The timeless charm of London: art, architecture and cinema
What catches the eye in the English capital in September and October are the numerous events and festivals
Key points
Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the British Museum, St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey. Leaving the most popular tourist attractions aside for a moment, London kicks off the autumn season with a series of events that allow visitors to explore the city from a less conventional perspective. In September and October, the capital’s urban spaces will be the setting for festivals and events celebrating culture, design, architecture, art and cinema.
The Totally Thames Festival is coming to the Thames
Whilst for most of the year the Thames flows peacefully, providing a backdrop to everyday life in London, throughout the month of September it takes centre stage in an event that bears its name. The Totally Thames Festival, which began in 2014, is a festival dedicated to art and culture, with activities taking place on, under and along the Thames. The programme includes artistic, cultural and environmental initiatives, live performances, river clean-up operations, talks, workshops and much more. Among the free events, for example, is one taking place throughout September at London’s oldest church, All Hallows by the Tower, which is hosting ‘Temporal, Spatial, Spiritual’, an exhibition by the artist Debra Shipley; an installation dedicated to the Thames, which, alongside paintings and other works of art displayed throughout the church, invites visitors to reflect on the history and fragility of the environment. On Saturday 12 September at 2.00 pm at the Oxo Tower Courtyard on the South Bank, the live performance ‘Sing for Water 2026’ will take place: a spectacular choral event, featuring pieces inspired by water, bringing together over three hundred singers from more than forty choirs across the UK. More music is on offer at a ticketed event scheduled for 18 September, featuring ‘The Living Thames’: the programme includes Dvořák’s American Quartet, Handel’s *Water Music*, Smetana’s *The Moldau* and Strauss’s *The Blue Danube*, accompanied by field recordings of the Thames, the tide, the shoreline, birdlife and the river in motion, to create a delicate and immersive sense of place.
The London Design Festival is all about design
On the one hand, professionals, lecturers and practitioners working in the sector; on the other, the whole community, because design is part of all our daily lives. This gathering and exchange is made possible by the London Design Festival, taking place from 12 to 20 September 2026, which, now in its twenty-fourth year, celebrates London as the world capital of design, transforming it into a vast open-air creative laboratory. A world-renowned event showcasing installations, projects and exhibitions, as well as organised meetings with professionals from the current British design scene. The rich and varied programme, with a range of ways to take part in activities – some free, others requiring booking – will guide visitors to the London Design Festival on a journey of discovery through the major installations spread across the city’s eleven design districts, to inspire, stimulate and forge a connection with the public. Among the 2026 initiatives, the first project announced is the ‘Pangolin Shield’ installation, situated in the heart of the city on Strand Aldwych, and created by Studio Saar and Atelier One with the support of Secure. This work draws inspiration from the pangolin and invites visitors to reflect on and analyse the relationship between context, innovation and craftsmanship. Thanks to a collaboration with L-Acoustics, a pioneering brand in the professional audio sector, the London Design Festival is presenting an immersive sound experience at the Wapping Hydraulic Power Station, offering visitors the chance to explore one of London’s most remarkable industrial spaces; originally built in 1890 to supply power to much of Victorian London, it is now a historic site that will open to the public for the first time in thirteen years. Also worth noting is the Global Design Forum’s programme of talks, which, from 12 to 14 September at the Lydia and Manfred Gorvy Lecture Theatre in the V&A in South Kensington, under the theme ‘Worlds in Motion’, will bring together speakers from various disciplines and geographical areas to discuss new design practices and forms that will influence the way we live, analysing how design can act as a catalyst for global change. Shoreditch Design Week will also take place from 15 to 20 September 2026: over sixty showrooms, galleries and creative spaces across the neighbourhood will host leading brands and studios alongside emerging designers, with exhibitions, installations, activities, talks, guided tours and workshops on offer.
Architecture takes centre stage at the Open House Festival
The Open House Festival is also returning from 12 to 20 September 2026. Now in its 35th year, the festival showcases and celebrates London’s architectural heritage and involves all 33 of its boroughs. Buildings from every era, historic sites, private homes, and urban and industrial spaces usually closed to the public will open their doors, welcoming visitors with guided tours, events and talks. To book tickets for the numerous activities on the programme, you’ll need to create a free account on the Open House Festival website and book your tickets. For nine days, London will unveil its most secret spots, such as Chiswick Town Hall, originally built as a sacristy; this building houses one of the city’s finest Victorian interiors; the urban oasis that is the Barbican Conservatory, where spectacular vegetation – comprising around 800 different species of plants – blends with the monumental Brutalist architecture. Swedenborg House, built around 1760, hosts a wide range of cultural, artistic, educational and intellectual activities linked to the work and legacy of the Swedish scientist, philosopher and mystic Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772). Then there is Saint Bartholomew’s Hospital – affectionately known as ‘Barts’ – which has been providing continuous care to patients for over nine hundred years and whose north wing houses two of England’s most significant interiors: the Great Hall and the Hogarth Staircase, with its large paintings by William Hogarth. Or there is the opportunity to visit and learn about the history of Eastbury Manor House, the historic Elizabethan-style house that has stood in Barking for over four hundred and fifty years.
Cinema and art with the BFI London Film Festival and Frieze
Film lovers have yet another reason to visit London this autumn: from 7 to 18 October 2026, the 70th edition of the BFI London Film Festival will take place – a festival that celebrates cinema by screening new films, series and immersive storytelling from around the world. The programme, which will be announced on 2 September, is sure to delight audiences and industry professionals alike given this significant anniversary; tickets will go on sale from 9 September and screenings will take place at selected cinemas: BFI Southbank; BFI IMAX; Curzon Soho; the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA); the Prince Charles Cinema; the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall; and Vue West End. Following on from design, architecture and cinema, London transforms into a world-class art gallery. Frieze London and Frieze Masters 2026, taking place in the splendid setting of Regent’s Park from 14 to 18 October 2026 (tickets available online), explore and celebrate millennia of art history alongside contemporary artists. The two fairs, which take place simultaneously, will collectively host nearly three hundred galleries from forty-eight countries and regions. Two unmissable events on London’s arts calendar, offering the chance to admire works of art from the finest international galleries.
