London Calling: The Week Starting 31 August 2026

What is on in London for the week starting 31 August 2026, from Bank Holiday Monday closings to the start of Totally Thames.

This is the week London's summer calendar actually closes out. Bank Holiday Monday brings Notting Hill Carnival to west London, covered in full elsewhere in this edition, while a genuine handful of exhibitions and shows reach their final day within hours of each other. By Tuesday, the city has already moved on to its first proper autumn festival.

Monday: the last day for more than the Carnival

Tracey Emin's Tate Modern retrospective, spanning 40 years of her practice and pairing career-defining works with pieces never exhibited before, closes on Bank Holiday Monday itself, making this the final weekend to see it. The same day closes the free English Cathedral exhibition at Southwark Cathedral, photographer Peter Marlow's natural-light study of all 42 Church of England cathedrals, and the Science Museum's free Future of Food exhibition, which traces food history from a 3,500 year old loaf of bread through to beef grown outside a cow. If theatre is more your evening, Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain also plays its last performance at the Apollo Theatre on Monday, a genuinely good option for taking children to something that treats history as entertainment rather than homework.

Dr Marina Nani

Editor-in-Chief

Editor-in-Chief of Rich Woman Magazine, founder of Sovereign Magazine, author of many books, Dr Marina Nani is a social edification scientist coining a new industry, Social Edification. Passionately advocating to celebrate your human potential, she is well known for her trademark "Be Seen- Be Heard- Be You" running red carpet events and advanced courses like Blog Genius®, Book Genius®, Podcast Genius®, the cornerstones of her teaching. The constant practitioner of good news, she founded MAKE THE NEWS ( MTN) with the aim to diagnose and close the achievement gap globally. Founder of many publications, British Brands with global reach Marina believes that there is a genius ( Stardust) in each individual, regardless of past and present circumstances. "Not recognising your talent leaves society at loss. Sharing the good news makes a significant difference in your perception about yourself, your industry and your community."