Rosie Hewitson

Not to be a downer, but you never truly know the song of the summer until it’s all over. When you look back on the tune that soundtracked long, balmy days. The one that dominated parties and the festival circuit. The track that you’ll hear decades later and remember exactly where you were and what you were doing when it had its moment.  In other words, we’re a bit early to crown a song of the summer for 2026. But that doesn’t mean we don’t already know the contenders. So far we have several era-defining tunes on repeat from the likes of Madonna, Olivia Rodrigo, Zara Larsson and Vince Staples. And no, Charli xcx, you cannot sneak your way into the list by naming your new single after the season. Below you’ll find a mix of tracks that are inescapable right now and tunes that the Time Out office has on repeat. Which one will officially be the song of the summer 2026? Well, check back in September and see which one you’ve overplayed the most.

The solstice arrived last week, which means summer is officially here, along with some of the longest days of the year. In need of some ways to fill up all those extra hours of sun? Time Out is here to help. BST Hyde Park kicks off with an eclectic opening weekend of country music and K-pop, Tate Modern is bringing the Mexican sun to London with the arrival of its major new Frida Kahlo exhibition, and a host of London venues are celebrating Windrush Day with free alfresco fun. Plus, don’t forget to fit in time to watch all the action at the FIFA World Cup 2026. We’ve listed all the best watch parties in the city, if you want to soak up the atmosphere.  The salad days of London summer indicate the start of the season of picnicking, pub gardens, dips in the local lido, and alfresco cinema and outdoor theatre. What are you waiting for?  Start planning: here’s our roundup of the best things to do in June.  In the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

In this city, you’re never too far away from a picturesque park, a lovely pub or a cracking cinema, and on any given day, you’ve got a wealth of world-class art shows, blockbuster theatre and top museum exhibitions to choose from if you’re twiddling your thumbs. Use your spare time wisely with our roundup of the best things happening in London today, which gets updated every single day and includes a specially selected top pick from our Things to Do Editor seven days a week. Bookmark this page, and you’ll have absolutely no excuse to be bored in London ever again! Find even more inspiration with our curated round-ups of the best things to do in London this week and weekend

When you think of London summer, plenty of things come to mind: music festivals, Primrose Hill hangs, swims in Hampstead Heath ponds, tins by Regent’s Canal, but when it comes to the great pillars of our city summer, one event wears the crown: the Wimbledon Tennis Championships – aka the oldest, and arguably the very best, tennis tournament in the world.  This year, the action will take place between Monday June 29 and Sunday July 12 2026. Thousands of people will be descending on SW19 to see the matches IRL. If you haven’t got tickets and don’t fancy camping overnight to get in, there are plenty of live screenings taking place all over London you can go to instead.  And you won’t be missing out on any of the Wimbledon staples at these screenings either, with jugs of Pimms and punnets of strawberries available at nearly every location, you’ll hardly notice the difference from Murray Mount. Even better – most watch parties won’t cost you a single penny. So, pack your picnic blanket, fill your flask and pull up a pew at a summery screening near you. RECOMMENDED: Our full guide to Wimbledon 2026.

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. 

We all know that London is full of worldclass, crowd-pulling museums, cultural attractions, green spaces, theatres, and music venues. Yawn. You can do better. Because delightful though this city's most famous spots are, there's way more fun to be had plunging off the beaten track and into London's hidden quirky side. Ever wanted to try the trapeze, eat dinner in a working denim factory or tour a Victorian sewer? London is full of unique things to do, ready to fulfil your wildest dreams, or to give you some new ones to aspire to. In my decade working as a London arts journalist, I've traipsed across this city hunting out unusual ways to spend my weekend. Here are the very best, most unusual ways to escape the mundane and try something fresh.  Unique things to do in London at a glance 🌮 Best for foodies: Slowburn 🎢 Best for thrill seekers: Gorilla Circus Flying Trapeze School 💆 Most relaxing: Sauna Social Club 🌑 Most unique dining experience: Dans le Noir 🎉 Best for parties: House Party RECOMMENDED:The best quirky bars and pubs in LondonOur favourite quirky restaurants in LondonThe 50 best things to do in London

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

April 2026: We've recently given this list a reshuffle to make sure we're recommending you the finest burgers in town. Smash burgers still take up quite a lot of real estate and with good reason; they're a little bit more managable then the hefty burgers that were in style a few years ago. But one particularly big boy makes the grade; the burger at Dove in Notting Hill, of which there are only 10 made a day. Smaller, smashier offerings can be found at French import Dumbo in Shoreditch, Jupiter Burger in Hackney, and Chuck's in Fitzrovia. Want a bit of both in one burger? Try the burgers at the Empire Tavern in Hackney. Our new No 1, Hanbaagaasuuteeki in Victoria, offers burgers with an Asian-twist. Fancy a burger? Of course you do. The simple meat-between-buns combo is always a winner, whether for a quick fast-food fix or a decadent, gourmet feast. We’ve selflessly toiled away, trying and tasting a vast range of patties to compile this list of London’s best burgers, including the inescapable smash burger. London’s finest are utter meaty marvels: juice-seeping, oozing with flavour and far more complex in creation than they’re ever given credit for. Roll up your sleeves and tuck in to the best burgers in London right now. RECOMMENDED: These are London's best pizza restaurants. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

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 spritzes. 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

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. 

June 2026: We've highlighted some of the more appropriate seasonal spots for brunch. Try Lolo in Bermondsey if you want a lively Spanish take on brunch, OR start your Saturday with some heat at Thai-inspired Chet's, and feast on prawn toast scotch eggs at Jikoni in Marylebone. We've also included a few places that prove brunch isn't just a weekend treat, with some places that serve brunch every single day, such as Permit Room Portobello - Dishoom's all-day cafe in Notting Hill - and excellent Syrian cafe Aram, which you can find in the glamorous Somerset House.  The humble brunch is perhaps one of the greatest inventions of the modern age, especially if it incorporates pancakes, bacon and eggs. London is particularly well stocked with places to indulge in the famous breakfast/lunch hybrid. Let us guide you to the best restaurants for a fabulous brunch, from a traditional full English to innovative twists on the majestic meal, such as a bacon bao brunch or fried eggs on chilli-cheese crumpets. Booze optional.  Best brunches in London at a glance: 🍖 Best for Spanish-style brunch: Lolo, Bermondsey 🏰 Best for a spectacular setting: Aram, Somerset House 🌳 Best for an al fresco brunch: Pavilion Cafe, Victoria Park  🌮 Best for a Mexican feast: Corrochio’s, Stoke Newington  RECOMMENDED: Like unlimited fizz with your fry-up? Here are the best bottomless brunches in London.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial

From blockbuster names to indie shows, Time Out casts our net far and wide to review the biggest and best art exhibitions in the city. There are new openings every week – from painting to sculpture, photography, contemporary installations, free exhibitions and everything in between – and we run from gallery to gallery with our little notebooks, seeing shows, writing about shows, and sorting through the good, the excellent and the not so good. Want to see our latest exhibition reviews in one place? Check ’em out below – or shortcut it to our top ten art exhibitions in London for the shows that we already know will blow your socks off.

You need only look at the shelves piled high with unibrowed fridge magnets, tea towels, plant-pots and earrings in the average museum gift shop to know that Frida Kahlo is one of the 20th century’s greatest icons.  Featuring over 130 works alongside documents, photographs and memorabilia taken from Kahlo’s archives, Tate Modern’s blockbuster summer exhibition will explore how the Mexican painter became the kind of cultural phenomenon whose likeness adorns everything from novelty socks to limited-edition eyeshadow pallets. The first major London exhibition on the feminist icon since the V&A’s fashion-focused 2018 show Making Her Self Up, it will include some of her most iconic paintings, as well as the work of more than 80 fellow artists, from her contemporaries to the later generations she inspired.  All in all, it promises to be a fascinating exploration of the transformative role of women artists in the 20th century, as well as notions of fandom and the diverse communities who claim Frida as their own. Read our review here. 

What is it?  One of the capital’s more under-the-radar royal residences, Kew Palace is tucked away inside Kew’s world-famous Royal Botanical Gardens. A pretty, red-brick villa built as a riverside country residence for a Flemish merchant in 1631, the house had a succession of tenants before George II’s wife Caroline decided to purchase it as a home for the couple’s three eldest daughters when the royal family was in residence at the nearby Richmond Lodge.  It was George II’s son, Prince Frederick, and later Frederick’s widow, Augusta, who began cultivating the gardens that would eventually become one of London’s four World Heritage Sites, but Kew Palace truly came into its own during the reign of their son, who grew up at Kew and made it a home for his own family. A keen astronomer, George III had an observatory installed while his wife Queen Charlotte added to the gardens with a rustic-style cottage which the family used as a picnic retreat.  Why go?  With entry to Kew Palace included in admission to the Royal Botanical Gardens, it’s well worth a visit for a rare glimpse into family life among kings, queens, princes and princesses.  Visitors can see the fashionable Georgian decor of the Princesses’ rooms, George III’s library, and the vast Royal Kitchens once staffed by thirty cooks and virtually untouched since they fell out of use in the early 19th century.  Also on display are a series of artefacts telling the fascinating and often tragic story of George III’s life, inclu

Tate Modern’s (more-or-less) monthly Friday Lates series continues this month with an evening curated by this year’s Infinities Commission recipient, Zimbabwean choreographer, film-maker and installation artist Nora Chipaumire.  Centred around ‘gadzi’, Chipaumire’s monumental commission in the East Tank the evening, and will feature the first of three one-hour performances staged by the artist throughout this weekend.Starting in the installation and progressing through the Tanks Lobby and into the Turbine Hall, the performance incorporates the installation’s impressive sound system, plus live musicians and a troupe of thirteen dancers.  Aftet the performance, there’ll be plenty more music throughout the galleries, with sets from Rhythm Section’s Bradley Zero in the Turbine Hall, and Future Nostalgia’s Atiyyah Khan in the Corner Bar.  Visitors can also take part in a communal textile-making workshop, watch a selection of Chipaumire’s previous film work in the Starr Cinema, and join Tate curators for LGBTIA+ tours and ten-minute talks throughout the galleries. 

If you’ve recently found yourself on the Piccadilly Line during evening rush hour, you may have noticed fellow passengers sporting feather boas, bowler hats and other attempts at Belle Époque attire. They’re on the way to the latest immersive dining experience from The Lost Estate, creators of popular festive show The Great Christmas Feast.  The immersive specialists’ new production is set in 1890s Paris, specifically Le Chat Noir, the legendary Montmartre nightclub that birthed cabaret as we understand it. Stepping into a nondescript warehouse round the corner from West Kensington tube station, guests find themselves transported to a sumptuous, low-lit cabaret bar.  A lot of care has been taken over the design, which is replete with Art Nouveau touches, from Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen’s iconic feline prints adorning the walls and swirly Paris Métro-esque patterns decorating the banquette seating. The attention to detail extends all the way to the authentic 1890s adverts in the programme. There’s a lot more to like about Chat Noir! The show is based around the nightclub’s grand reopening following refurbishments that made it one of the first venues in Paris to boast electric lighting. The plot is well-researched, deftly bringing together a diverse range of Belle Époque references and characters. There’s music from the club’s sometime resident pianist, the composer Erik Satie and regular visitor Claude Debussy. Performers include celebrated illusionist Joseph Bautier, 1890s

Another London summer beckons: clouds clearing, days lengthening, an imaginative structure being erected in Kensington Gardens. Mexican architecture firm LANZA atelier has been chosen to design this 2026 Serpentine Pavilion, which features a ‘crinkle-crankle’ wall. Traditional structures seen in English architecture from the 18th century, these wavy partitions temper climate, create shelter, and are ideal for growing fruit. And fittingly, they’re also known as serpentine walls.  The prestigious architectural commission celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2026, with a landmark series of talks programmed in collaboration with the Zaha Hadid Foundation, the charitable organisation founded by the late Iraqi-British architect, who designed the inaugural Pavilion 25 years ago. The programme kicks off with an Architects’ Talk hosted by Hans Ulrich Obrist, with a series of Family Days featuring hands-on workshops, creative activities and performances for all ages scheduled throughout the summer. Check out the Serpentine’s website for further details in due course.   

A longstanding Soho tradition – going back more than half a century – this annual neighbourhood knees-up is organised by volunteers from the Soho Society, and sees the garden of Soho’s St Anne’s Church bursting with live music and entertainment.  The main draw of the day is the Soho Waiters’ Race. A tradition dating back to 1955, it starts at 3.15pm outside the French House, and sees a gaggle of waiters pelt through the streets of Soho, each holding a tray stacked with a bottle of champers, a glass and a napkin, all of which must be intact when they cross the finish line Another crowd favourite is the Soho Dog Show, which awards eight different prizes including ‘Dog who looks most like their owner’.  Alongside this, visitors can expect six hours of entertainment including live music, snail racing, a spaghetti-eating contest, a tug-of-war, a human fruit machine, foodie stalls, and The French House Bar. Best of all? It’s absolutely free to attend, although the gardens have a maximum capacity of 500, so turn up nice and early or be prepared to queue.

Here’s a fun bank holiday activity for fans of fancy homewares and even fancier wine. For the first time in its 13 years, Isaac McHale’s two Michelin-starred restaurant The Clove Club is hosting an archive sale. For one afternoon only, the restaurant in Shoreditch Town Hall will offer visitors a peek behind the scenes as they browse ceramics, glassware and other kitchen and pantry items accumulated by the restaurant over more than a decade of service. As well as bespoke and hand-crafted pieces from covetable local craftspeople like Owen Hall and Rebecca Proctor, oenophiles will be able to take home some very special bottles of wine from the restaurant’s cellar, spanning rare and older vintages, long-held cellar favourites and producers that have shaped the restaurant’s stellar wine programme over the years. Visitors will be able to purchase pots of ice cream, pre-batched cocktails and glasses of Champagne to enjoy while browsing, with other pantry staples including homemade truffle purée, hot sauce, devilled spice powder and elderflower vinegar will also be on offer. Crockery items will start from £10, while wine bottles range from £75 to £500, and visitors are can pop in any time from 11am to 3pm. Happy browsing!

Wimbledon Art Studios is throwing open its doors for this annual fair, which is a golden opportunity to get your hands on affordable works from more than 180 artists and makers while meeting the painters, photographers, sculptors and sensitive types behind them. There’s also a children's art trail, and an in-house cafe for picking up snacks on your arty adventure.

What is it? An official royal residence since 1689, Kensington Palace is one of five regal London properties managed by Historic Royal Palaces. It’s been lived in by everyone from Queen Victoria, to Princess Diana and most recently Wills and Kate.  It began as a reasonably modest, two-story suburban villa built by Sir George Coppin during the reign of King James I, a time when Kensington was a quiet village on the outskirts of London. Initially the home of a wealthy businessman, it was purchased by the first Earl of Nottingham before being acquired by William III and Mary II, who planned to use it as a countryside retreat with easy access to Parliament.  The royal couple engaged Sir Christopher Wren to renovate Nottingham House, adding north and south wings, three-storey pavilions at each corner, and manicured Dutch-style gardens before moving in on Christmas Eve 1689. Kensington Palace has since been home to Queen Anne, George I, George II and Queen Victoria, and countless minor royals. More recently it has become a London base for the younger generation of royals; the Prince and Princess of Wales currently reside in apartments at the Palace, while the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made their first home in a cottage on its grounds.  It might not be as large as Hampton Court or the notorious Tower, but the (comparatively) modest Jacobean architecture and impeccably groomed grounds are absolutely stunning and well worth a poke around—something visitors have been able to do since

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

Hot on the heels of the Chelsea Flower Show, the first week of June sees the arrival of the second biggest event in the calendar for London’s flower fanatics.  London Open Gardens is back this weekend, offering dedicated horticulturists, amateur botanists and other admirers of a colourful wall trellis or an artfully deployed water feature the chance to have a peek at whole bunch of fabulous gardens across the city, the vast majority of which are not usually open to the public.  A £26 weekend ticket grants visitors access to over 120 venues around London, from floating oases and rooftop hideaways to sculpture gardens and historic plots. But there’s only so much time to snoop around, so before you go trekking round the capital in search of blooms, have a look at our roundup of eight brilliant gardens that are definitely worth taking a look at.  The 8 best gardens to visit during London Open Gardens 2026 The Sanctuary Garden at Freedom from Torture, Islington The Sanctuary Garden earned a silver medal at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2024. After that, it was relocated to Freedom from Torture’s London Therapy Centre in Finsbury Park and for most of the year, it functions as a place where survivors of torture can find calm and partake in horticultural therapy. Willow structures curve and sweep around the space, and plants like figs, nigella seeds, chickpeas, pomegranate and a strawberry tree have been installed to evoke happier memories of home. For Open Gardens, experts will be on

The 2025/26 football season has almost come to a close, but while most football fans are turning their thoughts towards this summer’s World Cup, Arsenal fans are gearing up for a huge weekend for their club. After winning their first league title in 22 years last week – which fans will get to celebrate at a huge trophy parade around north London this Sunday – Mikel Arteta’s team will be attempting to clinch a second major piece of silverware as they face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League Final on Saturday night in Budapest’s Puskás Aréna. Many Gooners will be flying to Hungary for the occasion, with a further 60,000 watching live at the Emirates Stadium. Not got a ticket for either, but still keen to catch the nail-biting action somewhere with a bit more atmosphere than your living room? Local fans will be also be heading to the boozers and beer gardens of north London to watch Ødegaard, Rice and Eze battling it out against Dembélé and co. So if you fancy joining them, look no further than our roundup of London’s best Gooner pubs. Just be sure to book where possible, or show up very early if not, because venues will be packed out for the club’s biggest game in 18 years. RECOMMENDED: London’s best football pubs. The best Arsenal pubs in London 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 sco

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

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

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

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