The Black Cap is back! (And you can even stay there now.) Image: Black Cap

It's not unusual for London to lose a legendary institution once in a while. But in recent times, we've seen a handful spring back from the dead. Here are five that have either been resuscitated, or are about to be.

1. Simpson's Tavern, City

Soon, these doors will open once again. Image: Matt Brown

In November 2022, Simpson's Tavern suddenly and shockingly stopped serving kidney puddings and Barnsley chops, as it'd been doing since 1757. The reason? An "unconscionable" landlord (who'd have thunk it!), who had Simpon's shut down with immediate effect. Three and a half years later, the bow-windowed time capsule of a place remains shuttered; however later this year, that should no longer be the case, when it reopens as Cloth Cornhill — a sequel venue from the folks behind Smithfield bistro, Cloth. Name change aside, we have our fingers crossed that much will remain as it was in 2022 (and for that matter, 1757), although realistically — given the menus at Cloth — dishes may be on the sprauncier side.

2. The Black Cap, Camden

Once more, you can have a great night out at the Black Cap. Image: The Black Cap

With a cabaret/drag heritage spanning back to the 1950s — and its ancestry as the Mother Black Cap dating back as far as the mid-18th century — this footloose and fancy-free pub became known as the 'Palladium of drag', staging riotous shows from Danny La Rue, Lily Savage et al. Then, in 2015, the Black Cap became the latest in a litany of LGBTQ+ venues to fall foul of hard times/avaricious owners who fancied turning the place into... yep, luxury flats. Fortunately, London's full of decent people, and a vociferous community campaign led to the Black Cap's reopening in March 2026 — some 11 years after it'd shut. Once again, the joint sparkles with drag bingo and karaoke sessions — and if you have a particularly good night here, you can even book a room.

3. Simpson's in the Strand, Strand

Simpson's is back from the dead... but little about it has changed. Image: Simpson's in the Strand

For over five years, the wood-panelled dining rooms of one of the city's grandest eateries lay empty — another victim of the pandemic. Rubbing salt in the wound, much of its contents were auctioned off. Enter Jeremy King — no-nonsense restaurateur behind the Ivy, Le Caprice and the Wolseley — who, in March 2026, flung open Simpson's famous chess board-motifed entrance once more, with a stylish-yet-restrained revamp, ensuring it holds onto everything people loved about it in the first place (including those roast ribs of beef carved tableside from the trolley). "A rollicking list of cosy British joys" declared critic Grace Dent, after a slap-up meal at the rebooted restaurant.

4. Model Market, Lewisham

German Kraft will pilot the relaunched Model Market. Image: Model Market

A glimmering light amid the gradual gentrification of Lewisham, many locals were no doubt grateful to have Model Market on their doorstep — a hip hangout serving street food from the likes of Mother Clucker and Hotbox — that is, until it hit the skids mid-Covid, closing in 2021. After five years away, the touchpaper will be relit, with a fresh imagining of Model Market as piloted by brewers German Kraft, who, themselves are about to be chucked out of their current HQ in Elephant and Castle. The market should open later this summer — and although no traders have been announced, at least we already know the lager will be decent.

5.  Duck Tours, the Thames

Will we be seeing these on the streets/rivers of London imminently? Image: Big Duck Tours

Holy Quack! we exclaimed at the end of last year — amphibious road 'n' river guided tours are waddling their way back into London as Big Duck Tours, with all-electric vehicles. We think so, anyway; since then, the company has kept its beak shut about when exactly that 'spring/summer 2026' launch date might be (presumably not spring unless the duckmobiles are fitted with time machines).

Image: Christof Timmermann, Creative Commons

Cramped into the Piccadilly line is the last place you want to be during a heatwave. But that wasn't always the case...

"The coolest resort in London, with the exception of the refrigerator, was in the underground subway of tube stations," reckoned the Daily Mirror during an unseasonable hot spell in May 1916.

The temperature inside a "stuffy West End shop" was 31.7°C, while one of the deep-level Tube lines was just 23.9°C (or 89°F versus 75°F in ye olde units of the report).

So, a heatwave day in May 1916 saw the Tube hit almost 24°C. According to London Datastore numbers, an *average* May day on the deep-level lines today is 26.6°C (Bakerloo) or 27.5°C (Central). These can easily exceed 30°C during a heatwave.

Another news item from 1914 recorded the subsurface temperatures on the Metropolitan line.

The Globe, 3 July 1914. Via the British Newspaper Archive

That's 18.6°C below ground, while the direct-sunshine temperature was 44°C. (If that sounds high, it's because modern temperature reporting measures in the shade.) The shallow lines like the Met were, and are, somewhat cooler because of easier ventilation.

Even as late as 1925, people still considered the Tube as a cool refuge. This from the Liverpool Echo, 12 June 1925:

"Thousands of people indulged in rides on the tubes in their search for a cool place, whilst not a few took tickets in order just to go down the lifts to sit down below in comfort and coolness. When moved on these heat refugees passed to the next station and there found sanctuary for a little while longer."

Clearly, the Tubes and subsurface lines were the place to go if you needed to get out of the heat. Today, the reverse is true. All sensible people avoid the Tube in a heatwave, unless they have no choice. What changed?

Well, the ground heated up. Decades of train movements have imparted the tunnels and surrounding clays with extra heat, generated mostly by friction. Many of the tunnels have been in near-constant use for over 120 years, so the heat never gets a chance to dissipate.

TfL has experimented with industrial fans to help cool station spaces. Image: Ted Potters, Creative Commons

Despite the rising temperatures, travelling underground is not always as sweaty as it used to be. The subsurface lines (Circle, District, H&C and Metropolitan) now have a form of air conditioning that can make the trains relatively pleasant to ride. Meanwhile, the Elizabeth line came with cooling built in.

The new 2024 tube stock — now delayed until 2027 — will feature air conditioning. Image: TfL

The older deep-level lines (Central, Bakerloo, Jubilee, Northern, Piccadilly, Victoria) are harder to cool because of the narrower tunnels. The problem should slowly be alleviated by the introduction of the new 2024 stock trains, first on the Piccadilly line, then other lines.

That will take many years to fully roll-out, though, and will not cool down the platforms. Sweaty summer Tube rides will be with us for a little while yet.

All weekend

BST Hyde Park gets started this weekend. Image: Tom Hancock

CHILDREN'S LITERATURE FESTIVAL: What is apparently the UK's largest children's literature festival pitches up in Barnes for a weekend of talks and workshops. Hear from big names in the world of kids' books including Axel Scheffler, Michael Rosen and Lauren Child; take part in Aardman model-making sessions; or have a go at Manga illustration, among many other events and activities. 27-28 June 2026

JAPANESE FEMALE PHOTOGRAPHERS: The Photographers' Gallery's summer exhibition displays the work of 27 Japanese women photographers, from the 1950s to present day. More than 200 photographs, videos, installations and rare photobooks are on show, in a bid to rebalance a history too often told through a single, male-dominated lens. 24 June-27 September 2026

THE SLEEPING BEAUTY: The English National Ballet is at the Royal Albert Hall for Sir Kenneth MacMillan's production of The Sleeping Beauty — the first time it's been performed at this venue. The classic fairy tale of the cursed Princess Aurora, from her christening to her wedding celebrations, is brought to life with Tchaikovsky's score, as performed by the English National Ballet Philharmonic. 25-28 June 2026

PORTRAIT AWARD: The Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award opens at the National Portrait Gallery, celebrating the best in contemporary portraiture. This year's four shortlisted pieces were chosen from over 1,400 entries from artists across 63 countries. FREE, 25 June-7 October 2026

FRIDA KAHLO: Mexican artist Frida Kahlo is the subject of a new exhibition at Tate Modern, featuring over 30 of her works, to delve into how she became one of the most influential artists of all time — not to mention a cultural phenomenon. Kahlo's garments, jewellery, photographs and memorabilia also feature, along with 200 works by her contemporaries. 25 June 2026-3 January 2027

A new exhibition highlights Japanese women photographers. Image: YANAGI Miwa Elevator Girl House 1F, 1997; from the series Elevator Girl Courtesy the artist and Aperture

FUSE INTERNATIONAL: Performing arts festival FUSE International takes over Kingston, with a programme of music, theatre, dance, comedy, visual arts, spoken word, circus and more. Highlights include a Pride in Kingston weekend celebrating the local LGBTQIA+ community, and a Battle of the Bands highlighting local musical talent. 26 June-5 July 2026

SPITALFIELDS MUSIC FESTIVAL: The 50th anniversary edition of Spitalfields Music Festival presents contemporary music, opera, choral works, walking tours and community projects across London's East End. Highlights in the programme include soprano Carolyn Sampson, the New European Ensemble's Seasonal Quartet with writer Ali Smith, the Carice Singers, and concerts at venues ranging from neighbourhood spaces to the Tower of London. 26 June-8 July 2026

BST HYDE PARK: Maroon 5, Mumford and Sons, Pitbull and Lewis Capaldi are among the headliners at this year's BST Hyde Park, commandeering a corner of Hyde Park for a fortnight (though Saturday's Garth Brooks headline show is sold out). On non-gig days, the Open House programme takes place (unrelated to Open House London), with free entertainment spanning live music, film and sports screenings, and more. 27 June-12 July 2026

VANBRUGH: Closing this weekend, a major exhibition at Sir John Soane's Museum brings together drawings and objects including Vanbrugh's plans for Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard, including never-before-exhibited material from the V&A. FREE, until 28 June 2026

See what's on at Spitalfields Music Festival this weekend. Image: Spitalfields Music Festival

LINE DRAWINGS: The Heath Robinson Museum's current exhibition brings together single line drawings and large-scale works by artists including Mr Doodle, Damien Hirst, Glenn Brown, Jake Chapman, Frank Auerbach, Alberto Giacometti, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol. Sounds like quite the draw. Until 28 June 2026

TOY STORY BRUNCH: To celebrate the new Toy Story 5 film, Dotty's Teahouse in Carshalton transforms into Dotty's Toyhouse for a themed brunch this week, with sweet and savoury menu items inspired by Pixar's latest. Until 28 June 2026

MAKE A MESS: Anna, newly bereaved and estranged from her mother, immerses herself in Nigella Lawson's How To Eat and summons an imagined Nigella as a guide. Theatre show How To Make A Mess explores grief and comfort through recipes and memory, taking place Upstairs at the Gatehouse in Highgate. Until 28 June 2026

WORLD CUP: England play Panama on Saturday in their final Group Stage match in the World Cup. These London bars and venues are all screening World Cup matches live — expect them to be veeeery busy for England games!

Saturday 27 June

Everyone's welcome at the Royal Wharf Summer Fete. Image: Royal Wharf Summer Fete

CORDON BLEU FESTIVAL: Le Cordon Bleu's Summer Festival in Bloomsbury offers 18 hands-on culinary workshops, wine and beverage tastings, and eight guest-chef demonstrations. Workshops are led by Le Cordon Bleu Master Chefs and visiting chefs including Michael Kwan and Masaki Sugisaki, with tastings from brands such as the Peruvian Embassy Pisco Bar, Brindisa and Lauden Chocolate. 9.30am-6pm

SUMMER FETE: Community event Royal Wharf Summer Fete is a family-friendly waterfront celebration, open to everyone. The programme includes live music and DJ sets, fitness classes, a craft market with independent traders, street food, garden games and children's workshops. FREE, 11am-5pm

DIRTY DANCING BRUNCH: Have the time of your life singing and dancing to live versions of songs from the 1987 film, at the Dirty Dancing brunch at Between the Bridges on South Bank. Staged dance scenes, singalongs, audience challenges and a DJ keep things lively, with an hour of bottomless bubbles included in your ticket. Note that food isn't part of the deal, but there are plenty of traders open on site throughout the event. 11.30am-3pm

HORNIMAN BIRTHDAY PARTY: Forest Hill's Horniman Museum celebrates its 125th birthday with a free (but ticketed) day of events. Watch local and young musicians and DJs across three stages, plus arts and crafts, Smallympics, object handling, a storytelling tent, tours and trails, and street food stalls — all with top-notch views of the London skyline. FREE, 12pm-5pm

PRIDE IN SOUTHWARK: Ahead of the big Pride in London festival next week, Pride in Southwark keeps the celebrations local. It begins with a protest march from the London LGBTQ+ Centre to Mint Street Park to defend and promote LGBTQIA+ rights, followed by a community event with music, spoken word and other entertainment in the park all afternoon. FREE, 12pm-6pm

Have the time of your life at the Dirty Dancing brunch. Image: Luke Dyson

ELIF SHAFAK: Renowned British-Turkish writer and activist Elif Shafak gives the inaugural Counterpoints Lecture at Southbank Centre, exploring whether creativity can help heal our divided world. Hear her thoughts on how creativity can open paths to belonging and collaboration in times of conflict and division. 2pm

CROWLEY CRAWL: Guide Marco Visconti leads a walking tour that traces the London of occultist Aleister Crowley. Today's West End Arcana route calls at clandestine corners of the Strand, legal quarters and Atlantis Bookshop. 2pm

RUGBY DOUBLE HEADER: Rugby team Barbarians play Wales in a double-header match day at Twickenham. One ticket covers both the men's (KO 2pm) and women's (KO 5pm) fixtures — each runs for 80 minutes. KO 2pm

CHOCOLATE SOLDIER: Oscar Straus' 1908 opéra bouffe The Chocolate Soldier comes to Wilton's Music Hall, staged by Opera della Luna which is known for its productions of comic opera and operetta. It's the first time the show — based on George Bernard Shaw's anti-war play Arms and the Man — has been staged in the UK since 1940, when its run at the Shaftesbury Theatre was cut short when the theatre was bombed. 2pm/7pm

Celebrate the 125th anniversary of Horniman Museum and Gardens. Image: OrdinaryTomatoes via CC BY 4.0

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD: Aaron Sorkin’s stage adaptation of Harper Lee's novel To Kill A Mockingbird returns to the West End, opening at Wyndham's Theatre and starring Richard Coyle as Atticus Finch. 2pm/7pm (and until 12 September 2026)

WHODUNNIT UNREHEARSED: Park Theatre stages a Wild West murder‑mystery in which a different celebrity becomes the unrehearsed sheriff each night. Guest sheriffs so far this run have included Anne‑Marie Duff, Toby Jones, Katherine Parkinson and Simon Pegg. Not too shoddy! 2.30pm/7.30pm

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Directed by Alan Berliner, documentary Letter to the Editor reworks thousands of photographs clipped from the New York Times over 40 years into a personal filmic essay about photojournalism, memory and ageing. See it at Bertha DocHouse in Bloomsbury. 3.30pm

Elif Shafak gives the inaugural Counterpoints Lecture. Image: Counterpoints Lecture

JAPAN NIGHT: Experience an atmospheric evening of Japanese calligraphy, tsugaru shamisen, and premium sake at Japan Night, at the Church of St Katharine Cree (Leadenhall Street). Setsuhi Shiraishi demonstrates calligraphy, while Hibiki Ichikawa performs on the three-stringed traditional Japanese instrument, with sake, beer and a selection of snacks also available. 6.30pm-8pm

KIDNAP: Based on the true story of actor and writer Samia Rida's own kidnap to Saudi Arabia as a child, Kidnap at the Drayton Arms Theatre is a dark comedy exploring multiculturalism, domestic abuse, having a disabled sibling... and how kidnap can involve a swimming pool. 7.30pm

BALLAST: Contemporary dancer and choreographer Sol Picó brings a powerful new solo performance to Bell Square in Hounslow. LASTRE (BALLAST) serves as the first chapter of a trilogy exploring themes of vital renewal and healing, blending Picó’s signature precision and strength with music by Judit Farrés. The 25-minute outdoor piece features four accompanying dancers. FREE, 8pm

MYSTERY MOVIE MARATHON: Expect the unexpected at the Prince Charles Cinema in Leicester Square. Five surprise films are shown back-to-back, with no clues given to the line-up — just five random picks from various directors. It's a long session, running through the night and ending around 9am. Phew! 11.45pm

Sunday 28 June

Chiswick House and Gardens is the venue for the Lazy Flea. Image: Andre Pattenden

ART & PRINT MARKET: Painters, sculptors and illustrators take over the Sculpture Garden at Dulwich Picture Gallery for the launch of a brand new curated market. Browse original works and prints while enjoying floral displays, alongside a selection of local food and drink traders. Meet independent makers and hear the stories behind their vision in a relaxed outdoor setting. FREE, 10am-3pm

BUS MUSEUM FESTIVAL: Venture a smidge beyond the London border into Surrey for the Summer Festival at the London Bus Museum. View a range of heritage vehicles, take tours of the local area in a 1950s/1960s RT or Routemaster bus, and shop for books, models, old uniforms, badges and memorabilia. 10am-5pm

LAZY FLEA: The Lazy Flea returns to Chiswick House & Gardens for a one-day vintage market on the House forecourt, with 60+ traders offering vintage homeware, furniture, clothing and jewellery alongside street food and coffee. The event is family-friendly and dogs are welcome. 10.30am

DRAG QUEEN STORYTIME: Sashay your way over to Woolwich Works for Drag Queen Storytime, a family-friendly event in which drag queen Topsie Redfern hosts stories, songs and activities celebrating diversity. 11am

SOBER RAVE: Swing by Embargo Republica in Chelsea for a sober daytime rave hosted by Morning Gloryville. Enjoy yoga and other wellness activities, along with live acts and DJs, open mics and a mocktail menu. 11am-4pm

Morning Gloryville is a sober daytime rave. Image: Morning Gloryville

TUDOR POWER STRUGGLE: Tour guide David Charnick leads a guided walk exploring the challenge for supremacy in 1522, in which Henry VIII, desperate for a male heir, began to question his previous marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Visit sites around Blackfriars and Clerkenwell linked to the struggle between King and Pope to secure the loyalty of the English people. 2pm

ARAB FILM CLUB: Short films spotlighting refugee narratives and stories of migration are shown at Southbank Centre, curated by actor and writer Sarah Agha. The theme for the Refugee Week screening is courage, with three films shown followed by a Q&A with Agha. 3pm

MOZART'S JUPITER: The Aurora Orchestra, conducted by Nicholas Collon, performs Mozart's Symphony No.41 'Jupiter' from memory at the Royal Festival Hall. The company removes music stands and invites audiences onto and around the stage for an intimate, immersive experience. 4pm/6.30pm

Between The Heartbeats is at the King's Head Theatre on Sunday evening. Image: King's Head Theatre

QUARTET CONCRÈTE: The summer season at Conway Hall in Holborn concludes with a performance of Schubert's masterpiece, the Death and the Maiden Quartet. Quartet Concrète presents a programme that also includes Haydn's Quartet in E flat and Britten's 3 Divertimenti. 6.30pm-8.30pm

OPEN MIC NIGHT: Head to The London Art Bar for a mixed-arts evening featuring performances of music, poetry, art and stand-up. It's open to both emerging artists, and pros who want to try something new. 7pm-8pm

BOLLYWOOD MAGIC: Spend your Sunday evening immersed in the sounds of Bollywood at Leicester Square Theatre. Marking 25 years since the release of one of Bollywood's most iconic films, Say Shava Shava is a concert-style live vocal and dance celebration inspired by its unforgettable soundtrack and cultural impact. 7pm

BETWEEN THE HEARTBEATS: "A fierce, glitter-soaked, soul-bearing uprising of Black queer brilliance" is how Between The Heartbeats describes itself. The evening of live music and storytelling takes place at the King's Head theatre, reclaiming space in an industry that has historically profited from Black creativity while marginalising Black queer bodies. 7pm

Find your nearest beach in London. Image: Emma Nathan/Royal Docks

London is short on beaches where you can happily unwind, sunbathe and maybe even go for a paddle. But for a few short months each year, sandy shores come to the capital in the form of pop-up urban artificial beaches. We've rounded up where to find them in summer 2026 — so pack a beach bag, grab your bucket and spade, and head for the sand!

Into refreshing dips sans sand? You'll be needing our guide to lidos and outdoor swimming spots in London (and beyond).

The beach bar: Big Penny Beach Club, Walthamstow: Summer 2026

Sandy toes... in Walthamstow. Image: Big Penny Social

Beer hall Big Penny Social offers a rebranded summer experience for 2026, in the form of Big Penny Beach Club.

This pop-up beach goes for Balearic vibes — think sand, cabanas and beach bars. Also new for 2026 is Gelateria operated by Hackney Gelato, scooping out 12 different flavours. Fish and chips, beer and cocktails are on the menu too. Look out for special events including themed parties, quizzes and beach volleyball tournaments.

Big Penny Beach Club, Walthamstow. Open 22 May-30 August 2026. Entry £5 per person.

JW3 Beach, Finchley: Summer 2026

The sandy beach returns to JW3 for 2026. Image: JW3

Jewish community centre JW3's sandy strip pops up at the Dorfman Piazza again, featuring a retractable roof so the beach stays dry whatever the weather (plus you should be able to find some shade, on even the sunniest days). Snacks are available from the JW3 cafe, which is serving a special summer menu.

As always, check the programme for free, family-friendly beach activities throughout the summer (and possible closures for private events)

JW3 Beach, FREE entry, 28 June-31 August 2026.

Summer Splash 2026 lido at Royal Docks

Splash about in the docks this summer. Image: Emma Nathan, Royal Docks

We're promised lifeguards, sandpits, deckchairs and kids' lessons at Summer Splash, a free lido opening at Royal Docks for the summer holidays. Children can splash about in shallow areas and get stuck into sandy play areas, while adults can indulge in open water swimming or kick back in a deckchair. Also nearby: wakeboarding and paddle boarding at WakeUp Docklands, and the Sweheat Sauna.

Summer Splash lido at Royal Docks, FREE entry, 24 July-16 August 2026.

Costa Del Croydon free rooftop beach 2026

Once again, golden sand lines the roof of Centrale's car park in Croydon, offering a summery rooftop spot with sandpits, a splash zone, trampolines and games, with daily activities and food and drink pop-ups. So far, so family-friendly, but new for 2026 are adults-only Beach Club nights running every Thursday evening, with DJ sets to soak in with a cocktail in hand.

The beach's name, by the way is a nod to the gently ironic 'Costa del Croydon' t shirts, sold by the Croydon Advertiser in the 1970s, referencing the Croydon Chamber of Commerce's motion to turn the town into a tourist resort. It'll get there one day.

Costa Del Croydon, FREE entry, 7-31 August 2026.

London's year-round beach: Ruislip Lido

Image: Shutterstock

Ruislip Lido in Hillingdon has a natural beach year-round, as long as you don't mind sharing sand space with swans. There's even a miniature railway to make getting there that bit more fun. Be aware though, that swimming in the lake is prohibited.

Central London beach: The Thames Foreshore

Image: Matt Brown.

No list of London beaches would be complete without the natural ones, along the Thames foreshore. Well, we say 'natural', but some of the choicer spots have clearly had sand imported over the years. Stairs down to the foreshore can be found all along the South Bank. One notable area is close to Gabriel's Wharf where a particularly sandy patch attracts sand sculptors.

Image: Matt Brown.

Another excellent patch is the beach in front of Tate Modern. This one is more pebbly, but is a fascinating place to explore with children. Always be careful when on the foreshore for sharp flotsam and jetsam, and beware of rising tides. Needless to say, you shouldn't swim in the Thames in central London.

Looking for the real seaside? Check out our guides for the best real sand you can get to on a day trip from London:

🏖️ 8 seaside towns in Sussex to visit from London

🏖️ 9 seaside towns in Kent to visit from London

🏖️ 7 Essex seaside towns (and islands) to visit from London

🏖️ Begging for Mersea: why you should visit this beautiful Essex island

🏖️ Why you should go to... Hastings

🏖️ Why you should go to... Clacton-on-Sea

Free things to do in London this week.

The Royal Wharf Summer Fete is a free, family-friendly event happening on Saturday. Image: Royal Wharf Summer Fete

The OG starchitect

Closing this weekend, a major free exhibition at Sir John Soane's Museum pulls together drawings and objects centred on 'rockstar of the English Baroque/the original starchitect', Sir John Vanbrugh — including his plans for Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard. It's a chance to learn more about the man whose work was still often overshadowed by contemporaries Nicholas Hawksmoor and Sir Christopher Wren.

Until 28 June. If you're into architecture, check out free events on the final full week of the London Festival of Architecture 2026 programme.

100 years of Royal Ballet School

The Royal Ballet School (RBS) celebrates its centenary with a host of free events and activities in the Covent Garden Piazza throughout this week.

The Royal Ballet School marks its centenary this week. Image: Pierre Tappon

Join in with free full-length ballet classes, screened live on Covent Garden's big screen direct from the RBS. There are also daily screenings of student performances, choreography showcases and dance-inspired films including Billy Elliot the Musical, Center Stage and Save the Last Dance

Plus: a new sculpture, the Strength and Grace Butterfly — crafted entirely from pointe shoes by former English National Ballet dancer and artist Amber Hunt — goes on display as part of the festivities.

22-27 June.

Talk with the animals

Image: ZSL

ZSL, the conservation charity which runs London Zoo, continues its bicentenary celebrations with a free public lecture on Tuesday evening. Hear how different forms of media have shaped the way we see nature, from natural history broadcasting to today's citizen science.

Zoologist, wildlife presenter and filmmaker Billy Heaney hosts presentations, panel discussions and an audience Q&A about how important storytelling is in conservation, in order to bring people closer to nature.

23 June.

Shakespeare's Globe chat

Members of the creative team behind the upcoming production of Bertolt Brecht's anti-war protest play Mother Courage gather at Shakespeare's Globe on Tuesday evening. This panel discussion and Q&A delves into the world of the play and its contemporary relevance, offering a deeper look at the themes explored in Anna Jordan's new adaptation.

Note: although tickets are classed as 'free', there's a £3 fee per transaction for this one.

24 June.

Climate change solutions

The Natural History Museum opens its doors for Generation Hope: London Climate Action Night on Wednesday. The free evening, aimed at 18-35 year olds but open to everyone, explores nature-based solutions to the climate crisis. Part of London Climate Action Week, the event features pop-up science stations, a discussion on urban heat and guided tours of the Fixing Our Broken Planet gallery.

24 June.

When people stop waiting

Ever wanted to make a meaningful change, but not sure where to start? On Wednesday evening, Walthamstow's Big Penny Social screens short film Actionism, about what happens when people stop waiting for permission and start building power together. It's followed by a Q&A with Ellie, whose story is told in the film, and Beccy, a member of Re-Action Collective.

24 June.

Textiles pioneer

Dr Silvija Banić gives a lunchtime lecture at the V&A South Kensington on Thursday, exploring the legacy of Spitalfields pattern drawer Anna Maria Garthwaite. The talk celebrates the museum's recent acquisition of a dress fabric based on Garthwaite's work; the pioneer introduced the principles of painting into the loom.

25 June.

Dickens' 'best and truest friend'

Professor Christine Skelton, author of Charles Dickens and Georgina Hogarth: A Curious and Enduring Relationship, discusses Hogarth’s role in preserving Dickens' reputation. Hear about the woman described as his 'best and truest friend' in a free talk, which you can watch either at the Dickens Museum in Bloomsbury, or online via livestream.

25 June.

Free outdoor film

London's spoiled for outdoor cinema in summer, but catching a flick can be pricey. Not so at Lower Marsh, which holds its first free al fresco screening of the year on Thursday.

Cool Runnings, the 90s fave about a Jamaican bobsled team pursuing Olympics glory, is shown for free, as the Waterloo street goes traffic-free and a large screen is erected. Arrive early for pre-film entertainment and to get your fill of refreshments from local businesses.

25 June.

Happy 125th, Horniman

Forest Hill's Horniman Museum celebrates its 125th birthday with a free (but ticketed) day of events this Saturday. Watch local and young musicians and DJs across three stages, plus arts and crafts, Smallympics, object handling, a storytelling tent, tours and trails... all with top-notch views of the London skyline. There are food and drink stalls too.

27 June.

Riverside summer fete

Image: Royal Wharf Summer Fete

Community event Royal Wharf Summer Fete is a family-friendly waterfront celebration, open to everyone on Saturday, with free entry. The programme includes live music and DJ sets, fitness classes, a craft market with independent traders, street food, garden games and children's workshops.

27 June.

Southwark Pride

Ahead of the big Pride in London festival next week, Pride in Southwark keeps the celebrations local. It begins with a protest march from the London LGBTQ+ Centre to Mint Street Park to defend and promote LGBTQIA+ rights, followed by a community event with music, spoken word and other entertainment in the park all afternoon.

27 June.

Soca dance sesh

Get yourself to Union Park South in Wembley on Sunday morning for a soca dance class, where you'll start your day with a fast-paced, high-energy workout routine set to rhythmic Caribbean sounds. If yoga isn't enough to get you in the zone, soca may be what you're seeking. Book a free slot.

28 June.

Not enough is being done to protect bus drivers from high temperatures, says Unite. Image: Jens Riesenberg, Unsplash License

London's bus drivers need better protection from summer heatwave temperatures, says the trade union Unite.

With soaring heat now a fixture of the capital's summers, the temperature inside driver cabs can often exceed 40 degrees, which Unite says can heavily impact driver health and wellbeing, and exacerbate the 'already dangerous' problem of bus driver fatigue. This in turn prompts slower response times, a lack of concentration, dizziness and even fainting at the wheel.

Said one anonymous driver: "In the hot weather, the cabs can get unbearably hot and stuffy. It is not good for our alertness and health, as well as our customers who are suffering as well."

Unite — which recently launched a Fight Fatigue Now campaign — says drivers have also complained that some buses, including newer models, remain in service despite broken air-conditioning, while older models have ineffective air cooling systems.

Says Unite general secretary Sharon Graham: "For too long London bus drivers have suffered from the effects of high temperatures while TfL and bus companies have failed to act. It is absolutely unacceptable.

"Every year we have the same problem during hot weather and yet no progress is being made to protect workers.

"This is a serious problem that risks the safety of drivers as well as millions of Londoners. It requires immediate, decisive action, which Unite will not stop fighting for."

What exactly is Unite after?

The union says it's calling for the introduction of 'fatigue management' — which might include stopping employers from disciplining drivers who say they are fatigued; as well as clear rules for drivers who currently have to drive buses in heatwaves with no air con.

In reply, Lorna Murphy, TfL's Director of Buses, said: "Alongside bus operators, we take our bus drivers' safety and welfare seriously and contracts rightly require operators to meet high standards.

"Our bus operators have a comprehensive hot weather plan in place to protect all staff and customers during the warm weather, including air cooling systems fitted in all driver cabs. If air cooling systems on a vehicle are not functioning and drivers do not feel they can carry out their duties safely, they should contact the controller and action will be taken to support them.

"We encourage any driver with concerns to contact their employer, their union, or the Confidential Incident Reporting & Analysis Service (CIRAS) anonymously."

Clermont serves a Wimbledon Championship Afternoon Tea in three of its London hotels

There are many ways to enjoy Wimbledon 2026, including joining 'The Queue' or finding your nearest open-air screen showing the action.

Alternatively, treat yourself to one of these ace tennis-themed afternoon teas.

Wimbledon Afternoon Tea at InterContinental London Park Lane

The flavours, colours and designs of the world-famous tennis tournament are the inspiration for a new afternoon tea menu at InterContinental London Park Lane.

Served in The Wellington Lounge, the menu features a classic selection of finger sandwiches, including a cucumber and Dorset crème fraîche; smoked salmon, lemon and dill rillette; and seasonal garden vegetable sandwich. Pastries are filled with the flavours of the tournament, including a strawberry and cream cake fashioned in the shape of a summer hat, and a citrus calamansi and raspberry tennis ball.

Wimbledon Afternoon Tea at InterContinental London Park Lane, from £85 per person, available 15 June-12 July 2026.

Match Point Afternoon Tea at RAILS Restaurant

Tennis is the name of the game at the Match Point Afternoon Tea, served daily throughout the tournament at RAILS Restaurant within Kaya Great Northern Hotel (King's Cross).

Savour a selection of delicate finger sandwiches, from roasted beef sirloin with horseradish, lemon and thyme to classic cucumber and cream cheese, along with smoked salmon with dill and lemon crème fraîche. The sweet creations have a decidedly British theme, including a Pimm’s macaron paying homage to a tennis ball, and a chocolate tea biscuit cake topped with golden racquets. Finish up with fresh strawberries and lashings of cream, as well as freshly baked fruit and plain scones.

Match Point Afternoon Tea at RAILS Restaurant, from £42.50 per person, available 29 June-21 July 2026.

Golden Serve Afternoon Tea at The Hansom

Just a short serve from RAILS (above), The Hansom within St Pancras offers its own culinary celebration of Wimbledon, in the shape of its Golden Serve Afternoon Tea. It centres around a tennis ball pastry. Each day, one of these pastries will be golden on the inside,  winning complimentary afternoon tea for that whole table.

Golden Serve Afternoon Tea at The Hansom, from £65 per person, 30 June-13 July 2026.

Wimbledon Championships Afternoon Tea at Clermont Hotels

A buttery strawberry & clotted cream tart, a delicate lemon macaron, and a raspberry, Pimm’s & lemon cheesecake are among the Wimbledon-themed desserts available in a special Wimbledon Championships Afternoon Tea menu. It's served at four London venues across the Clermont Hotels Group: Royal Horseguards Hotel, The Tower Hotel, The Clermont Charing Cross, and The Clermont Victoria, which are all screening Wimbledon live for guests and diners.

In addition to those fruity sweet treats, dine on finger sandwiches, and freshly baked scones with jam and clotted cream.

Wimbledon Championships Afternoon Tea at Royal Horseguards Hotel | The Clermont Charing Cross | The Clermont Victoria | The Tower Hotel, available 29 June-12 July 2026.

Centre Court-Yard at Ham Yard Hotel, Soho

Not only is the Ham Yard Hotel showing the tennis in its themed 'Centre Court-Yard' outdoor pop-up, it's also, ahem, serving a picnic hamper afternoon tea to enjoy while you watch.

Throughout Wimbledon fortnight, book ahead for the special afternoon tea menu, which includes savouries such as Seafood bridge rolls, and Ham Yard quail Scotch eggs alongside sweet treats including a Pimm's tartlet and a rose, strawberry and cream gâteau, all served in a picnic hamper.

Centre Court-Yard at Ham Yard Hotel, £53 per person, available 29 June-12 July 2026.

Your weekly roundup of Londonist news and features.

Olympia's New Rooftop Street Is Just A Little Bit Wow

A great glass canopy, bars, restaurants and a new music venue await.

Image: Matt Brown

More Beaks To Feed! Pelican Chicks Born At St James's Park For The First Time

Four additions to the feathered family.

Image: Royal Parks

"Brixton Market As We Know It Could Disappear" Claim Traders

Locals urged to 'Buy Back Brixton'.

Image: gerrypopplestone, Creative Commons

AI Video Brings Wren's Never-Built London To Life

See what might have been.

Image: Daniel Coughlin/AI

The Top Exhibitions To See In London: July 2026

From east London to Ukraine.

Image: © UNICEF/Oleksiy Filippov.

This West End Theatre Is Being Renamed After Dame Judi Dench

Actor "truly overwhelmed" at honour.

Image: Shaftesbury Theatre/Robert Wilson

Where To Watch World Cup 2026 Matches In London

60 years of hurt: could 2026 be England's year?

Image: Boxpark

A White Knuckle Guide To High Adrenaline Activities In London

Feel the fear and do it anyway.

Image: Thames Rockets

When London Bristled With Bonapartemania

We fell for a French emperor, big time.

Image: Public Domain

Cram 400+ Shows At This Year's Camden Fringe

Arts extravaganza returns to north London.

Image: Bitches in Stitches

The Forgotten Tudor Hall Of North London

And its sorry fate.

Images courtesy of John Cole

17 Lions In A City: Westminster's Lion And Lioness Sculpture Trail

You've got till mid August to spot them.

Image: Ben Stevens, PinPep

Extreme Day Trips From London: Lille

A day trip abroad - no flying required.

Image: Laura Reynolds/Londonist

Victorian London Was So Obsessed With Japan It Built This 'Japanese Village'

And then it burned down.

Image: British Library Newspapers via CC BY-SA 4.0

Watch Live Opera In The St Pancras Clock Tower

One-off show this July.

Image: Mathias Reding via Pexels

London's Most Central Museum Is An Eye On The Past

Why you should give the British Optical Association Museum a look-see.

Image: Matt Brown/Londonist

Model Market: Beloved Lewisham Hotspot To Reopen This Summer

With German Kraft at the helm.

Image: Model Market

How Slick Is This? Visualisation Shows Real-Time London Tubes, Boats, Buses, Planes...

You'll want to have a play.

Image: James Potter

Looking Ahead: Things To Do In London This Week: 22-28 June 2026

A ballet bonanza and a party in Pompeii.

Image: Pierre Tappon

This feature first appeared in June 2025 on Londonist: Time Machine, our much-praised history newsletter. To be the first to read new history features like this, sign up for free here.

Hands up if you can identify this Tudor confection?

Image from 1981: Chirstine Matthews, creative commons licence

I’m not seeing many hands go up. Anyone? Ah, a few at the back. Locals, I presume.

There are at least two reasons why the treasure box called Broomfield House is under-appreciated. First, the years have not been kind. This is the same view today 👇. The Tudor estate’s in a chewed-up state, for reasons we’ll come to shortly. I suspect it does not suffer from a surfeit of Instagrammers.

Spot the difference. Image from 2025: Matt Brown

The second reason you might not have heard of Broomfield House is that it is in Palmers Green. Very few people go to Palmers Green. “Is that down near Fulham?” puzzled my wife. “Never heard of it,” rejoined my neighbour. Even I had not been to Palmers Green, despite having spent 20 years writing about the capital.

Perhaps because it’s not on the Tube map, Palmers Green slips between the cracks of cognisance. For those who’ve not had the pleasure, this is where Palmers Green can be found:

Palmers Green, it turns out, is a charmer of a neighbourhood: characterful high street; gem of a railway station (on the Hertford Loop line), with a conjoined-gem of a cafe (The Yard); and an historic old pub (The Fox). You’ve probably seen Palmers Green in the movies. For some reason, the makers of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban directed the Knight Bus along Palmers Green high-street.

There’s real magic here, too. I give you the gorgeous Broomfield Park:

Image: Matt Brown

These green and pleasant lands were once the grounds of Broomfield House. Wander around and you’ll find 18th century ponds, magnificent mature trees, a bandstand, sports facilities, one of the first model-boating lakes in the country, a peace garden and that glorious view of Alexandra Palace.

What’s missing is the house. It’s still there — partially — but a series of unfortunate events have left it charred, crumbling and cloaked in scaffolding. It’s a sorry situation for a building that has stood for almost half a millennium, and which was once the centre of community.

What was Broomfield House, anyway?

A mosaic of old Broomfield House, recently installed (with other icons of local history) in Palmers Green’s Devonshire Square. Image: Matt Brown

Broomfield House is one of those buildings whose age is hard to describe. Its wooden-framed nucleus was hammered together at some point in the 16th century, probably around 1550. It was much expanded over the ensuing centuries, as successive owners made it ever-more grand. The half-timbered facade we see in the top photo is, according to Historic England “fake timberwork added by the Council in 1928-32”. In other words, it is mock-Tudor grafted onto actual Tutor, with addendums from every era in-between. Trigger’s Broom(field).

Its early origins and Frankenstein construction make it of great architectural interest. Historic England long ago gave Broomfield House a Grade II* listing, one of the highest forms of protection. Unfortunately, no heritage credentials can safeguard a building from fire. Broomfield House has suffered disastrous conflagrations on four occasions: 1984, 1993, 1994 and 2019. We’ll come to those in a bit, but first, let’s just check in on the history of this ill-fated building.

Broomfield House through time

Given that it was built some 500 years ago, the house has naturally had many owners. I won’t get bogged down in a complete chronology, because I’ll lose your attention. So here are the edited highlights.

The first owner was a leather merchant called John Bromfylde. “Aha,” you might think, “that’s where the house’s name comes from”. In fact, it’s more likely the other way round. The house, so it’s reckoned, took its name from the local "bromfield" — a field of long grass that provided hay and grazing. Our man Bromfylde then affixed the name to himself, as in “I’m John, from the fancy house called Bromfylde. You can call me John Bromfylde if you like”.

Bromehowse… another variation on the name. Image: Matt Brown

That’s what the history books and websites say (albeit in a less flippant tone). But etymology is often a mix of scholarship and guessmanship. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s another explanation. For instance, could it not be named for a field of broom shrubs instead, given that’s how distant Bromley is supposed to have got its name?

Anyhow, by 1599 Broomfield was in the hands of Sir John Spencer, a former Lord Mayor and reputedly the richest man in England. This chap collected big houses. His other residences included Crosby Hall on Bishopsgate and Canonbury Hall in Islington, both of which will be well known to London history fans. John Spencer was no relation to the aristocratic Spencer family nor, I presume, to the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.

The house next came to merchant Joseph Jackson. Under his family’s stewardship, the property was greatly embiggened, with the construction of a grand staircase and a series of baroque murals designed by Gerard Lanscroon. Lanscroon was no workaday interior decorator. He also contributed wall paintings to the palaces at Hampton Court and Windsor, as well as nearby Arnos Grove House. His murals of Broomfield depict various gods and heroes from Greek myth.

Minerva, depicted on one of the Lanscroon murals. Image courtesy of John Cole/Unlocking Broomfield.

After a few more changes of hands, the house moved into the public realm in 1903. The local authority, Southgate Urban District council, bought the property and surrounding land to prevent their development, and turned the whole lot over to the people. The Middlesex Gazette at the time noted that the building contained “some of the finest timber to be found on the northern heights of London”. It also harboured a ghost; the shade of an old man, who’d been seen loitering about the place, sometimes on the lawn, sometimes in the wine cellar. Strange tappings were also reported.

Broomfield House in 1903. Ghost not pictured. Or is it? Image via British Newspaper Archive, from The Middlesex Gazette, 25 April 1903

Spectral visitations did not stop the house from being put to good use. Indeed, it was put to almost every use, including a school, maternity services, a dental surgery, a military base, and finally, in 1925, a museum. It remained as such for the next 60 years. Then, disaster struck.

Fire and aftermath

Broomfield House effectively died on 26 August 1984. An electrical fault set fire to the roof, destroying the upper floor. Extensive damage was done to the rest of the building, and it was cordoned off from public access. The superstructure remained sound, however, and it was hoped that the local landmark could be revived. As detailed on the Council’s website, numerous attempts were made over the years, from an ominous-sounding “Prometheus Scheme” to an unsuccessful bid to appear on the BBC’s Restoration series. The money and willpower never quite came together, alas. Further fires in the 1990s — probably arson — made the task all the more daunting.

As recently as 2015, Enfield Council undertook a public consultation to look at ideas for restoring the house. The problem was not just cost (estimated then at £6-7 million), but also ancient covenants that restricted the site’s use for commercial ventures. Those restrictions effectively ruled out private money, or would have required the council to mount an expensive legal challenge. So again, the house was left waiting. A further fire in 2019 seems to have been the final nail that broke the camel’s coffin.

The remains of the house today. The structure is so fragile, it’s now considered beyond any kind of repair, and will probably be demolished. Images courtesy of John Cole

Very little now remains to be saved. While many walls are still standing, they are in a parlous state and it’s unlikely they can be preserved.

Sweeping changes for Broomfield

It is gutting to hear that London has effectively lost a rare Tudor building. But positive change is also coming to the area. In December 2023, a grant of over half a million pounds was secured from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF), which will be pumped into improving the park and its facilities. The successful grant application was put together by the Friends of Broomfield Park, Broomfield House Trust, The Enfield Society, Southgate District Civic Voice, and Enfield Council.

The money will also fund a study into what can be done with the site of Broomfield House. It’s almost universally agreed that the house remains will have to come down. But how best to do this? What can be salvaged? How will it be displayed or conserved? And what exactly should go on the old site by way of memorial? This report will then be presented back to NLHF as part of a follow-on bid to secure the money to make it all happen.

One part of the building that has already been saved is the Lanscroon Murals. The damaged artworks were removed from the building following the fire of 1984. Unfortunately, their initial preservation was not ideal. A conservation report undertaken in 2018 noted (and I can only read this in the voice of Douglas Adams) :

“…more detailed examination of the materials that had been applied after the fire in 1984 revealed that the first two layers of facing material were not the acid-free tissue mentioned in the early correspondence, but that they were in fact nappy liners”. Tom Organ, Arte Conservation report, 2018

One hopes they were, at least, unused nappy liners. Conservation work has since been carried out and the panels may once again be good for display, perhaps on site.

Meanwhile, the park contains a handful of other structures that have survived from previous centuries, and which you can visit any time. The most striking is the imposing gatehouse, also thought to be Tudor. You can even see hooks on the inside that would have been used to hang game. Nearby stretches of wall, a stable block and a gazebo are of Georgian vintage.

The gatehouse. Image: Matt Brown

Broomfield House has now sat behind protective scaffolding for two generations. Nobody under 40 has ever seen the grand house out in the open, and now they never will.

While it awaits its next evolution, the site was recently brightened up by local artists, who painted a series of historical snapshots on the hoardings. To orbit the house today is to journey through the eons.

The first mural seems to depict a future in which robots and flying saucers tend to Broomfield Park. We then, walking clockwise, go back to one of the disastrous fires; then the painting of the staircase murals; then a hunt across Enfield Chase; further back to the Stone Age forest and, eventually, the Big Bang itself.

One section of mural, showing the burning of Broomfield House (left) under scrutiny by a nonplussed pigeon, and then the sci-fi robots to the right. Image: Matt Brown

Not many local history projects have the confidence to trace themselves back to the dawn of time and space. We can only hope that the site’s future will be equally self-assured, even if Broomfield house itself must be swept away.

Update: June 2026

Since the first appearance of this article, a few developments have taken place.

My thanks to Adrian Day (who does local tours) and John Cole (Enfield Council’s community engagement officer) for showing me round the site and providing further information. Check the Friends of Broomfield Park website for details of upcoming events, including the Palmers Green Festival in September. With further thanks to Richard McKeever of Friends of Broomfield House for the update.

Looking for places in London to watch the World Cup? We've got you sorted.

17 lion/lioness sculptures are currently roaming central London. Image: Ben Stevens, PinPep

A pride of life-sized lion and lioness sculptures is currently at large across Westminster.

Launched at the beginning of June (and credit where it's due; we spotted this one on Secret London... where's a press release when you need it?), Pride in the Quarter consists of 17 leonine sculptures taking up positions near spots including Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Westminster Cathedral and the Houses of Parliament.

Each sculpture has been designed by a different artist. Image: Ben Stevens, PinPep

The trail was launched by former footballer manager Harry Redknapp and the Lionesses' most-capped player Fara Williams MBE, with each of the sculptures — their left paw perched atop a ball — designed by a different artist.

You've got till 10 August to find them all. Image: Ben Stevens, PinPep

Among the designs is one inspired by the Lionesses football team's crest (this one takes, ahem, pride of place in Trafalgar Square), as well as a rainbow-inspired sculpture "celebrating individuality, diversity and the supporters shaping modern football culture" (you'll find that near the Pride in London parade route by Victoria Embankment Gardens).

This looks like a live action remake of the Lion King... Image: Ben Stevens, PinPep

The full list of locations/artists goes like so:

⚽ Trafalgar Square – Lion designed by Roshi Rouzbehani
⚽ St James Park – Lioness designed by Linda Horto
⚽ Victoria Tower Gardens – Lion designed by Amie Wolo
⚽ Victoria Embankment Gardens – Lion designed by Tasia Graham
⚽ Victoria Embankment Gardens – Lioness designed by Sian Bowman
⚽ Strand Aldwych – Lion designed by Ngadi Smart
⚽ Cardinal Place – Lioness designed by Sophia Hunter
⚽ Nova Place – Lioness designed by Toby Melville-Brown.
⚽ Christchurch Gardens – Lioness designed by Coco Hewitt
⚽ Buckingham Green – Lion designed by Pietro Molinaris
⚽ 10 Broadway – Lioness designed by Dominika Karc
⚽ Whitehall Gardens – Lioness designed Hannah Sykes
⚽ Grosvenor Crescent – Lioness designed by Amber Badger
⚽ Eccleston Yards – Lion designed by Melissa Hartley
⚽ St Ermin's Hotel – Lion designed by Chita Erayenie
⚽ Royal Horseguards Hotel – Lion designed by Olivia Brotheridge
⚽ Great Scotland Yard Hotel – Lion designed by Lyndsey Russell

"Football isn't solely about what happens on the pitch, it's a part of culture". Image: Ben Stevens, PinPep

Says Fara Williams: "When you see something like this, it shows just what the game means. Football isn't solely about what happens on the pitch, it's a part of culture, and people want to be involved in different ways. For me, this is about giving fans, families and anyone exploring the city a chance to connect with the game in a more meaningful way especially with such a big summer ahead for England.

"It's a great way to bring that excitement out in the city and make it accessible for everyone."

"Didn't I sign you back in the 90s?" Image: Ben Stevens, PinPep

Once the trail winds up in mid-August, the sculptures will be auctioned to raise funds in support of The Passage, a homelessness charity based in Westminster.

Pride in the Quarter runs until 10 August 2026, and is free to enjoy.

Is this London's longest escalator?

Image: Matt Brown

Angel Tube station certainly has a run for its money. I'm not sure exactly how lofty these moving steps are, but they must surely be London's longest outdoor escalator.

This is the main entrance to Olympia's new village in the sky. The exhibition centre, now 140 years old, was in dire need of a refresh and, by heavens has it got one.

Last time we were up here, it was to walk over the roof of the centre's great hall which — little-known fact — is partially retractable. That great glass canopy now has a young upstart competing for your attention.

Image: Matt Brown

The faceted glazed canopy (520 panes, in case you care) was designed by the firm of Thomas Heatherwick, he of the 'Boris bus', Olympic cauldron, and the unbuilt Garden Bridge fame, along with SPPARC architects. It's a bobby-dazzler... though I'm not sure about the gappy bits, which might funnel wind and rain in inclement weather.

Image: Matt Brown

It's quite a transformation. Until recently, this was largely unused roof space. I happened to take a photo of it during a previous rooftop adventure:

The area with the pipes and low roofs is now the canopied attraction. Image: Matt Brown

The Canopy, for so it is named, cocoons a cluster of fancypants restaurants and bars, including the Mexican Bar Arriba, Lillie's wine bar (and small-plate restaurant), and Wolves of Tokyo.

Arbour food hall. Image: Matt Brown

The biggest, and most informal space is a multi-outlet food hall called Arbour, from which I'm typing these words. It's pricey, but not unexpectedly so. A Guinness costs £7.50; an Americano £3.75; burgers £10-£15... pretty much in line with any smart cafe or bar in central London (or Kensington). The Pet Shop Boys' West End Girls pumps out of the speakers as I walk in, followed by When Doves Cry, You're So Vain and California Dreamin'. They've got the music right.

A sheaf of attractive towers climbs above the site. Image: Matt Brown

Beyond The Canopy, the vibe is more 'shopping centre', but without the shops. A boxy corridor and office portal known as Emberton Walk is given interest by a video screen along the ceiling, currently displaying a montage of bright balloons.

Image: Matt Brown

This leads through to the jewel in the crown, a new 3,800 capacity music venue. The British Airways ARC (because sponsor branding must trump catchiness these days) has already hosted its first gigs, and has the likes of the Black Keys and Van Morrison on its to-do list. A second ginormous escalator leads back to street level immediately opposite the ARC.

Image: Matt Brown

Olympia has spent a staggering £1.3 billion on these and other improvements to the venue (including a new theatre, yet to open). To be frank, it needed it. The centre was always a bit of a closed-off fortress, unless you happened to have tickets. Now, those massive escalators lead up, but also in, bringing a wider public into the Olympia estate. Yes, it's a bit 'high end', but also welcoming and friendly.

The new glass offices sit surprisingly well on top of the cleaned-up, art-deco Olympia. Image: Matt Brown

Diamond Geezer dubbed it a 'Dubai-like bubble', but even he was impressed at the scope of the works. A winning formula, then, which attracts both East End boys and West End girls.

Olympia's new walkway is open now to anybody, and free to visit.

Baby pelicans have been born in St James's Park for the first time. Image: Royal Parks

Pelicans have been a fixture of St James's Park since the time of Charles II, with their fishy lunchtime a major attraction for visitors. And all of a sudden, there are more mouths beaks to feed.

For the first time in the park's history, chicks have been born in the park. Back in the spring, the park's six Great White pelicans — Isla, Tiffany, Gargi, Sun, Moon and Star — began displaying mating and nesting behaviours, arriving for feeding in groups of three, suggesting they were taking turns to incubate eggs. They were also eating more fish. Then, three nests were discovered.

In the photo above, you can see the chicks — who are yet to be named — with their black/grey downy feathers, which in time will whiten.

In a few weeks, the new pelicans will join the rest — and you'll be able to see them enjoying their lunchtime feed. Image: Londonist

Says the park's punning manager, Mark Wasilewski: "I am truly thrilled to welcome the four young chicks to St. James's Park — it’s a real 'beak-through' moment in over 360 years of the park hosting pelicans.

"I can't wait to watch their antics as they grow and join the wider flock and develop their own distinct characters."

Most importantly, Wasilewski added: "We have increased the feeding for the pelicans, so they have all the fish they need."

The chicks are one month old and currently being protected in an area that's off-limits to visitors. At around nine to 12 weeks old, they'll join the older pelicans, becoming the park's latest feathered attraction.

Visitors to the park should not approach or disturb the extremely vulnerable chicks, and dogs must be kept on leads on the path around St. James's Park lake.

Get ready for a week of free hands-on science overlooking The Mall. Image: Royal Society

The annual extravaganza of science and technology is back!

Intrigued by dark matter and dark energy but have no idea what they are? Ever considered the strange physics of grains, which can behave like both solids and liquids? Or maybe you just want to play in the lightning lab or handle 3D-printed models of tiny lifeforms.

If you're even a teensy bit interested in science, then get along to the Royal Society's Summer Science Exhibition 2026, where all of this and more is free to behold. It's an annual, family-friendly event where the public gets to meet leading scientists and quiz them about their work. And they've been putting on a summer show for over 30 years.

It's always very hands-on. This year's 13 main exhibits also includes robotic problem-solvers, new laser treatment for cancers, a microbe zoo, and even a team who are 'recreating the cosmos' on a supercomputer.

The exhibition is also a good chance to snoop around the Royal Society's marble-lined headquarters on Carlton House Terrace. Besides the exhibits, the rooms will be full of talks, workshops and hands-on activities.

The Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition takes place 30 June-5 July 2026. It's free and suitable for all ages, with plenty of walk-up tickets available.

Our Time gallery inside London Museum. Image: London Museum

London Museum (formerly the Museum of London) has announced the date it will reopen.

The new-look, new-venue museum in Smithfield will open its doors on Saturday 28 November 2026. The museum pulls together several historic buildings into one giant celebration of the city and its history, drawing on over seven million objects.

Visitors will be able to explore the General market buildings of the 1880s, designed by Horace "Tower Bridge" Jones. The very different Poultry Building of the 1960s (opening in 2028) features one of London's largest hyperbolic parabola roofs. Out on Farringdon Street, old shop-fronts will be reopened to give a village atmosphere. The highlight space, for many, though, will be the old railway catacombs beneath the venue, where the permanent galleries will be housed.

Image: London Museum

Announcing the opening, museum Director Sharon Ament said the new museum should "Be like London. It should be London". To that end, the museum has an eye on the modern as well as the historic, with an inaugural exhibition and event programme about London's food scene, curated by 'guest editors'.

The permanent collection will include highlights such as "The Lord Mayor’s Coach, Banksy’s Piranhas artwork, Charles I's execution vest, Emmeline Pankhurst's hunger strike medal, the Whitechapel Fatberg, and Anna Pavlova's 'Dying Swan' dress." The Cheapside Hoard will also be on display, along with archaeological treasures of the Roman period from beneath the Bloomberg building.

Old shopfronts will be reopened. Image: London Museum

This will be a museum that goes way beyond its exhibits. The 'Our Time' space will feature a daily programme of events, pulled together by partners including 'fabric nightclub, Morley's chicken shop, Punchdrunk Enrichment and Hive Curates'.

And, yes... the long-promised window direct onto the Thameslink rail tracks will be there!

Image: London Museum

Paul Williams, of lead architects Stanton Williams summed up the aspiration: "It will trigger imagination, it will trigger curiosity, it will be an unforgettable experience."

Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan said the new museum — the largest city-museum anywhere — was "Proof that our city is the cultural capital of the world".

The late-November opening date is auspicious. The original Museum of London opened its doors in December 1976, so this new chapter comes almost exactly 50 years.

We'll have much, much more about the museum as the opening date approaches.

London Museum opens 28 November. Entrance to the permanent galleries will be free, as per the previous museum, which closed in 2022. It will also open late on Fridays and Saturdays to bring in a wider audience.

Images © Secchi Smith / London Museum

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We look ahead and pick the best exhibitions to see in London's galleries and museums, opening this July.

Heavenly glow-up: Luminiscence at Westminster Cathedral

A snap from when Luminiscence came to Manchester. Image: Luminiscence

Westminster Cathedral boasts some stunning architectural flourishes, and Luminiscence's dazzling projections promise to bring out the best in them. This 360° projected light show will bathe the sacred space's windows, walls, pillars and ceiling in remarkable shifting colourscapes. It will also digitally realise the cathedral's never-completed mosaic-adorned domes, offering audiences a glimpse into what might have been. Plus there's a choral soundtrack, with narration by Hugh Bonneville. Read our full preview.

Luminiscence at Westminster Cathedral. 1 July-27 September 2026, £32.50.

Better health: Audrey Amiss & Rudy Loewe at Wellcome Collection

Works by Rudy Loewe. Image: © BJ Deakin Photography

The mental health-themed art of Audrey Amiss and Rudy Loewe join forces in this double exhibition. The late Amiss advocated for those who experienced harmful mental health treatment in the UK, and while she created art throughout her life, the full extent of her work wasn't discovered until after her death in 2013. These drawings, paintings and archival material reveal an incredible back catalogue. Loewe reimagines a more equitable mental health care system through sculptures, paintings and sound — with a focus on those who have been impacted by racist discrimination.

Audrey Amiss: The Surviving Exhibitions & Rudy Loewe: Intimacies of Care – Spaces of Grief and Possibility at Wellcome Collection. 9 July 2026-7 February 2027, free.

Naturally brilliant: Ana Mendieta at Tate Modern

Image: © The Estate of Ana Mendieta Collection, LLC. Licensed by Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York / DACS, 2026 / Courtesy Marian Goodman Gallery and Alison Jacques, London

Flowers appear to spring forth from a body: is she dead or being reborn? Using herself as a canvas, Ana Mendieta's 'Siulea' (silhouettes) series was an important part of her practice, and though a lot of the late Cuban-American's work was performance-based or impermanent, Tate Modern reimagines the originals, including a silhouette made from ritual candles, and mounds formed of earth, leaves and plants. The retrospective covers Mendieta's activism, including her role as a member of the first not-for-profit, artist-directed gallery for women artists in the US. A pioneering feminist icon, Mendieta sits comfortably in the company of Tracey Emin and Frida Kahlo, also currently celebrated at Tate Modern.

Ana Mendieta at Tate Modern. 15 July 2026-17 January 2027, £18.

Keeping it local: Backyard Biennial at Whitechapel Gallery and other east London venues

Image: © Marwan Bassiouni. Courtesy the artist.

Most art biennials are glitzy affairs, with big art collectors jetting in and out, but Whitechapel Gallery's Backyard Biennial offers a locally-tinged antidote. Focused on the diverse local communities of east London, it celebrates the unique historic, cultural, and creative identity of the East End, paying tribute to its diverse communities and industries. The Biennial unfolds across several venues, though the hub is at Whitechapel Gallery, which hosts exhibitions on artists who celebrate the cross-cultural nature of the area, alongside a collaboration with Oitij-jo Collective, a local Bengali arts and heritage organisation.

Backyard Biennial: East at Whitechapel Gallery and over 30 other venues. 15 July-6 September 2026, free.

South Asian art: The Meeting Ground at Christie's

Image: courtesy of Raqib Shaw and KNMA

Auction house Christie's once again gives over its space in St James's to host a non-selling exhibition over the summer. In this, the forth year, it's the turn of the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in New Delhi. The museum is currently building a standalone home in India, and in the meantime, we get a glimpse into its growing collection of works by Indian modernist artists, and pieces that reflect India's many indigenous cultures.

The Meeting Ground: Scenes from the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art Collection at Christie's. 16 July-21 August 2026, free.

Shakespearean scenes: Richard Dadd at Royal Academy of Arts

Image: courtesy of The Harris, Preston.

From his graduation from the Royal Academy of Arts to his final 42 years as a patient in Bethlem and Broadmoor Hospitals, Richard Dadd's torturous journey was always accompanied by his art. Beyond Bedlam is our chance to see some 100 oil paintings, watercolours and drawings; best known for his fairy scenes drawn from Shakespearean subjects, the Victorian artist's paintings are packed with intricacy and imagination, but there is shock and sadness behind them. Following a trip across Eastern Mediterranean, Dadd returned to England, where he became delusional, resulting in him killing his father. Even after being placed in secure hospitals, Dadd continued to work from memory, imagination and earlier sketches.

Richard Dadd: Beyond Bedlam at the Royal Academy of Arts. 25 July-25 October 2026, £15.

American photography: Portrait of a City at Dulwich Picture Gallery

Image: Arthur Leipzig, Divers, East River, 1948 © Estate of Arthur Leipzig, Courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York

Children playing in the street, mass migration and the Great Depression. Snapshots of US life are captured in these works by 38 photographers, charting the dramatic evolution of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco from the early 1900s to the close of the 20th century. This is evolution in duplicate; not just that of a country, but of photography as an art form, too.

Portrait of a City: A Century of American Photography at Dulwich Picture Gallery. 28 July-4 October 2026, £16.

War is hell: Childhood in War at IWM London

© UNICEF/Oleksiy Filippov. Photograph of children taking shelter to escape Russian air strikes in Kharkiv, Ukraine 2022.

War changes all aspects of children's lives, from schooling to health to recreation. Over 450 million children — more than one in six globally — now live in areas affected by conflict, and IWM's exhibition tells the stories of those who have experienced war from 1914 to the present day. There are personal testimonies of hope, danger and perseverance alongside interactive and hands-on experiences, from a large-scale evacuee train carriage to recreations of 20th century wartime games. With contemporary stories from Afghanistan, Ukraine and Sudan, this isn't an easy visit, but it's an important one.

Childhood in War at IWM London. 31 July 2026-28 February 2027, free.

Short-run exhibitions

Image: © Alan Gignoux

Homelands Lost at P21 Gallery (2-10 July, free) features Alan Gignoux's portraits of Palestinian refugees displaced in 1948 and their descendants, shown alongside images of their former homes inside Israel. Gignoux photographed refugees in camps across Jordan, Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank, then travelled to their former homes, to photograph the places they cannot return to.

The Fitzrovia Chapel's gold-lined interiors host two exciting exhibitions this month. With Supernatural Tendencies (1-9 July, free) Charlotte Colbert fills the space with her sculptures in bronze and stainless steel, including a tree adorned with votive objects inspired by her travels. Meanwhile, A Map of the Invisible (13-24 July, free), has Pete M. Wyer fill the chapel with sounds of Venice: bells, footsteps, lapping water. It's a fitting sonic tribute, as the chapel's interior was inspired by St. Mark's Basilica.

We listed most graduate art exhibitions in our June preview, but there's still a chance to catch the Goldsmiths postgraduate degree show (17-21 July, free), and perhaps scout a future art star.

Exhibition outside London

Image: © Rebecca Holton.

Teenagers hanging out on a bench. A woman reading in a coffee shop. The view through a window of a hairdresser's. Rebecca Holton captures seemingly mundane moments with her brushes, to create stunning, near-photorealistic paintings. A winner of the Guildford House Open prize in 2025, she deservedly gets the gallery spaces to herself, for People Watching. (4 July-3 October, free).

Brixton Market is under threat from private equity firms, say campaigners. Image: gerrypopplestone, Creative Commons

The future of Brixton Market is under threat, say local campaigners, with private equity firms 'circling' the south London institution.

Since 2018, the indoor market — which dates back to the 1920s and is home to a vibrant array of market stalls, bars and restaurants — has been owned by TPG Angelo Gordon and Hondo Enterprises, which put it up for sale last year. Traders went on record claiming the market was turning into a 'ghost town', thanks to increased rents from its landlord. Now, they say the market is being pitched to unnamed private equity firms for £50m in "a plan to drive £1.2 million in increased profits by evicting tenants paying lower rents."

To add to the jeopardy, it's claimed that a planned six-month consultation window has been scrapped, leaving less than a week before bidding for the market closes on Monday 22 June 2026.

In response, the Brixton Traders and Community Association (BTCA), supported by The Advocacy Academy (TAA), has launched a 'Buy Back Brixton' counter-bid, with an initial target of £15m to secure a route towards community ownership of the market. An event is also being hosted on Friday 19 June.

"Brixton Market as we know it could disappear," claim BTCA and TAA. "Local traders actively create the wealth that is then taken out of the community by private interests, and yet are told time and time again that their needs don't matter and that they are replaceable by other businesses/chains who can compete with rising rents, despite being the ones to build this space into what it is.

"We now have two choices. We can either accept that the market will always be run by developers who don't live here, don't have any ties to the community, and only see our people as cash cows — or we do something about it. For us, the choice is clear."

Read more about the campaign on TAA's website.

The rebooted Model Market opens later this summer. Image: Model Market

The last that Lewishamites saw of Model Market was in 2021, when it was shut down. Now, the beloved street food market situated on the fringes of Lewisham Shopping Centre is set for a welcome return.

With its roots dating back to 1950s, when it was a general market renowned for its Black-owned businesses, Model Market pivoted in 2014 to become a street food market operated by Street Feast, the outfit behind Street Feast in Dalston and Dinerama in Shoreditch. In the wake of Covid, Street Feast went under, and Model Market called it a day.

You can't keep a good market down, though, and as part of the phased regeneration of Lewisham Shopping Centre — which also includes fresh public spaces; a new music venue; and additional shops, cafés, restaurants and bars — Model Market will reopen later this summer.

German Kraft will operate the venue. Image: Model Market

It's not clear which traders will be at the rebooted Model Market (some of the originals are no longer with us), although a call-out on the website for those who "cook, craft, brew, bake, or create" suggests the venue will retain the community sensibilities that punters always liked about it.

At least we now know who'll be running the show. German Kraft — purveyors of rather delicious Teutonic-styled beers — will curate the traders, and set up a taproom on site (though not a microbrewery; apparently there isn't the space). The timing is spot-on; German Kraft will soon have to vacate their long-running Mercato Metropolitano premises at Elephant and Castle to make way for redevelopment.

It's good they'll be sticking around in south London — and in a relatively similar quasi-boho street food setup to boot.

Using AI, Daniel Coughlin has brought to life a Continental-style London that could have been. Image: Daniel Coughlin/AI

An AI video brings Wren's unbuilt London to life.

London pre-Great Fire was a congeries of rambling, filth-strewn lanes and alleyways, punctuated with only a few pockets of real grandeur, such as Inigo's Jones' Covent Garden.

But after the conflagration of 1666, architects leapt into action, excited by the clean slate that fate had gifted them. Chief among them was Christopher Wren, who dreamed of Continental-style boulevards and open squares — a London of "pomp and regularity". Charles II himself was sweet on Wren's bombastic blueprints.

Wren wanted to build a be-fountained piazza to the west of St Bride's church, with an uninterrupted avenue powering towards St Paul's. Image: Daniel Coughlin/AI

However, this wholesale grand scheme had many hurdles to overcome: scores of powerful people to win over,  financial frailty and the ticking clock that was a London desperate to get back to work. Although fragments of Wren's masterplan were realised — not least, St Paul's Cathedral — the majority remained a pen and ink teaser of what might've been.

Imagine London with a grand 17th century canal. In fact, don't — just watch Daniel Coughlin's video. Image: Daniel Coughlin/AI

Cue Daniel Coughlin, a writer/researcher who has pulled together old drawings and engravings, maps, historical plans and archival photos to "build" Wren's alternative London using AI.

Slop this is not. In the video above, you will see photorealistic renderings of:

🏛️ The Monument on the banks of the Thames, broad avenues radiating from it like rays of sunshine. (The Wren/Hooke-designed Monument was built, but is stashed away on Fish Street Hill, once the approach to London Bridge, but now more hidden.)

🏛️ A baroque Royal Exchange framed by its own Rome-inspired piazza. (A baroque Exchange sans piazza was built in 1669 to designs by City surveyor Edward Jerman, but it burned down in 1838.)

🏛️ A be-fountained piazza to the west of St Bride's church, with an uninterrupted avenue pointing towards St Paul's. (Instead we retained the less grandiose Fleet Street.)

🏛️ The fetid Fleet river cleaned up, widened, straitened and transformed into a grand canal peppered with picturesque bridges. (A scaled-back version of this canal was constructed, but was not a success; instead the river was culverted and now runs underground as a sewer.)

A baroque version of the Royal Exchange. A structure similar to this was built after the fire, before itself succumbing to flames in 1838. Image: Daniel Coughlin/AI

What we love about the video most of all? The decision to set these scenes in 21st century London: by adding in skyscrapers and red buses, we can get a feel for the metropolis we're missing out on. Begging the question: which do you prefer — Wren's London, or the one we ended up with?

From February 2027, the Shaftesbury Theatre will be the Judi Dench Theatre. Image: Shaftesbury Theatre/Robert Wilson

The Shaftesbury Theatre in London's West End is to be renamed after one of stage and screen's greatest living actors, Dame Judi Dench.

From February 2027, the theatre — the largest independent theatre in the West End — will become the Judi Dench Theatre, named for the actor renowned for her versatility, starring in everything from Shakespeare plays to Bond films to sitcoms.

Why the rebrand? Dench was a founding member of the Theatre of Comedy, a collective of actors and authors headed by playwright Ray Cooney, who regularly performed at the Shaftesbury Theatre in shows including Run for your Wife, Two into One, and Kiss of the Spiderwoman. The Theatre of Comedy helped ensure the continuance of the theatre throughout the 1980s and 1990s (in the 1970s it had even faced potential demolition). TV executive Don Taffner then joined the Theatre of Comedy in 1986, taking the helm from the early 1990s.  

Dench's role as Jean in the long-running BBC sitcom As Time Goes By cemented her links to the Taffner family, whose company produced the show, and now owns the theatre as DLT Entertainment.

The hilarious Avenue Q is currently playing at the theatre, although sadly Judi Dench is not starring. Image: Matt Crockett

Says Dame Judi: "The Shaftesbury Theatre has always held a special place in my heart. My relationship to the Theatre of Comedy and to the Taffner family goes back many years and to have this beautiful theatre renamed after me is truly overwhelming.

"Live theatre continues to be so important as a way of telling stories and entertaining audiences, something I have aimed to do all my working life."

The name isn't the only change coming to the Grade II listed theatre; various renovations are being made to the auditorium and backstage facilities, though it remains open for business. The brilliant Avenue Q is currently playing, but sadly Judi Dench is not starring.

The Porte de Paris and the Belfroi de Lille, close to the city centre

"Extreme day trips" — travelling to, visiting, and returning from a foreign destination in a single day — are something of a social media trend right now (though day trips are nothing new). While it's a convenient way to see a new place without the expense of overnight accommodation or eating into your annual leave, the environmental impacts of flying for such a short trip have been criticised. But you don't need to set foot on a plane to do a day trip abroad, nor do you need to have a gigantic budget.

How to visit Lille from London in a day

Make an early start on the Eurostar

I visited Lille in a single day on the Eurostar direct from St Pancras, leaving London early in the morning, and arriving back here in the evening. Accounting for the time difference, I had a total of nine hours in Lille (eight hours of time to roam, once you factor in arriving back at the station in enough time to catch the train home).

Here's a time-stamped account of the day, to show you just how much you can see and do in a short time from London:

5.18am: Arrive at an eerily quiet St Pancras station. Pick up a pain au chocolat for breakfast, in an attempt to get into the French spirit. Wonder if wearing a beret would have been overkill.

5.30am: Enter the Eurostar terminal. The recommended arrival time on my ticket is 5.49am, but my naturally cautious nature has got me here early and the Eurostar staff let me through. After scanning my ticket at automatic gates, I join the queue for passport control, but it moves fairly quickly.

5.43am: Reach the lounge which is absurdly busy for such an ungodly hour. I guess lots of other people had the same idea of catching a very early train. It's standing room only in the lounge until one train is announced, at which point the crowd thins out slightly, before more people pile in. It might be home to the busiest branch of Pret in all of London.

Train snacks, sorted.

6.34am: My train to Lille begins boarding. Bit of a scramble in the lounge as a train to Amsterdam is called two minutes earlier, leading to a giant pile-up of passengers and suitcases as people try to zigzag past each other to reach the escalator to their own platform. Grateful I'm travelling light with just a rucksack for the day, and don't have a wheelie suitcase tangled up in that mess.

6.43am: Reach my aisle seat on the train. I'm travelling in Standard class, but the seats are notably roomier than on most standard domestic trains in the UK. This'll do nicely. Unpack the essentials from my bag and settle in for the journey with that previously mentioned pain au chocolat.

7.04am: The train glides out of St Pancras right on schedule. Nobody has taken the window seat next to me — one of the few empty seats on the whole carriage — so I shuffle on over to make the most of the views of London waking up outside. I manage to see east London, the QEII bridge, and the mothballed Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International stations whizz past the window... and the next thing I know it's dark. The early hour has got the better of me and I nod off in deepest Kent, waking up somewhere in the tunnel.

9.28am (French time): Arrive in Lille, walk straight off the train, and out of the station (all passport control/immigration business is handled before you board, so when you arrive you simply walk straight out). Take a few moments to work out where I am before navigating my way on foot — via some rather confusing roadworks — to my first stop of the day, around a 20-minute walk from Lille Europe station.

The Beffroi de Lille rises 104m above the city.

9.50am: Arrive at the Belfry of Lille Town Hall (Beffroi de Lille), a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a viewing platform 104 metres above the city. It seems as good a place as any to get my bearings and start the day, and I've booked the 10am slot. At the moment, the large wooden church door is firmly locked, so I sit on a brick wall opposite and wait. Gradually, a small crowd gathers, and a member of staff arrives, along with much gesturing to explain to visitors in several languages that the door is locked and we may or may not be waiting for someone to unlock it from the inside. It all feels very Hunchback of Notre Dame, and a short delay ensues.

10.10am: Enter the Belfry. All large bags (including day rucksacks) have to be left in lockers in the entrance hall. From here, it's a few flights of stairs up to the main reception area and small gift shop, and either a lift or stairs to continue the adventure. In the spirit of conserving energy for a long day ahead, I opt for the lift, a creaking, open cage of a contraption which leaves me regretting my decision instantly (the fact that the website describes the lift as "authentic" was probably the clue...). Mental note made: Take the stairs back down.

With a few exceptions, Lille doesn't appear to be a particularly pretty city.

The lift door opens onto an indoor viewing gallery, offering 360-degree views of Lille and its surrounds, interspersed with information boards pointing out the main sights. From this perspective, Lille appears a rather industrial and — sorry, Lille — unpretty city, with a few picturesque pockets dotted here and there.

It's only on my second turn around this floor that I notice another small, spiral staircase leading upwards to an open-air viewing gallery, and follow it up to a breezy deck. Same views, from just a few metres higher.

The Porte de Paris, see from the Belfroi de Lille

10.55am: Having got an eyeful of the view, I make my way back downstairs (stopping at the gift shop for a couple of postcards — in the spirit of efficiency, to skip souvenir shops later), collect my bag and leave the Belfry, heading to the Porte de Paris just next door. The Arc de Triomphe-style construction looks magnificent against the blue skies of early spring, the colour of the precision-planted tulips just beginning to emerge.

From here, it's a short walk to Grand Place, the large open square which is the centre of Old Lille. My only set plan for the rest of the day is my lunch reservation, so I wander and see where life, and Lille, takes me. Get distracted by what appears to be a small cathedral — but turns out to be the Palais Rihour — down a side street, and head towards it, discovering a Tourist Information Centre inside.

11.25am: Emerging from the Palais Rihour, I take a moment to sit down, gather my bearings, and plan my next move. A quick glance at a map tells me it's around a 25-minute walk to the Citadel, a large park home to a military fortress, and one of the city's sights which was on my "if I have time" list for the day. My lunch booking is at 1pm. I can do this.

No entry to the the Citadel fortress

11.50am: After a power walk through Lille's streets, arrive to find the Citadel fortress entrance closed and encircled by scaffolding. Decide it's time to move on when a woman in police or military uniform with a dog emerges. Find a bench and sit in the sun for a few minutes before making the 25-minute walk back to the centre of town and the main square, allowing me to see some of the city beyond the tourist centre along the way. Pass a few minutes browsing in some stores, including the large Furet du Nord book shop.

1pm: Arrive at the restaurant I've booked for lunch: Magmatic. From the outside, it's nothing but a window covered in a floor-to-ceiling black-out curtain, but inside, it's exactly the sort of gimmick most Londoners — myself included — would turn their nose up at if it were in their own city. This, however, is not London, and I am on holiday (of sorts), so I'm dining in a volcano.

Dine "inside" an erupting volcano at Magmatic

I'm led through a thick velvet curtain to the main restaurant, a single room with tables scattered around a central cone, which is designed to resemble the peak of a volcano. The walls and ceilings are alive with projections of burning rocks and magma eruptions, creating an immersive experience akin to London's own Lightroom — with dinner added. At £21.28 for a goat's cheese salad and a glass of juice, it's remarkably good value for a journey to the centre of a volcano, and a memorable meal to boot.

2.15pm: Leave the restaurant fed, refreshed and ready to do some serious exploring in the hours before I need to return to the station. I wander back towards the Grand Place, intending to explore the back streets to the north which I bypassed earlier, and stumble across the art market at Vieille Bourse de Lille. Stallholders sell books, artworks and prints in an ornate 17th-century courtyard.

Vieille Bourse de Lille is home to a charming art market

Across Grand Place, those back streets contain a delightful number of chocolate shops — proper, old-style French chocolatiers that wouldn't look out of place in Joanne Harris's Chocolat — the highlight of which is the incredibly ornate Maison Meert, a time capsule of a store and tea room whose decorated interior wears its four centuries of history with pride.

Maison Meert, inside a beautifully historic building

A few streets further north, I swing by Aux Merveillieux de Fred, the original branch of the patisserie which now has branches in London (including, ironically, mere steps from the Eurostar platforms at St Pancras, if you don't fancy carrying your snackable souvenirs all the way home with you). Pastry chef Frédéric Vaucamps first invented his "Merveilleux" meringue treats in Lille in the 1980s, naming his first store after them in 1997. So really, it's an excellent way to have a little sugary pick-me-up under the guise of cultural history. Rude not to, when you put it like that.

Just around the corner from "Fred's" is the Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille, something of an aesthetic surprise. It's cathedral by shape, and it has the requisite stained glass window, but its western facade appears almost Brutalist or unfinished, a grey, colourless hulk of a structure that's quite unlike any cathedral I've ever seen before. Entry is free, so I make my way up the stairs for a peek. Can confirm: very much a normal cathedral on the inside.

A splash of colour around the back of Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille

4pm: By this time, I'm flagging somewhat, so I make my way back to the station, via the large Westfield Euralille shopping centre next door. If I'm honest, I'm hoping for a bit of air con, and somewhere to get a drink and sit for a while. But the shopping centre is heaving with school children and teenagers who've just left college for the day, so I admit defeat and head back to Lille Europe station. Find a coffee shop in the sun, and sit and watch the world go by.

5.27pm: The gates open for passengers to go through passport control and enter the Eurostar lounge. My scheduled departure time is 6.37pm, but due to an issue further up the line in Brussels, it's delayed by about 20 minutes. Boarding begins, and my day in Lille is over.

7.24pm (UK time): Arrive back in London, 24 minutes later than scheduled, and wander straight off the train, along the platform, and out into St Pancras station, ready to head home — a mere 12 hours and odd minutes after I departed from that exact platform. In that time, I've climbed a bell tower, swung by a military fortress, dined in a volcano, all in a city I'd never been to before.

Total cost of a day trip to Lille

• Eurostar: £74 return
• Breakfast (at St Pancras): £3.30
• Lunch (Magmatic): £21.38
• Belfry entry (booked a few days in advance): £6.49
• Treats at Aux Merveilleux de Fred: £12.52
• Souvenirs: £3.48

Total: £121.17

For comparison, a few days before this trip, I'd taken an unrelated day trip from King's Cross — right next door to the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras — to York. Not only was the scheduled journey time on LNER to York longer than that on Eurostar to Lille, it was more expensive (around £88 return compared to Lille's £74 — though exact pricing depends on time of trip, how far you book ahead and various other factors). So next time you're planning a day or weekend trip in the UK, heading abroad might be an equally affordable option.

Tip for extreme day trips from London

Book ahead, and pick your time carefully

As with all travel, booking as far ahead as possible, and being flexible with days helps with keeping the cost down. I booked this trip on 6 January 2026 and travelled on 18 March 2026, a Wednesday. Naturally, weekend travel is generally more expensive. Eurostar does tend to run big sales a couple of times a year, so keep an eye out for those.

Build in time for passport control

Although boarding the Eurostar is less faff than navigating the airport for a flight, you'll still need to arrive at the station at least an hour early for your train to allow time to clear passport control (exact arrival time is on your ticket once you've booked).  Something to bear in mind if you're planning to board an early morning service which might involve getting to St Pancras before the first Tubes of the day start running, and to take into account when calculating how much time you'll have to explore your destination.

The author booked and paid for this trip independently, and this article is in no way affiliated with Eurostar.

All photos by the author.

Climbing the rig of the Cutty Sark is not for anyone with a fear of heights. Image: Cutty Sark Rig Climb

Feeling bold? Want to push your boundaries? Brace yourself for our pick of high-adrenaline experiences and daredevil activities in the capital.

Skydiving in London

Skydiving in London? Sort of. Image: iFly London

iFly Indoor Skydiving at The O2 offers you a chance to experience the adrenaline of skydiving, without the need for a plane. It takes the form of a vertical wind tunnel, which lifts you clean off the ground.

After a few seconds of acclimatising, it's not all that scary — an instructor helps you to assume the correct position on your first go, and you're only about 5ft off the ground, so if the worst were to happen, you'd land very softly on some netting. We found ourselves more concerned with trying not to dribble as the intense wind pummelled our lips out of shape.

Various packages are available with flights of different lengths. Once you've mastered the basics, your instructor offers you the opportunity to fly up to the top of the wind tunnel, which is where things get more exciting, though for us, it was more a feat of endurance to maintain the correct flying posture.

Indoor skydiving is often accessible to people with physical disabilities, for whom regular skydiving wouldn't be possible. If this is you, get in touch with iFly to discuss your needs.

As far as we know, there are no 'real' skydiving venues in London. Don't be fooled by 'North London Skydiving', which is located north of Cambridge, or 'Skydiving London', which is actually near Swindon.

Walk across the roof of Alexandra Palace

A new experience for 2026. Image: Summit: Ally Pally Rooftop Adventure

As of February 2026, the apex central roof of Alexandra Palace is open for anyone who fancies taking a stroll over it, thanks to Summit: Ally Pally Rooftop Adventure. Led by a member of the Wire & Sky team, you climb an internal staircase up to the balcony in front of Ally Pally's Rose Window, where you're kitted out with a harness while you get a preview of the view you'll be enjoying from up top. You then head further up inside the building before climbing out onto a flat part of the roof.

Here, you're securely clipped onto the structure of the building before beginning your ascent up a metal staircase placed over the glass roof. As long as you're generally fine with heights and able to climb stairs, the experience is neither too strenuous nor too scary. You're never too close to an edge, nor looking directly down. Focus on the views, initially looking south towards central London, with a sea of skyscrapers (and St Paul's) on the horizon.

As you reach the eponymous summit, in the shadow of the Angel of Plenty statue, take in 360° views of London and beyond. On a clear day you can see for over 25 miles, covering four counties and 28 London boroughs. This is the most nerve-wracking part of the adventure: we climbed on a windy day and could feel a slight wobble in the platform beneath our feet (though remember, you're safely clipped onto the structure at all times). Once you've had your fill of views, you descend the other side of the roof, getting a good look at the former BBC transmission mast atop the Alexandra Palace building as you go.

Climb the rig of the Cutty Sark

Will you brave venturing out onto the Lower Topsail Yard? Image: Cutty Sark Rig Climb

Wire & Sky, the aerial adventure company behind the Ally Pally roof climb, also has a base in Greenwich — specifically, helping people scale the rig of the Cutty Sark. This one is both more physically demanding and a bit more knee-trembling than Alexandra Palace (though it's open to anyone aged eight and up). Definitely not ideal for anyone who's less than comfortable with heights.

Begin on the Main Deck, and climb the ratlines (rope ladders) up onto the rigging, from where you can make your way onto a small platform, and enjoy the views. The climb is challenging on both the arms and legs, and of course, you can see right through the ropes to the deck below you, and beyond that to the street surrounding the Cutty Sark.

Once you reach the platform, take some time to enjoy the views. We were staggered by how impressive the panorama is. Historic Greenwich surrounds you. Canary Wharf's skyscrapers loom across the river. Further afield, all the main components of the central London skyline are visible. Southward, the Crystal Palace mast peeps over the hills.

For one final challenge, make your way out onto the Lower Topsail Yard (or, to us landlubbers, one of the wooden 'arms' jutting out from each side of the central mast). Once you're done, it's a simple controlled descent (abseil) back down to the Main Deck.

The experience tends to run April-October each year, taking a break through the winter months.

The Dare Skywalk, Tottenham

Don't worry, they're clipped on! Image: The Dare Skywalk

Spurs really upped the ante when they opened their new stadium in 2019. Aside from the usual behind the scenes tours, it also offers a chance to view the pitch from a glass walkway 46.8m in the air — once again, led by the ballsy Wire & Sky team.

The Dare Skywalk takes you up onto the roof of the largest club stadium in London, then out onto the glass walkway in front of the famous golden cockerel statue. The experiences last 90 minutes, from briefing at basecamp, to climbing 100 steps and ascending the open-sided walkway along the side of the stadium (you're clipped on, don't fret!). Wheelchair accessible versions of the experience are available, and the platform offers 360° views over London and beyond, with landmarks including the Shard easy to pick out.

As for returning back down to the ground, you can take the route you came. Or...

Abseiling in London

Abseiling at the Orbit: Don't. Look. Down. Photo: Londonist

For a city with so many high buildings, London is surprisingly limited when it comes to regular abseiling options, other than climbing walls and centres.

What you can do, is sign up for a 'controlled descent' back down to the ground after you finish The Dare Skywalk (above). The Edge, as the experience is known, has you clipped onto guide ropes to descend the 42 metres back to solid ground — and you can choose whether you go forwards or backwards.

The ArcelorMittal Orbit in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park has previously offered abseiling experiences (which we tried before it launched), all the way back in 2014. Zip World London now runs the Orbit, focusing on the Helix tunnel slide experience, so at time of writing the abseil is on pause, but we're hopeful it'll return in the future.

Otherwise, look out for one-off charity abseils in London. London's Air Ambulance Charity tends to host at least one abseil each year, usually around September, when gutsy fundraisers abseil 17 floors from the helipad on top of the Royal London Hospital, back down to the ground. Similarly the Guy's & St Thomas' Charity offers occasional 160ft abseils down the St Thomas' building by Westminster Bridge. It's a case of checking on the individual websites to see when the next event is.

Thames Rockets speedboats

Probably one to save for the summer. Image: Thames Rockets

Thames Rockets gives you the chance to whizz up and down the Thames on a speedboat at speeds of up to 30 knots (35mph) — which doesn't sound all that nippy, but with the wind in your hair, spray coming at you from the side of the boat, and guides throwing commentary at you left, right and centre, it's an exhilarating/blurry to see the capital.

Everyone's provided with a life jacket, and you shouldn't get too wet, though if the wind's blowing the wrong way, you might get covered in spray. Different experiences are available, including the 50-minute Ultimate London Adventure, which takes you from the London Eye to Canary Wharf and back, or the 80-minute Thames Barrier Voyage which takes you all the way out to... yep, the Thames Barrier, then back to central London.

Walk on the glass floor of Tower Bridge

London's scariest floor can be found in Tower Bridge. Image: Matt Brown/Londonist

For anyone scared of heights, few things are likely to get your pulse racing/palms sweating like walking over the glass floors in the high-level walkways of Tower Bridge. They're right in the centre of the bridge, putting you over both the road (33.5 metres down) and the river (42 metres down), and giving you a clear view straight down to both... if you dare open your eyes.

There are two lifts up to the walkways, one in each tower of the bridge, offering step-free access to the glass floors.

Go snorkelling with sharks at Sealife London Aquarium

Find out what happened when we went snorkelling with sharks.

For a generation raised on Jaws, sharks are the ultimate in giving you the heebie-jeebies, and the Sealife London Aquarium lets you get up close to them, with a snorkelling cage in its shark tank.

For 15 minutes, don a snorkelling mask and bob about in a transparent (but very solid) cage, in a tank which is home to five species of shark including sand tiger sharks, blacktip reef sharks and bowmouth guitarfish. There are no great whites... we triple-checked before we got in.

We dived in when the experience relaunched in 2019, having previously dipped visitors into the tank in a net-like vessel. These days it's a solid cage, which removes a certain frisson from the experience. The cage is kept at the top of the water too, so you're never completely submerged. It's a fascinating and very special encounter to get a close look at these creatures while they're swimming — and ever so cool to be able to drop "that time I swam with sharks" into everyday conversations — but not the heart-stoppingly frightening experience you might expect.

Up at The O2

Image: Up at The O2

Up at The O2 involves walking over the top of the O2's famous dome. The ascent begins fairly steep, but soon flattens out, and you're clipped onto a central railing throughout. In the centre is a viewing platform, where you can pause to take in the 360° views.

The solid nature of the walkway means you can't see directly below you — and even if you could, there's only the roof of the O2 to see down there. You'll be too busy looking at the views all around you, anyway. If anything, the descent is scarier than the ascent, as the ground is in front of you (if you're not keen on heights, try to make sure you're not at the front of your group for this bit). For us, the springy nature of the stretched canvas walkway was the most unnerving part.

Climbs are available on selected days for wheelchair users and their family/friends. They involve transferring into a specially designed wheelchair, operated on a pulley system by a team of guides.

White Water Rafting at Lee Valley

Of all the experiences we've tried in London, the one that got our heart pumping the fastest was white water rafting at the Lee Valley White Water Centre. Admittedly, it's a smidge beyond the London border, but it was a London 2012 Olympics venue, so we're claiming it.

Board a raft with up to eight other people and tackle the world-class rapids course. You're given a spot of training into how to paddle and steer, and then made to take a running jump into the (chilly!) water, to allow you to acclimatise to the temperatures before you go overboard later. Then it's out onto the course, and being thrown up, down, left, right, don't drop your paddle, lean left, NOW NOW NOW. Or something like that. Exhilarating, exciting, terrifying... everything a daredevil experience should be. And damn cold to boot.

Try the flying trapeze

Woohoo! Gorilla Circus in Regent's Park. Image: Laura Reynolds/Londonist

Fancy hurling yourself off of something high and seeing what happens? The trapeze is for you.

Gorilla Circus is a flying trapeze school which pops up in a couple of London locations during the summer — it's been swinging by Regent's Park for years, and recently added Kensington Gardens to its repertoire, though keep an eye on the website for this summer's plans. Courses and classes range from one-off sessions for beginners to regular courses for more experienced trapezists. During our two-hour introductory lesson, we started on a lower bar to get the feel of things, but did progress to having a go at the highest bar, which involved throwing ourselves off a platform several metres off the ground, and hoping to feel our fingers clasp around the bar as we plummeted. Yes, we had safety ropes and all that gubbins, but your brain doesn't tend to cling to logic like that when you're working up the courage to jump.

Alternatively, the National Centre for Circus Arts in Hoxton offers Try Fly taster sessions throughout the year, where adults can have a go.

All weekend

Mini golf meets art at Battersea Arts Centre. Image: Battersea Arts Centre

TOCA Social: Live match screenings meet interactive football games at the ultimate London destination for the FIFA World Cup 2026. TOCA Social is showing every kick of the tournament at its Westfield White City, The O2 and Birmingham Bullring venues. Choose from £5 standing tickets (with a free drink included — bargain!) or opt for premium packages including TOCA gameplay, food and drink bundles, plus dedicated group viewing areas. What's more, there's a new FA-partnered game to try out, with a £500 prize up for grabs. (sponsor)

WEST END LIVE: For one weekend, stars from London's current West End musicals perform FOR FREE on a pop-up stage in Trafalgar Square. West End Live is an incredibly popular event, so arrive very early to be in with a chance of getting in. FREE, 20-21 June 2026

SEA LANES CANARY WHARF: New lido Sea Lanes Canary Wharf opens from Friday, offering open water swimming in a 50m-long natural water pool, floating in Eden Dock alongside saunas and changing rooms. From 19 June 2026

WORLD CUP SCREENINGS: With the FIFA World Cup underway, these pubs, bars and other venues are screening the matches throughout this week (and the entire competition). No England match this weekend, but Netherlands, Germany, Japan and Spain are among the teams in action on Saturday and Sunday.

RA SUMMER EXHIBITION: A highlight of the London art calendar, the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition brings together established and rising artists to display their work. Prints, painting, film, photography, architectural works and sculpture all jostle for attention. 16 June-23 August 2026

See top performers for free at West End Live. Image: West End Live

ANISH KAPOOR: Mirror sculptures, Vantablack-coated objects, seemingly depthless voids and recent visceral paintings and sculptures are all part of Anish Kapoor's new Hayward Gallery exhibition. 16 June-18 October 2026. Also at Hayward Gallery is an exhibition by Indian artist Kulpreet Singh, drawing on his life as a farmer to highlight the link between climate change and agricultural crises. FREE, 16 June-2 August 2026

TASTE OF LONDON: Foodies: head to Regent's Park for Taste of London, the huge culinary festival which brings together dozens of London's best-known restaurants. It's also a chance to discover up-and-coming London chefs and food businesses, take part in tastings and watch masterclasses. 17-21 June 2026

MINI GOLF: A playable exhibition of nine mini golf holes opens across Battersea Arts Centre, each designed by a leading woman artist, exploring the game's subversive history — it was invented in the 19th century by Scottish women who were banned from 'real' courses. 17 June-26 July 2026

LES MISERABLES CONCERT: A concert version of Cameron Mackintosh's Les Misérables comes to the Royal Albert Hall for just six performances. The impressive cast includes features Alfie Boe, Samantha Barks, Shan Ako and Matt Lucas, and the Royal Albert Hall is offering a Parisian-inspired afternoon tea throughout the month too. 18-21 June 2026

See Les Misérables in Concert. Photo: Danny Kaan

WOMEN IN PRINT: It's the final weekend of William Morris Gallery's exhibition Women in Print: 150 Years of Liberty Textiles, a survey of more than 100 works tracing the role of female designers at Liberty. Until 21 June 2026

SKATE 50: Celebrate 50 years of the Southbank Undercroft at exhibition Skate 50, showing documentary photographs and films of the space throughout its history, and its place in British skateboarding culture. You've only got until Sunday to see it. Until 21 June 2026

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A vintage market takes over Television Centre

Looking for a sustainable way to refresh your wardrobe? Find unique pieces and enjoy live music at Television Centre's Rework & Vintage Market.

This is Television Centre Live: Sounds Like Summer's flagship event. Hosted in partnership with local arts hub HQI, it's your chance to discover a curated mix of independent clothing brands and vintage fashion. You can even bring along your old clothes to be upcycled into something new.

Shepherd’s Bush record shop Next Door Records will provide the soundtrack, and there are some excellent food and drink options in the area. Why not round off your day out with Caribbean-meets-British plates at The Black Farmer, or a rooftop cocktail at The Broadcaster?

Rework & Vintage Market takes place 11am-4pm on Saturday 20 June. It's free entry, and you can reserve your spot here.

Saturday 20 June

Visit Crossness Pumping Station on a sewers walk. Image: k7hpn via CC BY 4.0

CAPITAL CRIME: Love a good crime thriller read? Head to the Leonardo Royal St Paul's for Capital Crime, a lit festival celebrating the genre. Authors Claire Mackintosh, Sophie Hannah and Lee Child are some of the names scheduled to take part this weekend. 9.30am-7.30pm

STONEMASONRY WORKSHOP: Learn the ancient craft of stone carving at Highgate Cemetery under the guidance of expert mason Neil Luxton, responsible for some of the cemetery's most remarkable modern monuments. This stonemasonry workshop teaches you the techniques required to carve your own unique design into a stone slab to take home. 10am-4pm

AUCTION ROAD SHOW: Discover the history of your family heirlooms, as the Roseberys Auction Road Show returns to the gardens of Dulwich Picture Gallery. A team of specialists from the south London auction house provide free valuations and expert insight into your antiques, artworks and curiosities. While walk-ins are welcome, you can guarantee a consultation by booking a specific timeslot in advance. 10am

LONDON'S SEWERS: Explore the evolution of the capital's sanitation infrastructure on a four-mile guided walk from the Erith Marshes to the banks of the Thames. The London’s sewers walking tour visits the Victorian masterpiece of Crossness Pumping Station and examines the transition from Bazalgette's 1865 system to the modern Tideway "Super Sewer." Get a look at the Precipitation Engine House and discover how waste is processed today. 11am-2pm

WINDRUSH DAY: Celebrate the legacy of the Windrush generation at the National Maritime Museum's annual Windrush Day. Free events and activities include crafting workshops, photography displays, games, film screenings and panel discussions. FREE, 11am-4pm

WATERLOO DAY: The Battle of Waterloo and its aftermath are the subject of Waterloo Day at Apsley House, the former home of the Duke of Wellington. Historians Dr Graeme Callister and Michael Rayner guide visitors through the dramatic events of the battle, with other talks and reenactments going on throughout the day. 11am-5pm

It's Waterloo Day at Apsley House. Image: Marathon via CC BY-SA 2.0

IDEAS FESTIVAL: The final day of the British Academy's three‑day Ideas Festival brings researchers, fellows and guest speakers together for panels, debates and interactive exhibits. Topics covered today include neurodiversity, the summer solstice and the impact of AI. FREE, 11am-5pm

OKINAWA DAY: London's annual Okinawa Day celebrates the music, dances and food from the islands of the Ryukyu archipelago in southern Japan. Head to the Blue Market in Bermondsey for classical music Ryukyu-style, folk-song performances on the sanshin, and karate demos. FREE, 11am-5pm

KEW FETE: The annual Kew Fete returns to Pond Side on Kew Green with more than 120 stalls, plus Reuben Bond's vintage fairground, a food court and continuous stage entertainment from local schools and bands. Plus you can watch a dog show and a tug of war. 11am-6pm

TREASURES OF THE ORCHESTRA: Set sail on a nautical-themed musical adventure as Sinfonia Smith Square presents Treasures of the Orchestra at Smith Square Hall. This family-friendly concert invites young explorers to hunt for "hidden gems" of chamber music, featuring works by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Gene Koshinski and Silvestre Revueltas. The hour-long performance offers a close-up look at various instruments. 11.30am

CONSTELLATIONS RESIDENCY: Greenwich Park hosts the Constellations Residency Summer Celebration to mark the conclusion of Leah Clements' time as the Royal Parks' first-ever artist-in-residence. The event premieres a new artwork developed through workshops with disabled, neurodivergent, and chronically ill participants, focusing on sensory engagement with the landscape. Explore the park through described tastes, smells and sounds, with BSL interpretation and audio descriptions. FREE, 12pm-4pm

The Soapbox Race flies into Ally Pally. Image: Red Bull Content Pool

SOLSTICE STREET PARTY: Little Portland Street is closed off for the return of the Social Solstice Street Party. Now in its third year, the event features DJs, live bands in the Social's basement and a mini market, with three bars serving cocktails, and beers from Lost & Grounded Brewery. While the outdoor festivities wrap up in the evening, the venue continues the party inside with a ticketed afterparty until the early hours. FREE entry, 12pm-8pm

BRAND NEW FESTIVAL: Bop along to big name artists, discover local talent and get stuck into family activities at Start of the Line Festival. This brand new all-dayer in Morden Park features headline performances from Soul II Soul, The Hoosiers and Billy Nomates. Plus, there's family theatre from award-winning venue Polka, a Flex FM dance tent and a funfair. Tickets cost just £20 and under 12s go free! 12.30pm-10pm (sponsor)

SOAPBOX RACE: Teams from around Britain bring homemade, non-motorised soapbox cars to race down the famous Alexandra Palace hill — judged on speed, creativity and performance. You're too late to register to take part, but tickets to watch the mayhem are still available. 2pm

CARIBBEAN AT WAR: Discover the vital role of the Caribbean in the Allied victory during this online seminar hosted by Black History Walks. The session honours the legacy of St Lucian historian Ben Bousquet, whose pioneering research into the "colour bar" and the experiences of West Indian women at war paved the way for modern Black British history studies. Author Colin Douglas joins the discussion to explore how raw materials and personnel from the islands were essential to avoiding a German invasion. FREE, 5.30pm-7pm

FAMILY CONCERT: As part of the ongoing Summer Music in City Churches festival, Hackney Choral join the City of London Choir and members of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for a family-friendly concert. Head to St Mary-at-Hill near the Monument for a programme including Iain Farrington's arrangements and a full performance of John Rutter's London Town. 6pm-7pm

Temples DJ at Scared To Dance. Image: Scared To Dance

MIDSUMMER SOLSTICE LATE: The British Library transforms into a magical realm for A Midsummer Night's Fairy Tale, a solstice celebration of folklore, music and performance. Watch a live show by electronica duo Mermaid Chunky, a talk and DJ set from broadcaster Zakia Sewell and a 'Hatwalk' competition for those in fairy tale-themed headwear. Get after-hours access to the Fairy Tales exhibition, alongside installations including a sound-system maypole and an Andean panpipe orchestra. 6.30pm

PRIDESTRAVAGANZA: Queer comedy, drag and dance hosted by Jamezy are part of Pridestravaganza at Oberon in Tooting. Performers include Matron, Karla Bear, Thomas Clarke, Bollyqueer, Ciara O'Connor and Dom McGovern. 6.30pm

UDAAN: Harrow Arts Centre hosts Udaan: From Shadows to Sky, a deeply moving narrative musical exploring the hidden realities of domestic abuse and the journey toward liberation. The production features a backdrop of Hindi film music, with dance performances illustrating stories of resilience and self-discovery. All proceeds from the event support the Asian Women's Resource Centre. 6.30pm

ELVIS PRESLEY: Australian vocalist Daniel Aranda, accompanied by cellist Josh Gray, performs reimagined versions of Elvis Presley songs in an intimate one-night concert at the 1901 Arts Club. 7.30pm-9.30pm

LONDON TANGO: The seven-piece Romano Viazzani Ensemble brings together players from classical, jazz and Latin-American backgrounds to perform Astor Piazzolla works, classic Argentine tangos and original tango-inspired pieces with a London twist at St James's Church in Sussex Gardens. 7.30pm

VINTAGE AND VINYL: Browse a curated selection of vintage clothes, handicrafts and unique makers' stalls at New River Studios in Manor House. The Pop-Up Market and Tropical Wreck DJs event pairs independent shopping with a live soundtrack of tropical beats. Support local creators in an industrial warehouse setting while enjoying DJ sets that run late into the evening. 7.30pm-11pm

TEMPLES: Band Temples join resident Scared To Dance DJ Paul Richards at The Shacklewell Arms for an evening of post-punk, indie pop, new wave and art-rock. The band DJs ahead of the release of their new album BLISS. 11pm-3am

Sunday 21 June

Get to know the geology of Waterlow Park. Image: Marathon via CC BY-SA 2.0

FATHER'S DAY: Consider this your reminder to pick up a card, and maybe a box of chocolates or a new book, for your dad on Father's Day.

SUMMER FAMILY FESTIVAL: Dulwich Picture Gallery holds a Summer Family Festival, a day of hands-on creativity and nature-themed exploration across the gallery and its sculpture garden. Drop into free workshops to craft nature crowns, make wildflower seed bombs to help local bees or join a printmaking adventure inspired by the natural world. The programme also features a farmers' market, and a garden trail by artist Lucy Grainge. 10am-4pm

DOG SHOW: Celebrate the 100th anniversary of Gunnersbury Park with a day of canine competition at the Gunnersbury Family Dog Show. The "un-serious" event features categories ranging from Best Trick and Rescue Story to a dog-friendly version of musical bumps called Sit Happens (nicely done). Dog-friendly stallholders and local food vendors will be on-site throughout the afternoon, with special rosettes awarded to the top three pups in each class. FREE to watch, 11am-4pm

HOURGLASS DISCO: As Harry Styles' Meltdown comes to a close today, the free Hourglass Disco takes over Southbank Centre's Riverside Terrace for eight hours of disco, funk, house and soul from some of the best DJs and musicians in the business. FREE, 2pm-10pm

UNPLUGGED JAZZ: Guitarist Luke Purbrick brings his trio to Next Door Records Two in Stoke Newington for an afternoon of modern grooves and classic standards. A former student of Binker Golding at Tomorrow’s Warriors, Purbrick blends his own thoughtful compositions with the works of icons like Thelonious Monk. FREE, 3pm

WATERLOW PARK GEOTRAIL: Part of the final day of Highgate Festival, Diana Clements of the London Geodiversity Partnership offers a geotrail walk around Waterlow Park, offering an insight into how the geology of the park relates to its layout and local development. FREE, 3pm-3.45pm

STONE SAFARI: One of many London Festival of Architecture events this weekend, artist Becky Lyon leads a guided walk across the Barnet Plateau, inviting you to explore the hidden geology beneath your feet. The session involves sharing stories and exchanging small stones while moving through Stanmore Country Park. 3pm-5.30pm

Last chance to see Why I Stuck a Flare Up My Ar*e for England Image: © Rah Petherbridge

SUMMER SOLSTICE SONGS: Gather at The Ivy House in Nunhead for a celebration of the season featuring dance and live music. Songs of the Summer Solstice blends folk and experimental sounds with storytelling and mindfulness exercises, and includes a solar ritual at 5pm. 4pm

CHAMBER CONCERT: Emerging conductors Peggy Wu, Richard Fu and Giovanni Fanizza lead members of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House in a free performance at the Paul Hamlyn Hall. The Jette Parker Artists teatime chamber concert features a dynamic repertoire including Mozart's Symphony No. 40, Holst's Lyric Movement for viola and Stravinsky's Dumbarton Oaks concerto. FREE, 4pm

KARELIA QUARTET: The Karelia Quartet, formed at the Royal Academy of Music and recent CAVATINA prizewinners, perform Haydn's Dream Quartet, Ravel's Quartet in F and Grieg's G minor Quartet at today's Sunday Concert at Conway Hall. The evening opens with a pre-concert recital by Royal Academy students Daniel Schultz (cello) and Sejin Yoon (piano), who play Chopin's Cello Sonata. 5.30pm-8.30pm

FOOTBALL PLAY: The 'Flarewell' tour of football play Why I Stuck a Flare Up My Ar*e for England comes to the Garrick Theatre for one night only — your last chance to see it in London. The show looks at the darker side of football culture, and was inspired by the infamous photo of the England fan who wedged a lit flare in his buttocks before the Euro 2020 final. 7pm

WINDRUSH CONCERT: Step into a 1950s-style Windrush Front Room at Catford's Broadway Theatre for The Windrush Concert, a musical celebration of the generation's enduring cultural legacy. Hosted by Felicity Ethnic and Daddy Ernie, the evening features the Freedom Band UK performing hits from reggae and soul icons like Bob Marley, Desmond Dekker and John Holt. The line-up also includes a rare appearance by Melanie of the group Me and You, alongside the singing trio the Divettes and soulful poet Floetic Lara. 7pm-10pm

A spectacular visualisation of what our city's public transport is up to at any given moment. Image: James Potter

ZONE ONE offers a "Live map of central London. Every Tube, bus, train, riverboat and aircraft moving in real time".

We've seen this sort of thing before, like this real-time Tube map, or this one, or this one.

ZONE ONE, by James Potter, is way more ambitious. It brings together not just the Tube but many other forms of transport, too.

Besides the five listed above, you can also watch parts of the Overground, Thameslink, Elizabeth line, mainline trains and part of the DLR. Zoom in, and there are the vehicles, sliding around in real-time. Click on them and you'll be given their destination (and in the case of buses, even their licence plate). Traffic cameras have also been placed on the map.

Traffic cams also feature. Image: James Potter

It's not perfect, of course. The data feeds that power the site only have so much resolution. So, for example, it's easy to find cases of boats navigating suspiciously far inland. Trains and buses do not provide GPS data, so their locations are inferred by countdown times. Plus, the site, as per its name, only shows what's going on in Zone One.

Boats tend to stray inland a bit (left) Image: James Potter

Caveats aside, this is a spectacular visualisation of what our city's public transport is up to at any given moment. In its current form, it's too unwieldy to use as a navigation aid, but it could personalise it to show, for example, 'every bit of public transport coming near me in the next five minutes, and where it's heading', then it could have way-finding potential.

Have a play with ZONE ONE here.

Edward Shawcross, author of The People's Emperor: The Unlikely Rise and Spectacular Fall of Napoleon III, writes how London fell head over heels for a deluded Frenchman who turned out not to be so deluded after all.

Napoleon III lived in London twice, befriending the likes of Charles Dickens and Benjamin Disraeli. Image: Public Domain

"Really", recorded an overwhelmed Queen Victoria, "to think of a Gd Daughter of George IIIrd, dancing with the nephew of our great enemy, the Empr Napoleon now my most firm Ally, in the Waterloo Gallery, — is incredible!"

In her bewilderment, Victoria was speaking for Britain. The ball she described was the culmination of a state visit — arranged to celebrate the Anglo-French alliance formed to fight Russia in the Crimean War in April 1855 — by the emperor of the French, Napoleon III, and his wife, the empress Eugénie. On 16 April, the imperial couple arrived at the Bricklayers Arms station in Southwark where they were met with the inscription "England and France for ever! Long live the Emperor and Empress!". One correspondent was so thrilled by the visit that he wrote to The Morning Post to suggest that Marble Arch be renamed the Arch of Napoléon.

That idea was not taken up, but tens of thousands lined the route as the imperial couple were driven in triumphant procession from Southwark through central London. Union Jacks vied with Tricolour flags in the streets; suspended from the roof of a house in the churchyard of St Paul's cathedral a banner fluttered with the imperial eagle embroidered on it; tickets for stands or on balconies in private houses sold out. As the cortège passed King Street off St James's Street, the emperor pointed out a nondescript townhouse to the empress. The crowd cheered ecstatically, for they knew this was where Napoléon III, then merely Louis-Napoléon, had once lived.

Twice a Londoner

Napoleon III was a remarkable anglophile. Image: Public Domain

For a French emperor, Napoleon III was a remarkable anglophile. Twice he had lived in London. First from 1838 to 1840 and then from 1846 to 1848 before he returned to Paris to become France's first ever directly elected president. This was an unlikely rise. In London, this nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte had been known as a dilletante — he spent much time at the British Museum writing books few people read — and a dandy. Gorgeously arrayed in the finest clothes money could buy, Louis-Napoléon hung out with disreputable literary types like Charles Dickens and Benjamin Disraeli at a salon in then-unfashionable Kensington in between seducing as many actresses and ballerinas as he could.

But what drove Louis-Napoléon in London was unwavering belief that it was his destiny to rule France and reestablish his uncle's empire. An incorrigible conspirator, he did not hide his ambitions — frequently dropping into conversation plans for what he would do when emperor, much to the amusement of those who listened with the kindly patience afforded to the deluded. After he suddenly left London in August 1840, it came as no surprise to acquaintances in England to discover that he had been arrested and condemned to life imprisonment for failing in farcical fashion to overthrow the French government. In 1846, he escaped prison, walking out the front gate disguised as a workman. Soon, he resumed his old life in London.

"'Vive le Hempereur!"

On one excursion, the emperor and empress with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert went to see the monumental iron and glass hall, the Crystal Palace. Image: Jacques-Émile Blanche, Creative Commons

Extraordinarily, his belief in his star was undimmed. As one London-based satirical newspaper commented, "it was a pity that" Louis-Napoléon indulges "so ridiculous a delusion; for strange to say, however eager this would-be Emperor may be to govern the French, they have never shown the least anxiety to become his subjects."
That changed. Revolution broke out, again, in France in February 1848 and by December of the same year Louis-Napoléon, after winning a presidential election by a landslide, had swapped King Street for the Elysée Palace. Three years later, he launched a coup d'état against the government he had sworn to protect, proclaiming himself emperor soon after. His first foray into foreign policy saw him ally with Britain and declare war on Russia.

The nation's traditional nemesis had become, as Victoria said, its firmest ally. Much to the delight of the British people, Napoléon III came back to London as emperor for the state visit in 1855. Wherever he went, crowds, bunting and flags were in abundance; ovations deafening. On one excursion, the emperor and empress with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert went to see the monumental iron and glass hall, the Crystal Palace. As they made their way cries of "Vive l'Empereur" and "Vive l'Impératrice" rang out, and, much to Victoria’s delight, she noted, "sometimes even 'Vive le Hempereur', in cockney English!".

The 1855 visit proved to be the high-water mark of Anglo-French relations; however, there was to be an elegiac final flourish. After being taken prisoner at the battle of Sedan in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian war, the emperor lost his throne. The last years of his life were spent in exile in the decidedly unimperial village of Chislehurst, then in Kent. He died here on 9 January 1873.

"The English can reach phenomenal heights of political immorality"

Image: English Heritage

Blamed for catastrophic defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, French newspapers celebrated his passing. "It is in vain that this great criminal, to escape punishment, tries to take refuge in a coffin. The future will know all his crimes", ran one obituary. In Britain, however, he was mourned. He "schemed much that was grander, nobler, more daring than any English statesmen", was The Evening Standard’s judgement.

Much to the annoyance of French journalists who came to cover the funeral, British Bonapartemania went into overdrive once more before the funeral. In London, Dickensian street urchins hawked cheap images of the late emperor. "The fervour, the adulation, the baseness of cockneys and the English bourgeoisie have not slowed for five days", complained one French correspondent. All this sympathy, he wrote, was proof that "the English can reach phenomenal heights of political immorality".

Worse was to come for the journalist, for some 20,000 turned out for the funeral on 15 January. At most, only 1,000 were French. Perhaps this was a fitting tribute. After all, speaking to a visitor about politics at Chislehurst months before he died, the former emperor of the French sighed, "How I wish the French would follow this country's example!" And, while there are few public memorials to Napoleon III in France today, the oldest surviving blue plaque in London, put up in 1867 in King Street, reads, 'Napoleon III. Lived here. 1848'.

The People's Emperor: The Unlikely Rise and Spectacular Fall of Napoleon III by Edward Shawcross, published by Faber & Faber

We featured this book because we know it's the kind of thing our readers will enjoy. By buying it via links in this article, Londonist may earn a commission from Bookshop.org — which also helps support independent bookshops.

Bitches in Stitches bring New Grrrl Order to Camden. Image: Bitches in Stitches

Edinburgh who? The Camden Fringe is back this summer — with over 400 shows staged in the pint-sized theatres and pubs of north London.

Returning for its 20th year, the performing arts festival runs from 3-30 August 2026, bringing with it a riot of theatre, sketch, comedy, dance and spoken-word performances spread across 20+ of Camden's small venues. (These days, shows also spill over the border into Islington and Westminster.)

With such a glut of stuff, we've compiled an amuse-bouche of highlights that sound particularly good fun/intriguing, but do browse the full programme.

And get booking — shows sell out!

Londongrad sounds like The Thick of It, but sillier. Image: Londongrad

LONDONGRAD: Sounding like The Thick of It but sillier, Londongrad yanks us into a Westminster of loathed prime ministers, hapless foreign secs, unhinged tech billionaires and power-crazed Russians who want to buy London. Wherever do they get their ideas... The Courtyard Theatre, 3-10 August

SECRETS OF THE SIMPSONS: Mike Reiss has penned countless episodes of The Simpsons, and for two nights in Highgate, he opens up, spilling some secrets behind the show, and answering audience questions like "How do you always manage to predict the future?!" Upstairs at the Gatehouse, 2-3 August

BITCHES IN STITCHES: "The funniest people I know bring different perspectives to the table and that's what keeps comedy surprising, sharp, and full of life." That's what Bitches in Stitches founder Fran Ayala-Rock told us about this female and non-binary-only comedy club — and in August their New Grrrl Order show gives you another chance to plug into comedy that’s loud, bold... and strangely therapeutic. Camden Comedy Club, 6 August

BEATS + STRINGS: Kansas City's Beats + Strings bring Soul Renaissance to north London, with a smorgasbord of soulful tunes performed on acoustic strings, electronic vibes and percussive beats. Nice. Hen & Chickens Theatre, 9-14 August

Kimberley Nixon plays a new mother with mental health issues, in Babybrain. Image: Kimberley Nixon

DOING REALLY WELL: A phrase we've all blurted out to some high-achieving pal, Doing Really Well, Actually! bills itself as a cross between Fleabag and Bridesmaids, in which three prosecco-soaked friends await their mate at the Bridal and Prom Dress Emporium. Except the bride to be is nowhere to be seen... Lion & Unicorn Theatre, 10, 16 and 17 August

BABYBRAIN: You may know her best as Josie from Fresh Meat, but at the Camden Fringe, Kimberley Nixon spins a 'slightly true story' as Cass, a new mother with mental health issues, who dreams of being a stand-up comedian. Bridewell Theatre, 10-12 August

SYNCING: You remember NSYNC, right? Well now they're back — kind of. Syncing is set in the troubled days of 2002 when Justin Timberlake has abandoned his boyz for a solo career. With their frosted tips fading and egos bruised, Lance, Joey, JC and Chris must figure out how to keep the band together. (It's a comedy. We hope.) Lion & Unicorn Theatre, 10-12 August

DANCE PLAGUE: Runaway princesses, medieval music festivals and maniacal high priests riddle the 'contagious' Dance Plague of 1518, a comedy unabashedly cashing in on the trend for historical musicals, with the caveat that the cast and writers know zilch about their subject matter. (To be fair, that never stopped Oh, Mary!). Upstairs at the Gatehouse, 11-13 August

How will they cope without Justin? Image: Syncing

FABLE OF FRITZ: The wider fringe is largely for adults, but The Untold Fable of Fritz is squarely aimed at kids — a spin on Philip Pullman's short story, Clockwork, about an everlasting stone-cold ice age king and his dying son. Three actors play fives times as many characters, in this play described as 'Horrible Histories meets Narnia'. Rosemary Branch Theatre, 16 August

GREAT DIVINATOR: As the only show currently listed under the festival's 'mentalism' category, we had to include The Great Divinator, in which Katie Trantor plays the eponymous 19th century spirit medium, who'll cajole you into some spooky audience participation. "Fake Moustache! Real Mindreading!" is the guarantee. The Water Rats, 23 August

3 PHONE CALLS: Mother & Son Productions are just that: the theatrical twosome of Alby and Elric Stockley, who deliver a play based on real calls made between them. With themes of queer abuse and assault, 3 Phone Calls promises to be hard-hitting stuff. It's followed by a Q&A. Lion & Unicorn Theatre, 23 and 30 August

CHRONOS: Among the smattering of dance shows across the festival is Chronos, an ethereal piece inspired by the Buddhist Dunhuang frescoes discovered in caves in China. But as dances of flowing ribbons, layered tulle and ritualistic movement unfold, the timeless scene is interrupted by fingers on keyboards and a phone ringing. Just make sure it's not yours. The Courtyard Theatre, 30 August

Camden Fringe runs 3-30 August 2026.

Free things to do in London this week.

West End Live brings free musical theatre to Trafalgar Square. Image: West End Live

Architecture fest

Continuing until the end of June, London Festival of Architecture has a packed programme, including many free events. Budget-friendly options this week include a guided walk through Walworth focusing on the spaces which hold communities together; Your London, an interactive experience inviting you to share your perspective on the capital; and the Cody Dock Summer Festival, where new exhibition space The Boat House is unveiled.

Check out the full programme (but note: not everything on there is free).

Until 30 June.

American independence

This summer marks 250 years since the United States Declaration of Independence, an anniversary which'll be widely celebrated on and around 4 July.

Ahead of that, the National Maritime Museum opens a new, free display in its Caird Library this Monday, showcasing what's thought to be the first report of American independence to reach Britain. It centres around a letter dated 10 July 1776 and a handwritten copy of the Declaration made between 5 and 10 July 1776.

Both were sent to John Montagu, First Lord of the Admiralty, mere days after the Declaration was first printed in Philadelphia.

From 15 June.

Agriculture's climate crises

Though the big opening at Hayward Gallery this week is the (paid) Anish Kapoor exhibition, head to its HENI Project Space for the first UK exhibition of Indian artist Kulpreet Singh.

The free display, Indelible Black Marks, uses films and paintings to highlight the urgent link between climate change and agricultural crises, with particular focus on the ritual of stubble-burning — setting fire to straw remnants to prepare the fields for a new crop cycle.

16 June-2 August.

Dickens talk

Author Livi Michael is at the Charles Dickens Museum in Bloomsbury on Wednesday to discuss the research behind her latest novel, Elizabeth and Ruth.

It explores the real-life correspondence between Gaskell and Dickens, focusing on a young girl Gaskell attempted to help amidst the censorship and social prejudices of the Victorian era.

Watch in-person at the Doughty Street townhouse or online via Zoom. Entry to the museum is not included with the free talk.

17 June.

Lunchtime music

Image: National Maritime Museum.

If you find yourself in Greenwich on Wednesday lunchtime, chamber music students from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance are giving a free performance in the Great Hall inside Queen's House.

17 June.

Dutch Pride

With Pride in London happening next month, the Dutch Centre gets the party started early, to mark 35 years of same sex marriage in the Netherlands, 30 years of Amsterdam Pride — and 10 years of same sex weddings at the Dutch Church in London.

The LGBTQ+ Festival on Thursday evening begins with a screening of three short films curated by Roze Filmdagen, followed by a celebration in the church hall led by Rev. Bertjan van de Lagemaat and Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Paul Huijts. A surprise live act appears later in the evening.

It's free to attend, but book a ticket so the organisers can plan around numbers.

18 June.

Museum after hours

'Alchemy after dark' is the theme of this month's late-night opening at the Bank of England Museum. Visit once the daytime crowds have left, for entertainment centred around a limited-time art installation by Melek Zeynep, depicting the timeless struggle to turn base metal into gold. You can also take part in craft activities with an alchemy theme, as well as browsing the museum's usual exhibits and displays.

18 June.

Ideas Festival

The British Academy invites the public inside its Carlton House Terrace home for its annual Festival of Ideas, bringing experts together for talks and activities on all manner of topics.

It kicks off with a Friday Late, with discussions about the ethics of dating apps, and sarcasm in multilingual speakers — as well as craft activities, short film screenings and pop-up research stations where British Academy members introduce their current work.

Saturday has a packed schedule including a headline talk by Sunil Amrith, winner of the British Academy Book Prize, and author of The Burning Earth: An Environmental History of the Last 500 Years. Elsewhere, take tours of the British Academy building, hear talks about neurodiversity, apartheid history and sustainability in ancient civilisations. That's just a taster of the packed programme.

19-20 June.

Windrush celebrations

Head to the National Maritime Museum on Saturday for its free, family-friendly Windrush Day event.

Celebrate the lives and legacies of those who arrived in Britain on the HMT Empire Windrush in 1948. Try your hand at Caribbean cloth printing, view a photography display, watch short films, trace your ancestors in a Caribbean family history workshop, and watch panel discussions about the Windrush legacy. Discover more Windrush events (some of them free) in our roundup.

20 June.

Okinawa Day

Image: The Blue

London's annual Okinawa Day celebrates the music, dances and food from the islands of the Ryukyu archipelago in southern Japan. Head to the Blue Market in Bermondsey on Saturday for classical music Ryukyu-style, folk-song performances on the sanshin, and karate demonstrations.

20 June.

World-class haircuts

You too could look like this bloke. Image: viagogo

Ever fancied recreating the peroxide curls of Carlos Valderrama, or Glenn Hoddle's infamous mullet on top of your bonce? This weekend, viagogo is taking over Ruffians Shoreditch to give footie fans the world-class hairstyle of their dreams. (Whether anyone else thinks it looks world-class remains to be seen.) Book your one-hour appointment.

20-21 June.

West End in Trafalgar Square

This weekend is the most wonderful time of the year for musical theatre fans. Stars from London's current West End musicals perform FOR FREE on a pop-up stage in Trafalgar Square.

West End Live is a huge, free festival, with casts from Beetlejuice The Musical, Cabaret, Hamilton, Les Misérables, Mamma Mia!, Matilda The Musical, Paddington The Musical, Six, Wicked and many more confirmed as performing this year (exact schedule should be available some time this week).

It's an incredibly popular event, and unticketed, so you'll need to arrive very early to be in with a chance of getting in. Large numbers of people are turned away each year when the square reaches capacity. Consider yourself warned!

20-21 June.

A fully functioning teahouse operated at the Japanese Village. Image: British Library Newspapers via CC BY-SA 4.0

In Victorian London, you could walk down a Japanese street of bamboo shops and dwellings fitted with thatched roofs and oiled paper windows, call in at a Buddhist temple then retire to a teahouse to sip a steaming cup of sencha.

Japan sits high in the conscience of modern day London, everywhere from Kensington's Japan House, to the mountains of katsu curry and takoyaki inhaled with gusto in London's glut of Japanese restaurants. Late Victorian Londoners harboured a similar fascination. With trade and diplomatic relations between Britain and Japan galvanised in the mid-19th century, the drawing rooms of middle class Londoners began to clutter up with "paintings, pottery, china, kimonos, fans, screens, silks, and swords". The 1862 International Exhibition in South Kensington even housed a Japanese Court. But 1885 was the year Japanomania really made its mark on the British capital.

Real shops, temples and teahouses

The Mikado debuted at the Savoy Theatre a couple of months after the Japanese Village opened, and W.S. Gilbert visited the latter to inform his writing on the opera. Image: public domain

While writing duo Gilbert and Sullivan put the finishing touches to their Japan-set comic opera The Mikado, over in Humphrey's Hall, Knightsbridge, a full 'Japanese Native Village' opened. The concept of impresario Tannaker Buchirosan, a man who'd already hosted Japanese events around Britain, the unprecedented village layout prided itself on on its 'authenticity', an advert declaring it to be:

...erected and peopled exclusively by natives of Japan (males and females). Amongst whom are skilled artificers and workers who will illustrate the manners, customs, and art industries of their country, clad in their national and picturesque costumes.

For the price of a shilling, curious Londoners could step into a distant land; wander around Japanese gardens; watch marital arts demos; visit temples officiated by real priests; peruse shops and buy fans, toys and musical instruments; then retreat to the teahouse, to be served cups off lacquer trays by kimono-wearing attendants.

Importantly, Londoners could rub shoulders with real Japanese people. It was the closest most would ever get to exploring Tokyo or Kyoto, and the Japanese Village was wildly popular, clocking in quarter of a million people in its first five months. W. S. Gilbert popped his head in for some inspiration, while provincial towns up and down the country hastily constructed "many wretched imitations", as Buchirosan would call them.

A true picture of Japan?

The Village Here painted a picture of a 'quaint' and 'simple' Japan that didn't reflect the rapidly changing country. Image: public domain

On the one hand, this really was an authentic experience. Not only did some 100 Japanese craftspeople and performers populate the village, some had spent months building it, and most even slept here at night.

But the Japanese Village had an agenda. Here was a picture of a 'quaint' and 'simple' Japan; one which glossed over the country's rapid modernisation and industrialisation during the Meiji era — not to mention that in the real Japan, folk were increasingly wearing Western attire. As Anna Jackson, Keeper of the Asia Department at V&A, says: "The lives of these supposedly simple, innocent, primitive Japanese people could be viewed with escapist longing by those coming to terms with the complexities of life in the industrialised West.

"This admiration for the simplicity and purity of Japanese life was, however, entirely dependent on the unshakeable belief in the ultimate superiority of Western civilisation."

To put it another way, if this had been a British Village in Tokyo, everyone would've been whirling around a maypole while singing Scarborough Fair, glugging flagons of mead and rolling cheese wheels all over the place. All very pleasant, but all rather disingenuous.

"One of the prettiest sights in London"

Kyoto Garden in Holland Park. Image: Ivelin Donchev

On 2 May 1885, disaster struck, when a fire — probably caused by the gas lamps that lit the place at night — burned the entire village down, killing a Japanese wood carver. The West London Standard blithely suggested (using a slur we won't replicate here): "While the carts of the contractors are at work, it might have been well had carte blanche been given to Carte of the Savoy, to add to the realism of the 'Mikado,' by introducing the unemployed [Japanese people] in some of his scenes."

London's Japanese Village was reconstructed before the end of the year, and even expanded with "various free-standing idols, and a pool spanned by a rustic bridge" — running until June 1887. The Graphic declared it "one of the prettiest sights in London".

Though such a setup would be deemed stereotypical now, the Japanese Village was an influential moment — a precursor to the sights, sounds and tastes of Japan we enjoy in London today — from Kyoto Garden in Holland Park, to the Royal Albert Hall 's recent sell-out Grand Sumo Tournament, to the Hyper Japan festival, now so popular it visits London twice a year. What might baffle anyone who visited that whimsical Japanese Village 140 years ago, is how so many of the cutting edge gadgets used by Londoners in 2026 were made in Japan, not here.

Your weekly roundup of Londonist news and features.

Skyscraper Hospital: St Mary's In Paddington To Be Rebuilt At 30 Storeys

Tallest hospital in London.

Try OXO Flavoured Ice Cream At This Eccentric Pop-Up Boutique

Loopy scoops.

Updated: Which Tube And Elizabeth Line Stations Have Mobile 4G And 5G Access?

A map of the places you can get a phone signal.

DLR Extension: New Station Designs Revealed As Public Consultation Launched

Construction could begin in 2029.

Windrush Day 2026: Things To Do In London

Immerse yourself in Caribbean heritage and Black British history.

Image: Love Camden

Radiohead + Shakespeare = Hamlet Hail To The Thief

Unlikely crossover comes to London.

Image: Manuel Harlan.

Wimbledon 2026 Match Screenings: Where To Watch The Tennis Action On The Big Screen In London

Bring on the strawberries!

Where Is Itchycoo Park?

Five contenders in east London.

Meet Barney, London's Oldest And Largest Plane Tree

What a champ!

Did You Know Walthamstow Has A 'Greek' Amphitheatre?

It's been putting on shows for almost 100 years 🤯

Image: Greek Theatre Players

Ian McKellen Unveils Blue Plaque For Laurence Olivier

One great actor pays homage to another.

Coopers' Cask Race: One Of The City's Newest Tradition Returns In July

Who will be this year's Caskmasters?

The Old Things Of Old Street

How old is Old Street and what old things does it have upon it?

How To Go Backstage At The National Theatre For Free

See props and sets being made every week.

A Miscellany Of 'Firsts' On The London Underground

What was the first poem on the underground? Or first graffiti?

Looking Ahead: Things To Do In London This Week: 15-21 June 2026

The best things to do in London over the coming seven days.

Image: Manuel Harlan

Tube photographer Luke Agbaimoni — aka Tube Mapper — tells us about his Favourite Stations project.

"What has fascinated me most is the connection people have with stations." Image: Luke Agbaimoni/Tube Mapper Project

The London Underground is something quite special — one of the city's defining features and one of its biggest attractions. As the oldest underground railway in the world, it functions as the heartbeat of London.

For many people, it's also the easiest and most familiar way to travel around the city. As a result, most of us have experiences, memories and opinions connected to the Tube.

Tour guide ands author Katie Wignall at Piccadilly Circus. Image: Luke Agbaimoni/Tube Mapper Project

I've always been drawn to discovering what makes London Underground stations special to people since I began the Tube Mapper project. What has fascinated me most, as I've shared my images online, in my books and through my calendars, is the connection people have with stations. I regularly hear from people who tell me stories about them, some personal, some historical, some deeply emotional, and others light hearted — but all expressing why they love the Underground and, in many cases, particular stations.

Over time, that gradually led me to start the Favourite Stations project — in which I get people to show me their favourite Tube stations, and explain what they are special to them.

Playwright Tom Woffenden at Cockfosters. Image: Luke Agbaimoni/Tube Mapper Project

Central stations are generally the most popular, as they tend to be the busiest and most used. The two stations that get mentioned most often are probably Piccadilly Circus and Baker Street.

That said, people are often drawn to stations they grew up near or places where they have particularly fond or memorable experiences. Personal connections frequently matter more than the station itself.

Illustrator Shio at King's Cross St Pancras. Image: Luke Agbaimoni/Tube Mapper Project

When I ask people about their favourite station, I'm always amazed by the memories, stories and life events that emerge. Fiona, a singer and songwriter I interviewed, chose Peckham Rye station because, during a difficult period when she was homeless and working, she would practise singing in the waiting room before teaching lessons. The acoustics made it a perfect place to rehearse.

Comedian Shalaka Kurup at Finsbury Park. Image: Luke Agbaimoni/Tube Mapper Project

TV presenter and interior designer Anna Campbell-Jones chose Barons Court because, in the 1990s, there was a barber shop outside that was one of the few places willing to cut women's hair short. It also became a popular meeting point for her and her friends.

I also enjoyed stand-up comedian Shalaka Kurup's simple reason for choosing Finsbury Park: the ease of transferring between the Piccadilly and Victoria lines in the same direction via a straightforward platform passageway.

Videographer and historian Jago Hazzard at Maida Vale. Image: Luke Agbaimoni/Tube Mapper Project

One of my favourite photographs is of Nay, a London Underground train driver, at Bow Road station.

She grew up in a flat above the District line and remembers feeling and hearing the rumble of trains beneath her home as a child. It was wonderful walking through Bow Road station with her and hearing her describe the experience of driving a District line train for the first time and passing underneath the very flat where she grew up.

Train driver Mel at Newbury Park. Image: Luke Agbaimoni/Tube Mapper Project

I get asked about my favourite station all the time, and my answer usually surprises people: Bank/Monument.

For those unfamiliar with it, Bank is a giant labyrinth that fills many Londoners and commuters with dread as they navigate its seemingly endless corridors and lengthy interchanges. It's a station many people avoid if they can.

Anthony Dramanu  of Hidden Gems London at Gloucester Road. Image: Luke Agbaimoni/Tube Mapper Project

For me, though, it's absolutely fascinating.

Monument station first opened on 6 October 1884 under the name Eastcheap, and the wider Bank/Monument complex contains sections from many different periods. Walking through it feels a bit like exploring a museum of London Underground design, showcasing well over a century of architectural and engineering history.

I also find it amusing that the station has 16 marked entrances.

Am I covering all 272 stations in this project? Not necessarily, but you never know. The aim is simply to collect as many interesting stories as possible.

Check out more photos and videos from the Favourite Stations project, on Tube Mapper's Instagram.

The bells won't interrupt the performance... there are none. Image: Mathias Reding via Pexels

Even if you're one of the lucky few to have explored the gothic revival clock tower that rises above St Pancras station, chances are there wasn't a performance of opera going on at the time.

On Sunday 19 July 2026, you can experience just that, as the charity Opera Prelude hosts soprano Nancy Holt and pianist Weng Soon Tee, performing an hour-long programme of music spanning Dido's Lament from Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, through to If I Loved You from Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel.

Designed by George Gilbert Scott as the icing on the cake of the Midland Grand Hotel, the clock tower has long housed a private apartment, featuring a 10-metre-tall living room; this is in fact a false bell-chamber, designed to give the tower height. The clock tower has no actual bells in it though, as it turns out, the false chamber provides a stunning space for belting out a few arias.

Tickets for the performance cost £35, with proceeds going towards Opera Prelude's work nurturing talented artists.

Londonist went inside the clock tower back in 2015; see the video above for a snoop around.

Opera Prelude at St Pancras clock tower, 19 July 2026

The theatre at its 1925 opening, which starred the famous Sybil Thorndike. Image: Greek Theatre Players

In the grounds of Walthamstow Girls' School lies a unique surprise — a hidden 'Greek' amphitheatre that's been putting on plays for a century.

Built in 1924, and opening with its first production the following summer, the theatre came about at the request of Mary Norris, the then-headmistress, who chose to embellish her school with a Greek-style amphitheatre, rather than the proposed lido.

The 2018 production of As You Like It. Image: Greek Theatre Players

The performance space, today known simply as the Greek Theatre. was constructed primarily by unemployed local men, who worked partly in exchange for food, owing to the Poor Laws of the time.

Explains Mark Greenall, an expert on the theatre: "In the 1920s, there was terrible poverty and unemployment in this part of London due to a massive recession after World War One, which hit the docks and ancillary industries."

The Greek Theatre, circa 2008. Image: Greek Theatre Players

At the time, it was in vogue for prestigious public schools to have theatres like these, but Greenall reckons that Walthamstow's is the only one built at that time in the grounds of a council-run school. Norris was clearly of the mind that her girls could hold their own with the best of them, when it came to highbrow culture.

A 1966 production of Julius Caesar. Image: Greek Theatre Players

As if to hammer this point home, once the theatre was ready to be used, Norris contacted the great actor Sybil Thorndike through a cousin who happened to know her — and Thorndike agreed to play in the theatre's opening production of Medea.

A jovial rehearsal for The Merchant of Venice in 1982. Image: Greek Theatre Players

Chorus parts starred girls from the school, Greenall tells us, many of whom would dash from rehearsals to their exams still dressed in ancient Greek attire. For the inaugural performance, a staggering 800 people turned out to witness the play... although that did include everyone in the school, so a somewhat captive audience.

As You Like It, 1979. Image: Greek Theatre Players.

Through the decades, the theatre has been used for numerous school plays and speeches, and in the 1940s, even staged a dog show to raise money for the war effort and to celebrate Walthamstow's incorporation as a borough.

From 1958, a group called the Greek Theatre Players began staging a Shakespeare play here each summer, and they've done so ever since. A loose collective, the Players hire most of their costumes, and always welcome new members. "We see ourselves as very much a local tradition appealing to people who wouldn't normally think of going to see a Shakespeare," says Greenall.

Henry VI, Part 1, 2003. Image: Greek Theatre Players

The beauty of the theatre — which is ensconced in mature shrubs and trees — reckons Greenall, comes from its uniqueness as an outdoor performance arena, although this also makes for challenges for actors.

Henry V, 2007. Image: Greek Theatre Players

Says Greenall: "Acting and singing outdoors bring extra demands on technique and projection compared with indoor working. The compensation is the feeling that you're working in a magical space when the sun goes down and the lights turn the stone a slight golden colour.

"Those who act here — many of whom have worked in professional theatres up and down the land — will testify that it is a magical and intimate venue."

King Lear, 1997. Image: Greek Theatre Players

Audiences are often surprised to learn of the theatre's existence, even if they're local to the area:  "They're stunned to find such a venue hidden in the heart of the borough,"Greenall says, "The most common refrain is always that they had no idea it was there."

The cast for 1976's Love's Labours Lost. Image: Greek Theatre Players

This year, the theatre stages a production of Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor (22-25 July 2026). While you can't purchase tickets online, due to 'the unpredictability of British weather', they are available to buy on-site, and the Greek Theatre Players have always managed to fit everyone into their shows.

The Taming of the Shrew, 2021. Image: Greek Theatre Players

Visit The Greek Theatre between 22-25 July 2026 to see The Merry Wives of Windsor. Read more about the theatre on its official website.

What do you get if you combine the greatest English writer with the greatest living English band?

Hamlet Hail to the Thief is undoubtedly a clunky title, but it does at least give a fair representation of what you'll witness: Shakespeare's Hamlet accompanied by reworked songs from Radiohead's Hail to the Thief.

The unlikely crossover gets its London premiere at the Barbican in October, following sold-out shows at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford (the not-London one), and Aviva Studios in Manchester.

Original cast members, most of whom are returning. Image: Manuel Harlan.

According to organisers:

In this fast-paced distillation of the play, Shakespeare's words and Radiohead's songs illuminate one another in thrilling new ways that fuse theatre, music and movement. Personally reworked by [Thom] Yorke, the deconstructed album is performed live onstage by a cast of musicians and actors.

The creative fusion sounds mouthwatering, and begs the question: what other combos might be possible? 'The Taming of Kid A'? 'Much Ado About The Bends'? Or perhaps other artists could get in on the act, like Julius Caesar's Lonely Hearts Club Band, or the interminable 'Twelfth Night at the Opera'.

"Alas, poor Yorke!" Radiohead's Thom Yorke reworked songs from Hail to the Thief for the production. Image: Greg Williams

Tickets for Hamlet Hail to the Thief go on sale to the public at 10am on Friday 26 June via this link, and will be in high demand. Cue puns about climbing up the walls for tickets.

Hamlet Hail to the Thief runs at Barbican Theatre, 31 October 2026 to 23 January 2027.

Click or tap for larger version

Transport for London is part way through a roll-out of 4G and 5G connectivity across the tube network and Elizabeth line.

It was supposed to be complete by now, but issues with testing have prolonged the roll-out into late 2026. The new tech is a big step-up from the, frankly, temperamental wi-fi signals that only work (sometimes) within tube stations. Indeed, the underground's 5G is often faster and more reliable than that on the surface in central London.

You'll get a phone signal so long as you're on one of the four UK networks: EE, Vodafone, Three and VMO2. Your phone should automatically connect, and there is no extra charge.

Around 60% of Tube stations that are underground now have coverage. Our updates are archived below.

Jun 2026: The Bakerloo coverage has increased, with track and platforms from Queens Park to Edgware Road now boasting signal. Non-contiguous sections of Circle line have also been added.

Jan 2026: The first sections of Circle line track are now 5G enabled, between Blackfriars and Mansion House as well as Notting Hill Gate and Bayswater. Euston Square and Battersea Power Station stations have been added, though not yet the track out from them.

Jul 2025: Half a year on from our last update, and some fairly big chunks have been added. The Northern line now has coverage from Stockwell down to the southern end of the line, with Bank to Euston also added. The Victoria line has gained signal between Vauxhall and Pimlico.

Jan 2025: The Bakerloo line is now furnished with 5G between Piccadilly Circus and Embankment. Also, the section of Northern line tunnel between Stockwell and Balham is live, with coverage also possible on the platforms at Oval.

Dec 2024: The entire Elizabeth line now has signal. Most deep-level tubes in the central section are also hooked up.

July 2024: In a major update, all of the Elizabeth line from the western portal beyond Paddington through to Liverpool Street now has coverage. Further progress has also been made on sections of the Northern and Piccadilly lines,

May 2024: Central line now complete from Holland Park to Bank. Signal available in all Elizabeth line stations, if not yet the tunnels. Covent Garden station added.

December 2023: Goodge Street station is added, along with Northern tunnels from Belsize Park to Camden Town, and Central line tunnels between Tottenham Court Road and Holborn. Four Elizabeth line stations have been added: Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon and Liverpool Street.

September 2023: Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Road are added, along with the Central line track between them. TfL also announces lots of imminent expansions, including the whole of the Elizabeth line, much more of the Northern line and parts of the Piccadilly. Euston's Charing Cross platforms were later added.

June 2023: Mornington Crescent has been added to the network. The tunnels between Camden Town and MC should be kitted out soon.

May 2023: Camden Town has been added to the network. With the eastern stretches of the Jubilee line, and short sections of the Central and Northern lines, approximately 10% of subsurface stations now have access. Mornington Crescent, Oxford Circus and Tottenham Court Road are promised next.

This feature first appeared in June 2025 on Londonist: Time Machine, our much-praised history newsletter. To be the first to read new history features like this, sign up for free here.

Baker Street: the best preserved platforms from the original 1863 opening. Image: Matt Brown

It all began on 10 January 1863. The world’s first underground passenger railway opened to the public. The origins of the Metropolitan Railway, from Paddington to Farringdon, are well documented. So instead of rehashing that, we’d instead like to dig into some notable and unusual ‘firsts’ on the railway. We’ll start with the more serious stuff, then get gradually more lighthearted.

The first accident on the underground railway

Farringdon station was the scene of the very first crash on the running railway. The collision happened on Friday 27 February 1863, just seven weeks after the line opened. A departing train struck another coming in from Paddington, after an error by a pointsman had sent it down the wrong track. We learn from news reports that around 25 people were injured, often with cuts to the head and face. Mr James Best and Mrs Charlotte Shortland received the most serious injuries, and we may consider them to be the first passengers to be harmed while riding the London Underground.

The line was cleared and reopened within half an hour. Today, it would (rightly) have been declared a major incident with serious ramifications, but the Victorians just got on with things.

First fatal accident on the railway

It would be almost four years before the first fatal accident on the Metropolitan Railway. The location was again just outside Farringdon, but this time in the opposite direction at Barbican station, then called Aldersgate Street.

The tragedy occurred on 19 December 1866. The fatal blow came from above rather than from another train. A four-ton girder fell from the construction site of Smithfield Market, just over the tracks. It smashed through the roof of a second-class carriage with devastating results. One lady, 68-year-old Sarah Johnson, was killed immediately, "her skull having been frightfully fractured and her neck broken". Two other passengers in the car (Henry Lukey and Charles Passmore) and the guardsman (Charles Dant) were thrown onto the tracks. They were found still alive beneath the girder, but "crushed by its superincumbent weight... fearfully mutilated". St Bartholomew's Hospital was mercifully close to the site but the three could not be saved.

Once again, the line was up and running within half an hour.

The first subterranean pickpocket

Crowds of people huddled together on dimly lit platforms made for a pickpocket’s paradise. Petty theft was rife. As far as we can tell, the earliest trial for pickpocketing occurred on 28 January, just 18 days after the line opened. The alleged malefactor was John Rice, a “stylishly dressed” 17-year-old. He was accused of lifting a purse from a Mrs Clementson, who was awaiting a train at Gower Street (now Euston Square) station. He seems to have been acquitted, for he appeared again in court later that year on similar charges (which he again overcame).

The first fatal umbrella attack

Gower Street was also the scene of the network’s first known death by umbrella. While riding the Metropolitan Railway, Mr Frederick Klein got into a heated argument with James Vaughan, who had squeezed into the already overcrowded carriage. “I’m a first-class passenger,” claimed Vaughan, as if that should merit him a place. “If you are, then you have not a first-class tongue,” countered Klein.

After much exchange of insults, Klein alighted at Gower Street. He was followed onto the platform by Vaughan who proceeded to ram the point of his umbrella into his opponent’s eye. The injury proved fatal, but only after a few days of agony. The delay meant that Vaughan could only be charged with manslaughter rather than murder. Bizarrely, he received only a 12-month sentence for the appalling attack.

The first person to ride on the London Underground

Now this would be quite a claim to fame, wouldn’t it? Sadly, the names of the first passengers are lost to history (or hidden in an archive somewhere). We do know, however, that the first trial with passengers who weren’t railway men occurred on 28 November 1861, more than a year before the line opened to the public.

A group of journalists boarded a train at Great Western (Paddington) and took a short run to Chapel Street (Edgware Road). They then strolled through the tunnels to Euston Square, where another train took them to King's Cross. Said one adjective-spewing reporter: "The tunnels, instead of being close, dark, damp, and ill-smelling passages, are wide, spacious, clean, and excellently well lit, resembling more a well-kept street by night than a subterranean passage through the very heart of the metropolis".

The names of the journalists are not recorded, but we do know that the journey included railway bigwigs John Fowler (chief engineer) and WH Wilkinson (Chair), and a secretary by the curious name of Mr Henchman. These, then, are the first named individuals ever to ride on London Underground. We’ve told the story in more depth in a previous article.

In case you’re wondering, the famous image of William Gladstone riding in an open-topped wagon (see below) occurred almost half a year later. This was the first train to run the full length of the line with passengers:

We thought we'd colourise this famous image for you. Gladstone’s the one in the tall hat.

First poetry on the Underground

According to a contemporary Punch magazine, this clunky stanza was pinned to the insides of carriages in January 1864.

PASSENGERS ARE EARNESTLY REQUESTED
NOT TO OPEN THE CARRIAGE DOORS
UNTIL THE TRAIN STOPS AT THE PLATFORM;
OR THEY'LL COME CROPPERS ON THE FLOORS.

Of course, this might just be an invented merriment from the satirical magazine, but I think it’s genuine because the newspaper then go on to critique its clumsy style and verbiage. “The ‘Carriage doors’? Why carriage? What other doors are there to open?”

Punch then goes on to suggest its own, more succinct, messaging:

“DON’T TOUCH THE DOOR TILL THE TRAIN STOPS, YOU ASS.”

First Underground jokes

Punch is also the source for the first witticisms (‘joke’ would be pushing it) that we can find about the Underground. The following appeared in July 1862, about half a year before the line opened:

The sideswipe relates to a series of incidents that saw sewer water pour onto the tracks. The most serious occurred in June 1862, when the Fleet Sewer burst out of its culvert after heavy rain. The damage to the under-construction railway was severe and took two months to make good, delaying the opening.

It’s not that hard to find other ‘jokes’ about the new railway. It is hard to find good jokes about the new railway.

(From Punch, Feb 1863).

And finally, here’s yet another we chanced across from the Western Morning News, 7 February 1867:

Even in the 1860s, that would have raised more groans than guffaws.

The first graffiti on the Underground

In 1864, just 14 months after the opening of the Metropolitan Railway, Mr Aquila John Williams was up before the magistrate accused of writing "obscene words... calculated to pollute the minds of the passengers on that railway" [Cork Examiner, 10 March 1864]. History does not record his selection of phrase. For the sake of argument, let’s assume it was some lewd wordplay involving Lord Palmerston.

He pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay 40 shillings plus costs. In summing up, the judge said he was confident that the case's publicity "would be effectual in preventing such conduct in future." And no one ever wrote a naughty word on the tube ever again.

Sir Ian McKellen unveiled the plaque at Olivier's childhood home in Pimlico. Image: English Heritage

Laurence Olivier already has a statue, a spot in Poets' Corner, and a theatre auditorium named in his honour. Now add to that an official Blue Plaque.

On 10 June 2026, said plaque was unveiled at Olivier's childhood home at 22 Lupus Street, Pimlico. It was here that Olivier lived between the ages of 6 and 11, his father serving as curate at the nearby St Saviour's Church.

The young Olivier was already flaunting his thespian chops. After the actor Sybil Thorndike saw him in a school production, she gushed to Laurence's dad: "But this is an actor. Absolutely an actor. Born to it."

Olivier's statue on the South Bank. Image: Londonist

At 22 Lupus Street itself, the budding actor is said to have transformed a wooden box and a set of blue curtains into a stage, performing songs, dances and dramatic scenes for hours at a time. He would go on to sell out stages across London and the globe. Shakespeare was a speciality, although he also appeared in Hollywood films throughout his career, including Rebecca, Sleuth and Marathon Man.

Said English Heritage Senior Historian Howard Spencer: "What makes Lupus Street so special is that it is where it all began for Olivier, as an imaginative London child first discovering a love of performance. The plaque celebrates the formative home where one of Britain's greatest cultural figures first found his voice as an actor."

"In his lifetime Laurence Olivier's achievements, on stage and on screen, were unique and legendary," said McKellen. Image: English Heritage

Another great actor, Sir Ian McKellen, was there to unveil the plaque. In his lifetime Laurence Olivier's achievements, on stage and on screen, were unique and legendary," said McKellen. "He was a Hollywood star, the first Director of the National Theatre of Great Britain, producer, director, as well as actor."

Last year, a Blue Plaque was erected at the former Mayfair home of Audrey Hepburn.

You never know what you'll see dangling backstage at the NT. Image: Londonist

No animals are hurt in the making of the National Theatre's productions, though it doesn't always look that way judging from a visit to the prop department.

Dangling from the assembly area when we're there is the decapitated head of beautiful white horse. Before it hovered ominously here — the base of its broad neck smothered in stage blood — it briefly appeared above the Olivier stage in the NT's production of Bacchae. Now retired, the lower part of the horse will be recycled, although its head is too magnificent to destroy, and will wind up as a serious talking point some place or other.

A portrait of Sir Larry keeps a watch over Drum Road. Image: Londonist

Stashed away elsewhere in the props department is Pat the 'stunt tortoise' used in a 2003 production of the Tom Stoppard play Jumpers. Pat — who, it should be pointed out, is not a real tortoise — was stamped on and 'crushed to death' night after night, a blood pack secreted beneath its part-detachable shell. So realistic was this death-by-foot, the NT received a flood of complaints from people aghast that a live tortoise was being sacrificed every night. Chuffed with themselves, the props department pinned up every letter they received on the wall.

You can visit this bustling part of the theatre on guided tours of the National Theatre — where you get ushered from concrete auditorium to concrete auditorium, while being fed stories about on-stage mishaps, and Laurence Olivier, the NT's first Artistic Director, bombing around London in his black cab which he spray-painted the same purple as the seats in the auditorium here that was named in his honour.

Almost all of the NT's sets and props are made in-house. Image: Londonist

That's a paid-for experience, but if you're looking for a thriftier alternative, you can visit the NT's scenery and prop-making department without paying a penny. The Sherling Backstage Walkway is open to the public for free Wednesdays and Saturdays, 12pm-6pm every week, affording you an overhead view of the various workshops and assembly areas in which props and scenery — almost all of which is made in-house — are put together, painted, shifted about, disassembled and recycled.

Whether you're an acolyte of the theatre, or just looking for somewhere interesting to duck out of the rain, this a fascinating place to come. You'll see 'Drum Road' a corridor filled with oversized stage bibelots, and overlooked by a giant portrait of Laurence Olivier. Titbits of info are displayed up on the wall (did you know that wigs and fake beards are made from the belly hair of albino yaks?), and every time you visit, there'll be something new to see.

Plus, if you're looking to stage — you can hire everything from suits of armour to hospital beds. Don't suppose you're interested in a massive bloody horse head?

You can access the Sherling Backstage Walkway is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays, 12pm-6pm only, for free. Entry is via the foyer of the Dorfman Theatre.

Keep rollin', rollin', rollin', rollin'... Image: Laura Miller

You've heard of Taskmaster — now here's Caskmaster.

On Saturday 4 July, teams will get rollin', rollin', rollin', rollin' as they compete in the annual Coopers' Cask Race in Guildhall Square.

Hosted by the Worshipful Company of Coopers, you'd be forgiven for thinking this was some ancient tradition stretching back centuries. In fact, the Coopers' Cask Race has only been going since 2021 — and it takes its inspiration from the States.

All 32 team spots have been snapped up for 2026. Image: Laura Miller

"As a Company, we were keen to enter the post-Covid world more outward-looking, more active and more engaging," explains Liam Randall, Upper Warden of the Worshipful Company of Coopers. "Cask rolling came to us from the United States: wonderfully quirky, and a perfect fit."

The initial challenge was finding a suitable course. "We approached the Honourable Artillery Company's grounds, but the groundsman wasn't best pleased. We eyed the Tower of London, only to find the wildflower meadows had just been planted. So we took our cue from the City's great inter-livery traditions, the pancake race and Cart Marking among them, and settled on Guildhall Yard.

Dressing up is optional, but boy did this lot go for it. Image: Laura Miller

"It suits the Company's history rather well: faulty casks were historically brought to Guildhall to be destroyed if they failed to meet standard."

The tradition might be American, but all the casks are made here in the UK, specifically by Jonathan Manby, a cooper working in Yorkshire and one of the very few left in England. They come in different sizes: the hogshead is a size up from a barrel, while pins are the smallest variation — designed for children to roll on the day (this is very much a family event).

And nope, there's no wine, ale or any other kind of refreshment inside the casks. They're empty.

How cask racing works

The calm before the storm. Image: Laura Miller

Livery companies and corporates* form relay teams of four. One at a time, they race up and down the yard as fast as they can, handing the cask over to the next team-mate. Fastest team wins. "We've expanded the track to four lanes, up from three, with teams racing in pools," says Randall.

Reigning champions are the Merchant Taylors' Company, although, as you'd expect, the Coopers' rolling credentials are right up there too. "One year we take it, the next they do," says Randall, "A thoroughly friendly rivalry has formed."

Teams race relay style, in groups of four. Image: Laura Miller

Before a single cask is rolled, however, they're blessed in a ceremony performed by Martin Poll, former personal chaplain to the King. This ritual was introduced following an incident in 2021. "In our first year of racing," says Randall, "the weather was exceptionally hot and the staves shrank. The hoops, the metal rings holding the wood in place, are hammered on by our Coopers through sheer brute force, but to our dismay they began rolling off mid-race, with hoops going everywhere. It was something out of a Carry On film, Carry On Coopering.

"A few well-chosen words, we find, go a long way towards preventing both splintered staves and bruised egos."

Everyone is welcome to come and watch. Image: Laura Miller

Anyone can come and spectate at the Coopers' Cask Race, which is free and family-friendly. And if watching on as other people do exercise proves thirsty work, you're invited to post-race drinks at the Wren Tavern.

Coopers' Cask Race, Guildhall Yard, starts 9.30am, 4 July 2026, free

*All 32 places are now sold out for 2026.

Play board games with the Caribbean Social Forum at the National Maritime Museum. Image: NMM

Windrush Day — 22 June — marks the anniversary of the HMT Empire Windrush docking in Tilbury in 1948, bringing Afro-Caribbean immigrants to the United Kingdom.

Many of those passengers stayed in the UK, settling in London or further afield, finding jobs, raising families and becoming part of their local communities.

More recently, the Windrush Scandal has hit the headlines, with people who arrived on the Windrush and via other means being wrongly detained or deported, despite having the right to live in the UK. It was the Windrush Scandal which intensified the campaign for Windrush Day to be recognised, and the first official Windrush Day was held in 2018, to recognise the contributions made by migrants to UK society, as well as celebrating their heritage.

Here's where to celebrate Windrush Day 2026 in London.

Windrush 26 @ Brixton House (13-20 June)

Brixton House gets the party started early, kicking off a week of Windrush events on 13 June with Come Mek We Larf, a night of African-Caribbean comedy. That's followed by events including a reading of Derek Walcott's Pantomime, in which the staging of a panto between an English hotel owner and his Black Trinidadian handyman turns out to be very revealing about colonial history; and Bringing the Vibez, a free afternoon of DJs, exercise workshops, clothing vendors and more.

Windrush 26 @ Brixton House, 13-20 June

Hackney Windrush events 2026 (14 June-19 July)

Image: Hackney Council

A plethora of Windrush events takes place across Hackney borough, starting a week ahead of the big day itself — and ploughing on well into July. Watch Jah Makin It Happen: A Reggae Musical at Hackney Empire, dig into Caribbean dishes at A Taste of Windrush and attend Windrush Herstory workshops at Dalston CLR James Library. That's just a flavour of what's happening.

Hackney Windrush events, 14 June-19 July

Lewisham Windrush Day events (15-21 June)

Home to many residents from, and descendants of, the Windrush generation, Lewisham borough has a generous helping of events taking place in 2026, including Caribbean dance workshops, community storytelling, carnival headpiece crafting and board games.

Lewisham Windrush Day events, 15-21 June

Lambeth Windrush Day events (18-28 June)

The smattering of Windrush events in Lambeth include a discussion with author Beulah 'Guess' Smith-Coombs, about her memoir They Call Me Guess (charting her early childhood in 1950s rural Jamaica, before her move to swinging 60s Britain), and a reminiscence workshop on the dresses and personal photos of Windrush pioneer Girleyvine.

Celebrations conclude long after the day itself, with the fourth annual Big Caribbean Lunch — a street party-vibe affair in Brixton's Windrush Square.

Lambeth Windrush Day events, 18-28 June

Haringay Windrush Day events (20-26 June)

A couple of great looking Black history walking tours (one in Tottenham, the other along Green Lanes), form part of Haringay's week of Windrush events. The free entry Blockorama steel pan festival — taking place at Lordship Recreational Ground — should get you up on your feet, too.

Haringay Windrush Day events, 20-26 June

Windrush Day 2026 @ National Maritime Museum, Greenwich (20 June)

Image: NMM

As ever, Greenwich's National Maritime Museum goes all out for Windrush Day (or in this case a couple of days before, on 20 June) — with an action-packed day of events at the museum, and in the grounds outside the Queen's House and National Maritime Museum. Events include board games with the Caribbean Social Forum, an actor playing Windrush voyager Pearl Morris and a Caribbean cloth printing workshop inspired by Althea McNish.

National Maritime Museum Windrush Day, 20 June, 11am-4pm, free

Windrush Homecoming Celebration, Kentish Town (20 June)

Image: Love Camden

Ska and reggae, African and Caribbean crafts, sports activities for kids, and food and drink galore are on the docket for the Windrush Homecoming Celebration, taking place on Talacre Town Green in Kentish Town West.

Windrush Homecoming Celebration, 20 June, 12pm-6pm, free

Windrush Heritage Community Family Day @ Lloyd Park, Croydon (20 June) and the Windrush Generation Legacy Association @ Whitgift Centre Croydon (ongoing)

The 'Gaan a Farin' permanent exhibition. Image: Londonist

The sounds of classic reggae, soca, Afrobeat, soul and calypso ring out over Croydon's Lloyd Park on 20 June, for the Windrush Heritage Community Family Day, which also features Caribbean cuisine, children's activities and community stalls.

In Croydon's Whitgift Centre, meanwhile, you're welcome to call in on Tuesday-Saturday to see 'Gaan a Farin', a recreation of a Windrush era front room, dining room and bedroom. Also check out whatever temporary exhibition is on show, and chat to the friendly volunteers here.

Windrush Heritage Community Family Day, 20 June

The Windrush Generation Legacy Association, Tuesday-Saturday, free

Radiate Windrush Festival @ Mudchute Park (21 June)

A day of live music, DJs, retro and classic cars, and community activities awaits at Mudchute Park for the Radiate Windrush Festival — all helped along with servings of tropical punch. The website also promises "great weather", for which you've got to admire the optimism.

Radiate Windrush Festival, 21 June

Windrush Day 2026 @ QUEERCIRCLE, North Greenwich (21 June)

'Queer cousins of all backgrounds' are invited to an afternoon of dominoes, games, food and conversation at QUEERCIRCLE. It's hosted by Queer(ibbean) Domino Project, a setup centring queer Caribbean histories, legacies and culture. Book your space, and arrive hungry.

Windrush Day 2026, 21 June, free

Carrying the Flame @ World Heart Beat, Nine Elms (22 June)

On Windrush Day itself, World Heart Beat in Nine Elms stages an evening of reggae, ska, calypso and jazz, courtesy of pianist Ayo Vincent and genre-blending vocalist, Ava Joseph.

Carrying the the Flame, 22 June  

Windrush: A Journey of Discovery @ Shoe Lane Library, City (22 June)

Patricia Smith arrived in the UK in 1972 and was impacted by the Windrush scandal in 1984. In this free talk (happening in-person and online) she discusses the highs and lows of her experiences as a Windrusher. If you attend in person, you can also enjoy a display of Smith's paintings.

Windrush: A Journey of Discovery, 22 June, free

London, Sugar & Slavery @ London Museum Docklands (ongoing)

Image: Londonist

The permanent London, Sugar & Slavery exhibition always makes for a sobering visit: through haunting diagrams of slaves ships, the letters of Ignatious Sancho and antique sugar loaves, you'll learn how the capital played a damning role in the torture and deaths of some 15 million men, women and children — many who perished in the Caribbean.

London, Sugar & Slavery, London Museum Docklands, ongoing, free

Brixton's Black Cultural Archives (ongoing)

Aptly located on Windrush Square, the Black Cultural Archives (BCA) is home to a reading room, library and exhibition space, dedicated to collecting and recording the stories of African and Caribbean people in Britain. There are several books about the Windrush generation, and the archives also has copies of the 1948 Nationality Act, which gave all colonial subjects British citizenship, and subsequent Immigration Acts which attempted to remove this right. In 2021, the BCA teamed up with TfL to release a Black history Tube map, with each stop named after an important figure in Black British history.

BCA is open to the public, or you can explore many of its records online, as well as viewing digital exhibitions.

In 2023 we visited ahead of the launch of BCA's special Windrush exhibition, Over A Barrel: Windrush Children Tragedy and Triumph (see video above).

Have a Caribbean party in London

Notting Hill Carnival is the biggest Caribbean party of the year in London. Image: Shutterstock

Busspepper events specialise in Caribbean parties in London, including regular Bacchanal Fridays inspired by the pre-carnival parties in Trinidad, with soca music — an offshoot of the Calypso genre — a speciality. Brixton Jamm, Hoxton's Troy Bar and Hootananny Brixton are all ones to watch for regular reggae nights.

And then of course, there's carnival. Over the August bank holiday weekend, the streets of west London will once more shake and jiggle with the sounds of mas, soca and calypso for Notting Hill Carnival.  

Everyman on the Canal screens Wimbledon matches for free in King's Cross. Image: King's Cross

So you want to watch Wimbledon 2026 but you missed/failed at the ballot — and you're not spending the whole tournament glued to a TV screen indoors, while the sun's a-shinin' (hopefully!) and there's Pimm's for a-drinkin'.

Luckily, plenty of London establishments are erecting a giant screen — and possibly a deckchair or two — so you can catch the Wimbledon 2026 action al fresco.

FYI, the Wimbledon 2026 dates are 29 June-12 July. Stick it in your diary. It overlaps with the FIFA Men's World Cup, so better get scheduling your screenings...

Watch Wimbledon 2026 at Summer Screens in Canary Wharf

Bring a blanket and make an afternoon of it. Image: Canary Wharf

As part of the Summer Screens series of events, Wimbledon matches are broadcast for free on a screen in Canary Wharf's Canada Square Park. Grab refreshments at nearby bars, restaurants and supermarkets.

The same screen also hosts free open-air film screenings throughout the summer, as well as Formula 1, cricket and other major sporting events.

Wimbledon 2026 screenings in Canary Wharf, free, check the schedule closer to the time  for Wimbledon 2026 details.

Watch Wimbledon 2026 for free in Covent Garden

Covent Garden brings Wimbledon to central London. Image: Covent Garden

The Covent Garden Piazza, in a collaboration with Lanson (the official champagne of Wimbledon, don'tcha know), sets up a huge screen broadcasting the tennis, plus deckchairs to sink in, if you're quick enough. Screenings are free and strawberries are usually available to buy from pop-ups nearby (we imagine plenty of champers will be too). This one will be very popular due to its location.

Wimbledon screenings in Covent Garden, free, 29 June-12 July 2026.

Free Wimbledon screenings 2026 on South Bank

Another one that's likely to be popular due to footfall: the National Theatre is putting up a large outdoor screen outside its Understudy pub, for anyone to watch the Wimbledon action for free. Mind you, the price of a pint here will have you screaming "You cannot be serious!"

Wimbledon 2026 screenings at the National Theatre, free, 29 June-12 July 2026.

Wimbledon 2026 free screenings at Camden Market

Image: Camden Market

Wimbledon matches are shown live on an outdoor big screen in the Summer Garden at Camden Market, with deckchair seating (100 chairs available) and outdoor table tennis if you're inspired by all that thwacking on the screen. Strawberries are available from stalls in Hawley Wharf.

Wimbledon 2026 screenings at Camden Market, free, 29 June-12 July 2026.

Free Wimbledon 2026 screenings at Hammersmith Summer Festival

Image: Hammersmith Summer Festival

Now in its 19th year, the Hammersmith Summer Festival offers an ideal spot for kicking back and soaking up the tennis action. The big screen pops up in Lyric Square, with deckchairs provided, and stewards on hand to ensure everything runs smoothly.

Wimbledon 2026 screenings at Hammersmith Summer Festival, free, 29 June-12 July 2026.

Watch Wimbledon 2026 for free at Everyman on the Canal, King's Cross

The canalside screen is always popular with Wimbledon fans. Image: King's Cross

Take a seat on the steps at Granary Square (King's Cross) during the Championships to watch the Centre Court action on a big screen that's set up on the other side of the canal. The lawn-effect steps are usually scattered with oversized pillows for extra comfort.

Once again, the screen doubles up as an outdoor cinema, with cult classics and family faves shown for free throughout the summer.

Wimbledon at Everyman on the Canal, King's Cross, free, check website for details of exact screenings closer to the time.

Free Wimbledon screenings at Cardinal Place, Victoria

Image: Cardinal Place

The Garden at Cardinal Place once again screens live action from SW19 with various food and drink offers including a cocktail pop-up from Rail House Victoria and a gelato cart from Emilia's.

Wimbledon screenings at Cardinal Place, free, 29 June-12 July 2026 (except 5 July).

Free Wimbledon screenings at One New Change

Image: One New Change

Head to the ground floor of One New Change shopping centre (right by St Paul's Cathedral) for free Wimbledon screenings. Deckchairs are angled to offer the cathedral as a backdrop as you watch the action on a large screen. A Nespresso pop-up serves white chocolate strawberry coffee, and bar service is available from the nearby F1 Arcade.

Wimbledon screenings at One New Change, free, 29 June-12 July 2026 (expect 5 July).

Wimbledon matches at KERB Sports Bar, Spitalfields

Football is the venue's main sport, but Wimbledon gets a look-in too. Image: KERB Sports Bar

For Summer 2026, KERB Sports Bar pops up at Old Spitalfields Market, and while the focus is predominantly on the football, other sports including Formula One and Wimbledon have been mentioned too. The space is split across an open-air terrace, a Clubhouse indoor bar with eight large screens, and private rooms, with food available from on-site traders Happy Face Pizza and Only Jerkin' Caribbean chicken.

KERB Sports Bar, Wimbledon screening details TBC.

Free Wimbledon 2026 screenings at Spitalfields Market

Image: Spitalfields Market

In addition to the above KERB pop-up, Spitalfields Market hosts its own summer sports screenings. Wimbledon is among the sports being shown on a giant 188-inch outdoor screen in Bishop's Square, Spitalfields Market. It's free to sit down and watch whatever's showing, full schedule TBC.

Spitalfields Summer Screen, free, open from 22 May 2026.

Watch Wimbledon matches at 'Centre Court-Yard' at Ham Yard Hotel

Soho's Centre Court-Yard is back for Wimbledon 2026. Image: Ham Yard Hotel

As always during Wimbledon, Soho's Ham Yard Hotel transforms its courtyard into 'Centre-Court Yard' for the two weeks of the Championships, showing matches on a large outdoor screen, with wireless headphones available. Broadcasting starts 11am daily, and booking will be available for the finals. A themed cocktail menu and a Wimbledon afternoon tea are among the treat available to order as you watch.

Centre-Court Yard at the Ham Yard Hotel, 29 June-12 July 2026, from 11am daily.

Free Wimbledon 2026 screenings at Eccleston Yards, Belgravia

Watch Wimbledon with a drink from a nearby bar. Image: Eccleston Yards

Wimbledon in the Yards is at Belgravia courtyard Eccleston Yards, with every day of Wimbledon shown on the large open-air screen, and deckchairs and benches available nearby on a first-come-first-served basis. Refreshments are available from nearby cafes, restaurants and bars.

Wimbledon in the Yards, free, 29 June-12 July 2026.

Watch Wimbledon for free in Farringdon

Work near Farringdon? Head to New Street Square for free Wimbledon screenings. Image: New Street Square

On weekdays during this year's tournament, there's space for 500 people at a time to watch on a large screen at New Street Square in Farringdon. Takeaway Indian food is available from Kaana, and Drake & Morgan's The Refinery will serve drinks.

Wimbledon screenings in New Street Square, Farringdon, free, 29 June-12 July 2026 (weekdays only).

Free Wimbledon screenings at the Piazza, Wimbledon

Want to soak up the SW19 atmosphere, but don't have tickets to get inside the All England Club? Head to The Piazza in Wimbledon town centre, which has a large screen and deckchair seating for anyone looking to tune into the latest game/set/match.

Big Screen Tennis in Wimbledon, free, 29 June-12 July 2026.

Wimbledon screenings at Summer by the River

Image: Summer by the River

Summer by the River is back along the south bank of the Thames, between London Bridge and Tower Bridge, offering free outdoor screenings of Wimbledon and other sports throughout the summer. A strawberries and cream pop-up nearby serves the tennis-inspired treat.

Wimbledon screenings at Summer by the River, free, 29 June-12 July 2026, from 11am daily.

Wimbledon 2026 screenings in Islington Square

Kick back and watch the Wimbledon action. Image: Islington Square

Bag a deckchair or take your own picnic blanket to watch Wimbledon on a large screen in Islington Square, among themed bunting and floral displays. Food and drink is available to buy from local businesses, with a pop-up Urban Food Fest market opening across both weekends of the tournament.

Wimbledon in Islington Square, free, 29 June-12 July 2026.

Wimbledon Screens at St James's Market

Free outdoor screenings of the Championships are on offer at St James's Market, where deckchairs are laid out in the square, and food and drink available from local favourites including Fallow, Scully, Fowl, Toba and Ole & Steen.

Wimbledon Screens at St James's Market, free, 29 June-12 July 2026.

Wimbledon 2026 screenings at The Refinery(s)

Image: The Refinery

Both the Southwark and City branches of Drake & Morgan restaurant/bar The Refinery install large screens on their terraces, so you can kick back and watch the action with a beer or cocktail in hand.

Wimbledon 2026 screenings at the Refinery Bankside (Southwark) and the Refinery New Street Square (Chancery Lane), 29 June-12 July 2026.

Wimbledon 2026 at Bluebird Chelsea

Once again, the terrace at upmarket restaurant Bluebird Chelsea gets a tennis-inspired makeover — think oversized tennis balls scattered about the place — providing somewhere to tuck into a selection of themed drinks and desserts as the tournament is screened live.

Bluebird has teamed up with official Wimbledon coffee sponsor Lavazza for the seasonal menu, which includes set vanilla cream with marinated strawberries, Pimm's jelly and mint, and strawberry cheesecake and glazed chocolate orange doughnuts.

Wimbledon 2026 at Bluebird Chelsea.

Wimbledon 2026 finals at Venn Street Records

For Wimbledon finals weekend, Clapham live music venue Venn Street Records turns its attention to the tennis, hosting a weekend street party screening both the men's and women's finals on a big outdoor screen. Once the Centre Court drama's over, live music and DJs keep the party going till late.

Wimbledon finals at Venn Street Records, 11-12 July 2026.

Wimbledon 2026 finals at Strawberries & Screen, Duke of York Square

Image: Strawberries & Screen

Picking up the tail end of the tournament, Strawberries & Screen returns to Duke of York Square opposite Chelsea's Saatchi Gallery, with the men's semi-finals (10 July), women's final (11 July) and men's final (12 July) shown on a big screen. It's free, although 'VIP' deckchair seating at the front will be available — details on nabbing that TBA. There's also a pop-up bar from Chelsea Grocer, and an Aesop stall, because Chelsea.

Strawberries & Screen at Duke of York Square, 10-12 July 2026.

Free Wimbledon screenings at BST Hyde Park (2026 TBC)

BST Hyde Park OpenHouse is free, and always popular. Image: Becan Rickard-Elliott

BST Hyde Park is a huge music festival taking place over three weekends in June and July. On the weekdays in between, the festival set-up is used for Open House, a free festival of entertainment open to everyone, offering live music, film screenings... and Wimbledon screenings on certain days of the tournament (though sadly not finals weekend).

Food stalls and pop-up bars are scattered throughout the site, and with the entertainment running concurrently, you could always wander off and find a spot of samba or a live DJ set if it's a bit of a slow match.

Wimbledon screenings at BST Hyde Park. 2026 details TBC.

Pubs in Wimbledon showing tennis

Reckon this place is showing the tennis? Image: Rose & Crown

The following local boozers in the Wimbledon area will be screening the tennis:

• The Rose and Crown — screenings accompanied by a giant tennis ball installation, and live music performances throughout Wimbledon fortnight.
• The Dog & Fox — claims to have the largest screen in Wimbledon Village, situated in the pub garden. Tournament-themed food and drink includes a tennis ball scotch egg.

The alarmingly realistic tennis ball scotch egg is a Wimbledon fortnight staple at the Dog & Fox. Image: Dog & Fox

• The Alexandra — offering live screenings on its 'Alexfresco' summer terrace rooftop, where we're promised "a festival-style celebration featuring outside bars, live music and late-night DJs across both weekends, alongside exciting merchandise giveaways and complimentary samplings". Plus pizza. They've got pizza.
• The Crooked Billet — Known for cocktails and spritzes, and erects large screens for the duration of the tournament

Beyond that, The Cadogan Arms on the King’s Road, The George in Fitzrovia and The Hound in Chiswick have confirmed that they will be showing all Wimbledon 2026 matches. Check out London's best sports bars to see which Wimbledon 2026 matches they're showing (though bearing in mind that this year's tournament clashes with the World Cup, the footie might take precedence in some venues).

How many of these would you put in your mouth? Image: Anya Hindmarch

When does summer begin in London? For some it's the first sunbathing session of the year; for others, the opening fanfare of the Wimbledon theme tune. And then there's the Ice cream Project.

Now in its fifth year, this eccentric showcase of (largely) British brands — spearheaded by fashionista Anya Hindmarch — sees the sleek silver fridges of a Pont Street boutique stocked with tubs of uncannily flavoured ice creams and sorbets: McVitie's Ginger Nut biscuits, Walker's shortbread fingers, orange Capri-Sun.

Being served a scoop at the store when we visited in 2025. Image: Londonist

So far, all in good taste. And then you hit the 'really?' list, with flavours including OXO, Lurpak, Green Giant sweetcorn, Paxo stuffing and Aunt Bessie's Yorkshire puddings (presumably you're supposed to smoosh scoops of the last two in your gob simultaneously). Perhaps the curviest curveball of the 2026 season is ice cream infused with the bright pink, antiseptic eucalyptus toothpaste Euthymol. Are you supposed to spit or swallow? More importantly, can it be used as a substitute to cleaning your teeth?

Of course, half the point of all this — aside from tricking publications into writing 'Anya Hindmarch' half a dozen times — is to throw caution to the wind, and try something adventurous on your taste buds. Last year, we licked our way through the menu, finding the Twiglets ice cream "not entirely revolting" — proof that if you don't try new things, you might never discover that they're, well, perfectly OK in a roundabout way.

OXO ice cream. Get over it. Image: Anya Hindmarch

Of course, we didn't pay for any of our ice cream tasters, whereas Joe public has to shell out £4.50 for a single scoop, or £16(!) for a whole tub. Participating in the 'Blind Tasting Tea' gives you the opportunity to try all 15 flavours, although that'll cost you a cool freezing £50. Better dig deep into that Anya Hindmarch purse of yours.

The Ice Cream Project, 11 Pont Street, Kensington, until Sunday 16 August