The best things to do on early May bank holiday in London

Denise Gough’s astounding performance in Duncan Macmillan’s addiction drama won her an Olivier Award for Best Actress when it transferred from the National Theatre to the West End back in 2016. Seven years after last touring the play, the critics’ favourite reprises her role as chronically unreliable drug-addled actress Emma in this 14-week West End run opening over the bank holiday weekend, with director Jeremy Herrin also returning. Expect a masterclass in nuance and subtlety from Gough, in what is arguably the best stage performance since Mark Rylance in ‘Jerusalem’.

Is it warm enough to swim outdoors yet? Well, kinda? The end of May marks the crossover between the period where only the truly hardcore swim outside, and the period where hobbyists in impractical swimwear flood London's watering holes. It's the perfect time to test your nerve, before the crowds descend.

From swanky skyscrapers to casual warehouse hangouts and hidden pub terraces, London has a real crush on a rooftop bar. To enjoy a heatwave high, we are blessed with all kinds of rooftops which offer a winning combination of wicked city views and perfect drinks. So take your pick from stylish Shoreditch, buzzing Soho and Covent Garden, trendy Peckham and more – it’s time to soak up those sunsets, with rooftop bar season now upon us.

There’s perhaps nothing more magical than seeing a play or musical in the open air, and London is absolutely the city for it. In defiance of the weather gods, our outdoor theatre season now stretches from March to late October: we’re are just that tough. Or at least, optimistic about the weather. Substantially it revolves around a few key theatres. There’s Shakespeare’s Globe, which will be staging an Elizabethan dress production of ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ by in-house artistic director Sean Holmes over the bank holiday. And there’s the delightful Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, which is also staging a Shakespearian comedy over the bank holiday; a version of mistaken identity shipwreck jaunt ‘Twelfth Night’ helmed by RSC veteran Owen Horsley.

When it comes to baby animals to cuddle up to in spring, tiny lambs are obviously the GOAT. Surrey Docks Farm, a sweet little site right next to the Thames with its own blacksmithery, puts on lamb-feeding sessions almost every day during the season. You’ll have to book your slot a week in advance in case the little guys need a rest (they’re pretty tiny after all).

Outdoor spaces are big business come London summertime, and this seasonal pop-up between Waterloo and Westminster bridges is one of the biggest in London. Boasting lovely views over the river Thames and an eclectic programme of drag shows, DJs, live performances and themed club nights, its summer season opens just in time for the early May bank holiday. Head down on Friday evening to hear your favourite noughties indie classics reimagined by tweed-clad 10-piece brass band Old Dirty Brasstards, swing by early on Saturday for a drag brunch with ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race UK’ alum Baga Chipz, or grab a drink and have a dance as DJs spin garage, RnB, house and disco across the long weekend.

BBQ connoisseurs will know all about From The Ashes, the meat-sizzling duo behind some of the city's most mouth-watering pop-ups and festivals. Great news – the team have found a permanent home for their smoky fare at Hackney's Five Points Courtyard, creating the perfect combo of pints and piles of meat. Get down to the brewery for moreish, veggie-friendly starters and sides and all the delectable, smoky slices you can fit in your belly.

Presented by Tongues on Fire and supported by BFI, the longest-running South Asian film festival in the world is back for its 26th edition this spring. It’s set to host its opening gala at the BFI IMAX for the first time ever, with a premier of the film ‘Minimum’, a directorial debut about the tumultuous beginnings of an arranged marriage, and closing night will feature a screening of ‘Lord Curzon Ki Haveli’, a film about four South Asians who meet at an unplanned dinner, at the Regent Street Cinema. There’s also an Emerging Curators Gala as part of the festival’s LGBTQ+ strand, as well as a screening of ‘Amu’ to mark 40 years since the anti-Sikh riots in India, plus loads more.

Peckham Fringe returns for its third year with over 20 productions created by local artists and members of Peckham’s community. The programme promises inventive, enthralling storytelling, from Time Fly’s, a time-travelling adventure back to the south-east London of old, to Last Goal Wins, an award-winning piece about five men trying out for the Nigerian national football team.

‘Little fish, big fish/swimming in the water/come back here man/gimme my daughter’ hissed a demonic 25-year-old Polly Jean Harvey in her 1995 hit ‘Down By the Water’. That was a long time ago. But where so many middle-aged pop stars’ forays into musical theatre feel like bored attempts to crack new markets, the cycle of 13 songs Harvey has written for the National Theatre’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’s ‘Our Mutual Friend’ slot seamlessly into her body of work. ‘London Tide’ deliberately plays to non-traditional strengths. With all its parts combined, this story from the city is something special: Dickens’s late class drama turned into a work both elemental and righteous.