From food festivals, to Freddie Mercury’s personal collection going on display, here are the best things to do this September in London with family and friends.
1 The Future of Food Festival, Regent’s Street and St James’s
This week-long food festival looking at sustainability in the industry takes over the central London precinct with immersive dining experiences, talks, masterclasses, cooking demonstrations and an urban farm, as well as other events looking at things like cocktail making and micro herb growing. There will also be drop in events and open air street feasts.
Date: September 18-24
Website: regentstreetonline.com
2 Sami Tamimi Supper Club pop up at 180 Corner
Long-time Ottolenghi collaborator, Sami Tamimi will put on a feast at the strand restaurant that presents guest chef talent from around the world. For three nights, Sami will showcase the depth of Palestinian cuisine, with dishes such as lasbneh with roasted grapes and zaatar, musabaha (warm chickpeas, green chilli and lemon sauce, fish koftas, and sumac roasted plum for dessert. Vegetarian options available on request.
Date: September 6-8
Time: From 6.30pm
Tickets: £70pp
Address: 180 Corner, 180 Strand, Temple WC2R 1EA
Website: 180studios.com
3 Wineyard at the Round Chapel, Clapton
This independent wine market sets up shop for a day in east London with more than 100 wines to taste and buy from 12 stalls. There’s wine masterclasses, so you can tell the difference between your Chardonnay and your Chenin Blanc. Food trucks and live music will also be on site, as well as entertainment for the kids.
Date: Sunday, September 10
Time: 12pm-7pm
Tickets: £15 includes tote, GoVino glass and five tasting tokens
Address: The Round Chapel Lower Clapton Road, E5 0LY
Website: eventbrite.co.uk
4 Big Mamma Flea Market, Fitzrovia
If you’re a fan of the restaurant group’s OTT venues – Ave Mario, Carlotta, Gloria, Jacuzzi and Circolo Popolare – then here’s your chance to bring a little bit of the group’s camp maximalism into your home. Held at Fitzrovia’s Circolo Popolare, the group is putting on a flea market to sell their Sicilian crockery, glassware and vintage Italian furniture. Proceeds go to youth homelessness charity, DePaul UK.
Date: Saturday, September 9
Time: 10am-2pm
Tickets: Free but ticketed
Address: Circolo Popolare, 40-41 Rathbone Place, Fitzrovia W1T 1HX
Website: eventbrite.co.uk
5 Liberty Festival, Croydon
The Mayor of London’s flagship disability arts festival heads to Croydon for one weekend, featuring stand up, fitness sessions, and a family friendly garden party. Stand ups including Francesca Martinez, Aaron Simmons and Steve Day, and the festival finale features Candoco Dance Company, poet Ellen Renton, Inner vision Orchestra and Rachel Gadsden, a visual and performance artist.
Date: September 1-3
Tickets: Events are individually, starting from free
Address: Various locations around Croydon
Website: culturecroydon.com
6 Back to Hogwarts, King’s Cross
Wave the Hogwarts Express off for another year from King’s Cross’s platform 9 ¾ as part of London’s annual Harry Potter fest at the central London station. Children and fans are invited to dress up in their wizard and witchy finest to quaff Butterbeer, play Hogwarts Legacy and get amongst the other themed activities running across the weekend.
Date: Hogwarts Express departs on September 1, Back to Hogwarts runs September 1-3
Time: Countdown at 11am
Address: King’s Cross Station, Euston Road, N1 9AL
Website: wizardingworld.com;
7 Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own exhibition at Sotheby’s, Mayfair
It’s your final chance to see the Queen leadman’s personal collection before it gets auctioned off on September 6. Taking over all of the galleries in Sotheby’s London, the exhibition features iconic costumes and outfits, handwritten lyrics and pieces of art from his private collection.
Date: Running until September 5
Address: 34-35 New Bond Street, Mayfair W1S 2RP
Website: sothebys.com
8 Bartholomew Fair, City of London
The first weekend of Bartholomew Fair’s public art programme kicks off this weekend, opening with Resurgam, a death-defying vertical dance performance held on the façade of St Paul’s Cathedral by California-based company Bandaloop. Taking place in public spaces across City of London, look out for clowning, puppetry and circus shows.
Date: Thursdays-Saturdays, August 31-September 16
Website: thecityofldn.com; thecityofldn.com
9 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 continues through into September, injecting the capital’s streets with colour and fun. Performan 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/
It’s still early days yet, this guide will be updated