London is buzzing with culture this March. From must-see exhibitions and theatre premieres to film screenings and citywide events — all set against the backdrop of blooming cherry blossoms — the city is packed with reasons to get out and explore. We’ve rounded up the best things to do this month so you can make the most of every day.
Where: Regent’s, Greenwich & St James’s Parks
Dates: March weather permitting
London’s parks erupt with early spring flowers and cherry blossoms through March. A reflective walk amid design-shaped landscapes is a quieter but spectacular cultural experience.
When: 13th February – 22nd March 2026
Returning for its fourth year, the UK’s first and largest Ramadan light display will once again illuminate Coventry Street in London’s West End. More than 30,000 energy-efficient LED lights will shine nightly from 5pm to 5am, bringing a festival of light to the heart of the city.
When: 18–29 March 2026
Where: BFI Southbank
BFI Flare is one of Europe’s most dynamic film festivals, showcasing new LGBTQIA+ cinema, curated short film programmes and documentaries. Highlights include themed screenings like queer shorts collections and feature film premieres with Q&As. It’s a vibrant blend of storytelling and cultural dialogue.
When: 12 March – 23 August 2026
Where: Serpentine North Gallery in Hyde Park
Tickets: Free
A free exhibition of David Hockney artworks opens at the Serpentine North Gallery in Hyde Park. It focuses on his most recent works, the majority of which are created on an iPad, and includes Moon Room, which reflects Hockney's lifelong interest in the cycle of light and time passing; his Sunrise body of work; and A Year in Normandy, a 90-metre-long frieze, inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry, showing the change of seasons at the artist’s former studio in Normandy.
When: 27 Feb – 31 Aug 2026
Where: Tate Britain
Tickets: £20
This major retrospective at Tate Modern brings together Tracey Emin’s most iconic works from her 40-year career, including seminal pieces like My Bed and rarely seen material. Expect emotive, confessional art that traces personal history through bold, expressive forms. A must-see for anyone interested in contemporary British art and visual storytelling.
When: 8 October 2025 – 10 May 2026
Where: Tate Modern
Tickets: £18
Celebrating artists before and after Nigeria’s independence in 1960, this exhibition highlights the vibrant networks that connected Zaria, Lagos, Ibadan, Enugu and beyond. Featuring over 50 artists, including Uzo Egonu, El Anatsui, Ladi Kwali and Ben Enwonwu, it showcases paintings, sculpture, textiles and poetry that fused Nigerian, African and European traditions into bold new forms.
When: 17 Feb – 3 May 2026
Where: Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre
Tickets: £19
Experience one of the most immersive installation shows in London this spring, where vast networks of thread fill gallery spaces and interact with found objects. Shiota’s work evokes memory, presence, and absence in arresting tactile environments. It’s a powerful exploration of space and materiality for creative minds.
When: 12 February - 4 May 2026
Where: The National Portrait Gallery
Tickets: £23-25
Lucian Freud: Drawing into Painting is the UK’s most comprehensive museum exhibition to focus on the artist's works on paper, including some works seen on display for the first time. The exhibition explores the artist’s lifelong preoccupation with the human face and figure from the 1930s to the early 21st century, focusing on Freud’s mastery of drawing in all its forms – from pencil, pen, and ink to charcoal and etching. In addition, a carefully selected group of important paintings will reveal the dynamic dialogue between his practice on paper and on canvas.
When: Opens Saturday, 20 September 2025
Where: V&A South Kensington
Tickets: Weekday £23.00 / Weekend £25.00
A complex fashion icon, Marie Antoinette's timeless appeal is defined by her style, youth and notoriety. Explore the lasting influence of the most fashionable (and ill-fated) queen in history – with over 250 years of design, fashion, film and art.
When: 20 September 2025 – 29 March 2026
Where: The Design Museum
Tickets: From £14.38
A major exhibition on the legendary Blitz club night that transformed 1980s London style, and generated a creative scene that had an enormous impact on popular culture in the decade that followed — from fashion and music, to film, art and design.
When: 16 March – 6 June, 2026
Where: Harold Pinter Theatre
Tickets: from £90
In this 2026 West End production at the Harold Pinter Theatre, Olivier Award-winning director Robert Icke brings a fresh, contemporary vision to the classic play, heightening its emotional urgency and dramatic tension. The show features Sadie Sink (Stranger Things) as Juliet and Noah Jupe (A Quiet Place, Hamnet) as Romeo in their West End debuts, adding star power to the already electrifying staging. It runs for a strictly limited season of heartfelt romance and devastating consequence.
Unfortunately, the browser you use is outdated and does not allow you to display the site correctly. Please install any of the modern browsers, for example:
Google Chrome Firefox Safari