What's On in London
Theatre, music, sport, festivals and the city month by month. How to get tickets, what the big annual events are and what to expect whenever you visit.
There is always something happening in London. The West End has one of the largest theatre scenes in the world, the city is home to several Premier League football clubs, and the calendar is full of annual events, from the London Marathon in spring to the Notting Hill Carnival in August and the fireworks on New Year's Eve.
This section explains how to get tickets without overpaying and what to expect at the big events, and our month-by-month guides tell you what London is like at any time of year.
70 guides in this section.
Theatre, music and nightlife
A Guide to West End Theatre
Choosing a show, where to sit and booking safely.
Cheap Theatre Tickets in London
Day seats, standing tickets and the Leicester Square booth.
Shakespeare's Globe
Standing tickets, tours and open-air performances.
Live Music Venues in London
Concert halls, jazz clubs and small stages.
Comedy Clubs in London
Established clubs, new-act nights and pub comedy.
London Nightlife: Where to Go Out
The areas for bars and clubs, and getting home safely.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
Sport
Premier League Football in London: Tickets and Stadiums
The clubs, the ticket rules and avoiding touts.
Stadium Tours in London
Wembley, the big clubs, Lord's and Twickenham.
Wimbledon: The Queue and How to Get Tickets
The ballot, the Queue and grounds passes.
Watching Cricket at Lord's and The Oval
Formats, tickets and the etiquette.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
Annual events
Christmas in London
Lights, markets, ice rinks and what closes on the day.
New Year's Eve Fireworks in London
Tickets, alternatives and getting home afterwards.
Notting Hill Carnival
The history, the parade, the food and staying safe.
Bonfire Night in London
Guy Fawkes, the displays and what to know.
Trooping the Colour
The route, the flypast and the rehearsals.
The London Marathon: Watching the Race
The route, the best spots and race-day transport.
The BBC Proms
Promming on the day, tickets and the Last Night.
The Chelsea Flower Show
Tickets, timing and the free Chelsea in Bloom.
The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race
Free, on the river, and the best places to stand.
The Lord Mayor's Show
A gilded coach and three miles of procession, free.
Remembrance Sunday in London
The Cenotaph, the silence, and how to attend respectfully.
Pride in London
The route, the stages, and when to arrive to see anything.
Chinese New Year in London
What happens where, and how early the streets fill.
St Patrick's Day in London
The parade, the square, and the pubs that mean it.
Open House Festival
Hundreds of buildings, free, for one weekend a year.
Totally Thames and River Events
A month of river events in September, mostly free.
Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park
Free to enter, expensive inside, and busiest after dark.
London Fashion Week
Mostly closed, but here is what a visitor can see.
BFI London Film Festival
Public tickets, premieres, and how to get into the big ones.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
London month by month
London in January: Weather, Events and Tips
Sales, quiet museums and the New Year's Day London Parade.
London in February: Weather, Events and Tips
Lunar New Year, half-term and quieter weeks.
London in March: Weather, Events and Tips
Blossom, St Patrick's Day and changeable weather.
London in April: Weather, Events and Tips
The Marathon, the Boat Race and gardens in bloom.
London in May: Weather, Events and Tips
Chelsea Flower Show and two bank holidays.
London in June: Weather, Events and Tips
Trooping the Colour and the longest evenings.
London in July: Weather, Events and Tips
Wimbledon, Pride, the Proms and summer crowds.
London in August: Weather, Events and Tips
Notting Hill Carnival and the height of summer.
London in September: Weather, Events and Tips
Open House, the river festival and milder crowds.
London in October: Weather, Events and Tips
Autumn colours, half-term and the art fairs.
London in November: Weather, Events and Tips
Bonfire Night, the Lord Mayor's Show and Christmas lights.
London in December: Weather, Events and Tips
Christmas markets, ice rinks and New Year's Eve.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
Music, stage and sport
The Royal Opera House
How the cheap seats work, and what a restricted view means.
Classical Music in London
Five halls, and the church concerts that cost almost nothing.
Jazz in London
What to book, and where you can simply turn up.
Free Live Music in London
Pub gigs, station pianos and recitals that cost nothing.
The O2 and London's Big Arenas
Getting out afterwards without a two-hour queue.
Pantomime at Christmas
Why everyone shouts, and which ones suit small children.
Rugby at Twickenham
How to get in when the stadium is officially sold out.
NFL Games in London
Regular-season games each autumn, and how to get tickets.
Horse Racing Near London
Where to go, what to wear, and what a day costs.
Darts and Snooker in London
Ally Pally in December, and how the tickets work.
London in the School Holidays
The dates, the crowds, and how to plan around half-term.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
More of the calendar
Chelsea in Bloom
A free flower festival that runs while the Show is on.
Kew at Christmas and London's Light Trails
Illuminated garden trails, and how early they go.
What Happened to the Hampton Court Flower Show
It has not run since 2025. What happened, and where to go instead.
Summer Concerts in the Parks
The big park shows, and the free bandstands.
The London Parade on New Year's Day
Free from the pavement on 1 January, if you get there early.
Museum Lates: London After Dark
Which museums open after dark, and which need booking.
London on Screen: Film and TV Locations
Where they actually filmed it, and which are worth the trip.
Jack the Ripper: The History Behind the Tours
What is documented, and what the tours invented.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.
Dates in the calendar people search for
West End or Fringe: Where to See a Play in London
Fifteen pounds or fifty. What you get for each, and how to choose.
London's Christmas Lights: Where and When
Where the displays are, and which are worth the walk.
Boxing Day in London
What opens again on 26 December, and what still does not.
Easter in London
Two bank holidays, an hour lost overnight, and closed railways.
Halloween in London
Quieter than you may expect. What is actually on, and what to book.
Diwali in London
Two different dates, and the temples that keep the real one.
London's Food Festivals
What each one costs, and which ones have quietly stopped.
London Open Gardens (formerly Open Garden Squares Weekend)
One weekend, 120 locked gardens, one ticket.
London Design Festival
Nine days, most of it free, spread across the whole city.
Greenwich and Docklands International Festival
Seventeen days of free outdoor theatre, in unlikely places.
Photos in this list: photographer and licence for each image are listed on our image credits page.