August Bank Holiday fun: Best things to do in London

From days out to to weekend long festivals, here are the best things to do in London this coming bank holiday, August 26-28

1 West End Drag Brunch, Liverpool Street

The Otherist by Drake & Morgan brings back its West End Drag Brunch series, starting this bank holiday. As you munch on the likes of fried chicken and waffles or superstraccia and nduja tortellini as part of a two-course brunch which you can make bottomless, enjoy death-drops, sass and lip synchs from a casts of queens working on West End stages.

Dates: Sunday, August 27; 1pm-4pm

Tickets: £49.95

Address: The Otherist by Drake & Morgan 111 Old Broad Street, EC2N 1AP

Website: shop.drakeandmorgan.co.uk

2 RVT Sports Day, Vauxhall

The Royal Vauxhall Tavern’s annual sports day is good silly fun, especially if the sun is out. Held in the oval behind the iconic south London gay pub, the sports day sees teams compete in sports you won’t see at the Olympics; tug of war, the 50m mince, handbag toss, the drag race relay and rhythmic gymnastics. As a charity event, the sports day raises funds for LGBT HERO a charity helping LGBTQ+ people lead healthier lives.

Date: Monday, August 28; 1pm-5pm

Tickets: Free to watch

Address: The Royal Vauxhall Tavern, 372 Kennington Lane, Vauxhall SE11 5HY

Website: vauxhalltavern.com

3 Victorian Vauxhall at the Pleasure Gardens

London’s premier Victorian era night-haunt, the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, is hosting a bash that is a throwback to its glory days. Victorian Vauxhall is a ye olde funfair that comes with vintage games, circus acts as well as stuff to get involved with. Test your juggling, diabolo and poi skills as well as hula hooping and plate-spinning skills too. There’s also dance and music classes and crafts for the kids.

Date: Saturday, August 26; 2pm-7pm

Tickets: Free, but ticketed

Address: Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens Vauxhall Walk, Vauxhall SE11 5HL

Website: eventbrite.co.uk

4 Sound bath and wellness session on the Heath, Hampstead

Restore and recharge your energy levels with this wellness session held in the grassy greens of Hampstead Heath designed to relax and unwind. The session includes a fire ceremony, a yin yoga practice, meditation, and a sound bath. Held near the mixed ponds, you can even go for a swim afterwards.

Date: Sunday, August 27, 5pm-6.30pm

Tickets: From £16.96

Address: Hampstead Heath, next to the mixed bathing ponds, NW3 1BP

Website: eventbrite.co.uk

5 The Line, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to the O2

Pubic art trail The Line connects the Stratford park to Greenwich’s O2 via the Royal Docks following the waterways and the line of the Greenwich Meridian. The outdoor exhibition of public art is an opportunity to explore art from artists such as Anish Kapoor, Gary Hume, and Yinka Ilori while soaking up London nature. Download the digital map to find the best places to hop on and off for you.

Website: the-line.org

 

6 Greenwich + Docklands International Festival, London-wide

From a vertical dance performance held on the side of St Paul’s Cathedral, to a performance on a to-scale roof of a house submerged in the Thames, London’s biggest free theatre and arts festival returns to inject the capital’s streets with colour and fun. Performances respond to this year’s festival theme, Acts of Hope, and all in all there’s more than 35 events including two world premieres and 14 UK premieres, as well as the popular Greenwich Fair and Dancy City in Canary Wharf.

Dates: August 15 to September 10

Tickets: Free, but check programme for ticketed events

Address: Various locations in Greenwich and London

Website: festival.org/GDIF-2023/

7 Notting Hill Carnival

London’s ultimate street party will light up west London with dancing, floats and music, oh so much music once again. Bigger than Glasto, so they say, and with equally colourful outfits and positive vibes, get swept up in the raucous fun and roll along with the day. For families, there’s a stage that’s suitable for those with children in tow.

Date: August 27-28

Website: nhcarnival.org

8 All Points East & Field Day, Victoria Park

Stormzy, Aphex Twin, Bonobo, Erykah Badu, Fever Ray, Confidence Man, Tove Lo and Girl in Red; APE’s line up of world class music acts is long. In addition to the main day gigs, the festival will hold a free family-friendly festival during the week – an easy school holiday day out with the kids. On the programme, outdoor cinema, music, and wellbeing activities, as well as pop up bars and street food vendors.

Dates: August 18 – 28

Tickets: From free

Address: Victoria Park, Tower Hamlets

Website: allpointseastfestival.com

9 Hampton Palace Food Festival, East Molesey

Spend the August bank holiday weekend wandering the ground of Henry VIII’s palace while you get stuck into the extensive selection of street food and artisan foodstuffs at this long weekend food festival. Pop up bars will keep you hydrated and refreshed, and there’s plenty of food-related masterclasses to try out as well. Catch some live music, and face painting, circus skill sessions and other family-friendly activities should keep the little ones entertained too.

Date: August 26-28

Tickets: From £29

Address: Hampton Court Way, Molesey, East Molesey KT8 9AU

Website: hrpfestivals.com