Cultural Festivals:
The Roundhouse Comedy Festival, August 5-23.
This is the first stand-up festival organised by the iconic live music venue The Roundhouse in Camden. The Roundhouse gained widespread popularity back in the 60’s when it became home to the music of the British underground and later the punk and new wave movements. In the past, icons of modern culture such as Jimi Hendrix and the Doors band have performed there, and now stand-up comedy stars from around the world will also perform there.
Camden Fringe, July 31- August 27.
The Camden Fringe festival has been delighting Londoners for 17 years with theatrical performances by young, talented, and most importantly incredibly funny actors. This little brother of the Edinburgh Fringe has been called London’s best comedy festival many times over. Aimed at giving aspiring directors and actors the chance to showcase themselves in all their glory in front of a diverse London audience, the Camden Fringe always guarantees the most poignant productions.
Taste of the Caribbean Food and Drink Festival, August 5-19.
Europe’s largest Caribbean food festival takes place in London on August 5, 12 and 19 at several locations including Hackney and Wimbledon. In addition to food and drink, the organisers promise visitors an incredible cultural exchange experience, live music from Caribbean artists, all kinds of fun for kids and even different competitions for people of all ages.
London Craft Beer Festival, August 11-12.
The London Craft Beer Festival returns to Tobacco Dock (Shadwell) and this time will be featuring over 800 different beers from 100 breweries located around the world. Beer tasting is included in the ticket price, thus giving attendees a very economical way to sample any product they are interested in. Additionally, there should be music, a dance floor and snacks.
Notting Hill Carnival, August 26-28.
One of August’s most anticipated annual events is the Notting Hill Carnival. This festival celebrating Afro-Caribbean culture was created back in 1966 to unite the local multi-ethnic community and end racial conflicts. Many of the participants dress in traditional carnival costumes, and anyone can take part in the dancing procession that runs through North Kensington.
Music Festivals:
All Points East, August 18, 25 and 28.
This is one of London’s most famous music festivals, traditionally held in Victoria Park in Hackney. Every year, All Points East hosts some of pop music’s biggest names. For example, last year the legendary bands Gorillaz and Tame Impala, rapper Pusha T and singer Sam Smith performed in front of the audience. This year the list of performers is no less stellar — the festival opens with Stormzy and the following days will feature performances by The Strokes, Girl in Red, Tove Lo and many others.
Field Day, August 19.
Held at the same location, Field Day is often referred to as a more dancing version of All Points East. The reason for this is the strong leaning towards more electronic dance music than All Points East. Last year My Chemical Brothers performed at the festival, causing a sensation, and this year giants of the genre such as Bonobo and Aphex Twins are expected to perform.
Hospitality in the Woods, August 19.
This Drum & Bass music festival can surely be described as the best in the whole of the UK. Organised with the help of London’s iconic Fabric club, Hospitality in the Woods features an array of individual tented rooms where hundreds of DJs invited from all over the world play continuously from morning until late at night. This festival is made specially for those who love to dance from dawn to dusk.
Maiden Voyage, August 27.
One of London’s youngest music festivals, especially loved by everyone for its low prices – £10-20 per ticket! The festival is organised by the Camden Jazz Café team, so the DJs performing at the festival are carefully selected to match the high level of organisation, the general atmosphere and the tastes of the most artistic communities of London.
Club Nights:
Planet Fun: Summer of Club, August 12.
A farewell party to summer from Planet Fun, a fairly new collective of organisers on the London party scene. They offer everyone to take part in this almost shamanic ritual to say goodbye to the club summer and merge in dance and techno together with other relentless partygoers.
Keep Hush Boat Party, August 13.
This is the last daytime summer party from the Keep Hush collective, which the organisers decided to hold by floating down the Thames on a boat. The perfect opportunity to not only hang out in the open air, but also to see London.
Mums Against Donk 3, August 19.
The third party thrown by the Mums Against Donk collective. Their parties play only the latest and harshest techno, and the attendees are dressed in outfits so alternative that the atmosphere in the club is more reminiscent of scenes from movies about the distant future or post-apocalyptic worlds.
Fetchish_net with Himera, Ushko + more, August 26.
Fetchish_net collective organize parties designed to bring together the party and music cultures of the West and the East. This party will be no exception, but in addition to the usual lineup of DJs that regularly appear on Fetch_net, they are also expecting the funky Russian-speaking singer Ushko, who has recently released some new music.
Gigs:
Joji @ Gunnersbury Park, August 17.
Incredibly sweet singer Joji returns to London to perform songs about love and breakups at his solo concert at Gunnersbury Park in Chiswick. His concerts are particularly memorable because, having started his career as an internet comedian, Joji occasionally recalls his old jokes and performs mind-bogglingly comical freestyles.
Boygenius, Muna and Ethel Cain @ Gunnersbury Park, August 22.
This joint concert is a real treat for everyone who is familiar with the work of these girls — these American singers rarely make it to Europe on their tours, and for Ethel Cain it’s the first performance in the UK at all. The concert is already planned to be attended by half of London, and to miss it is tantamount to missing Christmas.
