London

Summer&#8217;s just around the corner and things are hotting up, which means it&#8217;s time for some al fresco fun. While hitting a <a href="https://london.muddystilettos.co.uk/eat-out/restaurants-bars/outdoor-restaurants/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rooftop bar</a> or sun-drenched <a href="https://london.muddystilettos.co.uk/eat-out/restaurants-bars/outdoor-restaurants/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">restaurant terrace</a> has plenty of appeal, you&#8217;re going to need some culture in your calendar to counter balance all the rosé sipping, because life&#8217;s about balance, right? 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-al-fresco-art">Al fresco art </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="748" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-29-at-10.44.22-1-1024x748.png" alt="Henry Moore at Kew" class="wp-image-20772" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-29-at-10.44.22-1-1024x748.png 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-29-at-10.44.22-1-300x219.png 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-29-at-10.44.22-1-768x561.png 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-29-at-10.44.22-1.png 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



First off, there&#8217;s a new Henry Moore exhibition&nbsp;(<a href="https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens/whats-on/henry-moore" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Monumental Nature</a>, runs until 31 Jan) at&nbsp;Kew Gardens and we&#8217;re looking forward to topping up our tan while discovering 30 of the famous artist’s sculptures from his 70-year-career. All you need to add is a picnic (with rosé, obvs) for a perfect summer outing. 



There&#8217;s more outside art to enjoy at King&#8217;s Cross where an outdoor <a href="https://www.kingscross.co.uk/event/david-bowie-live-performances-outdoor-art-exhibition" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Live Performances Exhibition</a> (runs until 28 May; free) is running alongside Lightroom’s immersive&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kingscross.co.uk/event/david-bowie-at-lightroom" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">David Bowie: You’re Not Alone</a> exhibition. Check out the photographs, which show Bowie and his evolving stage personas over the decades, at art benches dotted around Granary Square, Lewis Cubitt Square and King’s Boulevard. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="618" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-19-at-10.07.44-1024x618.png" alt="Luke Jerram: Stepping Out " class="wp-image-21351" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-19-at-10.07.44-1024x618.png 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-19-at-10.07.44-300x181.png 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-19-at-10.07.44-768x464.png 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-19-at-10.07.44.png 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



If sunshine, colour and music float your boat, hot foot it to South Bank next month to immerse yourself in <a href="https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/luke-jerram-stepping-out/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Luke Jerram: Stepping Out</a>. The idea is to jump around islands of colour to trigger bespoke music, which is part of a collaboration between artist Jerram and BAFTA- and Ivor Novello Award-winning composer Dan Jones to mark the South Bank Centre&#8217;s 75th anniversary. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-outdoor-cinema">Outdoor cinema </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="714" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-19-at-11.08.35-1024x714.png" alt="Outdoor cinema " class="wp-image-21356" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-19-at-11.08.35-1024x714.png 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-19-at-11.08.35-300x209.png 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-19-at-11.08.35-768x536.png 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-19-at-11.08.35.png 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photography: Dion Barrett </figcaption></figure>



Fancy pairing classic blockbusters with a summer breeze?&nbsp;<a href="https://rooftopfilmclub.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Rooftop Film Club</a>&nbsp;at the top of&nbsp;Peckham’s&nbsp;<a href="https://rooftopfilmclub.com/london/venue/bussey-building/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bussey Building</a> is one of the best places in London to watch a movie in the fresh air and it&#8217;s already open for business. Coming up soon: Crazy, Stupid Love (22 May), LA LA Land (23 May) and The Ballad of Wallace Island (24 May), see the schedule for the rest of the summer screenings. 



Sticking with rooftops,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2026/series/outdoor-cinema" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Film Nights Under City Lights</a> at the&nbsp;Barbican&nbsp;returns (19-30 Aug). Expect epic movies like Arrival (19 Aug) through to absolute classics like Desperately Seeking Susan (29 Aug) starring a (very) young Madonna. 



Adventure Cinema is doing the rounds again, this year coming to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.adventurecinema.co.uk/venues/kew-gardens" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kew Gardens</a>&nbsp;where&nbsp;Wicked, Jurassic Park&nbsp;and an&nbsp;Encanto sing-a-long are among the classics getting an airing&nbsp;from 18-21 June.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="680" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-19-at-10.58.58-1024x680.png" alt="Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens " class="wp-image-21354" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-19-at-10.58.58-1024x680.png 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-19-at-10.58.58-300x199.png 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-19-at-10.58.58-768x510.png 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-19-at-10.58.58.png 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



And clear all your Tuesdays in July as pop-up cinema, Summer Screen, returns to&nbsp;<a href="https://beinvauxhall.com/article/vauxhall-summer-2026/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens</a>&nbsp;for a 13th year showing four films across four Tuesday evenings. Bookmark&nbsp;Cool Runnings (14 July) and Clueless (21 July). All screenings are free (woohoo) but book tickets.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-open-air-theatre">Open air theatre </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1021" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Unknown-6-1021x1024.jpeg" alt="Shakespeare's globe theatre " class="wp-image-21365" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Unknown-6-1021x1024.jpeg 1021w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Unknown-6-300x300.jpeg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Unknown-6-150x150.jpeg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Unknown-6-768x771.jpeg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Unknown-6-500x500.jpeg 500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/05/Unknown-6.jpeg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1021px) 100vw, 1021px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Globe </figcaption></figure>



<a href="https://openairtheatre.com/whats-on" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Open Air Theatre</a> at Regents Park is arguably the hottest spot for picnics and al fresco culture in the capital, and has another fabulous line up this summer. Things kicked off earlier this month with&nbsp;Sherlock Holmes (2 May-6 June), followed by A Life In Four Seasons (11-14 June), A Midsummer Night&#8217;s Dream (20 June-18 July) and CATS (25 July-19 Sept). 



Not to be out done, <a href="https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Shakespeare’s Globe</a> on the South Bank has launched a strong programme for its open air theatre this summer including <a href="https://muddystilettos.tixculture.com/london/shows/46231-mother-courage-and-her-children-globe" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mother Courage and Her Children</a> starring Michelle Terry (7 May-27 June) , A Midsummer Night&#8217;s Dream (24 May-29 Aug) and <a href="https://muddystilettos.tixculture.com/london/shows/24622-much-ado-about-nothing-or-globe" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Much Ado About Nothing</a> (11 June-24 Oct). 



<a href="https://chiswickhouseandgardens.org.uk/whats-on/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chiswick House &amp; Gardens</a> makes for an enchanting outdoor theatre experience. Right now you can catch Giffords Circus (21 May-7 June) in action, then it&#8217;s on to Othello (30 June), Love&#8217;s Labour&#8217;s Lost (11 July) and The Tale of Peter Rabbit (2 Aug). 



It&#8217;s all about Twelfth Night (25 July-12 Aug) and Wind in the Willows (18 July-23 Aug) at <a href="https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens/whats-on/theatre-on-kew-24" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Theatre on Kew</a> in Kew Gardens this year, while Mozart&#8217;s Così fan tutte (28 May-13 June) and Lewis Carroll&#8217;s Alice in Wonderland (19-27 June) are the summer highlights at al fresco <a href="https://operahollandpark.com/season-and-events/2024-season/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Opera Holland Park</a> in Holland Park. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-want-more">WANT MORE? </h2>



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<li><a href="https://london.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/best-art-exhibitions-2026/">5 unmissable London exhibitions to see in 2026</a></li>



<li><a href="https://london.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/may-guide/">Oh hey, May! 35+ things to do this month</a></li>



<li><a href="https://london.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/arts-culture/stars-on-stage-celebrity-theatre-to-book-now-and-later-in-the-year/">Celeb theatre to book now</a></li>
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Outdoor culture: London’s best al fresco art, cinema and theatre

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