15 Things to Do in London This Weekend: 21–23 August 2026
London is about to have one of its busiest weekends of the summer.
Notting Hill Carnival is only a week away, but you don't have to wait until the August Bank Holiday to have a proper London weekend.
From Jorja Smith and Tems in Victoria Park to a fantasy and sci-fi convention at ExCeL, outdoor cinema surrounded by aircraft, a free family event at the Young V&A and a major art exhibition closing on Sunday, there is a lot happening across the capital.
And because this is a “things to do this weekend” guide, I've focused on things that are either specifically happening on 21–23 August or have a particularly good reason to visit this weekend.
So, if you're wondering what to do in London this weekend, here are 15 ideas.
1. See Jorja Smith and Tems at All Points East
📅 Friday 21 August
📍 Victoria Park
Ticketed
If you're looking for the biggest way to start the weekend, this is probably it.
All Points East returns to Victoria Park on Friday with Jorja Smith and Tems headlining, alongside Nia Archives, Ayra Starr, Odeal, Uncle Waffles, DJ EZ and many more.
The festival isn't just about the headline performances either. The site has food vendors, bars and other experiences, so you can arrive earlier and make an afternoon and evening of it.
Current general-admission tickets are listed from £84.95 plus booking fees, although availability and prices can change.
Best for: R&B, Afrobeats, alternative and live-music fans.
2. Start Friday night on the South Bank
📅 Friday 21 August, 7pm–11pm
📍 Between The Bridges, South Bank
Free entry
Not every good Friday night needs a festival ticket.
At Between The Bridges, the Friday programme includes its Human Jukebox, where the live performers take requests, alongside The Dock House Party, with pop, R&B and disco from resident DJs. Both run from 7pm to 11pm, and the venue lists them as free-entry events.
The location is part of the appeal.
You're right beside the Thames, with the London Eye, Waterloo Bridge and the South Bank all around you.
Grab some food, listen to music and then take a walk along the river.
You can make a whole evening out of it without booking a major attraction.
Best for: A spontaneous Friday night with friends.
3. Spend Saturday at For the Love of Fantasy & Sci-Fi
📅 Saturday 22 & Sunday 23 August
📍 ExCeL London
Ticketed
If you're more interested in fantasy worlds than music festivals, head east.
For the Love of Fantasy & Sci-Fi takes over ExCeL London on Saturday and Sunday, running from 9am to 6pm both days.
The convention brings together fans of films and television, with guests and experiences connected to franchises including The Lord of the Rings, Stranger Things, Harry Potter, Wednesday, Game of Thrones, The Sandman, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Vampire Diaries and many others.
And yes, this is one of those weekends when dressing up actually makes sense.
If you have a favourite character, bring the cosplay.
Best for: Fantasy fans, sci-fi fans, cosplayers and families.
4. See Lorde at All Points East if you already have a ticket
📅 Saturday 22 August
📍 Victoria Park
Currently sold out
Saturday's All Points East lineup is completely different.
Lorde headlines, with PinkPantheress, Zara Larsson, DJO, Sienna Spiro, 2hollis and more on the bill.
There is one important update, though:
The official festival site currently lists the event as sold out and has a Lorde waiting list.
So I wouldn't tell readers to simply “buy tickets” for this one.
If you already have one, you've got one of London's biggest Saturday concerts of the summer.
If you don't, keep an eye on the official waiting list rather than relying on unofficial resale sites.
Best for: Lorde and pop fans who already have tickets.
5. Take the children to SideWays Play at the Young V&A
📅 Saturday 22 August, 11am–4:30pm
📍 Young V&A, Bethnal Green
Free
Here's a genuinely good free option for families.
The Young V&A is hosting a SideWays Play drop-in session on Saturday 22 August from 11am to 4:30pm.
The project is being developed with sensory-theatre pioneers Oily Cart, creating an immersive playspace where children and adults can explore textures, sounds, colours and different ways of interacting with the environment.
There are no complicated rules about how you're supposed to play.
It's designed to be explored.
And because it's in Bethnal Green, you can easily continue your day around East London afterwards.
Best for: Families with younger children.
6. Watch Top Gun: Maverick under the stars at the RAF Museum
📅 Saturday 22 August
📍 RAF Museum London, Hendon
Ticketed
This might be the most unusual cinema experience of the weekend.
The RAF Museum's Propellers & Popcorn programme brings outdoor cinema to an aviation setting, with Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick being screened beneath the stars.
The museum confirms that Propellers & Popcorn runs on 22 and 23 August, with tickets currently listed between £10 and £40 depending on the experience.
The Saturday screening is Top Gun: Maverick, making the setting particularly appropriate.
You're not watching fighter jets on a screen and then going home.
You're watching the film surrounded by actual aircraft.
Best for: Film fans, aviation enthusiasts and unusual date nights.
7. Explore the fantasy world at House of Dreamers
📅 Friday–Sunday
📍 ExCeL London
Ticketed
If you're already heading to ExCeL for the fantasy convention, there's another immersive experience worth knowing about.
House of Dreamers London opened on 1 July and runs through 30 September 2026.
The exhibition features 16 immersive installations created by Elena and Giulia Sella, designed around dreams, imagination and different sensory environments.
So you could actually make this an ExCeL double-header:
Fantasy & Sci-Fi on Saturday or Sunday, plus House of Dreamers.
Or visit House of Dreamers on Friday and save the convention for Saturday.
Best for: Immersive-experience fans, families and Instagram-friendly outings.
8. See the final weekend of Zurbarán at the National Gallery
📅 Friday 21 – Sunday 23 August
📍 National Gallery, Trafalgar Square
Ticketed
This is one of the most important things happening in London specifically this weekend because Sunday is your final chance.
The National Gallery's major Zurbarán exhibition closes on Sunday 23 August 2026.
The exhibition brings together more than 40 works by Francisco de Zurbarán, including paintings from major collections in Europe and the United States.
It is the first major UK exhibition devoted to the Spanish Baroque painter.
Tickets are currently £20 Sunday–Thursday and £22 Friday–Saturday, with under-18s free.
If you've been saying “I'll go sometime this summer”, this is your final weekend.
Best for: Art lovers and anyone wanting a cultural weekend.
9. Take the family to the final weekend of Fairy Tales at the British Library
📅 Friday 21 – Sunday 23 August
📍 British Library
Ticketed
Another exhibition disappearing after this weekend is the British Library's Fairy Tales exhibition.
It closes on Sunday 23 August after a run of nearly five months.
Designed particularly with children and families in mind, the exhibition explores famous fairy-tale worlds through manuscripts, illustrations, puppets, pop-up books and interactive experiences.
There are magical forests.
A palace.
A genie.
A magic mirror.
And even a chance to explore the world of fairy-tale storytelling through different senses.
Tickets are currently £13.50 peak / £11.50 off-peak, with concessions available.
Best for: Families and anyone who never really grew out of fairy tales.
10. Visit the International Slavery Remembrance Day programme in Greenwich
📅 Sunday 23 August, 11am–5pm
📍 National Maritime Museum & Queen's House, Greenwich
Free
This is one of the weekend's most meaningful events.
The National Maritime Museum and Queen's House mark International Slavery Remembrance Day on Sunday 23 August with a programme exploring remembrance, historical justice and reparative practice.
The date itself commemorates the 1791 uprising in Saint-Domingue, now Haiti, which played an important role in the wider struggle against slavery and the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.
The programme runs from 11am to 5pm and is free.
You can also make this part of a larger Greenwich day explore the museum, walk through Greenwich Park and finish beside the Thames.
Best for: History, culture and anyone wanting a more thoughtful Sunday.
11. Spend Sunday at Outbreak Fest
📅 Sunday 23 August
📍 Victoria Park
Ticketed
And then All Points East changes direction once again.
Sunday is Outbreak Fest, headlined by Deftones, with IDLES, Amyl and the Sniffers, Interpol, AFI, JPEGMAFIA, Deafheaven, Show Me the Body and many more on the lineup.
The official site currently lists general admission from £94.95 plus booking fees, although availability can change.
Gates are scheduled to open at 1:30pm for general admission.
If your idea of a relaxing Sunday involves loud guitars rather than a picnic in the park, this is your event.
Best for: Rock, alternative and heavier music fans.
12. End Saturday with Guilty Pleasures by the Thames
📅 Saturday 22 August, 7pm–11pm
📍 Between The Bridges, South Bank
Free entry
If you're looking for something after a day of exploring London, head back towards the Thames.
Between The Bridges hosts Guilty Pleasures every Saturday, and the official listing confirms the event for 22 August from 7pm to 11pm, with free entry.
Expect pop classics from the 1990s and 2000s the songs you know you still know every word to.
It's casual, central and easy to combine with a South Bank walk.
Best for: Groups of friends who want a fun Saturday night without a big-ticket event.
13. Finish Sunday with Sunset Social on the South Bank
📅 Sunday 23 August, 4:30pm–10:30pm
📍 Between The Bridges
Free entry
If you're looking for something much more relaxed after a busy weekend, Between The Bridges has Neil Prince's Sunset Social on Sunday.
The event runs from 4:30pm to 10:30pm, with R&B, pop and soul, and is part of the venue's regular Sunday Sessions programme.
This is less about having a huge night and more about sitting beside the Thames, eating something, listening to music and watching the evening settle over central London.
It's a pretty good way to end a Sunday.
Best for: A relaxed summer evening.
14. Visit the Serpentine Pavilion and explore Kensington Gardens
📅 Friday–Sunday
📍 Kensington Gardens
Free
If you don't want to spend the weekend rushing between ticketed events, make time for one of London's best free summer experiences.
The 2026 Serpentine Pavilion, designed by Mexico City-based LANZA atelier, is open throughout the weekend.
It runs until 25 October, with Saturday and Sunday opening hours of 10am–7pm.
The pavilion is built around the idea of a serpentine, or crinkle-crankle wall, with an undulating brick structure dividing the lawn.
And you don't have to make the pavilion the entire trip.
Walk through Kensington Gardens.
See the public sculpture Pénétrable BBL Jaune by Jesús Rafael Soto.
Stop by the Serpentine galleries.
Then find somewhere for lunch.
It is one of those very London summer afternoons where the activity is simply being outside and exploring.
Best for: Architecture lovers, photographers, couples and anyone wanting a free day out.
15. Make Sunday your final chance for Fairy Tales and Zurbarán
Okay, this one is technically two exhibitions.
But if you're trying to build a proper culture-heavy Sunday, the timing is too good to ignore.
Start at the British Library for Fairy Tales, then head towards Trafalgar Square for Zurbarán at the National Gallery.
Both exhibitions end on Sunday 23 August.
You could easily turn this into a full central London day:
British Library → King's Cross → Covent Garden → Trafalgar Square → National Gallery → Soho
And you don't need to rush.
Have lunch somewhere around Covent Garden.
Walk through Leicester Square.
Then finish with dinner in Soho.
It's a good reminder that sometimes the best weekend itinerary isn't one huge event.
It's a collection of smaller experiences that happen to fit together.
What should you actually do this weekend?
With so much happening, here's the easy version.
If you want a music weekend
Friday: Jorja Smith + Tems at All Points East
Saturday: Lorde at All Points East — if you already have a ticket
Sunday: Outbreak Fest
Three days.
Three completely different music experiences.
And all in Victoria Park.
If you're visiting with children
Saturday: SideWays Play at Young V&A
Saturday/Sunday: For the Love of Fantasy & Sci-Fi
Weekend: Fairy Tales at the British Library
You can also add House of Dreamers at ExCeL if the family likes immersive experiences.
If you want a cultural weekend
Friday: Zurbarán at the National Gallery
Saturday: Fairy Tales at the British Library
Sunday: International Slavery Remembrance Day in Greenwich
And remember: Zurbarán and Fairy Tales both close on Sunday, so this really is their final weekend.
If you're trying to keep the weekend cheap
You can do quite a lot without buying an expensive ticket.
Friday: Between The Bridges
Saturday: Young V&A SideWays Play
Sunday: International Slavery Remembrance Day + Greenwich Park
Any day: Serpentine Pavilion
That's a genuinely full London weekend with several free options.
If you just want a classic London summer weekend
Don't overplan it.
Spend Saturday exploring an area you've never properly seen.
Then head to the South Bank in the evening.
On Sunday, go to Greenwich or Kensington Gardens.
Stop for food somewhere interesting.
Sit beside the Thames.
Watch the city go by.
And if you still have energy, finish with music at Between The Bridges.
Sometimes that's a better London weekend than trying to tick off 15 attractions.
One last thing before the weekend
There's a reason this weekend is particularly interesting.
21–23 August is the final weekend before Notting Hill Carnival.
The following weekend, London will be preparing for the 60th anniversary Carnival, with Panorama on Saturday 29 August and the main Carnival days on Sunday 30 and Monday 31 August.
So this weekend has a slightly different feeling.
The summer is still going.
Major festivals are happening.
Outdoor cinema is still on.
Exhibitions are reaching their final days.
And then, suddenly, the August Bank Holiday arrives.
If you've been waiting for a reason to get out and explore London, this is a pretty good one.
You don't need to do everything.
Pick one big thing.
Pick one free thing.
Leave some time for wandering.
And let London fill in the rest.
Discover more things to do, places to visit and London events on LondonYaar.com.
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