Things to book now for the August Bank Holiday weekend

Book free tickets to Greenwich and Docklands International Festival

It may be landing in east London two months later than usual, but Greenwich and Docklands International Festival (GDIF) is returning for its 25th year, offering an eclectic – and almost entirely free – programme of street theatre, dance and art installations – all in the spirit of uniting the community after months spent largely in solitude.

Running from Friday 28 August until Saturday 12 September, GDIF will be the UK’s first full arts festival to go ahead in physical form since the lockdown. Highlights include In Memoriam, a temporary memorial to those who have lost their lives during the Covid-19 pandemic, and a tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have helped us through it; and The Weavers of Woolwich, a new piece of ‘prose-poetry’ by Booker Prize-winning novelist Bernardine Evaristo which is being revealed in a temporary installation in Woolwich town centre.

Visit the website in advance to secure free tickets to the shows and installations you want to catch.

Secure a pew at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

The leafy outdoor theatre in Regent’s Park is hosting a special concert staging of its 2016/17 production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar, making the venue the first London theatre to welcome back a live audience. Jesus Christ Superstar: The Concert is running for 70 live performances, including dates across the Bank Holiday weekend. An additional programme of comedy will also run, with headline sets from Russell Brand, Jimmy Carr, Suzi Ruffell, Russell Kane and more.

The theatre’s usual 1,200-seat capacity has been reduced to just 390 seats per performance to comply with social distancing regulations, so that's all the more reason to book now to secure your seats.

Cycle around Chewton Glen with a luxury picnic in tow

Hampshire’s Chewton Glen has reopened, offering cooped-up city dwellers a glamorous retreat away from hectic London life. But if you can’t afford to stay the night (rooms start at £260) or you find it fully booked, the five-star hotel and spa has also launched a Veuve Clicquot Picnic Bike Ride (£95 per couple), a chance to cycle through the property’s surrounding woodland before stopping for a freshly prepared picnic consisting of delicious ingredients – including Veuve Clicquot champagne. A blanket, maps, bikes and the picnic hamper are all included. Unsurprisingly, bikes have been booking up fast since the experience launched in July, so remember to reserve yours well in advance.

Book to stay in a UK landmark

Glamping sites and luxury hotels may be fully booked, but the UK is in no short supply of impressive properties to rent. The Landmark Trust has renovated over 200 castles, temples, lighthouses and other period properties, turning them into gorgeous holiday residences. From an 18th-century folly in Newcastle to a seaside castle in Devon, we've rounded up the most gorgeous among them, perfect for a memorable, quirky, history-filled stay.

Enjoy al fresco dining (while you still can)

The city's al fresco dining scene has made eating out possible this summer for the cautious among us. As we enter the last few weeks where we can still enjoy a rosé outside without our fingers catching frostbite, book in a final visit to one of the city's suntrap gardens, waterside tables or rooftop restaurants. With the Bank Holiday approaching, these institutions are likely to see a surge in demand, so plan ahead and claim your table.

If you’re looking for inspiration for where to enjoy a meal or drink with a view this Bank Holiday, take a look at our favourite places to eat outside, our top picks for riverside dining and our round-ups of London’s best rooftop bars and pubs.

Park up (for the last time!) at a drive-in cinema

Drive-in cinemas have been the retro comeback of 2020, hailed for their facilitating of safe, socially distanced entertainment. Many will have finished their runs by the Bank Holiday, but if you’re yet to get to a screening, book with the best and head to Goodwood in West Sussex, where Secret Cinema is lighting the final flares of its drive-in show. Titles to catch over the bank holiday weekend include Bohemian Rhapsody, Dirty Dancing, Moulin Rouge! and more.

Snackwise, there's organic produce from Goodwood, whipped up into a range of American Diner-inspired dishes, and as ever with Secret Cinema, Häagen-Dazs are here to help.

Watch a live opera in the gardens of Glyndebourne

A picnic at Glyndebourne is back on the cards this summer, and the menu includes a good dollop of the cream of British singing. This year’s festival may be cancelled, but in its place comes a mini-festival taking place in the extensive and beautifully planted gardens behind the house. Soprano Danielle de Niese, and tenors Nicky Spence and Allan Clayton head the starry cast of 12 soloists (who will work together at a safe distance, without a chorus) for the Sussex house's mini-festival.

Highlights include Mesdames de la Halle, while artistic director Stephen Langridge unveils a comic opera by Jacques Offenbach, in a new version by Stephen Plaice, and given a new title: In the Market for Love.

Audiences for the house’s large-scale products such as Mesdames de la Halle would normally number 1,200, but will instead be limited to 200 people. Tickets cost £100 and have largely sold out, but it’s worth calling the venue for cancellations.

Create your own Notting Hill Carnival

While Notting Hill Carnival can’t take place in the streets of west London this summer, scheming is under way to make it the virtual event of the year. One to plan rather than book, the festival will take place across four different channels on the Notting Hill Carnival website, where revellers can tune into a series of free, live-streamed events. A total of 14 sound systems will be offering up sets over the course of the carnival, which encompasses a warm-up from 9am-12pm and 6pm-12am on Saturday 29 August, followed by the main event taking place from 12pm-11pm on both Sunday 30 and Monday 31 August. Yes, you’ll need to throw your own party, brew your own rum punch and order in jerk chicken, but Carnival is always a highlight of the August Bank Holiday weekend, and worth supporting online in lieu of the live event.

Catch a timely new show by David Hare

A topical new one-man show by David Hare is premiering at the Bridge Theatre, starring Ralph Fiennes. Called Beat the Devil, the autobiographical play chronicles Hare’s own experience of battling with Covid-19, along with his reflections on the government’s coping strategy.