Things to do in London: July edition
Stay savvy with what's on in London this month: riotous music, eye-wateringly bright art and the best summer festivals
Georgia O'Keeffe comes to the Tate
Stake out the countryside: Latitude Festival
12 – 17 July
Yes, it was hard picking just one summer festival, but if there were prizes for loveliness, then Latitude gets first place for its wacky selection of music, drama, food, family and sheep dyed pink. It's all wonderfully zany. This year, The Maccabees, The National and New Order headline, but it's the little surprises and the fizzy atmosphere that will charm. It's only a few hours out of London, so get packing.
CLICK HERE TO BOOK TICKETS
Find out more
A decent Promposal: The BBC proms
from 15 July
It's the biggest and the best-loved classical music event, opening with Elgar, through 91 concerts, to the final flourish of the last night (more Elgar here). Even the glorious space of the Royal Albert Hall can't contain the joyous celebration this year, which sees performances all over London. There's a Prom at a multi-storey carpark in Peckham which could steal the show. Also: a Bowie tribute concert, Shakespearean celebrations and romping opera from Rossini. There's bound to be something that'll make your heart sing.
Find out more
My art will go on: David Hockney, 82 Portraits and 1 Still-Life, Royal Academy
2 July -
A triumphant return to the Royal Academy for 78-year old Hockney, this time with engaging portraits of his friends painted in the same chair, standing out against bright blue backgrounds. Last time Hockney came to the Royal Academy (2012) so did nearly 300,000 visitors. This year he hopes to make a bigger splash with a popular combination of celebrated artistry and celebrity sitters, including (pictured) Barry Humphries shedding his Dame Edna Everage persona.
Find out more
Down the rabbit hole: Beatrix Potter’s London, V&A
28 July – August
Illustrations and artworks from one of our best-loved children's writers, Beatrix Potter. From Flopsy, to Mopsy, to Cotton Tail, the sketches of her characters look exquisite and the exhibition is bound to jog many a childhood memory. Born in Kensington, London, Beatrix Potter regularly visited her local galleries and museums - including the V&A. What more fitting location to pay tribute to the artists' relationship with London as we celebrate 150 years since her birth?
Find out more
Flower Power: Georgia O’Keeffe, Tate Modern
6 July –
Did you know that dog's can't see red? The colours that exist and the fact we can see them are two evolutionary mysteries, whose histories are tightly bound together. Our complex sense of sight is packaged as a very colourful and accessible exhibition for kids and adults, with lots of interaction. And it's all colour-coordinated!
Find out more
Balletic Chemistry: Natalia Osipova & Sergei Polunin, World premiere, Sadler's Wells
29 June – 3 July
The two current ballet superstars, Natalia Osipova and Sergei Polunin, bring their real life romance to the London stage for the first time. Both extravagantly gifted, they've also acquired a bit of a reputation for unreliability, so a chance to see them dance together may prove to be a bit of a rarity. Catch them if you can at Sadler's Wells.
Find out more
Fiendish Film: The Neon Demon, Cinemas nationwide
8 July –
We’ve been fans of Nicolas Wending Refn since Drive, his high-octane thrill ride through the world of the getaway driver. Now the Danish director turns his attention to the offices and catwalks of high fashion, as encountered by a young model newly arrived in LA (Elle Fanning.) The trailer is a window into a saturated, luminescent otherworld where wild ambition gives way to horror and chaos. We can’t wait for the real thing.
Find out more
Peruvian Shake-up: Chicama, Chelsea
Open June
Find out more
12 – 17 July
Yes, it was hard picking just one summer festival, but if there were prizes for loveliness, then Latitude gets first place for its wacky selection of music, drama, food, family and sheep dyed pink. It's all wonderfully zany. This year, The Maccabees, The National and New Order headline, but it's the little surprises and the fizzy atmosphere that will charm. It's only a few hours out of London, so get packing.
CLICK HERE TO BOOK TICKETS
Find out more
A decent Promposal: The BBC proms
from 15 July
It's the biggest and the best-loved classical music event, opening with Elgar, through 91 concerts, to the final flourish of the last night (more Elgar here). Even the glorious space of the Royal Albert Hall can't contain the joyous celebration this year, which sees performances all over London. There's a Prom at a multi-storey carpark in Peckham which could steal the show. Also: a Bowie tribute concert, Shakespearean celebrations and romping opera from Rossini. There's bound to be something that'll make your heart sing.
Find out more
My art will go on: David Hockney, 82 Portraits and 1 Still-Life, Royal Academy
2 July -
A triumphant return to the Royal Academy for 78-year old Hockney, this time with engaging portraits of his friends painted in the same chair, standing out against bright blue backgrounds. Last time Hockney came to the Royal Academy (2012) so did nearly 300,000 visitors. This year he hopes to make a bigger splash with a popular combination of celebrated artistry and celebrity sitters, including (pictured) Barry Humphries shedding his Dame Edna Everage persona.
Find out more
Down the rabbit hole: Beatrix Potter’s London, V&A
28 July – August
Illustrations and artworks from one of our best-loved children's writers, Beatrix Potter. From Flopsy, to Mopsy, to Cotton Tail, the sketches of her characters look exquisite and the exhibition is bound to jog many a childhood memory. Born in Kensington, London, Beatrix Potter regularly visited her local galleries and museums - including the V&A. What more fitting location to pay tribute to the artists' relationship with London as we celebrate 150 years since her birth?
Find out more
Flower Power: Georgia O’Keeffe, Tate Modern
6 July –
Did you know that dog's can't see red? The colours that exist and the fact we can see them are two evolutionary mysteries, whose histories are tightly bound together. Our complex sense of sight is packaged as a very colourful and accessible exhibition for kids and adults, with lots of interaction. And it's all colour-coordinated!
Find out more
Balletic Chemistry: Natalia Osipova & Sergei Polunin, World premiere, Sadler's Wells
29 June – 3 July
The two current ballet superstars, Natalia Osipova and Sergei Polunin, bring their real life romance to the London stage for the first time. Both extravagantly gifted, they've also acquired a bit of a reputation for unreliability, so a chance to see them dance together may prove to be a bit of a rarity. Catch them if you can at Sadler's Wells.
Find out more
Fiendish Film: The Neon Demon, Cinemas nationwide
8 July –
We’ve been fans of Nicolas Wending Refn since Drive, his high-octane thrill ride through the world of the getaway driver. Now the Danish director turns his attention to the offices and catwalks of high fashion, as encountered by a young model newly arrived in LA (Elle Fanning.) The trailer is a window into a saturated, luminescent otherworld where wild ambition gives way to horror and chaos. We can’t wait for the real thing.
Find out more
Peruvian Shake-up: Chicama, Chelsea
Open June
Find out more
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