The best things to do in London this April

April might just be our favourite month in London. Days are longer, parks are in bloom and pub gardens are starting to come into their own. The month also kicks off with a long weekend (hello, snooze button), followed by Eid celebrations, the London Marathon and Earth Day. There’s a whole lot of exciting stuff happening, too. From a hot new restaurant opening in Borough Market to a top-notch rooftop bar launching in Shoreditch – plus a slew of must-visit exhibitions and festivals – here is the ultimate shortlist of the best things to do in London this month.

Our favourite things to do in London this April

Seasonal things to do in London

Eid in the Square 2024

When: 20 April 
Address: Trafalgar Square, Westminster, London, WC2N 5DN
Price: Free

Eid-al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan – the month-long period of fasting from dawn-to-dark that is celebrated by muslim populations around the world. To honour the religious holiday, communities come together to feast, dance and share stories from their spiritual journey. In London, Trafalgar Square will host live performances, street-food stalls, workshops and an abundance of family-friendly activities to mark the occasion. The second edition of the Inspiring Muslim Awards will also take place during the festival, with identity as the theme for 2024. Four different award categories will spotlight boundary-breaking artists, community-first trailblazers and creative storytellers.

Earthfest

When: 18 – 21 April
Address: 106 Arlington Road, London, NW1 7HP
Price: Free

With Earth Day on the horizon (bookmark 22 April), Kings Cross is gearing up to host its first-ever Earthfest – a four-day festival championing sustainability through a slew of exhibitions, interactive workshops and panel discussions. There will be a fashion quarter featuring eco-conscious brands, a repair cafe and plenty of upcycled garms, while an all-electric zone will highlight the newest innovations in sustainable transportation. Coal Drops Yard is set to host gigs from emerging artists, too. We recommend checking out award-winning content creator Rob Greenfield’s panel, where he will discuss how to inspire environmental action in the digital age. You can find details on the other speakers lined up for the lecture series at the website.

Food and drink happenings in London

Arlington, St James’s

Address: 17-20 Arlington St, St. James’s, London SW1A 1RL
Price: Small plates from 9.50 GBP; large plates from 14.75 GBP

The buzziest word on London’s dining scene this spring is Arlington – the culinary comeback from feted restaurateur Jeremy King (of Corbin and King fame). Now flying solo, he has returned to his former restaurant, Le Caprice in St James’s, newly reborn as Arlington. You can expect lashings of Jeremy King charm, a smattering of celebrities and a menu of celebrated classics including bang bang chicken and a salmon fish cake with sorrel sauce. Interiors are stripped-back with round tables smartly dressed in white tablecloths and walls decorated with portraits from famed photographer David Bailey.

Sune, Hackney

Address: 129A Pritchard’s Road, London, E2 9AP
Price: Small plates from 4 GBP; large plates from 13 GBP

A new neighbourhood restaurant has opened at the bottom of Hackney’s Broadway Market, courtesy of renowned sommelier Honey Spencer and partner Charlie Sims. Enjoy a candlelit evening meal with canal-side views, or save your visit for the delicious Sunday brunch menu – a seafood-focused showcase inspired by the brunch culture in NYC. As expected, the wine list is excellent, while the kitchen is captained by chef Michael Robins, who comes from the east London neighbourhood restaurant Pidgin. A varied menu includes za’atar spiced lamb ribs with honey, velvety homemade pastas and a lavish fruits de mer plate.

Oma, Borough Market

Address: 2-4 Bedale Street, London, SE1 9AL
Price: TBC

Borough Market is in for a treat this month when Greek restaurant Oma officially opens its doors on 16 April. Dreamed up by seasoned restaurateur David Carter – the brains behind east London’s Smokestak and Manteca – Oma adopts a prime position on bustling Bedale Street, featuring an outdoor terrace overlooking the market and a light-filled dining space bordered by an open kitchen. Serving a daily-changing menu of honest and bold-flavoured plates, such as wood-fired breads, homemade hummus masabacha, harissa-grilled prawns and butterflied red mullet. There’s an impressive wine list of lesser-known Greek wines and native grape varieties, too.

The Roof Terrace at TT, Shoreditch

Address: 17B Kingsland Road, London, E2 8AA
Price: TBC

If there’s one thing that gets Londoners excited, it’s the opening of a swish rooftop bar. Step forward TT (formerly TT Liquor). This Hoxton address is known among local circles as a top spot for a cocktail or three, but things have just got that little bit better with the opening of its permanent rooftop restaurant. Decked out with a wood-fire oven and grill, tables are lined with bamboo pendant lights and snug seats are topped with plush cushions, while a retractable roof is on standby for when the weather decides to not play ball. Standouts include barbecued mackerel with pickled chilli hot sauce, succulent dry-aged ribeye drizzled in chimichurri and a juicy pineapple whipped cheesecake – all praise to head chef Sam Lone.

Arkestra at Carousel, Fitzrovia

When: 2-6 April
Address: 19-23 Charlotte Street, Londo, W1T 1RW 
Price: TBC

Securing a residency at Carousel has become something of a culinary accolade for international chefs. The restaurant presents a monthly line-up of rotating chefs, and this month welcomes Cenk Debensason of Michelin-starred Arkestra in Istanbul. Sample signatures that have put Arkestra on the World’s 50 Best Discovery list, including the duck breast with apicius sauce, daikon, ginger apple chutney and a Jerusalem artichoke mousseline. Wife and co-founder of Arkestra, Debora Ipekel, will provide a stellar hand-selected soundtrack inspired by their restaurant’s listening room.

Mambow, Clapton

Address: 78 Lower Road, London, E5 0RN
Price: Small plates from 5 GBP; large plates from 11 GBP

From an east London pop-up to a south London market stall, Mambow returned north of the river to bless Clapton with a permanent address back in November – and we’re still not done talking about it. Inside, an intimate laidback setting features candlelit tables around a spice-packed open kitchen. The menu combines modern European with traditional Malaysian cuisine, complemented by a rotating list of house-made cocktails. Order the gulai lemak pucuck ubi kayu – a rainbow chard and pea aubergine coconut curry with fried tempeh and kaffir lime leaf spiced nuts.

London Coffee Festival

When: 11 – 14 April
Address: 91 Brick Lane, London, E1 GQR
Price: Weekend sessions from 38 GBP

Calling all coffee connoisseurs: London coffee festival returns to Brick Lane’s Truman Brewery on 11 April for a weekend of bean-to-cup bravura in celebration of London’s thriving coffee scene. Featuring 250 artisan brands and a strong selection of gourmet food, prepare to up your brew game with tastings and tutorials from talented baristas. There’s an educational lab, coffee-based cocktail workshops, street-food stalls and a smattering of music and art exhibitions to enjoy. It’s worth noting that there are two dedicated industry days, while weekend sessions are open to all.

Jikoni, Marylebone

Address: 19-21 Blandford Street, London, W1U 3DJ
Price: small plates from 9.50 GBP; large plates from 15.50 GB

Jikoni in Marylebone successfully blends Indian, African and European cooking in the form of chickpea chips, prawn toast with scotch egg, saffron sheermal and a seriously good banana cake. However, it’s the new weekend brunch menu that we suggest making tracks for this April. That’s when the bacon gruyere bread with a maple syrup-drenched butter pudding comes out to play – best washed down with a pomegranate negroni and a side serving of pistachio ice cream. Decor is a pastel-hued cluster of frilled cushions, vibrant tablecloths and gingham-pleated lampshades.

The best exhibitions in London

Accidentally Wes Anderson at the Design Museum, South Kensington

When: 8 December – 12 May
Address: 81-85 Old Brompton Road, London, SW7 2ND
Price: 10.99 GBP

Inspired by the eccentric filmmaker’s distinctive aesthetic, Brooklyn-based husband and wife team Wally and Amanda Koval have grown a global audience of some two million followers on their Instagram account Accidentally Wes Anderson. Followers will no doubt have already visited its namesake exhibition on Old Brompton Road. If not, you’re in luck: the immersive experience has been extended until 12 May. Spread across seven themed rooms, 200 photographs celebrate all different corners of the world, captured by a global community of creatives. On arrival, guests will encounter a post office-themed room, where walls are clad with images of old-school London, before continuing into a door-themed space – it’s all rather marvellous, and a unique celebration of design around the world. We’ll leave you to discover the magic of the other five rooms.

When Forms Come Alive at Hayward Gallery

When: Until 6 May
Address: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX
Price: 18 GBP

This group exhibition at the Hayward Gallery spans 60 years of contemporary sculpture, featuring work by 21 international artists, including Ruth Asawa, Jean-Luc Moulène and Nairy Baghramian. The curation takes movement, flux and organic growth as its central theme, and presents how artists are influenced by these familiar experiences. Materialising as a dancer’s gesture or the breaking of a wave on a shoreline, each sculpture starts a conversation through their undulating, dynamic forms.

Unravel: The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art at The Barbican

Where: Barbican Art Gallery, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS
Address: 13 February – 26 May
Price: 18 GBP

A new show at the Barbican explores how artists from the 1960s to today have explored the transformative and subversive potential of textiles, harnessing the medium to question power, who holds it and how it can be reclaimed. From small handcrafted pieces to large-scale sculptural installations, the exhibition brings together more than 100 pieces by 50 international artists, working across stitching, braiding, weaving, beading and knotting.

Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind at Tate Modern

Where: Tate Modern, Bankside, London, SE1 9TG
Address: 15 February – 1 September
Price: 22 GBP

Tate Modern is hosting the UK’s largest exhibition celebrating the work of artist and activist Yoko Ono, particularly her trailblazing early conceptual and participatory art, film and performance. Spanning seven decades of the artist’s multidisciplinary practice, the show will trace the development of her work and its impact on contemporary culture, bringing together more than 200 works including installations, scores, films, music, and photography. Also featured are her instruction pieces, which instruct the viewer to complete the work, sometimes with a single verb, such as ‘Touch’, or phrase like ‘Listen to a heartbeat’. A particular focus in the exhibition is her radical work created during her time living in London in the 1960s.

Skateboard at the Design Museum

Where: 224-238 Kensington High Street, London W8 6AG
Address: Until 2 June 2024
Price: From 14.38 GBP

Skaters can ride a ramp at the Design Museum’s latest exhibition this spring, which traces the history of skateboard design from its DIY origins in the 1950s to the tech-informed professional-standard models of the present day. The exhibition is curated by author, designer and skater Jonathan Olivares, and is the first of its kind in the UK to explore skateboard design in such depth. Ninety unique designs are on display alongside more than 100 other objects, including hardware, VHS tapes, DVDs, magazines and other ephemera.

Cultural Happenings in London

Player Kings at the Noël Coward Theatre

When: 1 April – 22 June
Address: 85-88 St Martin’s lane, London, WC2N 4AP
Price: From 90 GBP

Sir Ian McKellen takes to the West End at the Nöel Coward Theatre this month in award-winning director Robert Icke’s Player Kings production, a seamless retelling of both parts of Shakespeare’s best-loved Henry IV plays. Toheeb Jimoh (Ted Lasso) and Richard Coyle (Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore) will also appear on stage. There’s just three months before the show sets off to tour Bristol, Birmingham and Newcastle, so grab your tickets now.

Brick Lane Jazz Festival

When: 26 – 28 April
Address: Various
Price: Weekend pass from 71.04 GBP

Another exciting event taking place on Brick Lane this month is the third edition of Brick Lane Jazz Festival. Set across ten venues and held over a weekend, headliners for 2024 include Oscar Jerome, Theo Croker, Ego Ella May and Tara Lily, alongside performances from Don Glori, Gigi Williams, The Five Points Project and the best of the London jazz scene. All venues are within walking distance and include a good handful of outdoor bars, while an array of pop-up food markets will be dishing up delicious bites.

Continue your cultural tour of London with our insider guide to the city’s greatest galleries and museums.