World City Guide

Special Events

New Year’s Day Parade (website: www.londonparade.co.uk), 1 Jan, Parliament Square, SW1, to Berkeley Square, W1
London International Boat Show (website: www.londonboatshow.com), Jan, ExCel, E16
Chinese New Year Celebrations (website: www.chinatownchinese.com), late Jan-early Feb, Gerrard Street, Chinatown, WC2
Daily Mail Ideal Home Show (website: www.idealhomeshow.co.uk), mid Mar-early Apr, Earls Court Exhibition Centre, SW5
The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race (website: www.theboatrace.org), late Mar-early Apr, River Thames from Mortlake, SW14, to Putney, SW15
Flora London Marathon (website: www.london-marathon.co.uk), mid Apr, Blackheath, SE3, to the Mall, SW1
Chelsea Flower Show (website: www.rhs.org.uk/chelsea), one week late May, Royal Hospital Chelsea, SW1
Meltdown, music festival with a different famous curator choosing the line-up each year (website: www.rfh.org.uk/meltdown), mid-late Jun, Royal Festival Hall, South Bank, SE1
Trooping the Colour, Queen’s Birthday parade (website: www.royal.gov.uk), Sat mid Jun, Buckingham Palace, the Mall and Horse Guards’ Parade, SW1
Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships (website: www.wimbledon.org), two weeks late Jun-early Jul, All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Church Road, Wimbledon, SW19
City of London Festival outdoor performances (website: www.colf.org), Jun-Jul, gardens of Kenwood House, on Hampstead Heath, NW3
Cadogan Opera Holland Park, outdoor opera (website: www.operahollandpark.com), Jun-Aug, Holland Park theatre
Coin Street Festival (website: www.coinstreetfestival.org), Jul, Gabriel’s Wharf, SE1 Greenwich and Docklands Festival (website: www.festival.org), Jul, various venues
Mardi Gras (website: www.londonmardigras.com), gay and lesbian Pride Parade and festival, Jul, Hyde Park and central London
Hampton Court Palace Flower Show (website: www.rhs.org.uk), one week early Jul, Hampton Court Palace, East Molesey BBC
Promenade Concerts (website: www.bbc.co.uk/proms), mid Jul-mid Sep, Royal Albert Hall, SW7 Notting Hill Carnival (website: www.nhct.org.uk), August Bank Holiday Weekend, last weekend Aug, Notting Hill, W8
Regent Street Festival, food from around the world, international fashion and entertainement, plus special children's activities (website: www.regentstreetonline.com), early Sep, Regent Street
Thames Festival, arts, sport and river events (website: www.thamesfestival.org), mid Sep, Westminster Bridge, SE1, to Southwark Cathedral, SE1
London Open House, London’s architectural gems open to public (website: www.londonopenhouse.org), Sep, throughout the city
London Fashion Week, Sep (www.www.londonfashionweek.co.uk)
Pearly Harvest Festival Service, service for cockney Pearly Kings and Queens, first Sun Oct, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, WC2
Autumn Ideal Home Show, exhibition featuring latest styles and accessories for the home, Oct, Earl's Court
Bonfire Night, firework displays commemorating the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot and the arrest of Guy Fawkes in 1605, 5 Nov and nearest Sat night, throughout the city
Remembrance Sunday, procession in honour of British service men and women, nearest Sunday to 11 Nov, Whitehall, SW1
Lord Mayor’s Show, celebratory parade (website: www.lordmayorsshow.org), Nov, City of London, EC1
London Film Festival (website: www.lff.org.uk), two weeks Nov, National Film Theatre, South Bank, SE1, and other cinemas around London
Christmas Lights, mid Nov-6 Jan, Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street
Somerset House Ice Rink, annual temporary outdoor ice rink, Nov-Jan, Somerset House, Strand, WC2
New Year’s Eve Celebrations, 31 Dec, Trafalgar Square, WC2, and all over the city