12 Summer Events To Book Before They Sell Out

Anya Hindmarch’s Ice Cream Project will return to The Anya Village this summer. Returning to Belgravia from 5th June, The Ice Cream Project will be serving a new line-up of unexpectedly delicious ice creams and sorbets, which will be revealed soon (previous highlights have included soy sauce and Nesquik). Fans can also book in for the Blind Tasting Tea at the Anya Cafe, where they can try 15 flavours of the cult scoops with wafers and sprinkles, guessing each flavour as they go, with their own tasting scorecard and ICP pencil. Tubs of ice cream are also available for table service.

From 5th June

Visit ANYAHINDMARCH.COM

Run without interruption since 1769, the Summer Exhibition showcases art in all forms – from prints, paintings, film and photography to architectural works and sculpture by invited artists, Royal Academicians and emerging talent. Guests will encounter art and artists of all kinds here: drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, architecture, film and digital art, made by members of the public, emerging artists and household names, including our Royal Academicians (and the occasional celebrity). For this year's edition, the gallery will be open late on Saturdays (as with regular Fridays, until 9pm), and the in-gallery gin bar will be open Thursday through Sunday.

16th June-23rd August 

Visit ROYALACADEMY.ORG.UK

This new exhibition explores how Frida Kahlo became one of the most influential artists of all time. Frida: The Making of an Icon will showcase over 30 of Kahlo’s most iconic works, introducing her ‘many selves’ – the dedicated wife, the intellectual, the modern artist, and the political activist. Alongside treasured garments, jewellery, photographs and memorabilia, there will be over 200 works by her contemporaries and the artists she inspired from later generations. For the first month (25th June-31st August), guests can also book in to taste a specially created menu by chef Santiago Lastra, founder of Michelin-starred Mexican restaurant KOL.

25th June-3rd January 2027

Visit TATE.ORG.UK

From this weekend, The Newt in Somerset will host The Great Garden Show, a new nine-day event celebrating horticulture, cultivation and seasonal food across the estate’s gardens. Drawing on its previous collaborations with the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the estate has created a programme that combines expert talks, practical workshops and garden installations. Visitors will be able to take part in guided tours of the estate’s orchards and ornamental gardens, as well as sessions on propagation, pruning and soil care. Hands-on workshops will also include foraging walks and natural craft activities, such as wreath-making and pressed-flower design. Alongside all this, the estate’s restaurants will focus on seasonal farm-to-table menus inspired by ingredients grown across the surrounding farmland.

9th-17th May

Visit THENEWTINSOMERSET.COM

Occupying six interconnecting Georgian townhouses near Russell Square, this new hotel brings The Zetter’s distinctive approach to hospitality to one of the capital’s most storied quarters. Award-winning designer James Thurstan Waterworth draws inspiration from Bloomsbury’s intellectual spirit, a neighbourhood long defined by writers, collectors and creatives. The bedrooms range from characterful and wood-panelled cosy rooms to grander suites such as the terrace suite, complete with a four-poster bed, claw-foot bath beneath bay windows and a large terrace overlooking the garden. Each of the 68 rooms has been thoughtfully designed with a collector’s spirit, with marble-finished bathrooms, walk-in showers and amenities from Verden. The hotel sits directly opposite the British Museum, with the independent shops and cafés of Lamb’s Conduit Street just moments away – making it just the spot for any staycations you might be planning this summer.

Now open

Visit THEZETTER.COM

Tickets are on sale for this year’s sought-after culinary experience at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Known for its impeccable ‘straight from the earth’ food offering, Spring Garden has earned iconic status in recent years, after wowing guests with simple, yet extraordinary dishes that incorporate sustainability. This year’s edition introduces an exciting new culinary direction, led by two of the most influential names in contemporary cuisine: Jeremy Chan, the acclaimed chef behind London’s two-Michelin-starred Ikoyi, and José Pizarro, celebrated for his bold and authentic Spanish flavours. Together, they will create dynamic menus and bring a distinctive energy to Spring Garden. It’s just the place to enjoy lunch or dinner before or after a stroll around the show.

19th-23rd May

Visit SPRINGGARDEN.EVENTIST.GROUP

Carbone has expanded its London offering with a dedicated lunch service and the opening of its seasonal terrace. Overlooking the gardens of Grosvenor Square, the al fresco space features white-tablecloth seating alongside custom banquettes and rattan chairs, set among lush greenery and framed by a grove of olive trees. The menu features a selection of seasonal dishes, including spring pea cappellacci, spaghetti puttanesca and steamed asparagus, alongside many of Carbone’s most celebrated signatures such as spicy rigatoni vodka, Caesar Alla ZZ and carpaccio Piemontese. A daily crudo selection highlights the finest locally sourced seafood, while desserts include delicate summer-ready sorbets and gelatos.

Open now

Visit CARBONELONDON.COM

This summer sees the launch of the largest ever presentation of outdoor artworks by Henry Moore, one of Britain’s most renowned artists. Set across Kew's landscapes and world-renowned botanical collections, Henry Moore: Monumental Nature brings art and nature together on an extraordinary scale, blurring the boundaries between sculpture and living form. Guests will be able to interact with 30 monumental sculptures installed throughout the gardens, spanning Moore’s nearly 70-year career and demonstrating the varying shapes and scales of his artworks. Nature will sit at the centre of the accompanying indoor exhibition at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, where more than 90 of Moore’s smaller-scale works, including sculpture, drawings, models and sketchbooks, will be on view, many of them for the first time.

9th May-31st January 2027

Visit KEW.ORG

This summer, five-star hotel The Berkeley continues to champion its eclectic neighbourhood with a new cocktail menu honouring local favourites, renowned institutions, and the personalities behind them. With views of St Paul’s Church and Wilton Place, The Berkeley Bar & Terrace has created a fresh SW1 Sips menu, showcasing ten signature cocktails. Some of our favourites include The Anya Sgroppino (inspired by legendary British designer Anya Hindmarch, this sorbet special is served with leather coaster featuring Hindmarch’s signature googly eyes); The Parvin Pearls (inspired by Stewart Parvin, the couture British fashion designer beloved by the late Queen Elizabeth II, this cocktail features Dubonnet); and The Newsstand Nightcap (inspired by Motcomb Street’s long-standing, family-run newsagents Mayhew News).

Now open

Visit MAYBOURNE.COM

Osip – the Michelin-starred Somerset restaurant from Merlin Labron-Johnson – has introduced a new Table d'Hôte menu. Inspired by the daily-changing menus of rural French auberges, the three-course set menu is available every evening for £75 per person. The Table d'Hôte menu offers a more accessible, rustic menu that locals can return to time and again, while also giving those further afield who may not have been able to visit Osip previously the opportunity to experience it. It will be available alongside Osip's 10-course £165 set menu. Sample dishes include chilled asparagus soup with fennel and Dorset crab; grilled Stream Farm hogget, brassicas and lamb juices; cassoulet of white beans with wild garlic and lamb fat breadcrumbs; and drunken honey tart with mead custard, bee pollen and whisky cream.

Open now

Visit OSIPRESTAURANT.COM

Cult shop magCulture is now open at Selfridges until mid-June. Part of a season of Club Culture at Selfridges, the Clerkenwell mag shop has selected 200 magazines for the department store, celebrating the new generation of publishers reinventing the medium. You’ll find the magCulture pop-up in the Accessories Hall, by the Art Block. Just outside on Duke Street, customers can visit the Club Culture Kiosk for takeaway coffee, tea and matcha, housed within an iconic modular K67 kiosk.

Until mid-June

Visit SELFRIDGES.COM

Next month, Royal Ascot will return to present five days of world-class racing, style and pageantry. The stage is set for another act as the finest thoroughbreds, boldest millinery and world-class hospitality come together once again. Across the five-day event, racegoers will enjoy dining experiences curated by a roster of Michelin-starred chefs whose combined accolades include 29 Michelin stars, three Green Michelin stars and more than 30 AA Rosettes. This year welcomes two exciting new additions: Steve Smith, chef-patron of Latymer at Pennyhill Park in Surrey, and Angela Hartnett OBE, the renowned British chef celebrated for her modern Italian-inspired cuisine. They join returning icons Raymond Blanc, Simon Rogan, Tom Shepherd and Yannick Alléno, who will each deliver distinct fine-dining experiences throughout the royal meeting.

16th-20th June

Visit ASCOT.COM