Wandsworth is London Borough of Culture in 2025/6 — and with it there'll be a programme bursting with events. But what is there to get up to in the south London borough usually? A lot, actually. Starting with this lot.

Walk along with the common people
All of London's got parks, of course, but Wandsworth has the upper hand when it comes to commons — those sweeping swathes of viridescence, which work wonders for blasting away the cobwebs. As you might expect, Wandsworth Common falls within the borough's remit (post-stroll revival courtesy of Belleville Brewing). So too do the commons at Tooting (visit the Egyptian geese, hoof a football) not to mention 50% of Clapham Common, inc. the bandstand, the best bit, surely?. Hell, Wandsworth's common as anything.
Also try: While on Tooting Common, take the plunge in the 91-metre-long Tooting Bec Lido. Seaside who?

Shoot for the (Half) Moon
Slinking into the back room of Putney's Half Moon is as quintessential night out in London as the Royal Opera House or Wembley Stadium. Most days of the week you'll a burgeoning artist/uncanny covers band/bona fide music legend can be found here whacking about tunes, and when the Half Moon's not rattling with sounds, it's shaking with laughter: some of the sharpest comedians in town tread the boards here. The monthly Gits and Shiggles night is a particular high note. The Half Moon
Also try: The Bedford in Balham is another culture-crammed pub, where live music and comedians are the order of the day.

Feast on the riches of Tooting Market
A regular box of delights, Tooting Market will draw you in with its aromas — like a cartoon character with their feet dangling in the air — and before you know it you're demolishing plates of saltfish, skyscraper-sized brioche bun burgers and misty bowls of ramen. Lubrication can be sought at We Brought Beer, Graveney Gin and Unwined. Then it's just a case of waddling back to the Tube.
Also try: Tooting is famously home to some of the best Sri Lankan and Pakistani restaurants in London — our personal recs are Jaffna House and Lahore Karahi (a fave of the Mayor of London).
Drink in London's hoppy history
It's true that the Young's — which started up in 1831, and became one of the city's best-known brewers — has long left the area, yet on the site where their brewery stood, you'll now find another. Sambrook's Brewery pours glasses of real ale (along with more contemporary, fizzy brews), and lays on tours — as well as lots of other happenings. Beaut of a building, too. Sambrook's Brewery

Go soft centred for Battersea Arts Centre
Last time we were in this magnificently-reassigned town hall, our mate was pulled up on stage to perform with one of the greatest sketch acts of all time. Something magic's bound to happen every time you're at Battersea Arts Centre, whether you've come for a pioneering Punchdrunk play, the London Philharmonic Orchestra or a festive panto. If you're properly head-over-heels with the place, you can get married here. Just keep your eyes on your beau, rather than the impish man in the ceiling with a nipple ring. Battersea Arts Centre
Also try: A skip across the road is the majestic Clapham Grand — bringing raucous music hall vibes with its drag nights and live footie screenings.
Let Geoff Simmons be your guide
One man who knows a thing or two about Wandsworth is Geoff Simmons — he's responsible for getting a number of plaques installed in the area, and he also runs walking tours covering the likes of the resplendent Tooting Granada, Wandsworth's Romany roots, and the old Springfield Asylum — Surrey's first county mental hospital. There's even a Wonder of Wandsworth walk, created for the borough's 2025 spell in the cultural limelight. Geoff Simmons walking tours

Power (Station) Up
For decades, Battersea Power Station was but a glorious shell. But with its long-awaited development signed, sealed and delivered, the area's now giving the South Bank a run for its money: ice skating rinks, light festivals, outdoor markets — and a glut of places to stuff yourself silly. True, the luxury shops are hilariously out of touch with the average Londoner, and some ham-fisted planning means the iconic building is shrouded in ugly glass side-on. Still, Battersea Power Station is realising its full potential for the first time since its chimneys ceased belching. Speaking of which, you can ascend one of these in an elevator — like a giftless Santa going the wrong way. Battersea Power Station
Also try: The the neighbouring sweep of Battersea Park, with its Festival Gardens and Peace Pagoda.

Delve into one of London's deepest secrets
For a borough that's admittedly wanting in the museum department, Wandsworth still boasts one of London's most fascinating pieces of visitable subterranean history. Follow a Hidden London guide and journey so far down below Clapham South that you're beneath the Northern line; here you'll discover the deep level shelters that were hollowed out in 1944, then barely used to shelter Londoners during the war. Instead, this eerie spaghetti of corridors pivoted to become an absolutely-no-frills 'hotel' for freshly-landed Caribbean folk in the postwar years. Clapham South deep level shelter tours