Things To Do
Guide
Things to do in London This Week: 20 July – 26 July
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 20 July – 26 July) include an array new hits on the West End, the London Athletics Meet, and System of a Down’s metal stadium experience.
Best London Events this Week
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
See a subversive spin on Greek tragedy Oresteia
- Where? The Bridge Theatre, 3 Potters Flds Pk, London SE1 2SG.
- When: Until 19 September
Whether it’s a Verdi opera or Chekhov, writer-director Simon Stone has a reputation for thought-provoking theatre turbocharged by the classics. This time, the spark is provided by Aeschylus’ The Oresteia, a trilogy of Greek tragedies written in the 5th-century BC, adapted to strike at the very heart of 21st-century London: a contemporary family wakes up trapped in a Greek myth, and a devastating fate they can’t seem to break out of. As Stone put it, “As long as humankind wages wars and as long as families tear themselves apart, this story will remain painfully, cathartically relevant.”
Get tickets to The Oresteia at The Bridge Theatre
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
See rock A-lister Jack White’s first public art exhibition
- Where? Newport Street Gallery, 1 Newport Street, London, SE11 6AJ.
- When: Until 13 September
Embodying Damien Hirst’s dream to share his art collection with the public, Vauxhall’s impressive Newport Street Gallery spans five buildings and half the length of the street. But there’s one more reason to visit this summer: THESE THOUGHTS MAY DISAPPEAR gathers new works by Jack White, of White Stripes and Third Man Records fame, in a free exhibition centred on sculptures made with found objects, including interactive works, installations and furniture design products. The interdisciplinary artist’s seventh solo album Frozen Charlotte is coming this July, so consider this a fitting warm-up. A seven nation army couldn’t hold us back.
Find out more about Jack Whitehall’s art exhibition
Theatre & Comedy
Dive into the art of comical deception at The Truth
- Where? Apollo Theatre, 31 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, United Kingdom, W1D 7EZ.
- When: Until 12 September
When Oscar-winning writer Florian Zeller decides to strip back the layers of marital infidelity, we’re all here for it. With director Lindsay Posner at the helm, this starry West End revival of Olivier-nominated farce The Truth gleefully uncovers two married couples’ web of secrets — while asking some thought-provoking questions about the lies we tell ourselves. Tony Award-nominated Stephen Mangan, comedy vet Ardal O’Hanlon (Father Ted, My Hero), two-time Olivier Award winner Janie Dee and Sarah Hadland (Miranda, The Job Lot) throw themselves into the mess with sly, laugh-out-loud brilliance.
Get tickets to The Truth at Apollo Theatre
Go full throttle with comic Christina P
- Where? Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, London, WC2H 7BX.
- When: Wednesday 22 July
Whether you regularly tune into her hit comedy podcast Your Mom’s House, which she co-hosts with comedian Tom Segura — giving rise to countless viral moments and running gags along the way — or have caught her on Netflix specials Christina P: Mom Genes and Mother Inferior, there’s an unshakeable truth about Christina Pazsitzky: she faces daily life’s messy realities and motherhood mishaps as a riotous, red-lipped Gen-Xer head on. Get up close and personal with the no-nonsense comic this Wednesday, as she takes the stage in central London to treat her fellow “Mommies” and free-spirited “low and loose Jeans”, to a 90-minute live special.
Get tickets to Christina P at Leicester Square Theatre
Roar with laughter on Α Wild Night of Comedy
- Where? The Comedy Store, 1a Oxendon Street, London, SW1Y4EE.
- When: Wednesday 22 July
Supporting over 40 threatened species with projects in 25 countries, Tusk Trust is a community-driven champion of Africa’s wildlife and biodiversity. Between battling evolving threats, the organisation and its partners also love having a good old laugh. Join them this Wednesday for A Wild Night of Comedy led by a rip-roaring line-up of stand-ups, including Catherine Bohart, Tadiwa Mahlunge, Bec Hill, and Hasan Al-Habib, with Alfie Dundas on MC duty. All proceeds will go towards protecting Africa’s incredible wildlife and habitats, and the communities who live alongside them.
Get tickets to A Wild Night of Comedy at The Comedy Store
Lift your spirits with Maureen Lipman’s unstoppable Allegra
- Where? Harold Pinter Theatre, Panton St, London SW1Y 4DN.
- When: 8 July – 8 August
Allegra means cheerful, and Dame Maureen Lipman’s high-spirited heroine couldn’t embody the word more fully. Unexpectedly bursting into song in larger-than-life performances at home, at the bakery or the butcher’s, she occasionally gets rewarded with angry visits from the village policeman, that Allegra’s brother, Ronen, and her carer, Anna, do their best to contain. Olivier Award-nominated playwright Peter Quilter wanted to spread rays of light in these dark times, filling this comedy with humour, hope and heart. Stephen Mear directs and choreographs; co-stars John Middleton, Elizabeth Bower and Bailey Patrick help bring it to life.
Fall under the musical spell of Dark of the Moon
- Where? Charing Cross Theatre, The Arches, Villiers Street, London, WC2N 6NL.
- When: Until 8 August
Barbara Allen lives in a rural Appalachian town, seemingly a world away from the mystical community of witches and warlocks from the Smoky Mountains towering above it. But when she falls for a warlock, John, their polar opposite realities merge against their communities’ fears and prejudices. With a soundtrack from bluegrass to rock capturing rising tensions and conflicting emotions, Dark of the Moon ramps up the romance across the divide. But there’s tough choices to be made, that the two lovers can’t seem to conjure away… “Being human is heartbreak.”
Get tickets to Dark of the Moon at Charing Cross Theatre
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
Walk down Avenue Q with NYC’s most mischievous puppets
- Where? Shaftesbury Theatre, 210 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8DP
- When: Until 29 August
Puppet nudity. Lucy the Slut. Bad Idea Bear: multiple Tony Award winner Avenue Q is packed with outrageous comedy and irreverent characters — and, two decades on, it’s back in the West End for a felt-tastic revival. Follow young Princeton and his fuzzy neighbours on New York’s rundown Avenue Q as they face a triple whammy of work, love and paying the bills, brought to you by original Broadway director Jason Moore (Pitch Perfect, Shrek the Musical) and puppet designer Rick Lyon. Expect the gang to get down and dirty. The struggle is real.
Get tickets to Avenue Q at Shaftesbury Theatre
Roll back to Tudor England with timely comedy 1536
- Where? Ambassadors Theatre, West St, London WC2H 9ND.
- When: Until 1 August
Royal and rural sensibilities collide in Tudor England in the strikingly resonant 1536. After a sold-out run at Almeida Theatre, the chillingly comic period play made its West End debut this May with a dusting of Hollywood glamour — Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap Entertainment jumped on board the transfer as co-producers. Winner of the 2024 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, writer Ava Pickett’s debut burns with savage, timely wit as three childhood friends in Essex share the latest London gossip about King Henry VIII’s displeasure with his Queen, Anne Boleyn. But the violence in a world stacked against women suddenly feels alarmingly close…
Get tickets to 1536 at Ambassadors Theatre
Music & Nightlife
Bask in Juanes’ Latin pop sunshine
- Where? O2 Forum Kentish Town, 9 – 17 Highgate RD, Kentish Town, London, NW5 1JY.
- When: Monday 20 July
After 26 Latin Grammy and 3 Grammy Awards, including for his 2023 pandemic-inspired record Vida Cotidiana, is the Latin pop superstar in danger of running out of steam? Anything but. Released in spring 2026, the artist’s 11th LP Juanesteban is a 16-track concept album meshing rock, cumbia and traditional folk alongside collabs with boundary-pushing artists such as Bomba Estéreo, Mon Laferte and Rawayana. Sway to sun-dappled new tracks ‘Timelapse de Sol’ and ‘Muérdeme’ alongside old favourite ‘La Camisa Negra’ tonight Monday, as Juanes gives a special concert in London, as part of his World Tour 2026, to celebrate Colombia’s Independence Day.
Get tickets to Juanes at O2 Forum Kentish Town
Share the vibes at The Cribs’ indie rock comeback
- Where? Somerset House, Strand, London, WC2R 1LA.
- When: Monday 20 July
One of the UK’s most revered indie rock bands, The Cribs are Selling A Vibe — and we’re buying. Gary, Ryan and Ross Jarman released their first record in over five years at the beginning of 2026, entering the UK album top five for the first time. This Monday, the trio light up the elegant 18th-century courtyard of Somerset House with their live-wire energy, as part of the cultural complex’s popular Summer Series. Expect to get all the feels alongside the gritty, hook-laden choruses that have kept The Cribs rocking in over two decades of history. These ‘Brothers Won’t Break’.
Get tickets to The Cribs at Somerset House
Dial up the pop drama with Adam Lambert
- Where? Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road, Camden, London, NW1 8EH.
- When: Tuesday 21 July
He’s the master of High Drama; but over three years after flexing his impressive vocal muscles on a record of covers, Adam Lambert is back with his visionary sixth studio LP ADAM, released this July. Recounting stories of intimacy, desire and self-worth, the pop powerhouse transports us into a brutalist metropolis filled with imposing pop-rock choruses, interspersed with moody synths and rays of luminous Eurodance. Hear the album first this Tuesday, as part of the star’s four-city mini tour, and get immersed in the futuristic universe of an American Idol that never fails to keeps fans on their toes.
Get tickets to Adam Lambert at Roundhouse
Bliss out with blazing rockers Black Pistol Fire
- Where? The Garage, 20-22 Highbury Corner, London, N5 1RD.
- When: Thursday 23 July
Since their self-released debut in the early 2010s, Black Pistol Fire’s Kevin McKeown and Eric Owen have been building an arsenal of raw garage rock and bluesy, southern heat, their stripped-back vocal/guitar-drums sound only serving to amplify the tension. Following a five-year absence from the studio, their seventh record Flagrant Act of Bliss came at the start of 2026 after a lot of “time spent mining in the shadows of the soul,” exposing the vulnerability behind the rock firepower. The duo come to London with guns blazing this Thursday for a live show with special guests The Howlers.
Get tickets to Black Pistol Fire at The Garage
Relive the golden age of R&B with Donell Jones and Ginuwine
- Where? Troxy, 490 Commercial Road, London, E10HX.
- When: Friday 24 July
‘U Know What’s Up’: two R&B Icons of the late ‘90s and 2000s lead a swaggering ride back to a time when soulful, rap-laced hooks powered some of the genre’s most enduring anthems. With Billboard Hot 100 classics such as 1999’s Where I Wanna Be under his belt, R&B trendsetter Donell Jones is a force to be reckoned with behind the mic and behind the boards. He trades silky grooves with ‘Pony’ and ‘Differences’ big-hitter Ginuwine, together bringing to life tracks that ignite late nights and fill dance floors two decades later. This Friday, it’s where we wanna be.
Get tickets to Donell Jones and Ginuwine at Troxy
Dive into new jazz landscapes with Myele Manzanza
- Where? Vortex Jazz Club, 11 Gillet Square, London, N168AZ.
- When: Saturday 25 July
A London-based drummer and composer driven by the power of music as a universal language, Myele Manzanza takes the stage this Saturday to premiere new works alongside daring, pulse-setting dives into thrilling improv territory. Faye Thompson (alto saxophone), Gloria Yehilevsky (vibraphone), Kirke Gross (cello) and Rio Kai (double bass) will be joining the musician as he roams the liminal spaces between jazz and contemporary, propelled by a collaborative spirit, and with rhythm as a connecting thread. Dalston’s Vortex Jazz Club is just the springboard to the unknown.
Get tickets to Myele Manzanza at Vortex Jazz Club
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
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
Combine circus and sensory storytelling at Ensemble Festival 2026
- Where? Royal Victoria Dock, Western Gateway, London, E16 1FA.
- When: 25 & 26 July
Physical comedy. Wire walking. A Gujarati folk dance. A suspended clown. If you need more reasons to head down to the Royal Docks this Saturday and Sunday, check out Ensemble Festival 2026’s full programme for a weekend of free, genre-juggling, gravity-defying entertainment. Once London’s gateway to world trade, the regenerated docks in Newham are now an emerging cultural destination. There’s also Summer Splash: their free open water lido returns this Friday with a sun-soaked combo of swimming, sandpits and deckchairs, for three weeks only (24/7-16/8).
Find out more about Ensemble Festival 2026
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
Walk into royal tutors’ shoes at Charlton House & Gardens
- Where? Charlton House & Gardens, Charlton Road, London, SE7 8RE.
- When: Open six days a week.
A south-east London Jacobean manor house with a history of over 400 years, Charlton House is one of the finest in England. And it’s free to explore, including its original 17th-century features, walled gardens, intriguing collections, from cooking to crafting, and the stories of its residents — royal tutors, baronets and prime ministers with ties to the monarchy, trade and two world wars. If you’re around Tuesday lunchtime, also keep an ear out for the free weekly concerts at the house’s Old Library. This week, harpist Llywelyn Ifan Jones will be effortlessly mixing Debussy and Philip Glass.
Explore The Art of Care with tomorrow’s doctors
- Where? Science Gallery London, Great Maze Pond, London, SE 9GU.
- When: 22 June – 31 July
Art can help shape more empathetic, thoughtful doctors, and a free exhibition featuring works from nearly 500 second-year students at King’s College London is the proof. The works in The Art of Care: Through the Eyes of Tomorrow’s Doctors were produced during the students’ year-long GP placement, which gave them fresh insight into the realities that shape health, illness and access to care. Supported by both clinicians and artists, they then responded with painting, sculpture, poetry, photography, film and interactive work, exploring themes like multiculturalism in healthcare and digital and social barriers faced by vulnerable communities. The results are both eye-pleasing and eye-opening.
Get tickets to exhibitions at the Science Gallery
Step inside a tunnel of soil and spices at the Barbican
- Where: Sculpture Court, Barbican Centre, Silk St, Barbican, London EC2Y 8DS.
- When: Until 31 July
Inspired by ancestral Andean and Amazonian traditions, Colombian artist Delcy Morelos invites Londoners to reconnect with the earth at the heart of a utopic urban project for communal living, the Barbican. Her free-to-visit, 24-metre-wide installation origo (origin in Latin) is made of soil, clay and fragrant spices, its tunnels and shifting light offering fertile ground for exploration of “the delicate and powerful web of existence”. The first artwork to grace the centre’s Sculpture Court in 10 years, origo is also the most ambitious outdoor work featured in the space yet.
Find out more about what’s on at The Barbican
Experience wartime London through art
- Where? Imperial War Museum London, Lambeth Road, SE1 6HZ
- When: Until 1 November
During the Second World War, the British government commissioned artists to document how the war transformed the city and its people. Many of these works have now made their way into the Imperial War Museum’s Beauty and Destruction: Wartime London in Art, a free exhibition of paintings, drawings, photographs and oral histories zooming in on a city on fire, its residents lost, displaced, but also beautifully resilient. From St Paul’s Cathedral to the Docklands, see life in wartime London unfold in vivid detail — while kids can also engage with the artworks on a family-friendly ‘stamper’ trail.
Find out what’s on at the Imperial War Museum
Relive the days of Cool Brittania at the Barbican
- Where? Barbican Music Library, Level 2, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS.
- When: Until 19 September
From music and fashion to football and food, there was no better place to be in the ‘90s than London. Enter the time capsule at 1996: 30 years on – The wildest year of Britain’s wildest decade, a free exhibition at the Barbican Music Library curated by author, broadcaster and former editor of The Sun Dominic Mohan, bringing together original costumes worn by the Spice Girls, previously unseen Oasis memorabilia, personal items from the likes of DJ Paul Oakenfold and more. Get rare peeks into art, dance culture and politics from a decade that oozed with cool — and keep an eye out for a series of Q&As with key figures of the time for a first-hand deep dive.
Find out more about Barbican Music Library
