AboutLondon Laura – September 2025
The best month to be in London
I truly believe that September is the best month to be in London. I had a fantastic time in July, but I still recommend September. For starters, there’s normally great weather and the city of less crowded. Plus, there are brilliant annual events and lots of new exhibitions too.
Annual Events
The biggie is the Open House Festival. This year, it’s running from 13th to 21st September, allowing us access to hundreds of places that are usually off limits to the public. There are walks and talks and plenty of fun to be had right across London. You need to book for some places, and for others, you turn up and queue outside.
I’ve been to some really fascinating locations over the years, including windmills, building sites, fire stations and gardens. It can take a bit of planning, but Open House is well worth it.
Heritage Open Days are similar but cover more than just London. From 12th to 21st September, you could go to a crypt, learn about hot chocolate, join a family-friendly workshop, go on a bat walk, and so much more.
The Totally Thames Festival runs for the whole month. The large-scale fire installation in Royal Victoria Dock sounds cool. A Mudlarking exhibition in the Roman Amphitheatre does too. And the Classic Boat Festival at St Katherine’s Dock is back and recommended.
The Illuminated River Boat Tours are back every Saturday evening. Nine Thames bridges have special lighting to admire from the water.
More water-themed free ‘fun’ is the annual closure of the Thames Barrier on 7th September from 7:15am to 5:15pm. While not the height of entertainment, it is interesting to watch.
The London Design Festival can be a bit hit or miss, but it is worth knowing about. It’s on from 13th to 21st September and has some interesting installations planned.
The Sheep Drive is a joy to watch each year. You can see it on Southwark Bridge (not London Bridge) this year on Sunday, 28th September. It’s literally what you think it might be: sheep being herded across a central London bridge.
New Exhibitions
I’m going to make sure I see Blitz: the club that shaped the 80s exhibition at the Design Museum. This inspirational Covent Garden nightclub was frequented by the ‘cool kids’ who have gone on to influence the world.
Bonhams on New Bond Street is holding a Downton Abbey auction. And while we may not all be able to purchase something, we can all see the items for free in a lovely exhibition until 16th September. You need to book a free ticket in advance for this one as it’s popular.
Theatre Picasso opens at Tate Modern on 18th September. The exhibition marks the centenary of Picasso’s painting The Three Dancers 1925, and brings together around 50 works by one of the most influential figures of the 20th century.
The new Space gallery at the Science Museum opens on 20th September. It features the spacesuit of Britain’s first Astronaut, Helen Sharman; a full-size model of BepiColombo, which is on its way to Mercury; and a three-billion-year-old piece of the Moon.
Radical Harmony – Helene Kröller-Müller's Neo-Impressionists opens at the National Gallery on 13th September. This includes paintings by artists including Seurat, Van Gogh, Signac and Pissarro.
America’s Kerry James Marshall: The Histories opens at the Royal Academy on 20th September to mark his 70th birthday.
Building the Bank opens at the Bank of England Museum on 16th September to mark 100 years since the Threadneedle Street building we know today, by Sir Herbert Baker, began to emerge, after Sir John Soane's building was demolished.
The Fashion & Textile Museum has Costume Couture: Sixty Years of Cosprop from 26th September. It’s an excellent collection of film, TV and theatre costumes from A Room with a View and Pirates of the Caribbean to Downton Abbey and Peaky Blinders.
Back on Downton Abbey again, Kew has its Fleurs de Villes flower show on from 22nd September with a Downton Abbey theme.
Continuing with more fashion, Dirty Looks: Desire and Decay in Fashion at the Barbican opens on 25th September. Featuring icons like Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood, this seems to be about rebellion.
And still on clothing, the David Bowie Centre opens at V&A East Storehouse on 13th September. This is the new permanent home for David Bowie’s archive. There are 90,000 items from stage outfits to hand-written lyrics, so the collection display will change often as there’s not room for it all to be out at once.
You’ll find lots more September events listed on Ian Visits and Londonist.
Looking Ahead
Here are some ideas to plan for in 2026:
Frida Kahlo: The Making of an Icon
Tate Modern, 25 June 2026 to 3 January 2027
Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art
V&A, opens 21 March 2026
Henry Moore: Monumental Nature
Kew Gardens, 9 May to 27 September 2026
The Bayeux Tapestry
British Museum, opens September 2026
Renoir and Love
National Gallery, 3 October 2026 to 31 January 2027
Final Tip
By joining the Friends of Anglotopia Club, you could see the article I wrote for them about my move to Wales. It’s a well-priced membership schedule that keeps the ads off the Anglotopia site.