Things to Do in London in August
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Your August starts here with our trusted list of things to do in London in August.
There’s no need to pack up your bags for Edinburgh Fringe or Clacton, the big smoke has your back!
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Festivals
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Camden Fringe | 1-28 August | All Over Camden | Various Times | Various Prices
A barmy mix of top new talent, all around our favourite north London borough.
Here’s our top 5 to watch out for:
1. Judge Judy’s Buzz World (4-7 August): ‘Pulp Fiction meets the Vagina Monologues in this darkly comic one-woman show.’ We loved this company’s rather wonderful take on postmodern art at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe. It should be a treat!
2. The Death of Gregory Akerman (6-11 August): Gregory Akerman’s poster has a gas mask on it. If that wasn’t enough, his stand up hones in on death. What a trouble maker.
3. The Rudy Vees: Sweet Little Zombies! (23-25 August): ‘The Rudy Vees are a 4 piece acoustic comedy band performing beautifully very original comedy material in perfect harmony.’
4. Cockamamy by Louise Coulthard (18-20 August): An uplifting tragicomedy about the struggles of dementia, supported by the Alzheimers Society.
5. Ya’akobi & Leidental (3-5 August): A grotesque comedy about a love triangle gone wrong from international ensemble Éternels Vagabonds, who are raising the profile of Israeli and Eastern European dramatists in the UK.
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Clerkenwell Festival | 28 August | Spa Fields Park | 1pm-6:30pm | FREE
Our fave garage-rock sensations from 2002 – The Parkinsons – are live at this free festival-cum-jumble.
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Cross Fest | 12-14 August | New Cross | £5
The punk DIY spirit lives on in Zone 2, with this epic weekend of RnR just down the road from To Do List HQ.
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NT River Stage | Weekends 5-7, 12-14, 19-21 & 26-29 August | Outside National Theatre, Waterloo | FREE
A lovely excuse to spend more time on the South Bank. Pull up a deck chair and be entertained by curated line ups from Latitude Festival, Rambert and the National Theatre themselves.
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Visions Festival | 6 August | Hackney | £35
Music so cool it’s you could chill a G&T with it, alongside top market stalls and a dog show. This is the new Field Day.
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The Hackney Downs Free Festival | 27 August | The Star by Hackney Downs | 12pm-8pm | FREE
Not been to Hackney Downs? Summer is the time to remedy that, and this ace free festival sees the park alive with plenty of stalls to make the perfect mooch for a sunny Saturday afternoon.
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Under the Stars | 18-21 August | Central Park, East Ham | FREE
A free outdoor music festival in Newham, including the wonderful Björn Again and plenty of local discoveries!
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Africa Utopia | 31 August – 4 September | Southbank Centre
African culture is explored on the South Bank at this summertime festival celebrating the best the continent has to offer.
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Music
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Curtain Call Live | 10-25 August | Roundhouse, Camden | £15
A 360° immersive gig experience with acts such as Gaika (pictured, 11th August), who promises to create an immersive clubbing experience inspired by Akira, Brixton and SECURITY.
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Theatre & Shows
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Air Play | 9-14 August | Southbank Centre | Various Times | From £10
This show looks mad and spectacular in a beautiful way. Bring out the child in you or be the coolest relative and take someone special to this.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Groundhog Day | Until 17 September | The Old Vic | 7:30pm (Wed & Sat Mat: 2:30pm) | £12 – £67.50
We saw a preview of a song from Tim Minchin (Matilda the Musical) on the South Bank Sky Arts Awards and if the rest of this show lives up to that one taster, it’s defo a goer![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Events & Exhibitions
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Well Street Market Against Racism | 6 August | 12pm-9pm | FREE
East End street party with food, raising money and awareness for the ongoing fight against racism. Sounds good to us![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]
An Evening of Rubbish with Sue Tilley and Just May | LimeWharf | 18 August | 6pm-10pm
An enlightening evening with the legendary club kids Sue Tilley and Just May. Get there early to sample the Iceland buffet…[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Camberwell Fair | 20 August | Burgess Park | FREE
2 stages, stalls-a-plenty, and lots of fun activities at this summer fair prove yet again that Camberwell is so much more than Morrisons![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Film
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RVT Film Club: Acorn Antiques Series One | RVT | 3 August | 8pm | FREE
Celebrate the late Victoria Wood’s incredible writing talents, alongside Julie Walters’ coup-d’idiot as the divine cleaner Mrs Overall.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Day Trips
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Brighton Pride | 5-7 August
Our favourite Pride festival has a lot of heart, and this year a superb line up including Sister Sledge, Carly Rae Jepsen, Fleur East, Lipa and Sink the Pink. Our tip is to head to Dynamite Boogaloo on Saturday night for a polysexual cabaret party where ‘too much is never enough’.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Kynren | 12, 13, 20, 27, 28 August & 3, 10, 17 September | Bishops Stortford, Durham
An epic belter of a British history on the scale of the London 2012 Opening Ceremony is worth the journey thanks to live sheep, 1000 performers and fireworks galore.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
World Gravy Wrestling Championships 2016 | 29 August | The Rose ‘N’ Bowl, Stacksteads
At last a sport we can truly get our chops around. Forget the olympics, watch larger men battle for glory in this roast like no other![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Did we forget anything for our top things to do in London in August? Leave a comment below with your thoughts…
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I am Joint Editor at To Do List. I like free, cheap & offbeat London, especially: cabaret, art, theatre, pop-ups, eating out, quirky films, museums, day trips, social enterprise & much more.
