Take your pick from a once-in-a-millennium exhibition to films, fireworks and world-class theatre.
Autumn is one of the best times to explore London. As the nights draw in and the green leaves turn gold, there are still ways to enjoy the great outdoors as well as cosy pubs with fireplaces. Events range from the cultural to the cosmopolitan. The Bayeux Tapestry has returned to England for the first time in almost 1,000 years, the BFI London Film Festival celebrates its 70th edition and Regent’s Park welcomes the global art world for Frieze. Immerse yourself in different cultures from Black History Month to Thanksgiving celebrations. Add Halloween adventures, fireworks, jazz and pageantry, and there is plenty to fill the diary. Here are the best things to do in London this autumn.
Bayeux Tapestry
One of London’s biggest cultural events this year has already opened its doors. The Bayeux Tapestry went on display at the British Museum in September, marking the first time the medieval masterpiece has been shown in Britain since it was made almost 1,000 years ago. Stretching approximately 70 metres, the embroidery depicts the events surrounding the Norman Conquest and Battle of Hastings in 1066. Its historic loan from France runs until July 2027, but demand for autumn tickets has been enormous, making advance booking essential. This is not merely another museum exhibition. It is a genuine once-in-a-generation encounter with British history.
Where: The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3DG
When: 10 September 2026 to 11 July 2027
Contact: www.britishmuseum.org
BFI London Film Festival
Roll out the red carpet. The BFI London Film Festival celebrates its 70th edition from 7 to 18 October 2026 with 251 titles from 88 countries. Simon Stone’s Elsinore, starring Andrew Scott, opens the festival at the Royal Festival Hall, while Jesse Eisenberg’s The Debut closes proceedings. Other films of note include Club Kid, Ink, Klara and the Sun, Paper Tiger and Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother. Screen Talks feature a remarkable collection of filmmakers and actors, including Ava DuVernay, Cynthia Erivo, John Malkovich, Mahershala Ali, Naomi Ackie and Sofia Coppola. Screenings take place across BFI Southbank, BFI IMAX and West End cinemas, accompanied by premieres, competitions and free events. For film fans, it remains one of the highlights of London’s cultural calendar.
Where: BFI Southbank, Belvedere Road, South Bank, London, SE1 8XT
When: 7 to 18 October 2026.
Contact: https://whatson.bfi.org.uk
Black History Month
Running throughout October, Black History Month celebrates Black history, communities and creativity with events across London. One of the biggest dates is the Black British Book Festival at the Barbican on 4 October 2026. Europe’s largest celebration of Black literature returns with more than 80 authors and cultural figures, including Candice Carty-Williams, Corinne Bailey Rae and Wretch 32. Elsewhere, Black Culture Market returns to Brixton, Kings Place hosts Classically Black, and the National Portrait Gallery presents tours, workshops and poetry performances examining Black figures within its collection. The month spans literature, music, food, fashion, history and conversations across the capital.
Where: Across London
When: 1 to 31 October 2026
Contact: www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk
Bonfire Night
Remember, remember, the fifth of November. London’s Bonfire Night celebrations spill across the first full weekend of November in 2026, with several of the capital’s biggest displays returning. Alexandra Palace hosts its Fireworks & Drone Festival on 7 and 8 November 2026, combining fireworks, drones, a giant bonfire, fairground rides and entertainment, including a DJ set from Eats Everything on Saturday. Battersea Park also stages two nights on 7 and 8 November 2026, with Rudimental performing a DJ set before Saturday’s display and a more family-focused programme on Sunday. Wimbledon Park hosts fireworks on 5 November 2026, while Morden Park and Dulwich stage displays on 7 November 2026.
Where: Across London
When: 5 to 8 November 2026
Contact: www.alexandrapalace.com
EFG London Jazz Festival
The capital finds its rhythm when the EFG London Jazz Festival returns from 13 to 22 November 2026. The ten-day celebration spreads across venues including the Barbican, Southbank Centre, Royal Albert Hall, Roundhouse, KOKO, Union Chapel and Jazz Cafe. The 2026 programme ranges from legendary names to contemporary innovators, with performances from Melody Gardot, Goldie with a live band and orchestra, Mariza, Fatoumata Diawara, Branford Marsalis, Dianne Reeves, Samara Joy and Cécile McLorin Salvant. There is also a celebration of John Coltrane’s centenary and a Japanese jazz night inspired by Haruki Murakami’s Peter Cat jazz bar.
Where: Across London
When: 13 to 22 November 2026
Contact: https://efglondonjazzfestival.org.uk
Frieze London
The international art world descends on Regent’s Park from 14 to 18 October 2026 for Frieze London and Frieze Masters. Together, the 2026 fairs feature almost 300 galleries from 48 countries and regions, spanning contemporary art, Old Masters and significant works from across art history. New additions include The Code Universe at Frieze London and Queering Modernism at Frieze Masters. The programme also includes artist commissions, films and talks featuring figures such as Grayson Perry and Es Devlin. Frieze Sculpture adds a free element to proceedings, transforming Regent’s Park with works by 11 international artists from 16 September to 1 November 2026.
Where: Frieze London, The Regent’s Park, London
When: 14 to 18 October 2026
Contact: www.frieze.com
Halloween
London turns suitably sinister around 31 October 2026. Halloween at Kew returns from 16 October to 1 November 2026, transforming the gardens into an illuminated after-dark trail populated by Dracula, fire performers, a Headless Horseman and new attractions including the Cursed Tomb and Medieval Dungeon. Harry Potter fans can head to Warner Bros. Studio Tour London for Dark Arts from 16 September to 8 November 2026, when more than 100 pumpkins float above the Great Hall and Death Eaters appear throughout the experience. The Studio Tour also launches Nox on 29, 30 and 31 October, while London’s dungeons, ghost tours and historic streets provide plenty more seasonal scares.
Where: Kew Gardens, Richmond, London, TW9 3JR
When: Saturday, 31 October 2026
Contact: www.kew.org
Oktoberfest
Prost! Oktoberfest returns to London with steins, sausages and plenty of Bavarian spirit. London Oktoberfest takes over Finsbury Park from 1 to 3 October 2026, transforming part of the park into a German-style beer hall with live music, traditional food and flowing beer. Saturday is split into separate afternoon and evening sessions. Elsewhere, German Gymnasium in King’s Cross celebrates from 18 September to 23 October 2026, with seasonal dishes, German beers and Oktoberfest festivities beneath the restaurant’s grand vaulted ceilings. Whether you arrive in lederhosen or not, there are plenty of reasons to raise a glass.
Where: Across London
When: 1 to 31 October 2026
Contact: https://london-oktoberfest.co.uk
Open House Festival
London’s architecture takes centre stage from 12 to 20 September. Open House Festival returns for its 35th edition, unlocking buildings, homes and spaces across all 33 boroughs, with the programme featuring hundreds of free events. The 2026 schedule includes everything from 10 Downing Street and the Royal College of Physicians to backstage access at the new British Airways ARC venue at Olympia. There are also walking tours, historic homes, contemporary housing projects and architecture talks. Many experiences are drop-in, although the most sought-after tours require advance booking. For anyone curious about what lies behind London’s usually closed doors, few events reveal the city quite like this one.
Where: Across London
When: 12 to 20 September 2026
Contact: https://programme.openhouse.org.uk
Thanksgiving
The United Kingdom and the United States have long had a special relationship. If you want to celebrate that union through food, then put Thanksgiving in your diary. The event takes place on Thursday, 26 November 2026, and London has plenty of places serving a taste of America. Riding House Cafés in Bloomsbury, Fitzrovia and Victoria serve a £65 feast featuring cornbread rolls with pumpkin butter, free-range turkey, cornbread stuffing, maple-buttered sweet potatoes, truffled mac and cheese and pumpkin pie. Celebrations continue at Fitzrovia on 27 November 2026. Sunday in Brooklyn also gets involved, with Thanksgiving menus at its Notting Hill and Marylebone restaurants. Highlights include double-baked soufflé, turkey with all the trimmings and pecan tart, with special sittings taking place around Thanksgiving Day.
Where: Across London
When: Thursday, 26 November 2026
Contact: www.riding.house
The Lord Mayor’s Show
Few events demonstrate London’s love of ceremony quite like the Lord Mayor’s Show. Dating back more than 800 years, the historic procession returns on Saturday, 14 November 2026. Setting off from Mansion House at 11am, the parade travels through the City of London with thousands of participants, ceremonial carriages, military units, musicians and community groups. The tradition marks the installation of the new Lord Mayor of the City of London and remains one of the world’s oldest continuously running civic processions. Best of all, the spectacle is free, turning the Square Mile into a colourful celebration of centuries-old London pageantry.
Where: The Lord Mayor’s Show, Mansion House, London
When: Saturday, 14 November 2026
Contact: www.lordmayorsshow.london
West End Shows
London’s theatre scene enters autumn with new productions, major revivals and some headline-grabbing casting. Stranger Things star Gaten Matarazzo makes his West End debut as Mark Cohen in a 30th-anniversary revival of Jonathan Larson’s Rent, opening at the Duke of York’s Theatre from 26 September 2026. Teri Hatcher swaps Wisteria Lane for Runway magazine when she takes over as Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada at the Dominion Theatre from 20 October 2026. Elsewhere, the Olivier Award-winning revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods transfers to the Noël Coward Theatre in September with Kate Fleetwood returning as the Witch, while Les Misérables creators Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg reimagine Martin Guerre at The Old Vic from 1 October 2026.
Where: Across London
When: Throughout September, October and November
Contact: https://officiallondontheatre.com