August events in London

For a lot of Londoners, Notting Hill Carnival on the August Bank Holiday Weekend flashes by in a blaze of feathers, Red Stripe and tinnitus. To those who make it happen, it’s a year-round operation to create one of the biggest and oldest street parties in the world. More than two million people usually flock to the streets of W11 for Carnival weekend. It’s free to join the family day on the Sunday, as well as the Monday street party which is for the hard partiers. It’s a celebration of freedom and Caribbean culture, with an iconic parade showcasing the best of mas, soca, calypso, steel bands and soundsystems. What are you waiting for? 

All Points East returns to Vicky Park for its seventh edition in 2026. Since debuting in 2018, the festival has garnered a reputation for building some of the most exciting line-ups in the UK. Its headliners are often indie or dance-focused big-hitters, while its undercards are packed with cult heroes and rising stars you can say you saw first. If your music preferences lie in the Venn diagram of indie and electronic then this is the festival for you, with the likes Idles, Jorja Smith + Tems, Lorde, and a Tyler, the Creator double weekender.

What a treat for London to get two major Cate Blanchett stage performances two years on the trot. For a long time, her London appearances tended to be confined to avant garde projects, but with last year’s The Seagull at the Barbican, the double Oscar winner – and now Sussex resident – signalled that she was ready for more mainstream work on bigger stages, and that continues with Electra/Persona.

Directed and adapted by fellow Aussie Benedict Andrews, it’s a mash-up of Ancient Greek classic Electra and Ingmar Bergman’s 1966 masterpiece Persona. Blanchett is joined by Tár co-star Nina Hoss and young Black Doves star Ella Lily Hyland. It’s not yet clear who is playing who, although doomed princess Electra and Persona’s leads Elisabet and Alma offers three obviously leads (though it may not be as simple as all that).

Make the most of the August Bank Holiday weekend with 50% off tickets to Battersea Park in Concert, the much-loved open-air music series returning to the park for three nights. Catch Pop Symphonic on Saturday 29 August, with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra reimagining hits from Beyoncé, ABBA, Britney Spears and Elton John, plus a pre-show DJ set from Guilty Pleasures. On Sunday 30 August, Movies & Musicals brings together the orchestra and West End stars for songs from Grease, Hamilton, The Greatest Showman and Les Misérables, ending with fireworks, before Ronnie Scott's Jazz Orchestra closes the weekend on Monday 31 August with a special performance from The Amy Winehouse Band, alongside Ineza, Jazz Dynamos and Toby Lee. Tickets are just £25, usually £50, with street food and space to bring your own picnic and bubbly.

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Seasoned London festival-goers have been singing the praises of Rally since it debuted in 2023, thanks to its boutique size, community feel and carefully curated line-ups. The 10,000-capacity Southwark Park festival returns for its fourth edition in 2026, with a programme curated by Blood Orange. Dev Hynes – the musician behind Blood Orange – will headline the festival and has personally selected the rest of the line-up.

Joining him are Daniel Avery performing with a full band, electrpop artist james K and legendary Glasgow DJ duo Optimo (Espacio). Rally will also host the first-ever UK performance from Jump Source, the collaboration between Montréal producers Priori and Patrick Holland, alongside sets from GENA, Parris, Roman Flügel, Norwegian duo Smerz and US experimental rock outfit YHWH Nailgun.

It’s finally happened: human civilization has finally lasted long enough that there is a second British production of Cats. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s blockbuster adaptation of TS Eliot’s whimsical book of feline kids’ poetry was the quintessential musical of the ’80s, and now it’s back in a new version directed and chreographed by OAT boss Drew McOnie.

He’s a slick, commercial director with something of a dance focus, but he’s unlikely to do a Jamie Lloyd-style deconstruction of it, but any new take will probably feel inherently radical purely by dint of trying something different in any way.

Edinburgh isn’t the only place with a bursting, brilliant fringe, and indeed as the Scottish capital’s iconic annual event becomes ever more expensive, the once scrappy outsider Camden Fringe looks ever more like a serious alternative for the London-based. Returning for its nineteeth edition, it’s smaller than Edinburgh by a long shot, but still boasts hundreds of events all over Camden, taking in everything from the expected stand-up sets and experimental theatre to kids’ shows, dance, and even magic.

Runs tend to be quite short, and prices are bargain basement by London standards, with most shows less than a tenner. Check out its website for all the details on the programme, as there’s far too much to gather here.

When American wrestling promotion AEW rocked up at Wembley Stadium in 2023 they managed to basically sell the place out, which is pretty impressive for what is essentially a weird, niche pseudo sport. However, ask anyone that did go, and they will tell you it’s a fantastic bloody time and if you’re a fan of cheering, beer, larger-than-life characters and jaw-dropping feats of athleticism you should definitely turn up for this year’s instalment. True fans will be ecstatic to see high-flying Essex export Will Ospreay headline the card, but there’s also more than enough hard-hitting, spectacular action to enthral casuals.

Battersea Power Station already has an indoor chimney lift experience, a huge food court, a lovely cinema and more high street faves than you can hope to get round in a weekend-long shopping spree. Now it’s adding a free summer funfair to its entertainment offering. An entire seaside town’s worth of things crammed onto a Thames-side patch of concrete. Electric Summer is popping up in Power Station Park for the duration of August. 

The centrepiece is a full roller rink with sessions ranging from wobbly first-timers to Thursday date nights and Saturday silent discos. And you’ll also find pétanque courts, a big wheel with skyline views, dodgems, a wave swinger and boardwalk games including Lobster Pot and Blockbuster. We aren’t too sure what either involves, but we’re very intrigued.

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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Having outgrown its first home in Hackney Wick, London’s queer nightlife festival Body Movements levelled up in 2024 making a dazzling debut in Southwark Park with five stages showcasing the great and good of the LGBTQ+ party scene in the capital and beyond. We’re thrilled that London’s queer nightlife legends will once again come together in the same location for its 2026 edition, on the Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. 

This year, the five stages of Body Movements (Mother, The Strap, Snatch, Hot Mess, and Glory Hole) will be helmed by DJs including Babymorocco, Blasha & Allatt, FAFF, Roza Terenzi, Marie Malarie and GIDEÖN as well as collectives like Dalston Superstore, Daytimers, Fèmmme Fraîche and Queer House Party. Wear your dancing shoes.

Clint Dyer may no longer be National Theatre deputy artistic director, but he remains front and centre of its 2026 programming as he helms a widescreen Olivier Theatre UK premiere of Tracey Scott Wilson’s 2003 play. Based on a series of real-life stories, it follows four journalists as they frantical scrabble to land the story of a white teacher murdered in a Black neighbourhood. Letitia Wright of Black Panther fame is the big name in the cast – other members include Ashley Thomas, Lorraine Toussaint and Wilf Scolding.

After making a spectacular debut last summer with headliners Charli xcx, Jamie xx and Massive Attack, Lido festival 2026 is a slightly more modest event in 2026. Originally scheduled for early June, ground conditions in Victoria Park meant that dates with CMAT and Bombay Bicycle Club unfortunately had to be cancelled. But all was not lost! Maribou State’s headline gig may have been postponed by two months, but it looks to be worth the wait. The electronic duo will be supported by a line-up of dance music legends including Kelis, Folamour, Marie Davidson, Theo Parrish b2b Moodymann, DJ Koze and Kelly Lee Owens.

RECOMMENDED: More great London festivals this summer

If you're after an exhibition that will stay with you long after you've left, the World Press Photo Exhibition is well worth a visit this August. Returning to Bermondsey's MPB Gallery from 21 August, it brings together the most powerful images from the 2026 World Press Photo Contest. Some are beautiful, some are deeply harrowing, but all offer an unflinching look at the moments, people and stories that shaped the past year. It's a chance to slow down, reflect, and experience the world through the lens of exceptional photojournalists.

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Another year, another spectacular line-up of classical music. This year, the orchestral extravaganza that is the BBC Proms will feature 86 concerts across eight weeks, with over 3,000 artists taking to the stage, with the majority of the action taking place inside the grand surroundings of London’s Royal Albert Hall.  

This month offers Londoners the chance to hear visiting ensembles from all over the world including New York’s Juilliard School Orchestra, the LA Philharmonic and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, plus loads of homegrown ensembles. Highlights of August’s programming include Mahler’s First Symphony, Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto and a few different all-American programmes to mark the 250th anniversary of US Independence, plus evenings dedicated to the music of Marvin Gaye and Miles Davis for those after something a little more contemporary.

Sure, London has got plenty of lidos, the Hamsptead ponds and the River Lea (AKA costa del Hackney), but sometimes a small body of water just doesn’t cut it. Sometimes, what you need is to feel buffeted by the strong coastal wind, smell the sea salt and hear the squawking of seagulls. So isn’t it great that London is surrounded by quaint and picturesque seaside towns, and many can be reached within an hour or two. From the up-and-coming St Leonards, to old faithful’s like Brighton and Margate, escape the heat at one of these gorgeous beach-side spots. 

RECOMMENDED: The best beaches near London

A big coup for Hampstead Theatre here, as it bags the UK premiere of the wildly acclaimed US indie musical Kimberley Akimbo. Created by composer Jeanine Tesori and writer David Lindsay-Abaire, it’s an all-singing adaptation of Adams’s relatively obscure 2000 play of the same name, which follows the eponymous heroine, a 16-year-old girl afflicted by a disease that makes her age four times faster than usual, giving her the appearance of an elderly woman while essentially being a teen.

And apparently it’s wonderful! It bagged multiple wins at the 2023 Tony Awards, including Best New Musical, and ran for a year-and-a-half on Broadway. Now it’s headed over here in a brand new production from Michael Longhurst, who did such a bang up job at the same address a few years back with Tesori’s Caroline, or Change.

There are few more striking spots to catch a movie than the iconic surrounds of the Barbican Sculpture Court. As usual, the City of London’s temple of the arts has an inventively curated line-up in store for the final week of August. On the year’s line-up is a kaleidoscopic array of films and filmmaking styles, ranging from Spike Lee concert docs to Denis Villeneuve science fiction, via the French New Wave and the best of Iranian cinema. Standard tickets are £20 (£18 concessions and £10 for under-18s) and there’s street food to feast on while you sit back, relax and enjoy the show.

Nothing says summer quite like the towering stalks and glowing yellow petals of the noble sunflower. Get neck-deep in heliotropic heaven at these golden fields full of custard-yellow blooms, which are at their peak from August to September.

Soho’s bars have serious pedigree, so it’s only right the neighbourhood has a festival to match. Taking over The Vinyl Factory for two days in August, Soho Spirits Festival is bringing together more than 60 drinks brands for a weekend of tastings, masterclasses and special pours in the heart of the West End. Your ticket includes hundreds of spirits to sample, a welcome cocktail, a complimentary food dish and access to expert talks, making it a great shout whether you're looking to expand your drinks knowledge or simply enjoy an afternoon sipping your way through Soho.

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You’ve probably heard of All Points East, the  London music festival taking over Victoria Park for its eighth installment this August, with headliners including Jorja Smith, Lorde and Tyler, The Creator. As well as hosting gigs with a whole bunch of international megastars, it’s bringing back its community festival In The Neighbourhood in collaboration with Tower Hamlets Council. Taking place in the middle of the festival’s two weekends, it features loads of free family entertainment, from kids’ sports classes to performances from local theatre groups, free bike maintenance, and DJs spinning tunes come the evening. Find out more on the All Points East website.

Can you believe we’re somehow on the fifth instalment of beloved movie series Toy Story? Well, if you’re a superfan (or a clued up kid) you'll probably already be well on top of this development. So take your love of Woody, Buzz and the gang to the next level with a trip to this free pop-up called Bonnie’s Playtime at Westfield. Bonnie can t remember where she's hidden her toys, and kids are invited to track them down, on a fun digital rescue mission. Head to The Disney Store and you'll also find Toy Story 5-themed area The Ranch, with crafts and products to sample and play. 

London’s spectacular free Greenwich + Docklands International Festival is back for 2026, taking place over three weeks at the end of the summer as the skies darken and its huge outdoor shows look particularly impressive at night. 

Celebrating its 31st edition in 2026, the festival will kick off with 360 (Aug 21, General Gordon Square, Woolwich), a huge outdoor electronic dance work. This is followed by the return of the beloved Greenwich Fair (Aug 23 and 24), which combines family friendly games and activities throughout Greenwich with spectacular acrobatic works, largely in Greenwich Park.

Meet My By the Fountain (Romford Market, Aug 28 and 29) will be a stunning son-et-luminaire bringing Romford’s ‘lost’ Liberty Fountain back to life, and in probably the most ‘wow’ show of the festival Argentina’s Efectos Especiales (pictured, Aug 29 and 30, Greenwich Peninsula) will seek to thrust you into an actual action movie.

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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Tucked inside the five-star Andaz London Liverpool Street by Hyatt, the Oak Room is one of London’s most intimate and atmospheric hidden spaces. Between May and October, award-winning magician Tony ‘Sonic’ Middleton invites audiences to a series of exclusive drawing room performances, exploring sleight of hand, mind-reading and feats that seem impossible.

With 12 years of The Magic Hour under his belt, Middleton is a master of close-up and parlour magic — and this new show promises something darker, more secretive and utterly spellbinding. It’s a rare chance to experience magic up close in one of the city’s most elusive and atmospheric venues. 

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Things are getting tropical in Croydon. The rooftop of Centrale’s multi-storey car park has been filled with sand, beach huts and a water splash zone to create London’s latest summer hangout. There’s more than sunbathing on offer, though. While the day time will be family-focused, this year the south London spot has launched a new ‘Beach Club’ series on Thursday evenings in August for adults-only. Each week will feature a different theme, from garage DJ nights, drag-hosted lip sync battles and pre-carnival dancehall acts to sip & paint sessions and music bingo, with all the line-ups celebrating South London talent. There’ll also be slap-up street food and drinks. 

Dance-theatre choreographer superstar Matthew Bourne brings back his critically acclaimed The Car Man to London for the first time since 2022. Based loosely on Bizet's opera ‘Carmen’ (see what he did there?), The Car Man is set in a garage-diner in ‘60s America, where small town passions are shattered by the arrival of a handsome stranger. Bourne’s shows – all danced by New Adventures – are usually frolicking, brightly coloured spectacles which popularise old classics for the modern generation.

Even the most sensitive of children tend to derive a certain amount of pleasure from watching things explode. And in that respect this live spin off of the defunct Sky children’s show Brainiac: Science Abuse delivers.

It starts with a caravan being detonated and ends with the destruction of a microwave: in between various gas-filled balloons are exploded, one of the enthusiastic young presenters gets strapped to a rocket propelled office chair, and several of them learn the hard way how an electrified fence works.

If you struggle to get your tweenager to get on with their science homework, this might help to convince them that learning the periodic table might actually prove to be worth their while. 

Beer gardens are one of the best things about London. There’s no finer way to spend a sunny (or even not-so-sunny) afternoon in the capital, than supping on a couple of cold boys under the city’s azure-ish sky. If you’re looking to sink some pints in the breezy great outdoors, we’ve got you covered with our tried-and-tested list of the city’s best beer gardens.

You don’t have to venture all the way up to Edinburgh for a cracking dose of comedy in August. The Roundhouse has been hosting its comedy fest since 2023 and every year curates a line-up full of the biggest stars on the circuit, plus live podcasts, funny theatre and interactive shows. Across 18 days this year, you can expect gigs from the likes of Joe Lycett, Ed Gamble, Katherine Ryan, Sam Campbell, Ed Gamble, Sara Pascoe and Vittorio Angelone. 

Plus, cult US comedy streaming platform Dropout will bring live editions of its hit shows Dirty Laundry, Um, Actually and Crowd Control to the venue, Bad Boys writer Jack Rooke will be revisiting his first theatre show, and Adam Buxton and Alexei Sayle will host live recordings of their podcasts. And if you’re under 30, you can get your hands on tickets for just five quid.