Things to do in London this week

The Bayeux Tapestry isn’t just a work of art: it is literal history, a near-1,000-year-old artefact that is also the primary source for our understanding of the most momentous year in the story of our own country. Woven in England, displayed in Bayeux, Normandy, the tapestry is now on display in the British Museum. Photos of a few key moments in your school textbooks may encompass its highlights, but they scarcely touch on it as art. Laid out flat in one continuous 70 metre strip, the Bayeux Tapestry is astonishing, a heady mix of the familiar and the unfamiliar that teeters somewhere between outsider art, medieval illumination, action cartoon, historical document and blithe propaganda. It’s extraordinary to see: sacred, profane, childish, profound, defining of our world but utterly unworldly.

Ever wanted to have a nosy around some of London’s coolest private buildings? Open House London gives guests free access to architectural wonders that are not normally open to the public – from schools and offices to places of worship. It’s an often rare chance to explore iconic or just interesting buildings that make up the capital’s storied history, while the programme usually includes tons of workshops, exhibitions and more, as well as the usual tours. This year, the full programme will be announced on July 15, with bookings opening on August 19. Get practising your clicking now – these tickets go faster than Glastonbury.

At this Hong Kong-inspired noodle bar everything is steamy. Owned by the restaurant group behind Peckham’s much-loved Mr Bao, Wonton Charlie’s is a casual joint attached to the front of vibey Cantonese restaurant Cafe Kowloon. It’s been a popular lunchspot since late 2025, but only recently started dinner service. The space has an airy, canteen-like feel, with a massive stainless steel bar wrapping round the kitchen. Storied chef Budgie Montoya stands at its centre, dishing out noodle soup and dumplings. For the grub, it’s a simple offering. Choose your wonton (pork, prawn, both or fish skin), choose your noodles (with or without broth), choose your side (crispy fish skin or fish balls). The broth is clear but rich in flavour. Handmade noodles are thin but still have a good bite. The plump hand-wrapped wontons come with a bouncy, meaty filling. This is an unpretentious place to get a relaxed bite that won’t break the bank.

At the start of The National Theatre’s most anticipated show of 2026 the two leads – Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss – toss a coin at the start to see who plays which role. It’s an idea that has some resonance with the themes of duality and identity and shows how good Blanchett and Hoss are. And they’re really, really good: even if Benedict Andrews’ production doesn’t entirely ‘work’, the sense that it is just bloody amazing having two incredible actors doing an enormous amount of acting – and that we’re actually only seeing half of it – carries the night. Persona follows Elisabeth, a star of stage and screen who is sent to an isolated country retreat with her nurse Alma in the hope she’ll recover after being mysteriously struck dumb following her performance in a production of Sophocles’s Greek tragedy Electra. The two stars of the show are really bloody good, and watching them journey to the deepest recesses of the characters’ blurred souls is all you should want from the stage, really.

In a season of splashy horror debuts, the most unsettling of them all is also the quietest. Aussie director Adrian Chiarella does offer us a supernatural big bad in Leviticus, but it’s very nearly beside the point. The real terrors here are entirely human: cruelty, fear, ignorance, and alienation. Joe Bird is Naim, an Australian teen who’s just been moved to live with a small community in the middle of nowhere by his deceptively passive mother (Mia Wasikowska). Among the group’s values is the belief – cited from the Book of Leviticus – that homosexuality is an abomination to be snuffed out immediately. This is a problem for Naim since he’s falling in love for the first time, with the equally disaffected Ryan (Stacy Clausen). Horror is often used allegorically, and Chiarella never bothers to hide his intentions. He’s made a pretty straightforward story about the crushing pain of a world that refuses to accept you. But also, and this is what elevates Leviticus so far above similar indies, the eminent relief when you finally find someone who does.

The late Peter Jones’ labyrinth of polychromatic tunnels is returning for another UK tour, stopping in Clapham Common this September for a 36th year. Never been to Colourscape? Self-described as ‘Europe’s most unusual festival’, you wander around its big inflatable neon maze to see what musicians you can find inside. You might happen upon a flautist, a classical guitarist or, new this year, a Balinese gamelan accompanied by a troupe of Indonesean dancers. Who knows!? Those kaleidoscopic innards are designed to surprise. 

London is widely recognised as one of the design capitals of the world. Cementing this title is the annual Design Festival, a colourful and thought-provoking celebration of some of the world's best designers, who interrogate the boundaries of design through events, exhibitions and installations. The 2026 programme is packed full of surprising installations and intriguing collaborations. Wander down the Strand in Covent Garden and you'll spot The Pangolin Shield, a pavilion inspired by the endangered scaly beasts, situated opposite India's High Commission as a comment on the movement of people and species across borders, and the legacy of colonisation. Head to the Barbican and you'll have the opportunity to lounge on a comfy installation by MADE, as part of an interiors collection inspired by this architectural landscape. There are 11 distinct design districts, designed to highlight the places where creative Londoners cluster. 

Gayle Rankin has a wild turn in Scottish filmmaker Louis Paxton’s beguiling debut, The Incomer. Rankin plays Isla, one half of an exceedingly strange, semi-feral sibling duo completed by Outlander star Grant O’Rourke as her softer, jollier-in-spirit brother, Sandy. They’ve been isolated on a remote island somewhere off the northeastern coast of Scotland, with their parents little but unreliable memories. Marrying the dark anarchy of Lord of the Flies with a dash of Limbo’s kooky, bruised heart, Paxton delivers a furiously funny piece of folklore. It’s a delightfully dotty film that adds a twist of Yorgos Lanthimos to its Celtic spirit. It’ll make you ‘ca-caw’ like a seagull.

As You Like It is mostly a play about a large assortment of oddballs living in a forest for some reason. It definitely has a plot, but it also kind of plays out like an eccentric Tudor sketch show. While many productions get lost in the woods, dual directors Sean Holmes and Charlie Josephine – plus their creative team headed by designer Paul Wills – are excellent guides through the trees. This is not a production that comes with a high concept, but by making every character as vivid as possible, visually and personality-wise, it’s just a great, boisterous production where you don’t find yourself questioning ‘and who is THAT guy?’ two hours in. From Lola Shalam’s highly strung romantic lead Rosalind and Grace Oddie-James as her amusingly laidback posh girl BFF Celia to co-director Josephine’s own turn as insecure wannabe geezer Orlando, all the way to Jonathan Broadbent’s scene-stealing Touchstone, it is simply very fun to spend some time in Wills’ whiteboard forest with these people. 

Five years in the making, Ed Sayers’ feature debut brings together 40 people across 25 countries, each armed with a Super 8 camera to film the natural world on their doorstep. The result is like a lo-fi remix of Godfrey Reggio’s epic Koyaanisqatsi – both a celebration of nature and environmental omen, albeit minus the tribal warbling. There’s no to-the-death battles here or exotic mating rituals. Accompanied by Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres’s spectral score, this is nature, up close and often very personal. The sheer variety of life is astounding. We see octopus in Patagonia; silkworms in London; water buffalo in Assam; reindeer in the Arctic Circle; fin whales in Thailand; rattlesnakes in the Mojave Desert; the puffins of Skomer Island in Wales… Inevitably, man’s impact crashes the party. The film is touring London cinemas before going nationwide. Catch it while you can.

Taiwanese artist Musquiqui Chihying uses a blend of installation, video, photography, and sculpture to explore our complicated relationship with technology and how modern-day tech systems are reshaping the ways we live our lives – all with a humorous and surreal edge. See four of the artist’s imaginative, idiosyncratic and quietly provocative works at this free Haywood Gallery exhibition. A Life of Navigation includes Chihying’s early works commenting on our hectic urban lives, as well as two newly produced video installations commenting on artificial intelligence and gaming culture. 

After pulling in millions of visitors in Amsterdam and Barcelona, Moco Museum London has landed beside Marble Arch with a three-floor showcase of modern, contemporary and immersive art. Inside, you’ll find more than 100 works from names including Banksy, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Yayoi Kusama, alongside immersive digital rooms and sensory installations designed to pull you into the artwork. There’s also the limited-run exhibition ‘Voice of the Street’, dedicated to Haring’s legendary New York subway drawings from the early 1980s. Flex-entry tickets start from £15, so you can drop in whenever suits during opening hours.

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When the pace of city life starts to catch up with you, an hour spent switching off can make all the difference. Spa & Massage offers relaxing treatments in luxurious London settings, with heated beds, organic oils and highly experienced therapists, each with at least seven years’ experience.

It’s the kind of treatment that gives you an excuse to put your phone away, slow down and properly unwind. And for a limited time, you can book the 60-minute massage for £59, saving £40 on the usual £99 price, with a signature Buddha Tea served before and after your session.

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Soho is packed with places to eat, but few have the enduring charm of Pierre Victoire. Tucked away on Dean Street, this long-standing French bistro has been a neighbourhood favourite for decades, serving classic dishes in a relaxed, unfussy setting that feels a world away from the bustle outside. Expect timeless French cooking, from escargots and French onion soup to confit duck and crème brûlée, with the option to enjoy either two or three courses alongside a glass of Prosecco.

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Make the most of August with a meal at one of Chelsea's most iconic restaurants. Sitting proudly on King's Road, Bluebird is a striking Art Deco landmark serving a seasonal best of British menu from Executive Head Chef Owen Sullivan. Settle in for comforting starters, fresh handmade pasta or rich aged beef ragu, before rounding things off with your choice of dessert and a glass of Prosecco. It's an easy excuse to linger over lunch or enjoy a relaxed summer dinner.

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