The Ultimate Summer Festival Guide 2024
The Ultimate Summer Festival Guide 2024
Your guide to the best summer festivals in London, Surrey and beyond in 2024 – from marvellous music and fabulous food to cracking comedy and theatre.
Pictured above: Battersea Park in Concert
On your doorstep
Hampton Court Palace Artisan Fayre
17-19 May
At the Artisan Fayre you can browse and buy from over 100 independent makers and producers, enjoy street food and pop-up bars, listen to live music at the band stand and take part in over 35 hours of maker-led workshops. You can also meet the last working Shire horses in London and take a carriage ride with them, and take part in garden games in the east gardens.
Blenheim Palace Food Festival
25-27 May
Returning for its tenth year, Blenheim Palace Food Festival will be providing a three-day social calendar of artisan food from local and national stallholders. There’ll be homemade treats, craft beers, cocktails, mocktails and so much more.
Foodies Festival
Syon Park, 25-27 May
Foodies Festival is a celebration of all things foodie, with Michelin-starred chefs and MasterChef champions cooking their favourite recipes live and giving you top tips. You can try everything from gourmet dishes to the best street food.
Wandsworth Arts Fringe
7-23 June
Wandsworth Arts Fringe brings a fresh programme of theatre, comedy, music art and performances to summer 2024. There will be over 100 events happening across more than 40 venues, with tons of free activities so everyone can get involved.
MORE THINGS TO DO:
Hampton Court Palace Festival
11-22 June
The popular festival returns this year, featuring a star-studded line-up of performers including Paloma Faith, Tom Jones, Sheryl Crow, Jessie J and Björn Again, plus many more. This year, the festival will also present a live podcast for the very first time, with The Rest Is History podcast taking to the stage to fittingly host a show on Henry VIII and the Tudor period.
Taste of London
Regents Park, 12-16 June
London’s longest running food festival will return to Regent’s Park in June, featuring highlights from Japanese Robatayki restaurant Roka, Urban rotisserie and grill restaurant Oblix and Italian Big Mamma Group along with plenty of Taste newcomers and London’s most loved dining spots. Newcomers include elegant steakhouse Le Petit Beefbar, The Shard’s Oblix featuring an array of urban rotisserie and grill inspired dishes and Kolamba showcasing Sri-Lankan style home cooking with a vibrant blend of curries, sambols, and rotis.
(c) Gobinder Jhitta
Beats and Eats Summerfest
Nonsuch Park, 15-16 June
With acts such as Liberty X and The Hoosiers, Beats and Heats Summerfest is set to be an unmissable two days. You can also enjoy magic shows, archery, a petting farm, cookery demonstrations, arts and crafts plus so much more.
East London Shakespeare Festival
15 June – 3 August
The renowned outdoor Shakespeare festival kicks off this year with a production of Much Ado About Nothing, touring around East London’s open air spaces. An extensive community engagement programme offering a range of activities for local residents will run alongside the tour, with lots of opportunities to get involved.
Kew The Music
Kew Gardens, 8-14 July
The return of Kew The Music sees pop legend Ronan Keating and queen of soul Beverly Knight headlining, alongside MIKA, Passenger, JLS and Richard Ashcroft. Set in the stunning UNESCO world heritage site, the festival is always a huge success, and rather unusually, guests are encouraged to bring their own food as well as to sample the yummy street food and hospitality options.
Beverly Knight
Pub in the Park
Chiswick, 28-30 June. Reigate 12-14 July.
Curated by celebrity chef Tom Kerridge, Pub in the Park brings us its yearly feast of food and music in June and July. This year, Busted, Sam Ryder, Van Morrison, Paloma Faith, Olly Murs, and McFly will be performing. Plus, an eclectic array of delicious food from top restaurants will be on offer, including Reigate’s Ginger Wings, Little Viet Kitchen and Hangfire BBQ Smokehouse, and Belgravia’s The Orange.
Ginger Wings
Fearne Cotton’s 2024 Happy Place Festival
Chiswick House and Gardens, 13 + 14 July
Award-winning podcaster, best-selling author and long-standing broadcaster Fearne Cotton brings her nourishing wellbeing festival to Chiswick, with a varied programme of workshops, talks, live podcasts, arts spaces, massage and relaxation areas and sound healing sessions.
McFly at Sandown Park Racecourse
8 August
Pop sensation McFly will be performing at The Jockey Club Live at Sandown Park Racecourse, headlining as part of the racing season.
Battersea Park in Concert
24-26 August
Following a successful debut last year, Battersea Park in Concert is back this year with another fantastic long summer weekend of picnic concerts. There will be an eclectic collection of the best classical, West End, and jazz music, as well as fantastic food. Joining as hosts and special guests are the captivating Myleene Klass, classical performer and presenter of her own weekly Classic FM show and Olivier Award-winning West End star Cassidy Janson. This year there’s also something for the families with the newly introduced Kids Tipiland, the giant kids tipi which will feature interactive activities and games for children.
Hampton Court Palace Food Festival
24-26 August
You can celebrate the summer bank holiday with a food extravaganza at Hampton Court Palace, with so much gorgeous street food to sample, as well as pop-up bars serving craft beers and exquisite wines. There will be over 150 brands and producers – with the chance to taste everything, from artisan cheeses to brownies and churros.
FABULOUS FOOD CONTENT:
Farther afield
Love Supreme Jazz festival
East Sussex, 5-7 July
This three-day greenfield music festival is one of the UK’s largest celebrations of jazz music, as well as funk, soul, blues and hip-hop. Join the groove this year, with a stellar line up of acts set to perform, including 2024 breakout start Olivia Dean, who this year was nominated for three BRIT awards, including Artist of the Year, was named as a BBC Music Introducing Artist Of The Year and released a Mercury-nominated debut album. Other acts include worldwide sensation Kool & The Gang, UK vocalist Joss Stone and R&B star Mahalia, plus so much more.
Kool & The Gang
FleetingDays Festival
Hampshire, 17 August
Hampshire’s family friendly micro-festival, FleetingDays, will be bringing a stellar line-up of bands, performers, children’s entertainers and delicious local food and drink to August 2024. Headlining is The Killerz, the UK’s top tribute band to The Killers – ad also performing will be Skamageddon, a 7-piece ska band, country rock band Emerald Falls and others. Set in the gorgeous grounds of The Elvetham Hotel’s 35-acre estate, the festival is always a great day out for families looking to get out of London.
