What's On in London This Weekend

Grace Jones - Crystal Palace Bowl (London) — If there is one event this Friday that demands to be witnessed, it is this one. Grace Jones — icon, force of nature, arguably the most compelling performer alive — takes the stage at the magical open-air Crystal Palace Bowl at 5:00pm, where the trees and the sky become part of the show. At £65 this is a splurge, but when will you next get to say you watched Grace Jones perform in a park as the summer evening folds in around you?

Virtuoso Piano by Candlelight - feat. Flight of the Bumblebee — Tuck yourself inside the exquisite St Mary Le Strand at 6:00pm for an evening of bravura solo piano performed entirely by candlelight — an atmosphere that turns great music into something genuinely spine-tingling. Flight of the Bumblebee is the headline showpiece, but the whole programme promises the kind of technical fireworks that make your jaw quietly drop. Tickets run from £30 to £48, and the setting alone is worth every penny.

LINX feat DAVID GRANT + Phil Fearon & Galaxy — Soul, funk, and pure 80s brilliance descend on the breathtaking Union Chapel in Islington at 7:00pm, with British R&B legends LINX headlining alongside the irresistible Phil Fearon and Galaxy. This is the kind of night where everyone in the room ends up grinning and slightly sweaty, and the soaring chapel acoustics will make every bass line feel like a religious experience. Grab a ticket for £35 before it sells out.

EVRIX X LUMOS - On the Thames P2 — Part two of what sounds like an unmissable series, this live music event boards from Blackfriars Pier on Victoria Embankment at 6:30pm and takes you out onto the Thames itself — the city glittering on both banks as the music plays. At £20 to £30, it is one of the most original settings of the night, and there is something deeply romantic about London seen from the water as the evening begins.

School's Out | Rollernation — The summer holidays have arrived and Rollernation is ready to celebrate with a full-on family skate session from 1:00pm — think flashing lights, brilliant music, and the pure, wobbly joy of finding your wheels. At £16 it is a genuinely fantastic way to burn off some of that end-of-term energy, and frankly the adults will have just as much fun as the kids.

Brixton Fridays: Hip Hop, Afrobeats & R&B 'til 3AM — When the rest of the night has wound down, The Blues Kitchen in Brixton is just getting started — doors at 8:00pm and the party runs all the way to 3:00am with a relentless soundtrack of hip hop, Afrobeats, and R&B. At just £4 to £8, this is one of London's great Friday night bargains, and the crowd energy in this room is the kind that makes you forget you have anywhere else to be.

London Pop-Up Run Club — Kick off the bank holiday weekend the best possible way — pounding the pavements with a crew of like-minded runners from the Edgar Wallace at 9:30am. There is something genuinely infectious about running through London in the summer morning light before the city fully wakes up, and at £20 this is as good a reason as any to set that alarm. Expect good energy, great routes, and the smuggest post-run coffee of your life.

Family Jam Early Session — Rollernation's Family Jam is the kind of afternoon that children talk about for weeks and adults secretly enjoy even more than they let on. The early session kicks off at 12:00pm, which means you can be home, fed, and glowing by teatime — all for £15 a head. Skates, music, laughter, and the very real possibility of rediscovering a talent you forgot you had.

Live Rap Battles | Where Winning Matter Grand Final — This is not a warm-up act or a showcase night — this is the Grand Final of Where Winning Matter, and it arrives at Hootananny Brixton at 12:00pm with the kind of stakes that make every bar land twice as hard. Brixton is the perfect backdrop for an afternoon of sharp lyricism, crowd heat, and genuine competitive tension, with tickets from £15–£25. If you have never watched live rap battles, this championship event is the absolute best place to start.

Nyumba — Nyumba takes over The Cocktail Embassy from 3:00pm, and the combination of live music and one of London's most inventive cocktail spaces already sounds like a winning Saturday afternoon. At just £10, this feels like one of those quietly brilliant discoveries you will be telling friends about by Sunday morning. Settle in, sip something extraordinary, and let the music do the rest.

The Thames SKA Party Cruise 2026 — Picture this: the Thames at golden hour, the city skyline sliding past, and a full ska band rattling the deck while you dance with strangers who are already your new best friends. Departing Temple Pier at 7:00pm for £25, this floating party is one of those only-in-London experiences that reminds you why you live here — or makes you wish you did. Book fast, because the river only fits so many people and this one will sell out.

Vivaldi Four Seasons by Candlelight (8pm) — As the city's nightlife rumbles into gear, St Mary Le Strand offers something altogether more extraordinary — Vivaldi's Four Seasons performed by candlelight inside one of London's most beautiful baroque churches at 8:00pm. At £30–£48, this is an evening that earns its price in pure atmosphere, the kind where the music feels physical in the stone walls and the flickering light makes everything feel a little unreal. Whether you are a devoted classical fan or simply curious, this is a night that will stay with you.

South Bank Summer Markets | Between The Bridges — There are few better ways to ease into a Sunday than strolling along the South Bank with the river glittering beside you, and this free-entry market between the bridges gives you every reason to linger. Expect a curated spread of independent makers, street food, and the kind of browsing that leads you somewhere completely unexpected. Doors open at 12:00pm — check the website for the full line-up of traders and to plan your visit.

Open Age Early Session | Rollernation — Rollernation's Open Age Early Session is proof that roller skating never gets old — and neither do the people who love it. Starting at 12:00pm, this is a session open to adults of all skill levels, so whether you last laced up in 1987 or yesterday, you are warmly welcome on the floor. At £15, it is one of the most joyful ways to spend a Sunday afternoon in the city.

Open Age Late Session | Rollernation — If the early session gets you hooked — and it will — Rollernation's Open Age Late Session at 3:00pm is right there waiting for you. The rink has a magnetic pull once the wheels are on, and this session carries that same inclusive, anything-goes energy into the later afternoon. Grab your tickets for £15 and keep the good times rolling.

Kirk Franklin - Crystal Palace Bowl (London) — Kirk Franklin is one of the most electrifying live performers in gospel and contemporary Christian music, and seeing him in the natural bowl of Crystal Palace Park is going to be something people talk about for years. The open-air setting, with trees rising all around and the crowd packed in close, is made for the kind of communal, roof-lifting performance Franklin delivers. Tickets are £55–£65 for a 3:00pm start — a genuinely special Sunday afternoon out.

Tarrus Riley - Live in Concert! — Tarrus Riley is one of reggae's most soulful and technically gifted voices, and an evening with him at Electric Brixton is the kind of gig that wraps around you like warm air. Kicking off at 7:00pm in one of south London's best live music rooms, this promises rich harmonics, deep roots, and a crowd who know every word. At £46, it is an evening well spent.

BROKEN BY THE SCREAM downstairs | The Dome — For those who want their Sunday evening to take a sharp left turn into something ferocious and thrilling, Broken by the Scream bring their extraordinary blend of Japanese kawaii metal and hardcore punk to The Dome at 7:00pm. The band are a genuinely unique live experience — theatrical, intense, and unlike almost anything else you will see this year. Tickets are £46, and the downstairs room at The Dome means this will be up close, loud, and completely unforgettable.