Unmissable Things To Do In London in October 2026
It’s our list of Unmissable Things To Do in London for October. We forgot to find many events around Halloween so please do comment with your tips.
The Lambeth Fringe | Multiple Venues | Until 25 October
Support South London’s smaller venues as they come to life with this eclectic fringe festival (sadly one of only a handful in London), full of exciting theatre and comedy. Here’s a few standout shows that jumped out of the programme:
- scott manley hadley: Seventeen Songs About Lonely Vampires
- Butch Chaser
- Sister Brandy Bex: Progress In Work
- One Without
The Strength Between Us | Whitechapel Gallery | 3-4 October
A free weekend celebrating collective action, community and solidarity.
Croydon Harvest | 3-4 October
An inspiring free festival in Cro Cro Land for all.
Fun Palaces Weekend of Celebration | Multiple Venues | 2-4 October
Pioneering theatre maker Joan Littlewood’s idea of bringing venues to life with community events continues to flourish around the city.
Cameron Sinclair Harris: SPEAK NOW (WIP) | The Bill Murray | 5 October
Think comedy is predictable, Cameron Sinclair Harris is here to shake it up in beautifully weird and wonderful ways. Read our Ed Fringe review
Mental Wealth Festival | 7-10 October
Mental health is put centre stage in this accessible festival from life-long learning experts City Lit. Try something new and it might just help you heal.
Kayla MacQuarrie: “Stand-Up” (WIP) | The Bread & Roses Pub | 8 October
‘Wheelchair using full-time unregulated nuisance’ gives us her new WIP.
Unspoken Festival | Courthouse Hotel | 9-11 October
A 3 day event exploring mental illness in South Asian communities.
50 Ways to Kill a Slug | The Stables Theatre, Hastings | 10 October
Take a trip to the new Margate (locals will hate us saying this) to see a performance kunst masterpiece about slugs?!
Tom at the Farm (Tom na Fazenda) | The Barbican | 13-17 October
Sizzling drama based on the cult film which deals with masculinity, homophobia and the patriarchy.
The Coast is Queer | Attenborough Centre for Creative Arts, Brighton | 15-18 October
The UK’s largest festival around queer literature is by the sea (well a motorway at Uni of Sussex) is well worth the trip for an epic programme of talks and events.
Let’s Build Together | The Garden at Vauxhall Arches | 22 October
An experiment of community building.
‘Til Death Do Us Party: The Ghastly Puppet Show | The Others | 23 October
A bonkers London Month of the Dead puppet cabaret.
Film Africa | Multiple Venues | From 23 October
The UK’s largest annual festival of African cinema, presented by the Royal African Society comes to the BFI and other cinemas.
Psychobuildings | South London Gallery | 28 October
Two films explore the effects architecture has on people, accompanying Monika Sosnowska’s current exhibition.
Did we forget any unmissable things to do in London? We almost certainly did – please let us know in the comments below or contact us!
I am Joint Editor at To Do List. I like: nice pubs, film marathons, not doing real marathons, bad comedy, plays/musicals with shorter second halves, and the Oxford comma.
