London events in July 2025

Wireless returns to Finsbury Park for 205 with a line-up of Drake, Drake and more Drake. No, we're serious.

Join Champagne Papi for London's biggest hip-hop, R&B and grime festival as he headlines the long weekend with three different setlists to reflect the show's 20th anniversary. The line-up is very much TBC but it currently includes a few special guests (Drake's pals) and teases 'many more acts still to be announced'.

From the look of things, the days have been grouped by vibe/genre, with Summer Walker and PARTYNEXTDOOR suggesting that Friday will lean into R&B and Sunday having slightly more of a reggae, dancehall and Afrobeats vibe with Burna Boy and Vybz Kartel.

Saturday? Well, when Drake first announced 'The Mandem' we were all taking wild guesses. Turns out it's the return of Boy Better Know – who are making their first live appearance in eight years.

Tickets are pretty much gone (it was the fastest-selling Wireless in history) but we'd recommend keeping an eye out in case of resells. 

The last Lyttelton theatre show to be programmed by Rufus Norris prior to his departure looks like a good one: following the Jodie Comer-fuelled West End smash Prima Facie, writer Susie Miller and director Justin Martin join forces with a new star for for follow-up Inter Alia. Rosamund Pike has had a good few years with screen hits Saltburn and The Wheel of Time, and now she makes her National Theatre debut to star as Jessica Parks, a maverick high court judge who precariously balances her work and her home life. We don’t know a lot more about the Miriam Buether-designed show just yet, but the fact Pike will be joined by actors Jamie Glover and Jasper Talbot points to the fact that this won’t be a monologue in the vein of Miller’s last.

It may be known for its sleepy scent and soothing properties, but there’s nothing dozy about the explosion of colour that happens around London’s lavender fields each summer. There are several farms dedicated to the mauve blooms just outside the capital, in Kent, Surrey and Hertfordshire. Immerse yourself in a purple haze this summer by visiting one of London’s fragrant lavender gardens, or head out of town on a day trip to find sweeping fields of the stuff.

Up at the top of Ally Pally this summer, you’ll find a multifaceted web of genres. Where else can you while away the day with renowned DJs like Eats Everything, Sara Cox and DJ Spoony, drum and bass legend Goldie and the familiar hits of Faithless? There’s also comedy on the books from Shappi Khorsandi, the Beatles Dub Club, hip hop karaoke and high-energy Shakespear. This is one festival that truly lives up to its name.

Line-up includes: Faithless, Goldie, Eats Everything, Sara Cox, Sleeper, DJ Spoony

When the sun’s out and the weather’s at its summery best, hiding away in a dark, stuffy room isn’t the most appealing option. Thank god then, for outdoor cinemas letting us get our film fix under the stars and with a sweet summer breeze in our hair. London is home to some brilliant alfresco movie spots, which will be popping up all over the city in 2025, everywhere from docks and parks to rooftops and manicured gardens. Here’s a list of our favourites. 

Nothing sums up the best of London’s balmy, thriving summers quite like the noble sunflower. The clue’s in the name, after all: during the part of the year where we’re blessed with the most of those sweet, sweet rays, that’s when we see the most of these golden, spindly, great-vibe giants. There are plenty of dazzling pick-your-own sunflower fields within very easy reach of London. Before you head off on a sunny adventure, make sure to check in with these sites in advance to be sure of fresh crops and full blooms – Mother Nature is an unruly and unpredictable force.

It’s been an exciting fixture in London’s musical calendar since 2013, and it’s back with a line-up of some of the biggest stars on the planet. Taking place across weekends in June and July, Hyde Park will host an upmarket festival vibe complete with food, drink and a posh VIP area. On the line-up in July? Folk-pop artist Noah Kahan, and two nights from 2024 breakout star Sabrina Carpenter, before a final weekend trio for the older funsters, in Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts, Stevie Wonder and Jeff Lynne’s Electric Light Orchestra in what will be the band’s final ever live show.

In the sweltering city heat, few things are more inviting than the prospect of plunging into one of London's finest al fresco swimming pools. And everyone knows it. The capital has well and truly caught the open-air bathing bug over the last few years, but that also means that on the hottest days of the year, you’ll need to book well in advance if you want to secure a poolside spot. The good news is that there’s a bounty of places for getting your outdoor swim fix in the city. Heated or unheated, regimented lanes or wide open water, serious fitness or chilled family fun – these are all of London’s best lidos and outdoor swimming pools for whatever floats your boat.