London Events Calendar 2026: Festivals, Concerts and Sport
The London dates worth planning your year around
We've arranged this list by date, from this moment forward through the end of the year. September is the month when London's cultural calendar accelerates: design comes first, then architecture and art fairs converge, and the river itself becomes the focus of a month-long celebration. October and November bring high-profile art markets and competitive sport. December returns to tradition—concerts in churches, Christmas events, and a massive darts tournament that runs into the new year. Ticket windows close fast for December events, especially the candlelit Christmas concerts in parish churches; plan around those first. Most events are free or ticketed online only, often with timed entry slots. Book ahead wherever possible.
Totally Thames
River Thames, various locations across 20 London boroughs · Festival · September 1-30, 2026, free and ticketed events
Over 100 events take place on, beneath and along the River Thames, from Richmond to Barking and Dagenham. Highlights include beginners' kayaking sessions, a riverside performance by a super-choir and an art installation on the disused Blackfriars railway bridge columns. The St Katharine Docks Classic Boat Festival runs September 12–13 with around 50 historic boats, steam tugs and Dunkirk Little Ships, while the Great River Race on September 12 features nearly 300 crews on a 21.6-mile course. Most events are free.
London Design Festival
Various locations across 11 design districts including Soho, Shoreditch and Bankside · Design installations, exhibitions and talks · September 12-20, 2026, free and ticketed events
The festival returns for a city-wide celebration of contemporary design, with installations, talks, exhibitions and special projects unfolding across London. The V&A becomes a major destination with a series of installations and interventions, including the Global Design Forum from September 12–14, a three-day programme of keynotes and conversations around the theme Worlds in Motion with speakers including Es Devlin and Liam Young. Soho makes its debut as a festival district, and Shoreditch Design Week is now the largest part of the festival, with more than 60 showrooms and galleries involved.
Open House Festival
Various locations across all 33 London boroughs · Architecture tours and open buildings · September 12-20, 2026, free and ticketed events
Over 600 venues open their doors to visitors across one of the capital's biggest architectural celebrations. The Lloyd's Building opens for its 40th birthday celebrations, and the Zaha Hadid Foundation archive appears in the festival programme for the first time, giving rare access to her architectural drawings, models and personal items. Many events are free to drop into, while some require advance booking, with general bookings opening at midday on 19 August.
Frieze London & Frieze Masters
The Regent's Park, Baker Street · Contemporary and historic art fair · October 14-18, 2026, £50–£60 standard entry
Tickets are online only—there is no gate sale—and general admission carries no re-entry: step outside for lunch and your visit is over. Frieze London is contemporary, while Frieze Masters covers historical and twentieth-century work, spanning millennia rather than decades. The outdoor Frieze Sculpture display in The Regent's Park runs from September 16 to November 1, examining sculpture as a hybrid ecology—this is free to visit and offers an alternative if the ticket price puts you off.
Dance Umbrella
Sadler's Wells East, The Place, the Barbican, Somerset House and others · Contemporary dance performances · October 7-27, 2026, £10 tickets for every performance
The festival stages contemporary dance at multiple venues, with a number of £10 tickets held for every performance. This October, Dance Umbrella celebrates emerging and established choreographers. It's the time to see experimental work that would not otherwise have found a London stage, across the capital's most prestigious dance venues.
NFL London Games
Wembley Stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium · American football · October 2026, ticket prices vary
In autumn 2026, Wembley Stadium becomes the home of American College Football as two powerhouse teams from the Big 12 Conference, Kansas and Arizona State, face off in the inaugural Union Jack Classic. Atmosphere at NFL games in London tends toward the fervent and festive, with American tailgate energy meeting London's football culture.
Vitality Netball Horizon Series
Copper Box Arena, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park · International netball · November 21-22, 2026, ticket prices vary
The Vitality Roses welcome the Jamaican Sunshine Girls to London on these dates for the third year of the series. This is elite international women's sport in an intimate arena setting: intense, fast-paced, and packed with tactical play at the highest level.
Home Alone in Concert
Royal Albert Hall, Kensington · Film screening with live orchestra · December 6, 2026 from 1pm, from £49
Watch Home Alone 2: Lost in New York in concert at the Royal Albert Hall alongside a live performance of John Williams movie score. Since its debut in 2013, Home Alone in Concert has become a seasonal favourite with audiences around the world. The film stars Macaulay Culkin, and is nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song.
Christmas Carol Services
St Martin-in-the-Fields, St James's Church, Christ Church Highbury and other parish churches · Choral concerts · December 2026, ticket prices vary
Carol services and Christmas concerts run nightly across central London's parish churches—St. Martin-in-the-Fields, St James's Church and others all programme Advent and Christmas music throughout the month. Handel's Messiah holds an extraordinary place in the London December calendar, with multiple performances each week at major halls and church venues. The smaller candlelit programs in historic parish churches sell remarkably early—often before December begins—and remain among the most consistently sold-out events of the entire London year.
PDC World Darts Championship
Alexandra Palace, Great Hall, North London · Professional darts tournament · December 11, 2026 – January 3, 2027, via ballot system
The Paddy Power World Darts Championship returns to Alexandra Palace with the tournament moving into the Great Hall for the first time, with a record 180,000 tickets available. For the first time, tickets will be allocated via a ballot system, with the General Ticket Ballot closing at 23:59 BST on Monday 14 September 2026. The traditional Christmas break takes place between December 24 and 27, before the championship returns ahead of the final on Sunday January 3, 2027.
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