The best things to do in London with family & friends this July

From music festivals to exhibition and museum openings, here are 10 of the best things to do in London with family and friends this July.

1 Out to Lunch Lunchtime Jazz at Cadogan Hall, Chelsea

Take a proper break from the working day with this middle of the day music series featuring artists from around the world.  The lunchtime jazz gig will host the likes of Jools Holland’s Rhythm and Blues Orchestra musical director Phil Veacock, and vocalist and composer Tara Minton who has worked with Bjork and the Ronnie Scott’s All Stars across trad jazz and world music to improv sessions and contemporary jazz. Concerts runs for two hours, with a 30 minute interval, and audience are welcome to stay for a brief 20 minute visit or settle in for the full two hours.

Dates: Tuesdays & Thursdays July 18-August 24

Time: 12pm to 2pm, with a 30 minute interval.

Tickets: £5 or free to stand

Address: Culford Room, Cadogan Hall, 5 Sloane Terrace, Chelsea SW1X 9DQ

Website: cadoganhall.com

2 Lift 109 Lates’ Sundown Session, Battersea Power Station

A bit of a twist on a rooftop Sunday session, Battersea Power Station have launched its Lift 109 Lates series with a Sundown Session. With Collyer Twins on the decks, have a boogie 109 metres above ground and with 360-degree views of London as the sun goes down, as the lift transforms into a micro club of sorts. Drinks will be available during the 45 minutes spent cutting shapes above London and there’s only 12 spaces per session.

Date: Thursday, July 20

Time: 8pm-9pm or 9pm-10pm

Ticket: £59 which includes one drink.

Address:  Battersea Power Station, SW11 8BJ

Website: lift109.co.uk

3 Women’s T20 International England v Australia, Lord’s Cricket Ground

For those who can’t wait for Wimbledon to get their first hit of summer sport, the Ashes continues through July with England and Australia battling it out in the women’s competition, in one of sports’ greatest rivalries. Whether or not your side wins or loses, it’s a great summer activity. 

Date: Saturday, July 8

Time: 6.30pm

Tickets: From £5

Address: Lord’s Cricket Ground, St John’s Wood Road, NW8 8QN

Website: lords.org

 

4 Engineers exhibition at Science Museum

Pick anything you use on a regular basis which enhance life in some small or big way – say a colour digital camera, your sat nav or even your raincoat – and chances are you can thank an engineer for playing a role in the creation of that thing. Designed to inspire curious young minds (and in particular to encourage girls), this exhibition looks at the bold, often creative, work done by engineers across industries, from robotics and web to farming and fashion. It showcases the lives, stories and innovations of 60 engineers, who have all been recipients of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, the world’s leading engineering award.

Date: Running now until TBC

Tickets: Free but ticketed

Address: Exhibition Road, South Kensington, SW7 2DD

Website: sciencemuseum.org.uk

5 Summer fruits cooking masterclass at Sauce by The Langham

Join pastry chef Anna Higham as she takes you through ideas on how to use up your summer fruit in this seasonal and warm weather cooking class. The award-winning chef, who cut her teeth at the Gordon Ramsay Group, will take you through recipes for jams, cordials, syrups and vinegars to make in-season sweet treats. After you make your concoctions, you can enjoy them with a glass of English sparkling wine.

Date: Saturday, July 16

Time: 9.15am to 2pm

Tickets: £175, includes welcome tea and coffee, takeaway goodies from the class, recipe pack, apron, cloth and tote bag

Address: 1C Portland Place, Marylebone W1B 1JA

Website: saucebylangham.com

6 Woolwich Works Beach Bar, Woolwich

Bringing the seaside vibes to east London, Woolwich Work’s beach bar, Rumpypumpy, returns for the summer complete with sand and deckchairs, for chilled sunny-time vibes. Serving rum cocktails, mocktails and beers on tap, the bar will also have pop up food stalls and live music on selected evenings. Also look out for 2-for-1 cocktails, 4pm to 6.30pm.

Dates: From June 28

Time: 12pm-9.30pm

Tickets: Free, unticketed

Address: Woolwich Works, 11 No. 1 Street, Woolwich SE18 6HD

Website: woolwich.works

7 Summer in Battersea Park

A weekend family programme of family fun, Summer in Battersea Park is packed with music, arts and sports stuff to do and watch. The pop up big screen will broadcast The Ashes and Wimbledon, and the Tour de France (if the second test finishes early, that is), and acoustic music sessions (July 8&9) with infuse your sunny afternoon with jazz and blues. You can try a yoga class or bring the kids to watch a circus show or some family theatre. There’s also the Battersea Dog Show and a massive beer garden that comes with street food and tunes.

Date: Weekends between July 1-16

Time: 11am-7pm

Tickets: Free entry to the park, some activities ticketed, book at eventbrite.com

Address: Battersea Park, SW11 4NJ

Website: summerinbatterseapark.co.uk

8 Fête de l’Escargot at Maison François, St James’s

Celebrate Bastille Day in style at Maison François. The sleek French bistro is hosting a snail-fest for the occasion which starts at the neighbouring Chequers Tavern. Escargot-related entertainment includes a snail race, and there will be plenty of baguettes loaded with buttery, garlicky snails to try while listening to a traditional accordion player and watching a mime act. After, head to Frank’s below Maison François for a Gallic fest.

Date: Friday, July 14

Time: From 4pm, dinner at 8pm

Tickets: £60 which includes a three course meal and a welcome glass of rose

Address: 34 Duke Street, St. James’s SW1Y 6DF

Website: maisonfrancois.london

9 The Battersea Games, Battersea Power Station

This all ages month of games and sports comes with a pop up padel court, a climbing wall, a basketball court and a running track. You can also take a yoga, boxing or a HIIT training class. Dog agility and training sessions, virtual reality gaming, ping pong, giant board games and the world’s largest PAC-MAN will also keep you busy too. These activities will be held both inside and outside the power station. Look out for the Wimbledon big screen too, and from July 13-16 the gin bus will pull up also.

Dates: July 1 – September 3

Price: Free

Address: Battersea Power Station

Website: batterseapowerstation.co.uk

10 City Beerfest, City

A day of fine ales and brews as well as street food, all in one historic setting. Held in the imposing Victorian gothic Guildhall’s yard, The UnSwung Heroes will perform New Orleans-inspired live music for the occasion, which raises money for the Lord Mayor’s Appeal. Breweries include Five Points, Freedom, Fullers, Greene King and Signature Brew.

Date:  Thursday, July 6

Times:  From 12.30pm

Price: From £16.20 which includes four half pints

Address: Guildhall Yard, 71 Basinghall Street, Moorgate, EC2V 7HH

Website: citybeerfest.org

 

11 Cocktails in the City, Bloomsbury

The first edition of London’s biggest cocktail garden party returns this month to take revellers on a tipple filled exploration of the capital’s bar scene. With ‘inspiration’ as its theme, London’s top bars will serve up tastes of what’s to come this summer season. There’s also street food, masterclasses, workshops and music. Bars include Bourne & Hollingsworth, Florattica, Nightjar, Oriole, Punch Room, Shoreditch Arts Club, The Coral Room.

Dates: July 6-8

Times: 12pm-4pm; 5pm-10mpm

Tickets: £22 which includes welcome cocktail, live music and tasting sessions.

Address: Bedford Square

Website: cocktailsinthecity.com

 

12 Pizza masterclasses at Pizzeria Mozza

The central London outpost of the esteemed Californian pizza place is hosting pizza masterclasses through summer. With just 10 people maximum in each class, participants learn the trick to stretching the dough as well as topping placement. There’s a welcome drink on arrival and of course dining post cooking.

Dates: TBC

Price: £30

Address: Treehouse Hotel, 14-15 Langham Place, Fitzrovia W1B 2QS

Website: treehousehotels.com

 

13 Young V&A opening weekend, Bethnal Green

The anticipated opening of Young V&A, a new national museum dedicated to children and young people, is finally here. Striving to be ‘the world’s most joyful museum’, the three interactive galleries offer tactile hands-on creative experiences for children aged from new born to 14-years-olds. It will open with the Sound It Out display which features original poems inspired by the V&A’s collections by leading authors like Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho, Valerie Bloom, Liz Brownlee, Bob Raczka and Michael Rosen. Also look out for a life-size Joey the War Horse puppet, a Microlino car suspended from the ceiling, Star Wars’ Jabba the Hutt and conservation-approved slime. 

Date: Saturday, July 1

Tickets: Free admission

Address: Cambridge Heath Road, Bethnal Green, E2 9PA

Website: vam.ac.uk

14 Black Venus, Somerset House

This exhibition examines the historical representation and the changing legacy of Black women in visual culture. It brings together 18 Black women and non-binary artists to explore othering, fetishisation, and reclaiming Black femininity narratives. Curated by Aindrea Emelife, artists on display include Sonia Boyce, Widline Cadet and Shawanda Corbet.

Dates: July 20- September 24

Tickets: Pay what you can

Address: Strand, WC2R 1LA

Website: somersethouse.org.uk

15 The Crucible, West End

The National Theatre’s Crucible is restaged for the West End this summer. Directed by Olivier Award-winning Lyndsey Turner and with set design by Tony Award-winning Es Devlin, Arthur Miller’s gripping parable gets a contemporary makeover as it tells the tale of Salem’s witch hunt and a group of young women who now find their voices have power, for once. The production features House of the Dragon’s Milly Alcock as Abigail Williams and Caitlin FitzGerald from Succession and Masters of Sex as Elizabeth Proctor.

Date: Running until September 2

Tickets: From £20

Address: Gielgud Theatre Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 6AR

Website: thecrucibleonstage.com

16 DIVA, V&A

This is celebration of the female performing powerhouses, from the Opera goddesses of the Victorian era to today’s global megastars. The V&A’s major summer exhibition explores the idea of being a diva and how this has been subverted or embraced over time across opera, stage, popular music, and film through fashion, photography, costume music and performance. Let’s hope Diana gets a mention.

Dates: June 24 – April 7

Tickets: From £20

Address: V&A South Kensington, Cromwell Road SW7 2RL

Website: vam.ac.uk

17 Brunch and Workout at Yauatcha City’s Summer Terrace

Be decadent and guilt free at this brunch, which puts you through your paces before heading into a three course brunch. A partnership with John Reed Fitness, brunchers start with a specially tailored fitness class – either high intensity or low impact – before moving on to Yauatcha City for your meal on the dim sum restaurant’s terrace that comes with two Patron tequila cocktails. On every Saturday until September 29.

Price: £50 per person

Address: Broadgate, EC2M 2QS

Website: sevenrooms.com

18 National Portrait Gallery, Trafalgar Square

The National Portrait Gallery reopens June 22, after closing to the public in spring 2020. The new look gallery features a complete re-hang of its collection, as well as new spaces and an extensive programme of activities. It also opens with two exhibitions – one a collection of photographs taken by Paul McCartney as the Beatles were coming into fame and the other on pioneering fashion photographer, Yevonde. Also, don’t miss the First Look Festival, headlined by Stanley Tucci, with s an in-conversations with Paul McCartney, Tracey Emin and architect Jamie Fobert, as well as workshops, DJ sets, artist talks and tours.

Date: Reopens June 22

Tickets: Entrance is free, but book in advance; exhibitions from £15

Address: St. Martin’s Place WC2H 0HE

Website: npg.org.uk

19 The Standard’s Sunday High

The King’s Cross hotel’s rooftop summer session returns for the season, bringing together great music, cracking views and all the delicious food and drink your heart desires. Every Sunday from June 18 will feature a different dj, act or collective from London’s underground music scenes, from Balearic House to Afrobeats and including musicians such as Karen Nyame KG, Jawani4eva, Elgo Records and High Hopes.

Dates: Sundays from June 18-August 27

Time: 3pm-8pm

Address: The Rooftop at The Standard, London, 10 Argyle Street, WC1H 8EG

Website: standardhotels.com

20 Wimbledon

If you’re one of the lucky ones who’s nabbed a ticket to the most famous tennis tournament in the world, you’ve already got these dates in the diary. Fear not though, those who missed out on catching the action courtside, as big screens pop up all over the place for the tournament and many pubs screen it too. We’ve rounded up our favourite places to watch a match at here.

Dates: July 3-July 16

Address: Wimbledon Tennis Club & Museum, SW19 5AG

Website: wimbledon.com

21OFF THE CUFF Off Menu Cocktail Club, Islington

Launching this month, OFF THE CUFF is a cocktail club with a difference. With no menus, guests can design their own, bespoke drink via an app – embellish your favourite cocktail, build on your favourite spirit or go nuts with the garnishing. Bar tenders will then mix up your concoctions which are served alongside canapes. With live music and icebreaker prompt cards scattered around the venue, OFF THE CUFF is also a great place to meet new people.

Dates: The first event takes place Saturday, July 8

Time: Tickets are for 2.5 hour sittings, between11.30am-9pm

Tickets: £85

Address: London Art House, 2-18 Britannia Road, N1 8PA

Website: offthecuffclub.com

22 Kaleidoscope Festival, Alexandra Palace

A music festival covering pop, djs, rock and more, this year’s line-up includes Hot Chip, George Fitzgerald Live, Gaz Coombes, and Erol & Alkan. Maise Adam and Katie McLeod are among the comedians performing, and Shaun Keavney joins Joe Lycett for an in-conversation. There’s also a string of family events including interactive theatre, beatboxing and acrobatics as well as ‘mysterious adventures’ in the secret Victorian Basements beneath the Palace, which is normally closed to the public.

Dates: Saturday, July 15

Tickets: From £67.95

Address: Alexandra Palace, Alexandra Palace Way, N22 7AY

Website: kaleidoscope-festival.com