What’s on in London this week: 7 - 13 July 2025
Discover our pick of events in London this week: 7 - 13 July 2025
Somerset House Summer Series 2025
Somerset House will transform into a open-air concert venue this week, celebrating 25 years as a cultural hotspot. Headline acts include Rizzle Kicks, Freya Ridings, Jacob Banks, Parov Stelar, and St. Vincent’s only London show, alongside performances by Joy Oladokun, The Snuts, The Paper Kites, FLO, and Giggs & Family.
Date: 10 –20 July 2025. Location: Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA. Price: from £27.50. Book now
Orchids at Kew Gardens, celebrating the remarkable biodiversity of Madagascar. © RBG Kew.
Wimbledon
The second week of Wimbledon is underway, with tickets still available to buy. If you don’t manage to secure any, don’t worry, click here to discover some of the best places in London to watch the finals.
CAYA by Fabric: A Sunday Showcase of Minimal Mastery
On Sunday, Fabric hosts a special edition of its SUNDAYS series with CAYA by fabric: snrs x suena, featuring an exceptional lineup of minimal and deep house talent. The night includes sets from Cap, Audio Werner, Suciu, Andrei Ciubuc, and Nikizi, alongside live performances by DoubtingThomas and 100hz, with Jacob Husley also on the bill.
Date: 13 July 2025. Location: Fabric London, 77A Charterhouse Street, London EC1M 6HJ. Price: from £5.60. Book now
Rafat Zajko, Techno Harvest, Deptford X Parade 2023, Photo Stephanie Ojo.
Deptford X Festival
The 26th edition of the Deptford X Festival kicks off this week and returns as a free event. This year, the festival adopts an exciting new biennial format, expanding to 18 days of extraordinary art. It features over 500 participating artists across more than 100 artist-led Fringe projects, eight brand-new artist commissions, and a participatory street parade created in collaboration with Lewisham schools.
Date: 11 – 27 July 2025. Location: Lewisham. deptfordx.org
Writers Mosaic: We Were There
A powerful evening of music, poetry and discussion, We Were There brings together northern Black voices to challenge the London-centric narrative of British culture. Hosted by Colin Grant, the event features writer Lanre Bakare, poet Malika Booker, filmmaker Bea Freeman, and musician Daudi Matsiko, all reflecting on the overlooked cultural contributions of Black communities across the North of England. Inspired by Bakare’s debut book, this event celebrates the radical creativity and resilience of Black Britons who have shaped, yet often been excluded from, the national story.
Date: 11 July 2025, 7.45pm. Run time: Approx. 1 hour 15 minutes. Location: Purcell Room. Price: from £15 + £3.50 booking fee. Book now
Kaleidoscope Festival.
Kaleidoscope Festival 2025
Kaleidoscope Festival returns to Alexandra Palace Park this weekend for a day of music, comedy, and family-friendly fun, all set against sweeping views of the London skyline. This one-day festival will feature a line-up including Faithless, Goldie, Eats Everything, Sara Cox, DJ Spoony, Sleeper, and comedy from Shappi Khorsandi and Andrew Maxwell.
Date: 12 July 2025. Location: Alexandra Palace Park, London N22 7AY. Price: from £13.33 (prices may vary by platform). kaleidoscope-festival.com
London Symphony Orchestra Season Finale: Strauss' Salome
The London Symphony Orchestra ends its 2024/25 season with a dramatic flourish as Sir Antonio Pappano conducts a concert performance of Richard Strauss’ Salome. Soprano Asmik Grigorian stars in the title role, bringing her acclaimed intensity to this gripping one-act opera. Based on Oscar Wilde’s provocative play, Salome remains a powerful work of obsession, prophecy, and violent desire. This performance promises a thrilling musical and emotional experience, with no interval and surtitles provided.
Date: 11 - 13 July 2025. Run time: Until approx. 8.50pm (no interval). Location: Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS. Price: from £13 + (plus £4 booking fee). Book now
Il Trovatore ©2023 Camilla Greenwell
Il trovatore
Il Trovatore opens at the Royal Opera House this week, unfolding a gripping tale of love, jealousy, and dark secrets. Troubadour Manrico and the jealous Count di Luna fiercely compete for Leonora’s heart, while Manrico’s mother, Azucena, haunted by a harrowing past, reveals a devastating truth that will change everything. Director Adele Thomas brings the drama vividly to life with a striking production inspired by the chaotic visions of Hieronymus Bosch and rich medieval lore, weaving a powerful story of desire and an all-consuming curse.
Date: 8 – 19 July 2025. Location: Royal Opera House, Bow Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9DD. Price: from £13 - £270. Book now
Helena Goldwater: gathering in
As part of London Open Live, artist Helena Goldwater presents gathering in, a meditative, three-day durational performance installation exploring transformation, memory, and place. Set in Gallery 2, on the site of the former Whitechapel Library – once known as the ‘University of the Ghetto’ – the work unfolds slowly over four-hour sessions, inviting audiences to reflect on what is hidden, remembered and revealed. Goldwater’s performance turns slowness into a form of inquiry, offering a quiet space to consider our connections to history, land, and one another.
Date: 11, 12 & 13 July 2025, 1–5pm. Location: Gallery 2, Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High St, London E1 7QX. Price: Free – drop-in performance. Book now
Helena Goldwater, lightly tending, 2022. Part of performance from ‘The Portals Project: Part One: El Umbral – The Threshold’, Bermondsey Project Space, London. Photo: George Bularca
All Things Orchestral: Cinematic Sounds in Hyde Park
All Things Orchestral returns to Hyde Park this week for its third year as part of the BST Open House series, offering a memorable evening of live classical music. Hosted by Myleene Klass, the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, conducted by Ben Palmer, will perform a stunning selection of cinematic scores and orchestral favourites.
Date: 10 July 2025. Location: Hyde Park, London W2 2UH. Price: Free entry as part of BST Open House. bst-hydepark.com
The Estate: a new play by Shaan Sahota
The Estate is an intense new political drama by Shaan Sahota, premiering at the Dorfman Theatre (National Theatre, South Bank) from 9 July. BAFTA winner Adeel Akhtar stars as Angad Singh, a British-Asian politician who unexpectedly becomes the frontrunner to lead the opposition after a scandal topples the previous leader. The play examines how far Angad is willing to go to win, from inheriting his father’s estate to keeping his outspoken sisters silent, as it explores the brutal intersection of family, power, privilege and the lies we tell ourselves. Directed by Daniel Raggett (Accidental Death of an Anarchist), this debut is a razor-sharp examination of politics and identity.
Date: 9 July – 23 August 2025. Location: Dorfman Theatre, National Theatre, South Bank, London , SE1 9PX. Price:from £20; plus £10 Friday Rush tickets available every Friday from 4 July. Book now
Adeel Akhtar Image credit Gavin Li.
Kew the Music
Kew the Music a week-long summer festival held in Kew Gardens is opening this week, offering a relaxed atmosphere perfect for enjoying deck chairs, Pimm’s, and a fantastic mix of music. The line-up features classic hits, modern pop, and jazz, with highlights including Craig David presents TS5, The Human League, UB40 featuring Ali Campbell, DJ Spoony presents Garage Classical, Alison Moyet, and the Gipsy Kings featuring Nicolas Reyes.
Date: 8 - 13 July 2025. Location: Kew Gardens, Kew Road, Richmond, London TW9 3AE. Price: from £45. kewthemusic.org
Cinema
The Way We Talk
The Way We Talk, directed by Adam Wong, is a heartfelt exploration of deaf identity through the lives of three young adults in Hong Kong. Sophie, Wolf, and Alan each face personal struggles and conflicting views on communication, testing the strength of their friendship as they navigate the tension between conformity and authenticity. This moving drama challenges societal expectations and highlights the profound role language plays in shaping identity, offering a rare and sensitive portrayal of the deaf experience.
Date: 28 June – 7 July 2025. Location: Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS. Price: £13 + BF. Book now
Neo Yau (left), Marco Ng and Chung Suet Ying in The Way We Talk.
Sudan, Remember Us
Remember Us is a powerful documentary by Hind Meddeb that captures the rise and fall of Sudan’s revolution through the eyes of young activists in Khartoum. Blending protest with poetry, art and music, the film reveals how creativity became a weapon of resistance and hope. Chronicling the euphoric aftermath of a dictatorship’s fall and the brutal military crackdown that followed, this courageous film is a moving tribute to those fighting for freedom against overwhelming odds.
Date: 29 June – 10 July 2025. Location: Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS. Price: £13 + BF. Book now
Sudan, Remember Us
Arts & Culture
Opening this week
Emily Kam Kngwarray
Tate Modern will host Europe’s first major solo exhibition of Emily Kam Kngwarray, a senior Anmatyerr artist from Australia. Beginning her painting career in her seventies, Kngwarray transformed her spiritual connection to her ancestral land into a striking visual language. The exhibition, organised with the National Gallery of Australia, features over 70 works, including early batik textiles and monumental acrylics, many shown outside Australia for the first time.
Date: 10 July 2025 – 11 January 2026. Location: Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG. Price: £20 (concessions available); under-12s free with a paying adult; Tate members free. Book now
Emily Kam Kngwarray near Mparntwe, Alice Springs in 1980. © Toly Sawenko.
More than Human
More than Human is a landmark exhibition at the Design Museum exploring design that collaborates with the living world rather than dominating it. Featuring over 140 works by 50+ international artists, it showcases creative responses to environmental crises. Organised with the Future Observatory programme, the show is divided into three sections that invite visitors to rethink how we design with the planet, not just for it.
Date: 11 July – 5 October 2025. Location: Design Museum, 224-238 Kensington High Street, London W8 6AG. Price: from £14.38. Concessions available. Book now
RUMITA, 2024, photography by Federico Borella and Michela Balboni.
Ben Sakoguchi: Critical Art Theory
The first institutional solo exhibition in Europe by Japanese American artist Ben Sakoguchi showcases a new series of paintings titled Critical Art Theory. Known for his bold, Pop-influenced style that blends figuration and historical critique, Sakoguchi reflects on the art history he encountered as a student at UCLA in the late 1950s. The works examine the roles religion, monarchy, and capitalism have played in shaping artistic developments across centuries, offering a sharp commentary on Western cultural narratives.
Date: 10 July – 7 September 2025. Location: Gasworks, 155 Vauxhall Street, London SE11 5RH. Price: Free. gasworks.org.uk
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2025
The Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2025 returns to the National Portrait Gallery, showcasing 46 portraits selected from global submissions. The exhibition highlights a diverse range of styles, from traditional to contemporary, reflecting the creativity and skill of artists worldwide. Since its inception, the award has attracted over 40,000 entries from 100+ countries and been viewed by more than 6 million visitors.
Date: 10 July – 12 October 2025. Location: National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Place, London WC2H 0HE. Price: Free, booking required. Book now
Click here to discover more exhibitions opening at the National Portrait Gallery.
#FLOFavourites: Pick of the Week
Pop-up of the week
Celebrate the Summer of Tennis with Ralph Lauren
Barbican Conservatory.
Ralph Lauren will showcase its iconic partnership with Wimbledon with an exclusive Tennis Ball Customisation Atelier at Battersea Power Station, inside Turbine Hall A. Open daily from 10am to 8pm, this event offers a unique chance to personalise tennis balls and celebrate the spirit of the game.
Date: 10 – 12 July 2025. Location: Battersea Power Station, Turbine Hall A, London SW8 5BW. batterseapowerstation.co.uk
Interview of the week
In conversation with Judith Clark
Portrait of Judith Clark, UAL. Photo: Loro Piana.
Curator, fashion exhibition-maker, and Professor of Fashion and Museology at the University of the Arts London, Judith Clark has shaped the field of fashion curation, from founding London’s first experimental fashion gallery to curating major international exhibitions.
We spoke to her about I 01: Aprons, her recent collaborative residency with cultural historian Carol Tulloch at Chelsea Space, UAL.
Click here for the full interview.
Food of the week
Toklas Bakery x Cibo Sandwich Market
Toklas Bakery x Cibo Sandwich Market
For one day only, the esteemed Toklas Bakery will operate a pop-up sandwich market selling unique sandwich creations from some of London’s leading chefs. Heavyweights from the London restaurant scene, such as Mentaca, Lupa, Elliot’s, and more, will put their stamps on focaccia, brioche, and sourdough delights. It’s the only place you’ll be able to try some of the bread-ensconced delights!
Date: 12 July 2025. Location: Toklas, 1 Surrey Street, WC2R 2ND.
Cause of the week
Olio
Olio is a community sharing app that helps reduce food waste.
Olio is a community sharing app that helps reduce food waste by connecting neighbours and local businesses to share surplus food and household items. As a volunteer, you can become a Food Waste Hero, collecting unsold food from partners like supermarkets or cafes and redistributing it via the app, or take on roles like local ambassador or support behind the scenes. Volunteering is flexible, with training provided and the option to keep a small portion of what you collect. It’s a rewarding way to help the environment, support your community, and tackle food waste.
Click here to discover more about volunteering with Olio.
