The best things to do in London in April 2026

Just shy of a decade after it was first announced as part of the £1.1 billion development of Stratford’s East Bank cultural quarter, the long-awaited V&A East will finally open to the public on Saturday 18 April. The 7,000-square-metre museum will bring together exhibits that speak to both east London’s creative heritage and the voices that are shaping contemporary culture across the globe today.

Head down to visit its Why We Make Galleries, a permanent display arranged into ten key themes addressing the most pressing issues in contemporary society, as well as inaugural temporary exhibition The Music is Black: A British Story, which explores how Black British music has shaped culture in Britain and beyond and features Joan Armatrading’s childhood guitar, looks worn by Little Simz and newly acquired photography by Dennis Morris and Jennie Baptiste. 

London has an amazing energy on bank holidays and Easter weekend is particularly blessed, because it’s a rare double bank holiday, meaning we get four whole days of work-free fun from Good Friday on April 18 to Easter Monday on April 21. The capital has plenty to keep you occupied over your extra-long weekend. From egg hunts to bumper club nights, check out our top picks for Easter weekend 2025 below. 

The first major London revival for the stage version of Ken Kesey’s countercultural classic in over 20 years comes this spring, as Clint Dyer directs Aaron Pierre and Giles Terera as two inmates of a hellish psychiatric ward. Published in 1962, Kesey’s darkly comic satire on psychiatry and institutionalisation was quickly adapted into a 1963 play that starred Kirk Douglas as Randall P McMurphy, a rebellious prisoner who makes the mistake of faking insanity, believing he’ll have an easier time of it in a mental hospital. Pierre – best known for his role in Netflix hit Rebel Ridge – will star as McMurphy, with Olivier winner Giles Terera as his fellow inmade Dale Harding.

Featuring a series of brand new works inspired by the gallery’s leafy setting within Kensington Gardens, Cecily Brown’s Serpentine show marks her first solo exhibition in the UK since 2005, and represents something of a homecoming for the artist, who has been based in New York for the past three decades.

Running a marathon is a truly gruelling feat requiring countless hours of training, so the 50,000 brave souls who are taking part London Marathon on Sunday April 26 very much deserve our support. Check out our route guide to find the best spectating spots and track down nearby pubs and bars for when all that whooping and clapping leaves you feeling nearly as thirsty as the runners. Remember: your presence at this monumental sporting occasion makes it absolutely fine to drink lager or rosé in the street at 10am on a Sunday.  

Fancy yourself a bit of a comedian? Ever wanted to go on a game show? Now is your chance. The Audience Vs is a brand-new live comedy gaming show, where audience members go head to head with real-life celebs. Hosted by Glenn Moore, created by journalist Simon Parkin and produced by Taskmaster honchos Avalon, the game will see punters battle comedians in retro video games, including Mario Kart, Street Fighter and Grand Theft Auto. Previous guests include Phil Wang, Sarah Keyworth, Ellie Gibson, and Sooz Kempner, with upcoming guests including Frankie Ward, Iain Stirling, Jamali Maddix and John Robertson. 

The Horniman Museum and Gardens’ Spring Fair is maybe the most efficient way to cram as much Easter fun into a single day as possible. The gardens will be taken over by a ridiculously busy programme, with everything from an Animal Walk to an Easter Bonnet Parade. But there’s plenty more: think circus skills, singalongs, fete games and seed planting, all fuelled by some cracking cuisine from the roster of food stalls.

Serving up an eclectic mix of live music, visual arts, spoken word, podcasts and club nights, Roundhouse Three Sixty is a springtime festival at Chalk Farm’s famous circular arts venue. After its first edition last year, it's back for a second run that coincides with the 20th anniversary of Roundhouse's big relaunch as a youth-centric arts space.

The month is headlined by some big names. Imogen Heap will drop in for an evening of songs and conversations with her AI-powered alias ai.mogen (Apr 17), Kae Tempest will introduce his new novel ‘Having Spent Life Seeking’ (Apr 16) and Amaarae's ‘Black Star Experience’ (Apr 23) is a live show based on her acclaimed latest album. The prices are refreshingly low, too, with tickets for under-30s starting at just a fiver. Get down there for an affordable, inspiring dose of culture this spring.

Grade II-listed north London icon Alexandra Palace is the home of this literary festival, which promises four jam-packed days of readings, panel discussions, workshops and book signings. Celebrated authors in attendance include Booker Prize-winner Alan Hollinghurst, acclaimed novelist Tessa Hadley, author, broadcaster and classicist Natalie Haynes, local literary legend Michael Rosen, who marks his 80th birthday with classic readings and poems, author and science fiction screenwriter Ben Aaronovitch, Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason introducing her new book To Be Young, Gifted and Black, activist Laura Bates, and more. This year, the festival also coincides with Biblio-Buzz, Alexandra Palace’s annual Children’s Book Award, and alongside the literary programme, there’ll also be music performances, spoken-word artists, stand-ups, and family activities. 

Spring in London is always a knockout. As we emerge from an extra-severe period of hibernation, the urge to get to the park and gawp at loads of pretty flowers becomes pretty intense and there are tons of amazing green spaces to enjoy the season’s pops of colour. From London's bright pink cherry blossoms to seas of lavender that swell in summer, take a look at our list of the best places to see flowers in London.

Ralph Fiennes has been beavering away busily over at Theatre Royal Bath this last year, curating and starring in a season of work at the prestigious South Western theatre. London seems very unlikely to get all of it, but here’s one nailed on transfer: Fiennes and Miranda Raison will star as the great Victorian actors Henry Irving and Ellen Terry in Grace Pervades, the approximately millionth (well, thirty-second) play from the great David Hare (curiously it’ll run in the West End at the same time as a revival of his very early play Teeth ‘N’ Smiles). Jeremy Herrin directs the drama, which follows the stage legends plus Terry’s children Edith Craig and Edward Gordon Craig, and examines the dynasty’s wider influence on British theatre. 

Once again, this boutique west London indie film is gathering and supporting underrepresented voices, with a focus on inclusive storytelling and accessibility. Highlights at the the 2026 Little Venice Film Festival (LVFF) include The Reckoning of Erin Morrigan, directed Gabrielle Russell and telling the story of an ex IRA operative; Alan Walsh’s short One Last Show in Taghmon about three stuntmen who are preparing for their final stunt show; and paralympian documentary by Sheridan O’Donnell Rising Phoenix: A New Revolution. There are also screenings dedicated to female stories, girls in film, disability films, LGBTQ+ voices and youth-focused films. Venues are still TBC, but expect screenings to be staged around Maida Vale and Little Venice. 

Awaken your inner child by delving into enchanted lands, magical creatures and timeless tales at the British Library’s interactive family-friendly exhibition. All the bangers from your childhood will be explored – from Goldilocks, to Aladdin – through books, artworks, interactive displays, theatrical design, story sharing spaces, costumes and activities. Opening in time for the Easter holidays, Fairy Tales is ideal for passing a few hours with the little’uns. 

This exhibition will put the work of two rivals – and two of Britain’s greatest painters – J.M.W. Turner and John Constable side by side. Although both had different paths to success, they each became recognised as stars of the art world and shared a connection to nature and recreating it in their landscape paintings. Explore the pair’s intertwined lives and legacies and get new insight into their creativity via sketchbooks, personal items and must-see artworks.

The capital’s special colourful spectacle that signals warmer days are on the way is here. Cherry blossom season in Japan is a major event, with vistors from around the world flocking over to get a glimpse of the petals in full bloom. If you can’t make it over for this year’s sakura season London has plenty of bloomin’ marvellous places to see the flowers.

The annual Sony World Photography Awards exhibition is a calendar highlight for any shutterbug, featuring more than 300 gasp-worthy snaps encompassing sport, portraiture, landscape and fashion photography, shortlisted from over 430,000 submissions from more than 200 countries. Returning to Somerset House for its 19th edition, the exhibition will feature a special display celebrating the career of American street photographer Joel Meyerowitz, the recipient of the competition’s Outstanding Contribution to Photography award this year, and will be supplemented by a programme of talks, workshops and debates with leading photography practitioners and experts.

If there’s one thing that best encompasses the historic rivalry between academic titans Oxford and Cambridge, it’s the Boat Race – the annual oars-off between the two unis. Typically, over 300,000 people line the banks of the Thames to get a glimpse of the action. If you’re like the majority of them, then as well as the sporting spectacle, you’re also there for the excuse to knock back a few pints (or more). Whether you’re a diehard supporter or a fair-weather fan, here’s our guide to everything you need to know about the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race on Sunday April 4 2026.

Entering its eleventh year in 2026, this annual two-day film festival at the Barbican is programmed entirely by young people aged 16 to 24 as part of the arts centre’s Young Film Programmers scheme. The free-to-attend, six-month talent development scheme sees the group determine the themes, film selections and connected public events. The programme for this year’s edition is yet to be revealed, but you can expect an eclectic schedule of films alongside poetry readings, panel discussions and DJ sets.

Unlike your usual boot sale, there’s no tat being flogged out of the back of a Ford Fiesta at this oh-so-classy car boot. Instead, more than 75 rare classic vehicles will be parking up in Granary Square and Coal Drops Yard, out of which vendors will be selling vintage fashion, homewares and collectables. Mobile eateries will be dotted between the old-school cars and campervans, while an old Routemaster bus bar will be serving up craft bevvies, with DJs impressing purists and pop lovers with vintage vinyl. Stay tuned for more details in due course!