After two bank holidays and a half term you would be forgiven for thinking that London might be taking it easy now. But no, the city is as busy as ever and there are lots of things to do in London in June.
June in London is always great fun. Warm weather, sunny days, open-air theatre performances, ice cream, alfresco dining, fun festivals and plenty of opportunities to spend time in the city’s parks, playgrounds and on the water make this a great month to discover the city.
June is also a great time to explore London’s famous landmarks and major attractions before the schools break up for summer.
This is when you can see the Changing of the Guards without the crowds, take a spin on the London Eye, marvel at the Crown Jewels hidden away in the Tower of London, take a walk over Tower Bridge, snap photos of famous figures at Madame Tussauds, marvel at Big Ben, or simply enjoy the street performers in Covent Garden.
Don’t forget to book your tickets to the Sky Garden either – London’s highest public garden is always busy during the summer months. If you can’t get tickets however, don’t worry, there are lots of other places to catch a free view of London.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I have been or could be if you click on a link in this post compensated via a cash payment, gift or something else of value for writing this post. See our full disclosure policy for more details.
June 2026 dates for your diary
Table of Contents
- Father’s Day takes place on 21 June – don’t forget to buy your dad a gift!
- The World Cup kicks off on 11 June!
- Peek inside some of London’s private square and gardens during Open Square Gardens weekend on 6 – 7 June.
- The Royal Academy’s annual Summer Exhibition opens on 16 June and runs until 23August.
- Foodies will be happy to know that Taste of London is back, taking place from 17 – 21 June in Regent’s Park.
- June 1 – 30 marks the month of Pride but the city’s famous annual pride parade doesn’t take place until 4 July.
- The Hampton Court Palace Festival always has a cracking line up – This summer you can enjoy performances by Nile Rodgers & Chic, David Gray, OMD, and The Stranglers, plus other artists. The festival runs between 10 – 20 June.
- Be prepared to see some flesh if you’re in town on 14 June when the World Naked Bike Ride returns to London.
- International Sushi Day is a thing and it takes place on 18 June. Our favourite are the Dragon Rolls…
- Book now for BST Hyde Park, one of many music festivals taking place in London over the summer months. Artists including Garth Brooks, Maroon 5 and Pitbull will be performing. Performances take place between 27 June – 12 July.
- Kew Gardens programme of outdoor theatre returns this summer. Book now for Wind in the Willows, Jack and the Beanstalk and Twelfth Night.
- SXSW London, the massive multi-day event bringing together tech, film, music, art and business professionals, takes place in Shoreditch from 1 – 6 June.
For more ideas on things to do, join our London with kids Facebook group. You can also sign up for our monthly newsletter sharing fun things to do in the city.
Our top pick of things to do in London in June 2026
Can’t decide what to do? The following are our top picks for things to do in London in June.
- The new Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration opens this month.
- Take a ride along the River Thames in the UK’s first electric tour boat on the Tower of London River Tour.
- Frida: The Making of an Icon opens at the Tate Modern on 25 June – book your tickets in advance!
- A new exhibition celebrating Marilyn Monroe’s 100th birthday has opened at the National Portrait Gallery.
- Explore the wonderful worlds of science and the arts at the Great Exhibition Road Festival on 6 – 7 June.
- The Appearing Rooms at the Southbank Centre is back! This is one of our favourite splash parks in London and opens on 17 June.
- Journey back to the time of the Tudors during a Tudor To-Do at the Tower of London.
- Book now for the amazing Ancient Egypt sleepover at the British Museum.
- Get ready to celebrate the Horniman Museum’s 125th birthday with a big party.
- Sing your heart out when you join West End Live in Trafalgar Square.
The best things to do in London in June
Exhibitions & Experiences
The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
The world’s largest space for illustration opens on Friday 5 June in Clerkenwell. Named after Quentin Blake, who illustrated the majority of Roald Dahl’s children’s books, the centre has been two decades in the making and is now finally open.
The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration will have three exhibition galleries, a free public library, landscaped gardens a cafe, shop and community spaces.
Family events at the V&A
Family Activities at the V&A this month include a family design challenge, Rhythm Makers, Meet the Designer and more. We’re especially excited about Play Saturdays, a free drop-in session that takes place every Saturday at the Young V&A.
Most of these events are free, check dates and details on the V&A website.
Fairy Tales at the British Library
Adventure through magical worlds and enchanted stories at this spellbinding exhibition. With interactive displays, theatrical design, story sharing spaces, costumes and activities, this is a wonderful way to explore timeless tales that have captured imaginations for generations – just be careful not to wake the troll!
The exhibition at The British Library runs until 23 August, 2026.
A Tudor To-Do at the Tower of London
June is the perfect time to head to the Tower of London. During the summer months, you can journey back to the time of the Tudors, when Anne Boleyn is getting ready for her grand coronation. The big day is fast approaching but nothing is ready and families are needed to help the workers get everything set in time for the big day.
Don’t miss a walking tour with one of the Yeoman warders while here.
A Tudor To-Do runs until from 8 June to 14 August is included in admission tickets.
Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends
Shaun the Sheep fans should make a beeline for the Young V&A to enjoy this exhibition that celebrates Aardman Animation. Held to celebrate the animation studio’s 50th anniversary year, this family-friendly exhibit peeks behind the scenes of everyone’s favourite stop-motion animations to find out how the clever folk at Aardman bring clay to life.
The exhibition runs until 15 November.
Anish Kapoor at the Hayward Gallery
The Hayward Gallery always has great exhibitions and this month sees the return of Anish Kapoor, the firs major exhibition staged by the artist in almost 30 years. The exhibition fills the entire gallery with a series of immersive works from many of Kapoor’s most iconic series. It’s brilliant for all ages and a great opportunity for kids in particular to experience something completely different.
The Amazing Ancient Egypt sleepover at the British Museum
Tickets are available to purchase now for this amazing museum sleepover being held at the British Museum over the weekend 15 – 16 August. Experience the museum after dark and discover a world of pharaohs, myths and archaeology.
This is no simple sleepover, families taking part will enjoy an action-packed evening before falling asleep in the Egyptian and Assyrian galleries surrounded by kings and gods from the ancient world.
The sleepover is for children aged 8 – 15. You can book tickets here.
Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep at the Natural History Museum
The new exhibition at the Natural History Museum explores the legends of Earth’s prehistoric oceans. Meet the gnarly-toothed pliosaur, come face-to-face with the speedy ichthyosaurs and discover the T.Rex of the sea, the fearsome mosasaur.
Star Trek at 60 at the Science Museum
2026 marks 60 years since Star Trek first hit the TV screens and the Science Museum is celebrating. There’s a free trail to discover with iconic objects from the TV series and films. They are also hosting a Star Trek at 60 film season showing all thirteen films. These should be booked in advance.
The Last Princesses of Punjab at Kensington Palace
Discover the story of Punjabi princess and suffragette icon, Sophia Duleep Singh and five women who shaped her extraordinary life. You can book tickets here.
Celebrate the Horniman Museum’s 125th birthday
One of London’s best museums for families is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year and to mark the occasion they are hosting a free family-friendly party on 27 June.
Taking place across three stages are DJs, musical storytellers, craft workshops and young musicians. There will also be street food, a new ‘Animals Everywhere’ AR trail and plenty more. Tickets are free but need to be booked in advance.
Skate 50 at the Southbank Centre
To mark 50 years of the city’s most famous skatepark, the Southbank Centre is putting on an exhibition called Skate 50 highlighting the people and events that helped shape this much-loved space.
Days Out & Activities
Appearing Rooms at the Southbank Centre
One of our favourite splash parks in London, the Appearing Rooms at the Southbank Centre, opens on 17 June. The shooting jets of water appear and disappear at random creating “rooms” within them and ensuring that you will come away very, very wet!
West End Live
Get ready to sing along to some of your favourite musical numbers at West End LIVE in Trafalgar Square. Taking place in central London this free event is always great fun and the perfect place to hear some of your favourite show tunes from the Beetlejuice the Musical, The Book of Mormon, Disney’s Hercules, SIX, and more.
Entry is on a first come, first served basis. There will also be a free screening live on a big screen in Victoria Embankment Gardens near Embankment station.
This year, West End Live takes place on 20 & 21 June, from 11am to 5pm on Saturday and from 12pm to 4pm on Sunday.
Trooping of the Colour, Horse Guards Parade
The Trooping of the Colour, otherwise known as the King’s Birthday Parade, is an incredible display of pageantry performed by the King’s personal troops, the Household Division.
Over 1,400 officers and men are on parade along with 200 horses, over 400 musicians from ten bands, and some 113 words of command are given by the Officer in Command of the Parade. This year, the Trooping of the Colour takes place on Saturday 6 and 13 June.
SOLO Craft Fair, Southbank Summer Market
Taken place on the first Sunday of the month over the summer months is the South Bank Summer Market. Starting on 7 June, this market welcomes over 60 traders selling everything from jewellery and clothing to art, kids’ toys and more.
Book tickets for Buckingham Palace
If you fancy taking a look inside Buckingham Palace, the most famous of London attractions, then now’s the time to book your tickets. Sure, the palace always looks rather splendid but in order to be really impressed you should take a tour inside too. The State Rooms open for visitors on 9 July until 27 September and tickets are available now.
Outdoor Cinemas
Summertime means it’s time for open air films again. Take a look at the Luna Cinema, the Rooftop Film Club, Kew the Movies and the Backyard Cinema. There are also Summer Screens in Canary Wharf with big screens showing sports fixtures such as Wimbledon as well as films including Wicked: For Good, Monsters Inc, and Barbie.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Regents Park Open Air Theatre
Taking to the tree-framed stage this month is a new staging of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Performances start on 20 June and tickets are available now.
Red Bull Soapbox Race at Ally Pally
Witness the real life Wacky Races this month at Alexandra Palace when the Red Bull Soapbox Race takes place. The annual race sees adrenaline junkies career along an obstacle course in handmade vehicles, using only gravity to speed along. You’ll need to buy a ticket to watch the event and it’s well worth it!
Festivals
Kew Fete
Taking place on 20 June from 11am to 6pm is the annual Kew Fete with over 120 stalls, a vintage fairground, live entertainment, and the infamous Kew Fete Tug of War. The annual festival raise money for 14 local charities and is a fun, family-friendly day out.
The fete takes place on Kew Green (not in Kew Gardens), on the pond side and is free to enter.
Taste of London at Regent’s Park
Enjoy five days of feasting at the Taste of London Food Festival taking place in Regent’s Park, one of the Royal Parks. This year restaurants taking part this year including Sexy Fish, Roti King, Dakadaka, and more. Meet chefs, talk to artisan producers, discover delicious food stalls and street food, check in at cookery school and much more. Arrive hungry!
Taste of London 2026 runs from 17 to 21 June.
Marylebone Summer Festival
Marylebone’s annual summer festival returns with a dog show, a wellness hub, live music and performances, and family-friendly activities.
The festival takes place on Sunday 14 June from 11am to 5pm.
Great Exhibition Road Festival
If you’re looking for free things to do then make a note of the Great Exhibition Road Festival. Taking place on the weekend 6 – 7June, the weekend of free events welcomes all ages exploring how awe and wonder can inspire science and the arts.
Dedicated themed spaces packed with creative activities, live experiments and interactive displays will be open to explore including the Engerise Zone, Brilliant Bodies Zone and the Future Food Zone. There is also a dedicated Family Fun Zone where children under 12 can meet scientists, musicians, engineers, artists and doctors.
Plenty of things to do in London with kids! Your weather is so similar to us in the Netherlands. Loved reading this!
Thanks so much! Here’s hoping we get some sunshine soon!