, and yet nowhere. It can only be accessed through a combination of observation and imagination. But once you step through the gateway or spin the needle, then you will never see the city in the same way again.

It's one of the world's most famous residences, but how exactly do you get into Buckingham Palace? We've listed the ways you can experience the official London residence of King Charles III, and the good news is none of them involve climbing in through the window al la Michael Fagan.

Visit the Buckingham Palace State Rooms

The best way to see Buckingham Palace is to visit the State Rooms during open season. Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2023.

For a proper snoop around the heart of Buckingham Palace, you'll want to visit the State Rooms. For 10 weeks every summer (9 July-27 September 2026), visitors are invited to wander up the Grand Staircase, and into the Throne Room (where official photos are snapped), the Ballroom (where for some reason Donald Trump was once hosted on a state visit), and the White Drawing Room (with its 'secret' door into which Elizabeth II would sometimes vanish, especially when Donald Trump was around).

A pretty good audio guide leads the way, dropping little vignettes and titbits as you go. It lasts about 90 minutes.

Adult tickets in 2026 are £33 in advance/£37 on the day, with various concessions available. And to think people complained in 1993, when the palace first opened to the public, that the then-£8 entry fee was steep...

How much is that doggy in the window? £25 believe it or not. Image: Londonist.

For our money, the most memorable part of the State Rooms experience is having a coffee at the cafe out the back of the palace, overlooking the lawns. You get to see another side of the palace (quite literally), and there's also a gift shop, which will meet all your stuffed corgi needs.

For an added fee, you can get a highlights tour of the garden, although it's arguably not as thrilling as nearby St James's Park, and so far as we know, Buckingham Palace doesn't have pelicans.

Personally guided (and very spendy, as in £100 spendy) tours are offered September-October, and sell out quickly.

Visit the East Wing of Buckingham Palace

Image: Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III 2024 and Peter Smith

In 2024, it was announced that the royals would be raking in more cash generously giving us the opportunity to see more of Buckingham Palace by opening up the East Wing for the first time, including the Eastern-inspired Balcony Room (though the famous balcony, from which the royals sometimes squint up at Red Arrows/wave remains off-limits to the hoi polloi.).

Tours of this part of the palace cost a king's ransom (£93 advance/£97 on the day).

Visit the King's Gallery

See how the other half live, at the King's Gallery. Image: public domain

Part of the Buckingham Palace complex, the King's Gallery invites you to bathe in the cultural riches of royalty: Queen Charlotte's tortoiseshell and gold notebook; absurdly ornate furniture; an embarrassment of priceless paintings by the ilk of Canaletto and da Vinci. There are changing exhibitions, enlightening lectures, and it's easier to access than the State Rooms because it's open all year (although not on most Tuesdays and Wednesdays).

Again, if you're a tax-paying Brit, you might have hoped you could visit for free, but no such luck: adult tickets are a kingly £22.

Visit the Royal Mews

If you like your ride to be golden, stately — and pulled by a bunch of horses with manes more coiffured than Rylan — the Royal Mews is for you. Here, in these working stables you can ogle the various carriages that have whisked the royals through the streets of London and beyond.

Whereas you might expect this kind of thing to be part of a visit to Buckingham Palace, like the King's Gallery, it's a separate attraction, with adult entry setting you back a not insignificant £18.

Watch Changing the Guard

Changing the Guard is a quintessential way to see Buckingham Palace. Image: Londonist

A quintessential (and free!) way to experience the pomp and circumstance of Buckingham Palace, the Changing (of) the Guard ceremony takes place on Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday (check dates though, because it doesn't always happen). It sees the Old Guard at Buckingham Palace form outside the palace (10.30am), joined by the Old Guard at St James's Palace (10.45am) before both are relieved by the New Guard, who arrive from Wellington Barracks (11am), blasting out music. With all the red tunics and bearskin hats, this is a real favourite with tourists, who arrive early to press their faces against the railings.

Despite the stuffy formality, Changing the Guard has its lighthearted moments; especially when the band plays a pop number:

There was some special music at today's Changing the Guard...#Lionesses@ArmyinLondon | @England | @Lionesses pic.twitter.com/0HTol7Xb5I

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) July 30, 2022

A few years back we spoke to folks who'd gone to watch Changing the Guard.

Get invited to a garden party

The Buckingham Palace they didn't want you to see (well, it's the back of Buckingham Palace, anyway) Image: Londonist

More people than you might think (30,000) get invited to a garden party at Buckingham Palace, which they throw three times a year. Unfortunately, there's no ballot for such a thing, neither can you 'encourage' an invitation by slipping one of the King's Guards a £20 note. Guests tend to be members of various societies, government departments, religious setups and the like, so if you're especially keen to eat cucumber sandwiches with Camilla, you'd better join the ranks of a worthy organisation and start doing lots of good things.

Go on a virtual tour

Infinitely more realistic, is this way of seeing the Palace — in fact you can do it right this second. Virtual tours on the Royal Family's official website are glitchy, but you can get the State Room experience with the immersive walk-through BBC video above. You've just saved yourself £33 — huzzah!

We'll also point you in the direction of our own articles: A Brief History Of Buckingham Palace and 13 Secrets Of Buckingham Palace.

Expect one or two cosplay Captain Jack Sparrows at Secret Cinema's latest experience. Image: RyC - Behind The Lens from San Francisco, United States of America via CC BY 2.0

Secret Cinema has announced its latest immersive film experience — and it's a big one, savvy?

Running for 10 weeks from February 2027, Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Immersive Adventure promises to take London audiences inside "a swashbuckling celebration like no other", featuring immersive sets, live performances, stunts and a band. "Every night unfolds as a high-energy adventure, culminating in a spectacular celebration worthy of the seven seas," claims the press release.

Licensed through an agreement with Disney Theatrical Group, this is the first time the 'Pirates' franchise has been adapted into an immersive theatrical experience, although famously, it started out life as a theme park ride — immersive theatre of a kind.

The experience will be the first to play out at Secret Cinema's new Greenwich venue, currently under construction.

Founded in 2007, Secret Cinema started out as a small-scale pop-up enterprise, with films screened at locations only revealed last-minute. The very first screening was Dreams That Money Can Buy, a surrealist film made in 1947 — a far cry from the 2003 blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

Tickets for Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Immersive Adventure go on general sale on 1 June 2026, and you can sign up for exclusive presale access here.

The top events and things to do in London in June-September 2026.

Cocktails in the City is a highlight of summer in London

With a glut of events going on in London each Summer, it's hard to pick what to do and where to go. To help you out, we've selected some of our favourite things to do in the capital in June, July, August and September 2026 — whether you want to watch films under the stars, rock out at music festivals or just eat and drink your way around London.

Outdoor culture in London: Summer 2026

Make the most of Summer 2026 in London. Photo: Matt Brown/Londonist

When the sun comes out, London takes the roof off. If it rains, you get wet — it's all part of the British summertime fun. Here are a few of our favourite al fresco activities, but do check out our guide to outdoor culture in London for the full experience spanning theatre, music and art taking place outdoors in the coming months.

OUTDOOR CINEMA: It wouldn't be summer in London without an onslaught of pop-up outdoor cinemas and rooftop film screenings. Some start in April or May; others begin in June; and others still make an appearance later in the summer. Here's the full guide to outdoor cinema in London for summer 2026. From 30 April 2026

TROOPING THE COLOUR: The annual ceremony of Trooping the Colour marks the Sovereign's birthday, with the five regiments of Foot Guards totalling 1,200-2,350 soldiers plus hundreds of horses and musicians parading in front of the monarch, in a highly-orchestrated inspection on Horse Guards Parade. There are actually three different ceremonies across three consecutive Saturdays, with tickets for the first two available for anyone to buy (the third, and most famous, is by ballot only, now closed). Full details here. 30 May-13 June 2026

OPEN GARDENS WEEKEND: London Open Gardens Weekend is a chance to explore London's green spaces via open days, tours and talks. They range from allotments to small private gardens, to the larger gardens in the likes of Eaton Square, usually only accessible to local residents with a key. 6-7 June 2026

WEST END LIVE: For one weekend each June, stars from London's current West End musicals perform FOR FREE on a pop-up stage in Trafalgar Square. West End Live is an incredibly popular event, so you'll need to arrive very early to be in with a chance of getting in. FREE, 20-21 June 2026

GREENWICH AND DOCKLANDS INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL: We're hoping that free outdoor performing arts festival Greenwich and Docklands International Festival will return. It usually offers two weeks of theatre, art, dance and circus in outdoor locations, including parkour in Woolwich, dancing in Newham, and the annual Greenwich Fair in Greenwich Park. FREE, 2026 dates TBC

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Watch robot football and scoff futuristic food at this free South Kensington festival

Image: Great Exhibition Road Festival

Origami spacecraft! Giant roaming puppets! An underground mushroom disco!

It might sound like some super wacky dream, but all this — and a whole lot more — is really happening on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 June 2026 at the Great Exhibition Road Festival in South Kensington.

Fun for all ages (and emphatically free), this scientific summer street party hosts hands-on workshops, eye-opening experiments, mind-blowing performances and drool-inducing cookery demos from the likes of Imperial College London, the Natural History Museum, the Royal Parks, Science Museum, V&A and Royal Albert Hall.

Kids will be so enraptured by making invisible things visible, and discovering the surprising similarities between a brownie and the surface of Mars, they won't even realise they're swotting up! Older visitors will love the Adults Only Zone, featuring Science Cabaret, and the chance to make your own black hole! No wonder over 50,000 people attend this fantastic festival each year.

And 2026 is a very special anniversary too — 175 years since the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, which kickstarted many of South Kensington's famous institutions and museums. Top tip: look out for a sculpture of the iconic Crystal Palace... built from seven tonnes of sand!

The Great Exhibition Road Festival, 6-7 June 2026, 12pm-6pm each day.

All events are free. Register for early info.

Cultural events in London in Summer 2026

It's adults-only at Zoo Nights this summer. Image: London Zoo

LONDON FESTIVAL OF ARCHITECTURE: A celebration of architecture and 'city-making', the London Festival of Architecture programme is packed full of more than 400 events throughout the month, from public installations to talks, tours, debates and performances — including some family-friendly events. 1-30 June 2026

CENTRE FOR ILLUSTRATION: After a couple of delays, the Quentin Blake Centre For Illustration finally opens its doors in a former waterworks building in Clerkenwell. The world's largest space dedicated to illustration opens with a debut trio of exhibitions, including one showing off Blake's own work. From 5 June 2026

ZOO NIGHTS: London Zoo's late-night openings are back, for adults only on Fridays in June and July. Zoo Nights is a rare chance to see the animals at dusk, and enjoy tours, live acoustic music, street food and live performances. London Zoo also unveils a special blue plaque trail this summer, marking ZSL's 200th anniversary. 5 June-24 July 2026

LUMINISCENCE: Westminster Cathedral (note: not Westminster Abbey) gets a glow-up throughout the summer in the form of Luminiscence, a 360° projected light show, bathing the sacred space's windows, walls, pillars and ceiling in remarkable moving colourscapes. The building's never-completed mosaic-adorned domes will be digitally created, giving us a glance at what might have been. 1 July-27 September 2026

PRIDE IN LONDON 2026: The absolutely huge Pride in London festival takes place on a Saturday in July, with a parade winding through the centre of London from Hyde Park Corner to Whitehall, and festival stages set up around Soho. Expect to see many Pride after-parties and other LGBTQ+ events taking place around this time too. 4 July 2026

Pride in London is a huge event each summer. Image: Camerawalker via CC BY-SA 4.0

AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY: Fourth of July is always a big deal for our American cousins, and even more so this year, as 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence. We've put together a guide to special events, as well as some of our favourite all-American restaurants and hot spots around London, so you can celebrate in style. Around 4 July 2026

IDLER FESTIVAL: Popular authors Irvine Welsh, Jojo Moyes and Charlie Higson; Bake Off legend Prue Leith; and former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams are among the speakers at this year's Idler Festival, at Fenton House in Hampstead. Festival goers are invited to do "as much or as little as they please" in a laid-back environment. 10-12 July 2026

GREENWICH COMEDY GARDEN: Jack Dee, Josh Widdicombe, Sara Pascoe, Lou Sanders, Alan Davies and Thanyia Moore are on the bill at Greenwich Comedy Garden, a laughter-inducing festival taking over the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College for eight shows across five days. There are street food stalls and pop-up bars aplenty too. 15-19 July 2026

Greenwich Comedy Garden pairs laughs with street food. Photo: Lloyd Winters

HYPER JAPAN FESTIVAL: Love all things Japanese? Get yourself to Hyper Japan, a celebration of Japanese culture. Live performances, a market, food and drink stalls and a sake experience are all part of the fun. 24-26 July 2026

LAUGHTERAMA: Somerset House hosts brand new comedy festival Laughterama, with seven open-air shows taking place in the courtyard, with stars including Fern Brady, Jen Brister, Sarah Keyworth, Josh Widdicombe and Ivo Graham, among many others. 29 July-2 August 2026

ROUNDHOUSE COMEDY FESTIVAL: Yet another comedy festival in London this summer unfolds at Camden Roundhouse, launching with a flagship edition of Live at the Roundhouse, headlined by Frank Skinner, and featuring Phil Wang, Rosie Jones and Celya AB, hosted by Saturday Night Live UK star Paddy Young. The programme for the following days spans giggle-inducing performances in the form of stand-up, live podcasts, theatrical comedy and interactive shows. 1-18 August 2026

NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL 2026: West London will be a riot of noise and colour as Notting Hill Carnival takes to the streets once again. Sound systems enliven the area as mas, soca and calypso acts parade through the area, in a kaleidoscopic celebration of Caribbean culture. FREE, 29-31 August 2026

Notting Hill Carnival takes place over the August bank holiday weekend. Image: Romazur via CC BY-SA 4.0

TOTALLY THAMES 2026: Look out for this year's Totally Thames programme, a celebration of all things related to London's arterial river. There are usually multiple events every day throughout the month including exhibitions, talks, guided tours, boat rides and more. Usually throughout September

OPEN HOUSE LONDON 2026: This annual event is like Christmas for members of Team Londonist. A chance to go inside London buildings which are usually closed to the public? Yes please! The full programme hasn't yet been announced, but in the past we've managed to get inside the St Pancras Clock Tower, Battersea Power Station (before the recent redevelopment), Bush House and many more iconic buildings. 2026 dates TBC (usually mid-September)

LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL: Citywide event London Design Festival celebrates the top-notch design work going on around the capital, across architecture, project design, graphic design and more. Events usually include talks, tours, special installations and exhibitions. 12-20 September 2026

Family events in London in Summer 2026

SUMMER HOLIDAYS: With London schools closing for the summer in July and throughout August, we've penned a guide to things to do in London in the summer holidays, with ideas to keep everyone happy from toddlers to teenagers, from exhibitions and festivals, to one-off events and day trip ideas. On a tight budget? Bookmark our pick of free things to do in London in the summer holidays. We'll update both for Summer 2026 closer to the time.

Sport events in London in Summer 2026

Find somewhere to kick back and watch Wimbledon 2026

Got energy to burn? Good for you. Prefer to watch others do the hard work? That's perfectly fine too.

2026 WORLD CUP: The USA, Canada and Mexico are the hosts for the 2026 World Cup. If you're watching from this side of the Atlantic, book yourself a spot at these London pubs and bars which are showing World Cup games. 11 June-19 July 2026

WORLD NAKED BIKE RIDE 2026: If you're prudish, you may wish to avert your eyes as the World Naked Bike Ride pedals into town. Cyclists let it all hang out as they ride in a group on one of several pre-agreed routes, all converging near Wellington Arch. Don't forget your suncream. Note: in 2026 it takes place on a Sunday instead of a Saturday for the first time. 14 June 2026

WIMBLEDON 2026: The biggest fortnight in tennis is back. If you can't make it to SW19 yourself, fear not — plenty of places around the capital show the action of big screens, often for free. Here's our guide to where to watch Wimbledon, which we'll update for 2026 when details are announced. Want to get closer to the action? Learn all you need to know about joining 'The Queue' for on-the-day tickets. 29 June-12 July 2026

Music events and festivals in London this Summer

BST Hyde Park is one of London's biggest summer festivals

For a detailed look at music festivals taking place in London this year — from early spring round until the autumn — have a browse of our guide to London's best music festivals, and get booking. Alternatively, check out what's on at London's stadiums and arenas: Harry Styles, My Chemical Romance, Bruno Mars, Lily Allen, Bad Bunny and BTS are among the superstar acts passing through the capital this summer.

LIVE AT CHELSEA: The legends keep coming at the newcomer Live At Chelsea festival, which pitches up in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea: over the course of five nights, acts include Holly Johnson, The Proclaimers, The Beach Boys (Mike Love's iteration at least), and Sparks. To paraphrase the latter, this festival is big enough for all of them. 10-14 June

HAMPTON COURT PALACE FESTIVAL: Want a taste of pop royalty? Hampton Court Palace Festival's two-week shindig is back this June (it's individual shows rather than a festival), ready to welcome you with a flute of champagne and space for a picnic, before performances from Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Nile Rodgers & Chic, and David Gray, among others. 10-19 June 2026

HARRY STYLES' MELTDOWN: Harry Styles is the curator of this year's Meltdown at Southbank Centre, ahead of his run of shows at Wembley Stadium. Among the acts he's chosen to perform are Warpaint, Kamasi Washington and Erika de Casier. 11-21 June 2026

Harry Styles curates Meltdown 2026 (and he's playing several Wembley gigs this summer too). © Laura Coulson

BST HYDE PARK: Maroon 5, Mumford and Sons, Pitbull and Lewis Capaldi are among the headliners at this year's BST Hyde Park, commandeering a corner of Hyde Park for a fortnight. On non-gig days, the Open House programme takes place (unrelated to Open House London), with free entertainment spanning live music, film and sports screenings, and loads more. 27 June-12 July 2026

BBC PROMS: If you count the BBC Proms as a music festival, then it's surely the swishest of the lot. It sees nigh-on two full months of live performances at the Royal Albert Hall and a few other participating venues. Though the focus is on classical music, there's an increasing number of shows celebrating modern and contemporary sounds. Read our dedicated guide. 17 July-12 September 2026

Summer 2026: top new theatre shows in London

A Life In Four Seasons is on at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

OPEN AIR THEATRE: The Summer 2o26 season at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre runs May-September, offering five shows: Sherlock Holmes; A Life In Four Seasons; A Midsummer Night's Dream; Cats; and Anansi the Spider. May-September 2026

SHAKESPEARE IN THE SQUARES: Every summer, a single Shakespeare play is performed in open-air gardens and squares all over the capital. For 2026. Shakespeare in the Squares tackles Love's Labour's Lost, popping up in venues including Kensington Gardens Square and Camden Square. 3 June-12 July 2026

GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS: 1992 dark comedy film Glengarry Glen Ross comes to the stage at the Old Vic, in a new adaptation, and with an all-female cast. 4 June-18 September 2026

PRIDE: The National Theatre's headline Summer 2026 production is Pride, set during the miners's strike of 1984, when Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM) quickly finds itself entwined with a small pit village in South Wales. 11 June-12 September 2026

IVANOV: Chris Pine makes his London stage debut in a new production of Chekhov's comic drama Ivanov, at the Bridge Theatre. Pine takes on the role of Nikolai Ivanov, a man facing a midlife crisis due to financial and marital woes. 4 July-19 September 2026

TRAINSPOTTING THE MUSICAL: Choose life. Choose Trainspotting the Musical when it opens at Theatre Royal Haymarket, offering an adaptation of the 1996 film set to live music. Irvine Welsh, who wrote the original novel, has penned this adaptation. From 15 July 2026

Best new exhibitions in London: Summer 2026

The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition is a highlight of London's cultural calendar. Image: Royal Academy of Arts, London / David Parry

MARILYN MONROE: Portraits and photographs of Marilyn Monroe by renowned artists and photographers go on display at the National Portrait Gallery to mark what would be the star's 100th birthday, along with personal belongings such as books, scripts and clothes. 4 June-6 September 2026

SERPENTINE PAVILION 2026: 'a serpentine' (their lower case, not ours) is the apt name and design of this year's free Serpentine Pavilion, erected in the grounds of the Serpentine South gallery in June. Mock-ups show the interior will provide an irregular-shaped courtyard with spaces for sitting, and a brise soleil roof propped with thin brick columns. FREE, 6 June-25 October 2026

ROYAL ACADEMY SUMMER EXHIBITION: A highlight of the London art calendar every year, the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition brings together established and rising artists to display their work. Prints, painting, film, photography, architectural works and sculpture all jostle for attention. Full 2026 details TBC. 16 June-23 August 2026

FRIDA KAHLO: Mexican artist Frida Kahlo is the subject of a new exhibition at Tate Modern, featuring over 30 of her works to delve into how she became one of the most influential artists of all time, and a cultural phenomenon. Some of Kahlo's garments, jewellery, photographs and memorabilia feature, along with 200 works by her contemporaries. 25 June 2026-3 January 2027

SUMMER SCIENCE EXHIBITION: The Royal Society's Summer Science Exhibition is suitable for all ages, and showcases the latest research from across the UK, through hands-on activities, talks and interactive exhibits. Topics this year include the mysteries of lightning, super computers, and the secrets of the universe. FREE, 30 June-5 July 2026

AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHY: Step into a century of American city life at Dulwich Picture Gallery, which displays photographs of the people who built, inhabited, and transformed urban spaces into living communities. It features works by 34 influential photographers from 1907 to 2012. 28 July-4 October 2026

Top food and drink events in London in Summer 2026

Taste of London in Regent's Park. Photo: Joshua Atkins

Peckish? Got a thirst on? If London's rooftop bars, beer gardens and ice cream parlours aren't quite cutting it, check out these special foodie festivals and events for something a little bit different.

BURGER FEST: It's all about the patties down at Richmond Athletics Ground, where Burger Fest brings together 20 top traders from all over the UK to battle it out to be crowned the winner. Expect full-size burgers, mini sliders, as well as eating competitions and other entertainment. 12-14 June 2026

TASTE OF LONDON: Foodies will want to head to Regent's Park for Taste of London, the huge, food-based festival which brings dozens of London's best-known restaurants together to feed hungry visitors. It's also a chance to discover up-and-coming London chefs and food businesses take part in tastings and watch masterclasses. This year it's expanding with a new Taste of the City events programme across the capital. 17-21 June 2026

CITY BEERFEST: Over 55 beers from 13 brewers from the UK, Europe and Canada are up for slurps at City Beerfest, taking place in Guildhall Yard and raising money for charities supported by the Lady Mayor. 2 July 2026

COCKTAILS IN THE CITY: On selected dates in July and August, Bedford Square Gardens in Bloomsbury hosts Cocktails in the City. Renowned London bars have pop-ups with special menus, tastings and masterclasses, plus there's live music, a silent disco and street food stalls. 2-4 July and 6-8 August 2026

Meatopia celebrates all things FIRE 🔥 (and meat). Image: Meatopia

LONDON CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL: Over 100 breweries are expected to pour into London Craft Beer Festival, which moves to Southwark Park for 2026. Sample from 800+ different beers made by established and newer breweries. All brews are included in your ticket. 17-18 July 2026

LONDON WING FEST: Wing Fest, apparently the world's largest festival of chicken wings, stops by the London Stadium on its UK tour. Exact details have yet to be confirmed, but expect to see several chicken wing vendors pitting their dishes against each other. 24-26 July 2026

MEATOPIA: Fire (and meat) is the name of the game at Meatopia, a foodie festival at Tobacco Dock which focuses on flame-cooked food. Tuck into all manner of dishes alongside chilled drinks while tuning into live music and DJs. 3-6 September 2026

Things to do in London in warm weather

Dive in! Photo: Matt Brown/Londonist

INDOOR SWIMMING: Looking for a London swimming pool which goes to great lengths to impress? From barrel-vaulted Victorian water palaces to undulating Olympic venues, these indoor pools are the best this city has to offer.

OUTDOOR SWIMMING: Looking for a lido or in need of an outdoor pool in London? As the weather heats up, these swimming pools and ponds across the capital become popular for cooling off, so we recommend booking in advance where possible.

BOATING: Hire yourself a pedalo or row boat and see London from the water on one of its many lakes or ponds. Alternatively, let someone else do the hard work by taking a boat trip on clippers, ferries, narrowboats and other vessels on London's rivers and canals.

ROOFTOP BARS: When the sun's out, it's time to get high. Head for London's best rooftop bars and lofty terraces, to enjoy views over the capital with a chilled cocktail or beer in hand.

PLAY FOUNTAINS: Indulge your inner kid by splashing around in one of these refreshing play fountains — ideal for cooling off in a London heatwave. Just remember to pack a towel and spare clothes.

LONDON'S URBAN BEACHES: London isn't the first place that springs to mind when you think of beach holidays —and rightly so — but if you're keen to feel the sand between your toes while you kick back on a deckchair, acquaint yourself with one of London's pop-up urban beaches. We'll add 2026 details as they're announced.

ICE SKATING: No wait, hear us out. While London does a fine line in pop-up winter ice rinks, it also has a few year-round (indoor) ice rinks, which are an excellent place to cool down on a sweltering Summer day. Find your nearest ice rink in London, and get your skates on.

Charing Cross railway station will be shut for a number of days over the summer. Image: Londonist

Charing Cross And Waterloo East stations will close for the best part of a month this summer, as upgrades are made to 1990s-era track and platforms.

A full closure of the stations, says Network Rail, will be imposed on the 22 days between Sunday 26 July and Sunday 16 August 2026, plus on a scattering of weekends either side, meaning that in all, disruption will last closer to a month.

Though Southeastern services will continue to run throughout, no trains will call at Charing Cross or Waterloo East stations on the following dates:

❌ Sunday 31 May
❌ Sunday 7 June
❌ Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July
❌ Sunday 26 July-Sunday 16 August (22 day closure)
❌ Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 August
❌ Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October.

Southeastern services that usually run into Charing Cross will be diverted to London Victoria, London Cannon Street and London Blackfriars, with some terminating at London Bridge. Charing Cross Underground services will run as normal.

The £20m works will allow engineers to replace nearly two kilometres of 36-year-old track, as well as rebuilding sections of platform at Charing Cross, upgrade track drainage systems and carry out structural repairs to both the Waterloo East to London Waterloo pedestrian link bridge and the Hungerford Bridge, over which trains cross the Thames. (And to be fair, that's the kind of bridge you want to ensure is in good shape.) The works will, says Network Rail "make journeys safer and more reliable".

You can use Southeastern's journey planner to work out what's what during the closures.

Next week, Londoners face more major disruption, with planned Tube strikes running 19-20 May (12pm Tuesday to 11.59am Wednesday) and 21-22 May (12pm Thursday to 11.59am Friday).

Photographer Julia Margaret Cameron (right) now has a Blue Plaque at her former London home. Image: English Heritage/public domain

"I was in a transport of delight. I ran all over the house to search for gifts for the child. I felt as if she entirely had made the picture."

This was the reaction of Julia Margaret Cameron to capturing what she deemed her first 'successful' portrait photograph; a profile of Annie Philpot, the young daughter of a family staying with her.

Though Cameron was 48 by the time she first picked up a camera, she would go on to become a pioneer of portrait photography, capturing images of some of the era's defining figures — Charles Darwin, Alfred Tennyson, Ellen Terry, Alice Liddell — as well as 'dressing up' family and friends as biblical and mythological characters.

Cameron's first 'successful' portrait, of the young Annie Philpot, the daughter of friends. Image: public domain

Incorporating trailblazing techniques such as scratches, smudges and soft focus, Cameron was not always appreciated by her peers or critics. "Mrs. Cameron exhibits her series of out-of-focus portraits of celebrities," snapped the Photographic Journal in 1865, "In these pictures, all that is good in photography has been neglected and the shortcomings of the art are prominently exhibited.

"We are sorry to have to speak thus severely on the works of a lady, but we feel compelled to do so in the interest of the art." Uh huh.

Though under-appreciated in her lifetime, the timeless dreaminess of Cameron's photography ultimately gave such naysayers what for, and in May 2026, an English Heritage Blue Plaque was unveiled at her former home at 10 Chesham Place in Belgravia — Cameron's first London residence, which she to moved to from her birthplace, India.

The V&A in South Kensington was the only museum to display Cameron's work in her lifetime. Image: Matt From London

Cameron hadn't yet embarked on her photographic career when living at 10 Chesham Place; that only happened after she moved to the Isle of Wight, where she turned her coal-house into a dark room, and went on to produce over 900 photos, before she died, aged 63.

She does, however have strong links with this part of London, not least the nearby V&A South Kensington. "I write to ask you if you will… exhibit at the South Kensington Museum a set of Prints of my late series of Photographs that I intend should electrify you with delight and startle the world." So wrote Cameron to Henry Cole, founding director of the V&A in February 1866. Cole transpired to be one of the few art world bigwigs to believe in Cameron, and the V&A was the only museum to display her work during her lifetime. It now holds many of Cameron's photographs, as well as letters between her and Henry Cole.

Cameron photographed many leading lights of her time, including Charles Darwin. Image: public domain

Said Jules Cameron, great-granddaughter of Julia Margaret Cameron: "She saw photography not simply as a record, but as a way of revealing the soul. To have her honoured with a Blue Plaque feels like a quiet
continuation of her work fixing her presence once more in light and memory.

"She wasn't interested in perfection, but in truth, in feeling, in humanity. A Blue Plaque feels entirely fitting
for someone so gloriously unconventional, and I think she would have absolutely loved it."

Read up more about Julia Margaret Cameron, and see more of her photos on the V&A's website.

Mayfield Lavender celebrates 20 years in 2026. Image: Mayfield Lavender

Lavender season in London. As cherry blossom posts and wisteria hysteria gradually wither away on the 'gram, it means sweeping fields of lavender are nigh.

Here are some of our favourite lavender farms and fields to visit near London — all welcoming visitors in 2026. The closest lavender farm to central London is the very well-known Mayfield Lavender Farm in Banstead, though there are larger commercial fields in Kent, Hertfordshire and Hampshire.

London (and the UK's) lavender season normally falls June-August, with the best times to visit these fields usually falling in late June-early July. Check websites for tickets and more 2026 details, and remember to make sure the lavender's in bloom before you make a special trip, as the season can vary by a couple of weeks.

Closest to London: Mayfield Lavender Farm: Summer 2026

Looby Loo roams the farm. Image: Mayfield Lavender

Just, *just* within the boundaries of London itself, Mayfield Lavender Farm is the closest large-scale lavender field to central London — but it's so much more than a (gorgeous) purple field. It gained Instagram fame a while back (partly thanks to a strategically-plonked red phone box), and the 2026 season is rather special — celebrating 20 years since the farm first opened to the public.

To mark the milestone, there's a whole lot more happening on the 25-acre farm this year. New attractions are opening, including The Potting Station where you can learn how to propagate your own lavender; The Lavender Labyrinth, a meditative space of calm and relaxation; and a Bee & Butterfly Exploration Trail. You can also offer long-term support to Mayfield through the Adopt-a-Plant scheme, and leave a personal message or dedication beneath newly planted lavender at the site.

As always, there's a selection of street food traders, as well as a cafe and shop on site, selling lavender ice cream, cream teas, cider (!), toiletries and other lilac-tinged treats. The Moments at Mayfield photo competition is back for 2026, with categories including Best Dressed, Best Family Photo, and Best Pet, but if you're taking part in a professional or extensive photoshoot, you'll need to register and pay a fee. No drones are allowed, and neither are picnics.

Your kids'll be thrilled to know that the farm's tractor train, Looby Loo, returns for 2026 too, and for a small extra charge you can ride a circuit of the farm (about 20 minutes). Sounds like a packed day out already, and that's before the Tree of Lavender Wishes, and the Spritz Cooler, a water feature to keep everyone chilled on hot days.

Tickets are available across three tiers (The Explorer, The Voyager and The Pathfinder) depending what you want to include in your purple day out. And for the first time, flexible Anyday tickets can be bought, meaning you're not tied to a specific date for your visit... ideal for the unpredictable weather. Details of what's included in each ticket are available here.  

Mayfield Lavender Farm, 1 Carshalton Lane, Banstead, SM7 3JA. Open 6 June-23 August 2026 (the lavender normally peaks in July, and it may be harvested early if it's a hot summer).

The farm also has a nursery and farm shop based in Epsom and open year-round, with a cafe serving a lavender cream tea.

Castle Farm Lavender and The Hop Shop, Sevenoaks, Kent: Summer 2026

Photo: Londonist

If you've taken the train between Orpington and Sevenoaks during lavender season, you'll have seen the bright purple fields next to the railway. They're part of the extensive Castle Farm empire, the largest producer of lavender in the UK — so naturally, they have a LOT going on during lavender season. Think guided tours through the fields and lavender distillery, picnics among the flowers and self-guided walks with plenty of photo opportunities (though no drones or commercial photography are permitted).

In our opinion, Castle Farm is the best lavender farm on this list for photography: sweeping, rolling purple hillsides as far as the eye can see, paired with rustic farm buildings and equipment. The closest you'll get to Provence, without deploying your passport.

The farm's 1,100 acres are spread all over this part of Kent, but the activity all takes place at Castle Farm near Shoreham. If you visit, sample the lavender ice cream available in the farm shop (open all year) — delish.

Castle Farm, Redmans Lane, Shoreham, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN14 7UB. Currently booking for 25 June-9 July 2026, but more dates will be added — possibly including earlier ones — when the progress of the crop has been assessed in early June.

The village of Otford, with its own solar system, is under 10 minutes' drive away if you want to make a day of it, as is Lullingstone Castle and the World Garden.

Hitchin Lavender, Hertfordshire: Summer 2026

Hitchin Lavender offers great views across the countryside. Image: Shutterstock

If you want to know what 25 miles of lavender rows looks like, head to Hertfordshire and immerse yourself in the Hitchin Lavender fields.

Entry includes access to the fields, and you can pick a bag of lavender to take home (extra charge, add it to your order when booking, bring your own scissors). Lunches, cakes and drinks are available to buy in the cafe in the 17th century barn (as is afternoon tea, when booked in advance). The barn stays open late on Tuesday and Thursday nights for Farmhouse Evenings, serving sharing platters, with admission to the fields included — ideal for getting sunset snaps. Professional photography is permitted at an extra cost, though again, no drones are allowed.

There's a small museum on site (free entry), with a replica of the Perks & Llewellyn pharmacy, well-known in the 19th century for its lavender products. If you can tear your eyes away from the lavender for a minute or two, the hillside location of the farm offers views over the Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire countryside.

Hitchin Lavender, Cadwell Farm, Ickleford, Hertfordshire, SG5 3UA. Currently booking for 20 June-31 July 2026.

Finchingfield Camping and Lavender, Essex: Summer 2026

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Towards the north of Essex, Finchingfield is home to a camping and glamping site located in a wildflower meadow, with its own micro lavender farm on site.

Campers can visit the lavender field at any time during their stay — which means you can spend your evening, including sunset, immersed in the purple hues, before returning to your luxury tent for a lavender-induced snooze. Not much of a camper? A limited number of day visitor tickets are available for each day during the lavender season. There's also a call-out for volunteers to help with the lavender harvest at the end of the season. A cafe is on site selling snacks and drinks to visitors. No dogs allowed. The nearby village of Finchingfield is pretty darn picturesque too, with a duck pond and brook, windmill and pastel-hued houses.

Finchingfield Camping and Lavender, Howe Street, Finchingfield, Essex, CM7 4JB. Lavender is expected to bloom mid-July - August 2026.

Lavender Fields at Hartley Park Farm, Alton, Hampshire: Summer 2026

Lavender field at Hartley Park Farm. Image: Mark Percy via CC BY-SA 2.0

For a grand day out in the opposite direction, head to the Lavender Fields at Hartley Park Farm. Visiting the lavender itself is usually restricted to certain open days, when you can stroll through the seven varieties being grown, as well as a wildflower field. The rest of the time, the lavender shop is open to the public, and there's a coffee shop too, but no access to the fields.

Lavender Fields at Hartley Park Farm, Selborne Road, Alton, Hampshire, GU34 3HP. Keep an eye on the website for 2026 open days.

Lordington Lavender, Chichester, West Sussex: Summer 2026

Lordington Lavender only opens to the public for a few days each year. Image: iStock/cnx4004

10 acres of Maillette lavender are grown at Lordington Lavender in the South Downs each year, though open days to visit the field are restricted to a few days in July. On these days anyone (and their dog) is welcome to walk among the lavender and take photos, as well as enjoying tea and cake overlooking the purple paradise.

Lordington Lavender, Lordington, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 9DX. Open days 8-12 and 18-19 July 2026.

Lavender gardens in London: Vauxhall Park

Luscious lavender, five minutes from a Tube station. Photo: Londonist

Did you know there's a lavender garden in central London, just five minutes walk from a Tube station? Vauxhall Park has a few rows of the purple plant, with room to wander between them, and space around them for a picnic. Also look out for the lavender-themed commemorative fountain nearby, as well as the model village.

Within London, Kennington Park and Kew Gardens are also home to pockets of lavender — ideal if you're looking to inhale the heady scent without doing a day trip. There's also a one-off lavender harvest in Carshalton on 25-26 July 2026.

Where to find the best lavender fields and farms near London: mapped

Dancing in the Mirror is being staged in the Bellingham pub where Henry Cooper trained. Image: Doyle of London via CC BY-SA 4.0/public domain

I grew up in Lewisham. I've seen it change a lot, just in my lifetime. I wondered what might have changed over a century.

Boxing has always long fascinated me too. It is controversial, working class, deeply symbolic. Boxers are often hugely charismatic, surprising figures.

These two aspects of my life collide in Dancing in the Mirror, the play I've written that tells the story of Jade, a young boxer who grew up in care, and Mica, a clerk and aspiring actor learning to find his voice. When Jade discovers her estranged father is still alive, their paths cross and recross in a story about belonging, the meaning of pain, and which dreams are worth chasing.

It has live music, actors of the highest calibre and songs you'll be humming for months. If all goes to plan, it should be funny, too.

"I don't know if you've tried writing a play from up to 40 sets of notes, but it gives you tinnitus." - Rhik Samadder on penning his debut play. Image: courtesy of Mobius

The venue is important; we're staging the play at the Fellowship, a historic Bellingham pub with a fascinating social history. The Bellingham Estate, on which the pub sits, was built to house soldiers returning from the First World War, and people displaced by inner London slum clearances. I was fascinated by this psycho-geographical mix: forward-looking, while carrying wounds.

The Fellowship itself was designed to sit at the heart of its community, being built with a creche. The boxer Henry Cooper trained here, before the fight in which he knocked down Muhammed Ali (then Cassius Clay). Bands including Fleetwood Mac, Eric Clapton and John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers also played here. It now has its own art deco themed cinema, as every pub should.

The Fellowship Inn in 1926, a few years after it was built. Image: courtesy of Mobius

I wrote Dancing in the Mirror after spending a year embedded in the Lewisham Creative Chorus, a 40-strong choir who wanted to put on an ambitious, original show. I don't know if you've tried writing a play from up to 40 sets of notes, but it gives you tinnitus. Luckily I'm not singing in the show. Luckily, they are. They sound incredible.

This is my first play, after years of being a newspaper columnist and features writer. I used to review kitchen gadgets, which wasn't good preparation for this at all. (Although I suppose all live theatre is a…whisk? Sorry.) I was surprised at how life-affirming the process was. The chance to be all these people, across history, and write about love? Now that's a dream job.

Dancing in the Mirror, the Fellowship Inn, Bellingham, 22-23 May 2026

Helen Clifford qualified to become London Transport's first female bus mechanic in 1984. Image: London Transport Museum

Helen Clifford was just 18-years-old when she made transport history.

It was 1984 when she qualified to become London Transport's first female bus mechanic, after completing training at West Ham Garage.

Working at the Finchley bus garage (where she was filmed for a Thames News segment, below) Clifford went on to become a bus driver, a role that London Transport only permitted women to do from 1974. The first to do so was Jill Viner that same year.

Now, Clifford has not one, but two plaques installed in her honour, as part of the Women in Bus and Coach Blue Plaque Scheme: one unveiled at Stratford Bus Interchange, the closest site to the now-closed West Ham Garage; the second at Covent Garden's London Transport Museum, located next to an existing plaque for Jill Viner. (Two plaques commemorate Viner too; one at the museum, another in Kingston.)

"When I started out, I simply wanted to do a job I loved"

Said Helen Clifford, who attended unveiling ceremonies at both plaque locations in May 2026, "It's incredibly special to be recognised in this way, and to share the moment with my family makes it even more meaningful.

"When I started out, I simply wanted to do a job I loved, but I'm proud to know that it helped challenge perceptions and create opportunities for others.

"Seeing how far the industry has come since then is truly rewarding, and I hope my story encourages more women to consider a career in transport."

Helen Clifford unveiling her plaque at Stratford. Image: London Transport Museum

"She broke barriers at a time when the transport sector was overwhelmingly male-dominated"

Added Laura Hadzik, Chair of Women in Bus and Coach: "Today is about recognising not just one remarkable woman, but a turning point in our industry's history. Helen Clifford broke barriers at a time when the transport sector was overwhelmingly male-dominated, and her determination opened doors for countless women who followed."

However, massive disparity remains in the industry. Between 2022-2024, 87% of the UK's bus and coach drivers were male. That's admittedly still better than 2013-2015, when that figure was 92%, but there's a way to go until equilibrium can be claimed.

Helen Clifford continues to drive buses today, not in London, but in Perth, Scotland.

All weekend

Vauxhall City Farm is at the centre of the Vauxhall May Fair. Image: VauxhallCityFarm via CC BY-SA 4.0

WIMBLEDON ART FAIR: More than 180 artists exhibit at Wimbledon Art Fair, giving you a chance to go inside artists' studios and purchase artworks directly from their creators. FREE ENTRY, 14-17 May 2026

PRINT FAIR: The London Original Print Fair is back at Somerset House with 40+ galleries exhibiting, plus talks and live demonstrations of printmaking techniques. The programme covers prints from old masters to contemporary artists, with featured works by Rembrandt, Dürer, Picasso and Matisse among others. 14-17 May 2026

RARE BOOKS: Books, original manuscripts, letters and rare items are all for sale at the annual Firsts: London's Rare Book Fair. Taking place at Chelsea's Saatchi Gallery, this year it has a theme of 'Revolution', tying in with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the American Declaration of Independence. 14-17 May 2026

COFFEE FESTIVAL: Get your fill of caffeine and then some, at the London Coffee Festival, a four-day programme of tastings, demos, competitions, shopping and more at The Truman Brewery on Brick Lane. 14-17 May 2026

COUNTRY FESTIVAL: Country and Americana artists get your feet stomping at Highways Festival, on at the Royal Albert Hall. Carly Pearce headlines on Saturday, and Emmylou Harris on Sunday. 15-17 May 2026

VAUXHALL MAY FAIR: Spread across Vauxhall City Farm and the neighbouring Pleasure Gardens, the Vauxhall May Fair brings a slice of countryside life to SE11. Expect sheep shearing and wool spinning demos, small animal petting areas, seed-sowing and plant stalls — plus a family trail and face painting for children. FREE, 16-17 May 2026

HERITAGE CRAFTS WEEKEND: The historic tea clipper Cutty Sark in Greenwich hosts a Heritage Crafts Weekend celebrating the traditional skills used to build and maintain the world-famous ship. Watch demonstrations and try your hand at rope making, caulking, and sanding wooden oars. 16-17 May 2026

RISING VOICES: The V&A South Kensington opens new exhibition Rising Voices: Contemporary Art From Asia, Australia and the Pacific, showcasing rare works by over 40 artists that foreground First Nations perspectives and contemporary practices from across the Asia Pacific. From 16 May 2026

DULWICH FESTIVAL: Myriad events are part of the final weekend of the Dulwich Festival programme, including the Love West Dulwich Spring Fair on Saturday, and a West Norwood Cemetery tour and the Goose Green Fair on Sunday. Until 17 May 2026

SEURAT AND THE SEA: Last chance to see the Courtauld Gallery's current exhibition, Seurat and the Sea, a display of 26 paintings, oil sketches and drawings by Georges Seurat exploring his seascapes from Honfleur, Port‑en‑Bessin and Gravelines. Until 17 May 2026

Saturday 16 May

Eat your way around the world at Camberwell Food Festival. Image: Camberwell Food Festival

CHEAM CHARTER FAIR: Head down to the London-Surrey border for the Cheam Charter Fair, an event thought to date back to 1259. These days, it kicks off with a procession at 9am, followed by a market of stalls from local businesses and community groups, as well as characters in costume and other entertainment. FREE ENTRY, 9am-2pm

SOUTH BANK ARCHITECTURE: Join Open City for a South Bank architecture walking tour that traces the area's evolution from the mid-19th century to the present day. Explore iconic landmarks including the Royal Festival Hall, the National Theatre and the community-led development of the Coin Street Estate. 10am-12pm

DOLLSHOUSE FESTIVAL: Experience life in miniature at the final day of Kensington Dollshouse Festival. 130 top miniaturists from multiple countries exhibit and sell their works, plus there are displays, kids' activities and more. An ideal day out if you enjoy feeling like Gulliver in Lilliput. 10am-5pm

MORNING GLORYVILLE: Join daytime sober rave Morning Gloryville at Chelsea's Embargo Republica with Vincent Bugozi, hosts Katie Goldfinch, DJ sets from Kemi Ọshi and Joshua Roberts, and wellness activities including a yoga session and chair massages. 11am-3pm

CAMBERWELL FOOD FESTIVAL: Eat around the world at the annual Camberwell Food Festival on Camberwell Green with street food from across the globe, live music, local breweries and wine tasting, arts and craft stalls, a community lunch and family-friendly workshops. FREE ENTRY, 11am-7pm

Morning Gloryville holds a daytime sober rave. Image: Morning Gloryville

FOOD FAIR: The Future of Food Festival comes to an end with a one-day open-air market and food fair in St James's Market. Choose from seasonal dishes from restaurants including FOWL, Scully St James's, Sael and Toba, and sustainable producers such as Paxton & Whitfield and Bentley's Oyster Bar & Grill. 12pm-7pm

TEA AND FANS: Amitabha Garden partners with the Fan Museum in Greenwich for a culturally immersive Tea Ceremony and Fan Talk held in the museum's picturesque Orangery. Explore traditional Chinese tea culture alongside Asian fan heritage, focusing on mindfulness and storytelling. 1pm-3.30pm

ANTI-SLAVERY CAMPAIGNS: Footprints of London guide Laura Agustín leads a walking tour exploring a century of abolitionist history, from Chancery Lane to Embankment Gardens. Visit sites linked to activists like Olaudah Equiano and Mary Prince, revealing the legal cases and community stories that challenged the 18th century "Aristocracy of Skin". 1pm-3.30pm

QUEER PUNK PERFORMANCE: Battersea Arts Centre hosts Dance Me to the End of Love, an immersive performance from Margate-based duo pink suits. Set inside a personal art installation against a live Leonard Cohen album, the show subverts the pair's signature political rage to explore intimacy, grief and their private world as collaborators and lovers. 2pm/6pm

TRENT PARK SECRETS: Waterstones Enfield Church Street hosts author Sue Elliott for a signing of her new book, Trent Park House. The narrative explores the north London estate's multifaceted history, from its days as a high-society playground for Sir Philip Sassoon to its role as a secret wartime prison camp that rivalled Bletchley Park. 2pm

Head to St James's Market for a food fair. Image: St James's Market

COMEDY FOOTBALL TROPHY: Head up to the top of the Metropolitan line for Alex Horne's Comedy Football Trophy, taking place at Chesham United's home ground The Meadow. Comedians, social media stars and footballers go head-to-head in a football match to raise money for local charities, with entertainment beforehand. Doors 12.30pm, K/O 3pm

TWILIGHT TOUR: Sir John Soane's Museum hosts an after-hours Twilight Tour of the architect's remarkable home. An expert guide leads a small group through the atmospheric interiors, reawakening the vast collection of art and antiquities after the daily crowds have departed. 6pm-7pm

FLOWER GIRL: Dalston’s Rio Cinema hosts a special screening of Flower Girl, a riotously camp comedy from the Philippines. The film follows a self-obsessed celebrity endorser who must find true love to reclaim her vanished anatomy after a surreal encounter with a mysterious fairy. 6pm

STEEL R&B: South Norwood's Stanley Arts hosts the Endurance Steel Orchestra for an evening of rhythm and nostalgia. All four of the orchestra's groups perform a live set of R&B anthems spanning the 1970s to the 2000s, covering everything from George Benson to Usher. 6.30pm-9pm

ARSENAL PODCAST LIVE: Union Chapel in Islington hosts a collaborative live show featuring the teams behind Arseblog and ArsenalVision. Join Andrew, James, Elliot, Paul, Clive and Tim for a night of dedicated Arsenal chat and a Q&A. 6.30pm

FERMENTATION SCIENCE: Gastronomist Robin Sherriff visits the Royal Institution to explore the mysterious biological processes behind miso, kimchi and kombucha. The science of fermentation talk includes practical tips for repeatable results and a chance to try small food samples after the lecture. 7pm-8.30pm

84 CHARING CROSS ROAD: Foyles Charing Cross Road is the apt location for a celebration of Helene Hanff's novel 84, Charing Cross Road. The evening explores Hanff's long-distance relationship with the London bookshop. 7pm

Find somewhere in London to watch Eurovision. Image: BAM Karaoke Box

EUROVISION FINAL: The 2026 Eurovision final takes place in Vienna, but if you aren't lucky enough to be heading to Austria, swing by one of these London venues screening all the Eurovision action. Expect glitter, confetti, singalongs and as much cheesiness as is physically possible — Eurovision isn't to be taken lightly!

SILENT DISCO: Kew Gardens hosts a high-energy Silent Disco inside the Victorian Temperate House, where you can dance among rare plants from around the world. Switch between two channels featuring DJ Goldierocks and DJ Sugai, with a bar and food available throughout the evening. 7pm-10.30pm

CANDLELIGHT CLUB: Regular 1920s-themed speakeasy party The Candlelight Club throws a May Ball. Get glammed up and head to a secret south London location for an evening of dancing to live jazz, ragtime and swing music, plus Charleston dance lessons, tarot reading and other themed entertainment. 7pm-1am

ACES HIGH: The Cinema Museum in Kennington hosts a special 50th anniversary of Aces High (1976), the acclaimed First World War drama exploring the aerial battles of the Royal Flying Corps. Based on the play Journey's End, the film is followed by a live Q&A with stars Peter Firth and David Wood. 7.30pm

Sophie Garrad performs at Leicester Square Theatre. Image: Leicester Square Theatre

ROBIN INCE: Comedian and author Robin Ince returns to Kings Place to celebrate the paperback launch of his neurodivergence-themed book, Normally Weird and Weirdly Normal. The evening features a mix of poetry and stories exploring everything from activism and loneliness to the joy of Doctor Who. 7.30pm

FREE FILM FESTIVAL: Herne Hill Velodrome hosts an open-air screening of Rob Reiner's classic coming-of-age film Stand By Me as part of the Herne Hill Free Film Festival. Follow Gordie, Chris, Teddy and Vern on their adventure along the tracks. Beer, wine and snacks are available to buy on-site. FREE, 8.30pm-11pm

SOPHIE GARRAD: Comedian Sophie Garrad brings her show Poor Little Rich Girl to Leicester Square Theatre, mining her chaotic private-school childhood and online sketches for a stand-up hour about class, identity, privilege and the prison system. 9.30pm

SCARED TO DANCE: Regular club night Scared To Dance returns to The Shacklewell Arms in Dalston with guest DJs Caroline joining resident Paul Richards. Expect a post-punk and indie-focused playlist featuring the likes of Talking Heads, Fontaines D.C., Blondie and Wet Leg. 11pm

Sunday 17 May

Charlton House hosts a plant sale. Image: Jocelyn Erskine-Kellie via CC BY-SA 2.0

CAMERA FAIR: Dealers, collectors and photographers selling and trading vintage and modern cameras, lenses, film, books and accessories gather at the Photographica Camera Fair at the Royal National Hotel in Bloomsbury. 10am-4pm

TREE WALK: Take part in a guided walk starting and ending at the Brunel Museum, exploring trees in Rotherhithe and Southwark Park, including the monkey puzzle tree and other notable specimens. 10.30am-11.30am

PLANT SALE: Charlton House & Gardens hosts the return of its popular plant sale, featuring a variety of flora grown in the venue's own walled gardens. Alongside the surplus greenery, browse stalls offering homemade cakes and fresh local produce, as well as a craft market. 11am–3pm

WOOLWICH WALK: Explore the eclectic riverside history of Woolwich on this guided walk, which visits 18th century gun factories and palatial Victorian municipal buildings, while revealing the origin story of Arsenal FC. You'll also see 1930s art deco architecture and the area's recent regeneration projects. 11am-1pm

GRAND FLANEUR WALK: 'A celebration of the pure, the immutable and the pointless, taken by the bold, the adventurous and the inebriated' is how organisers describe the Grand Flaneur Walk, a stroll without purpose, with participants wearing their finest dandy, flaneur or fop outfits — think top hats, handlebar moustaches, pocket squares, pocket watches, the works! FREE, from 12pm

Get dressed up for the Grand Flaneur Walk. Image: Martin SoulStealer via creative commons

TULSA BALLET: Oklahoma's Tulsa Ballet makes its Linbury Theatre debut with three uniquely American works, by Yuri Possokhov, Nicolo Fonte and Andy Blankenbuehler. 2pm

FAMILY RAVE: The Fox and Firkin in Lewisham hosts a pirate-themed Big Fish Little Fish family rave in its festival-style garden. Resident DJs Baker & Beale spin an eclectic set of club tunes for all ages, accompanied by a dance floor filled with bubbles, giant balloons and a parachute dance. There are also pirate-themed crafting tables, face painting and homemade pizza available at the venue. 2pm-4pm

HENRY VIII: The CryerArts Centre in Carshalton hosts a theatrical encounter with the Tudor monarch in Divorced, Behead, Died: An Audience with King Henry VIII. Set in 1544, the performance finds an ageing, ill-humoured King recounting the events of his long reign and inviting his "loyal subjects" to petition or question him on any subject. 3pm

LONDON ON FILM: Blue Badge guide and author Rachel Kolsky leads a talk on London's film locations, including those used in Four Weddings and a Funeral, Closer, Notting Hill and other films, and considers how portrayals of the city have changed over time. Takes place at Wilderness Kitchen, in Clerkenwell. 3pm

MINDFUL PHOTOGRAPHY: Reconnect with your surroundings at the Forty Hall Estate in Enfield during a Mindful Photography Walk. Led by a professional tutor, the relaxed session uses creative prompts and technical tips to encourage a slower pace, focusing on textures and light rather than perfect results. It is suitable for all abilities, whether you are using a DSLR or just a smartphone. 3pm-4.30pm

Tulsa Ballet comes to London. Image: Royal Ballet & Opera

BEYOND BOTANICAL: Chelsea Physic Garden hosts a unique evening to celebrate the launch of Beyond Botanical with Daniel the Gardener. Rather than a standard book launch, the event features a guided drawing session led by the botanical artist, accompanied by live acoustic music from Diana Vela and a short guided immersion soundscape. 5.30pm-8pm

SALSA FOREVER: Enjoy a high-energy tribute to a legendary trombonist and creative visionary at Camden's Jazz Cafe. Willie Colón: Salsa Forever features a live band of London's finest Latin musicians performing brassy arrangements from across his career, including the urban storytelling of Pedro Navaja and the sophisticated rhythms of Siembra. 6pm-9.30pm

IMRAN YUSUF: Camden Comedy Club hosts a work-in-progress performance of Essentially Existential, featuring the comedian's signature blend of subversive satire and philosophical ponderings. Yusuf uses the intimate space to shape new material that explores the "unwinnable game of life" with sharp, thought-provoking storytelling. 6pm

NIGHTS FOR UKRAINE: Highgate's intimate venue The Red Hedgehog hosts a piano recital by Vasilis Rakitzis as part of its ongoing series of benefit events. The programme features a selection of classical masterworks by Chopin, Schubert, Brahms and Beethoven, with proceeds supporting humanitarian efforts. 7pm

JIM MAGEEAN: Ye Olde Rose & Crown Theatre Pub in Walthamstow hosts a night of powerful folk music with Jim Mageean. Known for his commanding voice and expertise in sea shanties, the North East-born singer draws on an extensive repertoire of maritime songs and broader folk knowledge. 7.30pm

MATT HAIG: Bestselling author Matt Haig celebrates his latest work at the Garrick Theatre. The Midnight Train sees the writer discuss his career and the themes of his new book at the historic Charing Cross Road venue. 8pm

Want to ride buses without paying anything at all? These free heritage rides are taking place in June.

The Weekend Hopper will be available on all London trams and buses... and indeed, tram-buses. Image: Matt From London

A new 'Weekend Hopper' fare will allow unlimited bus and tram journeys inside a day, for six weekends this summer.

Normally London bus/tram passengers operate on a 'Hopper' basis, whereby you pay £1.75 for an hour's worth of travel. Inside those 60 minutes you can catch as many buses/trams as you like, but as soon as you hit minute 61, the dial resets and you're charged another £1.75.

The new Weekend Hopper — introduced by TfL and the Mayor of London, and applied on weekends from 25 July-31 August 2026 — will allow passengers to travel for an entire Saturday or Sunday (plus the bank holiday Monday of 31 August), capped at £1.75.

Despite its name, the fare doesn't give you unlimited travel for the entire weekend.

No doubt the new, if fleeting, fare will prove useful to the summer holiday crowds. It will also be irresistible to the city's network of transport influencers, who'll be seeing just how many buses they can catch in one day (expect those videos to drop on Sunday 26 July).

To mark the launch of the Weekend Hopper, three buses — on the 23, 49 and 295 routes — have been 'wrapped up' as frogs. Ribbiting stuff.

During his 10-year tenure, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has pushed the use of buses, introducing the original Hopper fare when he took office in 2016, and overseeing the introducing of the Superloop system. He is, famously, the son of a bus driver.

This is a sponsored article on behalf of the National Portrait Gallery.

Good news, art lovers/quirky kitchenware appreciators/tablescapers with a flair for the dramatic... The National Portrait Gallery has just dropped its latest artist collab. And we're giving you the chance to win Every. Single. Item in it.

This is the A Map of Days homeware range, featuring details from Grayson Perry's self-portrait of the same name. This incredibly intricate artwork is about as far from a traditional example of portraiture as you can get (so no lifesize eyes staring back at you from your dinner plate!)

Loosely inspired by a map depicting John Bunyan's 1678 allegory, The Pilgrim's Progress, it takes the form of a map of a walled city, the various areas of which correspond to the life events, experiences and emotions of the artist.

Portrait of Grayson Perry by Thierry Bal, courtesy of the artist and Victoria Miro

Each piece of the Map of Days range highlights a different area of the map, transferring Perry's beautiful monochrome etchings onto fine bone china and organic cotton kitchen/dining textiles.

In our competition, one lucky winner will take home the whole range, which retails at £507. It includes:

🍽️ Four plates (one of each design in the range), all featuring a gold gilded edge

🍽️ Four napkins

🍽️ A mug with a gold gilded rim

🍽️ A 250cm-long table runner

🍽️ A cook's apron

🍽️ A tea towel.

To be in with a chance of winning, simply fill in the short form below by 11.59pm on Monday 1 June. The winner will be chosen at random and contacted by email within five working days of the competition closing. They will have five working days to respond, after which point an alternative winner will be chosen.

Don't fancy leaving it up to fate? Pre-order the entire range online now, or discover it at the National Portrait Gallery's IRL shop from June.

And be sure to keep tabs on the shop website — the Grayson Perry range is just the latest in a series of exclusive artist collabs with the likes of Tracey Emin, Luke Edward Hall and Bella Freud. Watch this space...

Free things to do in London this week.

Meet the animals at the Vauxhall May Fair. Image: VauxhallCityFarm via CC BY-SA 4.0

Get swept away by these snaps of London's waterways

This week is your last chance to view Water in London, a free exhibition of photos of London's waterways, ponds, fountains, reservoirs, nature reserves and lakes. The images were taken by members of the Royal Photographic Society between July and October 2025, and can be viewed for free on the railings outside Southwark Cathedral.

Until 17 May.

See what's on for free at Dulwich Festival

A celebration of local history and culture, Dulwich Festival continues throughout this week, and some (though not all) events on the programme are free. Take your family pond dipping on Thursday, get stuck into the Love West Dulwich Spring Fair on Saturday, and follow that up with the Goose Green Fair on Sunday.

Until 17 May.

Introduce your kids to the art of stage design

Image: National Theatre

It takes all sorts of stars to make London's Theatreland a magical place — take stage designers. Head to the Wolfson Gallery at the National Theatre at the moment, and you'll find a free exhibition on the Theatre's inaugural An Introduction to Stage Design course, in which a group of young people engaged in a series of workshops led by professional theatre designers. As well as checking out the resulting scale models, costume drawings and collages relating to Nigel Williams' stage adaptation of Lord of the Flies, visitors can experiment with wooden blocks, to imagine their own stage worlds. Who knows, this could be the moment your child falls in love with the theatre...

Until 6 June.

Check out schoolkids' Fourth Plinth designs

Balloon Face by Edith, Godwin Junior School, Newham. Image: Mayor of London

The latest Fourth Plinth design isn't unveiled in Trafalgar Square until September, but in the meantime you can scratch that plinth itch at City Hall, where winning designs from primary school children from across London are on display, including Balloon Face by Edith from Godwin Junior School, Newham; Everything by Anh and Gabriel from Pickhurst Academy, Bromley; and Sabertooth Tiger by Hector from Sutton Grammar School. City Hall is open to the public on weekdays — just remember it's now located in the Royal Docks.

Until mid-June.

Wellness Week

Throughout this week, the High Street Kensington area holds a Wellness Week. While some of the events are spenny, do browse the programme for free things to do, including free bike check-ups, complimentary massages, and free boxing and PT sessions at various businesses around the area.

11-17 May.

Image: High Street Kensington

Delve into immigration and social justice in nursing

On Tuesday evening, the Royal College of Nursing offers a free online talk chaired by Nola Ishmael OBE, a Barbadian nurse who became the first Black director of nursing in London. She leads a panel of experts in a discussion about immigration and social justice in nursing.

12 May.

Hear from a music industry legend

Music PR legend Alan Edwards has worked with the likes of David Bowie, Blondie, the Spice Girls, Prince and Bob Marley — and you can hear all about it at Portland Hall in Marylebone on Tuesday evening.

Edwards takes part in a Q&A session and signs copies of his autobiography, I Was There, to honour his career, along with live music performances and DJs, drinks — and a display of archive pieces from throughout his action-packed career.

12 May.

Catch the first Songs on the Steps of 2026

Summer's coming, which means lots of London's culture is heading outdoors — including Opera Holland Park, the music venue which pops up in, well, Holland Park each summer. While tickets to the main shows can be pricey, everyone's welcome at the free Songs on the Steps performances which take place in the park on alternate Fridays between May and July, starting this week.

Artists from the Opera Holland Park company give a free 40-minute lunchtime performance. Take a blanket, pack a picnic, swing by on your lunch break or take the dog out for a cultural stroll.

15 May.

See new work by award-winning artist Helena Samarasinghe

Freestyle Wrestlers by Helena Samarasinghe, Camberwell College of Arts, UAL, Degree Show 2024

Camberwell Space at Camberwell College of Arts unveils an exhibition of new work by Helena Samarasinghe, winner of the Vanguard Prize 2024. Reaching, Touching, Shedding features drawings and cut-outs exploring sport, power, integrity and belonging.

Wall-based works and free-standing drawings are arranged throughout the gallery, creating a field in which bodies meet and collide, exploring the feeling of grassroots sports.

15 May-17 July.

Chug on down to the Cheam Charter Fair

Head down to the London-Surrey border for the Cheam Charter Fair, an event thought to date back to 1259. These days, the free-entry event kicks off with a procession at 9am, followed by a market of stalls from local businesses and community groups, as well as characters in costume and other entertainment.

16 May.

Meet the animals at this farm spring fair

Image: Vauxhall City Farm

The bad news: Lambeth Country Show isn't happening this year. The good news: You can experience a tiny slice of it at the free-entry Vauxhall May Fair this weekend.

It takes place across Vauxhall City Farm/Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, with maypole dancing, sheep shearing, live music and performers, a chance to meet some of the farm's smaller animals — and loads more entertainment for all ages.

16-17 May.

Strut your stuff at the Grand Flaneur Walk

'A celebration of the pure, the immutable and the pointless, taken by the bold, the adventurous and the inebriated' is how organisers describe the Grand Flaneur Walk, a stroll without purpose, with participants wearing their finest dandy, flaneur or fop outfits — think top hats, handlebar moustaches, pocket squares, pocket watches, the works!

It's free to take part — or watch — and the event begins at Courtyard Wine Cellars in Covent Garden at 12pm.

17 May.

And now for some £1 oysters...

Image: Galvin Bistrot & Bar

Fancy some seafood snacks without pushing the boat out? Galvin Bistrot & Bar in Spitalfields has just launched its Oyster Hour (Monday to Thursday, 3pm-6pm; Friday-Saturday, 2.30pm-7pm) where a bivalve will set you back just a quid a pop — plus you can knock back one or two mini martinis (gin or vodka) for a fiver a go.

The museum will open in Mayfair in 2027. Image: Matt Brown/Ewan Munro via creative commons

It was the address where the Beatles played their last ever live public performance* in 1969; now 3 Savile Row is set to become a seven-storey museum dedicated to the Fab Four.

Titled simply The Beatles, the new visitor attraction — set to open in 2027, according the Guardian — will be based in the Georgian townhouse in Mayfair which the group established as the HQ of their record label Apple Corps. It is Apple Corps which has now re-acquired the building, and it will display archive material throughout.

3 Savile Row features prominently in Peter Jackson's 2021 documentary The Beatles: Get Back, in which the band is filmed cobbling together what would be their final album, Let It Be — and perhaps the runaway success of this film prompted the decision to turn it into a museum. One of the major attractions will be a facsimile recording studio, as well as  the chance to go on the rooftop (cue a rush on cherry red macintoshes, as influencers imitate Ringo, who sported his wife's waterproof).

Beatles lore is etched deep in the fabric of London (along with Liverpool and Hamburg),  a place where the group lived, played and recorded (indeed Paul McCartney still has the St John's Wood house that he bought in 1965). The usually off-limits Abbey Road Studios let a select group of Beatles fans in for tours in 2024, though tickets were steep. It's only right that London has a permanent Beatles museum, and there's literally no better place to put it.

Following last week's news that visitors will soon be able to ascend the BT Tower again, are we witnessing a return to the heady heights of swinging sixties London?

*Semi public anyway; people could hear but not see it.

Japanese illustrator Shio creates fuzzy-edged, feel-good illustrations of London, showing the capital in a soft and friendly light. It's not how every artist might choose to depict the capital. But as Shio explains, London's been good to her from the moment she arrived.

British Museum.

I moved to London from Tokyo in May 2023. I had never visited London before and didn't have any friends or connections here, but I've been able to build a life thanks to the endless inspiration and creative communities in the city.

When I got here, I wanted to try something new, so I gave myself time to explore opportunities in illustration. (Before that, I worked as an illustrator on the side while working in the architecture and real estate industry.) I made an effort to meet as many people as possible to learn how to navigate life in London.

Tate Modern.

I was surprised by how open and supportive the creative communities here are, especially since it was a bit difficult to find similar communities in Tokyo. People are constantly coming and going in London, but everyone was incredibly kind and welcoming, even though I had just arrived. Through these communities, I've had the chance to work on several projects, and they are definitely my favourite thing about London.

Since I studied architecture and urban planning, I often draw inspiration from unique buildings and cityscapes. Whenever I come across a beautiful street or an interesting space, I feel inspired to sketch it as a way of keeping a record.

Tottenham Court Road.

Visiting museums and galleries is also a major source of inspiration for me, especially since there are so many in London. (Free admission to museums is another of my favourite things about the city.) There are also many fascinating seasonal exhibitions featuring artists from all over the world. I really like my series of people in museums in London. I personally love visiting museums and observing both the spaces and the people, which is why this series is my favourite. The architecture of these museums is beautiful, and because admission is free, people often use them almost like public spaces, which was quite surprising to me. Some kids sit on the floor and draw, and there are even sketching groups that gather in museums. I really envy kids who get to grow up in this kind of environment, surrounded by amazing art.

National History Museum.

I often draw in my sketchbook while waiting for a train or sitting in the park. When I come across a scene I want to draw while walking around the city, I take photos for reference and draw them later. Sometimes, I also draw from memory.

There are many people in London who enjoy spending time outdoors. Maybe it's because people want to make the most of the nice weather, but there aren't as many pleasant outdoor spaces in Tokyo. I really like how London has both busy urban areas and quiet natural spaces. This is another one of my favourite things about London.

British Museum.

I drew a family who was sitting next to me at e5 Bakehouse in Hackney. I posted the illustration on Threads, and one of the family members found it and reached out to me! Social media can be tricky, but this wouldn't have happened without it, so I really appreciate it.

I've also had people comment on my work saying it reminds them of themselves, which makes me really happy. I'm glad that people can relate to my illustrations.

Check out more of Shio's work, covering London, Tokyo and elsewhere on her website. And follow @shiodrawing on Instagram..

All images © shiodrawing

Your weekly roundup of Londonist news and features.

BT Tower: Rooftop Pool And Viewing Platform Promised For Hotel Revamp

Public consultations also announced.

Image: Sam LEGEND

Outdoor Culture And Activities In London This Summer

Make the most of the sun with al fresco cinema, theatre and art.

Image: Rooftop Cinema Club

Over 100 Private London Gardens Are Opening To The Public

London Open Gardens returns in June.

Embankment Place: Campaigners Demand Grade II* Listing For Charing Cross Building

Is PoMo architecture facing a reckoning?

Image: Londonist

All Aboard For Free Heritage Bus Rides This June

213 and 293 routes go retro.

Image © David Bowker

Walk In Sir David Attenborough's Footsteps, In London

As the legend turns 100, we reflect on his life here in London.

Image: Trustees of the Natural History Museum

Vauxhall May Fair: A Wholesome Weekend Of Petting Zoos And Gardening Workshops

It's mostly free, too.

Independence Day 2026 Events: Where To Celebrate 4 July In London

Celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Image: Dominique BOULAY

"Moving Fish Has To Be Done Quickly": What It's Like Working At The Sea Life London Aquarium

Beware the squirting archerfish...

Image: Sea Life London

What's London's Oldest Statue?

Our graphic sets out the contenders.

Photo: Matt Brown

Sponsored Tube Maps Were A Thing In 1933

First Harry Beck edition was plastered with brands.

Things To Do In London In Half Term: May 2026

Family-friendly school holiday activities for all budgets.

Photo: Hugo Glendinning

The 2051 Festival of London

A dip into our future.

Looking Ahead: Things To Do In London This Week: 11-17 May 2026

Our team's pick of events for every day of the week.

Image: Kensington Wellness Week

The Elizabeth Tower takes centre stage at The Library

London's looking bloomin' gorgeous right now. The leaves are back on the trees, the flowers are in fine fettle and the Chelsea Flower Show is right around the corner. Celebrate the season with these floral-inspired afternoon teas in the capital this spring — including one with magnificent river views, and another served at a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Fancies & Foliage Afternoon Tea at The Athenaeum

Mayfair hotel The Atheneum is know for its exterior living wall, and now it's bringing the greenery inside too, with a Fancies & Foliage Afternoon Tea in its restaurant, 116 at The Atheneum.

Smoked salmon, and coronation chicken are among the finger sandwiches on offer, followed by plain and fruit scones, served with jam and clotted cream. The centrepiece is the selection of cakes designed by resident pastry chef Sergei and inspired by delicate fondant fancies — one of our all-time favourite cakes — in flavours including honey cake, lemon with raspberry, citrus, sticky toffee with miso caramel, and chocolate.

Fancies & Foliage Afternoon Tea, £60 per person. Available now.

Spring In Bloom Afternoon Tea at The Library

The Chelsea Flower Show is the inspiration for the new Spring In Bloom menu being served at The Library, the Marriott County Hall restaurant offering magnificent river views towards the Houses of Parliament.

The Elizabeth Tower — aka Big Ben — takes centre stage, both out of the window, and in the form of a rose and white chocolate-flavoured centrepiece to the afternoon tea. Other British flavours, including rhubarb and custard, and lemon elderflower cheesecake, run throughout the sweet section of the menu, each given a photogenic floral design, and served alongside finger sandwiches and warm scones.

The Library itself is dressed in seasonal florals inspired by an English rose garden, a theme that's paired with a glass of Louis Pommery Rosé, and the hotel’s exclusive County Hall English Blend Rose tea, served alongside the food.

Spring in Bloom Afternoon Tea, £85 per person. Available until 31 May 2026.

Hidden Garden Afternoon Tea at Templeton Garden

An English strawberry and chocolate choux bun, and a foraged elderflower and lemon macaron are among the sweet treats at the Hidden Garden Afternoon Tea at Earl's Court hotel Templeton Garden, where much of the menu is created using ingredients from the on-site garden. A raspberry and pistachio dome, carrot cake and a fig roll complete the dessert line-up.

Choose to dine in either Pippin's restaurant, its (hopefully) sun-drenched terrace, or in the hotel's Lobby Space — and tuck into freshly baked scones with berry jam and Cornish clotted cream, and a selection of classic finger sandwiches including glazed gammon with English mustard, and Devon smoked salmon and lemon on beetroot bread.

Hidden Garden Afternoon Tea, from £55 per adult/£25 per child. Available from 15 May 2026.

Abbey In Bloom Afternoon Tea at Westminster Abbey

Fancy taking afternoon tea in a UNESCO World Heritage Site? The Cellarium Cafe & Terrace — located where Benedictine monks stored victuals within Westminster Abbey — serves the Abbey In Bloom afternoon tea menu throughout the summer, making use of seasonal flavours and British ingredients.

The tempting savoury selection includes a cucumber, feta and tomato tapenade; a hot-smoked trout, creamed horseradish and baby watercress puff pastry vol-au-vent; and a pea and red onion tart with lemon ricotta and pea shoots. Leave room for scones with clotted cream and Tiptree jam, as well as treats including a passion fruit and chocolate tart, and a lemon drizzle cake with lemon curd and lemon balm.

Abbey In Bloom Afternoon Tea, from £38 per person. Available throughout the summer.

Chelsea Flower Show Afternoon Tea at 100 Queen's Gate Hotel

The aptly-named Botanica restaurant within Kensington's 100 Queen's Gate Hotel is the setting for a limited-time Chelsea Flower Show menu, inspired by Olivia Laing's bestselling memoir, The Garden Against Time, about a Suffolk walled garden which she and her husband restored.

Both the savoury and sweet sections of the menu have botanical inspiration, including the Rose of the World: an elegant rose-shaped tart with salmon, crème fraîche and dill; the All Blossoms, a lavender-infused cheesecake with a delicate floral aroma; and the Dark Eden: a chocolate creation reflecting the richness of the earth.

Chelsea Flower Show Afternoon Tea, from £45 per person. Available 18-24 May 2026.

Chelsea Flower Show Afternoon Tea with Jo Malone at The Stafford London

Another Chelsea Flower Show special, available for just two days, is The Stafford's afternoon tea menu in collaboration with fragrance company Jo Malone London.

While a fragrance-inspired food menu has the potential to be... confusing for the senses, we're quite tempted by some of the offerings, which include a strawberry and orange blossom petit gâteau; an apricot and lavender mousse cake; and a rose, raspberry and pistachio choux. Of course, the fact the menu was concocted by the Michelin-starred expertise of the Michael Caines team helps.

The experience includes a complimentary Jo Malone London gift, as well as a hand and arm massage.

Chelsea Flower Show Afternoon Tea, £78 per person. Available 21-22 May 2026.

The Enchanted Treehouse Tea at Richmond Hill Hotel

There's no ladder required to step into the magical world of the Richmond Hill Hotel's Enchanted Treehouse Tea — just a willingness to munch your way through bites including egg mayo and smoked salmon sandwiches; fluffy scones; and patisserie such as a nutty fig frangipane with mascarpone cream, a rosemary and rhubarb crème brûlée, and a zingy lemon meringue tart.

The beauty here is in the design: it's presented like an edible garden, with elements designed to resemble butterflies, flowers, toadstools and honeycomb — all overlooked by that all-important treehouse.

The Enchanted Treehouse Afternoon Tea, £46 per person. Available now.

The Tales of Beatrix Potter Afternoon Tea at JW Marriott Grosvenor House London

Photo: Claude Okamoto

Renowned botanical artist/creator of beloved garden creatures Beatrix Potter is celebrated in a new afternoon tea in the Park Room restaurant in Mayfair, marking 160 years since her birth.

The charming menu takes inspiration from her characters, and the English countryside as a whole, and includes Tom Kitten's Tangle (a white chocolate ball of yarn with elderflower mousse and wild strawberry compote); Squirrel Nutkin's Harvest (a parsnip‑spiced cake with mascarpone cream and lemon curd, finished with a chocolate stalk); and Mr. McGregor's Garden (an Earl Grey chocolate mousse with raspberry preserve, hidden beneath chocolate soil).

The Tales of Beatrix Potter Afternoon Tea, from £75 per adult/£38 per child. Available from 1 May 2026.

Independence Day 2026 is also the 250th anniversary of the United States. Image: Justin Cron

Whether you're an American expat or just fancy tucking into some fried chicken and a milkshake (to apply a cliche), there's plenty going down for Independence Day 2026 in London. Read on to plan your 4 July celebrations — and it's a special one this year, marking the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence.

America and London at Guildhall Art Gallery

A selection of items exploring the historic connections between America and London are on display in Guildhall Library's free exhibition. It's curated by the London Archives, and includes a silk bookmark commemorating the 1865 assassination of Abraham Lincoln, and two letters dated before the Declaration of Independence in 1775, sent to the City of London, and acknowledging links between the City and America.

Heritage Gallery Exhibition: America and London, free, 2 May-29 October 2026.

Brandon's Barn Dance

Celebrate the USA's milestone birthday with a big 'ole slice of Americana, served up by Ozarks-hailing host, Brandon Burke. His family-friendly 4th of July Party offers beginner-friendly (and advanced!) line dancing lessons, plus the chance to freestyle it on the open dance floor to the tunes of live country bands. If you need a break from all that boot stomping, there are American-led stand-up sets and country karaoke, plus corn dogs, punch and sweet tea to fuel you (boozier options are also available).

Brandon’s Barn Dance takes place weekly, and there’s a special Independence Day edition on 4 July. (sponsor)

Country on the Common music festival

Get all dressed up for Country on the Common. Image: Dominique BOULAY

Dig out your rhinestone-studded jeans, cowboy boots and stetson, and make for Tooting Common over Independence Day weekend for Country on the Common 2026. The music festival is described as an "all-out country, roots & blues celebration", with performances from American-born blues musician Seasick Steve, rising US country artist Cody Pennington, and tribute acts to Johnny Cash, Chris Stapleton, Taylor Swift and Shania Twain (yes, we know she's Canadian...).

Other entertainment includes rodeo bull-riding and axe throwing, plus barbecue food washed down with craft beer and whiskey.

Country on the Common, 4-5 July 2026.

Independence Day 2026 events in London

Learn about the science behind Independence Day fireworks displays. Image: Tim Corradino via CC BY 2.0

GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK: South-east London based music organisation SongEasel performs a Great American Songbook-inspired concert at St Laurence Church in Catford. Expect classics such as Cole Porter and George Gershwin paired with songs by African-American composers, alongside Andre Previn's Honey & Rue, with words by Pulitzer Prize winner and Nobel laureate Toni Morrison. 4 July

SCIENCE OF FIREWORKS: The Royal Institutions delves into the science of the whizzbangs associated with the fourth of July, in a family-friendly show by American science communicator Kate the Chemist. Find out how the colours and sounds are made... and why you don't see blue fireworks. 4 July

AMERICAN CHORAL MUSIC: Enjoy a joyful celebration of American choral music performed by the Petros Singers at St Peter's Church in Hammersmith. The programme spans 20th century and contemporary composers to lively Broadway and jazz tunes. 4 July

Visit Benjamin Franklin House

Visit the former home of a Founding Father for Independence Day. Image: willnoble13

One of the Founding Fathers of the United States, Benjamin Franklin lived in London between 1757 and 1775, at 36 Craven Street near Charing Cross. While there, he worked as a colonial diplomat, making the building the first de facto US Embassy, and these days his former five-storey townhouse home is open to the public as a museum.

Benjamin Franklin House offers private and self-guided tours on different days of the week, as well as an historic experience, telling the story of his time living in London in his own words. The venue hosts occasional special events, and usually marks Independence Day, so we'd very much expect to see something happening for the 250th anniversary — keep an eye on the website for details.

Get a taste of the Hollywood Golden Era through Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe, Photoplay 1953. Image: Studio publicity still via Public domain

Opening a month before Independence Day and running throughout the summer, the National Portrait Gallery's Marilyn Monroe exhibition celebrates the film star/icon of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Learn about her life, career and legacy through a display of portraits, created by the likes of Andy Warhol, Cecil Beaton and Marlene Dumas.

Want even more Marilyn? Relive her 1956 jaunt to London with her husband Arthur Miller, including the spots where she stayed and shopped.

Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait at the National Portrait Gallery, 4 June-6 September 2026.

Catch an American inspired theatre show

Oh, Mary! offers a VERY alternative look at the life of Mary Todd Lincoln.

Lin-Manuel Miranda's smash-hit musical, Hamilton is the first thing that springs to mind when we think of American-inspired stage shows. Telling the story of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, it continues its run at the Victoria Palace Theatre throughout summer 2026 (currently booking until March 2027), but tickets for 3 July-5 September sold out months ago due to Lesley Odom Jr returning to his role as Aaron Burr for this period. Tickets either side of these dates are still available.

Alternatively, get your American theatre fix with Oh, Mary!, a Broadway transfer musical about Mary Todd Lincoln, wife of former US President Abraham Lincoln, in the lead up to his assassination in 1865. It posits her as a frustrated alcoholic with a secret passion to become a cabaret star, and looks at what could have been. Read our full review (Catherine Tate has since assumed lead role duties).

Dine at one of London's best American restaurants and bars

Leake Street entrance to Passyunk Avenue. Image: Matt From London

American cuisine spans a gamut of dishes and cooking styles — here are some of our favourites to be found around London:

Passyunk Avenue

A Philly-inspired dive bar/restaurant with branches in Waterloo, Fitzrovia, Battersea and Kensington, where the drinks are strong, the cheesesteaks take centre stage, and there's always at least one North American sports match on the TV. Dine among sporting memorabilia (flags, shirts, equipment used for goodness-knows-what) while you catch up on the baseball/American football/ice hockey over classic American dishes including cheesesteak hoagies, hot dogs and wings, washed down with a mix of local and American beers, cocktails (make ours a pickleback martini) and soda floats.

For our money, it's got to be the Leake Street Waterloo branch, tucked away in the railway arches and described as "a cathedral to Philadelphia", with a second venue packed with batting cages, shuffleboards and darts right next door.

Christopher's Grill, Covent Garden

At the opposite end of the American dining spectrum is Christopher's Grill, an upscale, all-day dining restaurant which aims to reimagine classic American dishes: think chipotle chicken breast, lobster mac 'n' cheese, and stacks of fluffy buttermilk pancakes. The venue has a dedicated martini bar, offering classic, signature and decadent takes on the drink, plus bar snacks including popcorn shrimp and tuna tacos.

The Blues Kitchen, Camden, Brixton and Shoreditch

Get a taste of the USA Deep South at Blues Kitchen, where bourbon and BBQ take centre stage, and the menu promises "American grill classics and portions you'll need to dance off". The latter is easily done with a regular programme of live music: predominantly blues, sliced through with funk and soul.

Lil' Nashville, Chiswick

Get involved in the Honky Tonk scene at restaurant and bar Lil' Nashville, where you'll discover live country music and line dancing almost every day of the week, while the kitchen slings Southern-style home-cooked food: smoked chicken wings, loaded tater tots and a Nashville hot chicken burger were on the menu on our last visit.

Big Moe's Diner, Wembley and Ilford

London's lost several of its retro American diners in recent years, but thankfully Big Moe's — with its red leather booths, neon signs and Route 66 decor — lives on. It whips up towering burgers, saucy wings, steaks and all manner of sides — along side classic waffles, drizzled sundaes and deliciously OTT milkshakes.

The Mayflower is steeped in American history. Image: Matt From London

Hummingbird Bakery, various locations

For sweet-toothed Londoners looking for a taste of America, the Hummingbird Bakery serves up the goods in the form of large, frosting-topped cupcakes, US-style pies (the Key lime is magnificent) and cheesecakes, plus whoopie pies and cookies.

The Mayflower, Rotherhithe

Though the menu and surroundings are pure London, Rotherhithe pub The Mayflower is entrenched in American lore. It's from around here in 1620 that the legendary Mayflower ship set sail, stopping at Plymouth before heading onto Cape Cod, carrying the group known as the Pilgrims to the New World. Its captain, Christopher Jones, is buried at nearby St Mary's Church, where you'll find a memorial plaque and statue. Something to ponder while you tuck into your fish and chips and pint of London Pride.

America in London

Keen to know more about the links between the USA and London? Have a delve into our star-spangled archive:

🇺🇸 The 50 States Of The USA... In London

🇺🇸 Bits Of London That Are Now In The USA

🇺🇸 Tips For Americans In London - From An American In London

🇺🇸 Did You Know The USA Has A Thames Too?

🇺🇸 Places In London That Sound Like They're In The States

🇺🇸 A Special Relationship: The Early History Of London And The US

🇺🇸 American Sitcoms In London

Plans for the BT Tower's revamp include a rooftop pool. Image: Sam LEGEND

It's been a while since we heard that the BT Tower is going to become a luxury hotel, but further details on the project have now emerged, ahead of public consultations next week.

MCR Hotels — the company which owns around 150 hotels worldwide, including the Eero Saarinen-designed TWA Hotel at JFK Airport in New York City — purchased the lofty London icon in 2024 for £275m, with the aim of turning it into a "hotel‑led, mixed‑use development".

Though we can assume rooms at the Orms Architects-designed hotel will not be thrifty, MCR has now hinted at a handful of things the public will benefit from, chief among them, access to the top of the tower (a privilege currently only afforded to a few occasional ballot winners) and a rooftop swimming pool (we THINK this will be public too). In its early days, the tower had a 120-seat revolving restaurant, plus viewing galleries, but both have been shut for decades.

MCR Hotels has a track record of turning iconic buildings, like the old TWA terminal at JFK Airport, into hotels. Image: Max Harlynking

Other boons for the project, says MCR, will be "a new publicly accessible square", "exciting new retail shops and restaurants" and "public realm improvements, making the surrounding streets greener, safer, and more pedestrian-friendly."

While most admirers of the BT Tower will surely be pleased to see it preserved, many will be waiting with bated breath to see how much it'll cost them to go up it.

Three initial public consultations will be held at the Jeremy Bentham Room, University College London, 23-25 Gower Street on:

Monday, 11 May
5.30pm-7.30pm

Tuesday 12 May
5.30pm-7.30pm

Saturday 16 May
11.30am-1.30pm

A virtual feedback form will also be available on the consultation site from 5.30pm on 11 May.

As yet, no estimated opening date has been announced for the hotel.

Can't wait till June? Check out our article on where else to ride vintage buses in London.

Travel back to an era when buses looked like this. Image © David Bowker

All aboard for free vintage bus rides this June!

London Bus Museum's semi-regular heritage day returns on Saturday 13 June 2026, when buses dating from the 1930s-90s (though mostly from the 1950s-60s) ply the 213 route between Kingston and Sutton, with more heritage buses on the 293 route picking up the baton between North Cheam and Epsom.

Simply show up at a bus stop along the routes on the timetable below between 10am-5pm, and soon enough an RT-Type, original Routemaster — or perhaps another bus straight out of yesteryear — will scoop you up. Some services will even have a conductor on board, handing out facsimile tickets. (Just be aware that if you board a modern TfL service on the route that day, you'll need to tap in and pay a fare.)

The 213 route has been running between Kingston and Sutton since 1921 – well over a century — although even way back then, you had to pay something to ride, so this is an opportunity not to be passed up.

Note that because of the buses' vintage, they're unfortunately unable to accommodate wheelchairs and most modern buggies.

London Bus Museum Route 213 and 293 Heritage Day, Saturday 13 June 2026, 10am-5pm, free

Image: Matt Brown

Trains across southern England — including those running in and out of London — are being affected by a major radio fault this morning.

National Rail has declared a major incident, with services expected to be disrupted until the end of today (Thursday 7 May), saying that:

A fault with the radio system between the driver and the signaller is affecting services on the South England network. Some services may be delayed by up to 90 minutes or cancelled as a result.

The issue is causing delays and cancellations to trains into and out of London stations including Victoria, with National Rail saying CrossCountry, Gatwick Express, Great Western Railway, Southern, South Western Railway and Thameslink, as well as London Overground, are affected.

At present, TfL is operating a 'Good Service' on London Overground lines, with no reports of any delays there — though this could change throughout the day.

• Southern said: "This is affecting services along our whole network, in particular services to/from London Victoria, and along our West Coastway route (between Brighton and Portsmouth/Southampton)."
• Thameslink is warning of disruption "on Thameslink services running to/from Brighton, Horsham, and Three Bridges."
• Southwestern Railway says that "Train services running across the whole South Western Railway network may be cancelled, delayed by up to 90 minutes or revised."
• Gatwick Express services "continue to be significantly affected by this issue".

Gatwick Express is among the services affected. Image: John Lucas via CC BY-SA 2.0

In many cases, tickets are being accepted on local buses or alternative routes, though of course this isn't always viable for long-distance routes. Check with individual train operators for details, as well as info on Delay Repay schemes.

Advice is to avoid travelling today if you can... though that doesn't help the hundreds of thousands of commuters already in London who must find a way home. If you must travel, leave plenty of extra time for your journey, and be prepared for lengthy delays and last-minute cancellations.

Other operators running into and out of London, including Southeastern and LNER aren't currently affected — though it's always worth checking before you travel.

Fassett Square in east London (open Sunday) is the inspiration behind Albert Square in EastEnders, and one of over 100 gardens open over Open Gardens London weekend. Image: Colin Wing via creative commons

The al fresco version of Open House takes place early in June.

120+ green spaces that are typically off-limits to the hoi polloi swing open their gates for London Open Gardens. Now in its 27th year, the event takes place on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 June 2026.

Swish squares that usually lie under lock and key; community allotments bristling with veg; rooftops with spectacular views you didn't know existed... this is a chance to to go poking about the perennials of places where you'd usually be chased away with a pitchfork.

The Charterhouse Courtyard Gardens are open on the Sunday. Image: Candy Blackham

How does it all work? These days it's no longer a free event. A £26 (+booking) ticket (£11 for under 18s; under 12s go free) gives you access to the entire roster of gardens over the weekend (minus a special few, which require a ballot/booking). It's like a horticultural Glastonbury, where you'll find yourself hopping from one colourful act to the next, cramming in as many gardens as is humanly possible.

Tea, cakes and various other refreshments are available at many of the gardens — along with the chance for a nice sit down. Some gardens also offer live music and the opportunity to buy produce.

You can create a shortlist of gardens to visit using the Garden Selector, which allows you to filter by day, area of London, and type of garden.

Battersea Roof Gardens: not a bad view that. © Aaron Hargreaves Foster + Partners

We've plucked out a handful of 2026 gardens for starters:

🪴 The rooftop view: One of London's largest residential rooftop gardens, Battersea Roof Gardens boast sculptural floral borders, and what must be one the best views of those four iconic chimneys you're ever likely to get. This one's balloted, and you'll need to have purchased a ticket to enter. (Sat and Sun)

🪴 The swish square: This event was previously called Open Garden Squares, and a number of London's gated quads — including Portman Square in Marylebone, Fassett Square (inspiration for EastEnders' Albert Square) and Kensington Square — are on the line-up. One of the few squares open both days this year is the characterful Earls Court Square. Residents who've had a key include Royal Ballet founder Dame Ninette de Valois, and actor Sir John Gielgud. You can bring a picnic. (Sat and Sun)

🪴 The garden that'll inspire you to grow more fruit & veg: A number of allotments feature — and one is Quill Street Allotments in N4. Rhubarb, figs, chard, chives, beans, cabbage, rocket and gooseberries are among the crops sprouting here. Get growing tips from the gardeners, and buy organic produce to take home. (Sat only)

30 Cannon Street (open Saturday) is another rooftop garden with a world class view.

🪴 The garden loaded with history: The Charterhouse's Courtyard Gardens are an unexpected delight perched on the edge of the City of London: think walled Tudor gardens speckled with veteran mulberry trees, and rewilded spaces of native hedges and wildflower meadows. You can also visit the on-site museum, to learn about the building's past, which began as a 14th-century monastery. The brutalist backdrop of the Barbican's towers makes for quite the contrast. (Sun only)

🪴 The garden with live music: A number of gardens welcome musicians over the weekend — Iliffe Yard at Elephant and Castle has local musicians playing both days; for an area that's now been dramatically transformed multiple times over, it'll be quite novel to hang out in a cobbled courtyard brimming with vines and planters, and while listening to some tunes al fresco. (Sat and Sun)

🪴 The riverside garden: Any time you walk from Chiswick to Hammersmith along Chiswick Mall, you may be tempted to vault the garden walls of Emery Walker's House, but on 7 June, you can enter the premises with more dignity (and legality). Walker — printer and close friend of William Morris — lived here for three decades in the early 1900s and left behind a garden garlanded with history, including a grapevine descended from the one at Hogarth's house, and terracotta tiles from the late 1800s. It also has smashing views of the river. (Sun only)

London Open Gardens, Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 June 2026.

Sir David Attenborough pictured at an awards ceremony in 2018. Image: Danielwilke1 via CC BY-SA 4.0

He's known for reporting from exotic and far-flung corners of the world, but Sir David Attenborough is a Londoner born and bred, calling the city his home since he was born in Isleworth in 1926.

Now, as he approaches his 100th birthday, he lives — as he has done for many years — in Richmond. Interestingly for a Londoner, given the old (untrue) adage that you're never more than six feet from a rat in London, Attenborough admitted in a 2011 episode of BBC Radio 4 series David Attenborough's Life Stories that rats are the only animals he's scared of.

But London's not just the place he calls home. The city has played a significant role in his career, too.

David Attenborough at the BBC

Alexandra Palace is where Attenborough's TV career began. Image: Marathon via CC BY-SA 2.0

The BBC is where it all started, and where Attenborough’s work largely remains (with the occasional recent foray into Netflix and other channels).

He joined the BBC in 1952 as a trainee producer, working out of two small studios in Alexandra Palace. It wasn't long before a twist of fate kickstarted his (unintentional) presenting career.

At London Zoo in 1954, the then little-known producer teamed up with a reptile curator to create a new BBC programme discussing wildlife around the world. The programme was called Zoo Quest, and followed expeditions which retrieved animals from the wild to put into zoos.

For the first episode of Zoo Quest, the curator handled the animals. For the second episode, he fell ill so Attenborough was forced to step out from behind the camera and present. And so began a career spanning seven decades to date.

Zoo Quest ended in 1963, at Attenborough's own request: public opinion about capturing wild animals was changing. You can still see episodes (featuring a very young-looking, and dare we say it, inexperienced, Attenborough) on the BBC archive.

David Attenborough is the reason that white balls are no longer used in tennis. Image: AELTC.

By 1965, Attenborough was controller of BBC2. By this time, BBC Television Centre at White City had opened as headquarters of BBC Television, with the exception of news programmes (which remained at Alexandra Palace until 1969). As controller, Attenborough oversaw the introduction of colour TV to Britain; the first colour signal was transmitted from Alexandra Palace in 1965. (Attenborough was subsequently behind the push to use yellow, rather than white, tennis balls at Wimbledon, though this only happened from 1986.)

Attenborough's career in television is still going strong. In an interview in November 2015, at the age of 89, he said: "I’ll keep on doing this job, even if I have to get there in a wheelchair". While it's (thankfully) not come to that yet, he has slowed down, rarely travelling long-haul these days, and instead voicing documentaries attributed to him.

Attenborough returned to Ally Pally, where his career had started decades before, in 2021, when he attended the awards ceremony for the inaugural Earthshot Prize. The competition celebrating ideas for environmental solutions is headed up by Prince William, but this is far from Attenborough's only brush with royalty, as you'll see below.

David Attenborough at London Zoo

Photo: Matt Brown/Londonist

Zoo Quest wasn't Attenborough’s first involvement with London Zoo. His first natural history programme, made in 1953, was a series called The Patterns of Animals. Creatures from London Zoo were brought into the studio to demonstrate the animal behaviours being discussed.

It was through this programme Attenborough met Jack Lester, the reptile curator who later fell ill during filming of Zoo Quest, forcing Attenborough into the presenting arena.

In 1998, Attenborough was named as an Honorary Fellow of the Zoological Society of London, the charity which runs London Zoo, and in 2004 he officially opened the zoo's new Komodo Dragons exhibit, which now bears his name. In 2020, during lockdown, Attenborough fronted an appeal to keep the charity going when it was facing financial troubles.

It's apt that in 2026, while Attenborough is celebrating his centenary, the ZSL charity is marking its own bicentenary. Find out more about the many links between the two.

David Attenborough at the Natural History Museum

Image: Trustees of the Natural History Museum

For someone so closely associated with the natural world, it's no surprise that Attenborough has strong links with the Natural History Museum.

In 1981, he presented The Ark At South Kensington, a BBC programme celebrating the museum's 100th anniversary by going behind the scenes.

Visitors to the Natural History Museum today can visit the Attenborough Studio within the Darwin Centre, where film screenings and live events take place daily. Back in 2015, the museum ran a Great Barrier Reef virtual reality experience tying in with Attenborough's television series of the same name. Currently (until August 2026), it offers Our Story With David Attenborough, an immersive 360° experience, pairing projections of the natural world with Attenborough's narration to tell the story of the history of humankind on Planet Earth. If you want more of Attenborough's iconic voice, the NHM website offers a tour of the museum narrated by him.

While you're there, wander through to the Fossil Marine Reptiles Gallery (near the main gift shop). Look up outside the entrance to the restaurant to see Attenborosaurus, the skeleton of an extinct marine reptile, named after Sir David Attenborough.

David Attenborough at the Royal Institution

In 1973, Attenborough stepped up to the podium at the Royal Institution to present that year's Christmas Lectures for young people — though he considered pulling out at the last minute due to the difficulties of working with animals, as he revealed in the above video, filmed decades later.

His topic was the language of animals. Videos of the lectures are available to watch on the Royal Institution website (Lecture one | two | three | five | six — number four is missing with no known copy), and although the picture quality isn't always perfect, that smooth voice is instantly recognisable.

David Attenborough at Buckingham Palace

Attenborough took a stroll with the late Queen in 2018. Image: willnoble13

David Attenborough has received two knighthoods, in 1985 and 2022, but both ceremonies took place at Windsor Castle. He's not unfamiliar with Buckingham Palace though: 2018 film The Queen's Green Planet saw him wandering the palace gardens with Queen Elizabeth II, discussing the importance of trees and the need to protect them. It celebrated the Queen's Commonwealth Canopy project, which created a global network of protected forests in each of the 53 Commonwealth countries. The documentary sees the Queen talking about some of her favourite trees in the grounds, including the ones planted to commemorate the births of her children.

David Attenborough and Richmond Park

2026 series Wild London (below) ended with Attenborough in Richmond Park. Image: BBC

Attenborough’s love for wildlife isn’t restricted to the plains of Africa or the depths of the ocean. He's a patron of the Friends of Richmond Park, and is regularly involved in events at the park, such as planting trees in honour of the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2023.

In July 2015, Attenborough officially reopened Poets Corner, an area of the park overlooking Petersham Park, with a bench dedicated to 18th century Scottish poet James Thomson, best known for writing the words to Rule Britannia.

Attenborough has described the park as:

a very special place; a national nature reserve, a site of special scientific interest and home to a wealth of wonderful wildlife from thousands of rare beetles and birds to over 1,100 veteran oak trees, some over 700 years old.

It's the sort of place that inspires young people to get interested in London's fascinating flora and fauna. And who knows — maybe even the place that could inspire the next Sir David.

David Attenborough shows set in London

Image: BBC

Attenborough's work has kept him close to home too. In early 2026, the BBC broadcast Wild London, a documentary delving into the capital's own wildlife, from parakeets to beavers to foxes to falcons. Locations from the Westway to the City, and Greenwich Park appear in brief clips, while foxes on an allotment in Tottenham, fallow deer in Epping, snakes on the Regent's Canal, pigeons on the Tube and peregrine falcons in Westminster all warrant a closer look. The show ends with Attenborough in an autumnal Richmond Park.

The show is available on iPlayer throughout 2026.

David Attenborough murals in London

Sadly this Bethnal Green mural is no more. Photo: Matt Brown/Londonist

A mural depicting the naturalist appeared just off Bethnal Green Road in 2019, the work of artist Jerome Davenport, coinciding with the release of Attenborough series Our Planet on Netflix.

Prior to that, the 'Wall of Heroes' mural alongside West Dulwich station depicted Attenborough alongside other big names in science fields, including DNA pioneer Rosalind Franklin, and fellow conservationist and author (and erstwhile Dulwich local) Gerald Durrell.

Down in Attenborough's own stomping ground in Richmond, the Attenborough's Ark mural graced the wall of a barber's shop on Church Terrace, around the corner from the bus station. At its centre, a young Attenborough cradles a chimp in a recreation of this famous image from Zoo Quest. He's surrounded by creatures from butterflies to rhinos, all the work of urban artist Paul Don Smith.

To the best of our knowledge, both the Wall of Heroes and Attenborough's Ark were still in situ as recently as 2024.

Though not a mural, another London tribute to Attenborough was lost when Foyles relocated its Charing Cross Road/Tottenham Court Road store in 2014. According to London Remembers, a plaque in the basement displayed a quote attributed to Attenborough, words he's said to have spoken during a Foyles Literary Luncheon in 1963:

The most ferocious thing I have ever encountered in any trip abroad is not a snake or even a charging rhinoceros, but the predatory immigration official.

To be fair to immigration officials Zoo Quest — the show which saw animals retrieved from the wild — had only finished earlier that year, so there's a chance that Attenborough and his companions were travelling with all manner of critters up to that point, and so they were likely right to be... wary as they ushered them through customs.  

David Attenborough at Madame Tussauds London

Uncanny. Image: Madame Tussauds

Like anyone who's anyone these days, a wax likeness of David Attenborough can be found in Baker Street wax museum Madame Tussauds. It was unveiled in 2023, created using photos and video footage as reference, but it wasn't Attenborough's first foray into the world of wax: back in 1992, the conservationist unveiled a previous waxwork of himself at the attraction.

Boaty McBoat Face

RRS Sir David Attenborough in Greenwich. Image: The wub via CC BY-SA 4.0

It's fitting that a British icon (Attenborough) and one of the most British things that's ever happened (Boaty McBoat Face) are tied together. In 2016, the British public voted to give a new polar research ship the name Boaty McBoat Face, outvoting other suggestions including Usain Boat and Poppy-Mai. The Natural Environment Research Council, which ran the naming competition, did a massive U-turn (not easy with a 128m-long vessel) and named it the RRS Sir David Attenborough instead. To placate the public, an autonomous underwater vehicle (essentially a 🎵 yellow submarine 🎵 which adds another layer of Britishness to the whole situation) was named Boaty McBoat Face instead.

Anyway, Boaty Dave briefly moored up in Greenwich for three days in October 2021, giving the public a chance to see how it all works before it set off on its inaugural polar mission. The National Maritime Museum allows you to track the vessel's current location, though it's not expected back in London anytime soon.

David Attenborough's Green Planet in London

Photo: Matt Brown/Londonist

2022 documentary series The Green Planet enjoyed a healthy dose of promo here in London, including a large-scale takeover of Piccadilly Circus, featuring a subtitled clip of Attenborough talking about the importance of plants, and a 3D effect of foliage growing out of the famous advertising boards. Beneath the ground, Green Planet Tube roundels were installed at (where else?) Green Park station, and on Regent Street a free Green Planet AR experience was led by a David Attenborough hologram (not to be confused with the Conquest of the Skies VR experience which came to London a few months later, promoting another of his series).

David Attenborough has been to almost every corner of this globe, but it is London — and specifically Richmond — that he deems his "favourite place by a long way".

Kick start May half term at Foodies Festival

May half term 2026 runs Saturday 23-Sunday 31 May 2026 for most London schools (which includes the late May bank holiday on Monday 25 May). We've selected some family-friendly events and things to do in London — however old your kids are, and whatever your budget.

Half term events in London: May 2026

MCM COMIC CON: Dust off your cape — MCM Comic Con is back at Excel London. Guest stars include Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk from TV show Firefly, Dylan Llewllyn (the "wee English fella" from Derry Girls), and Barry Gordon (who voiced Donatello in the original animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). Meet them and other famous faces, along with author talks, costume competitions and more. 22-24 May 2026

THE BIG BAHOOEY: Try juggling, plate spinning or wire walking, dance at a silent disco, or belt out a tune at the singalongs — just some of the entertainment on offer at the family-friendly Big Bahooey festival in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace over the late May bank holiday weekend. Even better, it's included in palace admission. 23-25 May 2026

FOODIES FESTIVAL: Head to Syon Park for Foodies Festival, a three-day celebration of all things edible, with a side of live music and, crucially for families, children's entertainment, including a Kids Cook School led by specialist teachers. Gareth Gates, Boyzlife and Scouting For Girls are among the performers on the main stage over the weekend. 23-25 May 2026

The London Transport Museum celebrates Caribbean culture in May half term. Image: Andy Li via CC0

CARIBBEAN CONNECTIONS: The London Transport Museum in Covent Garden offers a half term programme of family activities exploring Caribbean culture and its connections with London's transport history. Expect storytelling, hands‑on crafts, music, themed trails and simple cookery activities — all included in museum admission. 23-31 May 2026

WORLD RECORD ATTEMPT: This May half term, London Zoo attempts to achieve the Guinness World Record for the most contributions to a painting-by-numbers. The artworks features 200 animals to celebrate the 200th birthday of ZSL, with everyone welcome to take part in completing it, alongside other activities running throughout half term. 23-31 May 2026

HEROES OF THE AIR: Kids can discover what it takes to become an aviation hero at the RAF Museum's Heroes of the Air week. Use Lego bricks to design and build your own aircraft, fly a remote control helicopter, or take part in a paper plane flying contest — and check out the museum's excellent exhibits while you're there. 23-31 May 2026

ZOOTROPOLIS 2: Outdoor cinema season is well underway in London, and while many screenings are for adults only, there is the occasional treat for younger viewers. On the first Sunday of May half term, the Peckham branch of Rooftop Cinema Club holds a family-friendly screening of animated caper Zootropolis 2. 24 May 2026

THEATRE FAMILY DAY: Speaking of outdoor culture, the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre has organised a Family Day, with performances and activities including a family rave, a classical concert designed for younger listeners, and a chance to play some finger sports. 24 May 2026

CANAL BOAT RIDE: The excellent London Canal Museum in King's Cross offers occasional family fun days, which include themed activities for children, and a ride on a canal boat through the St Pancras Lock. Take inspiration from what you see along the ride, and create your own nature crown when you get back to the museum. 26 May 2026

Rooftop Cinema Club holds a family screening of Zootropolis 2

GAME DESIGN: 7-11 year-olds can spend a day learning the basics of game design, using a mix of physical and virtual tools to create characters, 13-bit layouts and playable levels, at ArtsDepot in North Finchley. 26 May 2026

CIRCUS CAMP: Alternatively, if your tribe wants to learn some more active skills, sign them up for the three-day Circus Camp at Jacksons Lane (Archway). 8-14 year-olds can learn how to diabolo, spin plates and balance on a walking globe (not necessarily all at the same time), as well as juggling and acrobatics. 26-28 May 2026

FUTURE SOANE: Sir John Soane's Museum holds a four-hour creative session for 8-12 year‑olds that combines a short tour of the museum with model‑making, construction, collage, drawing and painting, inspired by the surroundings. 27 May 2026

DESIGN AND WORLDBUILDING: The current Wes Anderson exhibition is the inspiration for the Design Museum's Design and Worldbuilding family day. Take part in a series of short creative workshops for 5-11 year-olds and their families. 29 May 2026

CLAYTIME: Coming to Woolwich Works, Claytime is an interactive show combined with a chance to play with clay, for kids aged three to six. Each session is unique, with new worlds, characters and stories created from clay. 29 May 2026

FAMILY SCIENCE DAY: All budding scientists, curious minds and fun-seeking families are invited to the Royal Institution's family fun day, with a theme of Remarkable Reactions. Watch talks and demonstrations in the theatre, and take part in experiments yourself in different rooms throughout the building. 30 May 2026

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Half term at an immersive ancient Egyptian extravaganza

Nearly all kids go through an ancient Egypt phase, and if yours haven’t yet, we're very confident that Cleopatra: The Immersive Experience will trigger one. This top rated exhibition brings history to life in spectacular style. It invites visitors of all ages to discover the secrets of Egypt's last queen through a dazzling mix of real artefacts, interactive displays, a VR experience, a free roaming metaverse and even a hologram show.

Half term's the perfect time for families to visit, thanks to a range of special activities including themed arts and crafts, face painting — all included with the price of admission.

That's on top of all the usual child-friendly (and stealthily educational) fun Cleopatra: The Immersive Experience has to offer — like the chance to soar above the city of Alexandria in an eight-metre-high cinematic projection room. And to enter Cleopatra's royal chamber via the metaverse. And to roam ruins in search of the queen's lost tomb as part of a seated full motion VR experience.

What's more, if you book by Sunday 10 May, you can also enjoy 20% off tickets for half term visits.

This 90-minute+ experience can be found at Immerse LDN, Excel London Waterfront (just a short walk from the eastern end of the IFS Cloud Cable Car line, if you fancy taking the scenic route — it costs £5 to ride if you show your Cleopatra ticket). Get your tickets here.

Family-friendly exhibitions in May half term

A Leedsichthys tail makes an appearance in Jurassic Oceans. Image: Trustees of the NHM London

JURASSIC OCEANS: Get to know the marine reptiles that once ruled the seas — pliosaurs, ichthyosaurs and the mosasaur — through fossils, hands-on objects and interactive displays at the Natural History Museum's new exhibition, Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep. Touch a mosasaur tooth, feel a replica shark's skin and explore bite-sized science. From 22 May 2026

WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY: Older kids and teenagers — especially those who love animals or are handy with a camera — should enjoy Natural History Museum's Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition. It's one of our annual favourites. Until July 2026

FAIRY TALES: Interactive displays, theatrical design, costumes and activities feature in family-friendly exhibition Fairy Tales at the British Library. Familiar characters and magical creatures are brought to life as you learn how fairy tales have been transformed through time. You can step into a couple of tales too, by sitting at the Three Bears' breakfast table, telling the genie your wish and smelling the wicked witch's potions. Until 23 August 2026

Cracking, Gromit. Photo by David Parry for the V&A.

WALLACE & GROMIT: We suspect parents will enjoy this one as much as kids: The Young V&A in Bethnal Green celebrates 50 years of stop-motion studio Aardman with an exhibition dedicated to Wallace & Gromit, plus other Aardman characters. Cracking! Until 15 November 2026

VOYAGE TO THE DEEP: The Horniman Museum's current exhibition, Voyage to the Deep, is inspired by Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas, and invites you to command the Nautilus submarine, meet deep-sea creatures, and test your submariner skills. Until November 2026

THE JOLLY POSTMAN: Take the kids inside the world of Janet and Allan Ahlberg's children's book The Jolly Postman, at the Postal Museum. The interactive exhibition has visitors following his delivery rounds, through the woods to the Three Bears' cottage, to Cinderella at the palace, and the Wicked Witch's gingerbread bungalow. Original artwork from the book is on display too. Until January 2027

Family-friendly London theatre shows: May half term

War Horse trots back into town. Photo: BrinkhoffMoegenburg

SHERLOCK HOLMES: One for teenagers (recommended age 12+) , the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre hosts a production of Sherlock Holmes, a thrilling new adventure featuring Holmes and Watson hurtling through the streets of London and down the River Thames to the heart of Regent's Park. 2 May-6 June 2026

WAR HORSE: The National Theatre's much-lauded (and rightly so) production of Michael Morpurgo's novel War Horse returns home to the Olivier Theatre, telling the story of one boy's attempts to find his beloved horse Joey when they are separated at the outbreak of the First World War. Incredible puppetry is used to depict the equine character. 16 May-30 July 2026

PLANET OMAR: A new stage adaptation of Zanib Mian's Planet Omar comes to the Unicorn Theatre, telling the story of a young boy who faces a whirlwind of challenges when his family moves to a new neighbourhood: a new school, an unfriendly neighbour, and a bully. Age seven+. 21 May-7 June 2026

THE CAT IN THE HAT: It's never too early to introduce little ones to the genius of Dr Seuss, so take them along to Harrow Arts Centre for The Cat In The Hat. Get to know the funniest, most mischievous cat, with the trickiest of tricks and craziest of ideas... and a towering headpiece to boot. Age three+. 23-24 May 2026

Wiggle along to the Great Big Bug Show. Photo: Hugo Glendinning

ANNIE THE MUSICAL: Tomorrow, tomorrow... you can bet your bottom dollar your kids will still be singing songs from Annie The Musical, which makes a week-long stop at the New Wimbledon Theatre on its UK tour, telling the story of a young girl living in Miss Hannigan's orphanage in 1930s New York. 23-30 May 2026

BUG SHOW: Poet Simon Mole and musician Gecko present The Great Big Bug Show, a family show of poems, raps and songs about insects and other small creatures, with live music and audience participation. See it at Stanley Arts in Croydon. 27 May 2026

CINDERELLA ICE CREAM SELLER: For just one day, Paddington's Grand Junction presents Cinderella Ice Cream Seller, a musical retelling of the well-known fairy tale in which Cinderella's is the most popular ice cream parlour in the whole kingdom. Age five+. 27 May 2026

WOLF BOY: Head up to Enfield for an outdoor theatre performance in the grounds of Forty Hall. Wolf Boy is an immersive and interactive adventure that takes place through the grounds, about Wilf who renames himself Wolf Boy after he's banned from playing in his tree house. 27 May 2026

The Spectacular Science Show comes to London. Photo: Charlie Flint Photography

SPECTACULAR SCIENCE SHOW: Kids think science is boring? The Spectacular Science Show at Leicester Square Theatre will show them otherwise (and entertain the adults of the family too). Presenter Mark Thompson carries out exciting experiments on stage, in a show featuring exploding elephant's toothpaste, vortex-generating dustbins and howling jelly babies. 30 May 2026

COMEDY 4 KIDS: Comedian James Campbell performs a show packed full of laughs especially for a younger audience, at the Museum of Comedy. Expect hilarious nonsense such as exploding penguins, 17 ways to eat jam and songs to sing to the worms in your dog's bottom... lovely. 30-31 May 2026

WEST END MUSICALS: A few of London's long-running musicals are great for family theatre trips, including The Lion King, Paddington and Matilda. Older kids and teenagers might enjoy Mamma Mia!, Wicked and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. With only a few months left to run in the West End, Disney's Hercules is a safe bet for feel-good entertainment.

MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO: The Royal Shakespeare Company's charming and perennially popular stage adaptation of Studio Ghibli film My Neighbour Totoro follows sisters Satsuki and Mei as they meet Totoro and the Catbus in the forest near their new home. It's on at the Gillian Lynne Theatre, and suitable for ages six+. Currently booking until August

COME ALIVE!: Based on The Greatest Showman, Come Alive! mixes West End musical talent with international circus stars under a 700‑seat big top at the Empress Museum in Earl's Court. Watch a brand new story inspired by the film take shape in front of you, featuring familiar songs including This Is Me and Rewrite The Stars. Age five+. Currently booking until 2027

Free things to do in London in May 2026 half term

Take the family along to Greenwich Dog Show

OCTONAUTS: In addition to the (paid) Voyage to the Deep exhibition (above), Forest Hill's Horniman Museum also had a free Octonauts adventure trail running through the museum and gardens. Pick up your trail guide at the ticket desk, and take part in mini-missions including searching for shells and designing your own underwater vehicle. FREE, until 1 November 2026

MICHAEL ROSEN'S BIRTHDAY: Children's author Michael Rosen celebrates his 80th with story sessions, silly rhymes, special guests and birthday activities for families at Southbank Centre. FREE, 23 May 2026

GREENWICH DOG SHOW: All dogs, big and small, well-behaved or wonderfully mischievous are welcome to take part in the Greenwich Dog Show in the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College. Competition categories include waggiest tail, glorious golden oldie and cutest pup. FREE to watch (but ticketed), 24 May 2026

FAMILY FILM CLUB: Riverside venue Fulham Pier holds a free family film club on two days during half term. The film being shown is kept under wraps until you arrive, but we're promised a "a much-loved family favourite" in a relaxed environment, where children are free to move and talk throughout the screening. FREE, 25-26 May 2026

GALLERY FAMILY DAY: Get creative at the National Portrait Gallery's family day, inspired by the current Catherine Opie exhibition. Use backdrops, costumes and poses to create a non-traditional family photo and unique family albums. Age three+. FREE, 26 May 2026

Southbank Centre hosts some free May half term events. Photo: Victor Frankowski

BISCUIT WORKSHOP: Make your own hardtack dough and shape a biscuit to take home and bake at the National Army Museum. Learn how hardtack featured in soldiers' rations and get hands-on with the recipe, with museum staff and resources. FREE, 26-27 May 2026

DRAWING WITH NATURE: Artists-in-residence at the London Museum Docklands lead an experimental drawing session using organic textures of naturally sourced pigments and foraged materials, instead of synthetic materials — think clay, coffee grounds and fruit and vegetable peelings. All materials are provided, but you're welcome to bring your own finds along too. FREE, 27 May 2026

DANCE PARTY: Though it's quite the mouthful, Prancer the Dancer's DanceDanceDiscoPartyFunShow at Southbank Centre is a great (and weather-proof!) way for the kids to let off any extra steam towards the end of half term. Dance with special guests from the worlds of cabaret and circus, and learn dance routines together, with gymnastics ribbons aplenty. FREE, 30 May 2026

Get lost in this free maze. Photo: Londonist

PLAYGROUNDS: If the weather's playing nice, few things bring a smile to children's faces like a playground — and they're usually free, so it's a win for parents and carers too. Check out our map of playgrounds in central London — there are more than you might think, and many are located handily near tourist attractions so you can burn off excess energy on a day out.

FILM STATUES: If you find yourself in central London, and need something free to entertain the family, head to Leicester Square and let them hunt out these bronze sculptures of film stars. You might have to explain Gene Kelly and Laurel and Hardy to younger members of the family, but Paddington, Bugs Bunny and Mary Poppins will effortlessly charm them.

MUSEUMS: Plenty of London's museums are free entry all year round, and while you may have to pay for temporary exhibitions, there's generally plenty to entertain all ages in the permanent collections. Try the Science Museum for aeroplanes, Natural History Museum for animals, and London Museum Docklands for the Mudlarks interactive gallery. Do book ahead in the school holidays though, otherwise you might find yourselves in a very long queue!

FREE MAZE: Ever been to the Brent Lodge Park Millennium Maze? The labyrinth is constructed of 2,000 yew trees, has been around for more than two decades, and is free to visit. It's a 10-minute walk from Hanwell station on the Elizabeth line, and there's a free playground, plus Hanwell Zoo (small entry fee) next door.

Family-friendly activities in London in May half term

Find family days out beyond zone one

ICE SKATING: Christmas may still be a way off, but London has year-round ice skating rinks, including one slap bang in the middle of the Central line.

SWIMMING: We'll be honest: London in May could go either way. If the sun's shining, book a slot at one of the capital's magnificent outdoor swimming pools and lidos. If that's too optimistic, there are plenty of excellent indoor pools where you can splash around.

FARMS: City farms, zoos, wildlife reserves, aquariums... London is a great place to see animals, and we've mapped them all, to help you plan your next day out. Come face-to-face with lions, tigers and gorillas; stroke and feed goats, sheep and rabbits; or go looking for native wildlife at a nature reserve.

BEYOND ZONE ONE: Exhausted everything central London has to offer? Fancy exploring a new corner of the capital? Our guide to London's best attractions in the outer boroughs has loads of ideas (plus a handy map). Head north for sprawling gardens, aeroplanes and wetlands; south for caves, palaces and castles; east for Dr Who, David Bowie and neon art; or west for little-known museums (including one with its own railway), a secret underground bunker and a magnificent royal palace.

DAY TRIPS: Fancy getting out of London for a day or two? Take a gander at our Beyond London section for inspiration. Particularly child-friendly is a visit to the real-life Hundred Acre Wood, as featured in AA Milne's Winnie the Pooh books. Wellington Country Park is also an excellent bet for energetic kids. Otherwise, wear them out by sending them searching for the dozens of frogs hidden down this back street, or the entire solar system within sight of the M25.

AUTISTIC KIDS: Looking for things to do over the school holidays with autistic children? Check out our guide, which includes museums, theatres, sensory rooms and more.

TEENAGERS: Older kids and teenagers can be trickier to entertain, so have a read of our things to do in London with teenagers, covering everything from museums and exhibitions to shopping trips, a little-known neon art gallery, street art and more adventurous days out.