Seasonal
The 6 Best Things to Do in London in August
August empties London of its Londoners and fills it with everyone else. The trick is knowing where the city still rewards you: Carnival in the west, the Proms most nights, a Peckham rooftop, and a heath that does the cooling for you.
In short: our top picks are Notting Hill Carnival, BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall and Frank's Cafe at Bold Tendencies. 6 places in total, chosen on merit, with the full reasoning below.
There is a particular hush to London in August. Half the people you know are in Puglia or the Hebrides, the office is running on a skeleton crew, and the light stretches long and gold over the parks until nearly nine. It can tip either way, of course. You get the muggy week when the Tube turns into a slow cooker and everyone agrees, loudly, that the city was not built for this. Then you get the run of clear blue mornings that make you forgive it everything. The smart move in August is to lean into what the season actually does well rather than fight the crowds at the obvious sights. This is the month for the things that only happen now: the Proms running most nights at the Albert Hall, a rooftop bar that lives and dies with the summer, the Heath ponds doing the work your flat’s single ageing fan cannot. And it is the month of Carnival, the one weekend when the whole of west London gives itself over to soca and jerk smoke and you remember the city can still throw a proper party. What follows is six things worth your time, weighted towards the ones that come round every August and the reliable summer pleasures that never let you down. Book the Proms and the theatre ahead. The rest you can wander into.
| Place | Area | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Notting Hill Carnival | Notting Hill, W10 and W11 | |
| BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall | South Kensington | |
| Frank's Cafe at Bold Tendencies | Peckham | ££ |
| Kenwood House | Hampstead Heath | |
| Regent's Park Open Air Theatre | Regent's Park | |
| Borough Market | Southwark |
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Editor’s choice
Notting Hill Carnival
Why we pick itThe one weekend west London hands itself over completely, running every August bank holiday since 1966. Come for the steel bands and the sound systems, stay for the jerk chicken smoke and the sheer good humour of two million people. Sunday is the calmer family day, Monday the full adult parade in feathers and sequins.
Europe's largest street festival, Caribbean carnival
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BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall
Why we pick itEight weeks of world-class orchestras filling the Albert Hall most nights from mid-July into September, which means August is Proms season at its peak. The genius of it is the Promming tickets: turn up on the day, pay a fiver or two, and stand in the Arena under that vast dome for some of the best music on earth.
Classical music festival
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Frank's Cafe at Bold Tendencies
Why we pick itThe original car-park rooftop, running since 2009 and still the one to beat. A Campari and soda in hand, the whole skyline laid out from the Shard to the Crystal Palace masts, and the sun going down behind it. It only opens for summer and closes in September, so August is exactly the moment. Walk-ins only, which is half the charm.
Rooftop bar atop a Peckham car park
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Kenwood House
Why we pick itA Vermeer, a Rembrandt self-portrait and a Turner or two, hung in a white Adam villa, and not a penny to get in thanks to a 1929 bequest. Pair the pictures with the Repton parkland sloping down to the lake and you have the most civilised free afternoon in London. Bring a book for the lawn.
Free art collection and landscaped grounds on the Heath
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Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
Why we pick itThere is nothing else quite like watching a play as the sky darkens over the treeline and the bats come out. The summer season runs into September, so August is prime, and a glass of something cold before curtain-up on the lawn is part of the ritual. Bring a jumper for when the temperature drops with the light.
Open-air theatre under the trees
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Borough Market
Why we pick itAugust is when the British growing year shows off: gluts of sweet heritage tomatoes, stone fruit, courgettes in every colour, mackerel still glinting. Go mid-morning before the lunch crush, graze your way round, then build a picnic of bread, cheese and tomatoes good enough to eat like apples and take it to the river.
Historic food market at the peak of British summer produce
Before you book
A few notes for the month. Carnival falls on the August bank holiday weekend, the last in the month, with Sunday the gentler family day and Monday the big adult parade; go early, wear shoes you can stand in all day, and do not drive anywhere near it. The Proms sell standing tickets (Arena and Gallery) for a handful of pounds on the morning of each concert from the Royal Albert Hall box office, which is the cheapest grown-up night out in London if you do not mind queuing. Frank’s and the Heath ponds are weather-dependent and busiest at weekends, so a weekday visit is the considered choice. Open Air Theatre is, by definition, open to the sky, so check the forecast and bring a layer; shows go ahead in light rain. And the August bank holiday aside, this is a quiet month for closures, so the odd favourite restaurant may be shut for its summer break. Worth a call ahead.
Common questions
What are the top picks in this guide?
Notting Hill Carnival is our editor's choice: The one weekend west London hands itself over completely, running every August bank holiday since 1966. Come for the steel bands and the sound systems, stay for the jerk chicken smoke and the sheer good humour of two million people. Sunday is the calmer family day, Monday the full adult parade in feathers and sequins. Notting Hill Carnival, BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall and Frank's Cafe at Bold Tendencies lead the guide, with 6 places in total, all chosen on merit.
How does Lamplit London choose its recommendations?
Every place is chosen on merit, after first-hand visits where possible, with no pay-for-placement. Read our full method at https://www.lamplitlondon.com/how-we-choose/.
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