Things to do in London this weekend

The balcony scene from Jamie Lloyd’s Evita is the biggest news to come out of the theatre world in years. People have been entranced by Rachel Zegler’s fame and the sheer ballsiness of Lloyd having her sing ‘Don’t Cry for Me Argentina’ for free to the good people of Argyll Street at 9pm each night from the London Palladium balcony. Opening the second half, the balcony sequence is a study in pure artifice. Clad in flowing white dress and an elegant blonde wig, Evita – now the First Lady – sings her great song of love and yearning for the country she’s cynically worked her way to the summit of.  But the Eva the outside audience sees is a lie: wig, dress and her sense of empathy are torn off before she returns to the stage. There is so much that is good about it – from Zegler, to the choreography, to the timely antifascist sentiment, to That Scene. It’s not just the London theatre event of the summer, but the London event of the summer full stop. 

London Palladium. Now until Sep 6. Buy tickets here. 

London’s most-loved Thai restaurant has relocated to Shoreditch. The new location is a fresh, pared-back space with a stainless steel bar, open kitchen and tangerine-hued lights. Some cult dishes haven’t made the jump, but those that have been revamped feel even more accomplished. The fiery yet refreshing watermelon salad now stars peak-season strawberries, and a tiger prawn and cucumber curry is as good as any seafood dish from the original. A raw beef larb is gently pungent, piquant and aromatic. A grill layered with fire and skewers is a new addition to the cooking set-up. There’s also a smoker, and chef Sirichai Kularbwong. The results of all of this so far? Singburi has forged a new path. But it’s just getting started. 

Watch out Ally Pally, there’s a new darts extravaganza in town. The Professional Darts Corporation is putting on a brand new darts championship in Hyde Park, aptly named the Hyde Park Darts Championship. It’s a chance to catch bulls-eyeing big hitters like Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler, Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen and Fallon Sherrock. There will also be special guests Olly Murs, Roman Kemp and Dion Dublin in attendance. The pro-am darts tournament is part of BST Hyde Park’s Open House programme, and tickets will also gain you entry to the mega craft beer festival BREW//LDN where you can sip on suds from 100 indie and established drinks brands. Darts and booze: winner, winner! 

Watch the final matches of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships – aka the oldest, and arguably the very best, tennis tournament in the world – this weekend. Thousands will be descending on SW19 to see the matches go down in real life, but live screenings will be peppered all over London for thousands more who missed the ticket ballot or can’t be bothered to queue in the hopes of getting in for the day. With a jug of Pimms in one hand and a punnet of strawberries in the other, you’ll hardly know the difference. Even better – most of watch parties won’t cost you a single penny. So, pack your picnic blanket, fill your flask and pull up a pew at a summery screening near you. 

The Jamaican-born, London-raised photographer Dennis Morris is best known for his portraits of Bob Marley: a teenaged Morris, then a Hackney schoolkid, first photographed the reggae star in 1973. He went on to photograph the Sex Pistols and other reggae and punk icons, and there are plenty of stunning portraits of the likes of John Lydon and Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry in this hugely satisfying first UK retrospective of Morris’s work. Morris’s musical portraits are thrilling, but it’s his 1970s documentary work capturing Black and Asian life in Hackney and Southall that steals the show. They’re valuable, essential moments in time, capturing the capital at a point when Black British and British Indian communities were becoming well-established in some neighbourhoods but were anything but integrated or widely accepted. 

‘Intimate Apparel’ is a period drama, following a selection of characters in New York City, 1905. The story centres on Esther (Samira Wiley), a hard-working but shy and emotionally repressed Black seamstress who specialises in ‘intimate apparel’ – that is to say underwear, which in 1905 includes a lot of fancy corsets. Each of Lynn Nottage’s characters exists on some sort of margin, they’re all transgressing in each others’ spaces: they have intimate relationships more complicated than simple friendship. It’s a beautifully acted and exquisitely written drama about what happens when raw human longing is filtered through the strangeness of class, race and rulebound human society.

The ‘Rebirth’ in this Jurassic World sequel’s title is apt because this seventh entry is a renaissance of sorts for a franchise that looked ready to curl up and turn to fossil, but here director Gareth Edwards and screenwriter David Koepp pivot back to where the humans-messing-with-nature premise works best: on a tropical island overrun with hungry prehistoric beasties. It becomes a mega-budget version of Edwards’ arresting debut sci-fi Monsters, substituting lush Thailand locations for the movie’s Central American island and delivering one or two of the best sequences since Jurassic Park. One T-rex attack along a set of rapids is a masterclass in action design. He’s blessed with a winning cast too. Scarlett Johansson, Ali Mahershala and Jonathan Bailey are a charismatic trio to build the movie around, and Rupert Friend gives excellent slimeball. 

Us humans can be pretty selfish, and that’s especially true when it comes to design. It’s probably not something you’ve really thought about much before now (see, selfish!) but the world of design has historically neglected the needs of the animals, plants and other living organisms with whom we share our planet, in favour of catering to the whims and demands of us homosapiens. But not anymore. Created in collaboration with Future Observatory – the Design Museum’s national research programme championing new design innovations around environmental issues – this groundbreaking exhibition brings together art, design, architecture and technology to explore the concept of ‘more-than-human’ design, which embraces the notion that human activities can only flourish alongside those of other species and eco-systems. 

Wandsworth’s annual festival is back for 2025, featuring a wide variety of talks, walking tours, workshops, and exhibitions (many of them free) celebrating the vibrant south London borough’s parks, museums and cultural spaces. The theme for 2025 is ‘Wandsworth and the Arts’, with an extra-long four-week edition to mark Wandsworth’s year as London Borough of Culture. Highlights include a free talk about Oscar Wilde’s time in Wandsworth Prison, held at the prison; an exhibition on the origins of Cromwell held at Putney Library and hosted by the Head of Collections at the National Archives; and a walking tour based all around the medical history of Nightingale Lane. Many events are free to join, and some are very family-friendly. 

Somerset House Summer Series is back for another year. Held in the Edmond J. Safra Fountain court, in the enclave of the iconic Neoclassical building, this open-air series of gigs has long held space for both exciting up-and-comers and well-known trailblazers from the UK and beyond. Every year, the Summer Series plays host to an eclectic mix of legends and exciting current acts, and 2025 is no different. On the bill this year are influential British stars Rizzle Kicks and Giggs, heartfelt singer-songwriters Freya Ridings and Jacob Banks, electro-swing fusionist Parov Stelar, acclaimed folk artist Joy Oladokun, art-rock visionary St. Vincent, Scottish indie band The Snuts, rising R&B trio FLO and Melbourne indie-folk faves The Paper Kites. And just announced, supporting the big names will be Nell Mescal, Pxssy Palace, Gustaf, Peter Xan, Benjamin Francis Leftwich and more. 

Get adult tickets for £19 (down from £25) and student tickets for £10 only with Time Out Offers.

Ever since The Queen’s Gambit hit Netflix, chess has really been having a moment. Join the 25,000 woodpushers expected in Trafalgar Square for this high festival dedicated to the tactical boardgame. ChessFest 2025. Look out for chess coach and former Traitors contestant Anthony Mathurin who will be on hand to give out advice along with several contestants from the show, get the chance to play friendly games of chess, take part in free chess lessons with a professional tutor, take on one of England’s top Grandmasters in a simultaneous display, play on giant chess sets, watch ‘living chess’ and test yourself in the puzzles tent. 

Wireless returns to Finsbury Park for 2025 with a line-up of Drake, Drake and more Drake. No, we’re serious. Join Champagne Papi for London's biggest hip-hop, R&B and grime festival as he headlines the long weekend with three different setlists to reflect the show's 20th anniversary. The line-up is very much TBC but it currently includes a few special guests (Drake's pals) and teases 'many more acts still to be announced'. From the look of things, the days have been grouped by vibe/genre, with Summer Walker and PARTYNEXTDOOR suggesting that Friday will lean into R&B and Sunday having slightly more of a reggae, dancehall and Afrobeats vibe with Burna Boy and Vybz Kartel. Saturday? Well, when Drake first announced 'The Mandem' we were all taking wild guesses. Turns out it's the return of Boy Better Know – who are making their first live appearance in eight years.

Women’s football fan collective Baller FC has teamed up with craft beer heroes Signature Brew to bring the Women’s Euros to the big screen. Every single England and Wales game will air at the brewery’s Haggerston taproom, as well as a curated pick of group stage clashes and all the knockout stages. This is not just a bunch of screenings, though. This is an all-out month-long footie fiesta. Besides the games themselves, there’ll be DJs, street skills challenges, foosball contests, karaoke, art takeovers, barber cuts, temp tatts, WoSo-inspired makeovers and the return of Baller’s ‘guess the player by the ponytail’ quiz. No Euros watch party is quite as fun-filled as this one.  

It’s a trap, almost, to think of Eugene O’Neill’s final play A Moon for the Misbegotten as a sequel to his miserable masterpiece Long Day’s Journey Into Night. But you go in expecting despair and instead find something that’s more like an episode of Steptoe and Son. Maybe that’s down to director Rebecca Frecknall, who creates not the faded grandeur of a seaside home here, but a wooden yard full of splintered timbers. Peter Corboy and Ruth Wilson as siblings Mike and Josie burst onto the stage and whack each other with dialogue, fed up with dad Phil’s drunkenness and slave-driving on their rock-infested farm. Frecknall turns the tilth on a half-buried play, and digs up something extraordinary.

It’s been more than a decade since Dickie Beau broke through with his uniquely weird shows that involve him lip-syncing to archival recordings, while he embodies the voices with movement and props and fun stuff like that. But Showmanism feels like a reckoning with the form and with himself. On the surface, the show is a history of acting. And it starts out on brief: some classic ‘I’m stuck in a box’ miming, recordings about Ancient Greek theatre, interesting musings on audiences and actors from the likes of Ian McKellen and Fiona Shaw. Beau puts on costumes, strips down, embodies each voice in a different way. And then halfway through, the themes and motifs criss-cross (a religious Passion play in an Austrian village! Hamlet! Cilla Black!). He starts to question why he’s on stage at all. It’s complex, richly layered, and a very moving celebration of the stage.

Enjoy £50 off 'Showmanism' tickets at Hampstead Theatre with only with Time Out Offers.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Cocktails in the City, a pop-up festival unfolding over two weekends (July 10–12 and August 7–9). Every summer, cocktail-loving Londoners flock to Bloomsbury’s Bedford Square Gardens, which are taken over some of the city's very best bars, mixologists, and booze brands. Enjoy a complimentary welcome drink on arrival, then start exploring creative concoctions from a star-studded roster of top mixologists. Experimental Cocktail Club, Vesper Bar, Archive & Myth, and Viajante87 are just a handful of the celebrated London bars on the line-up, while guests will also be able to check out live music, street food, ice carvings, and masterclasses within the picturesque private gardens. 

Love sushi, dumplings or noodles? Inamo’s got you covered. This high-tech spot in Soho or Covent Garden lets you order from interactive tabletops, play over 20 games while you wait and even doodle on your table. Then it’s all you can eat pan-Asian dishes like Sichuan chicken, red dragon rolls and Korean wings with bottomless drinks. Usually £113.35, now just £33 or £26 if you're in early at the weekend!

Get Inamo’s best ever bottomless food & drink brunch from only £26 with Time Out Offers.

Summer In The Square is back in Marylebone’s Portman Square Garden for another family-friendly festival of food, culture and community. Join the locals to take part in everything from Grayson Perry-inspired art workshops and a hands-on community flag project to Alice in Wonderland-themed theatre and wellness sessions, including yoga by Fitness First and scent-making by anatomē. Foodies will be able to tuck into guest kitchen pop-ups from The Landmark London, Junsei, Zula Burger and more, as well as street food favourites like Nick & Greek, Nimtoh and Master of Grill. There’ll also be cocktail tastings with The Churchill Bar and summer spritzes from Home House. you can also get your Wimbledon fix with free screenings of the tennis. 

Deptford X, SE8’s beloved contemporary visual art festival, is back – but this time with a brand new format. For the first time, it’s going biennial, expanding the festival to 18 days packed with art, exhibitions, events, and a street parade. Plus, fringe art events will leave almost no part of Deptford untouched. 

The festival bringing some of the biggest stars on the planet to London continues in Hyde Park this weekend. The third and final weekend sees a bunch of throwback stars take to the Hyde Park stage; Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts open the weekend, before Stevie Wonder headlines the Saturday night, and the 2025 festival concludes with the final ever live show from Jeff Lynne’s Electric Light Orchestra.

Imagine indulging in all the dumplings, rolls, and buns you can handle, crafted by a Chinatown favourite with over a decade of culinary excellence. Savour Taiwanese pork buns, savoury pork and prawn soup dumplings, and luxurious crab meat xiao long bao. To top it off, enjoy a chilled glass of prosecco to elevate your feast. Cheers to a truly delightful dining experience at Leong’s Legend!

Popping up each summer on the steps where the Regent’s Canal passes Granary Square, Everyman’s Screen on the Canal is one of the city’s best-loved outdoor cinemas. This year’s pop-up will be looking more Instagrammable than ever before, thanks to designer and architect Yinka Ilori, who has created an eye-popping screen design. Head down on a sunny afternoon to catch live coverage from Wimbledon every day of the tournament, plus the usual mix of live sports, classic movies, family-friendly flicks and recent hits. 

Up at the top of Ally Pally this summer, you’ll find a multifaceted web of genres. Where else can you while away the day with renowned DJs like Eats Everything, Sara Cox and DJ Spoony, drum and bass legend Goldie and the familiar hits of Faithless? There’s also comedy on the books from Shappi Khorsandi, the Beatles Dub Club, hip hop karaoke and high-energy Shakespeare. Coming with kids? There’s plenty of family-friendly fun too, with circus acts, the world’s tallest bubbleologist, acrobatics and more. This is one festival that truly lives up to its name. 

Line-up includes: Faithless, Goldie, Eats Everything, Sara Cox, Sleeper, DJ Spoony

Can’t afford tickets to the big name gigs at BST Hyde Park? As well as putting on mega stars, BST Hyde Park also hosts Open House, an eight-day-long event that’s mostly free to attend. This year’s Open House lineup includes House Gospel Choir, Dub Pistols, Trojan Sound System, South London Samba and many more. Plus, if you feel like getting raucous there’s a Bongo’s Bingo party. There are plenty of kid-friendly events, such as West End Kids and Brainiac Remixed. And other than the music, BST is hosting eight open-air cinema nights, showing flicks including The Goonies, Wicked singalong, The Fall Guy and Dune Part 2. 

The 99-year-old living legend that is Sir David Attenborough is still going strong: fresh off the back of his new documentary Ocean, he now drops a new film at the Natural History Museum in the form of Our Story. The 50-minute ‘immersive’ documentary will be projected across the walls of the Jerwood Gallery, subsuming you in what we can only describe as raw nature (it sounds like a relatively similar idea to 2023’s BBC Planet Earth Experience, albeit with more Attenborough and more of a narrative) as he takes us on the story of humanity, from origins to the present. Blending wildlife footage with animation, it’s human-centric but has plenty of room for animals too. 

For a script penned in 1893, Mrs Warren’s Profession still feels remarkably fresh. The attitude of George Bernard Shaw’s play towards sex work as a functioning product of the capitalist labour market feels bracingly current even today. Yet at first glance, director Dominic Cooke’s production is as traditional as they come, but something darker bubbles beneath the surface. Imelda Staunton plays the titular Mrs Warren who draws the eye from the moment she strides onto stage in her striped frock coat. There is subtle pain in her voice when she talks about the circumstances that led her to her profession. You don’t leave with clear answers about Mrs Warren or even her profession, but you will leave unexpectedly entertained. 

From screeching tube carriages to the lulling podcast we listen to on our commute, noise is constantly shaping our lives, and the Barbican’s Feel the Sound exhibition promises to be a multi-sensory journey into our personal relationship with sound. Eleven commissions and installations will take over the arts centre, all exposing visitors to frequencies, sound, rhythmic patterns and vibrations that define everything around us. Even the Centre’s underground car parks will be part of the action as it’s transformed into a club space. Sing with a digital quantum choir, experience music without sound and look out for experiences celebrating underground club culture. 

★★★★ 'Frameless has managed to create something genuinely exciting' - Time Out

Escape reality through maximum immersion and experience 42 masterpieces from 29 of the world’s most iconic artists, each reimagined beyond belief, through cutting-edge technology. Situated in Marble Arch, Frameless plays host to four unique galleries with hypnotic visuals and a dazzling score. Enjoy 90 minutes of surreal artwork from Bosch, Dalí and more for just £24!

Get £24.80 tickets (originally £31) to Frameless, only with Time Out Offers.