One of the City’s best-kept secrets returns this month, and if you haven’t been before, this is the year to fix that.
Leadenhall Live, the free cultural programme that takes over the 30-metre-high public galleria at the base of the Cheesegrater, is back for its second summer running from 23 June to 16 July. Thirty-plus events across four weeks, all free, all open to the public, all happening inside one of London’s most jaw-dropping architectural spaces.
The programme is properly varied: week one kicks off with what might be the most enjoyable wine tasting in the Square Mile: sommelier and saxophonist Charlie from Tasting Notes Workshop hosts a late-night talk show format guided tasting with live jazz, funk and Latin bossa woven through it. Elsewhere, Flow Dance Outreach brings beginner-friendly salsa, cha cha, Viennese waltz and jive into the galleria, and Sofar Sounds takes over for a series of intimate live music sessions featuring emerging London artists.
What’s more, Davina McCall will join the event series for a chat with Colin Hill to share stories from her career, discuss navigating change and difficult situations, and explore why authenticity matters now more than ever.
If you’re more interested in sweating than sipping, fitness partners including SoulCycle, FRAME and ROWBOTS are running sessions across running, cycling, rowing, yoga, barre, pilates and rebound trampoline throughout the month.
The standout in week three is a sharp one: award-winning journalist Vicky Spratt hosts a session called S**t! I’m in My 30s: What’s the Plan for Retirement? which promises to be the kind of frank conversation about financial planning that most people need to have and keep avoiding. The same week also sees one of the City’s largest ever hackathons, in partnership with AI software company Bolt.new.
The whole thing takes place in the galleria at the base of the building, framed by the Gherkin and Lloyd’s of London on either side. It’s an extraordinary setting and, frankly, an underused one. Leadenhall Live is the rare free programme that actually warrants the journey in,
Full programme and booking at leadenhall.live
The London x London Take
From rooftop restaurants to riverside jazz, London’s finally leaning into weekday culture. Leadenhall Live feels like a smart addition: well curated, genuinely interesting, and open to all. Even if you’ve never set foot inside the Cheesegrater before, this is your excuse.
Need to Know
- Leadenhall Live
- The Leadenhall Building (The Cheesegrater), 122 Leadenhall St, EC3V
- 23 June to 16 July 2026
- Free and open to the public
- Follow @LeadenhallLive for line-up drops and ticket links
