Things to do in London this summer 2026
London in the summer is packed with major events that bring together art, sport, music, and outdoor culture. From long-standing traditions like Wimbledon and the Chelsea Flower Show to large exhibitions and evening cultural programmes, the city offers a wide range of experiences across different neighbourhoods. Below is a more detailed guide to key events in 2026, including what to expect, practical details, and how to attend.
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2026
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, 2024. Image credit MTotoe/FLO London
#FLODown: The 2026 Summer Exhibition continues its long-standing open-submission format, welcoming everyone from established artists to first-time contributors. This year’s edition will be coordinated by Ryan Gander OBE RA, with the theme “Interconnectedness” exploring ideas of entanglement and the unexpected connections between seemingly unrelated concepts, highlighting shared human creativity. The exhibition focuses on how disparate ideas and forms can relate to one another, reinforcing the sense of shared artistic language across disciplines. Submissions across all media have been encouraged, with a curatorial approach that integrates architecture, painting, sculpture, and print to foster dialogue between works rather than separating them into categories. Emphasising art as both a cognitive and visual experience, Gander is particularly keen to support participation from degree students and recent graduates, reinforcing the importance of art education in society.
Date: 16 June – 23 August 2026. Location: Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD. Price: £23.50–£25.50 (including donation; concessions available). Book now
RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026
RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025. Image credit MTotoe/ FLO London
#FLODown: The 2026 RHS Chelsea Flower Show returns to the Royal Hospital Chelsea grounds from 19–23 May 2026, showcasing a diverse collection of gardens designed by leading creators from around the world. Under the theme “Nurturing Nature and the Power of the Flower,” this year’s show highlights the transformative impact of gardens on wellbeing, biodiversity, and community life, with designers collaborating alongside charitable and cultural organisations to inspire positive change. Across the 13 featured gardens, key themes include enhancing urban biodiversity through pollinator-friendly planting, creating calming and restorative spaces inspired by symbolic design, and blending British historical references with Japanese garden philosophies. Several gardens also focus on social impact, including initiatives supporting young people, those living with health conditions, and communities facing inequality, while others explore sustainability, climate resilience, and the role of green spaces in cities. Overall, the show presents gardening as a powerful tool for connection, resilience, and hope, celebrating how nature can support both people and the planet.
Alongside the main show, Chelsea and Belgravia in Bloom extends the experience into the surrounding streets, where shops and buildings create large floral displays based on a shared theme (the 2026 theme is expected to link to “Green Cities”). Together, these events turn the area into a walking route filled with creative planting ideas.
Date: 19–23 May 2026. Location: Royal Hospital Chelsea, Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, London SW3 4SR. Price: From £75 (Flower Show); Bloom festivals in Chelsea and Belgravia are free. Book now
Wimbledon Championships
Wimbledon Championships from 29 June - 12 July 2026.
#FLODown: Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is known for its strict traditions, including grass courts, all-white player clothing, and long-standing customs such as queueing for tickets on the day. The 2026 tournament will feature top-ranked international players including Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Aryna Sabalenka, and Coco Gauff competing across singles, doubles, and junior events. Even for those without Centre Court tickets, the grounds offer large screens, outside courts, and a brilliant atmosphere throughout the day.
Date: 29 June – 12 July 2026. Location: All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Church Road, Wimbledon, London SW19 5AE. Price: approximately £21–£33 (grounds pass), £115–£350 (Centre Court), higher for premium hospitality tickets (up to £7,000+). Tickets are mainly allocated through a ballot system, and a limited number are available on the day through the famous Wimbledon queue, where people line up early or even camp overnight to try and secure entry. Book now
Queen’s Club HSBC Championships
HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club. Image courtesy of HSBC Championship
#FLODown: Often seen as a lead-up to Wimbledon, the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club gives fans a chance to watch high-level tennis in a smaller venue. The matches are played on grass courts, helping players prepare for Wimbledon conditions. The setting is more compact, so it is easier to get close to the action compared to larger tournaments, and it is just as fun, if not more fun in our opinion.
Date: Women's WTA 500: Monday 8 June - Sunday 14 June 2026; Men's ATP 500: Monday 15 June - Sunday 21 June 2026. Location: The Queen’s Club, Palliser Road, West Kensington, London W14 9EQ. Price: from £55.Book now
Yvonne Rainer: Trio A at Tate Modern
Still from Yvonne Rainer, Trio A, 1978 © Yvonne Rainer
#FLODown: Tate Modern will present free live performances of Yvonne Rainer’s Trio A in summer 2026, marking 60 years since the work was first created. The piece will be staged in the Turbine Hall over two days and performed continuously by a group of dancers led by Sara Wookey, its first live UK presentation in more than a decade. Known for its minimalist approach and rejection of traditional narrative, Trio A is a key work in the development of post-modern dance and contemporary performance.
Alongside the performances, the programme includes a screening of Rainer performing Trio A in the Tanks Lobby and an artist talk in the Starr Cinema, offering further insight into her practice and influence. The event is part of Tate Modern’s wider summer season of performance, participatory art, and experimental live works across the Turbine Hall and Tanks.
Date: 10–11 July 2026. Location: Turbine Hall, Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG. Price: Free. More information at tate.org.uk
Laughterama at Somerset House
Image courtesy of Somerset House
#FLODown: Somerset House in London will host Laughterama, a major new open-air comedy festival, bringing together some of the UK’s most established comedians alongside exciting emerging talent. Presented in partnership with 57, this marks the first time Somerset House has staged a comedy festival. Across five nights, the Edmond J Safra Fountain Court will feature a series of curated mixed-bill shows, showcasing arena-level headliners, international acts, podcast favourites, and rising stars in live stand-up performances. Building on the success of Laughterama in Manchester, the London edition is expected to be a highlight of the summer cultural calendar.
The phenomenal first-year line-up features Parenting Hell’s Josh Widdicombe, chaotic powerhouse Ross Noble, multi-award-winning Sara Pascoe, Mock The Week’s Dara Ó Briain, Taskmaster’s Fern Brady, cult comic/poet Tim Key, telly supremo Tom Allen, new Queen of Comedy Michelle de Swarte, Netflix sensation Phil Wang, podcast hero John Robins, Viceland and Channel 4 star Jamali Maddix, and many (many) more.
Date: 29 July – 2 August 2026. Location: Somerset House, Edmond J Safra Fountain Court, Strand, London WC2R 1LA. Price: from £34. Book now
anyone can dance, Barbican Centre
anyone can dance w/ Eastern Margins. Image credit Jenny Arrowsmith
#FLODown: The Barbican’s new “anyone can dance” party series is set to be a major summer highlight in London. As part of its 2026 programme celebrating diaspora sounds and global dance music, the series transforms the Barbican’s Level –1 foyer into a late-night dancefloor running until 3am. The summer events include Love in the Endz on 2 May 2026, ORII on 25 July 2026, and Daytimers on 12 September 2026, each showcasing collectives and artists rooted in underground and global music scenes. With its focus on cultural exchange, inclusive club culture, and cutting-edge sounds, the series is shaping up to be a major summer highlight in London.
Click here for more on the full line-up of upcoming events.
Date: until 7 November 2026. Location: Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS.
Rooftop Cinema Club
Image courtesy of Rooftop Cinema Club
#FLODown: The newly rebranded Rooftop Cinema Club (formerly Rooftop Film Club) returns for its 15th year this summer, bringing open-air cinema back to two of London’s most iconic rooftop venues: Peckham’s Bussey Building from 30 April 2026 and Roof East in Stratford from 7 May 2026. The season features a curated mix of blockbuster films, cult classics, and special events, including screenings of Oscar-winning titles such as Sinners and One Battle After Another, alongside a rare “Blue Moon” experience with Interstellar. Visitors can also enjoy unique extras such as Sofar Sounds sunset performances, themed family parties, TV binge nights, and Arthouse Thursdays, all set against sweeping skyline views. Tickets are available from around £14 for adults and £8 for children, with early bird discounts offering 20% off using code ONIT20 until 3 May 2026. Blending cinema, live music, and social experiences, Rooftop Cinema Club continues to be one of London’s standout summer cultural offerings.
Date: April – September 2026. Locations: Bussey Building — 133 Rye Lane, London SE15 4ST; Roof East — Great Eastern Road, Stratford, London E15 1BB. Price: Around £15–£20. Book now
Notting Hill Carnival 2026
Notting Hill Carnival 2019. Photo by Nike Akinfenwa.
#FLODown:The 2026 Notting Hill Carnival returns over the August Bank Holiday weekend as one of Europe’s largest street celebrations, transforming west London into a vibrant showcase of Caribbean culture. The event celebrates music, dance, food and elaborate costumes, with large-scale parades, steel bands and sound systems filling the streets of Notting Hill. Alongside the main festivities, there are also family-friendly areas and community-focused spaces, making the carnival an inclusive celebration of heritage, creativity and unity.
Date: 29 - 31 August 2026. Location: Notting Hill, London W11. Price: Free. nhcarnival.org
BBC Proms 2026
Nengi Omuku, A quiet nation, 2026, oil on sanyan, 117 x 77 cm, 46 x 30 ¼ in
#FLODown: The BBC Proms is the world’s largest and longest-running classical music festival, held every summer at the Royal Albert Hall in London and across the UK. The First Night of the Proms takes place on 17 July 2026, and the Last Night of the Proms concludes the season on 12 September 2026. Across this period, the festival presents daily concerts featuring a wide range of music, from traditional orchestral works to film scores and themed performances, performed by leading orchestras and musicians from around the world. A key feature of the Proms is its accessibility, with low-cost “promming” tickets that allow audiences to stand in arena or gallery spaces, making it more inclusive and affordable than many other classical music events.
Date: 17 July - 12 September 2026. Location: Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AP. Price: from about £10 (promming tickets). Book now
Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
Sherlock Holmes coming to Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in 2026
#FLODown: Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre offers audiences a summer season of outdoor performances in London from May to September 2026, featuring theatre, dance and musical productions staged under the stars. The season opens with the world premiere of Sherlock Holmes on 2 May, followed by A Life in Four Seasons in June and a new production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. From July to September, a revival of Cats runs alongside the family show Anansi the Spider on the Theatre Lawn, with some earlier matinee start times in June and July to improve comfort during warmer weather.
Date: 2 May – 12 September 2026. Location: Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4NU. Price: £25–£75. Book now
Summer music festivals 2026
Field Day Festival. Image courtesy of Field Day
#FLODown: Despite the unfortunate cancellation of Wireless Festival for 2026, there will still be a number of major festivals taking place across the city this summer, bringing a wide range of live music from electronic and indie to pop and mixed-genre line-ups. Field Day returns on 23 May 2026 at Brockwell Park with artists including Floating Points, Honey Dijon, Joy Orbison and Andy C. BST Hyde Park runs from 27 June to 12 July 2026 in Hyde Park, featuring headline performances from artists such as Garth Brooks, Maroon 5, Mumford & Sons, Duran Duran, Pitbull and Lewis Capaldi. All Points East takes place throughout August 2026 in Victoria Park, with acts including Tyler, the Creator, Lorde, Deftones, Jorja Smith and Tems, while Somerset House Summer Series presents a run of intimate courtyard concerts in central London during July 2026.
Date: May – August 2026. Location: Various sites across London, United Kingdom (including Brockwell Park, Hyde Park, Victoria Park and Somerset House). Price: Typically £50–£150+ depending on festival and ticket type
Summer art exhibitions
London’s summer exhibition programme for 2026 presents a wide-ranging survey of historic and contemporary art across the capital. Highlights include a major UK exhibition devoted to Francisco de Zurbarán, alongside new work by Paulo Nimer Pjota and Ranti Bam. Significant institutional shows focus on figures such as Marilyn Monroe, Frida Kahlo, Ana Mendieta and Julio Le Parc, while further exhibitions examine the work of Anish Kapoor and Richard Dadd, as well as the cultural legacy of Pan-Africanism. Click here to discover our pick of London’s summer exhibitions to visit.
Marilyn Monroe, by Cecil Beaton, gelatin silver print, 1956, Collection: National Portrait Gallery.
