All weekend
SWIMMING EXHIBITION: Last chance to dive into Splash!, Design Museum's exhibition about the history of swimming. It's fashion-heavy, tracking the designs of swimwear through the years, with a few nods to lido architecture and other aspects of swimming along the way. Likely to be busy this weekend, so take the plunge and book ahead if you can. Until 17 August
SUMMER SOUNDS: Free music festival Summer Sounds is at King's Cross until Sunday, offering free open-air gigs across a range of genres. Enjoy an evening of opera, musical theatre and song on Saturday night, with performances by four up-and-coming young singers associated with English National Opera. On Folk Family Sunday, The English Folk Dance and Song Society curates a programme of folk music by a variety of performers, designed to get your toes tapping, with dancing very much encouraged. FREE, until 17 August
THREE BILLION LETTERS: Theatrical performance Three Billion Letters is created from the show teams’ personal DNA test results, mixing data and text to look at how heritage defines us. Find out how DNA influences our current situations and our futures, at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith. 12-17 August
ALL IN WHICH YOU LIVE: Taking place at Nunhead Cemetery Chapel, All In Which You Live is a site-specific installation and participatory performance exploring memory, intention-setting and ancestral connections. White SOL Studio's multi-sensory environment uses highly symbolic materials, with visitors invited to step into an immersive mandala. 13-17 August
TO THE SEASIDE: Time's running out to visit To The Seaside!, a free outdoor exhibition curated by the Photographers' Gallery and on display in Granary Square and Pancras Square in King's Cross. View seaside inspired photos and artworks by artist Max Miechowski, Sophie Green and Ben Thomas, as well as images from the John Hinde Archive Collection. FREE, until 20 August
ALL POINTS EAST: Chase & Status headline Saturday at this year's All Points East Festival in Victoria Park. On Sunday, the In The Neighbourhood free programme of events returns for non-gig days, until Wednesday — offering free, child-friendly activities including sports sessions and live performances. 15-24 August
CAMDEN FRINGE: There's a whole heap of shows to choose from at Camden Fringe this weekend, including improv comedy Spin-a-Play!, where a spinning wheel is used to whip audience suggestions up into a new show. Elsewhere, Fickle Eulogy is a solo show about the unpredictability of grief, and Impromptu Shakespeare sees story and verse made up in the moment. Browse the full programme — it's packed!
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Tour the Palace of Westminster this summer
Looking for a unique day out during the school holidays? Take a tour of the Palace of Westminster — the home of the UK Parliament — and visit iconic sites while delving into the history, art and architecture of this world-famous landmark.
Stand at the despatch box where the Prime Minister does PMQs. Wander through Central Lobby, often seen on the TV news. Get a real-life look at the famous green benches in the House of Commons Chamber, and the gold throne in the House of Lords Chamber.
You've got two tours to choose from, allowing you to explore in your own way. With a self-guided audio tour you can go at your own pace, spending more time in the areas which most interest you. A multimedia device with audio and visual content clues you in on what you're seeing, with different languages available, as well as children's version with fun and engaging content for anyone up to age 11. Even better, a free child ticket (5-15) is available with every full-paying adult ticket purchased.
Alternatively, book yourself onto a 90-minute guided tour, led by a knowledgeable guide, who will answer all your questions as you explore the site. Whichever tour you choose, finish off your day out with refreshments at the Jubilee Café, and pick up a souvenir at the Jubilee Shop.
Palace of Westminster tours run on weekdays and Saturdays throughout August. Book your tickets now.
Saturday 16 August
IMBERBUS: Alright, so it's not in London, but it is a top-notch (and very popular) event featuring London buses, so indulge us for a second. Imberbus is an annual parade of double-decker London buses from Warminster to Chitterne, via Salisbury Plain and a collection of bucolic villages. Why? It all dates back to residents of the small village of Imber being turfed out of their village by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in 1943, and never being allowed to return — full story here. Services run from 9.30am
WATERLOO CLASSICS: If you find yourself in Waterloo over Saturday lunchtime, wander down to Lower Marsh for Waterloo Classics, a free monthly(ish) display of classic cars and vintage vehicles, driven out by their owners to give the public a closer look. FREE, 11am-2.30pm
BOTTOMLESS RUM BRUNCH: Caribbean foodie pop-up Limin Southbank serves the Coconut Grove Bottomless Rum Brunch, offering 90 minutes of bottomless Caribbean cocktails, along with your choice of a Caribbean starter and main dish — think rum-glazed wings, spicy BBQ chicken or masala-spiced fish, washed down with a beach berry mojito or two. 12pm/2.30pm
SOUNDS OF REGGAE: If you're more about the sounds of the Caribbean than the food, head to the Soho Photography Quarter (outside the Photographer's Gallery) for Sounds of Reggae. Dr Aleema Gray, founder of House of Dread hosts an afternoon of live music tracing the roots of reggae, with Black Obsidian Sound System and live DJ sets. FREE, 12pm-4pm
JERK 'N TINGS: Yet another celebration of Caribbean culture (anyone would think it's Notting Hill Carnival next week...) comes to the grounds of the Horniman Museum in the form of Music Jerk 'n Tings. Dance along to calypso, reggae and dancehall sounds, play games, check out the arts and crafts stalls, and refuel with food from a range of Caribbean traders. 1pm-6pm
MRS WARREN'S PROFESSION: See Imelda Staunton and her real-life daughter Bessie Carter in the final performances of Mrs Warren's Profession at Garrick Theatre, about a mother and daughter living through estrangement. The former is stuck in the old, patriarchal ways, while the latter is ahead of her time. 2.30pm/7.30pm
NYE: Michael Sheen stars in (some performances of) Nye at the National Theatre about the life of former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Nye Bevan, and his contribution towards creating the NHS. Today's your last chance to see it. 2pm/7.30pm
DJ LUCK & MC NEAT: Garage music duo DJ Luck & MC Neat headline the #SHRBTCH Summer Day Party at Between the Bridges on South Bank, playing an early evening set of hip hop, RnB, Afrobeats, Amapiano, garage, and dancehall. P Montana, 7oel, Budakan and Young Ferg join them. 5pm-11pm
NEON NAKED LIFE DRAWING: The Phoenix near Oxford Circus hosts Neon Naked Life Drawing, an unusual art session where you can choose to either pose as a glowing model, or be the one creating colourful artworks (or alternate between both), all under UV lights. Models arrive early to be decorated in UV glowing body paint, then the artists use the UV paints to recreate the scene in front of them on paper. 8pm
WUTHERING SHITES: Drag queen and RuPaul star Kate Butch brings comedy jukebox musical Wuthering Shites to Soho Theatre. Described as "kind of like if Mamma Mia! had a nervous breakdown", it features the music of Kate Bush, along with comedy, live vocals and lip sync extravaganzas. 9pm
SCARED TO DANCE: Alternative club night Scared To Dance is back at the Shacklewell Arms in Dalston, with band Home Counties as guest DJs. Cut shapes to post-punk, indiepop, new wave and art rock music by the likes of Blondie, David Bowie, Manic Street Preachers, New Order and Patti Smith. 11pm
Sunday 17 August
CHEESE MARKET: The monthly Chiswick Cheese Market is back in the Old Market Place on Chiswick High Road, with 200+ different cheeses, chutneys, crackers, olives and other accoutrements available to browse and buy — and many producers offering tastings. This time round, the spotlight's on Cornish cheese, with special tastings of Cornish gouda. Sounds like a gouda day out to us... 9.30am-3pm
WIZARD OF OZ: The classic story of the Wizard of Oz plays out in an open-air theatre show at Chelsea Physic Garden. The hour-long production is family-friendly and roams throughout the garden, as Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin-Man and Lion set out to meet the fabled Wizard. 10am
FREE BOOKS FESTIVAL: The Free Books Campaign is a non-profit organisation aiming to make literature accessible to all. It holds its Free Books Festival at Big Penny Social in Walthamstow, offering a programme of workshops, panels and demonstrations, as well as free food and books. Authors Caleb Femi, Yomi Sode and Bolu Babalola are among those scheduled to appear. 10am-9pm
VINCENT: Vincent: His Quest To Love And Be Loved is a pocket musical telling the story of artist Vincent Van Gogh, exploring his pursuit of artistic fulfillment and genuine human connection, through popular musical theatre, pop, rock and jazz songs. It makes its West End debut at Phoenix Arts Club, following a run at the Edinburgh Fringe. 1pm
POPUP PAINTING: Try your hand at creating your own version of Paul Cézanne's Bay of Marseilles, at PopUp Painting at the London Art Bar in Holborn. All materials are provided, and an experienced artist is on hand to offer tips and advice as you whip up your masterpiece, with a drink included in your ticket. 3pm-5.30pm
HITCHCOCK FILMS: Hunker down at the Prince Charles Cinema for a selection of films by Alfred Hitchcock, showing throughout the afternoon. The films (Rear Window, Vertigo, Psycho and The Birds) are ticketed individually so you can pick and choose which you watch. 12.15pm/ 3pm/6pm/8.30pm
SORRY, BABY: Writer and director Eva Victor is at Barbican Cinema to discuss their feature film debut, Sorry, Baby, which has garnered acclaim after screenings at Sundance and Cannes. Watch the film, about a woman who tries to move forward with life after something bad happens to her, followed by a chance to hear from Victor. 5pm
BEN HACKETT: Brixton's Prince of Wales pub has live music from Ben Hackett this evening — chilled acoustic guitar vibes, ideal for seeing out the remainder of the weekend. FREE, from 6.30pm
MAN IN THE MIRROR: Michael Jackson tribute act Man in the Mirror moonwalks onto the stage at Bromley's Churchill Theatre. Tribute artist CJ is joined by a host of musicians and performers in recreating one of the late singer's legendary concerts, featuring hits including Thriller, Billie Jean and Smooth Criminal. 7.30pm
