10 Places In London To Make The Most Of Summer
LAST CHANCE FOR ICE CREAM HERE: Fortnum & Mason
It might still be a bit balmy now but before you know it it’ll be coat and scarf weather and your opportunity to gorge on ice cream sundaes will be long gone. So pop to Fortnum & Mason’s Parlour restaurant, where you can build your own sundae. You can pick three flavours from the 22 available, including rose ripple, florentine and crème caramel – not to mention new vegan creations like the inventive avocado and lime or sweet potato and turmeric – and then top your creation with a range of sources and sides. Well, if you’re going to do it one last time, you might as well make it a big one.
181 Piccadilly, St James's, Picadilly, W1A 1ER
Visit FortnumAndMason.com
ATTEND A RIVERSIDE PARTY HERE: Giant Steps
Good news folks: This riverside party is going all the way through to September! Taking up shop in a Victorian warehouse complex in Hackney Wick. The large space features a canal-side terrace where the Giant Steps sound system is installed. A rotation of chefs will be on board to bring you fresh and interesting cuisine each weekend – this Saturday and Sunday, it’s the turn of ex-Clove Club sous chef Tim Spedding.
Swan Wharf, 60 Dace Road, Hackney Wish, E3 2NQ; until 19th September
Visit Giant--Steps.com
EAT AND DRINK AL FRESCO HERE: Maltby Street Food Market
Although Maltby Street’s doesn’t close for winter, its renowned food market and adjoining beer mile is still best enjoyed in the summer months. You can expect plenty of bunting one of London’s most picturesque markets, with a laid-back village-y vibe. Boasting a vibrant mix of produce and street food traders, this market may be small, but it packs a punch when it comes to street food. Tangy cheese toasties from The Cheese Truck are a must, as are gourmet subs from Sub Cult, oysters at Decateur and dreamy sweet and savoury waffles from Waffle On. If you have room, dive into a plate of melted cheese from the Raclette Brothers, and be sure to off for a Little Bird Gin along the way.
Maltby Street, Bermondsey, SE1 3PA; every Saturday
Visit Maltby.St
GET YOUR FESTIVAL FILL HERE: OnBlackheath Festival
If you’re desperate to get your final fill of festivals for the year, OnBlackheath returns this September for a fifth year. Bringing together the worlds of music and food, the festival boasts the likes of Paloma Faith, Corrinne Bailey Rae and De La Soul, as well as vegan favourites from EatChay, sweet treats from the award-winning Churros Garcia and Street Food Union’s unique Yorkshire pudding burritos on hand for hungry foodies.
Blackheath, Shooters Hill Road, Greenwich, SE3 0TY; 8th & 9th September
Visit OnBlackheath.com
WATCH AN OUTDOOR MOVIE HERE: Rooftop Film Club
The Bussey Building, Queen of Hoxton and Roof East in Stratford all play host to one of our favourite film nights at the Rooftop Film Club. Alongside a roster of fresh-from-the-cinema releases such as Black Panther, Whitney and the Isle of Dogs, the club will also be showing classics like The Goonies, The Shawshank Redemption and Mean Girls in September before they shut up shop for the winter. Food and drink will be served an hour before the screening starts, and post-film until 11pm.
Locations in Peckham, Shoreditch and Stratford; until 30th September
Visit RooftopFilmClub.com
ENJOY A ROOFTOP PARTY HERE: John Lewis: Sound of Summer On The Roof
Placed high above the bustling pavements of Oxford street, John Lewis’ Gardening Society rooftop has been transformed into an immersive green getaway for the warmer months, and you can catch the last rays of sunshine at their Summer of Sound on London Rooftop party. Just walk up the escalators, past the rugs and bedding and all the way to the top of the building to find gigs in the garden, DJ sets, immersive sound experiences, film screenings and cocktail making classes with alcohol aficionados Havana and Beefeater.
300 Oxford Street, Marylebone, W1C 1DX; until 30th September
Visit JohnLewis.com
GET ACROSS LONDON IN A HURRY HERE: Zipline Now London
High above Archbishop’s park sits a Zipline Now, 225-metre zip line that’s been hailed the biggest fastest city line in the world. And those who don’t like heights need not apply: suspended 35 metres above the ground, you’ll zoom across the park at over 30mph, before being given the option to walk down numerous flights of stairs or fling yourself off the ‘Mega Drop’, a 15-ft freefall onto a crash mat. Not for the faint of heart.
Carlisle Lane, Lambeth, SE1 7LE; until 9th September
Visit Zip-Now.co
ALL ABOARD A RIVER CRUISE HERE: Wine Over Water
If you thought all the boat fun was over for another year, think again: there’s still one more booze cruise to book yourself in for. Wanderlust Wine and Totally Thames Festival have teamed up to create Wine Over Water, London’s first floating wine festival. Taking place on the Tamesis Dock boat, the two-day event will feature tipples from award-winning wine makers from South Africa, France, Italy, New Zealand and the UK. And if you’re a real wine aficionado, you can take part in their blind tasting competition, where you can win a case of wine for correctly guesses the right tipple.
Albert Embankment, Lambeth, SE1 7TP; 22nd & 23rd September
Visit EventBrite.co.uk
ONE LAST OUTDOOR PARTY HERE: Skylight London
An abandoned carpark in Tobacco dock plays host to rooftop playground Skylight, which is currently playing home to three floors of street food, bars, pétanque and croquet with unbelievable views of the city as the backdrop to your fun and games. This summer fun will last until autumn officially hits, at which point the venue switches gears and becomes a haven of beers, bratwursts and pumpkins.
Pennington Street Car Park entrance, Wapping, E1W 2SF; summer events until 23rd September
Visit SkylightLondon.com
TRY GUERILLA KARAOKE HERE: Bearpit Karaoke
If you’ve never experience bearpit karaoke, then you’re in for a very odd treat. Originating in Berlin but now based in the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, the premise goes like this: first, you must coax a stranger into singing karaoke in the park. Next, wait and see if a crowd gathers to watch you sing. Then, grab more people to join in. Lastly, repeat until the crowd is so big that commuters on the underground can hear you.
Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, Tyers Street, Vauxhaull, SE11 5HY; 8th September
Visit VauxhallOne.co.uk
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