London events in July 2026

As soon as June hits, London is packed with parades, parties and protests for Pride Month to mark the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots. The London Pride parade is traditionally the focus of festivities, but there are plenty of other LGBTQ+ events taking place both before and after it. Over a million people take to the streets of London for the celebration each summer, with this year’s event scheduled for Saturday July 5.

Recommended: Everything you need to know about the London Pride parade 2025.

BST will be back again next summer, bringing some of the world’s biggest pop stars to Hyde Park for its 13th edition. Already announced as headliners for 2026 are Maroon 5, Lewis Capaldi, Pit Bull, Kesha and Garth Brooks, with more to be confirmed. Taking place across weekends in June and July, Hyde Park will host an upmarket festival vibe complete with food, drink and a posh VIP area.

For years, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s blockbuster adaptation of TS Eliot’s cat poems has been a byword for ’80s musical theatre kitsch, famous for feline perfomers in glam make-up and legwarmers. And the truly terrible movie adaptation didn't help. But now, it's getting a brand new staging as the Open Air Theatre's 2026 summer musical. It’ll be directed and choreographed by OAT boss Drew McOnie, who'll be tasked with making this banger-filled but resolutely weird show sing 
(or caterwaul) for modern-day audiences.

As a rising star of the avant garde art scene in ’80s New York, there’s no knowing what brilliant work Cuban-American artist Ana Mendieta might still be producing if her career hadn’t been cut tragically short, but it’s doubly unfortunate that the work she did produce is often obscured by conversations about the murder trial that ensued after she allegedly fell to her death from Manhattan apartment she shared with her husband, modernist sculptor Carl Andre, aged just 36.

Great news, then, that the Tate Modern is putting the art front and centre this summer, in the largest UK exhibition of Ana Mendieta’s work to date, featuring many pieces never exhibited in this country before. Delving into the Havana-born, Iowa-raised artist’s groundbreaking practice spanning performance, photography and video art, it will explore Mendieta’s deep affinity with the natural world, while making the case that she deserves to be remembered as one of the most important artists of the 20th century. 

In the sweltering city heat, few things are more inviting than the prospect of plunging into one of London's finest al fresco swimming pools. And everyone knows it. The capital has well and truly caught the open-air bathing bug over the last few years, but that also means that on the hottest days of the year, you’ll need to book well in advance if you want to secure a poolside spot. The good news is that there’s a bounty of places for getting your outdoor swim fix in the city. Heated or unheated, regimented lanes or wide open water, serious fitness or chilled family fun – these are all of London’s best lidos and outdoor swimming pools for whatever floats your boat.

Once again, London’s most ravey festival will take over Boston Manor Park with some of the biggest names in techno and house. Celebrating its 10th birthday this year, Junction 2 will span a mega two weekends with an absolutley stacked line-up featuring the godmothers and godfathers of electronic music alongside exciting contemporary talent. DJs announced for 2026 include Nina Kraviz, Adam Beyer, Franky Wah, Jeff Mills, Francesco del Garda, Gabrielle Kwarteng b2b Peach, I Hate Models, Miss Monique, Nicolas Lutz.  

Shakespeare's Globe loves a good family summer show, and this year, the team behind previous outings Rough Magic and Midsummer Mechanicals has written a completely new story that's not based on one of the bard's works. Rather, it follows Cass, a young boy whose childhood has been filled with adventures inspired by his grandmother’s love of Shakespeare. But he’s losing interest – can he find it again? Directed by Lucy Cuthertson, it’s aimed at ages five plus.

The Old Royal Naval College is normally a tranquil, historic spot bordered by the peaceful Thames. But it's getting a little bit noisier this July, thanks to promoter Labryinth – which will bring electronic artists from across the world to take over the historic digs for six days of unmissable performances. Headliners for 2026 include The Kooks, Dom Dolla, Peggy Gou, Prospa, Kelly Lee Owens, MPH; Overmono, Erika de Casier and Nick Leon b2b Verraco, Adriatique, Anjunadeep, Moby and Michael Bibi. 

Nothing sums up the best of London’s balmy, thriving summers quite like the noble sunflower. The clue’s in the name, after all: during the part of the year where we’re blessed with the most of those sweet, sweet rays, that’s when we see the most of these golden, spindly, great-vibe giants. There are plenty of dazzling pick-your-own sunflower fields within very easy reach of London. Before you head off on a sunny adventure, make sure to check in with these sites in advance to be sure of fresh crops and full blooms – Mother Nature is an unruly and unpredictable force.

Dulwich Picture Gallery's big summer exhibition will be an intriguing contrast with the pastoral landscapes found in its permanent collection. Portrait of a City is all about American urban life, as documented by photographers between 1907 and 2012. It'll offer a fascinating insight into how big cities including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco grew from low-rise communities into towering assemblages of skyscrapers and multi-lane traffic. Photos from big names including Diane Arbus, Lewis Hine and Dorothea Lange will chart the faces and sights of cities in flux.

This is a fun one: Death Note the Musical is an adaptation of the hit manga that tells the story of one Light Yagami, a brilliant student who is given a notebook by a capricious magical being. The book has one very specific function: anyone whose name is written in it will die within 40 seconds. It’s not your everyday story, that's for sure, but that goes for a lot of musicals, and you can actually kind of see it working. It's had various Asian productions over the last decade, but this new one from director Stephen Whitson is easily its biggest Western outing to date.

It may be known for its sleepy scent and soothing properties, but there’s nothing dozy about the explosion of colour that happens around London’s lavender fields each summer. There are several farms dedicated to the mauve blooms just outside the capital, in Kent, Surrey and Hertfordshire. Immerse yourself in a purple haze this summer by visiting one of London’s fragrant lavender gardens, or head out of town on a day trip to find sweeping fields of the stuff.