London events in March 2026

Groundbreaking fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli lit up the 1930s fashion scene with her surreal and avant garde haute couture creations – often with striking silhouettes, gilded accents, and unusual appliqués. Now, her fashion house will get a major V&A retrospective, from its first, paradigmshifting garments, through to its present-day incarnation in the hands of its creative director Daniel Roseberry, whose contemporary designs worn by the likes of Kylie Jenner and Bella Hadid.

The Royal Court Theatre’s stellar seventieth birthday line-up includes an impressive coup: the modestly-sized new writing theatre has bagged the UK debut of Kimberley Belflower’s US smash John Proctor is the Villain. It's a very playful, pop-soundtracked, post-#MeToo riff on Arthur Miller’s landmark The Crucible, which premiered at the Court during its very first season, 70 years ago.

The Princess of Wales Conservatory at Kew Gardens is taking a voyage to China this February, courtesy of the latest annual mind-bending orchid display that takes over the iconic glasshouse each year. As ever, the exotic display will celebrate the natural beauty and biodiversity of its subject country: China is home to thousands of varieties of orchid, plus vast amounts of other flora and fauna besides.  

Look out for sculptures of dragons and Chinese lanterns, as well as intricately woven plant installations. There’ll also be  ticketed after-hours events with live Chinese music, food, cocktails and dance performances. 

Mums deserve high praise all year round, but Mothering Sunday is the ultimate excuse to treat your darling ma and any other matriarchs in your life to a lovely time. Here’s our guide to help you get organised and plan a proper celebration of mumsy on Sunday March 10, whether you want to take her for a cheeky Mumtini, treat her to a relaxing trip to one of London’s exquisite spas, or send her a stunning bunch of flowers. 

Everybody loves David Hockney. So it’s good news that the old geezer can’t seem to stop making art despite pushing 90. More colourful works from the octogenarian will go on display in London in 2026, this time at the Serpentine North, as the gallery welcomes its first ever Hockney exhibition.

It’ll focus on recent works, including the celebrated Moon Room, reflecting the painter’s lifelong interest in the lunar cycle, plus several digital paintings created as part of his Sunrise series, paintings made on an iPad during the spring 2020 Coronavirus lockdown. Also featured will be A Year in Normandy, a ninety-metre-long frieze, inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry, showing the change of seasons at the artist’s Normandy studio, displayed in the run-up to the hugely anticipated arrival of the iconic original artwork at the British Museum in autumn 2026. 

Unless you're a keen gardener, you probably don't spend much time thinking about soil. But the earth we all stand on is surprisingly rich, changing in colour, scent, texture and history depending on what region it hails from. Museum of Edible Earth is multi-sensory project by artist masharu, which has toured across the world before arriving at Somerset House. It features hundreds of globally-sourced earths, which visitors are invited to touch, smell and even taste in an exploration of rituals, culinary traditions and healing practices from across the world.

Avenue Q was a ’00s musical theatre phenomenon, a profane, puppet-driven mash up of Sesame Street and Rent by Jeff Marx and Book of Mormon co-writer Robert Lopez, with book by Jeff Whitty. Centring on young puppet Princeton, it follows the misadventure of him and the assortment of humans and puppets he encounters as he moves into the titular run down New York suburb.

The original West End production ran for four years and has occasionally resurfaced in touring incarnation. And in 2026 it’s back properly, in a twentieth anniversay British revival that will gather the original Broadway puppets and creative team – including director Jason Moore – for what’s being billed as a strictly limited revival run.

Time Out’s critic gave the V&A’s exploration of the glamorous world of Marie Antoinette a full five stars. So you'd better not miss this tres chic exhibition before it sashays out of town. You’ll find out how the last Queen of France set the agenda for the fashion of her day by working with stylists, designers, hairdressers and even by plastering her monogram over everything she owned. Magnifique!

Tate Britain is hosting the first major solo show dedicated to the Turner Prize-nominated Hurvin Anderson this spring, bringing together more than 60 of his vibrant paintings. Born in Birmingham to Jamaican parents, Anderson’s work flits between the two regions, exploring his struggle with belonging and cultural identity. His colour-drenched landscapes and interiors are uniquely composed to exquisitely explore markers of identity.

The National Portrait Gallery has been on a solid run in recent years, particularly when it comes to exhibitions on contemporary portraiture – we loved its exhibitions on The Face and Jenny Saville last year – so we have high hopes for this, the biggest exhibition to be shown in the UK to date from the iconic photographer Catherine Opie.

Curated in collaboration with the artist, the exhibition will span the Ohio-born artist’s three-decade career, exploring representations of home, family, identity, politics and power structures through Opie’s vivid and colourful portrait photographs.

This Design Museum trains its gaze on the most flamboyant subculture of the 1980s: the New Romantics, and the iconic (and we really don’t use that word lightly) Covent Garden nightclub where it was born in 1979. Forty years after it closed, the trailblazing club’s atmosphere has been recreated through a ‘sensory extravaganza’ incorporating music, film, art, graphic design and some very ostentatious outfits. So make sure you put on your frilliest blouse and get down there, before the party's over for good.

The Wellcome Collection’s big spring exhibition is a deep dive into perceptions of ageing. Expect the Euston Road institution’s typical blend of art, science and pop culture in The Coming of Age, with 120+ artworks and objects on display ranging from 16th century woodcuts made by German printmaker Sebald Beham to Deborah Roberts’ contemporary collages exploring Black childhood. There’ll also be a spotlight on the Wellcome Trust-funded health research project Age of Wonder – one of the largest studies of adoloscence in the world – and an exploration of how societies can adapt to improve everyone’s experience of ageing.

The UK’s largest queer film event returns to the BFI Southbank (and to the BFI Player online) for its 40th edition from March 18-29. The line-up has yet to be announced, but it's typically a wide-ranging, international array of new films and rediscovered classics exploring every hue of the LGBTQIA+ rainbow. Cinephiles can also expect a host of expanded-reality works, panels, Q&As and after-hours events. Check the BFI website for the full schedule. 

Rebecca Lucy Taylor - aka sardonic pop star Self Esteem – did a stint in the West End’s Cabaret a couple of years back, but she's never been in a straight up play. Now, she’s starring in David Hare’s 1975 drama about an embittered, alcoholic rock star left raging and washed up at the end of the decade. There’ll be songs along the way too, with new contributions from Taylor herself. 

Grab your cowboy boots and Stetson hat, because huge country music festival C2C: Country 2 Country will return to London in 2026. Taking place at the O2 from March 13 to 15, next year’s edition will be headlined by Zach Top, Keith Urban and Brooks & Dunn. This will be Zach Top’s first UK performance, while the legendary duo Brooks & Dunn will be returning to Britain for the first time since 2010. Also on the billing are Scotty McReery, Russell Dickerson, Drake Milligan, Noeline Hofmann and Alana Springsteen. 

Top playwright Nina Raine and her younger brother writer Moses are descended from Doctor Zhivago author Boris Pasternak, and both their careers have been touched by their Russian heritage. Now they’re joining forces for an adaptation of Maxim Gorky’s classic drama Summerfolk, directed by National Theatre deputy Robert Hastie, which follows Russia’s 1905 bourgeoisie as they retreat to the countryside for frivolity and relaxation. But of course, there are stormclouds on the horizon – if only the characters can recognise them.

Two acclaimed choreographers who you might not expect to work together – the remarkable ballet creator Crystal Pite alongside commercial dancer and Taylor Swift collaborator Kameron N Saunders – have come together to create Body and Soul with ENB, which recieves its UK and world premiere at Sadlers Wells. Pite’s Body and Soul (Part 1) explores bereavement, featuring two dancers in funereal black suits and white shirts. Meanwhile Saunders presents a new work in three parts that looks at the quest to find our authentic self under crushing societal scrutiny, inspired by his own experiences.

A festival curated by and made for London’s emerging creatives, the Young Barbican Takeover is a day jam-packed with workshops, live music, performances and talks all hoping to get your artistic juices flowing. Crochet and make zines with Craft Forward and Artizine; experience live music curated by Shai Space and Sad Club Records; learn how to start your own record label or publishing house with ARCCA; or take part in a breaking workshop with Rain Crew. There will also be an afternoon of film screenings curated by the Barbican Young Film Programmers alumni, with a programme that celebrates the African diaspora and women of colour. 

Awaken your inner child by delving into enchanted lands, magical creatures and timeless tales at the British Library’s interactive family-friendly exhibition. All the bangers from your childhood will be explored – from Goldilocks, to Aladdin – through books, artworks, interactive displays, theatrical design, story sharing spaces, costumes and activities. Opening in time for the Easter holidays, Fairy Tales is ideal for passing a few hours with the little’uns. 

Spring in London is always a knockout. We might live in a sprawling capital city, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t tons of amazing green spaces to enjoy the season’s pops of colour. From London's bright pink cherry blossoms to seas of daffodils, take a look at our list of the best places to see flowers in London.

Champagne and oyster bar Searcys are hosting yet another sparkling show for 2026. More than 40 distinguished Champagne houses and English sparkling wine growers, including Veuve Clicquot and Taittinger, will be in attendance at Carlton House Terrace for the two-day soiree. Guests will get to indulge in unlimited tastings of over 100 cuvées and there’ll be culinary delights to compliment all that fizz and keep you satiated throughout the plethora of tastings and masterclasses.

Acclaimed theatre director Robert Icke has proved he knows how to bring new bite to Shakespeare's classics, so it's exciting to see what his take on doomed romance Romeo & Juliet will be. What we can definitely say is it has some pretty damn heavyweight lead casting in the form of Stranger Things star Sadie Sink as Juliet. She’ll be joined by Noah Jupe as Romeo. He is less well-known but his face might be familiar: he played middle child Marcus in the Quiet Place horror films, and will take on the title role of Shakespeare’s son in Chloe Zhao’s imminent Hamnet movie.

2026’s first big whack of cosplay, meet and greets, comic culture and general fandom. The Olympia London plays host to a packed weekend of stuff catering to fans of iconic telly, video games and film. Appearances already announced include Ncuti Gatwa, Millie Gibson, Craig Charles and Brian Blessed. And of course, there'll be tons of opportunities to pick up limited edition merch, meet other fans, and see some of the most ambitious cosplay this city has to offer.

Playwright Suzie Miller’s follow-up to her smash Prima Facie is another look at the legal system and all the difficulties that come with navigating it while female. Rosamund Pike stars as a High Court judge who's working on a rape case, while navigating sexism both at home and at work, on top of all the difficulties of raising a teenage boy. It’s a fascinating, knotty play with a barnstorming central performance.