August events in London
Prepare yourself for a spectacular month with our selection of the best events, exhibitions and things to do in London during August 2019
August in London is teeming with fantastic events, cultural happenings and things to do. Take advantage of the sunny weather (fingers crossed) by heading out into London’s great outdoors, eating alfresco at one of London's best rooftop restaurants and sinking a cocktail or two at one of these bars with a view. Don’t forget to hit up Europe’s biggest street party Notting Hill Carnival or bag a seat at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. August in London is also the month of the summer bank holiday, Meltdown Festival - curated by Nile Rodgers this year - South West Four Festival, Cocktails in the City, London Craft Beer Festival, 51st State Festival and Buckingham Palace’s Summer Opening. Here’s your guide to the best pop-ups, parties, events and things to do in August in London 2019.
RECOMMENDED: The definitive London events calendar
Our August 2019 highlights
Notting Hill Carnival guide
Given that an estimated two million people attended last year, Notting Hill Carnival totally deserves its reputation as Europe’s biggest street festival. The annual event is a vivid and thrilling spectacle that celebrates and showcases London’s rich, varied and magnificent multicultural past and present.
Outdoor cinema in London
On a balmy London evening, nothing beats watching a movie under the stars. Whether you want to shriek-along to ‘The Shining’ in a graveyard or catch a romcom in a gorgeous Royal Park or palace, add these events to your fair-weather bucket list.
Summer holidays in London
Six weeks is a long time to keep anyone entertained, let alone your toughest critics. Don't panic though, we've got this year's school summer holidays totally sorted.
The BBC Proms
Move over, Glastonbury: the world’s biggest music festival is coming to town. The BBC Proms 2018 takes place at the Royal Albert Hall, which has hosted the series of classical concerts since 1941 and every year you can expect to see the world’s greatest orchestras and classical performers come to London. Get it in your diary.
Chihuly Nights
The stunning glass sculptures of Dale Chihuly (the man behind the giant chandelier in the V&A’s entrance hall) have been exploding out of Kew Gardens’ glorious foliage since April. Now see them sparkle as they’re lit-up after dark at these special lates.
Matthew Bourne’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’
Romeo, where art thou Romeo? Well, the traditional Shakespeare play you know and love so well, has been given the Matthew Bourne treatment. Prokofiev’s iconic ballet is a reinvented classic.
‘Tales of the Turntable’
This joyful hip hop show for kids is guaranteed to make you come out humming too. Watch along and learn about the decade-hopping dance masterclass covering all styles from vogueing arms to classy breaking and krumping.
Pick your own fruit and veg
Spend a day out on a pick-your-own farm in (or near) London this back holiday weekend. Whether you want to pluck summer-ripe berries, leafy greens and root veg or gather autumnal apples, pumpkins and squashes, these farms all have acres of PYO fields to keep you busy. Strawberries are getting harder to find, but there’s still plenty of apples and blackberries to fill your punnet. Remember, always call your chosen farm ahead of your visit to check what’s ripe for picking.
The Spitalfields Journey
An evening tour of east London’s Bevis Marks Synagogue and Dennis Severs’ house. Go snoop around a Huguenot home by candlelight.
Victorian Vauxhall
Go back in time at Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens and join the Victorian vibes on the green. This free day out will feature all the fun and games commonly found back in the nineteenth century. Expect tightrope, stilt-walkers and Victorian strongmen.
The Monster
What’s that coming over the hill? Is it The Monster? Is it The Monster? By monster, we mean a giant inflatable obstacle course for adults. Now’s your chance to zoom down an 18-metre mega slide.
Shake it Up! A Shakespeare Festival for Shoreditch
A slightly bonkers series of events in Shoreditch dedicated to William Shakespeare. Go see a group of people doing the downward dog in ruff collars.
Classic Football Shirts
This Manchester-based shop now has a temporary pop-up in London. It’s thought to be the largest collection of original football shirts in the world. After a Newcastle ’88-’90 away by Umbro? You’ll probs find it here.
Hackney Flea Market
Want your flat to look like a spread from a 1970s interior design magazine? You’ll feel right at home at this flea where eclectic taste is key. If you’re on the lookout for costume jewellery, vintage fabrics, salvaged furniture, old maps and more.
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Exhibition
Enter the world of Thra at this special exhibition. See set pieces from the series (like the Skeksis banquet) and meet the puppets modelled on Jim Hensons’s original creations.
The Barking Stink: A Scented Heritage Exhibition
Small ya later Barking! Get to know east London’s industrial past through the power of small. Sewage, fish and the scent of a fizzy pop factory will all be on display for you to take a whiff at.
‘The Moon’
Room after gorgeous room looking at the big ball of cheese in the sky. Space is endlessly fascinating, and this makes the moon feel tantalisingly close.
‘Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear – The Musical!’
A new kids' musical based on a bestselling book series. It's wonderfully, adorably messed up in a warped world. Expect singalongs that summon the hard-knocks world of ‘Oliver!’ or ‘Les Misérables’.
Top ten things to do this August bank holiday
Make the most out of the last – and longest – weekend in August. You’ve gained a day off work, so make it count.
‘Barber Shop Chronicles’
Chop, chop. Head to Inua Ellam’s celebration of African barbershops back for one last run. Don’t miss the banging pre-show.
‘Kiss My Genders’
Learn about fifty-years worth of radical art focusing on gender identity. This is what happens when art can knock bigotry down a few pegs. It's fun, salacious and it might just be making the world a bit of a better place.
‘Dog Show’
Contem-paw-ary art chosen by cultured canines. Hounds down, this show is the shih-tzu and it’ll make you want to raise a glass to the world’s best bitches.
Serpentine Pavilion 2019
This year’s Serpentine Pavilion, designed by Junya Ishigami, is a cool, calming haven bang in the middle of Hyde Park. Made from 61 tonnes of slate and 106 steel columns, Ishigami’s creation is a massive sweeping roof and definitely worth a look.
Helene Schjerfbeck
A crash course intro to one of Finland’s most famous painters. The gloriously ghoulish late self-portraits prove that the best can come last.
Jamian Juliano-Villani
Ludicrous, stupid, over-the-top paintings of weird stuff. Oh, and a dildo machine. It's as good as it is dumb, and it's seriously dumb.
Alternative ways to spend the August bank holiday
It’s here – that final gasp of the season: the August bank holiday. There are bucketloads of offbeat ways to spend your three days of freedom and make those 72 hours count with our alt August bank holiday guide.
Cindy Sherman
Self-portraits through the ages by a serious contemporary giant. This is angry, cynical art, and it's pretty damn great.
Wong Ping: ‘Heart Digger’
Violent, crude, but brilliantly written animated videos. It's a nasty, nasty show, but that's why it's so good.
Lee Krasner: ‘Living Colour’
The wild artist brings colour to her dazzling life. They're works of pain and heartbreak: awful, heart-wrenching and brilliant paintings. See Lee Krasner in full flight.
‘Evita’
This is ‘Evita’ 2.0, a swaggering reboot of the Andrew Lloyd Webber classic. It’s got a confetti cannon that brings plenty of fun and it’s not afraid to use it.
‘New Order: Art, Product, Image 1976 – 1995’
British art for British times: it’s all about culture in the era of New Order. You’ve seen most of it before, but hits are still hits and with good reason.
Frank Bowling
Get an eyeful of Frank Bowling's unique style fusing abstraction with elements of figurative art at this much-deserved major exhibition. Don't miss the opportunity to see these gorgeously-coloured artworks in all their glory.
‘On Your Feet!’
Catch this biographical jukebox musical tracing the life and times of Gloria and Emilio Estefan. Having already enjoyed a two-year-stint on Broadway, this is a night of uplifting Latino-pop and kinetic choreography.
Faith Ringgold
Pioneering artist-activist Ringgold combines storytelling and painting to stitch together narratives about black American history and the fight for equal rights. This is art for changing society, and it’s a pretty worthwhile cause.
Natalia Goncharova
In her lifetime, Russian artist Natalia Goncharova helped found avant garde modern art movements, worked with Sergei Diaghilev at the Ballet Russes and much, much more. This exhibition is overdue and should help to resurrect her reputation as a major artist you should know about.
Olafur Eliasson: ‘In Real Life’
Awe-inspiring installations based on nature, light and the elements. It’ll scare you, elate you and make you recycle. It’s epic environmentalism at its finest and it is sublime.
Jeff Wall
Perfectly staged photographs with all the complexity of a movie. There are countless stories to get lost in here.
Michael Rakowitz
See complex, politically minded art by Iraqi-American artist Michael Rakowitz. This show is full of complicated ideas, histories and perspectives.
‘Magic Mike Live’
Don't miss this spin-off from the beloved stripper comedy that made Tatum a household name, which is co-directed by the man himself (alongside choreographer Alison Faulk). It's billed as ‘a 360-degree dance and acrobatic spectacular’, which we're guessing means ‘stripping’.
Olafur Eliasson
Eliasson is back at the Tate Modern (following his famous Turbine Hall installation in 2003) with a big exhibition and an outside artwork. He's even taking over the Terrace Bar, turning it into a vegetarian canteen.
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