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 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 for treating yourself: UKLASH at Selfridges
- 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 for a weekend of food discoveries: The Big Brine
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. The Big Brine
12–13 September | Hackney Bridge | £22.50
East London gets its first dedicated pickling and fermentation festival this month, and Vadasz is fronting it. The Big Brine takes over Hackney Bridge for a weekend built entirely around the briny end of food culture, with chefs, producers and drinks brands turning preservation into something you’d actually plan a Saturday around. Restaurants including Gracey’s Pizza, Brindisa, Freak Scene and Lardo are cooking dishes made specifically for the event, and there’s a Demo Stage hosted by Ayala Daly with Gizzi Erskine, James Peck and others showing off fermentation and brining techniques.
Want to get your hands dirty? Workshops cover everything from brine bread to a pickle masterclass with MasterChef finalist Kirsten Dodd. Drinks-wise, expect picklebacks, Cornish sea salt margaritas and Bloody Marys made with Absolut, plus a DJ and drag after-party on the Saturday night.
Where: Hackney Bridge, Units 1–28, Echo Building, East Bay Lane, London E15 2SJ
When: 12–13 September 2026 (Saturday day session 11:30am–4:30pm, Saturday evening 5:30pm–10:30pm, Sunday 12pm–5pm)
Price: £22.50
More info: The Big Brine
3. 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
4. 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
5. 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
6. 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
7. 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
8. 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
9. 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
10. UKLASH at Selfridges
28 September–4 October | Selfridges, Oxford Street | Free
If your lash routine could use an upgrade before the party season rush, UKLASH is bringing its full Lash Wardrobe to Selfridges for a week. Expert MUAs are on hand for a complimentary Next Level Lash application, walking you through the brand’s best-selling and award-winning products as they create your look, including a first outing for the newest launch: Lash Lift Gel, essentially a lash lift in a bottle for anyone after the curled, lifted effect.
There’s a Spin to Win running throughout the week too, with prizes and experiences up for grabs including a £200 Selfridges voucher, complimentary brow shaping, free coffee and other UKLASH treats along the way. Customers doing their stocking up can also unlock exclusive gifts with purchase at selected spend thresholds, including a complimentary UKLASH Eyelash Serum.
Where: Selfridges, Oxford Street, London W1A 1AB
When: 28 September–4 October 2026
Hours: 10am–8pm, closing at 6pm on Sundays
Price: Free
More info: UKLASH at Selfridges
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