London events in May

The Met Office will try and tell you that summer begins on June 21, but we know the truth. Summer really begins with that first May Bank Holiday, a time when we all silently agree to kiss goodbye to our sleeves and ditch our coats at the first whisper of sunshine. Consider these three days off work your chance to reacquaint yourself with summer in the city with our guide to the best events and things to do across London. 

Since the thirteenth century, artists from Caravaggio and Botticelli to Antony Gormley and Andrea Büttner have found inspiration in the figure of St Francis, a religious icon adored for his spiritual radicalism and commitment to the poor. Expect mediaeval relics, renaissance masterpieces and, erm, Marvel comics.

Prepare to feel very old. It’s been 50 years since David Bowie released the iconic 1973 album ‘Aladdin Sane’. To celebrate the cultural landmark, Southbank Centre is hosting a two-month-long exhibition exploring how it was created along with special gigs and events. 

The ‘Aladdin Sane: 50 Years’ exhibition will run over two months exploring the album’s famous artwork by Brian Duffy and the cultural context in which it was created. On top of that, the season will also feature a live rendition of Aladdin Sane performed by Anna Calvi, Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears, Roxanne Tataei, Tawiah, Lynks and the Nu Civilisation Orchestra, plus club nights from Queer House Party and Queer Bruk, and talks from Paul Burston, Geoffrey Marsh, Victoria Broackes and Chris Duffy. 

Imagine a cross between ‘Annie’, ‘Les Miserables’, and one of those elaborate gymnastic-based spectacles staged by communist countries and you’re halfway there to imaging Disney’s cult classic musical ‘Newsies’ about striking that has finally hit the UK. The Troubadour Theatre’s high-octane production captures all its vigorous spirit, sending its huge cast of plucky, rebellious paperboys tumbling and leaping across its mammoth stage as they stand up to the big bosses who are determined to grind them down.

Get tickets to Disney's Newsies from just £16.50 only through Time Out Offers. 

The Globe’s fourth in-house production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ in ten years is also the second to star Michelle Terry: for 2013’s mud-spattered affair the then fulltime actor starred in the traditional duel role of Hippolyta/Titania; in 2023 the now Globe artistic director will play capricious spirit Puck.

Chef Tong, who helped earn Mayfair Chinese spot Hakkasan its Michelin star is back on the London food scene cooking up elevated and refined dishes using techniques and ingredients from across China at Gouqi. Try the Angus tenderloin beef with black pepper sauce, sautéed crystal jumbo prawns with yellow chive in XO sauce, or clay pot silken egg tofu with wild mushroom and vegetable for yourself with this eqclusive deal letting you enjoy top-tier dining for just £45 per person.

Three courses and a drink at Gouqi by Tong Chee Hwee for £45 through Time Out Offers. 

Royal W8 pile Kensington Palace has been closed all winter while careful preparations have been underway for its latest blockbuster exhibition. ‘Crown to Couture’ is billed as an immersive journey through the dresses and clothes of the Georgian era and an exploration of how these 200-year-old garments have inspired iconic red-carpet looks today.

Everyone from Charles II to Lizzo and Lady Gaga are featured through the 200 objects on show. Historic items include the Rockingham Mantua, a bombastic court dress from Historic Royal Palaces’ Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection, the Silver Tissue Gown worn at Charles II’s court, Lady Gaga’s luminous green MTV Awards dress and Lizzo’s Thom Browne dress from the 2022 Met Gala. The opulent palace rooms have been transformed into a catwalk by Alexander McQueen’s production designer Joseph Bennett, so you can expect something royally special.

Dining with a conscience is easy at Edit, which has a hyper-seasonal, low-impact approach to plant-based British dining. Try three delicious courses from the menu, washed down with a glass of low-intervention, locally-sourced wine (or homemade seasonal lemonade) for the ultimate introduction to the fine ingredients sourced from small-scale farms, foragers and independent producers.

Three courses and a glass of wine at EDIT for £25 only through Time Out Offers. 

Presented by Michelin-starred chef and longtime ‘Great British Menu’ judge Tom Kerridge, Pub in the Park is a touring food and music festival that aims to bring a convivial public house atmosphere to the great outdoors with loads of delicious pub grub and equally enticing live performances. It calls in at three different London locations across the summer. The one to watch out for this month is Wimbledon from 12-14 May. 

Psycle’s boutique fitness centre in Notting Hill is renowned for its high-intensity Ride workouts, which combine resistance and speed to increase cardiovascular endurance and muscular strength. Plus, it hosts sculpting Barre classes, where you’ll workout to music, using weighted balls and resistance bands to tone your figure. Want a taste without the full commitment? Try four classes of your choosing and get started with your fitness journey. 

Four Ride or Barre classes for £28 at Psycle Notting Hill only through Time Out offers.

The theatre version of ‘Brokeback Mountain’ is intriguing, to say the least, mixing US and Brit talent in somewhat unexpected ways. This stage adaptation is the debut play by American actor Ashley Robinson, and features rising US stars Mike Faist and Lucas Hedges as Jack and Ennis, two emotionally stunted Wyoming farmhands who have a fling in the early ’60s that impacts the rest of their lives…

Park Row is an American-style brasserie focused on top-tier dining and storytelling, transporting you from London to the world of DC comics and Gotham city. The theme is carefully interwoven into a Grade II listed Art-Deco venue, with subtle nods to its inspiration. While you’re here, you can tuck into pulled pork tacos, hefty burgers, chocolate choux and dishes like ‘The Joker’s Grin’ gnocchi. Try three courses for yourself, with a cocktail of your choice. Now for just £25. 

Three courses and a cocktail for £25 at DC Comics-inspired Park Row only through Time Out Offers. 

Sam Mendes directs Jack Thorne’s dramatisation of the complicated relationship between Richard Burton and John Gielgud. Johnny Flynn stars as Burton, with Mark Gatiss as Gielgud and Tuppence Middleton as Elizabeth Taylor. 

Summer has finally arrived, which means its time to get tropical. Cottons – the much-loved Caribbean restaurant with rum shacks in Camden, Vauxhall, Notting Hill and Shoreditch – is hosting a Tropical Bottomless Brunch series in its Shoreditch joint. The party kicks off with 60 minutes of signature Cottons bottomless rum cocktails and moreish chicken and waffles to soak up the rum all set to a reggae soundtrack. Right now you can get your fill for just £25.

Bottomless cocktails and waffles at Cottons Shoreditch for £25 only through Time Out Offers. 

The great Lenny Henry stars in his own one-man show – his debut as a playwright! – about charming a West Bromwich fruit seller August Henderson, who faces deportation to Jamaica after getting ensnared in the burning injustice of the Windrush scandal. Bush boss Lynette Linton and associate artistic director Daniel Bailey co-direct.

The puppet domination of the West End continues apace with the arrival of this official ‘Spitting Image’ musical, which enjoyed a successful run at the Birmingham Rep earlier this year.