Things To Do
Guide
Things to do in London This Week: 24 – 30 August
Looking for things to do in London this week? We've got you covered
If you’re in the English capital and looking for ways to pass the time, look no further. Whether you’re after a Monday night gig, a midweek matinee or an activity to keep the kids busy after school on Friday, this weekly guide is packed with fun activities to enjoy with your friends, family or on your own. Highlights from this week 24 August – 30 August) include new hits on the West End, up-and-coming comedy stars, and plenty of fun events for the entire family.
Best London Events this Week
Turn up the volume at All Points East 2026
- Where? Victoria Park, Grove Road, London, E3 5TB.
- When: 21 – 23 & 28 – 30 August
East London’s calling once again, as APE’s back for its mighty second weekend: rapper and all-round experimentalist Tyler, The Creator takes the stage on Friday and Saturday with his GRAMMY-nominated Don’t Tap the Glass, presiding over two different line-ups including Rex Orange County, Turnstile, Daniel Caesar and Baby Keem. Superstar alt-rockers Twenty One Pilots headline Sunday on an exclusive UK date with support from Wunderhorse, Ren and Gang of Youths, among others. The duo’s latest album Breach was their second to top the Billboard chart on the week of its release, setting the stage for an August Bank Holiday weekend of vertiginous music highs..
Get tickets to All Points East 2026
Celebrate 60 years of Notting Hill Carnival
- Where? Notting Hill, West London.
- When: 30 & 31 August
It’s been six decades since the streets of West London first filled with this free, colour-popping feast of Caribbean culture, unity, self-expression and belonging. Over two days each year, the carnival brings history and joy, mas and steel bands, striking floats, booming sound systems and live stages spreading sunny vibes and bass-heavy dub, reggae, soca and calypso from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and beyond. Join the largest street festival in Europe as Notting Hill Carnival 2026 kicks off this Sunday with the Families and Children’s Day, before the great Adult Day parade next Monday turns up the volume, and the temperature.
Find out more about Notting Hill Carnival
Hear stories for stargazers at the British Museum
- Where? British Museum, Great Russell St, London WC1B 3DG.
- When: Wednesday 26 August
If you’re a fan of fabulous fables, the British Museum has a treasure trove of intergalactic wonders in store. Join storyteller extraordinaire Olivia Armstrong this Wednesday for Summer Storytelling: Firedrakes, folktales and falling stars, a set of three consecutive sessions for dreamers six years old and over. Feel the mystery and magic of tales inspired by the Milky Way and cosmic comets, narrated by a storyteller accustomed to spreading the word in unusual places like parks, palaces, cathedrals and castles. Just be there early — the sessions are free but on a first-come, first-served basis.
Find out more about Summer Storytelling at the British Museum
Get down and dirty with Jack White’s gritty blues-rock
- Where? Eventim Apollo, Queen Caroline Street, London, W6 9QH.
- When: 25 & 26 August
Jack White sits comfortably among the hardest-working musicians in rock, counting major career highs with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees The White Stripes, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather, alongside his wider output with his label, Third Man Records. And he has 12 GRAMMYs to show for it. Released in July 2026, his seventh solo album Frozen Charlotte whips up a storm with gritty, grimy blues-rock led by his live-wire, unapologetic vocals. This Tuesday and Wednesday, White will be bringing the heat on two phone-free live shows designed to put old-school rebellion back at the heart of rock ‘n’ roll.
Get tickets to Jack White at Eventim Apollo
Dig into Ramses and the Pharaohs’ Gold at Battersea Power Station
Where? NEON at Battersea Power Station, Circus Rd E, Nine Elms, London, SW11 8DQ
When: Open daily
Tutankhamun may be the bigger name, but Ramses the Great and his influential 67-year reign catapulted Ancient Egypt to new heights 3000 years ago, through striking monuments, targeted military tactics and skilful diplomacy. Be transported back to the Valley of the Kings and Egypt’s golden age through 180 invaluable treasures, including the coffin of Ramses II, colossal sculptures, gold masks, animal mummies and priceless jewellery, that have travelled directly from the Egyptian Museum of Cairo to London. They will be displayed alongside virtual reality experiences that give the journey fresh depth, for a limited time only.
Get tickets to Ramses and the Pharaohs’ Gold at Battersea Power Station
Theatre & Comedy
Get transported back to the 90s at Trainspotting the Musical
Where? Theatre Royal Haymarket, London SW1Y 4H.
When: 15 July – 5 September
Based on the cult ‘90s novel by Irvine Welsh, Trainspotting was a decade-defining shocker of a film starring a group of drug addicts in Scotland – gritty, funny, raw, uncompromising. Three decades on, Trainspotting the Musical arrives in London, in a different world, to examine addiction and powerlessness that have taken a different shape, but are evermore present. Directed by Caroline Jay Ranger, written by Welsh, with music and lyrics by Welsh and Stephen McGuinness, the musical’s world premiere in the West End doesn’t have all the answers but invites you to laugh about it – and sing your heart out.
Get tickets to Trainspotting The Musical
Live a global manga phenomenon at Death Note The Musical
Where? Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS.
When: 30 July – 12 September
Light is not your average student: when he discovers a notebook that will determine the fate of anyone whose name he writes down, he suddenly has power over life and death. But can he tell right from wrong? The stakes are even higher with the brilliant detective L on his trail. Catch the world premiere of this reimagined production of Death Note The Musical, based on Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata’s supernatural manga hit, at The Barbican for six weeks only. Can Light change the world, or will he fall into the rabbit hole of darkness?
Get tickets to Death Note The Musical at Barbican Centre
Get a triple whammy of comedy with Guz Khan
- Where? Soho Theatre Walthamstow, 186 Hoe St, London E17 4QH.
- When: 27-29 August
You may have caught Guz Khan at Man Like Mobeen, the BAFTA-nominated BBC comedy he created and stars in; or maybe Taskmaster and Live at the Apollo. But from Thursday to Saturday this week, the comic proudly made in Coventry takes the stage in the British capital, and he invites some of his favourite stand-ups for the ride: Babatunde Aleshe, Jamali Maddix, Michelle De Swarte and many more will be bringing a barrage of sharp observations, hilarious improv with fans, and all-round everyday absurdity topped off with Khan’s unmistakable British-Pakistani spin.
Get tickets to Gus Khan at Soho Theatre Walthamstow
Melt over the galaxy’s greatest love story in Hot Mess
- Where? The Other Palace, 12 Palace Street, London, United Kingdom, SW1E 5JA.
- When: Until 6 September
Earth has been single for 750 million years — but finally, she’s going on a date. And who can resist that gravity? After making waves at Edinburgh Fringe, Hot Mess: A New Musical descends to London to sweep audiences off their feet with the passionate love affair between Earth and Humanity, set to an alluring soundtrack of original back-to-back pop bops. What happens, though, when the relationship spirals into utter chaos? Get out your mini fans for a sizzlingly topical tale of love, loss and climate change from the creators of 42 Balloons, Jack Godfrey and Ellie Coote, until the 6th of September only.
Get tickets to Hot Mess at The Other Palace
Make the most out of life — and death — at Beetlejuice The Musical
Where: Prince Edward Theatre, Old Compton Street, London, W1D 4HS.
When: Six days a week
Are you possessed with Tim Burton’s ‘80s immortal comedy classic? Get ready to juice up your life this week, as the hit Broadway stage adaptation of the film has just crossed over to the West End. Enter broody, black-clad teen Lydia Deetz, who has just moved into a home haunted by newly-deads Adam and Barbara Maitland — and she’s the only one who can actually see them. The unfortunate couple decide to invoke bio-exorcist, aka the “ghost with the most”, Beetlejuice to drive the Deetzes out, unleashing side-splitting chaos and calypso-fuelled catastrophy. Let the haunting begin.
Get tickets to Beetlejuice The Musical at Prince Edward Theatre
Music & Nightlife
Discover Ata Kak’s long-lost Afrofuturist classic
- Where? Jazz Cafe, 5 Parkway, Camden, London, NW1 7PG.
- When: Thursday 27 August
The tale of Ata Kak’s debut album, Obaa Sima, is the stuff of legends. Having sold only three copies when it was self-released back in 1994, the record was rediscovered in the 2000s, and re-released by Awesome Tapes From Africa label a little over a decade ago. And now, London’s Jazz Cafe pays a well-deserved tribute. This Thursday, come celebrate Kak’s exuberant Ghanaian mix of highlife, hip-hop and funk that was way ahead of its time, but is now finally getting the global attention it deserves. Afrobeat-leaning UK duo Two Kalme support.
Get tickets to Ata Kak at Jazz Cafe
Get in ‘Trouble’ with country storyteller Josh Ross
- Where? Electric Ballroom, 184 Camden High ST, London, NW1 8QP.
- When: Thursday 27 August
An emotionally resonant singer-songwriter from Ontario, Canada, Josh Ross climbed the charts and got country central’s attention down in Nashville with tracks like ‘Trouble’ and ‘Single Again’ from his 2024 EP Complicated. Over a year later, he packed personal experiences and rock, rap and piano influences into his first album Later Tonight, which now sits at the heart of his first-ever headline tour of the UK and Europe. He’ll be passing through London this Thursday to share complicated matters and pure party starters — with the Akon-assisted “Drunk Right Now (Na Na Na)” laying the groundwork for the August Bank Holiday weekend ahead.
Get tickets to Josh Ross at Electric Ballroom
Embark on alt-rock adventures in TAHOE with Red Leather
- Where? Islington Assembly Hall, Upper Street, Islington, London, N1 2UD.
- When: Thursday 27 August
Masked, enigmatic figure Red Leather put his cowboy boots on and explored rugged emotional territory between sobriety, addiction and heartbreak, alternative and Americana across two albums, 2023’s RENO and 2026’s TAHOE. The namesake world tour for the latter brings him to London this Thursday for a live show with support from The Romance and JDAY, followed by an extra performance at the All Points East festival this Sunday. We may not get an actual glimpse of ‘THE MAN BEHIND THE MASK’, but the LA-based diarist shows no fear in stripping back the layers with unabashed honesty.
Get tickets to Red Leather at Islington Assembly Hall
Brace for the bass at Channel One’s pre-carnival party
- Where? Village Underground, 54 Holywell Lane, London, EC2A 3PQ.
- When: Friday 28 August
The Notting Hill Carnival is back this August Bank Holiday, and a proper warm-up’s in order. Built on brotherhood and bass by the Bailey brothers, Mikey Dread and Jah T, the UK’s Channel One Sound System count over four decades of taking roots and dub from local parties to global dancehalls. Their first appearance at Notting Hill Carnival was in 1983, while their credits this year include the carnival in Bahia, Brazil. Join them this Friday for a night of gut-shaking, barrier-breaking reggae as the UK’s greatest celebration of Caribbean culture demands.
Get tickets to Channel One at Village Underground
Embark on a pop-fuelled ABBA Voyage
Where? ABBA Arena, 1 Pudding Mill Lane, London, E15 2RU
When: Ongoing
ABBA’s last public performance took place on December 11, 1982. Sadly, we can’t send you back in time to see the pop supergroup in their prime, but we do have the next best thing. Blending state-of-the-art technology and some of the most beloved pop records in history, ABBA Voyage sees Sweden’s fab four return to the stage of a purpose-built arena, in truly spectacular fashion — as digital avatars. Join the glitter-studded gang and their 10-strong live crew on a jaw-dropping, 100-minute voyage, fuelled by back-to-back choruses that hit all the right notes for an evening of high-spirited singalongs and dancing.
Sport
Go all in at All Elite Wrestling
- Where? Wembley Stadium, South Way, Wembley, London, HA90WS.
- When: 28-30 August
Wembley Stadium celebrates this August Bank Holiday weekend with a thud as it welcomes the greatest wrestlers on the planet. In its record-breaking first year, in 2023, AEW: All In drew over 80,000 fans from more than 70 countries. But All Elite Wrestling 2026 comes with special treats: this Friday and Saturday, entertainment kicks off early at The Great Hall with Welcome to Wembley! Fan Experience, mixing live photo ops with AEW talent and the AEW World Championship Belt with live DJ sets. Adrenaline-pumping thrills then await on Sunday’s wrestling summit, as the likes of Kenny Omega and Mercedes Moné throw themselves into the battle for the world title.
Get tickets to All Elite Wresting at Wembley Stadium
Feel the pulse of summer at the Fulham Pier
Where? Fulham Pier, London SW6 6HH.
When: Ongoing
Craven Cottage has been the home of Fulham F.C. since 1896, but its recent revamp is not just for football fans. Fulham Pier last summer saw a once-inaccessible part of the riverside open to the community, which steadily flocks here for a raft of art, culture, fitness and family events. Apart from the free live football and Wimbledon screenings, their Summer at the Pier season amps up the energy every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, as riverside DJs trade sunny grooves and searing floor fillers. Mixing street food with interactive digital art, the Riverside Market food hall will also make sure you never run out of fuel.
Family
Feast on art at Greenwich+Docklands International Festival
Where? Greenwich Peninsula, Woolwich, Romford, Stratford, Newham, Thamesmead.
When: 21 August – 6 September
A massive explosion of talent, colour and sound comes to life from this Friday at the Greenwich+Docklands International Festival, as circus, theatre, dance and immersive installations take over scenic city locations across three consecutive weekends; and it’s all for free. Watch two performers defy gravity on a giant sundial at Inertie. Join The Aunties: House of Masks, a lovingly unfiltered exploration between dance and poetry. Skate along to live DJs against a magnificent London sunset at Skate Jam. The whole world’s a stage.
Brave prehistoric dangers at Dinosaur World Live!
- Where? Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, 3 Fulton Rd, Wembley Park, Wembley HA9 0SP.
- When: Until 6 September
They are thought to have gone extinct 66 million years ago, but dinosaurs are back and roaming London, for a few weeks only: experience the Jurassic dangers and delights of Dinosaur World Live! among the Triceratops, the Giraffatitan and the greatest of them all, the Tyrannosaurus Rex in a roaring, Olivier Award-winning adventure for explorers young and old. The bravest in the family can even follow up the live show with a 15-minute meet-and-greet. Mammoth entertainment is guaranteed.
Get tickets to Dinosaur World Live! at Troubadour Wembley Park Theare
Chill out on Costa Del Croydon
Where? Costa del Croydon, Centrale Shopping Centre, Level 3A car park, CR0 1XT
When: 7 – 31 August
This August, ditch Costa del Sol and take a short train ride south to Costa Del Croydon, the capital’s free rooftop beach escape that has completely transformed a shopping mall car park. Spirits are always high on the Croydon coast with splash zones, fairground rides, family games, a giant chessboard and a giant sandpit, with street food and sweet treats served against the dynamic cityscape. New for 2026, starting this Thursday, The Beach Club’s weekly adult-only socials will be taking al fresco post-work drinks to the next level with DJs and live music, themed activities, creative workshops and more.
Battle uncontrollable laughter at Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain
Where? Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 7EZ
When: 31 July – 31 August
Queen Boudica? Dick Turpin? The Night Soil Men? If you’ve ever dreamt of meeting history’s famous dead people all in one place, we’ve got something for you. Forget the classroom and step into the Apollo Theatre this August to learn and laugh out loud, as wicked family show Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain – The Best Bits returns to the West End — and it’ll spare you no gory, nasty, putrid detail from the Isles’ glorious past. Experience the explosive adventures of Gunpowder Guy, the unpleasantries of the plague, funny misfortunes, and freaky facts. This history lesson will blow your socks off!
Get tickets to Horrible Histories at Apollo Theatre
Explode with excitement at Brainiac Live
Where? Garrick Theatre, Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0HH.
When: 26 July – 30 August
Science has a license to thrill at Brainiac Live, the West End’s smartest, loudest, Olivier Award-winning show that will galvanise the whole family this summer. Where there is smoke, there’s undoubtedly fire with this brilliant, fun-loving crew of scientists in charge of jaw-dropping experiments, back-to-back explosions and silly audience interaction that will keep your brain alert and your adrenaline pumping. Just strictly come cheering ― learning shouldn’t be so much fun.
Get your science on at Brainiac Live
Move, play and Be Like Blippi!
Where? The Arts at Marble Arch, Marble Arch, London W1H 7DX
When: 3 – 30 August
Go ahead and grab your orange glasses: this summer’s Be Like Blippi Tour! is landing in London with a brand-new interactive show for the whole family, a 60-minute theatrical adventure that invites you to play, learn and explore — and it simply thrives on audience participation. Unleash your curiosity with the bespectacled Blippi and his friend Meekah, and get to know your Pteranodons from your T-Rexs in an infectious “Dino Dance”. Like the song says, “there’s just so much to learn about, it’ll make you wanna shout.” And here, you can.
Get tickets to Be Like Blippi! at The Arts at Marble Arch
Indulge your illusions at Now You See Me Live!
Where? London Coliseum, St Martin’s Lane, London WC2N 4ES
When: 31 July – 6 September
Four world-class illusionists. One film franchise — one spellbinding spectacle. Counting thousands of shows between them and sell-out residencies on Broadway, Las Vegas and beyond, Enzo Weyne, Andrew Basso, Gabriella Lester and Matthew Pomeroy join preternatural forces as The Horsemen for the London premiere of Now You See Me Live!, a maelstrom of high-tech illusions, solo stunts and mesmerising storytelling inspired by the blockbuster films. Special guests like Britain’s Got Talent’s Eden Choi, Fraser Penman and Rafferty Coope help take the magic to the next level. Ready to question your reality?
Get tickets to Now You See Me Live! at London Coliseum
Grab a seat for The Tiger Who Came To Tea
Where? Theatre Royal Haymarket, Haymarket, London. SW1Y 4HT
When: Until 5 September
It’s one of the most cherished children’s stories of all time, and it’s back this year for another West End run to light up your summer. Adapted and directed by David Wood, Judith Kerr’s The Tiger Who Came To Tea leaps from the page to the stage in a musical chock-full with fantastical twists, sticky melodies and dramatic delights. Sophie and her mum one day receive an unexpected guest for tea — a big cat with an even bigger appetite. The only problem? The ravenous beast drinks and eats every delicious treat in sight. Let the roaring singalongs begin.
Get ticket to The Tiger Who Came to Tea at Theatre Royal Haymarket
Let your creativity blossom at Green Shoots!
Where? Southwark Park Galleries, 1 Park Approach, Southwark Park, London, SE16 2UA
When: Until 11 October
A Grade II-listed park with a 150-year history in Bermondsey, Southwark Park offers peaceful moments to enjoy any time of year. But, this week and every second Saturday of the month, families have a fresh reason to visit, beyond the beautiful spring scenery. Join artists Abigail Hunt and Alexa Lowe at the Southwark Park Galleries for Green Shoots!, their free, drop-in family sessions exploring the flora and fauna in the garden of the Lake Gallery, then inviting kids to get down and dirty by creating their own eco-friendly masterpieces. Recommended for children up to 11.
Find out more about Green Shoots
Immersive Experiences
Time travel to 19th-century Paris at CHAT NOIR!
Where? The Lost Estate, London W14 9PL
When: Until 20 September
What if, for one night this week, you could leave London behind and step into the bohemian playground that was 1890s Montmartre? Enter CHAT NOIR! the birthplace of the world’s first cabaret, recreated by UK immersive masterminds The Lost Estate. A candlelit, velvet-clad, secret society of dancers, illusionists, musicians and mimes, with impresario Rudolphe Salis, at its pulsing core. A three-course banquet of French haute cuisine and naughty cocktails await for a delicious taste of Parisian Belle Époque. Just seat back, take a sip and let an anarchic mix of art and absinthe capture your senses. What happens in Paris, stays in Paris.
Step into a multi-sensory art experience at FRAMELESS
Where? FRAMELESS, 6 Marble Arch, London W1H 7AP
When: Open daily
When you really love a painting, you don’t want to just look at it — you want to live in it. An immersive experience redefining the concept of art exhibition as we know it, FRAMELESS assembles 42 famous artworks by great masters like Cezanne, Kandinsky, Dali, Klimt, Van Gogh and many more, turning each classic into a full-blown, multi-sensory spectacle. Across four distinct galleries, you can now step into a world Beyond Reality, see Colour in Motion, learn The Art of Abstraction and see stunning new perspectives of The World Around Us in a series of eye-popping displays that take each artwork to a whole new level.
See London from above with an iconic Chimney Lift
Where? Battersea Power Station, Circus Rd W, Nine Elms, London SW11 8DD.
When: Ongoing
The Battersea Power Station is one of London’s most eye-catching landmarks, today sitting at the heart of a bustling new riverside neighbourhood. But how did it all really come to life? Find out at the striking Art Deco Turbine Hall A, where The Exhibition gathers a host of historic and hands-on treats, including the original 1920s office of the station’s architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott and an interactive illustrated wall delving into the icon’s construction. The experience culminates with a fascinating ascent 109 metres high, to the top of the north-west chimney, where the breathtaking London skyline awaits — complete with a bird’s eye view of the Power Station itself, of course.
Get tickets for the Chimney Life at Battersea Power Station
London Museums and Galleries
Rebel and rejoice at London’s new Museum of Youth Culture
Where? MYOC, St Pancras Campus, 100 Royal College Street, NW1 0TH.
When: Wednesday – Sunday
Centred around the rich archives that photographer Jon Swinstead has been collecting for over thirty years, the world’s first Museum of Youth Culture opened in Camden in June 2026 to celebrate teen life in all its rebellious drama and glory. Over half a century of real-life stories unfolds through visuals and rare, nostalgia-drenched objects once treasured by Teddy Boys, mods, skaters, break-dancers and goths, in Britain and beyond. It’s a moving and often hilarious exploration — and don’t forget to keep an eye out for special events, like MYOC’s Summer Youth Club for under 18s.
Escape to Serendipity Island at Tate Modern
Where? Turbine Hall, Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG.
When: Until 31 August
Lina Lapelytė is not the kind of artist who wants you just to show up and gasp at her latest work. After filling a Berlin train station with 400,000 wood cubes to inspire people to build (or demolish) something, she now invites you to a free creative journey of movement and sound down Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall. Enter Serendipity Island, a maze-like installation filled with prompts that invite you to move, make a noise, or become part of a shared composition by improvising a series of actions. Anything can happen on this adventurous destination of connection and play.
Wander spaces of grief and possibility at the Wellcome Collection
Where? Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE.
When: 10 July – 7 February 2027
Rudy Loewe’s artistic meditations on Black people’s lived experiences with mental healthcare in the UK don’t come from a happy place. But, although their starting point is racist discrimination, his mission is to arrive to a place of hope. The sculptures, paintings, sound and more displayed in the free exhibition Intimacies of Care – Spaces of Grief and Possibility give glimpses of a system that is more equitable and supportive through alternative, more empathetic approaches to care, reflecting Loewe’s roots in resistance histories, African and Caribbean folklore. They are also powered by the community, in collaboration with grassroots organisations like ADHD Babes.
Discover gripping stories of Childhood in War
Where? IWM London, Lambeth Road, London, SE1 6HZ.
When: 31 July – 28 February 2027
We often hear stories of children in conflict, but we rarely get the chance to go behind the scenes and experience the world through their eyes. The Imperial Museum London’s free, interactive exhibition Childhood in War looks back in time, from 1914 to the present day, highlighting little-known chapters and tales of adaptability and resilience in the face of extraordinary challenges. Step into an evacuee train carriage or a Cold War-era kitchen, and discover how children spotted enemy ships, as books, installations and rare objects bring their unique minds and voices vividly to life.
Find out more about the exhibition
