Looking for the best things to do in London in September 2026? Here’s our pick of the month, drawn straight from what’s actually happening across the capital.
September is one of our favourite months in London: the tail end of festival season overlaps with the start of the capital’s big autumn exhibitions, the Thames gets a month-long festival all to itself, and there’s a genuinely bizarre historic sheep drive thrown in for good measure.
From free outdoor art to a once-in-a-lifetime tapestry, here’s what we’d actually go to.
Things to do in London in September 2026
Explore the river at Totally Thames Festival
Multiple venues along the Thames
1st – 30th September
Totally Thames turns the whole 42-mile stretch of the river into a month-long season of art, boat trips and talks, with new work unveiled along the water throughout September.
Spot a rocket nose cone and a jar of moles at UCL
UCL, Bloomsbury
Ongoing, free
UCL’s free, campus-wide bicentenary exhibition is on all month, and it’s a genuinely odd wander, from a Crookes tube to a jar of preserved moles. We’ve written about it in full here, including the object close-ups worth hunting down.
Catch the last week of GDIF
Greenwich, Newham and Thamesmead
To 6th September, free
London’s biggest free outdoor arts festival closes out its first week of September, with three world premieres and an all-female high wire act above Greenwich Park among the highlights. Full GDIF 2026 guide here.
Watch your favourite podcasts record live
King’s Cross
3rd – 13th September
The London Podcast Festival is back at Kings Place, with new additions including Paul Whitehouse, Judi Love, The Guardian’s Science Weekly and The Guilty Feminist recording in front of a live audience.
Celebrate Black culture at Black on the Square
Trafalgar Square
Saturday 5th September, 12pm – 6pm, free
The Mayor of London’s biggest free celebration of Black culture returns to Trafalgar Square for its fourth year, with live performances, spoken word, a marketplace of Black-owned businesses and food from across the African and Caribbean diaspora.
Hear Brassworks take over Woolwich Works
Woolwich Works
Saturday 5th September
Woolwich Works turns five, and it’s celebrating with the biggest edition yet of Brassworks, its brass and wind takeover of the venue. More on this one here.
Bring home a new plant at the Horniman Plant Fair
Horniman Museum and Gardens
Saturday 5th September
A one-day plant fair in the Horniman’s gardens, with specialist nurseries selling everything from houseplants to rare specimens. Details here.
Catch Queen’s Park Book Festival’s last ever edition
Queen’s Park
5th – 6th September
After nine years, Queen’s Park Book Festival is closing its doors, going out with a line-up including Philip Pullman, Sebastian Barry and Jacqueline Wilson. Full details here.
See Mark Rylance in Tartuffe Remixed
Theatre Royal Stratford East
From 4th September
Darren Raymond’s remix of Molière’s Tartuffe, starring Mark Rylance, is the autumn theatre booking to make now. Why it’s worth it here.
Take the kids to Horrible Histories x Ramses
Battersea Power Station
To 13th September
A mash-up of Horrible Histories and 3,000-year-old Egyptian artefacts, this family exhibition is in its final fortnight. More on the exhibition here.
See Monet and Renoir’s matching paintings reunited
National Gallery
To 15th September, free
In 1869, Monet and Renoir painted the same scene side by side. For a few weeks only, and for free, you can see the results hanging together again. Full story here.
Watch 300 boats race the Thames at the Great River Race
Millwall to Ham, best viewed from Putney Embankment
Saturday 12th September, free to watch
Around 300 traditional fixed-seat boats, from watermen’s cutters to dragon boats, race 21.6 miles up the Thames from Millwall to Ham. It’s free to watch from the bank, and Putney Embankment is one of the best spots, with the leading boats expected to pass Putney Bridge around 2.25pm.
Admire vintage vessels at the Classic Boat Festival
St Katharine Docks
12th – 13th September, free
Around 50 vintage and restored boats, including Thames sailing barges and Dunkirk Little Ships, moor up at St Katharine Docks for the weekend, with talks, live music and kids’ activities on the quayside.
Get behind closed doors at Open House Festival
Citywide
12th – 13th September, free
London’s biggest architecture festival throws open buildings you can’t normally get into, this year including first-ever access to Zaha Hadid’s archive and BT Tower before it becomes a hotel. Our full Open House guide is here, including a new Royal Docks entry.
Take in London Design Festival
Citywide
12th – 20th September
One of the biggest annual events on London’s design calendar, with exhibitions, installations and open studios across the city. A first look at the 2026 programme here.
See Trafalgar Square’s new Fourth Plinth unveiled
Trafalgar Square
Thursday 10th September, free
A striding woman in lapis lazuli blue gets her moment on the Fourth Plinth this month. Full story here.
See the Bayeux Tapestry, in London, for the first time in nearly 1,000 years
British Museum
From 10th September
A genuinely once-in-a-lifetime exhibition: the Bayeux Tapestry leaves France for the first time in centuries to go on display at the British Museum. More on the exhibition here.
Step back into 1996 at the Barbican
Barbican Centre
To 19th September, free
A free exhibition taking you back to the year Britain lost its mind, closing this month. Full details here.
Float a lantern across Clapham Common
Clapham Common, Long Pond
19th – 20th September
Write a message and float a lantern across the Long Pond, in a Thai-inspired tradition that’s become an autumn fixture on Clapham Common. Details here.
Hear Bernardine Evaristo and Derek Jacobi at Chelsea Arts Festival
Cadogan Hall and venues across Chelsea
16th – 20th September
A week of talks and readings with a genuinely starry line-up, including Bernardine Evaristo, Derek Jacobi and Tamsin Greig, across Cadogan Hall and other Chelsea venues.
Catch the public side of London Fashion Week
Venues citywide
17th – 21st September
You don’t need a front-row ticket to get something out of London Fashion Week: this September brings public-facing shows and exhibitions, including Marks & Spencer’s first ever LFW appearance and an immersive Paul Smith Foundation installation.
Eat your way down Brick Lane at the Curry Festival
Brick Lane and Banglatown
Sunday 20th September, free
Brick Lane’s curry festival returns after nearly a decade away, with a procession of themed floats and giant puppets from Allen Gardens, live music and dance, and affordable dishes from participating restaurants along the street.
Celebrate 50 years of the Rio Cinema
Dalston
From 1st September
Dalston’s beloved Rio Cinema turns 50 this autumn, with Ben Whishaw, Asif Kapadia and a bespoke IPA all joining the celebrations. Full story here.
See the Frida Kahlo exhibition at Tate Modern
Tate Modern
Ongoing
Quite simply the most important show in London this summer, running on into autumn. Why it’s worth the ticket price here.
Step aboard the International Space Station in Camden
Camden
To 30th September
A free-roam VR experience that puts you aboard the ISS without leaving Camden. More on it here.
Journey to the edge of a black hole at the Science Museum
Science Museum
To 30th September
A free-roam VR journey to the edge of a black hole, one of the Science Museum’s most ambitious installations yet. Details here.
Catch Blue Note London’s opening season
Blue Note London
From 23rd September
Robert Glasper, Erykah Badu, Jamie Cullum and Nubya Garcia headline the opening season lineup at London’s new outpost of the legendary jazz club. Full lineup here.
Catch the Globe’s season closer, As You Like It
Shakespeare’s Globe
To 25th October
The Globe closes its summer season with a boundary-pushing take on As You Like It. More on the production here.
Watch a flock of sheep cross Southwark Bridge
Southwark Bridge
Sunday 27th September, free to watch
One of London’s odder traditions: livery companies drive sheep across Southwark Bridge in timed slots, with a free Livery & Wool Fair running alongside. We’ve just updated our full Sheep Drive guide for 2026 here.
Practical Tips for Exploring London in September
- September is a genuinely lovely month to visit: hotels are cheaper than summer, crowds thin out slightly, and the weather is usually still on your side (though this is London, so pack a layer regardless).
- There’s an unusual amount happening this year, from the Bayeux Tapestry to the Sheep Drive, so book ahead where you can, especially for anything with limited capacity or free tickets.
- A lot of the free festivals overlap on dates (12–13 September is particularly stacked), so it’s worth mapping out a realistic route rather than trying to do everything.
