If you only make it to one festival this May, make it GALA. Returning to Peckham Rye Park after a hugely successful 10th anniversary, the 2026 edition takes the theme of The Floor Is Ours, a rallying cry for community and creative ownership in the face of dance music's growing commercialisation. The line-up is typically impeccable across all three days: Friday brings the bass-heavy sounds of Benji B, Or:La and George Daniel; Saturday sees Peach debut her new Dreamland project in a Pleasuredome takeover, joined by Call Super, Prosumer and Steffi x Virginia; and Sunday goes deep on disco and house with a rare b2b2b from Hunee, Palms Trax and Antal, plus Chaos in the CBD and Moxie bringing her On Loop party to the park. Essential.

One of the great unmissable events of the London calendar, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show returns this May for another showcase of horticultural brilliance. Whether you're a seasoned garden obsessive or simply someone who appreciates extraordinary beauty, there's nothing quite like wandering the showground as world-class designers unveil their most ambitious and imaginative work. Expect breathtaking show gardens, a dazzling Great Pavilion packed with floral displays, and plenty of inspiration to take home, along with the irresistible temptation to splurge on plants you have absolutely no room for. A quintessentially London experience at its finest.

This Monday, Beckenham Place Mansion fills up with 50 vintage traders bringing everything from mid-century furniture and lighting to French brocante, antique maps, ceramics, records, prints, and garden treasures worth rearranging your entire flat for.

90-metre Hockney landscape feels like the perfect excuse to spend an afternoon pretending you’re more cultured than your screen time suggests. At the Serpentine, A Year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts about Painting sees David Hockney transform the gallery into an immersive ribbon of the French countryside - inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry and unfolding like a film still in motion. Expect vast landscapes, bold colour, and the kind of exhibition that makes you want to immediately move to rural France and start painting trees.

Field Day is back, bringing together cutting-edge artists, underground sounds, and a diverse community of music lovers. Explore a lineup packed with forward-thinking acts, from rising stars to icons shaping the sound. Don’t miss your chance to experience one of London’s most exciting day festivals.

A Bank Holiday lunch worth planning your weekend around. This Monday, The Woodcote is serving a three-course grill menu centred around Sussex produce and open-fire cooking - from beef brisket with chimichurri and rolled South Downs lamb to grilled lobster, barbecued asparagus and wood-fired Jersey Royals. Expect aperitifs in the bar, long tables spilling outdoors if the weather holds, and the sort of unhurried afternoon that stretches easily from lunch into early evening. Monday 25 May 12–3pm £60 per person

Thursday night plans, sorted. As part of Café François’ AMI! guest series, Detroit-style pizza favourite Ria’s is taking over the kitchen for one night only, bringing its cult deep-dish slices to Borough alongside exclusive specials created just for the evening. Add spicy margaritas, palomas, spritzes and DJs into the mix, and it’s shaping up to be the kind of midweek dinner that drifts effortlessly into late-night drinks. Café François, Borough Thursday 21 May

Hay Festival is one of those rare weekends where Nobel Prize winners, novelists, musicians, scientists, comedians and artists all end up in the same field in Wales. Expect big conversations, sharp perspectives and the kind of programme where you’ll go in for one talk and leave having accidentally rethought your entire worldview. Part literary festival, part cultural pilgrimage, with excellent people-watching in between.