Rosie Hewitson

Summer's finally here! And that means it's high time you dug out last year's swimsuit (faintly bobbly though it may be) and took it for a spin in one of London's many gorgeous outdoor pools. But don't even think of heading to your local noisy, chlorine-scented indoor swimming baths. When the temperatures soar, lidos are the only way to go. I'm one of the growing band of Londoners who's been bitten by the outdoor swimming bug, and braved the waters at every al fresco pool I can find in this city. Yep, the water's a bit chilly. But that's the whole point: to feel that rush of exhilaration you only get once your body adjusts to the cool water and starts gliding through it like a dolphin (or in my case, a geriatric elephant seal – I said I'm a keen outdoor swimmer, not a good one).   The seriously dedicated will head to wild swimming spots where you bob about face to face with aggy ducks and the odd bit of pondweed. But if you want to get a proper swim in, lidos are the easiest, freshest way to do it. 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 making a splash in this summer. Best lidos and outdoor swimming spots in London at a glance 🏊‍♀️ Best for getting lengths in: Tooting Bec Lido 🥐 Best for a post swim brunch: Brockwell Lido ☀️ Best for warm water all year round: Pools on the Park ✨ Best for beautiful views: Parliament Hill Lido 🏖️ Best for hanging ou

The smog and stress of London can really take its toll on your skin. That’s why there’s nothing better than a regular facial (or a one-off treat) to give you that much-needed top-up, leaving you feeling glowing, fresh-faced and dewy.  Just thinking about what we put our skin through is enough to give you frown lines. That’s thanks to the combined efforts of pollution and air-conditioned offices, as well as the added bonuses of harsh weather, booze, sun exposure, dehydration and – our least favourite – the inevitable passing of time. Happily, there are loads of great spas, treatment rooms and estheticians in London who can give your face a break and a much-needed zhuzh. Whether you’re after a relaxing, soothing facial massage, some instant radiance, a total skincare overhaul or something a little more intense such as microneedling or laser treatment, read our pick of facials in London.  RECOMMENDED: The best spas in London. 

Spring is an ephemeral season, but that’s part of its charm. For a few magical weeks over April and May, London turns pink. Ornamental cherry trees burst into bloom in parks and suburban streets, carpeting the pavements with petals and sweetly scenting the air. Outshining the cheery daffodils, delicate bluebells and bright spring flowers, these extravagant blooms are a real showstopper (and an unmissable photo op). Think cherry blossom, and you might imagine Japan's sakura season, where festivals celebrate these glorious trees. But ornamental cherry trees have been planted for centuries in the UK, too, bringing joyous pompoms of petals to London's streets and parks as soon as the first warm days appear. When is cherry blossom in bloom in London? The pastel pink blooms tend to grace our parks from April, but in cooler years, it might not come out until May, and in warmer years, cherry blossom can be seen as early as mid-March. You can find cherry blossoms in some of London’s best parks and lining pretty suburban streets. From the candyfloss arches of St James’ Park, to the Cherry Walk in Kew Gardens, London folk are spoilt for choice. We also have a whole new crop of blossom trees in the capital, with 130 new cherry blossom trees landing in Greenwich Park straight from Japan.  Get your camera at the ready and find out if one of these top places to see cherry blossoms in London is conveniently on your doorstep. 🌸 Central London: St James’ Park 🌳 North London: Cecile Park, Cr

May truly is one of London’s finest months if you ask us. Not only is the city pleasantly warm and bursting with colourful spring blooms, but everyone is giddy with the possibilities of the coming summer. And most excitingly of all, there are not one, but two bank holidays on which to embark on inaugural rooftop bar excursion of the summer, rock out at one of the year’s first music festivals, lounge about in your favourite park, check out all those must-see exhibitions you’ve been meaning to catch or escape the city on a day trip or mini-break. And if that isn’t enough to keep you entertained, here’s our guide to the best events, parties, pop-ups and things to do in May 2026 in London. You’re in for one sweet, sweet month. London’s best things to do in May at a glance: 🪩 Best for party people: GALA Festival 🌷 Best for botanists: RHS Chelsea Flower Show  🎶 Best for pop music stans: Mighty Hoopla  ✏️ Best for something new: Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration 🎭 Best for theatre-goers: 1536 on the West End 🧒🏻 Best for families: Jurassic Creatures at the Natural History Museum

When it comes to art and exhibitions, London has it all. From the niche spaces, to the avant garde galleries, and the massive crowd-pleasing museums, our city is packed with shows that will perplex, challenge, inspire, educate and leave you feeling awestruck.  The problem is... there’s absolutely tons to see. Too much, you could say. Lucky for you, Time Out exists. For decades, our experts have been visiting and reviewing all the sculpture, painting, performance, photography, history, fashion and other types of exhibitions on offer. You name it, we’ve (probably, most likely) seen it. If you’re wondering what’s actually worth your time, start here. Check out the best museum exhibitions and art in London right now, and be sure to come back weekly for the latest picks. Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. RECOMMENDED: Best photography exhibitions in LondonBest free exhibitions in London

*]:pointer-events-auto [content-visibility:auto] supports-[content-visibility:auto]:[contain-intrinsic-size:auto_100lvh] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" data-turn-id="request-WEB:71d6b288-c88a-4520-89ca-7454fcda89e0-1" data-testid="conversation-turn-2" data-scroll-anchor="true" data-turn="assistant"> You’ve decided you’re heading to London. Transport? Sorted. Tube map? Downloaded. Now comes the tricky part: where to stay. And, let's be honest, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. London is a huge patchwork of neighbourhoods, each with its own personality and pace. From the leafy, laid-back corners of Chiswick to buzzing cultural hubs in Camden, where you base yourself can shape your whole trip. So, before you panic-book a pricey hotel in the West End, take a breath. There’s a whole city beyond the tourist core, with fantastic places to stay that might suit your style (and budget) even better. If you're after local living in 2026, hit up Leyton or Walthamstow, or Brixton has an endless array of cheap eats, bars and culture on every corner. Whether you’re after lively nightlife, easy access to gorgeous green spaces, culture on your doorstop, or serious dining, you’ll find it here. Ready to get booking? Read on for our guide to the best neighbourhoods and places to stay in London.  ➡️ READ MORE: The best Airbnbs in London – with expert local tips Where to stay in London at a glance 👶 Best for first-timers: Covent Garden, S

They might not be as well-known as Spain’s stretches of sand or the sun-bleached white fringes of the Seychelles, but the UK's beaches still pack a punch. Who needs palm trees or constantly balmy temperatures when you've got the lure of the classic British seaside, from tutti-frutti striped beach huts and deck chairs to stone harbours, donkey rides and fish ‘n’ chips.  If you live in London, the pull of a jolly boys’ outing is hard to resist when the temperature starts to climb in the summer months, and it’s easier to swap views of skyscrapers for salty air and unending sea horizons than you might think. There’s a whole range of secluded, photogenic beach destinations, all steeped in charm, just a short train journey away on the UK’s southern coast. Luckily, London sits within easy reach of seaside towns, scenic coastal walks and even some of the best beaches in the UK.  Whether you want to explore the vast, unbroken expanse of Camber Sands to the eerie, otherworldly beauty of Dungeness, we’ve rounded up the best beaches within two hours of the capital. Best beaches near London at a glance 🏊‍♀️ Best for swimming: East Beach, Littlehampton 🦀 Best for scoffing seafood: Leigh-on-Sea ☀️ Best for secluded sunbathing: Botany Bay, near Broadstairs ✨ Best for sheer beauty: Cuckmere Haven, Seaford 🏖️ Best for seaside kitsch: Clacton-on-Sea, Essex RECOMMENDED: The best day trips from LondonThe best family day trips from LondonThe best weekend trips from London

We’ve made it through the most depressing month of the year, the endless wait for that post-Christmas payday is finally over, and festival season 2026 is on our minds. By the time summer rolls around, Londoners will be absolutley spoilt for choice. With something taking place almost every weekend throughout the warmer months, you can forget trekking across the country to live in a field for five days; simply hop on the tube and before you know it you’re listening to your favourite artists, tinny to hand, knowing that there’s a hot shower and a cosy bed waiting for you once the day is over.  The future of events in Brockwell Park was thrown up in the air in 2025, but you’ll be glad to know that most of the south London park’s usual lineup of events will return in 2026, with Cross The Tracks, Field Day and Mighty Hoopla all in the diary for late May. And the line-up announcements for next year’s events are already coming in thick fast, with huge acts like Tyler, The Creator, Lewis Capaldi, Lorde, Lily Allen, Blood Orange and Deftones all set to take to London stages come the summer. Have a scroll through our comprehensive guide – which we keep meticulously updated with all the latest line-up announcements – and see what takes your fancy. RECOMMENDED: ⛺ The best UK music festivals🌍 The best festivals in Europe

June in London is pretty much as good as it gets. It’s hot but not too hot. Festival season is in full swing. And there’s the blissful anticipation of months more gorgeous weather ahead, perfect for picnicking, spilling out onto pavements outside pubs, exploring parks, or partying all day long.  There’s plenty of fun in store during the early days of summer, including the second edition of Lido festival (featuring CMAT and Maribou State), the return of SXSW London, and blockbuster exhibitions on Anish Kapoor and Frida Kahlo.  Plus, the capital truly comes into its own this month: beer gardens are at their prime, the city parks are at their prettiest, the open-air theatre season gets going and eating alfresco is on the cards at some of London’s best restaurants. Plus, expect to see long queues in south west London as tennis fans line up to bag a place at the epic Wimbledon championships.  RECOMMENDED: Plan a great summer with our guide to London’s best music fests Get ahead of the pack and start planning your perfect July in London. 

May really is one of the best months to be a Londoner. Summer might not technically start until June 21. But this is when the weather warms up, people creep out of hibernation, ready to bare their legs in the park and bare their souls at after-work drinks on the sun-soaked pavements.  Even better, there are not one but two Bank Holidays this month, each gifting us three glorious days to make the most of London has to offer (but we're usually too busy to make the most of). May, you shouldn’t have! So consider these three days off work your chance to be reunited with Summer in the City™. Make the most of them and make a beeline to one of the capital’s best beer gardens, cool off with some outdoor swimming, dine alfresco, explore London’s lush green spaces or browse one of the city’s bustling markets.  Check out our guide to the best events and things to do across London for the Bank Holiday weekend falling betweeen Saturday May 2 to Monday May 4 2026.  RECOMMENDED: Read our full guide to the bank holiday in London London’s best things to do this May Bank Holiday at a glance 📷 Best for happy snappers: Sony World Photography Awards 🕺 Best for smooth movers: Brixton Disco Festival 🎨 Best for art fans: Quentin Blake Centre For Illustration 🐑 Best for sheer cuteness: Feeding the lambs at Surrey Docks Farm 🧚 Best for theatrical magic: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare's Globe

No matter what your vibe, tastes or interests, there is always something to do in London. Whether you want to see cutting-edge art exhibitions, iconic attractions, secret spots, world-beating theatre, stunning green spaces, it’s all here and you can probably fit all this in and more still barely feel like you’ve scratched the surface of the city. And that’s before you factor in all those historic London pubs, the latest must-visit restaurants and vibrant LGBTQ+ venues. And if you need somewhere to stay? Check out London’s best hotels or Airbnbs. This London bucket list (curated by our editors and always hotly debated in the Time Out office) is a good place to start because exploring this city can be a little daunting. There truly is something for everyone here. And if you want to know what’s happening in London, like, right now, check out things to do in London this week and things to do in London this weekend. After a few days pottering about in the capital, you’ll be more than ready to reel off Dr Samuel Johnson’s famous quote: ‘When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.’ The 50 best things to do in London at a glance 🎡 Best for sightseeing: London Eye 🦖 Best for entertaining kids: Natural History Museum 🛍️ Best for finding cool souvenirs: Liberty 🍰 Best for discovering British traditions: Claridge’s 🌳 Best for nature lovers: Kew Gardens ⚽ Best for sports fans: Wembley 🪩 Best for night owls: Drumsheds 🎭 Best for culture vultures: National Theatre Stay in

July is the month where London really lets its collective hair down and has some fun. It's just too hot to stay cooped up indoors so everyone descends on lidos en masse, or assembles in fun-seeking hordes at rooftop bars, beer gardens and alfresco restaurants. We can already taste the sweet, sweet golden hour Aperol Spritz.  And as ever, this year's July line-up of massive festivals and other prospects that are exciting enough tempt you away from yet another tinny in the park. Some massive music names are descending on central London for BST Hyde Park, ravers will be heading west for Junction 2, electronic music artists from around the world are playing Labyrinth by the Thames. Or, if you like your outdoor entertainment to be deeply weird and feline-inspired, spring for the long-awaited revival of Cats at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre.  Other London music festivals are popping off throughout the month, and it’s also a chance to take in the city’s lavender and sunflower fields, which are going to be at their blooming loveliest. Here’s our guide to the best exhibitions, shows and things to do this July 2026 in London.  RECOMMENDED: The definitive London events calendar

Cult British synth-pop band Bronski Beat’s masterful debut album ‘The Age of Consent’ is performed by a roster of briliant contemporary artists in this truly special tribute gig. Originally conceived to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the 1984 album – a seminal piece of queer pop culture that has served as an anthem for LGBTQ+ liberation ever since – this one-off performance has been produced by south London based queer record label The Chateau, and features a powerhouse line-up of cult acts, from post-punk icon Beth Ditto and legendary performance artist David Hoyle to contemporary queer singers including Tom Rasmussen and Planningtorock, performing alongside queer house band The Chateau Collective and Europe’s longest-running LGBTQ+ choir, The Pink Singers. Expect inspiring, emotionally-charged renditions of 'Why?’, 'It Ain’t Necessarily So’ and the iconic hit single ‘Smalltown Boy’ that’ll have you jumping out of your seat. 

First opened in 1972, this Hackney Central trade hall takes its name from the Memorable Order of Tin Hats, an order of ex-military servicemen and women who still regularly meet and drink at the venue under a motto of ‘True Comradeship, Mutual Help and Sound Memory’. With the club’s future looking uncertain, in 2015 it was taken over by local events agency LNZRT – the team behind Rich Mix and The Shacklewell Arms – who gave it a glittery gold refurb with the intention of using the venue as a gig space platforming some of the city’s buzziest indie bands. More recently, MOTH Club has been engaged in a highly publicised battle to halt a block of flats from being built over the club’s smoking area, putting its future at serious risk. After months of campaigning and a petition with 30,000 signatures the planning application was refused, however MOTH said ‘the fight is not over,’ as there is another planning application in progress which means the future of the venue remains at risk Nowadays, you’ll find time-weathered regulars mixing with a hip young east London crowd, with the club playing host to an eclectic programme of live music, stand-up comedy, film screenings and club nights as well as all all of its former MOTH and British Legion meetings. Featuring a small stage backed by spangly gold foil curtains, the club’s main room is the venue for regular nights including Deptford Northern Soul Club, ’80s night Dancing in the Dark and disco, soul and italo club Pull Up To The Bumpe

With its 31st edition taking place this summer, the Southbank Centre’s Meltdown Festival has long since established itself as a key date in London’s cultural calendar. Each year, the Southbank invites one celebrated artist to curate the festival, with such luminaries as David Bowie, Yoko Ono, Grace Jones, David Byrne, Chaka Khan and Little Simz having previously taken on the exciting task. Taking place in the middle of the iconic London institution’s 75th birthday celebrations, we expect this summer’s edition of Meltdown to elicit one of the most exciteable reactions to date, seeing as it’s being masterminded by none other than former One Direction member, multiple BRIT and Grammy Award-winner and all-round pop superstar Harry Styles. The ‘Watermelon Sugar’ singer has drawn on his eclectic musical influences to curate a line-up traversing pop, soul, rock and electronica. There’s plenty of emerging British talent featured, including London-based singer-songwriter Nilüfer Yanya, jazz drummer Yusuf Dayes, folk artist Stephen Fretwell and post-punk duo Getdown Services.   They appear alongside veteran performers like Dev Hynes (aka Blood Orange), Beverly Glenn-Copeland, LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy and African jazz icon Mulatu Astatke.  And as is usually the case for curators of the festival, Styles will also be gracing one of the Southbank Centre’s stages himself for an intimate headline gig. No doubt competition for tickets will be fiercer than ever before, so stay

Austin’s music, film and media festival SXSW is renowned across the world for being the place to discover the next big thing. In previous years, superstars like Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa and Chappell Roan have all given early performances at the Texas event, while the likes of Steven Spielberg, Barack Obama and Malala Yousafzai have appeared at the conference arm of the festival.  So last year's inaugural UK edition was a pretty big deal, with a keynote speech by mayor Sadiq Khan and hundreds of events across 25 venues. Now, SXSW London is back again for the second year running, and will once again take over various spaces in and around Shoreditch in June, and the line-up is just as massive, with talks and panels delving into the most pressing issues across business and tech, keynotes delivered by big names, film screenings, including a whole bunch of international premieres, as well as a music festival. The music strand features headline gigs from critically acclaimed US rapper Earl Sweatshirt, Afrobeats star Tiwa Savage, moody electronic producer Sega Bodega, indie-rock outfit Circa Waves, post-punk band Shame, indie-pop singer Rachel Chinouriri, veteran radio DJ Pete Tong and Time Out’s 2024 Londoner of the Year DJ AG.  Meanwhile, film festival attendees will be able to catch three global and 13 UK premieres, including culinary documentary Feast or Famine,  supernatural horror The Remedy, and crime comedy All Night Wrong, alongside keynote addresses from Russel T Davies, Sha

This little shop on Hackney Central’s Clarence Road is a veritable utopia of vinyl. Run by John Coxon, the guitarist for cult 90s rock band Spiritualized, alongside Liam Casey, who formerly ran the Pacific Social Club café on the same site (and still makes great coffees), the shop has shifted the collections of some of music’s most respected names, including Rough Trade founder Geoff Travis and Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor. From Soviet-era bootlegs to Yoruba 78s, you’ll struggle to find a more varied collection of records anywhere in London; Atlantis offers the best deals on records, cassettes and more from all corners of the globe.

Italian restaurant group Big Mamma is famed for its maximalist vibes, and it’s going all out for the inaugural Easter egg hunt at its Canary Wharf joint Barbarella. The extremely OTT, 70s-themed restaurant has worked with ‘disco ball artist’ Sophie Lopez to design 20 glitzy Italian-themed Easter Eggs, decorated with various prizes on offer and hidden amongst the skyscrapers of London’s financial district. Fancy some free dolci, homemade pasta or even a full meal for two on the casa? Give Big Mamma’s Instagram account a follow for clues, make your way over to Canary Wharf from 11am on Easter Sunday and get searching. 

In our age of mind-boggling CGI and AI-optimised everything, it’s easy to forget how much pleasure can be had from the simple optical tricks of mirrors and lights. But not for Julio Le Parc. A key figure of the Kinetic and Op Art movements of the 1960s, the pioneering Argentinian artist has been making illuminated, kinetic and participatory works for seven decades, and is still making art at the ripe old age of 97. This major retrospective celebrates his visionary seven-decade career, spanning from from his arrival in Paris in the late 1950s to his resurgence in the 2010s, with over 60 colourful, immersive (and extremely Instagrammable) works.

Highbury wine bar Top Cuvée’s seems to outdo itself year after year with its ever-popular Easter egg hunt for grown-ups, and 2026 is no different. The enfants terribles of London’s natty wine scene have once again partnered with ethical choccie purveyor Tony’s Chocolonely for the sixth edition of their cult event, with bags of Tony’s chocolate eggs and Top Cuvée totes on offer for up to 1000 hunters who complete the trail, and a covetable grand prize. There’ll also be sandos, plenty of wine and a few surprises throughout the day. Simply sign up online and rock up to Top Cuvée from midday on Easter Sunday to be in with a shout of taking home the goodies. Happy hunting!

After a successful first edition last year, we're getting a second helping of a festival that highlights one of the more unsung parts of our favourite movies, tv shows and games – the soundtracks. London Soundtrack Festival puts the scores front and centre, with a series of screenings, talks and performances celebrating the musicians who make fictional worlds sound so exciting, tense and emotional.  The genre-spanning programme takes place over the second weekend in April, spanning a mix of styles and genres. James Bond fans will be thrilled by Homegrown Heroes, a night of David Arnold scores and slick action movie sounds (Apr 9). There's also a masterclass on music for games, a talk on John Williams, and a screening of Brian de Palma’s Obsession (1976) (Apr 9) which will be introduced by Norma Herrmann, widow of the legendary composer Bernard Herrmann.

Munch your way through dishes from the great and the good of the capital’s restaurant scene at this sprawling culinary festival in the picturesque surroundings of central London’s Regent’s Park. New Syrian brunch joint Aram, hyped Dalston gastropub The Prince Arthur and masters of Pan-Pacific cuisine Los Mochis are among the restaurants peddling plates and appearing at the event for the first time this year. If you’re not in a food coma by the end, there’ll also be kitchen masterclasses, chef talks and tastings to get involved with. Our advice? Have some Rennies on hand. 

This literary festival focuses on one of our era’s most exciting genres: crime. Now firmly part of London’s literary calendar, each year it hosts a top-notch line-up of crime and thriller authors in a rich programme of talks, panels and interviews. Over 100 authors and experts will feature over the three-day programme of panels, Q&As, book launches and industry networking events, culminating in the Fingerprint Awards, an annual reader-voted awards ceremony celebrating the very best new writing in the genre. Details of the 2026 line-up are yet to be announced, but we’ll be conducting a thorough investigation in due course.

Organised by the people behind Percolate and Love International festival in Croatia, mid-September’s electronic music one-dayer Waterworks is a final chance to squeeze every last drop of festival fun out of the summer. And for the first time since it began, it’ll span two whole days. Across five stages in west London’s Gunnersbury Park, there’ll be a total of 83 sets from dance music heavyweights covering every genre. The big names on the programme include Alex Kassian, babyschön, djrum, Midland and Sofia Kourtesis. That’s on top of B2Bs from Bradley Zero and Erol Alkan, Christian AB and Craig Richards, Raresh and Sonja Moonea, and OK Williams and Skee Mask, Call Super and Objekt, and Sully and Special Request. You’ll struggle to find a festival line-up more packed with world-class selectors than this. 

If, like us, your bank account is reeling after a double bank holiday spent tapping your credit card with joyful abandon, then you may be in need of a somewhat more frugal couple of days this weekend. Well, fear not. The second weekend of April is shaping up to be an excellent one for penny-pinching Londoners looking for a good time. From classical concerts on council estates to a major new regular flea market in east London, there are loads of reasons to get out and about this weekend, even if the glorious mid-week sunshine is, in typical fashion, set to be replaced by clouds and showers as the weekend arrives. Ah well. Us Londoners know better than to let a little rain ruin our plans.  RECOMMENDED: 📍 The best things to do in London this weekend.❌ London travel disruption this weekend: full list of tube and train closures for April 11-12. The best free things on in London this weekend, April 10-12 2026 1. Get a free dose of youth culture at Roundhouse Three Sixty Iconic Camden arts venue The Roundhouse will be buzzing this weekend, as the Three Sixty festival fills its walls with music, poetry and performances heralding a new generation of artists and fans. Book a free slot at interactive exhibition From Soundboy to Streaming and you’ll get to experience all the highs of London’s underground music cultures, as curated by local young people, including photographs, gig tickets, zines and more. Or tune in to Transmission, a live podcast recording with special guests from the

More bad news for London’s festival lovers. Just days after it was announced that Wireless festival would no longer go ahead this year after the UK Government revoked headliner Kanye West’s right to enter the UK, the capital’s summer music schedule has been dealt another blow, with the cancellation of the majority of dates for this year’s Lido festival.  Victoria Park’s newest summer event, the 35,000 capacity Lido festival debuted last June, with Charli xcx, Jamie xx and London Grammar headlining. This year’s sophomore edition of the festival was set to take place in mid-June, but the majority of the festival will no longer take place owing to ground conditions in the Tower Hamlets park.  RECOMMENDED: The best music festivals in London. Cancelled and rescheduled dates for Lido Festival Headline shows from Irish country singer CMAT on Friday 12 June and London indie rockers Bombay Bicycle Club on Sunday 14 June have been cancelled, while the festival’s third day, headlined by electronic duo Maribou State, has been rescheduled for the bank holiday on Monday 31 August.  Why has Lido Festival been cancelled and rescheduled? Announcing the cancellation on Instagram, festival organisers wrote, ‘LIDO 2026 is unable to take place in June to protect park ground conditions and will instead move to late August as a one-off date adjustment.’ They were also keen to stress that the changes ‘are in no way the fault of the artists or London Borough of Tower Hamlets (LBTH), all of whom have

The arrival of spring means that there are loads of fabulous new art exhibitions on the horizon in London, with major shows on the likes of Francisco de Zurbarán, Henry Moore and James McNeil Whistler joining excellent recent openings including Hurvin Anderson at Tate Britain, Michaelina Wautier at the Royal Academy and Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art at the V&A. But before all the shiny new openings, we must wave goodbye to the old ones.  Some excellent exhibitions are set to close this weekend, and there’s a good chance you’ve been too busy scoffing Easter eggs, frolicking among the spring flowers and generally making the most of the first rays of sunlight we’ve seen this year to spend your weekends gallivanting around the capital’s art galleries. But you’ve not got long left to see some of the winter season’s best openings. Here’s what to catch this weekend, just in the nick of time.  RECOMMENDED: The top 10 exhibitions in London. Four amazing London art exhibitions closing in April 2026 Turner & Constable: Rivals and Originals at Tate Britain The greatest of rivals – and two of Britain’s greatest painters – JMW Turner and John Constable are placed side by side in this starry exhibition. Although both had different paths to success, they each became recognised as stars of the art world and shared a connection to nature and recreating it in their landscape paintings. Explore the pair’s intertwined lives and legacies and get new insight into their creativity via sketchboo

Major news, music fans. Back in February it was revealed that former One Directioner, three-time Grammy winner and general pop culture icon Harry Styles would be curating the 2026 edition of Meltdown, following in the footsteps of David Bowie, Patti Smith, Grace Jones, Jarvis Cocker and countless other musical legends in selecting the line-up for the Southbank Centre’s renowned summer music festival.   And now, hot on the heels of his chart-topping fourth album Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally, the heartthrob has revealed the first wave of acts set to join him at the central London arts institution this June. On the bill for Meltdown’s 31st edition is an eclectic roster of established and up-and-coming artists, including plenty of artists born or based in the capital.  Harry Styles’s Meltdown opens with Warpaint’s only live date in 2026. The California-based indie rock outfit will play at Royal Festival Hall on Thursday 11 June in what promises to be an atmospheric opening for the eleven-day festival. The festival’s first Friday will feature gigs from folk singer Stephen Fretwell (Purcell Room, Fri 12 June), electronic producer Ninajirachi (Queen Elizabeth Foyer, Fri 12 June) and British jazz composer and multi-instrumentalist Shabaka Hutchings, who will be inviting a host of special guests to join him on stage at the Queen Elizabeth Hall for a one-off collaborative performance (Fri 12 June).  Also appearing over the opening weekend are experimental pop singer Erika de

World-renowned multi-disciplinary festival SXSW launched its London outpost last summer, and it was a pretty major affair, with a whopping 600 talks, 600 gigs and 200 films screenings all taking place around Shoreditch over six days in June. And with the festival’s sophomore edition only a couple of months away (it takes place Tue June 2-Sun June 7) and we’re getting very excited about what’s in store. Some major names have already been announced for the conference and film strands of the multi-disciplinary festival, and now we also have details of the music line-up, with some huge artists set to headline. Taking top billing across the six-day festival are a host of internationally-renowned artists including critically acclaimed US rapper Earl Sweatshirt, Afrobeats star Tiwa Savage, moody electronic producer Sega Bodega, indie-rock outfit Circa Waves, post-punk band Shame, indie-pop singer Rachel Chinouriri, veteran radio DJ Pete Tong and Time Out’s 2024 Londoner of the Year DJ AG.  But it’s not just the big stars to look out for on the line-up. SXSW has long been known as a launchpad for emerging artists and a discovery platform for keen music fans looking for their next favourite band, and the London 2026 festival will be no different. As usual, the festival’s enormous, hugely eclectic musical programme has been co-curated with a variety of esteemed partners, including Clash magazine, Notion, and The Crack, emerging artist platforms like BBC Introducing, Bite Back and Gener

Spring has finally sprung, and as the capital’s parks and gardens start to burst into life, its art scene is also a hive of activity. Some brilliant shows have opened in the last few weeks – there’s Beatriz González at the Barbican, Catherine Opie at the Portrait Gallery and Hurvin Anderson at Tate Britain, to name a few – but it’s about to get even busier for the city’s major galleries and museums.  Alongside the arrival of three massive new venues – V&A East (opening on April 18), the Museum of Youth Culture (opening on May 15) and the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration (also due to open in May) – Londoners can expect loads of brilliant exhibitions on everything from Gilded Age portraitists and monumental sculpture to Baroque masters and avant garde couture. Grab your diary and get planning with our guide to the truly unmissable shows coming up over the next few months.  10 London art exhibitions we’re most excited about in spring 2026 1. Michaelina Wautier at the Royal Academy Until relatively recently, few art historians believed that paintings bearing 17th century artist Michaelina Wautier’s signature could possibly have been made by a woman, instead attributing them to her brother or other male artists. And yet she did it all; flowers and still lifes, portraits and large-scale history paintings, mastering subjects typically reserved for her male peers. Twenty-five pieces feature in this landmark exhibition, the first in the UK to be devoted to this rediscovered mas

It’s crunch time in the 2025/26 football season, with the first domestic competition of the year concluding this weekend when Arsenal and Manchester City meet at Wembley in the Carabao Cup final.  Mikel Arteta’s league-leading Gunners will be attempting to secure their first piece of silverware in almost six years, having reached their first final since they won the FA Cup in 2020. Meanwhile Pep Guardiola’s City side will be attempting to turn their season around after being held to a draw against West Ham in the league over the weekend to give their title rivals a nine-point lead at the top, and exiting the Champions League during the week. Not got a ticket to Wembley but keen to catch the nail-biting action somewhere with a bit more atmosphere than your living room? Many local fans will be heading to the boozers and beer gardens of north London to watch Rice, Saka and Eze battling it out against Haaland and co. So if you fancy joining them, look no further than our roundup of London’s best Gooner pubs. RECOMMENDED: London’s best football pubs. The Drayton Park A bar stool at the Drayton is basically as close as you can get to pitchside without a ticket. You can see the stadium from the window, which means you can hear the roar from inside the stadium when Arsenal score at home. This place has a pretty strict home crowd only policy, and you’ll want to get down early to secure a good spot in front of its one screen.  66 Drayton Park, N5 1ND The Tollington Arms Another lively

You’ve really gotta hand it to Tate. The UK’s largest gallery conglomerate is in a league of its own when it comes to programming season after season of blockbuster exhibitions. Hot on the heels of the institution’s widely lauded Tracey Emin retrospective, in the brief lull before its next major opening – Tate Britain’s Hurvin Anderson exhibition arrives at the end of the month – the institution has announced its full programme for 2027, and there are plenty of bangers to get excited about. From 18th century landscapes and 20th century ink painting to giants of impressionism and post-impressionism, here’s everything to look forward to next year at two of London’s biggest and best art galleries.  Tate Modern  Tate kicks off 2027 with a huge exhibition examining Claude Monet’s relationship with time at Tate Modern. The gallery’s first ever exhibition to focus exclusively on the works of Impressionism’s founding father, Monet: Painting Time (Feb 25-Jun 27) promises to bring together loans from across the globe to examine how he evoked the rapid pace of modern life through fleeting, transient moments in time.  Image: Yuan Jai, ‘Jadeite Cabbage’, (1999). Courtesy of the Artist and Vitamin Creative Space. Spring will see the arrival of the gallery’s inaugural exhibition focusing on the practice of ink painting. Focusing on 20th century artists in Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China, Ink (Apr 22-Aug 20) will examine this ‘enduring and profoundly philosophical’ discipline through

Do you occasionally have a flutter on the National Lottery? Your chances of winning millions might be pretty slim, but whether you win big or not this weekend, your ticket means guaranteed prizes in the form of free or discounted entry to dozens of top attractions across the UK. Returning from Saturday March 7 to Sunday March 15, the National Lottery’s Open Week is a way for National Lottery-funded venues across the country to say thank you to participants for their part in raising £32 million each week to support charitable causes. The annual celebration offers free or heavily discounted access to visitors who present a lottery ticket upon entry at hundreds of celebrated venues, from historical sites, art galleries and museums to wildlife hotspots, sporting venues and even some lovely independent cinemas. In the mood for a bargain day out in the city? Here are loads of great London venues participating in National Lottery Open Week 2026. London venues with free or discounted entry for National Lottery Open Week 2026 The Tower of London What? 50 percent off for two adults and four children When? March 7-14  Kensington Palace What? 50 percent off for two adults and four children When? March 7-8 and March 11-14 Hampton Court Palace What? 50 percent off for two adults and four children When?  March 7-8 and March 13-14 Photograph: Shutterstock Tate Modern What? Two for one entry to the Theatre Picasso exhibition When? March 7-15  Eltham Palace and Gardens What? Free entry fo

Somerset House is a truly year-round venue. Through the winter months, the palatial arts complex on the Strand is home to one of the city’s most atmospheric winter skating pop-ups. In spring and autumn it hosts all manner of interesting art installations in its magnificent neo-classical courtyard. And at the height of summer, the same space plays host to some of the season’s most memorable outdoor concerts, as part of the Somerset House Summer Series. With festival line-up announcements coming thick and fast, and another glorious London summer beginning to take shape, the riverside arts venue has revealed the headliners for this year’s Summer Series, with eleven eclectic gigs scheduled from 16-26 July.  As usual, it’s an eclectic line-up, encompassing everything from indie and rock to neo-psychedelica, contemporary jazz and soul. RECOMMENDED: The best music festivals in London to book for 2026. The biggest names in this year’s series include breakthrough pop sensation Naïka (Thursday 16 July), veteran indie band The Cribs (Monday 20 July), ascendent art-rock outfit Black Country, New Road (Wednesday 22 July) and psychedelic rockers The Flaming Lips (Saturday 25 July). Also headlining are Palace (Friday 17 July), Thee Sacred Souls (Saturday 18 July), Lightning Seeds (Sunday 18 July), Agnes Obel (Tuesday 21 July), Venna (Thursday 23 July), Raf-Saperra (Friday 24 July) and Benjamin Clementine (Sunday 26 July).  Tickets for all gigs will be priced between £30 and £60, with the g

One of the longest-standing and largest queer film festivals, BFI Flare celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2026. The springtime film bonanza at the BFI’s South Bank home is a major calendar fixture for London’s queer communities and cinephiles alike, and with exactly one month to go until the 2026 edition of the festival kicks off, the line-up has just been revealed. Film buffs attending this year’s edition of Flare will be able to catch 31 world premieres among the 65 feature films and 62 shorts on the programme, alongside a stellar curation of classic queer cinema, and the usual programme of talks, workshops, exhibitions and DJ nights that make the BFI Southbank such a buzzy place to be during the festival.  The BFI Flare 2026 Line-Up Opening Night Film  As previously announced, the 40th edition of Flare will open with the world premiere of American documentary maker Jennifer Kroot’s riotous new film Hunky Jesus, which follows social justice movement the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence as they prepare to host their legendary annual Easter Sunday drag contest in San Francisco. Alongside the premiere, long-serving member Sister Roma will be present for a talk exploring the ‘sistory’ and impact of the movement alongside UK chapter members. Image: Hunky Jesus Special Presentation Taking place halfway through the festival, the Special Presentation for Flare 2026 is Kiwi director Paloma Schneideman’s ‘tender, unflinching’ coming of age drama Big Girls Don’t Cry, following 14-ye

The Southbank Centre’s early summer festival Meltdown has long since established itself as a key date in London’s cultural calendar.  Each year, the arts centre invites one celebrated artist to curate the festival, getting them to hand-pick a roster of their favourite musical talents and nightlife promoters to star across a two-week programme of gigs, participatory events and after-hours parties at the prestigious venue. Such luminaries as David Bowie, Yoko Ono, David Byrne, Grace Jones, Nick Cave, and Little Simz have previously stepped into the role, with news of who will curate each year’s edition of the festival always hotly anticipated. Anticipation for this year’s event is surely set to reach fever pitch now that it’s been revealed that it’s being masterminded by none other than former One Direction member, multiple BRIT and Grammy Award-winner and all-round pop superstar Harry Styles. Cue the ear-splitting screams. Taking place from Thursday June 11 to Sunday June 21, during the iconic London venue’s 75th anniversary celebrations, the 31st edition of Meltdown will see the ‘Watermelon Sugar’ singer draw on his eclectic musical influences to curate a line-up traversing pop, soul, rock and electronica, and featuring plenty of young British talent.  ‘My goal as the curator is to share the music and art that I love, and to celebrate the rich history of the venue,’ Styles said of his part in the latest edition of the festival. ‘We both share a passionate belief that music is