Summer in the city: 10 unconventional things to do in London

Get ready to raise your rainbow flag high at the London Pride Parade. The historic march, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, is one of the most colourful and inclusive summer events in London, landing in the city on the first Saturday of July. A feast where everyone is invited to celebrate diversity, uniqueness and inclusiveness, the London Pride Parade is one of the most emblematic LGBTQ+ events worldwide and an example of positive social change. Becoming wider, richer in events and guest stars every year, the Pride Parade keeps the same historic route since 1972, starting at Marble Arch Station and reaching Trafalgar Square after marching through Hyde Park and Piccadilly Circus. Parties, celebrations and themed events are held all around the city for the whole weekend, so get your fancy clothes and glitters ready and make sure you plan your itinerary in advance to catch the best of it. The Pride Parade takes place on Saturday 2nd July, but if you miss it, do not worry: you can have the chance to attend many other LGBTQ+ events and parades during the summer, such as Manchester Pride (held between Friday 26th and Monday 29th August), Bristol Pride on Saturday 9th July, or the UK Black Pride in Hackney on Sunday 14th August.

From Tuesday 21st June to Saturday 20th August you can attend the Summer Lights Festival. Born after the pandemic-imposed postponement of the Canary Wharf's Winter Lights, Summer Lights is a tribute to the beauty of natural light. This one-of-a-kind London summer event features original artworks which, using the sunshine and daylight, glow and sparkle to create alluring patterns and projections. Set in Eastern London around the Canary Wharf area, this year Summer Lights awaits you with 11 new installations and 6 permanent artworks, besides an exhibition of hand-blown glass items in the Lobby of the One Canada Square building and other marvellous patterns created by the light’s refractions and reflections. Among the other installations, we recommend you check out:  

• “The Long and Winding Road” by artist Ottotto. Set in Harbour Quay Gardens, this piece is an installation of drainpipes mounted onto a steel structure creating a mesmerizing yellow reflection.

• “Love Birds” in Jubilee Park. The installation, realized by the Australian Atelier Sisu, consists of a flock of carbon-neutral colourful birds suspended mid-air whose shape reflects the daylight creating a pattern of intriguing shadows on the ground 

• “Kaleidoscopic Prisms” by Fiona Grady. Inspired by the Pride rainbow flag, the artist has created a three-dimensional space made of triangular shapes that visitors can walk through, feeling as if they were walking into the light.

London Zoo is among the city’s most visited attractions, especially by families and children. As an alternative experience, the zoo has recently launched the “Twilight at London Zoo” nights. This summer, every Thursday and Friday from 6 pm to 10 pm, the wildlife park opens its gates to adults only, offering the audience the chance to stroll in the park and discover its secrets without the fuss of big crowds. Besides admiring the animals after the sunset, you can enjoy a pleasant vibe, acoustic live music and, whenever you feel like it, enjoy drinks and refreshments at the Secret Cocktail Garden.

Although London weather is notoriously unstable, the arrival of summer regularly brings one or more heat waves. To cope with high temperatures and the hot city afternoons, we suggest you take solace in the many open-air venues London offer. If you feel like dreaming of a getaway in the sun on a golden sandy beach, we suggest you check out the several pop-up urban beaches spread all over the city. From the countless bars with a pop-up beach area to the iconic Serpentine Lido in Hyde Park, you can enjoy the sun and the summer vibe while relaxing with drinks and snacks. London’s many rooftop bars and beer gardens are other favourites for the summer. No matter what the weather is like, having an unwinding cocktail after work while admiring stunning views of the city sunset is always a great, fashionable way to end your day. For more active entertainment, we suggest you head to one of London’s boating lakes. In and around the city, you can find numerous options where you can hire a boat or pedalo and enjoy the hot weather and captivating water landscapes. Make sure you check out Victoria Park's West Boating Lake, the lovely Y-shaped boating lake in Regent's Park, and the famous Serpentine in Hyde Park.

Being one of the most popular live-music capitals in the world, it is no surprise that each summer London blooms with festivals and music events. From avant-garde electronic sessions to jazz performances and rock concerts headlined by globally acclaimed artists, you can enjoy the best of the international music scene. Below, are some of the appointments you need to note in your thing-to-do list:  

• Visions Festival: on July 23rd, do not miss this one-day celebration of underground music in Hackney, featuring artists performing in several locations over the town. The festival includes street food trucks, quaint craft markets and even a dog show!

• BBC proms: an unmissable appointment for classical music lovers, the BBC proms will entertain you from July 15th to September 10th with almost two months of incredible live sessions at South Kensington's Royal Albert Hall and other satellite venues. The Proms concerts (the abbreviation for ‘’Promenades”) were first presented to the public in 1895 to bring classical music to a wider audience, and are broadcast live on BBC radio.

• Kaleidoscope Festival: on July 23rd, enjoy live music, street food, stand-up comedy and entertainment for kids in Ally Pally parkland in northern London. Great performances by international DJs and artists await you to celebrate a full day of summer vibes.

• All Points East: set in beautiful Victoria Park, the festival takes place from August 19th to August 28th. It is a fixed appointment for all East Londoners, offering eclectic line-ups and a full agenda of activities and events. Nick cave and the Bad Seeds and Gorillaz are among this year's headliners.

• Field Day: taking place in Victoria Park on August 20th, this is the hippest dance-music festival you can attend in London this summer. Be ready to dance until you drop with The Chemical Brothers, Carl Craig, and the German fathers of electronic music Kraftwerk.

If you are in London during the last week of August, do not miss one of the most colourful events in the city, the traditional Notting Hill Carnival. This massive street festival, deemed the largest in Europe, is celebrated every year on the Sunday and Monday of the UK August Bank Holiday weekend, and brings in town a wave of Caribbean music, live performances, street parties and exquisite exotic flavours that you will not be able to resist. On Sunday, you can enjoy family-friendly activities and celebrations, while Monday is traditionally the day of the main parade, with dancers and performers in colourful, sparkling costumes enthralling you in a joyful frenzy from the morning until night. Show off your most flamboyant clothes and get ready to shake your body at the rhythm of calypso, salsa, bachata and reggae!

London’s culinary offer is inclusive and varied as the city’s essence. While the myriads of restaurants and cafes are unmissable stops when you visit in winter, summertime offers excellent chances to enjoy gastronomic delicacies in the open air. Foodies coming to London this summer will be delighted by the abundance of diverse food and drink events taking place in the city’s most exclusive venues. Our favourite appointments with worldwide cuisine in London include the following festivals.  

• London Wing Fest: on July 16th and 17th, you can attend the world’s most extensive itinerant chicken wings festival, with hundreds of stands at London Olympic Stadium offering different flavoured versions of this UK iconic dish.

• London Dessert Festival: from August 12th to August 14th, treat yourself to a visit to the London Dessert Festival. A delicious array of international sweet delicacies, including pastries, chocolates, teas, and cocktails await you for a unique multi-sensory experience.

• London Craft Beer Festival: with a wide choice of beers from different local and international breweries, the festival takes place at Tobacco Dock on August 12th and 13th.

• Pub in the Park: if you seek stronger flavours, celebrate the best of British spirits at the Pub in the Park Festival, with three appointments in May, June and September 2nd-4th.

An attraction you cannot miss if you visit London with children is the newly inaugurated Hobbledown Heath Hounslow. Fully open as of July 11th, this family-oriented amusement park includes four themed villages set in an idyllic green area of woodlands and meadows. Hobbledown Heath Hounslow also features a petting zoo with goats, alpacas, ponies, buffalos, lemurs, and many other exotic and traditional farm animals, a play barn, and one of the largest indoor play arenas in the city. With a grand opening event taking place on July 15th, the park is an ideal choice for a day full of action and fun to share with the whole family.

If you do not like attending crowded events and festivals, you can find solace from the summer heat in London’s green lungs. The city is famous for housing dozens of beautifully designed parks, boasting elegant rose gardens, water bodies in which you can boat or swim, and even art galleries such as the Serpentine Galleries in Hyde Park. Hyde Park also houses the famous Serpentine Lake and Lido, an ideal spot to refresh you during hot days. The exquisitely British Regent’s Park hosts the largest outdoor sports area in London and, with its marvellous gardens, boating lake and trees-framed paths, is an idyllic refuge from sultriness. We also recommend you visit St James's Park, facing Buckingham Palace, and Victoria Park, where you can explore amazing canals, ponds, and pavilions. In Kensington Gardens, hosting the renowned Kensington Palace, Albert Memorial, and Peter Pan Statue, you can find quiet green grass areas ideal for picnics and, during the summer, visit the Serpentine Pavilion. The temporary structure is erected in the summer months every year, with a varying theme for each edition. From June this year, you can admire the installation called Black Chapel, a gigantic, wooden, drum-shaped space created by Chicago artist Theaster Gates in association with Adjaye Associates.

The open-air visual arts, cinema, and dance festival Summer by the River Festival comes back to London this year with an enticing 1930s Miami theme. Running from May 30th until September 2nd, the festival takes place in London Bridge City, in three different locations on the banks of the Thames. Some highlights of the three months fully-packed agenda include a karaoke night backed by a live Gospel Choir, interactive hip-hop workshops and dance contests, ballet and theatre performances and Dabbers Bingo nights, bringing some extra fun to the traditional game with music and performances. Do not miss the Art Deco-inspired pop-up bar at The Scoop, where you can enjoy empanadas and piña coladas, and the ‘’taqueria” at The Pier, adding an extra touch of Miami summer feeling with tacos and tequila.