As London gears up for summer in May 2025, the city transforms into a hub of excitement with plenty to offer. Whether you’re into music festivals, rooftop bars, or thought-provoking exhibitions, May is undoubtedly one of the best months to experience everything London has to offer. The weather is just right—pleasantly warm with vibrant spring flowers blooming everywhere—and the buzz of an approaching summer fills the air.
With two bank holidays in May, there’s no shortage of opportunities to kick off your summer adventures. You can start by visiting a rooftop bar for panoramic views of the city, catch some live music at one of the year’s first outdoor festivals, unwind in a serene park, explore captivating exhibitions, or even plan a quick escape from the city for a refreshing day trip or mini-break.
If these options don’t satisfy your thirst for adventure, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide highlighting the top events, lively parties, unique pop-ups, and other exciting activities happening across London in May 2025. Get ready for a month filled with unforgettable experiences!
1. Catch Kneecap, Cmat and Peaches at Wide Awake festival
Wide Awake bills itself as a ‘musical melting pot’, and it’s easy to see why given the hugely eclectic headliners it has had in recent years, ranging from veteran alt-rockers Primal Scream in 2022 to ethereal indie pop singer Caroline Polachek in 2023 to psychedelic Aussie rockers King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard in 2024. You can expect the usual mixture of leftfield indie, post-punk, electronica and techno at the 2025 edition, which sees ascendent Irish hip hop trio Kneecap headline, with Irish singer-songwriter Cmat, Mercury Prize-winning indie outfit English Teacher, and Canadian electroclash legend Peaches also on the bill. Further down the line-up, you’ll find DJ and producer Daniel Avery, experimental dance music maven Cobrah, NYC indie duo Fcukers, Philadelphia punk band Mannequin Pussy and many, many more. Tier three tickets are on sale now here.
2. Be one of the first visitors to the V&A East Storehouse
Two years on from the reopening of the Young V&A comes the next phase of the iconic museum’s building projects. Opening its doors in May 2025, the V&A East Storehouse is a brand new venue in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Purpose-built to house more than 1,000 archives from the museum’s collection, comprising more than 250,000 objects and 350,000 books, the storehouse promises to offer a peek behind the scenes to show how a working museum goes about cataloguing artefacts, from vintage footie kits and Glastonbury festival ephemera to a collection of samurai swords. It’s set to open on Saturday May 31.
3. See the most Tony-nominated play of all time on the West End
Although most news coming out of America this year is hysterically awful, we are, at least, getting Stereophonic. The most Tony-nominated play of all time, the drama by David Adjmi with songs by Arcade Fire’s Will Butler is a fictionalised account of the legendarily tense sessions that led to the birth of Fleetwood Mac’s all conquering Rumours album, written and recorded while the various couples in the band were in the process of splittling from each other with degrees of prejudice. Hugely acclaimed Stateside, it’ll go straight into the West End for its London transfer.
4. Watch dozens of hot air balloons take to the skies for the Lord Mayor’s Regatta
It’s been six years since the Lord Mayor’s Hot Air Balloon Regatta was able to take place, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic and, in 2022, 2023 and 2024, bad weather. Fingers crossed, then, the 2025 edition can take off without a hitch. The troupe will be hoping to take off on May 11, but will instead attempt to soar high in July 20 and, if necessary, July 27, should May be unfeasible. Should they be able to take off, you’ll be able to spot them soaring past some of the city’s most iconic landmarks, from Buckingham Palace and the London Eye to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. The regatta isn’t just an excuse to brighten up London’s skyline, but part of a charity initiative that has raised more than £250,000 since 2015.
5. See the British Museum’s new exhibition on sacred art in Ancient India
A world-first is on its way to the British Museum in ‘Ancient India: Living Traditions’. The new exhibition is the first ever to consider early Indian sacred art through a global, pluralistic lens. It takes visitors on a journey to the roots of three major world religions – Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism – through the emergence of the country’s sacred art, and looks at how ancient religious practice has shaped living traditions today, plus the daily lives of around 2 billion people across the globe. In the exhibition, you’ll find over 180 objects, including 2,000-year-old sculptures, paintings, drawings and manuscripts. The whole thing was pulled together in close collaboration with an advisory panel of practising Buddhists, Hindus and Jains, who helped shape the exhibition into what promises to be an intriguing triumph.
6. Celebrate the tenth anniversary of southeast London festival GALA
All of London’s hippest and hottest people will once again be making the pilgrimage to Peckham for the tenth edition of electronic music bonanza GALA. Returning in its usual slot over the late May bank holiday, the festival is celebrating reaching double digits with a stellar three-day line-up curated in partnership with NTS radio, plus some of the city’s most acclaimed music and nightlife brands. Friday’s slightly mellowed line-up features headline sets from Floating Points, Moodymann and Theo Parrish, while Avalon Emerson, Ben UFO and KiNK get top billing on a Saturday line-up that leans towards the heavier end of the dance music spectrum, with curation from Chapter Ten and The Cause. Headlined by Caribou, Floorplan and Hunee & Antal, the festival’s closing day features artists from Rhythm Section, plus several stalwarts from London’s queer party scene.Also on the line-up across the three days are: Anz, Batu, Bradley Zero, Gideön, Heléna Star, Horse Meat Disco, Hudson Mohawke, Michelle Manetti, Surusinghe, Tash LC and many, many more.