If your calendar is already looking dangerously full, these are the plans worth making room for. September has some unusually strong cultural programming, but the appeal here isn’t simply that there’s a lot going on. It’s the chance to do things you can’t ordinarily do, like get inside buildings that are usually closed to the public, or experience familiar parts of London in a completely different context.
There’s also a good mix of free events and bigger-ticket occasions, so you don’t need to spend a fortune to have a memorable weekend worth telling your colleagues about in your Monday catch-up.
We’ve picked ten that we think are totally worth your time (and money), from major exhibitions to free cultural events, with fitness, architecture, fashion and live music in the mix too.
At a glance: 10 things to do in London this September
- Best for a big cultural moment: The Bayeux Tapestry
- Best for design lovers: London Design Festival
- Best for nosing around London: Open House Festival
- Best for getting your heart rate up: METRIX London
- Best for a proper wellness day: Greenwich Wellbeing Retreat
- Best for live music: Soho Jazz Festival
- Best free museum outing: Nature & Us
- Best for fashion: The Burberry Trench: Crafting an Icon
- Best for a riverside day out: The Great River Race
- Best free day out: Black on the Square
10 things to do in London this September: Full list
1. METRIX London
5–6 September | Magazine London, North Greenwich | From £120
If HYROX has started to feel a little too familiar, METRIX is the new fitness competition putting a more theatrical spin on the format. Billed as a fusion of high-performance fitness and the production of a nightclub, the competition is done in pairs across five stations: SkiErg, burpees, rowing, bike and sled push/shuttle run. You split the work between you however you like, with the best total score winning. It’s designed to be accessible to everyday athletes as well as those who take their training very seriously, so you don’t need to be an elite competitor to enter.
The London edition takes place at Magazine London on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 September, with the competition followed by a social space where competitors can recover, hang out and make use of ice baths and saunas. Tickets are £120 per person, with cheaper group rates available for teams of 10, 20 or 40.
Where: Magazine London, 11 Ordnance Crescent, London SE10 0JH
When: 5–6 September 2026
Price: £120 per person; group rates from £80pp
More info: METRIX London
2. Black on the Square
5 September | Trafalgar Square | Free
Trafalgar Square gets a particularly good excuse to visit on 5 September, when Black on the Square returns for its fourth year. The free, family-friendly festival celebrates Black culture and creativity with live music, food, traders, workshops and entertainment throughout the day. This year’s programme marks several significant anniversaries, including 60 years of Notting Hill Carnival, 35 years of Tomorrow’s Warriors, 20 years of LatinoLife and 30 years of the MOBO Awards, alongside a tribute to MOBO founder Kanya King CBE.
The first acts announced include soca artist Triniboi Joocie, singer-songwriter FIBI and Afro-Latin collective Viva Sound System, with more performers still to be announced. It runs from 12pm to 6pm, and you don’t need a ticket or to pay anything to get in. Expect crowds and bag searches on arrival, with accessible viewing and facilities available.
Where: Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN
When: Saturday 5 September 2026, 12pm–6pm
Price: Free
More info: Black on the Square – City Hall
3. The Bayeux Tapestry
From 10 September | British Museum | From £25
This is the one that needs little introduction: after almost 1,000 years away, the 70-metre-long Bayeux Tapestry is coming to London. The medieval embroidery tells the story of the Norman Conquest through 58 scenes, taking in Harold Godwinson, William of Normandy, the Battle of Hastings and plenty of details about everyday 11th-century life along the way. For this British Museum exhibition, the entire tapestry will be displayed in one continuous length for the first time, alongside objects from the museum’s collection that put the story into context.
The exhibition opens 10 September 2026 and runs until 11 July 2027. Tickets are timed and adult admission is £33 at standard peak pricing, with cheaper off-peak and super-off-peak tickets available; under-16s can visit free with a paying adult. September–December tickets have been extremely popular, so it’s worth checking availability before making the trip.
Where: British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG
When: 10 September 2026–11 July 2027
Price: From £25; standard adult £33
More info: British Museum – The Bayeux Tapestry
4. London Design Festival
12–20 September | Across London | Many events free
For nine days in September, London becomes one enormous design exhibition. The 24th London Design Festival brings installations, exhibitions, talks, workshops and special projects to venues and neighbourhoods across the capital, with this year’s programme spread across 11 design districts, from Brompton and Chelsea to Mayfair, Soho, Shoreditch and Bankside. There are also major projects at places including the V&A and St Paul’s Cathedral, so you can dip into the festival without having to spend the day crossing London.
The festival runs from 12–20 September and the programme includes both free and ticketed events. There’s no single festival admission price: some installations and exhibitions are completely free, while talks and special experiences require individual tickets. The official programme is the best way to find something close to you and check whether booking is required.
Where: Various locations across London
When: 12–20 September 2026
Price: Many events free; individual ticket prices vary
More info: London Design Festival
5. Open House Festival
12–20 September | Across London | Free
Open House is one of the best ways to get beyond the London you normally see. For nine days, buildings and spaces across all 33 London boroughs open their doors, giving the public access to places that are usually private, restricted or simply easy to walk past without thinking about what’s inside. Expect everything from historic buildings and private homes to workplaces, places of worship, gardens and more unusual architectural spaces.
The 35th edition runs from 12–20 September and the vast majority of the festival is free, although individual events can have different booking requirements. Some are simple drop-ins; others are timed visits that book up quickly. The festival programme and map let you search by area, date and type of building, so it’s easy to build your own architectural day out.
Where: Across all 33 London boroughs
When: 12–20 September 2026
Price: Free; some events require advance booking
More info: Open House Festival
6. The Great River Race
12 September | Thames, from Millwall to Ham | Free to watch
London’s annual river marathon is considerably more entertaining to watch than its name suggests. On 12 September, almost 300 crews will race 21.6 miles up the Thames, starting at Millwall and finishing at Ham in Richmond. The field ranges from serious competitors to crews in fancy dress raising money for charity, with traditional boats of all shapes and sizes taking part.
You don’t need a ticket to watch: the race is free for spectators, and you can pick a spot anywhere along the riverbank or one of the bridges on the route. The first boats cross the start line at 12.45pm, with Tower Bridge expected around 30 minutes later; if you want to make a day of it, the finish at Ham has food, a bar and a disco. There are also a limited number of places on a supporters’ boat for those who want to follow the race from the water.
Where: Starts at Millwall Slipway, E14 3QS; finishes at Ham Lands, TW10 7RS
When: Saturday 12 September 2026; first boats from 12.45pm
Price: Free to watch
More info: The Great River Race
7. Soho Jazz Festival
16–19 September | Various Soho venues | From £35
For four nights, Soho’s bars, clubs and music rooms become one sprawling jazz festival. Soho Jazz Festival is celebrating 40 years in 2026, with live music across ten Soho venues including Alfie’s Jazz Club, Ronnie Scott’s, Jack Solomons Club, Piano Bar Soho and Café Boheme. The idea is less enormous concert hall and more hopping between some of the neighbourhood’s best-known music rooms, with emerging artists alongside established names.
The festival runs Wednesday 16 to Saturday 19 September. Day passes are £35 for Wednesday and Thursday, £35 for Friday and £55 for Saturday, while the four-day All Access pass is currently £70 on early allocation. Your pass gives you access to the participating venues on the relevant night, with the festival also promising a secret cocktail bar for All Access holders.
Where: Various venues across Soho
When: 16–19 September 2026
Price: Day passes from £35; All Access from £70
More info: Soho Jazz Festival
8. Nature & Us
From 16 September | Natural History Museum | Free
The Natural History Museum is reopening a gallery that has been off limits to the public for more than 80 years for Nature & Us, a free exhibition looking at the ways humans have tried to understand, categorise and represent the natural world. The gallery was once a working herbarium filled with plant specimens; it has now been reimagined as an exhibition space containing an eclectic mix of natural and human-made objects, models, tools and specimens.
The exhibition opens on 16 September and is intended to get visitors thinking about how our ideas about nature have changed over time – and how those ideas have shaped the way we interact with it. It’s a temporary exhibition, and because it’s part of the museum rather than a separate ticketed show, entry is free. You’ll find it on the second floor of the Central Building.
Where: Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD
When: From 16 September 2026
Price: Free
More info: Natural History Museum – Nature & Us
9. Greenwich Wellbeing Retreat
18 September | Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich | Prices vary
If your idea of a wellness day involves deeply restorative sessions in a majestic building, Greenwich has you covered. The Greenwich Wellbeing Retreat takes over the Old Royal Naval College for a full day of movement, relaxation and wellbeing experiences, with yoga in the Painted Hall, talks on stress, sleep and women’s health, sound baths, cacao making, reflexology, journalling, massage, health screenings and a wellbeing market. There are also drop-in treatments and shorter sessions, so you can dip in for an hour or build yourself a much more ambitious day.
The retreat runs on Friday 18 September from 8am until 10pm, with different sessions taking place throughout the site. Prices vary by activity: for example, the morning Painted Hall yoga session is £21.50. The Old Royal Naval College’s standard Painted Hall admission is £19, but the retreat’s individual experiences have their own pricing and booking requirements, so check the programme before turning up.
Where: Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, London SE10 9NN
When: Friday 18 September 2026, 8am–10pm
Price: Varies by experience; yoga from £21.50
More info: Greenwich Wellbeing Retreat – Old Royal Naval College
10. The Burberry Trench: Crafting an Icon
From 21 September | V&A South Kensington | Free
The humble trench coat gets its own exhibition at the V&A this autumn, with The Burberry Trench: Crafting an Icon tracing the garment from practical outerwear and military uniform to one of the most recognisable pieces of British fashion. The display brings together pieces from the Burberry Archive and the V&A, including historic examples alongside more recent designs – making it as much about British design and craftsmanship as it is about the fashion house itself.
The free display opens on Monday 21 September in the V&A’s Prince Consort Gallery and runs into 2027. Highlights include a women’s catalogue featuring trench coats from the 1930s and 1940s, a Hardy Amies Burberry car coat from 1979 and more contemporary pieces, including a metallic silk trench from 2013 and a purple fringed design from 2025. No booking or exhibition ticket is required.
Where: V&A South Kensington, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL
When: From 21 September 2026
Price: Free
More info: V&A – The Burberry Trench: Crafting an Icon
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