Things To Do This Weekend In London: 31 May-1 June 2025

All weekend

PUB IN THE PARK: Head to Gunnersbury Park for food festival Pub in the Park (previously held at Chiswick House). Chefs Tom Kerridge and Michael Roux and food critic Grace Dent are among the famous faces appearing on stage, while renowned pubs and restaurants including The Grazing Goat and The Tamil Prince appear in pop-up form, serving their best loved dishes. Plus, there's music from Jack Savoretti, Norman Jay, and tribute acts Blur 2, Noasis and Pulp'd. 30 May-1 June

BIG FOOD WEEKEND: Day and weekend passes are available for the British Library's Food Season Big Weekend, which brings together experts from all over the world from talks and discussions on a range of topics. Subjects include women in the fishing industry, and how to feed ourselves and save the planet. 31 May-1 June

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V&A EAST STOREHOUSE: The latest outpost of the V&A Museum, V&A East Storehouse opens on the eastern side of the Olympic Park in Hackney Wick on Saturday. It's a cavernous warehouse stacked with seemingly endless crates and pallets, taking the public behind the scenes of some of the museum's many objects and collections, an eclectic mix including huge architectural structures, vintage football shirts, a Glastonbury Festival Archive, a chunk of Elton John's wardrobe, Roman frescoes and so, so much more. We had a sneak peek last year. Not to be confused with the V&A East Museum, now expected to open in Spring 2026. From 31 May

EXPLORING SPACE: This weekend is your last chance to see Science Museum's free Exploring Space gallery, before it closes for a major refurb. Part of it already shut a few weeks ago, but the north side is still open until Monday. It's likely to be very busy due to half term, so book free museum entry tickets in advance to avoid queuing. FREE, until 2 June

BROCKLEY MAX: Taking place at venues throughout the Brockley, Crofton Park, Honor Oak and Ladywell areas, Brockley Max is a community arts festival showcasing a variety of local talent and events. This weekend, there's a music trail with performers popping up at various locations on Saturday, and a story trail on Sunday. 30 May-7 June

LONDON RIVERS WEEK: A series of events focused on celebrating and improving the capital's waterways, London Rivers Week features activities such as guided walks, boat trips, river clean-ups, and expert talks. Some events have already sold out, so be quick. 30 May-7 June

COLUMBUS FLAGSHIP: The tallship Nao Santa Maria, a replica of Christopher Columbus's flagship, moors up at St Katharine Docks near Tower Bridge, and is open to the public (booking required). The 93-ft, full-scale replica of the ship on which the famous explorer voyaged to the Americas in 1492 was built in 2018, and is used as a floating museum. 28 May-8 June (weather permitting)

HALF TERM: Make the most of the last couple of days before the schools go back, with our guide to things to do in London in May Half Term, spanning events, exhibitions, activities and plenty of free ideas.

Saturday 31 May

MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM: Following its critically-acclaimed run in 2019, the Bridge Theatre's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream returns from today, with some rather unique staging: seating is wrapped around the action, or buy immersive tickets to follow the story on foot. It's one of our picks of unusual takes on Shakespeare plays to book in London this summer. From 31 May

SPRING FAIR: Vauxhall City Farm holds a spring fair, with Tyers Street closed to traffic for the day, making room for sheep shearing, live music, animal talks (presumably people talking about animals, rather than animals talking...), spinning demos and other entertainment — all raising money to keep the farm going. 10am

PALMERS GREEN: Not a part of town that sees many guided walks, but today you can enjoy a free tour of this charming Edwardian suburb with knowledgeable guide Adrian Day. The walk is part of a wider initiative, which aims to improve Broomfield Park by exploring its history and offering fun activities for everyone. FREE, 10.30am-12.30pm

AERIAL THEATRE: The Dot Collective returns to the gardens of Brixton Windmill with their brand new production, Catch of the Day. The aerial theatre show sees professional aerial actors perform the seaside-set show while the audience watches from the ground. 11am/2pm

JAZZ BRUNCH: On the final Saturday of each month, 108 Brasserie in Marylebone puts on a jazz brunch, with unlimited antipasti, salads and seafood, served alongside seasonal new brunch dishes, and finished with a trip to the Pie Room (!) where you can choose from desserts including lemon meringue pie, pecan pie and salted caramel apple pie. Live music is performed throughout the event. 12.30pm-4pm

PAWS AND POTTERY: Create your own hand-built cat pottery at a workshop at Urban Pottery in Camberwell. All materials and tools are provided, and you can choose what you make — perhaps a vase, a sculpture or a cat bowl? 2pm-4.30pm

TRAPLORD: Stereotypes of Black masculinity are questioned through dance in Olivier Award-winning show TRAPLORD at Sadler's Wells East, which ends today. Dance, theatre and spoken word combine to explore raw and confrontational themes of mental health and masculinity in western society. 2.30pm/7.30pm

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HEATH ROBINSON: Pinner's Heath Robinson Museum hosts the artist's nephew, art historian Peter Higginson, to discuss his legacy and how his art continues to resonate today. The talk incorporates artworks from the museum's current exhibition, Ways of Seeing: Narrative – Humour – Nostalgia, featuring 15 contemporary artists. 3.45pm-5.15pm

EUROHEEDFEST: EuroHeedfest 13 — an annual gathering of Guided By Voices fans — is back at Shadwell's George Tavern, with various acts playing tribute to Robert Pollard and co. This year features the first acts to hail from America, alongside others. From 4pm

MET OPERA LIVE: Watch a broadcast of a performance of Rossini's The Barber of Seville, broadcast live from the Met Opera in New York City. The screening at Barbican Cinema features stars including Russian mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina, alongside American tenor Jack Swanson in his Met debut, and Andrey Zhilikhovsky, Peter Kálmán and Alexander Vinogradov. 6pm

MURDER MYSTERY: Greenwich Naval College's striking Painted Hall is the scene for a murder tonight (not a real one, mind), which you and your assembled friends are tasked with solving. Deerstalkers optional. 7pm-8.30pm

DRAG CABARET: Every Saturday, the Queen of Hoxton hosts Kiki Drag Cabaret. Queen of camp Ms Ginger Phlappage oversees proceedings, joined on stage by a variety of drag queens and kings offering comedy, lip-syncing, live singing, impressive costumes and a whole host of other entertainment. 7.30pm-9.30pm

Sunday 1 June

JUNE: New month, new London to-do list. Our pick of the best events in the capital in June spans everything from circus shows to music festivals to new exhibitions, via a clown festival, a nude cycle ride and a foodie extravaganza. Take a gander and get booking.

LONDON FESTIVAL OF ARCHITECTURE: A celebration of architecture and 'city-making', the London Festival of Architecture has a theme of 'Voices' for 2025, and the programme is packed with events throughout the month, from public installations to talks, tours, debates and performances — plus some family-friendly events too. It begins today with a walk focusing on the problem of empty buildings, and a musical performance in a synagogue, among other happenings. 1-30 June

HEAVY HORSE SHOW: Capel Manor Gardens in Enfield hosts the Herts Heavy Horse Show and Country Show. See heavy horse breeds in action up close, taking part in various events in the show ring. There's also a dog show, and there's a chance to explore the venue's 30-acre gardens. 10am-5pm

SPENCER HOUSE: Sundays bring with them the opportunity to go on a guided tour of Spencer House, built in 1756-66 for the First Lord and Lady Spencer, and reopened by Princess Di in 1991. See the eight State Rooms, which feature some jaw-dropping ceilings. From 10.30am

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CLASSICAL COFFEE MORNING: Head to the Elgar Room within the Royal Albert Hall for the regular classical coffee morning. Enjoy a hot drink and a pastry while Royal College of Music students, pianists Anthony Zemsky and Aurelia Walker, play works by Ravel, Chopin and Debussy. 11am

VINTAGE FAIR: Frock Me vintage fair is back as its newest venue, the Royal Horticultural Halls in Victoria. 80 vintage traders are on site, selling antique textiles, vintage menswear and workwear, vintage womenswear, jewellery and accessories. 11am-5.30pm

DERNYFEST AND WOMEN'S OMNIUM: Herne Hill Velodrome, London's only surviving venue from the 1948 Olympics, plays host to an unusual race day, with cyclists racing in the slipstream of vintage motorbikes (dernys) to take them up to average speeds of 60kph. The cafe serves beers and food to enjoy in the sunshine. FREE to spectate, 11.30am-5pm

LAUREN BUSH: Fancy a spot of lunchtime jazz? Long-time Canadian expat Lauren Bush is at the 606 Club near Imperial Wharf performing tracks off her third album Tide Rises. 1.30pm

NEVER A MASTER PLAN: Set entirely in Ealing, Never A Master Plan is a film consisting of a series of interconnected vignettes telling the story of west London creatives, including actors, singers, musicians and students. This screening, at Actone Cinema, is followed by director Giorgio Guernier discussing micro-budget filmmaking with BAFTA-nominated film director Lucy Brydon. 2.30pm

MISS MARY: Cinema Mentiré presents a retrospective of Argentine filmmaker María Luisa Bemberg, showcasing her significant contributions to cinema on the 30th anniversary of her passing. It includes a screening of the Oscar-nominated Miss Mary at Ciné Lumière in South Kensington today. 6pm

ROOFTOP COMEDY CLUB: It's not just cinema screenings at Rooftop Film Club's Peckham venue. 'Cockney philosopher' and comedian Jeff Innocent performs a set at Rooftop Comedy Club, joined by stand up comedian and ex junior doctor Michael Akadiri, and fellow comedian Sara Barron. 7pm

LONDON TANGO:The Romano Viazzani Ensemble brings together seven musicians from the worlds of classical, jazz and Latin-American music for an evening of tango and tango-inspired music. Takes place at St George's in Harrow. 7.30pm-9.30pm

CAT POWER: Singer Cat Power performs a tribute to Bob Dylan’s famous 1966 concert — held at the Manchester Free Trade Hall but widely known as the 'Royal Albert Hall Concert' due to a mislabelled bootleg — at Barbican. 8pm