When the days are longer, the breeze is flowing through your hair and you've got an iced coffee in hand, all you need to cap it off is somewhere amazing to go. And that's where we come in! Satisfy your curiosity with our list of ten arts and culture highlights of London this summer.
Summer means days at the beach, right? Head to The Albany in Deptford for the UK premiere of
‘Sun & Sea’ and watch from up high as events unfold on an indoor beach. What might seem an ordinary beachbum’s delight at first will deliver a powerful warning about climate change.
The Albany. Jun 23-Jul 10. £17.
As well as the welcome return of Pride in London, there’s a host of rainbow-hued events to commemorate 50 years since UK Pride first took place. The British Museum’s dive into queer histories behind items in its collection (which also has audio commentary) has especially rich pickings.
British Museum. Free.
A must-see show is ‘Africa Fashion’ at the V&A, which runs the gamut from classic mid-twentieth-century design to the contemporary, exploring the dynamism and global style impact of the continent.
Victoria & Albert Museum. From Jul 2. £16.
Don your most colourful garms and you’ll fit right in at this dizzying transformation of the Somerset House courtyard. All summer, there’ll be a ferris wheel, vogueing, day-and-night performances, music, dance, talks and workshops.
Somerset House. Aug 1-29. Free-£22.50.
Head south for this free festival filled with treats for all the senses: the giant vertical zoetrope of skeletons as a Wheel of Charon in Canning Town caught our eye. For
maximum prismatic fun, make tracks to the ‘Island of Foam’ on Greenwich Peninsula.
Various locations. Aug 26-Sep 11. Free.
Happy 150th birthday to the Royal Albert Hall, which will once more be hosting the world’s greatest orchestras. This year will see new additions, including a whole concert dedicated to soundtracks from famous video games (August 1).
Royal Albert Hall. Jul 15-Sep 10. Free.
Sink into a deckchair, sup an Aperol Spritz and enjoy films in the clouds. Not only are there some fine views to be had off-screen, the line-up has Americana old and new from ‘True Romance’ to ‘Elvis’.
Bussey Building and Roof East. Dates vary. From £16.95.
No summer is complete without a seagull trying to steal your ice cream. Thankfully, ths is the Jamie Lloyd production of Chekhov’s finest drama, which has Daenerys Targaryen, aka Emilia Clarke, making her West End debut as Nina. Interval snacks are guranteed safe from avian intervention.
Harold Pinter Theatre. Jun 29-Sep 10. From £15.
Get your big myth and sci-fi pants on and saddle up for this group exhibition of 11 contemporary artists from the African diaspora. Explore afrofuturism and spiritual traditions through painting, sculpture, photography and film from artists including Hew Locke and Kara Walker.
Hayward Gallery. Jun 29-Sep 18. £13.50.
With her exhibition, artist Lydia Blakeley brings us that summer essential – the sunlounger – albeit in painted sculptural form.
Southwark Park Galleries. Jul 10-Sep 4. Free.
Dr Christine Checinska
Co-curator of Africa Fashion at the V&A
‘This summer it is essential to experience Theaster Gates’s Black Chapel, the 2022 Serpentine Pavilion. It is a breathtaking structure realised in partnership with Adjaye Associates and is inspired by traditional kilns found in Stoke-on-Trent and the Western United States, alongside architectural structures found across
the African continent.’
Summer in London is, of course, as fleeting as it is potent. Before you can say ‘Is it too early for a second 99 Flake?’ it’s over. So you’ll want to take full advantage of every sweet moment of tipsy, sun-kissed bliss, or risk missing out. Thankfully, we’ve teamed up with mobility super app FREE NOW to create the definitive guide to the sunny season. Food, sport and something called ‘The Black Chapel’, it’s all here. Get stuck in.
