Unmissable Summer Things to Do In London in July & August 2019

Summer is here and we’re here to make sure your London visit or staycation is out of this world.

Here’s our guide to July and August in London.

Festivals & Seasons

A Bit Of A Do | Stanley Halls | 5-7 July | FREE

Theatre, dance and cabaret, by artists and companies with and without disabilities including South London Inclusive Dance Experience (SLiDE) – pictured above).

Turning Tides Festival | The Tide | 5-7 & 12-14 July | FREE

London’s newest riverside park opens with this eclectic free festival with acts, art and events from Ethiopian jazz star Mulato Astatke (pictured above left) to leftfield drag sensations Sink the Pink.

Walthamstow Garden Party | Lloyd Park | 13-14 July | From 12pm | FREE

Walthamstow comes to life with this free festival curated by the Barbican.

Latitude Festival | Henham Park, Suffolk | 18-21 July | From £77.50

Lana del Rey, Sigrid, Frank Skinner, Charlie Brooker and many more collide for Suffolk’s arty party. Swimming lake and pink sheep included.

Moon Festival | Various Venues | 19-26 July | Times Vary | Prices Vary

Celebrate the moon with this festival of lunar joy. Highlights for us must be a symposium with Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid’s Tale) and our favourite science boffin Maggie Aderin-Pocock.

Chingfest | Ridgeway Park | 31 August | From 1pm | FREE

Discover Chingford as Ridgeway Park hosts this free family music festival.

Cabaret & Variety

Bourgeois & Maurice’s Supercreeps | Wilton’s Music Hall | 2-6 July | 7:45pm | From £10

Satire-pumped duo Bourgeois and Maurice invite special guests including funny man Mawaan Rizwan, Diane Chorley and Myra Dubois every night for cabaret mayhem.

Mariah & Friendz | Underbelly Festival Southbank | 11 July | 9:30pm | From £17

Daring sassy circus, fierce fresh kweens and everything imbetween at the most fun-packed jamboree on the South Bank.

Talks & Lectures

Queens of Punk: Poly Styrene and Jordan | British Library | 4 July | 7pm | £15

2 punk legends Jordan and Poly Styrene (Xray Spex) unite for this book floggathon.

Film & TV

MUBI X FRINGE! KNIFE+HEART Q&A PREVIEW | Rio Cinema | 4 July | 8pm | £12.50

Vanessa Paradis stars in this queer slasher romp.

Loco Film Festival | Southbank | 11-14 July

This festival champions new talent across comedy in film and TV.

Paris Is Burning | Peckham Levels | 23 July | 7:30pm | FREE

Before RuPaul and Pose the queen of the drag ball was PARIS IS BURNING. See it for free at Peckham Levels.

The Ward | Prince Charles Cinema | 31 July | 6:30pm | £10

Super creepy horror from the legendary John Carpenter.

Piccadilly | Wilton’s Music Hall | 7 August | 7:30pm | From £10

Anna Mae Wong stars in this silent classic.

Circus

Yuck Circus | Underbelly Festival Southbank | 9 July | 9:30pm | From £14

Feminist circus.

Theatre & Performance Art

Butch Princesa | Arcola Theatre | 19 July | 8:30pm | £18

‘Character comedy, dance and Latin beats guide you deep into a surreal, queer, immigrant wonderland.’

Passengers | Omnibus Theatre | 25-27 July | 7:30pm | £9

Kit Redstone (Testosterone) heads up this genre-bending new production.

RAZE UP: New Queer Performance | Ovalhouse | 25 July | 7:30pm | £10

Support new queer performance at this relaxed night.

Patti Boulaye: ‘Aretha and Me’ | Underbelly Festival Southbank | 29 August | 9:30pm | From £17

Savor the sound of Aretha with the divine Miss Patti Boulaye.

Exhibitions

Olafur Eliason: In Real Life | Tate Modern | From 11 July | £18

Mind-blowing exhibition from the guy who made the giant sun in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall.

Comedy

Cocoon Central Dance Team: The Garden Party | Soho Theatre | 22 July – 3 August | 7:30pm | From £11

‘High-brow collides with low-brow to form the perfect unibrow. The Garden Party is an original night of comedy making its debut in London. Come to the garden party… There’s gonna be a fight.’

Music

Kero Kero Bonito | Queen Elizabeth Hall | 9 August | 7:30pm | £17.50

‘Warped guitar solos, shining melodies, and unnervingly tender lyrics about yogurt and seafoam and feral parakeets: it’s the leftfield pop trio.’

There’s Only One Peach with the Hole in the Middle | Royal Festival Hall | 28 August | 8pm | From £25

F*ck the pain away with the queer punk cabaret vibes of Peaches.

Bonus Balls

Bearpit Karaoke in London | Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens | 13 July & 10 August | 3pm | FREE

Berlin’s uber cool karaoke party returns to Vauxhall.

CLUB MOFO PRESENTS LIGHT ASYLUM + SINK YA TEETH | Corsica Studios | 22 August | 8:30pm | £13.20

Unmissable lofi DIY shindig is back and we can’t wait!

Did we miss any offbeat things to do in London? Leave a comment…