Seasonal
The 6 Best Things to Do in London in March
March is when London stops bracing and starts opening up. Daffodils in the royal parks, wild garlic on the better menus, and a clutch of annual happenings worth planning around. Six considered picks for the month, from the St Patrick's parade through Trafalgar Square to a long lunch in Chelsea.
In short: our top picks are Mayor of London's St Patrick's Day Festival and Parade, Kew Orchid Festival and BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival. 6 places in total, chosen on merit, with the full reasoning below.
March is the turn. The light comes back before the warmth does, so you get bright, blowy days that still send you indoors by six, and the city seems to exhale after the long grey stretch. The parks do the heavy lifting: tens of thousands of daffodils along the lake in St James’s, magnolia coming into bloom, the first proper green in weeks. It is also a busy month on the calendar in a good way, with several things that come round every year and reward a bit of forward planning. The trick in March is to dress for two seasons and chase the sun while it lasts, then retreat to somewhere warm with a spring menu and a decent wine list. What follows is a mix: the annual fixtures worth building a day around, and the quieter seasonal pleasures that make the month feel like a reprieve rather than a slog. If you want more to fill the gaps, our wider guide to things to do in London runs all year, and the free things to do in London piece is handy for the bright, broke end of the month before payday.
| Place | Area | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Mayor of London's St Patrick's Day Festival and Parade | Trafalgar Square and the West End | |
| Kew Orchid Festival | Kew, southwest London | |
| BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival | South Bank | |
| St James's Park spring walk | St James's and Westminster | |
| Medlar | Chelsea | ££££ |
| The Boat Race | Putney to Mortlake, southwest London |
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Editor’s choice
Mayor of London's St Patrick's Day Festival and Parade
Why we pick itThe parade winds from near Green Park through Piccadilly and Pall Mall down to Trafalgar Square, then the square fills up for a free afternoon of Irish music, dancing and food. It is one of the few mass moments in the London year that still feels genuinely good-natured. Go for the colour, stay for the craic, and have a pub in mind nearby for when it wraps.
Annual street festival and free outdoor party
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Kew Orchid Festival
Why we pick itIt opens in February and runs into the first week or so of March, which makes it the ideal antidote to a damp early-month afternoon. The Princess of Wales Conservatory is heated, humid and packed with thousands of orchids arranged into sculptures that change theme each year. Time your visit for a weekday morning and you get the heat and the colour without the crowd.
Annual indoor flower display in a tropical glasshouse
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BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival
Why we pick itOne of the longest-running festivals of its kind anywhere, Flare takes over BFI Southbank for a fortnight in late March with premieres, restored classics and a properly social bar scene between screenings. Even if cinema is not your usual evening, the riverside setting and the buzz around the place make it an easy, grown-up night out. Book the bigger titles early; they go.
Annual film festival with screenings, talks and DJ nights
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St James's Park spring walk
Why we pick itMarch is when the park's seventy thousand daffodils take over the banks along the lake, with Buckingham Palace at one end and the Whitehall spires at the other. The Royal Parks lay out a self-guided loop you can pick up at whichever gate is nearest. Do it on a bright morning, watch for the resident pelicans, and you have the best free hour London offers in early spring.
Self-guided park walk and daffodil stroll
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Medlar
Why we pick itMedlar reads the season properly, which in March means wild garlic, the first English asparagus and morels finding their way onto the prix fixe. It is the kind of unshowy, expertly run Chelsea room where the cooking does the talking and a long Sunday lunch can drift happily into the afternoon. Go now while the early spring produce is at its best.
Worth knowingConsidered, formal dining rather than a scene, so anyone expecting the buzz of the trendier Chelsea openings nearby should recalibrate.
Modern European restaurant with a French-leaning seasonal menu
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The Boat Race
Why we pick itOxford against Cambridge over four and a bit miles of tidal Thames, watched by crowds from the towpath and the riverside pubs. It sits on or near Easter weekend, so check the date, but it usually lands in late March. Stake out a spot around Hammersmith or Barnes, get a pint in early, and you have a proper London afternoon for the price of nothing.
Annual rowing race along the Thames, free to watch from the bank
Before you book
A March caveat worth knowing: the dates that shift. St Patrick’s Festival usually lands on the Sunday closest to the 17th, and the Boat Race follows the calendar to sit on or near Easter weekend, so it can fall in late March or slip into early April depending on the year. Check the official sites before you commit. The Kew Orchid Festival opens in February and runs into the first week or two of March, so go early in the month if you want it. Weather is the other variable: March can give you a flawless blue afternoon or sideways drizzle, sometimes both before lunch, so book somewhere indoors as your fallback and treat any terrace time as a bonus. Bookings for the better Sunday lunches go quickly once the clocks change, so reserve ahead.
Common questions
What are the top picks in this guide?
Mayor of London's St Patrick's Day Festival and Parade is our editor's choice: The parade winds from near Green Park through Piccadilly and Pall Mall down to Trafalgar Square, then the square fills up for a free afternoon of Irish music, dancing and food. It is one of the few mass moments in the London year that still feels genuinely good-natured. Go for the colour, stay for the craic, and have a pub in mind nearby for when it wraps. Mayor of London's St Patrick's Day Festival and Parade, Kew Orchid Festival and BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival 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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