16 Glorious Ways To Spend The Weekend In London & Beyond

Celebrate Pride here

Rita’s Soho is bringing back its annual Sip-In for Pride this Sunday, hosted by founders Missy Flynn and Gabriel Pryce alongside Querida, the gay taco bar founded by longtime collaborator Roberto Tovar.

On the menu: a three-course taco brunch, cocktails from Mezcal Amaras Verde, Nito Vermouth and Masafina, plus entertainment and readings from members of Soho’s queer community and beyond. Tickets are £45, including brunch and a welcome drink, with all proceeds going to The Outside Project, an LGBTIQ+ shelter and domestic abuse refuge.

Where: 49 Lexington St, Carnaby, London W1F 9AP
Website: www.ritas.com

Attend this champagne tasting evening

This Friday evening, The Lanesborough at Hyde Park Corner is hosting an intimate champagne tasting with Perrier-Jouët, led by the hotel’s Head Sommelier Jules Coppier and Perrier-Jouët’s Champagne Ambassador Charlotte Kristensen.

Guests are guided through four cuvées, Grand Brut, Blanc de Blancs, Blason Rosé and the iconic Belle Époque 2016, with canapés in one of London’s most elegant hotel settings. Founded in Épernay in 1811, Perrier-Jouët is renowned for its chardonnay-led style and the Belle Époque bottle, one of the most recognisable in Champagne. At £95 a head, it’s a very civilised way to spend a Friday.

Where: Park Corner, Hyde, London SW1X 7TA
Website: www.thelanesborough.com

Experience this chef x DJ collaboration

On Saturday, Charlotte Street’s Carousel brings back its sell-out {PAIRED} series, the Chef x DJ experience created in collaboration with AVA Festival. This time, it’s pairing virtuoso chef John Javier with Kai Campos of pioneering electronic group Mount Kimbie.

The format is simple: put two talented people together from complementary disciplines and watch the magic unfold, with a co-created multi-course menu and soundtrack weaving together shared influences. Once the plates are cleared, Kai takes guests deep into the night with a rare DJ set. Tickets are £125 per person, including the set menu and after-party access, or £25 for the after-party only.

Where: 19-23 Charlotte St., London W1T 1RW
Website: www.carousel.com

Check out this Harrods takeover

Moët & Chandon and Pharrell Williams have taken over the Champagne Bar at Harrods this summer, bringing a little Saint-Tropez energy to Knightsbridge in the process.

The menu centres on the Spicy Mango, a bittersweet Moët & Chandon Ice Impérial cocktail, alongside sweet and savoury La Tropézienne bites, all designed around Pharrell’s signature joie de vivre. It’s the second year of the pair’s partnership, and as far as summer pit-stops go, this one’s hard to argue with.

Where: Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Rd, London SW1X 7XL
Website: www.harrods.com

Visit this rooftop terrace

The Vintry and Mercer Hotel has reopened its rooftop terrace just in time for summer, and the setting alone is well worth the trip. Think views stretching from St Paul’s to The Shard, with a Riviera-inspired fit-out to match.

The menu leans into the season, with Chalk Stream trout, salt marsh spring lamb rump and light summer desserts all making an appearance. To drink, a selection of Minuty cuvées, which make for as good a reason as any to spend a long evening above the City. Book it in before everyone else catches on.

Where: 20 Garlick Hill, London EC4V 2AU
Website: www.vintryandmercer.com

Explore a new landmark exhibition

This week marked the opening of a new major exhibition at the Tate Modern. Frida: The Making of an Icon is the first major Kahlo show in the UK in over two decades, bringing together over 30 of her works alongside photographs, personal artefacts and her Tehuana dresses, tracing how a woman known only to a small circle of intellectuals at the time of her death became one of the most recognisable faces on the planet.

Frida: The Making of an Icon is the first major Kahlo show in the UK in over two decades, bringing together over 30 of her works.

A final room addresses the phenomenon of Fridamania directly, with over 200 objects from the mass-market production of Kahlo merchandise, from T-shirts and perfume to Barbies and tequila bottles, tracing how her image was licensed, consumed and disseminated across global popular culture. It runs until January, but given demand, sooner is very much better than later.

Where: Bankside, London SE1 9TG
Website: www.tate.com

Check out this limited-edition pop-up

Slazenger and Vintage Threads are taking over the Vintage Threads Soho store on Berwick Street this weekend for a limited-edition pop-up showcasing the new Off-Court summer capsule.

Alongside the new drop, expect a handpicked archive collection tracing Slazenger’s evolution over the years, making it as much a cultural moment as a shopping one. The pop-up is running all weekend, so make sure to head on over to get into the Wimbledon spirit early.

Where: 82 Berwick Street, W1F 8TP
Website: www.vintagethreads.com

Visit the Museums of the Moment

With Art Fund Museum of the Year 2026, the world’s largest museum prize, just announced, now is a brilliant moment to explore the five shortlisted institutions across the UK. The finalists make for a genuinely compelling list: The Box in Plymouth, the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, the National Gallery in London, Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery and V&A East Storehouse in London.

National Art Pass holders can make the most of it too, with benefits across the shortlisted museums, including free entry to Norwich Castle, 50% off exhibitions at the National Gallery and the Fitzwilliam, and various shop and café discounts. The winner is announced today, making this the perfect weekend to visit your favourite finalist and cast your own verdict.

Where: venues across London
Website: www.artfund.com

Secure your spot for one of Silverstone’s most exclusive experiences

This summer, Silverstone is opening The Vale, its most premium hospitality experience yet, for the British Grand Prix, from July 3rd to the 5th. Set just steps from the Formula 1 paddock, The Vale, boasts panoramic views over the final corners of the track and pit lane entry. Expect Michelin-starred dining from Labombe by Trivet alongside Japanese small plates from Aces Foodcraft, sommelier-led pairings, and surprise appearances from current F1 drivers and team principals throughout the weekend. 

It’s a uniquely special way to experience race weekend. Spaces are strictly limited, and access is waitlist-only, so it’s well worth getting in touch early if you’d like to book.

Where: Silverstone Circuit, Dadford Road, Northamptonshire, NN12 8TN
Website: www.silverstone.com

Visit this Hello Nancy pop-up

Hello Nancy, the female pleasure brand, is taking over Park Village near Regent’s Park this Saturday with a free, open-to-all pop-up that’s hard to miss.

The Nancy Court is a hot-pink pickleball court takeover with around 1,000 free products and ice lollies up for grabs, DJ sets from Love Island’s Kem Cetinay, and a special appearance from Nick Kyrgios between 3pm and 5pm, who’ll be handing out treats, playing pickleball and posing for photos. Think big fruit inflatables, giant tennis ball photo moments and the kind of energy that’s difficult to walk past without stopping.

Where: 1 Park Village E, London NW1 7PX
Website: www.hellonancy.com

Attend this Ibiza-themed party

COYA Mayfair is bringing back its annual La Noche Blanca this Saturday — a one-night all-white party inspired by the launch of COYA Beach Ibiza, transforming the Mayfair restaurant into a White Isle celebration for the evening.

Expect Latin house and Balearic DJ sets, live performers, Ibiza-inspired dishes and a bespoke Sangria Blanca cocktail, all under the obligatory glamorous ‘white’ dress code. It’s the kind of night that needs very little justification beyond the fact that it’s Saturday and summer has arrived. Book a table, wear white, act accordingly.

Where: 118 Piccadilly, London W1J 7NW
Website: www.coyarestaurant.com

Enjoy a post-run pint here

If your Friday plans include any form of exercise, Outd00r Brewing has a very good reason to head to London Fields afterwards. The functional isotonic 0.0 lager brand is setting up a pop-up Run Pub near the basketball court for one day only, serving complimentary cans of their alcohol-free beer with added electrolytes and vitamins, in a proper pub-style setup complete with outdoor seating and a giant finishing arch.

Choose between the Original Lager or a citrus-forward Lemon version, both designed specifically for post-exercise refreshment. Free entry, free beer, East London sunshine, it would be rude not to.

Where: London Fields
Website: www.outdoorbrewing.com

Book this summer party before it sells out

Cocktails in the City is returning this summer, and it isn’t an event to miss. Each year, it is one of the highlights of London’s cultural calendar, where a curated array of the city’s finest bars come together in a celebration of its vibrant food and drink scene.

It will be held on multiple dates across July and August. This event sells out every year, so this is your official reminder to book your tickets now.

When: 2nd-4th July and 6th-8th August 2026
Book here

Celebrate English Wine Week at The Pig

If you plan on kickstarting weekend plans early, and your idea of a perfect Friday involves sparkling wine, and a table you’re in absolutely no rush to leave, Oz Clarke is hosting a very special lunch that you won’t want to miss.

Taking place at THE PIG-in the South Downs, guests can expect an afternoon brimming with seasonal Sussex dishes and West Sussex and Essex wine pairings, complete with Oz guiding proceedings in his trademark style. He’s one of English wine’s most passionate and entertainingly irreverent champions, and the afternoon promises to feel more like a spirited lunch party than any kind of formal tasting.

Where: Madehurst, Arundel BN18 0NL
Book here

Head to Bristol to try this neighbourhood spot

Bristol’s Caper & Cure and its next-door sibling, Carmen Street Wine Bar & Bottleshop, are spending English Wine Week shining a light on some of the most exciting names in contemporary English winemaking.

Caper & Cure has been a Bristol neighbourhood favourite since 2019, known for its seasonal British cooking and low-intervention wine list, with Carmen Street extending that ethos into a more casual bottle-shop setting next door. Both are worth knowing about, regardless of English Wine Week, but this is a very good excuse to visit.

Where: 108A Stokes Croft, St Paul’s, Bristol BS1 3RU
Website: www.caperandcure.com

Escape to this countryside retreat

If the city feels a little too hot this weekend, consider heading out to Hertfordshire for a day at The Grove. The luxury country estate comes into its own during summer, with Ralph’s Beach at the heart of the action — a resort-style space complete with a heated outdoor pool, daybeds, a dedicated children’s pool and relaxed poolside dining.

There’s plenty more to tempt you beyond the water, too, from sushi and seasonal dishes in the Walled Garden to Bamford spa treatments in private cabanas and a wellness-focused spa for those seeking a slower pace. Football fans can also catch England v Panama in The Stables Courtyard on 27th June, where live music, a welcome drink and unlimited pizza will accompany the screening.

Where: Chandler’s Cross, Watford WD3 4TG
Website: www.thegrove.com