Palace Bowl Presents 2026
A summer series of open-air concerts brings twelve nights of music to the Crystal Palace Bowl, with a different artist and a different genre almost every night. The line-up mixes British and international names, among them Grace Jones, Tom Jones, Gary Numan, Lenny Kravitz and Jimmy Eat World. The venue sits outside central London, but it is easy to reach by train, and a park amphitheatre on a summer evening is a good part of the appeal.
📍Crystal Palace Bowl | 31 July – 16 August 2026
Camden Fringe
This August fringe festival spreads across venues all over London, with the greatest concentration in and around Camden. The 2026 edition, which is the festival's 20th, has more than 450 shows across 39 venues, ranging from small-scale theatre and stand-up to music, improv, dance, opera and cabaret. Venues run from Highgate to Covent Garden and out into north and east London, and Camden itself is worth a visit at any time of year. Camden Town has been made more pedestrian-friendly, making it easier to get around.
📍Camden and other venues | 3–30 August 2026
LUMINISCENCE
This show at Westminster Cathedral combines light projections, music and spoken word. It tells the story of London and of the cathedral itself, narrated by Hugh Bonneville, familiar from Downton Abbey and the Paddington films. The music is performed by the Lux Aeterna choir, and from 5 September a fourteen-piece orchestra joins the Saturday LIVE+ performances. It suits visitors with an interest in architecture, classical music and immersive shows.
📍Westminster Cathedral | 1 July – 27 September 2026
Afternoon Tea Week
British afternoon tea gets a themed week of its own in mid-August, when hotels, restaurants and tearooms put on special menus, discounts and small extras. It is a good week to try the classic version, including tea, scones, finger sandwiches and a tier of sweet pastries. Many venues also offer a more celebratory sitting with a glass of champagne or sparkling wine.
Advertisement
📍Various venues | mid-August 2026
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
The Royal Academy's summer show at Burlington House fills the Main Galleries with a broad sweep of contemporary art and architecture, from painting, photography and sculpture to film and digital work. Established names hang alongside first-time exhibitors, and most of the work is for sale. The 2026 edition is built around the theme of interconnectedness, and the galleries stay open late on Fridays and Saturdays. Some works deal with political and socially sensitive subject matter. Burlington House is on Piccadilly, a short walk from Piccadilly Circus. The show closes on 23 August, so August is the last chance to see it.
📍Burlington House | 16 June – 23 August 2026
BBC Proms
This summer concert series brings classical music to a wider audience. The Proms began in 1895 with Henry Wood's idea of making high-quality classical music more accessible, and that is still the point. The result is eight weeks of concerts in the magnificent Royal Albert Hall. One performance we want to highlight is on Monday 10 August, when Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts a combined orchestra of students from London's Royal Academy of Music and New York's Juilliard School. Tickets are reasonably priced by London standards, and it is worth booking a seat in the lower tiers if you can.
📍Royal Albert Hall | 17 July – 12 September 2026
Battersea Park in Concert
Battersea Park turns into a venue for open-air concerts, picnics and long summer evenings, with a different kind of music each day: the London African Gospel Choir on Friday, the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra on Saturday and Sunday, and Ronnie Scott's Jazz Orchestra with The Amy Winehouse Band on Monday. There are street food stalls and bars, picnic hampers you can order in advance, and you are welcome to bring your own food. Kids Tipiland keeps younger visitors busy and is aimed at three- to ten-year-olds. The event falls over the August bank holiday weekend, with concerts running Friday to Monday.
Advertisement
📍Battersea Park | 28–31 August 2026
Hampton Court Palace Food Festival
This food festival in the gardens of Hampton Court Palace brings together food stalls, drinks, shopping and a family programme. More than 150 independent food and drink producers take part, alongside the Regina Kitchen, which is a 2026 addition and where chefs cook live through the day. A festival ticket also includes the palace and its gardens, so you can combine the two, and there is face painting, crafts, games and character meet-and-greets for children.
📍Hampton Court Palace | 29–31 August 2026
Notting Hill Carnival
Over the August bank holiday weekend, the streets fill with Caribbean culture, music, dance and colourful parades. Winding through Notting Hill and the surrounding streets, the carnival is London's biggest annual street event and the largest street festival in Europe. Sunday is Families and Children's Day, built around the children's parade; Monday brings the main adults' parade, the sound systems and the biggest crowds. The weekend opens on Saturday 29 August with the ticketed National Panorama steel band competition. Well over a million people come across the weekend, so plan your route in advance and expect road closures.
📍Notting Hill | 30–31 August 2026 (Panorama on 29 August)
Greenwich+Docklands International Festival
A festival of outdoor performance brings free theatre, dance, circus and other live art to Greenwich, Docklands and east London. More than 25 companies take part, under the 2026 theme WE MOVE, and the programme includes Greenwich Fair on 22–23 August and Dancing City on 5 September. Performances take place around central Greenwich, in Greenwich Park, Woolwich and other locations across the royal borough and east London. It forms part of Royal Greenwich Festivals, and everything on the outdoor programme is free.
📍Various locations in Greenwich and east London | 21 August – 6 September 2026
