8 Best Things to Do This Summer in London

Notting Hill Carnival festival celebrates Caribbean culture with Europe’s largest street party. The parade route goes through several neighborhoods in West London. It’s held every year on August Bank Vacation Weekend, so take the Tube to Westbourne Park or Notting Hill Gate then walk to the parade area.

You can choose to stand and watch the floats with steel bands, DJs, and hordes of dancers roll by, or you can follow a float if you like their style. Jerk chicken and other Caribbean dishes are widely available from food trucks dotted all along the parade routes. Millions of people enjoy the carnival each year, with the main parade on the Monday, and Sunday generally considered the family day.

Hyde Park is London’s biggest park and, in the summertime, it becomes the de facto hangout spot for Londoners. Friends and families come here to throw a frisbee and have a picnic while enjoying the nice weather.

Along with large summer music festivals like British Summer Time, you can enjoy more casual events like big screens showing the summer’s sporting events, film screenings and pop-up food festivals

Watching a classic movie on location gives an added poignancy to the story that unfolds. Imagine watching Jaws on a dinghy on a lake or a classic horror movie in a cemetery (don’t worry, not all the options are so frightening).

Throughout the summer in London, you’ll find a host of outdoor cinema screenings, in places such as Trafalgar Square, Hyde Park, a ferry on the River Thames and many rooftops throughout the capital. You can find out more about these pop-up events online.

Hosted by the Royal Horticultural Society, the Chelsea Flower Show is a gathering of the world’s finest landscape designers, who compete to build the best flower gardens. Every year sees more conceptual creations and the results are surprisingly artistic. There’s also gardening advice and presentations on anything from the power of plant healing to conservation.

Located in the grounds of Royal Hospital Chelsea, the nearest Tube station is Sloane Square. On the final day of the festival, many of the plants and flowers are sold at huge discounts, so bear that in mind if you like a bargain.

The Serpentine is a large manmade lake in Hyde Park. Among other activities available on the water, there’s a swimming section known as the Lido. Roped off with buoys, it’s a lovely place to spend a summer afternoon. The water that feeds the lake comes from 3 bore holes and is tested every week, so you can be sure it’s clean.

After a brisk swim you can relax on the sun loungers, have a drink in the café and take the kids to the playground. There are also rowing boats on the opposite side of the lake.

Watching outdoor theatre is a popular evening activity in London in the summer. There’s a total of 5 plays performed throughout the summer, one every evening, ranging from opera to Shakespeare to children’s theatre. The exact itinerary and tickets can be found online.

The Open Air Theatre is in Regent’s Park, which has its own Tube station. It seats 1,300 people which means it is one of the largest theaters in London. The performances often include the beautiful surroundings as part of the staging.

Running for 8 weeks throughout the summer, the annual Proms season focuses on classical music in a variety of venues throughout London. Prices are kept reasonable for most of the shows, which range from classical concertos played by the world’s finest orchestras to tunes from the musicals and even world music from as far afield as Africa and the Caribbean.

The largest events are held in the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington, but there are also other events such as the Proms in the Park events across the country.

A day out watching tennis at Wimbledon is more than just watching tennis – the sporting aspect is just part of it. Other festive events surrounding The Championships recreate a kind of garden party. You can enjoy a glass of Pimms, eat the traditional strawberries and cream, and hang out admiring the well-dressed crowds. The grass courts and strict dress code give Wimbledon a classic vibe.

Tickets for Centre Court are like gold dust, with people applying months in advance, but it’s usually easier to get tickets to watch tennis on the smaller courts. To get to Wimbledon, take the Tube to Wimbledon Park.