Things to do this weekend is sponsored by the Great Exhibition Road Festival.
All weekend
TASTE OF LONDON: Foodies, head to Regent's Park for Taste of London, the huge, food-based festival which brings dozens of London's best-known restaurants together to feed hungry visitors. It's also a chance to discover up-and-coming London chefs and food businesses, take part in tastings and watch masterclasses. 12-16 June
OPEN STUDIOS: Cockpit Studios in Bloomsbury hold an Open Studios weekend, inviting the public to see craftspeople from some of its 175 creative studios in action. Millinery, jewellery, fine art, ceramics and woven textiles are among the disciplines represented. 14-16 June
LONDON PETANQUE CHAMPIONSHIP: You can find anything in London if you know where to look, and that includes petanque. The London Petanque Championships are held in Crystal Palace this weekend, with international champions and UK club-level players going head-to-head over the course of one weekend. 15-16 June
MAP FAIR: The largest map fair in Europe comes to the Royal Geographical Society in Kensington, with 40 national and international dealers selling original antique maps dating from between the 15th-20th centuries, with prices ranging from £10-£100,000. 15-16 June
ARCHITECTURE FESTIVAL: The London Festival of Architecture, a citywide celebration of the built environment is ongoing, with walks, talks and exhibitions to choose from. This weekend, the programme includes a chance to trace the hidden Walbrook River, and a guided walk alongside the Victorian railway viaduct between London Bridge and Bermondsey. Until 30 June
CAMBERWELL ARTS FESTIVAL: This year is the 30th anniversary of Camberwell Arts Festival, an event consisting of open studios, an art market and a fringe festival. Highlights this weekend include a barbecue supper club at South London Gallery, a Camberwell Food Walk, and a Pride picnic at Myatt's Fields Park. Check the programme for the full list of events. Until 16 June
Sponsor message
The Great Exhibition Road Festival returns – with a fresh batch of free arts and science events!
Stroll down Exhibition Road any time of the year and you're faced with an embarrassment of riches. This stretch of South Kensington is home to all sorts of renowned organisations catering to curious minds — including Imperial College London, the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and V&A. But our favourite time to visit has got to be during The Great Exhibition Road Festival, when all these iconic institutions and more join forces for a free celebration of science and the arts.
The Great Exhibition Road Festival 2024 takes place 15-16 June, on the famous thoroughfare itself, and within the venues and spaces that surround it. There are workshops, talks, performances and installations for all ages, centred on how science and the arts can help individuals, communities and nature flourish.
Construct mini-robots, create art based on the messages flying through your brain, or let loose at an AI silent disco. Learn about everything from revolutionary medical tech to the lives of penguins. Let little imaginations run riot, with the help of science shows, music, dance and storytelling on the Family Stage. All events are completely free to attend, though some can be booked in advance — see the programme and get your tickets now.
HAMPTON COURT PALACE FESTIVAL: It's a music festival, but not as you know it. Hampton Court Palace Festival is an altogether civilised affair, taking place in the palace grounds, with the option of enjoying a picnic before the music starts. ABBA tribute act Bjorn Again strut their stuff on Saturday night, while Sunday's show is a live recording of The Rest is History podcast — the first time a podcast has been on the festival's programme. As is apt for the setting, Henry VIII and the Tudors are the focus. 11-21 June
CHAKA KHAN'S MELTDOWN: Music lovers rejoice — Meltdown is back at the Southbank Centre. This time, it's curated by living legend Chaka Khan, who's brought together a sublime selection of artists as diverse as her own discography. Over its first weekend, the likes of Emeli Sandé, Master Peace, anaiis, and Todrick Hall perform live. Plus, there's a free party to mark London Queer Soundsystem Day. Until 23 June (sponsor)
Saturday 15 June
GEORGE MICHAEL PARTY: Wham! The eighth annual George Michael Sexual Freedom Party takes place today — an all-singing, all-dancing celebration of queer culture — plus an explicitly anti-war theme for this year. Times and locations are being kept hush-hush till the night before, when the @thisismyculture8 Instagram account will reveal all.
CLASSICS DAY: City Lit is at the British Museum for Classics Day, a day of lectures presented by some of the UK's most important classicists, including best-selling author Professor Ian Morris from Stanford University; writer and classicist Dr. Daisy Dunn; classicist and art historian Professor Caroline Vout from University of Cambridge; and the curator of Legion exhibition Richard Abdy — this exhibition is the inspiration for the day. 10am-4pm
WORLD JUGGLING DAY: Today is World Juggling Day, something being celebrated at the Dugdale Arts Centre in Enfield, which offers live demonstrations of ball, clubs, and diabolo tricks, and a chance to hear about the different types of juggling and props used. 10.30am
EAST INDIA COMPANY: Part guided walk, part immersive theatre, A London Lark Rising tells the history of the East India Company while you roam the streets of the City. See how a corrupt company became the most powerful corporate organisation the world has ever seen. Hear how it drained wealthy Mughal India of its wealth. Jostle with the merchant adventurers of the day. Repeated at further times today and tomorrow. 11am
CLASSIC CARS: If you find yourself in the Waterloo area around lunchtime today, wander over to Lower Marsh for the monthly Waterloo Classics, when owners of classic cars park them up for others to admire. FREE,11am-2pm
BRUNCH: Another weekend, another brunch! This one's at Kachori in Elephant & Castle, where every Sat and Sun you can put away chia and coconut porridge, sticky tandoori chicken wings or the signature Club Kachori sandwich, piled with smoked chicken, spiced cheese and a fried egg. 11am-3.30pm, also on Sundays
BLOOMSDAY FESTIVAL: Irish celebration Bloomsday — which celebrates the life of writer James Joyce — is marked with a Bloomsday Festival at Embassy Gardens in Nine Elms. Head here throughout the afternoon for Irish food and drink, music and culture, including live spoken word performances. There's also a pop-up Irish market, and creative activities for children. 12pm-8pm
AERIAL THEATRE: Eyes to the skies in the garden at Brixton Windmill. Theatre troupe the Dot Collective perform brand new production The Dream Sequence, inspired by A Midsummer Night's Dream, in an aerial theatre show. It's family-friendly, set on a paradise island where three local clowns will show you the ropes on an adventure through the clouds. 2pm/6pm
DAYTIMERS FESTIVAL: South Asian music, food, culture and art is celebrated at Daytimers Festival, taking place in the gardens at Horniman Museum in Forest Hill. Engage in art and craft workshops, watch live bands and DJs performing in the bandstand, attend a chai tasting session, and scoff food and drink from the pop-up stalls. 2pm-7pm
THE SORCERER: Catch one of Gilbert & Sullivan's first operas, The Sorcerer, at Wilton's Music Hall in Limehouse — today's the final day. It's the comic story of a man obsessed with the idea of falling in love, who enlists a 'Family Sorcerer' to administer a love potion to the entire village, causing all manner of mayhem. 2.30pm/7.30pm
DRAG BINGO: Comedy drag performer Sheila Simmonds — AKA the Busy Lady — hosts a drag bingo session complete with music, comedy, and live entertainment. Takes place at Goodluck Hope near Leamouth. A cocktail is included in your ticket. 3pm-5pm
WINE TASTING: Sample your way through five wines from the Vale dos Ares vineyard, at Portuguese restaurant Bar Duoro near Liverpool Street. The vineyard's owner Miguel Queimado hosts, teaching you how to differentiate between the tipples. Snacks are served alongside the drinks. 4pm-5pm
D-DAY DANCE: The National Army Museum in Chelsea stays open late for a special 1940s-themed D-Day dance. It's open to beginners and experienced dancers, with SwingdanceUK on hand to teach you the steps to the Lindy Hop and Jitterbug. There's also live music from South London Jazz Orchestra and cabaret from the Diamond Girls, as well as hair and make-up artists on hand to help you with the '40s look. 6pm-10pm
MUSIC IN CHURCHES: The Summer Music in City Churches programme comes to a close today, in a family-friendly festival finale at St Giles Cripplegate (Barbican). Join in with the City of London Choir, singing songs celebrating love for the Earth and its inhabitants. 6.30pm-8.30pm
TRANS TALENT SHOW: The London Trans Choir headlines the Trans Talent Show at the Vagina Museum in Bethnal Green. London's finest trans singers, poets, and comics also take to the stage for a show curated for members of the trans community, and allies. 8pm-10.30pm
Sunday 16 June
FATHER'S DAY: Consider this your reminder to pick up a card, and maybe a box of chocolates or a book, for your dad on Father's Day.
THE MOMENT YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR: Shades ready as you prepare to be blinded by the talents of Razzamataz Theatre Schools students, performing This is The Moment You've Been Waiting For! — a show filled with all of your musical favourites, at Queen's Theatre Hornchurch. In fact, they're performing the show three times today, so take your pick. 10am, 2pm, 6pm
ALDWYCH WALKING TOUR: Footprints of London guide Michael Duncan leads a walking tour around the Aldwych vicinity, beginning at Temple station and visiting some of the area's hidden history and well-known landmarks. 10.30am-12pm
COOKERY MASTERCLASS: Chef Ceri Jones hosts a cookery masterclass with recipes from her debut cookbook, It Starts with Veg. Learn how to prepare four different veg-led vegetarian dishes, using seasonal ingredients, before sitting down with your classmates to enjoy the meal you've prepared. Takes place at the Garden Museum in Lambeth. 10.45am-2pm
SUNDAY PAPERS LIVE: Crash into an oversized Chesterfield with a mug of tea and slice of cake, thumb through the broadsheets, and tuck into a series of appearances from writers, poets, comedians and musicians: Sunday Papers Live sets up shop at One Marylebone today. 12.30pm-9pm
GEOFFREY FLETCHER'S LONDON: Join guide Jonathan Wober in the Square Mile for a tour of some of the sites mentioned in Fletcher's much-loved book The London That Nobody Knows. 2pm
BLACK HISTORY CRUISE: Take a canal boat cruise from Little Venice to King's Cross with Black History Walks, learning about the Black history of Britain's canal network as you go. Topics covered include Black scientists and inventors, racist statues, and Caribbean labour during the British Industrial Revolution. Pack a picnic to eat along the way. 2.30pm-4.30pm
QUEERA LYNN: Fancy flexing your grey matter at Queera Lynn's Big Quiz? Ye Olde Rose & Crown in Greenwich is the place for you tonight, in this free show that's part of Greenwich Pride. FREE, 6pm-10pm
ENGLAND MATCH: Could football be coming home again this summer? UEFA Euro 2024 is underway in Germany, with England's first match taking place tonight, against Serbia. These places across London are screening the tournament's matches including at bars, outdoor screens and special fan zones — you'll need to book, or get there very early for today's game! K/O 8pm
