The best things to do in London this May
Be full of the joys of spring in London this May with emotive exhibitions, rooftop restaurants and flower-filled celebrations
Spring is in full flight in the British capital, as Londoner’s flock to the city’s outdoor dining spaces and the city’s summer social calendar begins to heat up, with music festivals and Chelsea Flower Show on the horizon.
There are myriad exhibitions to peruse across the capital’s galleries and refuel at one of London’s leading restaurants or wine bars when you’re done.
Seasonal events in London
Chelsea Flower Show
When: 20-24 May 2025
Location: Royal Hospital Rd, London SW3 4LW
Price: Tickets from 65.85 GBP
Every May, the Royal Chelsea Hospital is transformed into a veritable Eden, as the world’s horticultural stars unveil garden designs and floral displays. Amid this year’s sea of panama hats, you can expect designs that highlight the healing benefits of plants, as well as a focus on play. For the first time, the Avanade ‘Intelligent’ Garden harnesses the power of AI to create climate-resilient plants and trees. Visitors can also see succulents from The Karoo region of South Africa, which will be displayed by The Newt, the Somerset hotel that sponsors the show.
In celebration of the event, the neighbourhood’s retailers dress up their shop fronts with vibrant displays for Chelsea in Bloom, and there are more floral-themed menus than you can shake a sunflower at. We recommend visiting The Cadogan Arms for drinks and strolling to the nearby Café Kitsuné at Pantechnicon for coffee.
The best exhibitions in London
Photo London at Somerset House
When: 15–18 May
Location: Strand, London WC2R 1LA
Price: Standard day ticket is 32 GBP; off-peak evening ticket is 20 GBP
Held at Somerset House, Photo London presents a photographic feast from leading international galleries and emerging talent. Marking its tenth year, the landmark fair highlights diversity of expression, spotlighting queer perspectives and viewpoints from across the world. A emotive group exhibition by LensCulture showcases new contemporary photography from 24 countries, including Tunisia and Juarez.
Look out for works by big names such as Irving Penn, David Bailey, Jamie Hawkesworth and Atony Cairns, alongside a booth dedicated to women artists by Purdy Hicks Gallery. Be sure to check out The Photobook Club Collective, founded by Roadbook’s senior photo editor Tom Broadbent. In addition to the exhibitions, you can browse an array of photobooks and zines presented by large and small publishers, while a series of talks includes a conversation between Polish artist Zofia Kulik and author Fiona Rogers.
V&A East Storehouse
When: Opens 31 May 2025
Location: 2 Parkes St, London E20 3AX
Price: Free
This month marks the anticipated opening of The V&A East Storehouse, an extension of the venerable South Kensington museum. Transforming a section of the former London 2012 Olympics Media Centre in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the storage facility-style space holds more than 250,000 objects, ranging from Elton John costumes and The Glastonbury Festival Archive archives to samurai swords, Roman frescos and haute couture. The innovative concept allows visitors to learn about why and how objects get collected and how they are cared for. A cafe by Hackney Wick’s e5 Bakehouse will serve fresh pastries and coffee, with a focus on creativity and communal dining. An additional site, V&A East, is set to open in 2026.
Nora Turato: pool7 at the Institute of Contemporary Arts
When: Until June 8, 2025
Location: The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH
Price: 6 GBP
Croatia-born, Amsterdam-based artist Nora Turato unveils her first UK solo exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) on The Mall. Coined pool7, the newly commissioned work spans performance, graphic design, video, sound and the written word. The work ‘investigates our collective relationship to language, exposing the ideologies, failures and pleasures that characterise communication today.’ Perched on the edge of St James’s Park, a spring stroll beckons once you’ve finished at the exhibition (by way of the tempting ICA gallery bookstore).
Grayson Perry: Delusions of Grandeur at the Wallace Collection
When: Until 26 October 2025
Location: Hertford House, Manchester Square, London W1U 3BN
Price: 15 GBP
The Wallace Collection in Marylebone is noted for its ornamental Rococo grandeur and collections of 18th century French paintings, furniture and armour. This month, Turner prize-winning artist and ceramicist Grayson Perry wonderfully disrupts the peace with an exuberant exhibition, which is the largest contemporary showcase to ever grace the gallery. It focuses on a fictional character created by Perry called Shirley Smith and includes 40 new works spanning tapestry, collage and ceramics. The exhibit explores the notion of craft-making and society’s drive for perfectionism.
José Maria Velasco: A View of Mexico at the National Gallery
When: Until 17 August
Location: Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN
Price: 12 GBP
Be transported to Mexico this month at the National Gallery. The first UK exhibition of 19th-century artist José María Velasco showcases the country’s rugged terrain, local flora, towering cacti and sweeping panoramic views of the Valley of Mexico, where Mexico City stands today. Velasco was keenly aware of his country’s industrialisation and his landscape paintings capture burgeoning train lines and factories, alongside detailed studies of plants. After you visit, beeline for one of Soho’s best restaurants.
Leigh Bowery! at Tate Modern
When: Until 31 August 2025
Location: Bankside, London SE1 9TG
Price: 18 GBP
A new exhibition at Tate Modern charts the life of legendary multi-hyphenate Leigh Bowery, from his emergence as a club kid in the 1980s to his work as a performer, model, artist and personality. His avant-garde and often outrageous costumes are on display, alongside interactive visuals and personal ephemera including homemade glittered gimp masks and illustrated postcards. The exhibition explores the impact that Bowery and the New Romantics had on the cultural landscape in London and beyond. It highlights Bowery’s collaborators, including his wife and companion Nicola Rainbird, fashion photographer Fergus Greer and artist Lucian Freud. A panel discussion on 16 April brings together three of his closest friends: DJ Princess Julia, choreographer Les Child (aka Leslie Bryant), and biographer Sue Tilley.
The Face Magazine: Culture Shift at National Portrait Gallery
When: Until 18 May 2025
Location: St. Martin’s Place, London WC2H 0HE
Price: 23 GBP
National Portrait Gallery is celebrating the legacy of The Face, the British ‘style bible’ that ran from 1980 to 2004. The magazine became a cultural phenomenon during the 1980s, thanks to its impactful photography and firm finger on the pulse of what was cool and influential in Britain. Iconic magazine covers are on display, including a young Kate Moss photographed by Corinne Day and Kurt Cobain smoking a cigarette while wearing a dress, shot by David Sims, as well as photographic contributions from Glen Luchford, David LaChapelle and Juergen Teller. It is the first time these images have been brought together in an exhibition and together they tell the story of youth culture in London during the magazine’s reign.
Where to eat and drink in London this month
Osteria Angelina
When: Opens 20 May 2025
Location: 1 Nicholl’s Clarke Yard, off Blossom Steet, E1 6SH
Dalston favourite Angelina opens a new pasta and grill restaurant this month in the Norton Folgate development on the edge of the City. The converted warehouse space centres on a theatrical open kitchen with counter seating available, alongside outdoor tables. Angelina signatures are on the menu, such as fresh pasta with Japanese influencers, as well as a ‘big cut’ grill section of seafood and meat.
Forza Taps at National Theatre, Southbank
When: Opens 17 April 2025
Location: National Theatre, London SE1 9PX
Forza Wine is one of our favourite restaurants in London, with outposts in Peckham and at the National Theatre. The Peckham location has outdoor seating all year round, while the National Theatre is reopening its al fresco dining space this April on the brutalist riverside balcony. Slightly larger than last year, the outdoor space has 80 seats and looks out over the Southbank. As its name suggests, cold beers, cocktails and natural wine are the focus, alongside a grazing menu of Italian skewers, including beef, polenta and pork belly, served with crisps and pickles. Order a frozen margarita and watch the clipper boats glide along the Thames.
Câv, Bethnal Green
When: Ongoing
Location: 255 Paradise Row, London E2 9LE
Price: Drinks from 5.50 GBP
Câv is a new venture from Edwin Forest (who co-founded Islington’s Half Cut and Shoreditch’s Oranj) and Chis Tanner (co-founder of Dram London in Soho). The Bethnal Green bar and restaurant has a rotating kitchen residency, with chef Josh Dallaway of Tasca currently in the kitchen cooking Iberian-inspired dishes such as elevated spicy sandwiches and clams bathed in a garlicky Bilbaína-style sauce. The wine list, curated by Sinead Murdoch, champions low-intervention and natural wines from predominantly female producers, and there is a house martini for 7 GBP. Câv is also a listening bar, with a stellar line-up of DJs spinning vinyl tracks in the evening.
Bubala King’s Cross
When: Ongoing
Location: Lewis Cubitt Park, London, N1C 4ED
Bubala is one of London’s most loved restaurants, with outposts in Spitalfields and Soho. Celebrated for its plant-based Middle Eastern cooking, a third location is opening in Kings Cross this April. You’ll find Bubala favourites on the menu, including oyster mushroom skewers, creamy labneh and crispy deep-fried artichoke atop garlic tahini, as well as new creations such as cucumber tzatziki.
