Editor’s note
June in London can mark the beginning of a season of sweaty commutes and sardine-style queues as temperatures rise and the city gets busier. Done right, however, it can be one of the best cities to bask in during the summer. It’s all about quality over quantity. Think outdoor experiences that extend into golden hour, the emerging talent with intimate shows that entertain just as much as a West End billing and the music venues that get you into the right state of mind to let loose. Summer in London is also an act of careful consideration, weekends and pretty attractions are guaranteed to attract too much footfall to coast through the streets in peace. Consider this your monthly guide to avoiding that. Quality over quantity, substance over hype.
Feast on Cloud 9
The Grove Hotel, Hertfordshire | All Summer
Hot air balloon dining returns to The Grove Hotel this summer. An immersive fairground-themed experience, on the outskirts of London, with surprise moments that actually surprise. Nostalgic culinary journey meets proper spectacle. Not your standard hotel restaurant experience.
Paint The Town Violet
The Maine Mayfair | 19 & 20 June
Drag royalty hits London's most notorious burlesque room. RuPaul's Drag Race winner, Met Gala history-maker and Crazy Horse headliner Violet Chachki brings her high-fashion artistry to The MAINE for two Pride Month performances.
Brasserie tables £150pp minimum, Grand Circle £200pp for front-row action.
Mayfield’s Secret Lavender Garden
Epsom | Opening 21 June
Mayfield is opening, for the first time, its hidden lavender acres in Epsom. Gorgeous English countryside scenery, rolling lavender fields, fragrant blooms with some afternoon tea, if you're interested. Intimate, peaceful and genuinely secret until now. 40 guests max per 2.5-hour session.
Turning Earth Summer Solstice Social
Leyton | 21 June
Turning Earth Leyton marks the longest day with hands-on pottery, live firings and drinks. The agenda includes Swedish flower sculpting workshops (sweet Midsummer tradition), live Raku firings where you glaze and fire your own vase, free pottery wheel sessions for beginners plus a communal pot everyone contributes to.
Live music, Neckstamper craft beer and Pavilion Bakery treats throughout. Potter's dream raffle with £150-220 goodie bags.
Midsommar Woodland Dining
Buckinghamshire | 21 & 22 June
Nomadic returns with its signature open-air dining in a hidden woodland deep in the Chiltern Hills, on the outskirts of the M25. Expect fire-cooked food, foraged cocktails, herbal teas and marshmallows toasted under oak trees. Lunch or dinner, stars or sunlight - it’s an escape from the city without going far.
Jimmy
Park Theatre, Finsbury Park | Previews 23 & 24 June
Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Adam Riches becomes tennis legend Jimmy Connors in his critically acclaimed one-man show.
1991: Connors is getting destroyed at the US Open by his nemesis's little brother. What follows is one of sport's greatest comebacks - a geriatric tiger rattling his cage one last time.
Sold out Edinburgh 2024, now at Park Theatre.
Let’s Talk About Nara
Southbank Centre | 28 June
Three deep dives into Yoshitomo Nara's work with proper heavyweight speakers. Grammy-nominated cultural historian Josh Kun talks about how popular music shapes Nara's art. Followed by art critic, Barry Schwabsky, discussing Nara's place in contemporary Japanese art internationally. Closing with Nara specialist Yeewan Koon (author of the definitive Phaidon book) and Hayward's Senior Curator, Yung Ma, on the artist's life and current exhibition.
Not your typical gallery talk series.