Journal

The English summer season is packed with events intended to reward us all for our patient hibernation, bringing us together to experience something special. Summer 2025 is no exception and with something for everyone depending on your passion, below is just a small selection of what London has to offer this year: The Reunion – Some thought this would never come - and it still might not given the brothers’ fractious relationship - but Oasis will be playing 7 stadium concerts in the Wembley suuuunshiiiiiiinnnnne between July and September for a nostalgia fest after a 16 year hiatus The Queens – Not only Beyoncé but Gaga are coming to London. Mrs Carter will be playing 6 nights in June at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the Lady is set for 4 nights at the O2 across September and October The Fringe event – prefer your music a bit more underground? The Brick Lane Jazz Festival returns over 3 days in June, showcasing a huge range of new and established acts across a range of local intimate venues One for the Geeks – Olympia will host Tech Week in June; a huge hothouse of new tech seeking to solve the world’s biggest problems. The range of exhibitors is huge and you may even get to meet Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the world wide web For Foodies – Taste of London food festival comes to Regent’s Park offering five continuous days of feasting in June. Masterclasses are on offer as well as a chance to purchase direct from artisan suppliers and plenty of cocktail opportunities. For Designers – Clerkenwell Design Week takes place over 3 days in May with the usual plethora of talks and events as well as hundreds of brands and emerging talent exhibiting their latest offerings. A feast for the eyes with plenty of high quality options for you to rest your legs in style too by testing out one of the many chairs. The Perennial Classic – ah the Chelsea Flower Show; it just works. Held in the vast grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, this veritable institution is televised for the BBC and never fails to deliver. Its scale has to be seen to be believed. Warning: has the power to convert even the most reluctant gardener. The Grand Master – with the full programme not yet announced until late April, expect an eight week season of daily orchestral classic music concerns set in the Royal Albert Hall. “Prommers” can expect the pinnacle in the famous “Last Night of the Proms” which traditionally celebrates patriotic music of the United Kingdom. Pick up a “Day Promming” last minute ticket for just £8. The Decadent Option – for some of the most impressive set and costumes you will ever see, The Royal Opera House is a distinguished cut above the competition. Offering a range of both opera and ballet performances, this summer’s highlight is a deal with the devil; Faust runs from the 23rd of May to the 10th of June 2025. The Niche – tagging onto the end of the season to such an extent that it is almost off season, The Lapada art and antiquities fair returns to Mayfair’s Berkeley Square at the end of October. Exhibitors cover nearly every discipline across the art and antiquities spectrum, meeting strict knowledge and expertise requirements with highly vetted wares only. Browsing essential, purchases optional. The Warm Up Act – tickets to Wimbledon can be virtually impossible but the lesser subscribed Queen’s Club Tennis Championship takes place just before in June. Head over to West Kensington to assess the favourite’s form played on grass. For Children – a lovely venue in the heart of one of the Royal Parks; Regent’s Park’s Open Air Theatre is showing Roald Dahl’s The Enormous Crocodile (The Musical) in August and September. Bring an umbrella. The Tragedy – Shakespeare’s rarely performed Troilus and Cressida is showing at the Globe Theatre in September and October this year. A Greek tragedy about tired heroes who no longer live up to their mythic narratives and who knows when we might get another chance. The History – Back by popular demand, the South Bank’s Olivier Theatre is bringing back Michael Sheen to tread the boards as “Nye”; the story of Aneurin Bevan who spearheaded the genesis of the NHS and after whom the not so glamorous aneurism was named. The Comedy – it shouldn’t be funny but it is; The Book of Mormon continues its run at the Prince of Wales Theatre in the West End. Expect jaw dropping irreverence and a certain crisis of faith. Each of these events is between 2 and 60 minutes' travelling distance from each of our 7 centrally located buildings.