Various London venues

This community festival is back, taking over unusual local indoor and outdoor venues across south east London to screen feature films for kids and adults, artists' film and video and archive footage. This year’s highlights include a screening and film quiz at The Man of Kent (Sep 8), a spooky screening of The Blair Witch Project in Nunhead Cemetery (Sep 5), a short film night at Peckham Plex (Sep 5), and a finale screening of standout 2025 film Sinners at LEX2 Livesey Exchange (Sep 13). Look out also for showings of Blue Velvet, Paddington 2, Moonlight, Human Traffic, Burning an Illusion, and Labyrinth at weird and wonderful venues. 

Some of London’s most illustrious institutions – the National Army Museum, Royal Hospital Chelsea and Chelsea Physic Garden – join forces for the eighth edition of this history bonanza. A line-up of 100 events explores history from every angle, with author talks, guided walks, and family-friendly fun. 2026's edition is curated by BBC World Affairs Editor John Simpson, who'll talk about his six decades reporting on global events.  There'll also be a staging of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas (Oct 1) at Chelsea Old Church, close to where it was first performed in 1688, an opportunity to go behind the scenes at Royal Court Theatre, free living history tours of Chelsea Physic Garden, and walking tours exploring the area’s spies, artists, queer history and rock-and-roll past.