15 Memorable Ways To Spend This Father’s Day Weekend

Head over to Fulham Pier to soak up the sun

If a proper beach day feels like too much effort, Fulham Pier has quietly become the most convincing alternative in the city. The Thames-side development, sitting beneath Fulham FC’s riverside stadium, has opened its promenade to the public for the first time in decades, with deckchairs, open-air bars, street food traders and a full summer events programme on offer.

Anchoring it all is Under The Pier, a large-scale public commission from British artist Sophie Tea, whose vivid painted seascapes give the space a genuine cultural draw.

Where: Stevenage Rd, Fulham, London SW6 6HH
Website: www.fulhampier.com

Celebrate National Martini Day here

With National Martini Day arriving this Friday, Sale e Pepe Mare at The Langham is a very good place to mark the occasion.

The recently opened Italian coastal restaurant has already made a name for itself with its Shaken Dirty Vodka Martini, served tableside with a flair that suits the room’s lively, seaside-inflected energy. Made with Ketel One Vodka, Gordal olives, anchovies and smoked brine shards, it leans hard into the saltier, brinier end of the spectrum, making it a natural match for the seafood-led menu. Order one, then probably another.

Where: 1C Portland Pl, London W1B 1JA
Website: www.saleepepe.com

Attend this summer party

Broadway Market’s beloved Sune is throwing its annual Midsummer Party this Sunday, and it’s shaping up to be the most spirited way to welcome the solstice.

The day kicks off with a four-course Midsummer brunch, followed by an alfresco seafood BBQ from the Sune team and guest chef Georgia Lahiff. From 4pm, Hackney favourite DJ Chris Tindall takes over for the party stretch. Walk-ins are welcome from 4pm, but if you’re planning ahead, tickets are on sale now.

Where: Offsite at 129A Pritchard’s Rd, London E2 9AP
Book here

Celebrate the summer solstice in style

Electric Shuffle Canary Wharf is marking the summer solstice this Saturday and Sunday with a non-stop ‘Solstice Social’ happy hour across both days, and at £7 a round, the maths is very much in your favour.

The Cabot Square terrace will be serving Casamigos cocktails and frozen tequila slushies throughout, with the festoon-lit outdoor bar making for an easy transition into a shuffleboard session once the sun goes down. It’s running all weekend long, and any dads making a Father’s Day afternoon of it on Sunday will be handed a complimentary bottle of Madrí on arrival.

Where: Cabot Square, N Colonnade, Canary Wharf Estate, London E14 4EY
Website: www.electricshuffle.com

Plan your trip to the cocktail event of the summer

London’s ultimate open-air drinks festival is returning to Bedford Square Gardens this summer, and tickets are already flying.

Reimagined as a vibrant pop-up village in Bloomsbury’s largest private Georgian garden, Cocktails in the City will bring together twenty of the capital’s finest bars. Running across two blockbuster weekends from July 2nd to 4th and August 6th to 8th, guests can look forward to exclusive £10 signature serves, live music, silent discos, and interactive cocktail-making workshops. Given that this sun-soaked celebration sells out completely every single year, you will want to secure your general admission tickets right now to avoid missing out.

Where: Bedford Square Gardens, Bloomsbury
Book here

Catch a reimagining of this classic tale

First seen al fresco in 2013, Will Todd and Maggie Gottlieb’s free-wheeling, tongue-twisting operatic adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s surreal classic is returning to Opera Holland Park this weekend. 

Reimagined for the theatre’s main stage, this delightful, fast-paced 80-minute production transforms the beloved tale into a family visit to a pet shop that takes an unexpected turn when Alice encounters a talking White Rabbit. Perfect for audiences of all ages, the show features an eclectic, jazzy musical score, bringing to life a vibrant cast of iconic characters including the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat,  Humpty Dumpty, and the Tweedle twins. Book your tickets now for a scrumptious tea party for the senses.

Where: Opera Holland Park Theatre, Ilchester Pl, London W8 6LU
Website: www.operahollandpark.com

Get into the World Cup spirit

Just in time for the World Cup summer, Madame Tussauds London has unveiled its first-ever Harry Kane figure, and it’s been six months in the making. Kitted out in the official England home shirt, the figure joins an already formidable lineup that includes Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappé and Mo Salah in the Culture Capital zone.

Fans visiting before 19th July can scan a QR code near the figure for a chance to win a signed England shirt, making it a worthwhile stop for anyone with a football-mad family member in tow this summer.

Where: Marylebone Rd, London NW1 5LR
Website: www.MadameTussauds.com

Explore the ultimate foodie festival

The capital’s ultimate culinary takeover is back this weekend as Taste of London returns to transform Regent’s Park into a massive, five-day foodie wonderland. Think an incredible lineup of the city’s hottest restaurants serving up exclusive dishes, alongside fire-fuelled cooking theatrics, artisan producers, and plenty of summer festival energy.

With this year already billed to be another sellout event, this isn’t one to miss.

Where: Regent’s Park
Book here

Tuck into a Wimbledon-themed afternoon tea

For a Wimbledon-themed afternoon tea, head to InterContinental London Park Lane, which has just launched its limited-edition offering, and it’s one of the more considered takes on the seasonal format.

Served in The Wellington Lounge, the menu spans cucumber and Dorset crème fraîche finger sandwiches and smoked salmon rillette, through to pastries that lean into the tournament’s iconography. Think summer hat-shaped strawberry and cream cakes, citrus and raspberry tennis ball patisseries, and Lavazza opera cakes to finish.

Where: One Hamilton Place, Park Ln, London W1J 7QY
Website: www.parklaneintercontinental.com

Head to this rooftop for Father’s Day

The Broadcaster in West London is marking Father’s Day with a rooftop Summer Series BBQ, and the brief is simple: come hungry.

Guest chef Matias Casotto is taking over the open fire for an all-you-can-eat Asado-style spread with seasonal sides, served against the west London skyline. It’s the kind of low-fuss, high-reward plan that actually works for Father’s Day – no tasting menus, no ceremony, just good meat and a decent view.

Where: 89 Wood Ln, London W12 7FX
Website: www.thebroadcaster.com

Try this matcha takeover

How Matcha’s Marylebone store is getting a berry takeover, courtesy of a limited-edition collaboration with Driscoll’s, and the four-drink menu is definitely worth the detour.

Each £7 iced drink pairs the brand’s hand-picked British-season berries with How Matcha’s Special Reserve Kagoshima matcha — think strawberry and elderflower with rhubarb tonic, raspberries with Japanese yuzu and candied peel, and a blueberry number topped with goat’s cheese foam that sounds outlandish and will almost certainly be the most-photographed thing in the postcode. It runs for ten days only, so file this one under “go sooner rather than later.”
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Roll the dice at 34 Mayfair

34 Mayfair is making Father’s Day genuinely fun this Sunday with a Roll the Dice game running from 12pm–5.30pm, where Dads can roll for prizes ranging from a free Old Fashioned or beer to 50% off the wine list, a complimentary bottle of Champagne, or, less thrillingly, paying the bill himself.

On the food front, the kitchen is stretching its Father’s Day roast through to 5.30pm. It’s the rare Father’s Day plan that works whether you’re in for a long lunch or a relaxed evening, and the dice adds just enough jeopardy to keep things interesting.

Where: 34 Grosvenor Sq, S Audley St, London W1K 2HD
Website: www.34mayfair.com

Try this magical afternoon tea offering

For a weekend plan with more imagination than the standard brunch booking, Kona at Taj 51 Buckingham Gate is serving a Shakespeare-inspired afternoon tea from Friday to Sunday.

The five-act experience takes its cue from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, working through poetic savouries, magical sweets and a signature blend reportedly brewed with fairy dust, all set within the hotel’s Victorian townhouse surroundings.

Where: 51 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6AF
Website: www.taj51buckinghamgate.com

Check out this Champagne trolley

Pan Pacific London has installed a couture-inspired Champagne trolley in its Ginger Lily Lounge for the summer, and it’s as good a reason as any to make the trip to Liverpool Street this weekend.

Running in collaboration with Taittinger through to the end of September, the trolley serves as both a visual centrepiece and a very elegant first drink, setting the tone for what is a broader summer takeover of the hotel, including a Riviera-inspired infinity pool experience with dedicated poolside Champagne service during adult-only hours. If you want to make a full occasion of it, the overnight Summer Stay package includes a bottle to take home and full access to the poolside experience.

Where: 80 Houndsditch, London EC3A 7AB
Website: www.panpacific.com

Spend Father’s Day here

If you haven’t sorted Father’s Day plans yet, The Porter’s Table, the seasonal grill restaurant inside Guinness Open Gate Brewery London, is well worth consideration.

The £50 set menu includes three courses of carefully sourced British produce, from crispy tamarind-glazed lamb rib to bavette steak and a blackcurrant Eton mess, all served alongside a three-beer flight poured metres from the tanks. Cocktails, including a Sour Plum Negroni and an Espresso Stoutini, are available at an extra cost, and any fathers joining the brewery tour on the day will leave with a pint glass engraved with a special Father’s Day message. A solid excuse to spend the afternoon in a brewery, if one were needed.

Where: 28 Shelton St, London WC2H 9JE
Website: www.opengatelondon.com