13 Things To Do in London This Weekend: 28–30 August 2026
London is going into one of its biggest weekends of the summer.
From Notting Hill Carnival and huge concerts in Victoria Park to an international fashion and art showcase, open-air concerts, a major boxing night and free creative events, there is plenty happening across the capital from Friday 28 to Sunday 30 August.
And because this is the weekend immediately before the August Bank Holiday Monday, it is one of those weekends when you could probably make three completely different plans and still not run out of things to do.
So if you're wondering what is actually happening in London this weekend, here are 13 events and ideas worth knowing about.
1. See Tyler, The Creator at All Points East
Friday 28 August
📍 Victoria Park, East London
Ticketed
If you want a huge Friday night, All Points East is one of the biggest things happening in London.
Tyler, The Creator headlines Victoria Park on Friday, with Rex Orange County, Turnstile and Mariah the Scientist also on the bill.
And this isn't just a one-night festival.
Tyler also headlines Saturday 29 August, with a different supporting lineup, so there are two opportunities to see him across the weekend.
If you're already planning a night out in East London, this is about as big as it gets.
Go for: a major summer concert and festival atmosphere.
2. Spend Friday night at Battersea Park in Concert
Friday 28 August
📍 Battersea Park
Ticketed
If Tyler, The Creator isn't your thing, there is a completely different kind of Friday-night concert happening in Battersea.
Battersea Park in Concert returns for four nights over the Bank Holiday weekend, and the opening night on Friday is Sounds of South Africa.
The evening features a UK-exclusive performance from Jeremy Loops, alongside the London African Gospel Choir performing Paul Simon's Graceland live. Gates open at 6pm, with the show expected to finish around 10pm.
It is deliberately designed as a more relaxed alternative to a traditional festival, with the park setting making it particularly good for a summer evening.
Go for: live music, an outdoor setting and a more relaxed Friday night.
3. Visit RENAISSANCE 2026: Global Origins Stories Untold
Saturday 29 August
4:30pm–9:30pm
📍 Devonshire Square, EC2M 4YH
From £15
This is one I'd definitely include because it is different from the usual London weekend recommendations.
RENAISSANCE 2026: Global Origins – Stories Untold brings together emerging artists and designers for one evening of fashion, visual art, live performances and cultural storytelling at Devonshire Square, around the corner from Liverpool Street.
The event brings together 10 emerging designers and 10 artists from around the world, with the showcase exploring themes around culture, heritage and untold stories. Current listings put the event at 4:30pm–9:30pm, with tickets from £15 and VIP options available.
The organisers also say the first edition sold out to 250 guests without paid promotion.
So if you want something that feels more like a London creative discovery than a standard tourist event, this is a very good option.
Go for: emerging designers, international artists, fashion and live performances.
4. Watch Panorama at Notting Hill Carnival
Saturday 29 August
4pm–midnight
📍 Emslie Horniman's Pleasance Park, W10 3DH
Ticketed
You don't have to wait until Sunday to experience Notting Hill Carnival.
The Carnival weekend officially begins on Saturday with Panorama and Junior Panorama, the UK's National Steelband Competition. The official 2026 programme confirms the event for Saturday 29 August from 4pm until midnight at Emslie Horniman's Pleasance Park.
This is a very different experience from the huge street celebrations that follow.
Instead of focusing on the massive crowds and sound systems, Panorama puts steelpan music and musicianship at the centre.
And with Notting Hill Carnival celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2026, this is a particularly significant year to experience it.
Go for: steelpan, Caribbean culture and the musical side of Carnival.
Notting Hill Carnival 2026 official programme
5. Watch Moses Itauma fight Filip Hrgović at The O2
Saturday 29 August
📍 The O2 Arena
Ticketed
For something completely different, one of the biggest sporting events in London this weekend is taking place at The O2.
British heavyweight Moses Itauma faces Croatia's Filip Hrgović on Saturday night in a fight for the vacant IBF heavyweight world title. The O2 confirms the event for 29 August, with doors opening at 6:30pm.
The fight has significant stakes: Itauma is aiming to become one of the youngest heavyweight champions in history.
Current fight-week information has the undercard beginning earlier in the evening, with the main event expected later at night.
So if your ideal Saturday night is more boxing gloves than festival wristbands, this is the one.
Go for: a major heavyweight title fight in London.
The O2 Itauma v Hrgović tickets
6. See Pop Symphonic at Battersea Park
Saturday 29 August
📍 Battersea Park
Ticketed
If you want a Saturday night that is somewhere between a concert and a huge singalong, Battersea Park has another option.
Pop Symphonic brings the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra to Battersea Park for an evening of pop classics performed with a full orchestra, band and singers.
The programme covers everything from ABBA and Britney Spears to Beyoncé, Elton John, Madonna, Bruno Mars, Spice Girls and Take That.
So this isn't exactly a quiet classical concert.
It's basically your favourite pop songs with a full orchestra behind them.
Go for: a feel-good Saturday night and songs everyone knows.
7. Explore PageMasters Zine Fair in Peckham
Saturday 29 & Sunday 30 August
📍 South London Gallery, Peckham
Free
If you're looking for something creative, independent and completely different from the big headline events, head to Peckham.
PageMasters Zine Fair takes place across Saturday and Sunday at South London Gallery, bringing together zines, independent publishing and workshops.
The current London events calendar lists the event as free, starting at 11am.
This is the kind of event that works particularly well if you like discovering independent artists and creators rather than simply visiting another major attraction.
Go for: independent publishing, art and a free weekend activity.
8. See the Anish Kapoor exhibition at Hayward Gallery
Friday 28 – Sunday 30 August
📍 Hayward Gallery, Southbank
Ticketed
If you want an art-focused weekend, Anish Kapoor is currently taking over the Hayward Gallery.
The exhibition opened in June 2026 and runs until 18 October, so it is on throughout this weekend. The Southbank Centre describes it as a major exhibition featuring Kapoor's sculptural work.
This is a good option if you want to spend a few hours around Southbank rather than committing to an entire day at a festival.
And because there are plenty of other things happening around the Southbank Centre, you can easily combine it with a walk along the Thames.
Go for: contemporary art and one of the major exhibitions currently in London.
9. See Luke Jerram's Gaia at the Royal Festival Hall
Sunday 30 August
📍 Royal Festival Hall, Southbank
Ticketed
Imagine walking into the Royal Festival Hall and seeing a huge illuminated representation of Earth floating above you.
That's Gaia, Luke Jerram's installation using detailed NASA imagery to create a globe approximately seven metres in diameter.
It is one of the more unusual things you can see in London this weekend, and the current London events calendar lists it at the Royal Festival Hall on Sunday 30 August from 10am to 6pm, with tickets currently listed at £9.
You can then walk straight outside and continue along the South Bank.
Go for: something visually spectacular without spending your whole day at a festival.
10. Experience Notting Hill Carnival's Children's Day
Sunday 30 August
📍 Notting Hill
Free
Sunday is Families and Children's Day at Notting Hill Carnival.
The official programme has J'ouvert beginning at 6am, followed by the official opening ceremony at 10am, the Children's Day Parade, sound systems and stages.
If you're visiting with children, this is the Carnival day to consider.
You'll see elaborate costumes, music, dancing, steelpan and Caribbean food, but the atmosphere is different from the main Adult's Day on Monday.
And remember: Monday 31 August is the main adult Carnival day, which is outside this article's Friday-to-Sunday window.
Go for: costumes, music, food and one of London's biggest cultural celebrations.
Notting Hill Carnival official information
11. See Twenty One Pilots at All Points East
Sunday 30 August
📍 Victoria Park
Ticketed
If you want a massive Sunday night, Twenty One Pilots headline All Points East.
The official festival site confirms the show for Sunday 30 August, with Wunderhorse, Ren, Gang of Youths and bbno$ among the announced acts.
The festival has therefore made Victoria Park one of the main places to be throughout this weekend, with different major artists across Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Go for: a huge Sunday-night concert.
All Points East official website
12. Spend Sunday at St Augustine's Tower
Sunday 30 August
2pm–4:30pm
📍 Hackney
Free
Here's one for people who want something much quieter.
St Augustine's Tower is opened to the public just once a month, giving visitors the chance to climb the tower of what is described as the oldest building in Hackney.
The current London events calendar lists its next monthly opening for Sunday 30 August, 2pm–4:30pm, and entry is free.
This is exactly the sort of small London experience that can easily get lost among the enormous weekend events.
If you like historic London, it is worth knowing about.
Go for: a free historical experience and views over Hackney.
13. Spend Friday at the Imperial War Museum or Lambeth Palace
Friday 28 August
If you're looking for something to do during the day before the weekend really gets going, there are a couple of more unusual options.
At the Imperial War Museum, a special event titled The Legacy of Bernard Montgomery takes place on Friday from 11am–2pm, featuring Montgomery's grandson Henry Montgomery and biographer Gary Mead. Tickets are listed at £20.
Alternatively, Lambeth Palace has its summer open days on Friday, giving visitors an opportunity to see parts of the historic palace that aren't normally open to the public. The current listing has the Friday opening from 12pm–4pm, with tickets listed at £14.
Two very different ways to start your weekend.
Go for: London history and something beyond the usual tourist attractions.
A few things to remember this weekend
Notting Hill will be extremely busy
If you're going to Carnival on Sunday, plan your journey before leaving home.
If you're not going to Carnival, you may want to avoid travelling through Notting Hill simply because the area will be exceptionally busy.
Notting Hill Carnival runs 29–31 August, with Panorama on Saturday, Families & Children's Day on Sunday and the main Adult's Day on Monday.
Victoria Park will also be busy
All Points East is running major shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
So if you're travelling through East London around Victoria Park, allow extra time and check your route before setting off.
Don't forget Monday
You asked specifically for 28, 29 and 30 August, so this article stops on Sunday.
But if you're planning the full Bank Holiday weekend, Monday 31 August is the big one:
Notting Hill Carnival Adult's Day.
The official Carnival programme confirms the event runs through Monday, while Visit London lists Notting Hill Carnival as taking place 29–31 August 2026.
So, what's actually worth doing this weekend?
The good thing about this particular weekend is that you don't have to spend it doing the same things everyone else is doing.
You could spend Friday night watching Tyler, The Creator in Victoria Park.
Or you could sit in Battersea Park listening to Jeremy Loops and the London African Gospel Choir.
On Saturday, you could discover emerging international designers at RENAISSANCE 2026, watch steelpan bands compete at Panorama, see Tyler, The Creator again, watch a heavyweight boxing fight at The O2 or simply browse independent zines in Peckham.
Then Sunday could be Notting Hill Carnival, Twenty One Pilots, Anish Kapoor, Gaia or a quiet afternoon climbing a historic tower in Hackney.
That's what makes this weekend so good.
London isn't offering one big thing to do. It's offering completely different versions of London.
Music.
Art.
Sport.
Culture.
History.
Fashion.
Food.
And one of the world's biggest street festivals.
So pick the version of London you want this weekend and go experience it.
For more London events, hidden gems, things to do and places worth knowing about, keep checking LondonYaar.com and follow LondonYaar for more.