What’s on in London this week: 6 - 12 April 2026
Discover our pick of events in London this week: 6 - 12 April 2026.
Late Late Show at Ronnie Scott
The latest Late Late Show ethos at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club celebrates emerging talent and experimental jazz, offering a spontaneous, forward-looking approach to late-night performance. This week highlights the next wave of UK jazz, beginning Tuesday 7 April with saxophonist David Kayode and Tomorrow’s Warriors, whose music blends jazz with reggae, highlife, and West African rhythms. On Thursday 9 April, drummer Jon Onabowu leads Cosmic Fusion in a high-energy set inspired by Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis, with opportunities for guest musicians to join. The week concludes Saturday 11 April with Energy Exchange Records, as co-founders Ziggy Zeitgeist and Lewis Moody bring their cross genre project EX GENERATION to the stage, connecting jazz, house, and broken beat across cities and scenes.
Date: 7 – 11 April 2026. Time: 11.15pm. Location: Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, 47 Frith Street, Soho, London W1D 4HT. Price: £12–£15. Book now
London Soundtrack Festival
The 2026 London Soundtrack Festival will take place this week across multiple venues in London, celebrating the music that shapes film, television, and video games. From gala concerts to intimate screenings and masterclasses, the festival highlights the artistry behind some of the world’s most memorable scores. Opening at the Barbican, David Arnold, known for James Bond, Independence Day, Sherlock, and Good Omens, will perform music from Enola Holmes, Atonement, All Creatures Great and Small, First Dates, Thunderbirds and more. Other highlights include an official Downton Abbey concert with composer John Lunn and the original musicians, a Q&A and live performances with Oscar-winning composer Rachel Portman, and exclusive screenings introduced by composers, including Obsession, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and Emma.
Click here for the full programme of films.
Date: 9–12 April 2026. Location: various venues across London, including the Barbican Centre, Silk St, London EC2Y 8DS. Price: varies by event. londonsoundtrack.com
London Soundtrack Festival 2025. Matthew Sweet and Cate Blanchett
The Alternative Book Fair
Opening this week at Islington Central Library, the Alternative Book Fair (8–11 April) brings together a programme of author panels, discussions and publishing events aimed at widening access to the literary world. With a particular focus on aspiring authors and emerging writers, the fair offers insight into the realities of publishing through conversations with both established and up-and-coming voices. All events are free, including the Indie Press Fair on Saturday, which runs throughout the day and showcases independent publishers and small presses. Click here for the full programme of events.
Date: 8 - 11 April 2026. Location: Islington Central Library, 2 Fieldway Crescent, London N5 1PF. Price: Free (booking required for selected panels). alternativebookfairlondon.co.uk
Roundhouse Three Sixty Festival 2026
The Roundhouse Three Sixty Festival 2026 opens on 8 April to mark 20 years of the Camden venue as a leading arts hub. The month-long festival features music, theatre, dance, spoken word, and visual arts, with performances by Kae Tempest, Imogen Heap, Amarae, Carl Craig & Octave One, Boy Blue, and Sheku Kanneh-Mason with the Philharmonia. Young and emerging artists are featured both on stage and behind the scenes, while thousands of affordable tickets, including 600 for under 30s, make the festival accessible. Yinka Ilori returns with festival artwork celebrating the Roundhouse.
Date: 8 – 29 April 2026. Location: Chalk Farm Road, Camden, London NW1 8EH. Price: General sale from 16 January; thousands of tickets £5 or less, including 600 for under 30s. Book now
Image courtesy of the Roundhouse
My Uncle is Not Pablo Escobar
My Uncle is Not Pablo Escobar is a high-stakes heist thriller exploring corporate links to the drugs trade alongside themes of British-Latinx identity. Inspired by the real experiences of Latinx women in South London, it follows four women uncovering a money-laundering scandal at a multinational bank. With telenovela-style drama, movement, and dynamic storytelling, the production challenges stereotypes while highlighting resistance, identity, and belonging. Following a sold-out debut and OFFIES 2024 recognition, it returns to Brixton House with a majority Latinx cast and multilingual surtitles.
Date: 7 April – 3 May 2026. Location: Brixton House, 385 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, London SW9 8GL. Price: Pay What You Feel, £5 – £16. Book now
Cinema
The Drama
The much-anticipated release of The Drama is on show at the Barbican Centre this week. Starring Zendaya as the sardonic Emma and Robert Pattinson as the buttoned-up Charlie, the film follows the chaotic week leading up to their wedding, where menu tastings and photography tests reveal unexpected truths about their relationship. Directed by Kristoffer Borgli, known for Sick of Myself and Dream Scenario, this quirky comedy features classic rom-com situations with Borgli’s absurdist style. Opening to mixed reviews, with praise for the performances and originality alongside some criticism of its unusual tone, The Drama has become one of the season’s most eagerly awaited releases.
Date: 3 – 9 April 2026. Location: Barbican Centre, Silk St, London EC2Y 8DS. Price: £14 + £1.50 BF. Book now
The Drama, Starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson. Image courtesy of the Barbican
Arts & Culture
Opening this week
Donald Locke: Resistant Forms
Camden Art Centre opens a major survey of Guyanese-British artist Donald Locke (1930–2010), showcasing five decades of work from Guyana, the UK, and the US. The exhibition features biomorphic ceramics, mixed-media sculpture, paintings from the Plantation Series, large-scale assemblages, and late works exploring history, identity, and subjugation. Loans from York Art Gallery and the Donald Locke Estate mark the first full presentation of his practice in London.
Date: 10 April - 30 August 2026. Location: Camden Art Centre, Arkwright Road, London, NW3 6DG. Price: Free. Book now
Click here for our guide to art exhibitions opening in London in April 2026.
Timehri Rock #40, 2009. Mixed media, ceramic, twigs. Image courtesy of The Anthony Shaw Collection/York Museums Trust. Photo: Tom Meyer
Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style
Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style, opening at The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, will be the largest exhibition ever devoted to the late Queen’s fashion. Featuring approximately 200 items, including clothing, jewellery, hats, shoes, and accessories, with about half on display for the first time, the exhibition traces her wardrobe across all ten decades of her life. Highlights include her childhood bridesmaid dress by Edward Molyneux, iconic wedding and Coronation gowns by Norman Hartnell, and eveningwear by Hardy Amies and Ian Thomas.
Date: 10 April - 18 October 2026. Location: The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, London SW1A 1AA. Price: from £22. Concessions available. Book now
Click here to discover more fashion exhibitions to see in London in 2026.
Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Baron, released to mark the Queen’s State Visit to France in April 1957.Queen Elizabeth II, Baron, 1956. © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust.
Could You Come to Me
Opening this week at IONE & MANN, Could You Come to Me brings together works by Isabel Muñoz-Newsome, Sara Rossberg, and Valentino Vannini in a nuanced exploration of human connection, reflecting on intimacy, vulnerability, and emotional presence through painting, gesture, and material, while examining anticipation, touch, and the aftermath of shared encounters, and dwelling in in-between states where meaning remains open as tenderness, distance, and connection intersect.
Date: 10 April – 16 May 2026. Location: IONE & MANN, 1st Floor, 6 Conduit Street, London W1S 2XE. Price: Free. ioneandmann.com
Coula You Come to Me, IONE & MANN Installation View, Valentino Vannini Isabel Munoz-Newsome
Ain Bailey: The Jamaica Project
London-based composer and artist Ain Bailey presents her trilogy of films at Camden Art Centre, exploring her personal and musical connection to Jamaica. On show will be the newly commissioned 5C Jacques Road: Part One (2026), along with earlier works Untitled: Our Wedding (2022) and Version (2021), blending film, sound, and sculptural installations.
Date: 10 April – 14 June 2026. Location: Camden Art Centre, Arkwright Road, London, NW3 6DG. Price: Free. camdenartcentre.org
Still from 5C Jacques Road: Part One, 2026. Courtesy of the artist.
Last chance
Theatre Picasso
It’s the last chance to see Theatre Picasso at Tate Modern, marking 100 years since Picasso’s The Three Dancers (1925). The exhibition brings together around 50 works, including paintings, sculptures, collages, and textiles, exploring the theatrical spirit in Picasso’s life and art, his fascination with performers and outsiders, and his performative public persona. To celebrate the closing week, Tate is hosting a series of associated events: Picasso Tap Takeover x Left Handed Giant offers Cubism-inspired beers, live DJs, interactive art-making, and a guest cocktail, while Picasso and Dinner features a talk by paper conservator Charity Fox, a visit to the exhibition, and a French bistro-style dinner with dessert paired with Marc and insights from wine writer David Williams.
Date: 18 September 2025 – 12 April 2026. Location: Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG. Price: from £14. Concessions available. Book now
Weeping Woman (1937) Tate. © Succession Picasso DACS, London 2025
THE SINGH TWINS: Botanical Tales and Seeds of Empire
It’s the final week to see Botanical Tales and Seeds of Empire by The Singh Twins at Kew’s Shirley Sherwood Gallery. Presented as fabric light boxes, the exhibition examines the connections between plants, empire and trade, showing how crops like cotton, spices and dyes influenced colonial expansion. It also features the short film King Cotton: An Artist’s Tale, which reflects on the continuing relevance of these historical narratives.
Date: until 12 April 2026. Location: Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, Kew Gardens. Price: from £22. Included with entry to the Gardens. Book now
Botanical Tales and Seeds of Empire by The Singh Twins at Kew’s Shirley Sherwood Gallery. Image courtesy of Kew Gardens.
#FLOFavourites: Pick of the Week
Free event of the week
In Response to Julia Phillips – Barbican Young Poets
Image credit Betty Laura Zapata
Barbican Young Poets will perform readings inspired by Julia Phillips’s exhibition Inside, Before They Speak. The event takes place within The Curve, where Phillips’s first UK institutional solo show, exploring the body, conception, and human connection through sculpture and drawing, can be viewed. The poets’ creative responses offer a fresh perspective on the works, showcasing the next generation of expressive voices. The event runs for approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Date: Friday 10 April 2026. Time: 7pm. Location: The Curve, Barbican Centre, Silk St, London EC2Y 8DS. Price: This event is free, but ticketed. barbican.org.uk
Art news of the week
Barbican expands anyone can dance series with year long celebration of diaspora sounds
anyone can dance w/ Eastern Margins. Image credit Jenny Arrowsmith
Following the success of its sold-out debut with Eastern Margins, the Barbican Centre has announced the expansion of its anyone can dance series, a year-long programme of late-night parties celebrating global dance music and the UK’s diasporic culture. The series will continue throughout 2026, transforming the Barbican’s Level –1 foyer into an epic dancefloor running late into the night.
Click here for more art news to be on your radar this week.
Food of the week
Maki & Ramen Soho
Image courtesy of Maki & Ramen Soho
There is a new Japanese dining destination in Soho with the launch of Maki & Ramen, marking the brand’s first bricks-and-mortar London restaurant. Located in the former La Bodega Negra on Old Compton Street, the venue offers a mid-range menu of authentic and innovative Japanese dishes, including sushi rolls, ramen bowls, and options for vegetarian, vegan, and halal diets. Signature dishes include Black Garlic Tonkotsu Ramen, Chicken Katsu Curry, and Halal Steak Tataki Ramen. The restaurant also features a drinks menu with Japanese-inspired beverages, bubble teas, and cocktails. Founded in 2015 by Teddy Lee, Maki & Ramen has expanded across the UK and earned multiple awards for its Japanese cuisine.
Location: 9 Old Compton Street, London W1D 5JF; Monday - Sunday: 11:30am - 12pm. Website: makiramen.com. Instagram: @makiramen
Cause of the week
Unfold
Unfold
Unfold, a Westminster-based charity supporting families and young people for over 30 years, invites volunteers to become mentors. Mentors guide and support mentees over 12–24 weeks, helping them set goals, build confidence, and connect with their community. The programme is open to volunteers aged 18+, with training and supervision provided, and sessions can be in person, by phone, or online. Volunteers support a range of people, including single-parent households and asylum seekers, to make a real difference in their lives.
Click here to discover more about volunteering.
