Various London venues

London’s 12-day citywide celebration of video games is back. Visitors can check out a host of artworks and installations, as well as the festival’s official selection of exciting new video games from across the globe and exhibitions. Look out for the new Game Plus at London Museum Spaces, London Wall (April 3-4) – a gaming consumer and industry event with over 80 games to play and panels, talks, including the Time Capsule Panel, which will take a look at the past 10 years in gaming and offer predictions for the next 10 years and the Joystique Roadshow showcasing their rare and unusual gaming items.  Screen Play (April 10) is back exploring the intersection of video games, entertainment and visual storytelling. Trafalgar Square (April 11) will be filled with open-air fun outdoor games and a pop-up gaming lounge. Now Play This (April 11-12) is taking over Somerset House showcasing experimental games, inspiring talks, workshops, and playful sessions. The London Video Game Orchestra (April 13) will provide another landmark concert of video game soundtracks and try your hand at Asses.masses (April 12-13) is a custom video game designed to be played from beginning to end by a live audience, one person at a time. 

Taking place across a whopping 20 venues in and around Queen’s Yard in Hackney Wick – including The Yard, Colour Factory, CRATE brewery and 9294 – this day-to-night celebration of London’s vibrant dance music scene is becoming a much-loved fixture over the early May Bank Holiday weekend. More than 100 DJs or collectives feature on the whopping line-up, which ranges from beloved local selectors to more established international names playing everything from house and techno to garage and disco. But that’s not all, as there’ll be after-parties kicking off at Colour Factory and Village Underground, too. Artists include: Sports Banger, Percolate and Rhythm Labs. Check out the full line-up here.

Brilliant news for bookworms: London has a brand new literature festival. The Fleet Street Quarter Festival of Words will be exploring how words shape our world all while celebrating its heritage as the home of London’s printing press. The headliners already on the bill include  Booker Prize-winning author Ben Okri and Kate Mosse OBE. Elsewhere there’ll be talks from screenwriter Ed Docx and author Mick Herron on the process of bringing TV hit Slow Horses from book to screen; Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, Iain Dale, and Sir Richard Evans will discuss history’s lessons from its most notorious dictators, Jeremy Vine will present new crime fiction series Murder on Line One; Nick Wallis (The Great Post Office Scandal) and Caroline Wheeler (Death in the Blood) will spotlight the power of long-form investigative journalism and there’ll also be talks on Samuel Pepys’ Diary, the real Wolf Hall and the life of Thomas Cromwell and breakfast events with The Times and the Daily Telegraph to explore the biggest news headlines for the day. The whole festival will be analysing how words can shift the balance of power from censorship to freedom of speech to technology and AI, so expect some especially insightful discussions.  Full line-up and ticket information to be announced in March

Pitchfork Music Festival is gearing up for another November edition with a jam-packed schedule of eclectic live music encompassing everything from avant-rock and post-punk to psych-pop, UK rap and deconstructed dance music. Gigs take place at plenty of the capital’s most illustrious music and nightlife venues. Previous years have seen shows at Fabric, EartH and The Roundhouse, as well as atmospheric small venues like the Shacklewell Arms, Hackney Church and Union Chapel.  We’re still waiting for the full line-up of artists for the five-day festival to be announced. But, we do know that the first headliner will be French electronic pop artist Oklou, who’ll be playing the Roundhouse alongside a collection of special guests. Watch this space for more acts who will no doubt be on your Spotify Wrapped come December 2026. It’s basically the place to be if you consider yourself a music fan with a finger on the pulse.