Despite its proximity to Ireland, London is often overlooked as a weekend city break destination. The city comes into its own in summer, with a packed programme of events catering to all ages and interests. Here are just some of the highlights on offer over the coming months.
OUTDOORS
Food Festival at Hampton Court Palace
August 26th-28th; £14.50/29; hrpfestivals.com
Henry VIII’s former stomping ground throws open its doors for a weekend of fun and food. Top-name artisan producers – from Riverford to Café de Nata – will showcase their culinary wares, with premium produce for sale and delectable dishes to sample. For kids there’s face-painting, arts, crafts and games, while adults can try out cocktail masterclasses and test drive a new Lexus (preferably not in that order). Entry to the palace and gardens are included, so save time to marvel at the Tudor palace.
Outdoor cinema at Westminster Abbey
July 25th-30th; from £19.50; thelunacinema.com
Who can let a summer go by without watching at least one movie outdoors in the starry-skied heat? London offers unique backdrops for classic flicks – from the River Thames to Kensington Palace to Regent Park’s Open Air Theatre to Kew Gardens. It doesn’t get more iconic than Westminster Abbey, where the royal weddings and, most recently, King Charles’ coronation took place. Catch Baz Luhrmann’s celebrated biopic of Elvis, Marilyn at her finest in Some Like It Hot, and get the vocal cords warmed up for Moulin Rouge.
Greenwich + Docklands International Festival
August 25th to September 10th; mostly free; festival.org
This festival brings outdoor theatre, performing arts and creative entertainment into a concentrated setting. This year, the theme is Acts of Hope, which encourages “uplifting moments for reflection, creativity and celebration”. There’ll be aerial acrobatics atop Greenwich Park hill, a light and sound ballet installation with 12 life-sized swans as the cast, and an immense-sounding Afro-futuristic circus with a soundtrack by grime artist Afrikan Boy.
Wimbledon
July 2nd-16th; tickets from £8; wimbledon.com
It doesn’t take much planning to join in with the on-court drama, sunshine, celebrities and overpriced Pimm’s and strawberries at Wimbledon – and partake in the national sport of queuing at the same time. Hours before opening time, the Queue (yes, capital “Q”) begins forming for hundreds of tickets for the focal tennis courts, and even more for grounds access.
Serpentine Pavilion
June 9th-October 29th; Serpentine Galleries
Each year, the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens commissions an international architect to create a temporary pavilion, which inevitably becomes one of the world’s most visited architecture exhibits. This year, it’s the turn of Lebanese-French artist Lina Ghotmeh, whose work, À table, represents “the aspiration to create a sustainable kinship with the land through food and our primal relationship to the Earth”. Its distinctive pleats follow the aesthetic of palm leaves, and the low-rise roof and seating for 57 is inspired by the togunas of Mali in West Africa, which act as a focal point for community interactions. Expect a similar level of sociability here over summer.
The Cool Down
August 20th-30th; Covent Garden
Those with a sweet tooth have licence to indulge at Covent Garden’s annual ice cream festival. The piazza will play host to pop-ups with frozen treats from some of London’s best-loved brands such as Crosstown, Bears Ice Cream, Kelly’s Ice Cream Van and Aperol spritz specialists Little Orange Van (be warned: their boozy Spritz lollies certainly aren’t for kiddies). Elsewhere, permanent residents such as Godiva and Hotel Chocolat have whipped up a flurry of discounts and offers on their iced delicacies. A festival to melt your heart, if not your ice cream.
FAMILY
BBC Earth Experience
Until July 31st; £15/£19; bbcearthexperience.com
The Daikin Centre in Earl’s Court is transformed into an immersive, tech-forward experience that brings visitors closer to the stories within the BBC nature series Seven Worlds, One Planet. Enter the digitally replicated continents to discover their natural worlds, narrated by David Attenborough.
Monopoly Lifesized
Runs throughout summer; tickets £70.80; monopolylifesized.com
Thought playing Monopoly was fun enough? Try doing away with the dog, iron and car, and instead be the lifesized player on a lifesized board. This enormous venue by Tottenham Court Road combines 4D production and escape room elements that players need to solve to buy properties. For a postgame analysis, hang out at The Top Hat restaurant, which serves mini versions of British classics such as fish and chips and pork belly with apple sauce.
Family workshops at Shakespeare Globe
Until 26th August; £10; shakespearesglobe.com
It’s never too early to discover the world’s most famous playwright – which is why The Globe has created a series of workshops designed as a gentle introduction, with age-appropriate activities and games to build on language, character and themes in his best-loved plays. Pick from Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream or Romeo and Juliet.
London Theatre Kids Week
August; officiallondontheatre.com
London’s theatrical heritage comes good with a whole month of discounted and special performances for kids. For a wide range of family-friendly plays, one kid (under 17) gets a free ticket with a full-paying adult, and two more go half price. Participating shows are yet to be revealed, but last year saw high-calibre favourites including Back to the Future: The Musical, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and Disney’s ever-popular Frozen. Pre-show entertainment and interactive intermissions expected.
CULTURE
The Proms
July 14th-September 9th; tickets from £8; bbc.co.uk
The world’s most prolific classical music festival once again delivers a world-class line-up, covering 72 events across eight weeks in high summer. International orchestras performing include Budapest Festival Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Tonhalle Orchestra Zürich, the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra and Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen.
Adding a contemporary twist, the modern interpretation of The Proms’ remit is wide: Bollywood, children’s opera, jazz, baroque pop, Northern Soul and electronica all play their part. Our top picks? Try Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, Rufus Wainwright with the BBC Concert Orchestra, or Vivaldi’s Four Seasons reimagined by Max Richter.
The Effect
August 1st-September 23rd; from £20; National Theatre
Writer Lucy Prebble is going through a televisual purple patch, with I Hate Suzie and Succession as standout projects in recent times. She turns her hand back to her first love of theatre with The Effect. Telling the story of two volunteers (I May Destroy You’s Paapa Essiedu and Taylor Russell, from Bones and All) in a clinical trial whose illicit romance causes more ethical dilemmas, it’s this summer’s hot ticket.
No Such Thing As A Fish: Live
July 17th-August 21st; from £25; Soho Theatre
Spend an evening being educated and entertained in the company of the No Such Thing As A Fish hosts. Responding to demand – the podcast has been downloaded over 450 million times since it began in 2014 – their month-long residency at Soho Theatre will also see a special guest join for a show of fascinating facts, wit and silliness. Previous guests include Stephen Fry, Sally Phillips and Tim Minchin from the parent show of QI – so have high hopes for surprises at London’s premier comedy venue.
History of the New at the Fine Art Society
Until July 29th; free; thefineartsociety.com
While fine art doesn’t cry out for reinvention – far from it – this exhibition showcases the works of 40 innovators from the 19th and 20th centuries who forged new ways of making art. A wander around the Fine Art Society in Soho will uncover enamelware by Phoebe Traquair, the first female member of the Royal Scottish Academy, plus a modern take on watercolours by Arthur Melville, and the ever-fascinating Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Also look out for Sir John Lavery’s Portrait of a Lady in Grey and Black, not seen in public since 1914.
All Points East
August 25th-28th; from £68.55; allpointseastfestival.com
On the UK’s August bank holiday weekend, the All Points East festival includes a heady blend of punch-packing headliners (Haim, Dermot Kennedy, The Strokes, Jungle), revered artists and DJs (James Vincent McMorrow, Angel Olsen, The Blessed Madonna), and spicy new acts (Nell Mescal, Charlotte Day Wilson, Pretty Girl). In the hipster stronghold of east London, expect cutting-edge sounds and trendy vibes.
Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition
June 13th-August 20th; £20/22. royalacademy.org.uk
No visit to London over summer is complete without taking in the RA’s Summer Exhibition, the world’s largest and oldest open-submission exhibition. This year, it’s co-ordinated by British painter David Remfry, who curates under the theme of Only Connect (inspired by Howards End by EM Forster). Expect to see the wildest, most fantastical pieces of art in all its diverse forms, many by unknown creatives, some by art veterans. Aim for a Friday when the exhibition opens until 9pm, giving an after-hours feel.
Step Inside Abbey Road
August 6th-13th; abbeyroad.com
Fans of The Beatles should hotfoot it over – via that famous zebra crossing – to visit the iconic Abbey Road Studios. Over two weekends, Recording The Beatles authors Kevin Ryan and Brian Kehew lead a series of lectures in Studio Two. They’ll regale facts and tales on each of the recording rooms, the equipment, the engineers and the artists that made the studios such an important part of music history. It’s not only The Beatles that created seminal albums within its four walls; Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon and OK Computer by Radiohead were also recorded here.
