Various London locations

Every year, London’s famous river gets a whole festival of art installations, performances, and talks devoted to her watery charms, many of which are free to check out. This year’s Totally Thames Festival has scores of events throughout September, all dotted along riverside locations from Richmond to Barking & Dagenham. This year, look out for Rekindling by Compagnie Carabosse (Sep 25-26), a huge fire installation on and around Royal Victoria Dock inspired by the Royal Docks’ role in London’s story. There’ll also be dance performances in the atmospheric Brunel Museum Tunnel Shaft (Sep 17) and gigs in Crossness Pumping Station (Sep 13).  Old favourites will also be making an appearance, including the Great River Race (Sep 20) from Tower Hamlets to Richmond, where 330 crews from across the world spending the morning speeding down the Thames on wooden rowboats, many of them in fancy dress costumes. While St Katharine Docks Classic Boat Festival (Sep 6) will let you clamber aboard ancient vessels. You can also visit a mudlarking exhibition, walk and masterclass, take boat tours and listen to special lectures.  Other events include guided walks, photography classes, talks, cabaret, and more: each weekend's activities revolve around a different hub, in the locations of Brentford, The Royal Docks, London Bridge, Greenwich and Kingston upon Thames. Check out the Totally Thames schedule for full details.

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.  This year, the fest will showcase how contemporary design intersects with technology, sustainability, and our shared cultural heritage. Phew. Look out for landmark projects including What Nelson Sees by Paul Cocksedge, which will let you see London from Nelson’s vantage point on top of his Trafalgar Square column and Beacon by Lee Broom, a site-specific sculpture at the entrance of the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, inspired by the area’s Brutalist architecture and the 1951 Festival of Britain that will illuminate when Big Ben strikes the hour across the river. Plus, there’ll be fairs within the fair, like Material Matters, which will take over a whole floor of Space House with designers, brands, and thinkers to explore the importance of materials in design and architecture. As ever, the festival is spread across 11 Design Districts including spots like Chelsea College of Art and the V&A Museum, where the events will reflect the unique identity of each area.