Afternoon, London! Happy Thursday. And just like that, we're back. School gates have reopened across London today, with the rest joining the party on Monday. Hope you all had a brilliant summer and are feeling rested, refreshed and ready to go again. Or at least one of the three.

Anyway, alarms have been reset and after eight weeks of trying to keep children entertained, we can finally hand them back to the professionals for a few hours. We’ll miss them though.

Bit of a reshuffle happening in London venues but still plenty happening across town this week, and we've done the digging. Enjoy the weather too!

Let's go.

🚕 London’s First Self-Driving Taxis Are Officially Here. You can now actually book a self-driving Wayve car through Uber in London, although there are only 15 of them and a human still sits up front just in case. So technically driverless. With a driver. We’re getting there. Full story

🎧 Fabric Is Taking Over St Paul’s Cathedral. In a pairing nobody had on their London bingo card, Fabric has signed a four-year deal to stage music events inside St Paul’s Cathedral. The first gig is on Oct 29, with the artist still under wraps. From Farringdon dancefloor to cathedral dome. Quite the upgrade. Full story

🎤 DollyFest Is Coming to London. A huge two-day festival celebrating the life and music of Dolly Parton is coming to London in 2027, with a star-studded line-up promised. Dolly herself had originally dreamed up the idea, and the festival will now take the place of a traditional public memorial. Full story

Gabriel’s Wharf is turning up the volume for two Saturdays this September, with live jazz, swing dancing and plenty of hands-on art and craft activities. It’s all free, suitable for all ages and surrounded by the Wharf’s independent shops and plenty of good places to eat!

📍 Date & Loc: Sep 5 & 19, 12–5pm, South Bank SE1
More Info

🎭 Jeeves and Wooster in ‘Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves’ @ Theatre in the Garden
Date & Loc: Sep 3-4, Covent Garden WC2E
P.G. Wodehouse’s Jeeves and Wooster head outdoors for an evening of ridiculous mishaps, eccentric characters and live jazz. Very civilised chaos.
Age: 7+ | Price: from £19 | Info

🪆 Marionettes @ Little Angel Theatre
Date & Loc: Sep 4-6, Islington N1
Little Angel celebrates its 65th birthday with a free exhibition of beautiful string puppets, bringing together historic marionettes and brand-new creations from British makers.
Age: all ages | Price: no cost | Info

🏎️ Concours of Elegance @ Hampton Court Palace
Date & Loc: Sep 4-6, Hampton Court KT8
Hundreds of rare and spectacular cars gather in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace, from historic classics to rather shiny modern machinery.
Age: All ages | Price: from £35 | Info

🌱 Little Green Fingers @ Fulham Palace
Date & Loc: Sep 5 (Sat), Fulham SW6
Hands-on gardening workshops for budding green fingers, with separate sessions for different ages in Fulham Palace’s walled garden.
Age: 3-4, 5-7 & 8+ | Price: £20 | Info

🎺 Brassworks 2026 @ Woolwich Works
Date & Loc: Sep 5 (Sat), Woolwich SE18
A full day of brass, from marching bands and Balkan beats to jazz, funk and Afrobeat, plus workshops, pop-ups and family activities. Gloriously loud.
Age: All ages | Price: no cost | Info

📚 Jacqueline Wilson: Esme Pepper @ Queen’s Park Book Festival
Date & Loc: Sep 5 (Sat), Queen’s Park NW6
Jacqueline Wilson comes to Queen’s Park to talk about her latest book, Esme Pepper. A chance to hear from one of Britain’s best-loved children’s authors.
Age: 9+ | Price: from £6 | Info

🎶 Black on the Square @ Trafalgar Square
Date & Loc: Sep 5 (Sat), Westminster WC2N
A huge celebration of Black culture with live entertainment, workshops, family activities, food and Black-owned businesses taking over Trafalgar Square for the day.
Age: All ages | Price: no cost | Info

🎉 Mahaba Fest @ Mahaba Café
Date & Loc: Sep 5 (Sat), West Ealing W13
A community festival with live music, DJs, children’s activities, face painting, arts and crafts, plus food stalls and a community marketplace.
Age: All ages | Price: no cost | Info

🌱 Horniman Plant Fair @ Horniman Museum
Date & Loc: Sep 5 (Sat), Forest Hill SE23
Browse specialist plants from independent nurseries, chat to expert growers and pick up some gardening advice.
Age: All ages | Price: from £3 child | Info

💃 North & East London Fiesta Weekender @ Signature Brew
Date & Loc: Sep 5-6, Blackhorse Road E17
A family-friendly Latin fiesta with live music, DJs, kids’ entertainment and activities, plus plenty of Latin food to work your way through.
Age: All ages | Price: from £10 | Info

🏛️ Greek Myths and Legends @ Buckingham Palace
Date & Loc: Sep 5-6, Westminster SW1A
Greek myths and legends come to life inside Buckingham Palace, with a family performance staged in the rather grand surroundings of the Marble Hall.
Age: Families | Price: incl w/ adm | Info

🦜 Family Films: Rio @ The Garden Cinema
Date & Loc: Sep 5-6, Covent Garden WC2
Follow Blu, a flightless macaw, on his colourful adventure to Rio. Sunday’s screening also comes with a no-cost children’s activity afterwards.
Age: 5+ | Price: pay what you can | Info

✏️ Rob Biddulph @ Queen’s Park Book Festival
Date & Loc: Sep 6 (Sun), Queen’s Park NW6
Bestselling author and #DrawWithRob creator Rob Biddulph brings his books to life, then teaches everyone how to draw one of his illustrations. Pencils at the ready.
Age: 6+ | Price: from £6 | Info

🦅 Brompton Cemetery Open Day @ Brompton Cemetery
Date & Loc: Sep 6 (Sun), West Brompton SW10
A surprisingly packed day at the cemetery, with birds of prey, beekeeping tours, children’s storytelling, family activities, performances and plenty of stalls.
Age: All ages | Price: no cost | Info

🚤 Angel Canal Festival @ City Road Basin
Date & Loc: Sep 6 (Sun), Islington N1
The canal festival celebrates its 40th birthday with boat trips, kayaking, paddleboarding, live music, Punch & Judy, food and plenty more along the water.
Age: All ages | Price: no cost | Info

🕷️ Anansi the Spider @ Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
Date & Loc: until Sep 6, Regent’s Park NW1
Anansi, the legendary trickster spider, takes over the theatre lawn in this lively retelling of classic West African and Caribbean folk tales.
Age: 4+ | Price: £15 | Info

🎪 We Are Family Festival @ Croydon Road Recreation Ground
Date & Loc: Sep 6 (Sun), Beckenham BR3
An all-inclusive festival built entirely for kids, with live entertainment, activities and plenty to keep the whole family busy throughout the day.
Age: 3+ | Price: from £22 | Info

🚇 London’s Transport in Miniature @ Museum of Water & Steam
Date & Loc: Sep 6 (Sun), Brentford TW8
A one-day celebration of tiny Tubes, with London Underground model railway layouts, displays and demonstrations. Basically London transport, but with considerably fewer delays.
Age: All ages | Price: from £6 | Info

🦖 Dinosaur World Live @ Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre
Date & Loc: until Sep 6, Wembley HA9
Dinosaurs stomp, roar and come face-to-face with the audience in this action-packed live show.
Age: 3+ | Price: from £10 | Info

🐭 The Gruffalo @ Lyric Theatre
Date & Loc: until Sep 6, Shaftesbury Avenue W1D
If you've read The Gruffalo approximately 4,732 times, here's your chance to see it live instead.
Age: 3+ | Price: from £10 | Info

🧡 Be Like Blippi @ Arts at Marble Arch
Date & Loc: until Sep 6, Marble Arch W1
Blippi and Meekah are back on stage with a new interactive adventure designed to get little fans moving, playing and exploring along with them.
Age: 2+ | Price: £23 | Info

🎭 As You Like It @ Shakespeare’s Globe
Date & Loc: Sep 9-Oct 25, Bankside SE1
Shakespeare’s love-struck comedy heads to the Globe, where court life gives way to the Forest of Arden and romance, mistaken identities and general romantic chaos take over.
Age: 8+ | Price: from £5 standing | Info

🕵️ The Comedy About Spies @ Adelphi Theatre
Date & Loc: until Sep 26, Strand WC2
Mischief’s 1960s spy caper returns to the West End, packed with rogue agents, double agents and the sort of escalating chaos you’d expect from The Play That Goes Wrong team.
Age: 10+ | Price: from £15 | Info

🐱 Cats @ Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
Date & Loc: until Sep 19, Regent's Park NW1
One of the world's most famous musicals returns to the magical setting of Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. If you've never seen Cats, this is probably the place to do it. Big songs, incredible dancing and a summer evening under the stars.
Age: 5+ | Price: from £15 | Info

🇯🇵 AnimeCon UK @ Olympia London
Date & Loc: Oct 3-4, Kensington W14
Two packed days of anime, manga, cosplay, J-Pop, K-Pop, special guests and an Artist Alley full of fan-made creations. One for the Pokémon-and-beyond crowd.
Age: All ages | Price: from £25 | Info

🍎 Apple Day @ Fulham Palace
Date & Loc: Oct 4 (Sun), Fulham SW6
Celebrate the orchard harvest with garden games, themed activities, market stalls and plenty of apple-inspired food.
Age: All ages | Price: from £3 | Info

🔎 The Mystery Of... @ artsdepot
Date & Loc: Oct 11 (Sun), North Finchley N12
Calling all junior detectives. Team up to examine evidence, inspect video footage and interrogate suspects in this interactive murder mystery show.
Age: 7+ | Price: from £13.75 | Info

🎻 Aurora Orchestra: Meet the Instruments @ Kings Place
Date & Loc: Oct 17 (Sat), King’s Cross N1
A lively interactive concert where kids can sing, dance, play games and discover the sounds of different orchestral instruments.
Age: 3-7 | Price: from £15 | Info

💭 House of Dreamers @ Immerse LDN
Date & Loc: until Oct 31, Royal Docks E16
Wander through 16 surreal dreamscapes filled with giant pink ball pits, cloud swings, digital forests and interactive creatures. Subtle it is not.
Age: All ages | Price: from £16.90 | Info

🙏 If this makes your week a bit easier, pls think of two parents who'd love it, or drop it in a WhatsApp group. Takes 20 seconds. Please don’t ignore me 😂.
Appreciated, kind Londoner!

Got any comments or suggestions? Feel free to reply; I’d love to hear from you.

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