What’s On in London: June 2026 | A Guide for International Students

After the hottest May Day on record in London (34 degrees!), it’s officially summertime in the UK. That means lazy day trips to nearby beaches, afternoons spent cooling off at London’s lidos, and music festivals taking over the city.

Summer is also the only time of the year when “lazy” suddenly becomes a positive adjective in English – so make the most of it. You officially have permission to set aside the textbooks and laze around for a while, so long as the sun is shining ☀️

If you’re looking for the perfect place to unwind, Big Penny Social’s Big Penny Beach club is back with its beloved artificial beach, complete with volleyball, live music, deck chairs, and Aperol Spritz on tap.

Here’s our pick of the best things to do in London this month 🏖️

🧀CULTURAL SPOTLIGHT: The Best Food Destination in the World

Thanks to some scrappy – but fairly bleak – rationing efforts during WW2, many people (wrongly) believe that British cuisine is, at best, okay. Thankfully, London’s food scene tells a very different story.

This year’s Taste of London highlights London’s fantastic international culinary scene, from stellar pub grub to French-inspired delicacies and everything in between. In fact, London was named the best food destination in the world by Tripadvisor this year, with a mouthwatering mix of hearty British staples, artisanal food markets, and global cuisine.

Taste of London, happening this month, brings London’s best food spots and chefs together for a huge festival for foodies.

Can’t make it? Try:

• Flaky sausage rolls and Turkish Delight at Borough Market
• A full Sunday Roast at The Prince of Wales
• Dim Sum and Taiyaki in Chinatown
• Afternoon Tea at The Ritz
• Fresh Fish and Chips at The George
• Bangladeshi curry along Brick Lane

🏙️JUNE HIGHLIGHTS

• SXSW London, June 1st to 6th – A huge festival celebrating technology, music, and film arrives in London this month, with tonnes of talks, performances, screenings, and networking events happening across the city.
• The Great Exhibition Road Festival, June 6th to 7th – Attend this free science and arts festival for live experiments, interactive workshops, and lots of food, inspired by the famous Victorian exhibition of the same name.
• The Red Bull Soapbox Race at Alexandra Palace, June 20th – Watch teams race homemade gravity-powered vehicles down a chaotic course of jumps, obstacles, and inevitably, a few crashes.
• Capital Crime Literary Festival at Leonardo Hotel, June 18th to 20th – Join over 80 renowned crime authors and experts for a three-day festival of detective fiction, thrillers, and true crime.
• West End Live in Trafalgar Square, June 20th to 21st – Every year, London’s top West End musicals take over Trafalgar Square for a whole weekend of free performances. Although be warned: it gets very busy, so arrive early for the best chance of getting in.
• Taste of London at Regent’s Park, June 15th to 21st – Food and drink lovers rejoice as Taste of London gears up for another week of culinary workshops, markets, talks, live music, and lots of taste-testing. Go on, have a bite.
• Mundo Pixar Experience at Wembley Park, until Nov 1st – Ever wondered what it would be like to be in Toy Story? This immersive experience recreates life-size sets from your favourite Pixar films.
• London Open Gardens, June 6th to 7th – Explore green spaces, secret gardens, and hidden courtyards usually closed to the public.

🖼️EXHIBITIONS

• Frida: The Making of an Icon at the Tate Modern, from June 25th – Frida Kahlo has become something of a feminist pop culture icon in recent years, appearing everywhere from cocktail recipe books to bright pink cushions embroidered with her signature monobrow. However you feel about the artist’s commercial transformation, this exhibition offers the chance to explore her real artistic legacy alongside modern-day ‘Fridamania’.
• Anish Kapoor at the Southbank Centre, June 16th to Oct 18th – From Chicago’s famous Cloud Gate – better known as ‘The Bean’ – to sculptures made using Vantablack, the world’s darkest material, Anish Kapoor’s iconic work is a must-see.
• Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait at the National Portrait Gallery, June 4th to Sept 6th – Get to know the most photographed woman in the world through works by over 20 famous artists and photographers.
• Julio Le Parc: Light. Colour. Action. at the Tate Modern, from June 11th – Step into playful installations filled with mirrors and moving light in this exhibition by the pioneering Argentinian artist.
• Skate 50 at the Southbank Centre, until June 21st – Celebrate 50 years of skateboarding culture at one of London’s most iconic skate spots with photography, films, live events, and exhibitions.
• London Gallery Weekend, June 5th to 7th – Galleries throughout London will be putting on free events, talks, and exhibitions in the first weekend of June.

🎶MUSIC & FESTIVALS

• Harry Styles’ Meltdown at the Southbank Centre, June 11th to 21st – Every year, the Southbank Centre enlists a new artist to curate an entire music festival. This year, it’s Harry Styles’ turn to have a meltdown.
• BST Hyde Park, June 27th to Jul 12th – See the likes of Maroon 5, Lewis Capaldi, and Duran Duran headline one of London’s biggest summer festivals.
• BST Open House, TBA – On a budget? Enjoy live music, outdoor cinema, activities, and sports screenings during BST’s free Open House programme.
• Hampton Court Palace Festival, June 10th to 20th – Have a royally good time at one of London’s most breathtaking festival settings, Henry VIII’s former palace.

🎭LONDON THEATRE

• My Neighbour Totoro at Gillian Lynne Theatre, until August – Studio Ghibli’s classic animation about a friendship with a strange forest creature is beautiful and eerie in equal measure.
• 1536 at Ambassadors Theatre, May 2nd to Aug 1st – A play set in Tudor England exploring female friendship through a darkly comic lens.
• Pride at the National Theatre, June 11th to Sept 12th – A musical of pure joy. Travel back to the 80’s in this sun-drenched story of the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners movement.
• The Truth at Apollo Theatre, June 9th to Sept 12th – A smart comedy about trust, loyalty, and secrets with Tony Award-nominated Stephen Mangan.
• Cyrano de Bergerac at the Noel Coward Theatre, June 13th to Sept 5th – Watch the French 17th-century classic reimagined by Simon Evans in this modern adaptation.
• The Misanthrope at the National Theatre, June 16th to Aug 1st – Another reimagining of a French classic. Go for Killing Eve star Sandra Oh and stay for the razor-sharp comedy.

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