What’s on in London this week: 9 - 15 June 2025
Discover our pick of events in London this week: 9 - 15 June 2025
HSBC Championships
HSBC Championships at The Queen’s Club.
The prestigious LTA organised HSBC Championships at The Queen’s Club returns this week with a WTA500 event for the first time in over fifty years. The women’s tournament runs from 9 to 15 June, welcoming some of the world’s top female players to the historic venue. Following that, the ATP500 tournament will take place from 16 to 22 June, featuring many of the finest players on the men’s ATP circuit. Known as a key warm-up to Wimbledon, the Queen’s Club Championships have long been a fan favourite.
Date: WTA: 9 – 15 June | ATP: 16 – 22 June 2025. Location: Queen’s Club, Palliser Road, West Kensington, London, W14 9EQ. Price: from £20. Book now
Click here for our guide to the key tennis events to watch out for in London in 2025.
Meltdown Festival 2025
Meltdown Festival launches this week, curated by the Mercury Prize-winning rapper Little Simz. This year’s event will celebrate boundary-pushing music and creative expression. Expect a hand-picked line-up spanning soul, hip hop, electronic, alternative, and jazz, including live concerts, DJ sets, and multidisciplinary performances across Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and the Riverside outdoor stages.
Date: 12–22 June 2025. Location: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX. Price: from £15 – £45, with free events outdoors.Book now
Click here to discover more festivals happening in London in June, including LIDO Festival.
Somerset House Summer Series © James Bryant.
Somerset House Summer Series
Celebrating its 25th anniversary as a cultural cornerstone, the Somerset House Summer Series returns to one of London’s most beautiful festival settings. Set in the iconic courtyard, the 2025 edition features an extraordinary line-up of live performances, with highlights including Rizzle Kicks, Freya Ridings, Jacob Banks, Parov Stelar, Akinola Davies Jr, Joy Oladokun, St. Vincent, The Snuts, The Paper Kites, FLO, and Giggs & Family.
Date: 10 - 20 July 2025. Location: Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA. Price: from £27.50. somersethouse.org.uk
Eel Pie Island Open Studios
A true London hidden gem, Eel Pie Island was once famed for its 1960s jazz and blues scene but today is home to a close-knit group of artists and craftspeople. Twice a year, the island opens its gates to the public for a rare glimpse into this bohemian riverside enclave. The Open Studios weekend features over 25 artists exhibiting sculpture, painting, printmaking, photography, jewellery, and ceramics. Expect to encounter eccentric studios, unusual creative processes, and perhaps a pint or ice cream by the water.
Date: 15–16 June 2025. Location: Eel Pie Island, Twickenham, London TW1 (access via footbridge from The Embankment). Price: Free. eelpieislandartists.co.uk
East City Films
In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats: A Virtual Reality Adventure
Step back to 1989 and immerse yourself in the UK’s biggest VR experience celebrating the Acid House scene. Groups of four share a virtual space, experiencing the culture and energy of early rave pioneers together. After the VR journey, explore a small exhibition of archive and audio-visual materials on British Acid House culture.
Date: 22 May - 3 August 2025. Location: Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS. Price: £25 + BF. Book now
Fiddler on the Roof
The critically acclaimed, sold-out production of Fiddler on the Roof returns to London for a limited 8-week season. Directed by Jordan Fein and choreographed by Julia Cheng, this powerful musical follows Tevye, a Jewish milkman in 1905 Anatevka, as he navigates tradition, family, and change. Featuring timeless songs like If I Were a Rich Man and Sunrise, Sunset, it’s a joyous celebration of love and community.
Date: 24 May – 19 July 2025. Duration: 2 hours, 40 mins inc interval. Location: Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS. Price: £25 +BF. Book now
LIDO Festival
LIDO Festival, a new addition to London’s summer calendar, continues this weekend after launching last week with two weekends of music and community-focused events in Victoria Park. Organised by the team behind All Points East, the festival features a carefully curated line-up of live performances alongside local activities. This weekend will see performances from Charli XCX, London Grammar and Turnstile.
Date: 13 - 15 June 2025. Location: Victoria Park, Grove Road, London E3 5TB. Price: from £64.95. lidofestival.co.uk.
Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Tour continues at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with five shows this week.
Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter
Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour is in full swing in London, with fans donning cowboy hats and boots as they flock to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The 35-time Grammy winner is set to perform five shows this week, and miraculously, tickets are still available starting from £99.
Date: 10 - 16 June 2025. Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, 782 High Rd, London N17 0BX. Price: from £99 + booking fees. Book now
Hampton Court Palace Festival
Set within the historic grounds of Hampton Court Palace, this festival offers an intimate concert experience featuring performances from a range of renowned artists. Alongside the live music, guests can enjoy gourmet dining and explore the palace’s picturesque gardens. This year’s line-up includes James, Rag’n’Bone Man, Tom Jones, Bananarama, The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, 10cc, Chaka Khan, Gary Barlow, and Elbow.
Date: 11–21 June 2025. Location: Hampton Court Palace, East Molesey, Surrey KT8 9AU. Price: from £49.50. Book now
Architect William Mann will explore the legacy of Hans Döllgast, the influential German architect as part of the Architecture on Stage series at the Barbican.
Hans Döllgast – Rationalism in Disoriented Times
As part of the Architecture on Stage series, architect William Mann explores the legacy of Hans Döllgast, the influential German architect known for his post-war restoration work in Munich. Döllgast’s designs fused rationalism with sensitivity to historical context, using raw materials to rebuild iconic public buildings. This talk offers insight into a complex and often overlooked figure in 20th-century architecture.
Date: 12 June 2025. Time: 7pm. Location: Level 4, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS. Price: £15 +BF. Book now
Meltdown Lates: Simz + Adiba, Moneyama & OTG
Meltdown Lates kicks off this week on Friday 13 June from 11pm. Experience an unmissable DJ line-up at the Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer featuring Little Simz alongside Adiba, Moneyama, and OTG. With a mix of Afrobeats, hip-hop, soul, trap, and R’n’B as the night celebrates sound, energy, and connection. This event is part of the Summer Time season at Meltdown Festival, curated by Little Simz.
Date: 13 June 2025. Location: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX. Price: from £12 (plus booking fee). Book now
Little Simz. Image credit @thibautgrevet
The London Festival of Architecture
The London Festival of Architecture continues across the city next week, celebrating the theme “Voices” with a variety of engaging events. Highlights include the Voices for Humanity Walking Tour on 11 June, a 90-minute guided walk through Fitzrovia that explores architecture alongside the stories of diverse communities. From 9 to 13 June, PUB — Platform for Unwritten Books, transforms the former Tower Tavern into a creative pop-up exhibition showcasing untold stories. On 12 June, the Rethinking Architecture Mentoring Event offers emerging professionals and students a chance to connect with industry experts. Then, on 15 June, On The Beat from Bloomsbury to Fitzrovia presents a unique guided walk led by a former police officer sharing local memories. These events showcase the voices shaping London’s architectural landscape. Click here for this week’s programme of events.
Date: until 30 June 2025. Location: throughout London.
Cinema
Agora – SAFAR Film Festival
In Agora, a haunting mystery unfolds in a remote Tunisian town as people long presumed missing suddenly reappear. Directed by Alaeddine Slim, the film blends surrealism with social tension, watched over by two silent observers — a blue dog and a black crow. Winner of the 2024 Locarno Film Festival’s Pardo Verde Award, Agora screens as part of SAFAR’s “Ghosts” strand and will be introduced by curator Saeed Taji Farouky.
Date: 15 June 2025. Time: 5pm. Location: Cinema 3, Babrican Centre, Beech Street, London,EC2Y 8DS. Price: £13+ BF. Book now
Agora – SAFAR Film Festival
Arts & Culture
Opening this week
Yoshitomo Nara
The Hayward Gallery opens the largest European retrospective of Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara this week. Featuring over 150 works, including drawings, paintings, sculptures, prints, and ceramics, the exhibition offers an intimate look at Nara’s creative world. Known for his emotionally charged portraits, Nara draws inspiration from nature, mythology, the peace movement, and punk music. This expanded show includes early sculptures and new paintings, building on previous tours and providing a rare insight into his distinctive art.
Date: 10 June -31 August 2025. Location: Hayward Gallery, Belvedere Rd, London, SE1 8XX. Price: from £20. Concessions available.Book now
Yoshitomo Nara, Stop the Bombs, 2019. © Yoshitomo Nara, courtesy Yoshitomo Nara Foundation
Edward Burra – Ithell Colquhoun
A landmark dual exhibition celebrating two radical British artists, Edward Burra and Ithell Colquhoun, will open at Tate Britain this week. Burra’s vivid watercolours capture the intensity of queer culture, nightlife, and political unrest in the 20th century, while also reflecting his experiences of disability and global events. In his first London retrospective in 40 years, over 80 works reveal his bold, satirical imagination. Shown alongside is Colquhoun’s surreal, mystical practice, spanning over 140 works that explore sexuality, ecology, and the occult. A pioneering surrealist and occultist, her vision is brought to life through paintings, writings, and her interpretation of the Tarot deck.
Date: 13 June – 19 October 2025. Location: Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1P 4RG. Price: from £18. Concessions available. Book now
Edward Burra, Three Sailors at a Bar 1930. Private collection, courtesy of Hazlitt Holland-Hibbert. © The estate of Edward Burra, courtes.
Rachel Jones: Gated Canyons
Gated Canyons by Rachel Jones opens at Dulwich Picture Gallery on 10 June 2025, marking the first solo contemporary exhibition in the gallery’s main space. The show features newly commissioned works alongside key pieces from the past seven years, with Jones using bold colour, layered textures, and abstract forms to create powerful, sensory compositions. Her distinctive mouth motifs and expressive mark-making offer a striking response to Dulwich’s historic collection, bringing a contemporary voice into conversation with the past.
Date: 10 June – 19 October 2025. Location: Dulwich Picture Gallery, Gallery Road, London SE21 7AD. Price: from £20 (concessions available). Book now.
Rachel Jones, Gated Canyons, 2024, courtesy the artist. Photography by Eva Herzog
#FLOFavourites: This week
Milly Thompson: My Body Temperature is Feeling Good
The largest UK exhibition of the late Milly Thompson’s work at Goldsmiths CCA showcases her vivid paintings, videos, and artist books. With wit and irony, she tackles the middle-aged female body, desire, and consumer culture. The show also features collaborative works like her satirical fashion magazine Vuoto.
Date: 5 June- 24 August 2025. Location: Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art, St James's, London SE14 6AD. Price: Free. gold.ac.uk
Milly Thompson, Deep Vogueing, 2020, courtesy of The Estate of Milly Thompson and Amanda Wilkinson, London
Hamad Butt: Apprehensions
Apprehensions at Whitechapel Gallery is the first major survey of British South Asian artist Hamad Butt (1962–1994). His pioneering intermedia work brings together science, alchemy, queer identity, and popular culture in response to the AIDS crisis. The exhibition features major installations such as Familiars and Transmission, alongside unseen works and personal archive material.
Date: 4 June – 7 September 2025. Location: Whitechapel Gallery, 77–82 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX. Price: from £15. Concessions available. Book now
Hamad Butt, Familiars 3: Cradle, 1992, Vacuum-sealed glass, crystal iodine, liquid bromine, chlorine gas, water and steel. Dimensions variable. Installation at Tate Gallery, London, 199. Tate Image © Jamal Butt
Victoria Miro: 40 Years
Victoria Miro celebrates its 40th anniversary with a special exhibition currently on display across its London galleries and waterside garden. The show features an expansive collection of new paintings, sculptures, and installations created especially for the occasion, alongside a curated selection of recent and historical works by the gallery’s influential artists. Highlights include pieces by Doug Aitken, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Isaac Julien, Grayson Perry, Wangechi Mutu, Paula Rego, Chris Ofili, and many more, reflecting the gallery’s pivotal role in shaping contemporary art since its founding in 1985.
Date: 6 June - 1 August 2025. Location: Victoria Miro, 16 Wharf Road, London N1 7RW. Price: Free.
Click here to discover London degree shows happening this week, including Camberwell College of Arts.
Artist Talk
Yoshitomo Nara: Artist’s Talk
Coinciding with the opening of his new exhibition at the Hayward Gallery, internationally renowned Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara presents an intimate talk on Tuesday. Nara will share insights into the inspirations behind his work and the themes explored in his latest show.
Date: 10 June 2025. Location: Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Belvedere Rd, London, SE1 8XX. Price: from £14 (plus booking fee). Book now
まちこ 川尻
Meltdown Talks: Acting Journeys
Clara Amfo hosts a conversation with actors Tosin Cole, Fady Elsayed, and Letitia Wright as they share their experiences of breaking into the industry, building community, and overcoming challenges.
Date: 14 June 2025. Time: 5pm. Location: Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Belvedere Rd, London, SE1 8XX. Price: Free, but ticketed. Book now
#FLOFavourites: Pick of the Week
Free event of the week
Dance Your Way Home: Public Art
Image credit Joe Clark.
As part of the Dance Your Way Home summer season, the Southbank Centre presents a programme of free public art celebrating the joy of movement and community. Discover inspiring artworks both inside and outside the venue, featuring photography, murals and installations by artists including Denzil Forrester and Annie Frost Nicholson. Don’t miss the return of Jeppe Hein’s interactive Appearing Rooms fountain. No tickets required – just turn up and explore!
Date: 9 June – 25 August 2025. Location: Southbank Centre, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX. southbankcentre.co.uk
Interview of the week
In conversation with Danny Larsen
© Copyright 2025 Danny Larsen,
We spoke with Norwegian artist Danny Larsen ahead of his debut London solo exhibition, Twilight of a Day, at Gallery 8, St James’s. Formerly a professional snowboarder, Larsen has reinvented himself as a painter, creating detailed neo-pointillist landscapes that express his deep bond with nature and personal transformation. In our conversation, he shared insights into his creative process, his connection to place, and how painting has marked a new beginning in his life.
Click here for the full interview.
Food of the week
Sachi London
Sachi London
If you’re after a peaceful lunchtime escape in central London, Sachi in Belgravia is a hidden gem worth knowing about. Tucked inside the elegant Pantechnicon building, it offers a calm, Kyoto-style rooftop terrace – the kind of place that instantly slows your pace. Their weekday lunch set menu (£32) includes delicate rock shrimp tempura, salmon carpaccio, and mains like miso-glazed salmon or baby chicken with koji yuzu kosho. It’s refined, relaxed, and perfect when you want something special without overdoing it.
Location: 19 Motcomb Street, London SW1X 8LB; Website: sachirestaurants.com; Instagram: @sachi.london
Click here to disocver our pick of restaurants to visit in London in June.
Cause of the week
Luminary Bakery
Image credit Luminary Bakery.
Luminary Bakery is a social enterprise dedicated to empowering women who have experienced homelessness, domestic abuse, violence, or sexual exploitation. It offers training, employment, and community support to help women rebuild their lives, develop confidence, and gain employable skills.
Using baking as a practical, creative, and therapeutic tool, Luminary provides tailored programmes that teach not only baking but also transferable skills essential for professional growth. These include hands-on courses, work experience in their café, and paid roles within the bakery.Their mission is to break the cycles of poverty and abuse by fostering independence and ambition in a safe, supportive environment, restoring hope and enabling lasting change in women’s lives.
Click here to discover how you can support their cause, from pre-ordering cakes to using their event catering services.
Location: Luminary Bakery, 71-73 Allen Rd, London N16 8RY. Website: luminarybakery.com; Instagram: @luminarybakery
