The best things to do in London this summer
London’s summer season is packed with art exhibitions, cultural events and exciting culinary experiences
Summer is in full swing in London: balmy weather, al fresco dining, music festivals and sporting events. The capital’s art scene is abuzz with landmark exhibitions, while outdoor cinema screenings and creative workshops complete the cultural offering. Read on for your essential checklist of what to see, do, eat and drink this summer in the British capital.
Unmissable exhibitions
The Genesis Exhibition: Do Ho Suh: Walk the House at Tate Modern
When: until 19 October 2025
Location: Bankside, London SE1 9TG
Price: 20 GBP per person
A new exhibition at Tate Modern explores the meaning of ‘home’. Korean-born, London-based artist Do Ho Suh has created life-sized replicas of residences he has lived in across New York, Seoul, London, and Berlin. Visitors can move through these immersive structures, made from vibrant polyester using a traditional Korean fabric technique. The exhibition also includes early works on paper and two short films highlighting the urgency of the global housing crisis.
Jenny Saville: The Anatomy of Painting at National Portrait Gallery
When: Until 7 September 2025
Location: St. Martin’s Place, London WC2H 0HE
Price: 21 GBP per person
The National Portrait Gallery presents the UK’s largest exhibition dedicated to British artist Jenny Saville. In an age of filters and digital perfection, her unflinching portrayals of the female form are raw, powerful, and deeply moving. Forty-five works are on display, exploring themes such as pregnancy, motherhood, and identity. Monumental oil paintings hang alongside expressive charcoal drawings, offering rare insight into the process of one of the world’s most influential contemporary artists.
V&A East Storehouse
When: Ongoing
Location: 2 Parkes St, London E20 3AX
Price: Free
The V&A East Storehouse is an extension of the venerable South Kensington museum, which has transformed 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 serves fresh pastries and coffee, with a focus on creativity and communal dining. An additional site, V&A East, is set to open in 2026.
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 summer, 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.
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.
Seasonal Events
Notting Hill Carnival
Best for: A legendary party
When: 24-25 August 2025
Price: Free
One million revellers are expected to pack the streets of W11 in celebration of Notting Hill Carnival on the August bank holiday weekend. The two-day event is Europe’s largest street festival, and pays tribute to London’s Caribbean communities with processions, vibrant costumes, street-food stands and live performances from top artists. The Panorama steel band competition will take place from 4pm on Saturday, while masquerade bands will dance down the streets from 10am on Sunday. There are multiple live stages and 30 sound systems dotted around the parade route that will be playing reggae, house and funk music until 7pm, with many unofficial parties continuing long into the night.
Outdoor Cinema at the Barbican
Best for: Films alfresco
When: 20 August – 31 August
Where: Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS
Price: 18 GBP per person
The Barbican’s annual open-air cinema reopens in its Sculpture Court this month for ten days, with a stellar line-up of classics, international films and independent titles. The opening night kicks off with Dune, David Lynch’s 1984 film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel; followed by Fantastic Mr Fox (24 August), before Little Shop of Horrors draws the series to a close. There’s plenty of snacks available, such as hot dogs and popcorn from Copper Rattle and traditional Japanese desserts courtesy of Kichiya Pastries. It’s worth noting that while bookings are required, seating is first come, first served.
Food and drink happenings
Noisy Oyster, Shoreditch
Best for: A seafood feast
When: Ongoing
Location: 2, Nicholls Clarke Yard, London E1 6SH
The clue’s in the name at Noisy Oyster, a new seafood restaurant and bar in Shoreditch. From the duo behind Firebird, the menu features inventive seafood dishes like scallops with pickled raspberry, chilli, and basil oil, or bivalves served in smoked tomato water with horseradish mignonette. Start with the red caviar on Guinness bread and stay for the monkfish skewers, paired with a playful mini martini. Set within the historic Norton Folgate development, sleek interiors contrast with the building’s period features. A high-shine chrome bar sets the tone inside, while the tranquil courtyard is ideal for whiling away a sunny afternoon.
Ronnie Scott’s at Seabird, Southwark
When: 25 July; 15, 29 August
Best for: after-dinner jazz
Address: 40 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 8NY
Price: 25 GBP per person (walk-ins 10 GBP per person)
Seabird at The Hoxton has long been one of our favourite restaurants for its rooftop views and raw bar. This summer, there’s another reason to visit: a collaboration with Soho jazz institution Ronnie Scott’s. On select Fridays throughout July and August, guests can enjoy after-hours jazz from 9:15 to 10pm. Order from the Grey Goose cocktail menu, where the pearl martini is a highlight.
Permit Rooms, Notting Hill
Best for: A new restaurant with rooms
When: Ongoing
Address: 186 Portobello Road, London W11 1LA
Price: Rooms are 700 GBP per night
Dishoom, the UK’s much loved Indian restaurant brand styled on Mumbai’s Irani cafés, has extended its offering by launching a series of small Bombay-style pubs called Permit Room. The Notting Hill outpost is crowned by a two-bedroom apartment for a boutique stay with a difference. You’ll feel as though you are staying in a stylish Mumbai apartment – if not for the view of Portobello Road’s stucco façades right on your doorstep.
Side Hustle bar at NoMad Hotel, Covent Garden
Best for: Late night liasons
When: Ongoing
Address: 28 Bow Street, London WC2E 7AW
Set in the former Bow Street Police Station, Side Hustle is a design-savvy new cocktail bar within NoMad Hotel. Latin American flavours shape the menu, which includes tacos, toastados and creamy guac. Perch at the marble topped bar or slide into a leather booth and order a spiced Sergeant Pepper, mixed with tequila, cachaça, pineapple and lemon. Margaritas have a menu all of their own – our pick for summer is the thirst-quenching hibiscus & cranberry.
Popham’s London Fields
Best for: Streetside cocktails
When: Ongoing
Address: 28 Bow Street, London WC2E 7AW
Popham’s has added a new terrace menu at its London Field’s location, which is perfectly positioned for people watching. From 5pm, order a spicy jalapeño margarita or a glass of wine before the restaurant opens for dinner at 6pm, when you can enjoy seasonal pasta dishes such as casoncelli stuffed with creamy ricotta, mascarpone and sweetcorn or a crispy lamb belly salad.
Meatopia
Best for: A red-blooded celebration of all things meat
When: 28-31 August
Address: Wapping Lane, London E1W 2SF
Price: General admission is 42 GBP
Dubbed as the ‘Woodstock of edible animals’ Meatopia is transforming Tobacco Dock in Wapping for four days of open-fire cooking. This year’s grill kings include Andrew Clarke of Acme Fire Cult; Jamie Pickles of Stow in Manchester and Caribbean chef Keshia Sakarah. Expect plenty of sample dishes, alongside bars, live music and entertainment.
