Don’t let the last few days of Summer go to waste. A consolation prize for the sun going back into hiding is an epic 3 day long weekend and we’ve got the best roundup of bank holiday activities in London on our hotlist.
Binging on netflix is not the solution. With so many exciting things to do, make the most of the bonus time off. Street parties to Ibiza style parties, foodie weekends to walking tours. It’s time to get booking and make it a weekend well spent.
The White Isle Weekend, Madison
Didn’t make it to Ibiza this summer? Well Ibiza is coming to the Square Mile this August bank holiday with events from Friday 24th until Monday 27th. Start the weekend with DJs Evo and RST, to Madison’s Madbrunch with a lineup of musical showmen. Sunday’s party goes all day and all night long. And to take advantage of no-work Monday bliss, take things a little slower with Madison’s resident DJ and all day Sunday brunch.
All accompanied by London’s most spectacular rooftop views and killer cocktails.
Notting Hill Carnival
Europe’s largest free street festival, celebrating Caribbean and African culture. Each year, close to one million people attend this two-day celebration. This year, celebrations start early on Sunday, August 26th will start early at 6:00 am, with a traditional carnival opening performed in the Caribbean Islands called J’Ouvert. Largely considered as family day, it will continue with a Children’s Parade which will stroll through the streets during the day and at night, with the brilliant-coloured clothing, smaller crowds of people and plenty of kid-inspired floats in the parade.
Monday is the grand finale, with 60 bands in magnificent costumes, 38 mobile sound systems or steel bands and the same vibrant crowds throughout the day. Events on Monday run from 9am to 8.30pm.
Celebrations include costume-clad Caribbean’s dancing to traditional reggae, meringue, calypso, rumba, and zouk music, and street vendors selling foods like seasoned jerk chicken and callaloo.
Hertford Castle open-air cinema
Grab your popcorn and enjoy a weekend of open air cinema under the stars with the beautiful Hertford Castle as its backdrop. For two nights only, this historic Grade-I-listed building is open to the public (usually only available for private hire). Hertford Castle has chosen to screen Dirty Dancing and Ghostbusters (1984).
So pack up a car with picnic blankets and go to watch Patrick Swayze get down on the big screen.
PX+ Festival
For the first time, a festival to bring together the leading creative minds of the hospitality industry in a dynamic four day event with tastings, dinners, live music and gastronomic events. It will be the place to kick back, party, eat mind-blowing food from the UK’s best chefs and restaurants, sip the drinks list of your dreams, dance, talk, connect, and most of all, have fun with 2,000 of the UK’s most awesome hospitality professionals.
Highlights of the PX+ Festival include a dinner series showcasing 12 guest chefs and 10 guest sommeliers, including St Leonards’s Jackson Boxer, Isa Bal (formerly of The Fat Duck) and a talk by the “World’s Best Female Chef” Clare Smyth. Also Jennifer Doherty’s wine tent, Greg Marchand’s Frenchie’s family style picnic in the field and an “Experimental Barn” hosted by the Experimental Cocktail Club, a music stage programmed by Island Records and a wellness retreat for yoga, massages and meditation.
Book in for some seriously luxury glamping and you will come away with mind, body and stomach completely satiated.
Movies on the river
London’s first ever cinema on the Thames. From mid-June until early September, Time Out presents their movie boat, with a food and drink-fuelled sunset cruise from the Tower of London. An open-air top deck movie, passing some of London’s most iconic attracts, including ‘Jaws’, ‘Dirty Dancing’ and ‘Some Like It Hot’, as well as recent hits including ‘The Shape of Water’, ‘Dunkirk’ and ‘The Greatest Showman’. Bank Holiday weekend shows a range from ‘Romeo & Juliet’ to ‘Top Gun’.
Alongside City Cruises, this runs five nights a week (Tuesday -Saturday), starting from Tower Pier at 8 pm returning to the same spot once the movie finishes. Don’t miss the boat!
MakeMore festival, Victoria Park
Hackney’s People’s Park will be buzzing with creative energy as MakeMore festival brings you a festival for your hands. Come and spend the day having a go at all different kinds of making under the expert guidance of the most exciting makers working today – from painting to cooking to graffiti art to pottery. Spend time building a terrarium, make a macramé wall hanging or hone your creative writing.
Come away from your bank holiday with a new skill!
Victoria & Albert Museum
Get your culture fix for the season. You can explore The Victoria & Albert Museum’s exhibition of Frida Kahlo‘s art, clothing and a curious collection of her possessions. This exhibition gives the viewer a first-hand immersive experience of everything Frida created to become art herself.
Or catch The Tate Modern’s current exhibition, “Picasso 1932 Love, Fame, Tragedy” before it closes in September, a journey through Picasso’s year of wonder.
Any Questions or Tips to add?