All weekend
CLASSIC CAR BOOT SALE: Vintage vehicles park up at King's Cross for the autumn edition of the Classic Car Boot Sale. Ogle the wheels, while snapping up vintage fashion from their boots. Other entertainment includes clothing repair workshops, DJs and motorcycle and scooter ride-ins. 27-28 September
MUDLARKING WEEKEND: Tying in with its current exhibition, the London Museum Docklands holds a mudlarking weekend with events for all the family... and there's no need to get your hands dirty! View items which have been discovered on London's foreshore, learn about the tools used by those who lived along the river, take part in family craft sessions and hear about the various toys found in the river. 27-28 September
TWIN PEAKS FESTIVAL: Six years since the last edition — and following director David Lynch's recent death — the Twin Peaks Festival returns to London as A Gathering of the Angels. Head to Genesis Cinema for live interviews with Lynch collaborators, the first UK screening of I Know Catherine, The Log Lady; Lynch-inspired short films and probably cherry pie too. 27-28 September
ARTIST OPEN HOUSE: Explore the work of over 70 local artists across homes, studios and community venues at Crystal Palace Artist Open House 2025. Expect painting, ceramics, sculpture, jewellery, textiles, photography and more — full list of participating artists here. 27-28 September
VIRTUAL BEAUTY: The latest exhibition at Somerset House is Virtual Beauty, exploring the intersections of digital culture and beauty standards and AI's take on beauty, featuring over 20 international artists. Highlights include Amalia Ulman's commentary on social media authenticity. Closes this weekend. Until 28 September
OF THE OAK: One of the oldest trees at Kew Gardens is the focus of world-premiere digital art commission, Of The Oak, which also ends on Sunday. The 12-minute interactive video installation is shown on a six-metre-high LED portal in the gardens, tracking the Lucombe oak across four seasons Until 28 September. Kew Gardens also hosts brand new event Fleurs de Villes: Downton Abbey, a flower festival themed on the TV period drama. A grand marquee is set up in front of Kew Palace with fresh floral mannequins and other Downton-inspired floral creations, as well as live botanical demonstrations and talks from local florists and experts. 22 September-1 October
CHELSEA HISTORY FESTIVAL: The National Army Museum, the Royal Hospital Chelsea and Chelsea Physic Garden team up again for this year's Chelsea History Festival, which covers local, national and global history. This year includes tours of the Royal Hospital, and talks on topics including Jane Austen, and Shakespeare's first theatre — with a packed programme across five days. 24-28 September
LIBERTY FESTIVAL: Taking place as part of Wandsworth's tenure as London Borough of Culture, Liberty Festival is a fully inclusive event spotlighting and celebrating disabled artists. Highlights include Capturing the Forest at Battersea Arts Centre, a multi-media immersive installation exploring access to nature for everyone who isn’t able to, and Elvis Died of Burgers, a dance/rap show by BLINK Dance Theatre, a Wandsworth-based company made up of four neurodiverse artists. 24-28 September
BRITISH ART FAIR: The British Art Fair takes place at Chelsea's Saatchi Gallery, showcasing Modern and Contemporary British Art, with 70+ exhibitors selling. Works by the greatest names in British art, such as Frank Auerbach, Banksy, Tracey Emin, Barbara Hepworth, Damien Hirst, David Hockney, L.S. Lowry, Henry Moore, Paula Rego and Bridget Riley are available to buy. 25-28 September
FUME FESTIVAL: Get fired up for the final FUME Festival of the year at Woolwich Works. The BBQ experience has 16 top pitmasters from around the globe cooking up a storm with various grill styles and flavours. Five sessions are available throughout the weekend. 26-28 September
QUEERIOSITIES: The work of more than 60 LGBTQIA+ artists, makers and small businesses is showcased in Queeriosities at Copeland Park in Peckham, an art market which runs alongside a special group exhibition exploring queer world-building. 26-28 September
DIRTY LOOKS: Opening on Saturday at Barbican, Dirty Looks is an exhibition that challenges conventional beauty in fashion, showcasing how dirt and distress have shaped modern aesthetics. Featuring notable designers like Hussein Chalayan and Alexander McQueen, the exhibit explores the shift from pristine to imperfect styles in fashion. 25 September-25 January
COSTUME COUTURE: Costumes from TV shows and films including Out of Africa, Little Women, Pirates of the Caribbean, Downton Abbey, Pride and Prejudice, Mr Selfridge, Peaky Blinders and The Danish Girl are on display at the Fashion & Textile Museum's new exhibition, Costume Couture, celebrating 60 years of costume house Cosprop. 26 September-8 March
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Let your creativity soar at the Royal Docks' free arts festival
Royal Docks Originals is in full swing! With 50+ events, this jam-packed arts festival shines a welcome light on the people, places and past of London's Royal Docks. Creative at its core, the programme spans art installations, behind-the-scenes factory tours, time capsules, murals, jazz nights and VR experiences. There's even open water swimming! All for free, all in celebration of the docks' unique identity in London's landscape.
We're already into week two, but this weekend is a doozy. On Saturday 27 September, the iconic IFS Cloud Cable Car becomes your sky-high stage. Hop on board for a jaunt across the Thames with a composer, poet or artist. As you ride together 90 metres above the water, team up to co-create a unique piece of airborne art. It could be a song, a limerick, a drawing — your very own 10-minute masterpiece!
After your flight, stick around for a special edition of Royal Docks Market. From 10am-5pm, this is the home of tasty street food, public art, dance battles and live music. Plus, especially for the festival, there's a pop-up 'Photobooth of Futures' where personal portraits are blended with playful overlays inspired by archival imagery and futuristic motifs.
Royal Docks Originals festival is on until 4 October. All events are free although tickets for the IFS Cloud Cable Car need to be purchased separately. See the full programme of events.
Saturday 27 September
ALGERIAN CULTURE FESTIVAL: Rich Mix in Shoreditch hosts the main day of DzFest, a festival of Algerian arts and culture, this year themed on the landscapes of the Sahara. Among the events is a workshop on Andalusi classical music, and a night of trance, rhythm, and soul Diwane music by collective Gaâda Diwane Béchar. 12pm/2pm/7.30pm
MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM: Last chance to see Southwark Playhouse Borough's take on a Shakespeare classic, transplanting A Midsummer Night's Dream into the London of 1905, when three siblings put on a play, arguing over whether lions, pirates, fairies and all manner of other characters should be included. 2.30pm/7pm
TILL THE STARS COME DOWN: National Theatre production Till the Stars Come Down closes at the Theatre Royal Haymarket today, telling the story of Sylvia and Marek's wedding, taking place on a hot day where passions boil over and limits are tested. 2.30pm/7.30pm
MILO EDWARDS: Underbelly Boulevard Soho brings its Fringe Fix series of Edinburgh Fringe highlights to a close with Milo Edwards: Sentimental. The award-winning comedian performs his hit show, about being a 32 year old orphan, one last time for a one-off special taping. 3pm
COPACABANA: The London Cabaret Club's all-singing, all-dancing production Copacabana comes to a close today. Expect an electrifying celebration bursting with vibrant showgirls, exotic decor and the infectious energy of a Rio carnival. Feathers, cha cha-ing and exotic cocktails go without saying too. 3.30pm/6pm
LEONARDO DA VINCI: The Royal Institution invites you to delve into the scientific mind of Leonardo da Vinci in an evening with Martin Kemp (not that Martin Kemp), the world's leading authority on Leonardo da Vinci. Find out how the great thinker's revolutionary ideas continue to resonate today, spanning multiple disciplines including anatomy, geology and optics. 7pm-8.30pm
SILENT DISCO: The Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College makes for rather impressive surroundings for a silent disco. Arrive dressed as your favourite film or TV character to celebrate 100 years of filming at the venue, and boogie beneath the baroque ceilings to your choice of soundtrack hits, R&B favourites and indie anthems. 7.30pm-11pm
EMMANUEL SONUBI: Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer nominee and Best Show nominee, Emmanuel Sonubi brings his current tour Life After Near Death to Enfield's Dugdale Centre, telling his story of surviving heart failure and facing the cause of his trauma. 7.30pm
ALICE COCKAYNE: Alice Cockayne returns to Soho Theatre Dean Street with Licensed. Professional. Trained. Qualified. — an hour of character comedy masquerading as intellectual prophecy, mixing insightful commentary with plenty of laughs. 10.30pm
Sunday 28 September
SHEEP DRIVE: One of London's wackiest annual events is the London Bridge Sheep Drive and Livery Fair. Each year, one celebrity (this year, farmer, author and Countryfile presenter Adam Henson) has the honour of herding sheep over Southwark Bridge while the public watch. There's also a livery fair at the north end of the bridge. You'd be baa-my to miss it. FREE, 10am-4pm
CLASSICAL COFFEE MORNING: Start your Sunday the cultural way with the Royal Albert Hall's classical coffee morning. Vocalist Mariana Rodrigues and keyboardist Andrew Cowie combine vocal music and spoken poetry together with improvised music, while you enjoy a hot drink and a pastry in the Hall's Elgar Room. 10.30am
HARVEST FESTIVAL: Celebrate the annual wheat harvest and the histories and crafts of milling and artisan bread making at Brixton Windmill's family-friendly harvest festival. Children can take part in baking and corn dolly making workshops, with live music, Morris dancing and stalls to browse too. FREE, 1pm-5pm
QUEEN: The latest production of Prunella Scales' one-woman show Queen stars Deborah Findlay as Queen Victoria and features Prunella in a specially-recorded voiceover she made in 2023, with live piano accompaniment by Michael Dussek. The play Queen Victoria's own words, with music she'd have known, to reveal her private thoughts and feelings. See it at Kings Place. 2pm
YARD SALE: Tufnell Park holds a yard sale every September, with 80 or so houses taking part, selling toys, books, clothes, bric-a-brac and more from their doorsteps. You need to be a resident to set up a stall, but of course everybody's welcome to browse. 2pm-5pm
BLACK HISTORY CRUISE: Black History Walks offers a guided cruise from Camden to King's Cross and back, delving into the centuries of Black history across Britain's canal networks. Hear about Black scientists and inventors, Ancient African engineering, Caribbean labour and the British Industrial Revolution, as you float along. 2.30pm-4.30pm
PRIDE & PREJUDICE: Rooftop Film Club Peckham screens Pride & Prejudice, the 2005 adaptation of Jane Austen's novel, starring Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet and Matthew Macfadyen as Mr Darcy. Head up to the roof of the Bussey Building and plonk yourself down in a lounge chair, with a pair of wireless headphones. 3pm
THE MIGRATION QUESTION: Migration is a hotly-debated issue at the moment, both in Europe and America. Today's Ethical Matters event at Conway Hall delves into the topic, asking who the migrants are, whether they really 'steal our jobs', and if it's possible for us to help them in their own countries. Experts Leila Simona Talani and Dr Matilde Rosina draw from their own research to answer these questions. 3pm-4.30pm
FILM CLUB: Firmdale Hotels celebrates its 40th anniversary with a special film club weekend in the private cinemas at three of its London hotels. Though Saturday is sold out, you can still get tickets for The Breakfast Club at the Soho Hotel or Back To The Future at the Charlotte Street Hotel today. Tickets are priced at £19.85, the chain's founding year, and includes a cocktail and popcorn to enjoy with the film. 3.30pm/5pm
