Come summer, this city is packing out its parks, gardens and event spaces with live music. Whether you're looking to dance the night away to DJs or screaming your lungs out with your favourite pop star, London's festivals are happy to facilitate. Take your summer up a notch and book an unforgettable day out, why don't you? From pop-up stages at Somerset House to all-out takeovers of Viccy Park, here's our guide to eight epic music festivals in London.
Party the night away at Duckie’s knees-up after Pride in London. The title is definitely tongue-in-cheek – the LGBTQ+ crew calls it ‘a celebration of heterosexuality and wealth’. And after 26 years in the same venue, this is the last ever Duckie at the RVT.
Royal Vauxhall Tavern and the Railway Arch. Jul 2. £22-£25.
Bop among the botanicals at this non-camping festival, with a classy line-up that includes James Blunt, DJ Spoony Presents Garage Classical and The Gipsy Kings. Saturday is ‘ladies’ night’, with sets from Bananarama, Gabrielle and Rebecca Ferguson.
Royal Botanic Gardens. Jul 5-10. From £47.
Hip hop icons ahoy! The Finsbury Park leg of this mega-fest has booked a slew of US superstars, including Cardi B, Nicki Minaj, SZA, Burna Boy and Megan Thee Stallion. Homegrown talent is well represented too, with sets from Mahalia, Unknown T and ArrDee.
Finsbury Park. Jul 8-10. From £95.
Punk legend Patti Smith heads this new boutique festival that’s moved from Ally Pally to the Palladium. The one-dayer’s bill also includes Mercury Prize nominee Nadine Shah and Watford’s finest, Connie Constance.
London Palladium. Jul 24. £56.50.
London’s leading queer clubbing collectives are the stars of this spectacular daytime festival that will once again take over the Hackney Wick canalside. There are showcases from Adonis, Pxssy Palace, Hungama, Queer House Party and lots more. Wear your comfiest dancing shoes.
Various venues. Jul 30. From £62.50
The main event here is a special five-hour set by the always-innovative Mr Four Tet but there’s also stellar support from the likes of Josey Rebelle, Two Shell and Anish Kumar.
Finsbury Park. Aug 13. £61.
Catch The Chemical Brothers and Kraftwerk 3D at Field Day, which this summer returns to Vicky Park, its original home, for the first time since 2017. It’s celebrating with a dazzling dance-centric line-up that includes Peggy Gou, Juliana Huxtable and Planningtorock.
Victoria Park. Aug 20. £70.
Enjoy an open-air concert in the iconic courtyard of Somerset House. Several nights are sold out but you can still grab tickets to great shows like innovative drummer-producer Yussef Dayes, grime king Ghetts and pop queen Mabel.
Somerset House. Jul 7-17. From £31.25.
Summer in London is, of course, as fleeting as it is potent. Before you can say ‘Is it too early for a second 99 Flake?’ it’s over. So you’ll want to take full advantage of every sweet moment of tipsy, sun-kissed bliss, or risk missing out. Thankfully, we’ve teamed up with mobility super app FREE NOW to create the definitive guide to the sunny season. Food, sport and something called ‘The Black Chapel’, it’s all here. Get stuck in.
