London’s best pop-ups

Kerb, London’s OG street food market turned food hall operator, is popping up in SE16 this August with a new weekend food festival focusing on East and Southeast Asian flavours. Kerb Goes East will feature more than 50 traders peddling not just loads of top quality street food and drink, but also handmade crafts from some great indie brands curated by Urban Garden Fair. Head to the patch outside Corner Corner in Surrey Quays to sample Korean Mexican fusion bites from Komex, Singaporean curry puffs from Old Chang Kee, steak teriyaki donburi bowls from Oishī Don, chicken adobo from Filipino BBQ stall Fili Grillz or nasi goreng from Indonesian eatery Borobudu, followed by Hong Kong-style French toast from Cantoast Bakery or pandan, coconut and raspberry sandos from Lil Wong Bakes for dessert, with live music to enjoy while you feast. 

If a trip to Hampton Court has been on your to-do list, why not time your visit to coincide with this foodie extravaganza? Over the August Bank Holiday weekend entrance tickets to Henry VIII’s former gaff give you access to more than 150 speciality food stalls, so you can feast like like a Tudor king in the palace’s gorgeous green spaces. There's also pop-up bars, kids’ activities, and an array of local musicians taking to the bandstand to soundtrack your culinary adventure. 

Every summer, tipple-loving Londoners flock to Bloomsbury’s Bedford Square Gardens for Cocktails in the City, a two weekend takeover by some of the capital’s very best bars, mixologists and booze brands. Enjoy a complimentary welcome drink on arrival, then enter the pop-up village made up of 20 of London’s best bars and sample their creative concoctions from a star-studded roster of top bartenders. Bar Kinky, Waltz, Hacha and Archive & Myth are just a handful of the celebrated city venues on the line-up. Guests will also be able to check out live music, street food and masterclasses within the picturesque private gardens and take part in garden games like pétanque, table tennis and cornhole. 

If you’re a carnivore with a big appetite for BBQ, Meatopia has your name written all over it. The boozy food fest is a veritable utopia for meat lovers, with 50 chefs invited down over four days to cook up a storm over a live fire. This year's highlights include Jess Murphy from Ireland’s only Michelin Green Star restaurant Kai, Geravich Mesaengnilverakul from Bangkok’s Choen, plus legends of the UK barbecue scene, Melissa Thompson and Hon’s BBQ. Book your tickets here, but be warned – they don’t include food, and the queues here can be lengthy, so it’s best to arrive early with your ‘meatbuck’ tokens at the ready.

Last year, after a nine-year-long hiatus, the magnificent Brick Lane Curry Festival made a welcome return. And, saving us from another near-decade of waiting, it’s back again for 2026. E1’s curry houses will come together for this free festival on Brick Lane and nearby streets this September. The main event is on Sunday 20 and will commence with a colourful procession from Buxton Street to the iconic Brick Lane Arch, with themed floats, dancers and community groups. Throughout the rest of the day, visitors can expect street food stalls, chef demonstrations and live bands and DJs alongside a host of family-friendly fun stilt walkers, magicians and live graffiti presentations, plus some opportunities to get stuck in at henna and bangla dancing workshops. If you register for the festival via Eventbrite you can get 20 percent off at all participating restaurants across the weekend.