This post is our list of the best things to do in London in September, including free, family-friendly, as well as nighttime activities, updated for 2023.
Let's get started!
TOP 10 THINGS TO DO IN SEPTEMBER
If you are considering visiting many top attractions, taking a cruise, or a bus tour, then you should consider a tourist discount card or a bus tour combo ticket.
These tickets and bundles could save you some serious money.
For more ideas for activities to do, check our popular posts:
- Things to do in London (any time of year)
- Thames River Cruises
- London Food Tours
- Jack the Ripper Tours
1. Attend a Concert
London is full of music venues and you can be sure that no matter which month you’re in town there will be a big-name artist or group performing.
This September is no different, with multiple big tours coming through London.
Concerts
- Abba Voyage | September 1st - September 30th
- Shania Twain | Stepbmer 16th, 17th
- A Flock of Seagulls | September 14th
- Seal | September 17th
- Echo and the Bunnymen | September 18th
- New Order | September 29th
Festivals
- Cosmic Void Festival | September 15th - 17th | various venues | Featuring: Naglfar, Urgehal, Darkspace, and more
- Loud Women Fest | September 16th | Rich Mix | Featuring: Salad, Vernon Jane, The Empty Page, and more
- DNB Allstars Festival | September 17th | Gunnerbury Park | Featuring: SubFocus, Goldie, Kyrist, and more
- Wembley Park Live | May 4th -30th |Wembley Park | Featuring: various performers
Classical Music and Opera
- Royal Philharmonic Orchestra | September 20th, 30th
- BBC Proms | September 1st-9th
Take a look to see all of the concerts happening in London in September.
2. Attend a Festival
There are always a few exciting festivals taking place in London in September
West Norwood Feast | September 3rd
Find over 100 market stalls with street food, arts and crafts, local produce, and vintage items.
Greenwich + Docklands International Festival | August 25th-September 10th
This free outdoor annual arts festival is one of the largest in the UK. Visitors get to see performances in the areas of dance, music, theatre, and even circus acts.
Greenwich Comedy Festival | September 13th-17th
London's acclaimed outdoor comedy festival takes place at the National Maritime Museum. Food and drink are on offer as well.
BEAT | September 9th-10th, 16th-17th
Over two weekends the public can follow an art trail through the homes and studios of over 200 local artists. Artwork is for sale.
Other festivals can be found below.
3. Go to a Comedy Show
Who doesn't need a good laugh nowadays? Luckily, London is chock full of comedians and many of them have shows in September.
Comedy Shows*
- Frankie Boyle | September 6th, 7th
- Russell Howard | September 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th
- Peter Kay | September 9th
- Dawn French | September 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th
- Ricky Gervais | September 13th-16th, 28th, 29th
- Jimmy Carr | September 16th
- Sarah Millican | September 20th
- James Acaster | Setpember 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th
Comedy Clubs
- Always Be Comedy
- The 99 Club
- Camden Comedy Club
- The Bill Murray Comedy Club
- Headliners Comedy Club
- Laugh Train
*There's a chance even more comedians will schedule shows in September as the month approaches, so make sure to check this list of comedy shows to see what else might be happening.
4. Go on a Sightseeing Tour
September is a great time of year to take a walking tour and we offer highly-rated tours of London that are pay-what-you-like tours - which means they are tours for every budget!
Our Westminster Tour visits “Royal London” while our City of London Tour takes you through the oldest part of London.
Want to see both but don't have a lot of time? Take our 6-hour London-All-in-One Tour.
Other popular tours include:
If you aren’t a fan of walking tours, why not try the popular hop-on-hop-off buses?
TIP: Keep in mind that if you get a London tourist pass, you can get tickets to some great tours for free or at a steep discount.
5. Watch the Great River Race
Known as London's River Marathon, this boat race with 330 crews from around the world is a site to behold!
The race starts in London Docklands and ends 21.6 miles later in Surrey. You can even participate, as there are boats for hire.
Observers can watch the race for free on September 9th, 2023 from spots along the river.
For more information, visit the Great River Race website.
6. Get to Know The Thames at The Totally Thames Festival
Returning for another year, this festival celebrates all that the River Thames has to offer.
River cruises, walking tours, art exhibitions, and performances take place all along the 42-mile stretch of the Thames in London.
The events are geared toward families during the day, so take the little ones down to the water for face painting, snacks, regattas, and races!
The festival takes place from September 1st - September 30th.
Visit the Thames Festival website for information about what's on.
7. London Fashion Week
September means the second Fashion Week celebration of the year. People will be traveling from all over the world to be dazzled at one of the many couture catwalk shows.
There are lectures and panels about fashion trends with influential industry insiders. Shopping at industry-inside prices is another activity.
You can update your wardrobe with items from over 150 British and international designer brands, all in one place.
With dozens of events to choose from, there are activities and experiences for every budget.
This year shows take place from September 15th - September 19th. More information about Fashion Week can be found here.
8. London Design Festival
A celebration of London as the design capital of the world will see works of art and design popping up throughout the entire city.
London is well-known for attracting the best design companies and talent.
The LDF, now over 20 years old, showcases designers from around the globe and allows London the chance to show off its status as a leader in the creative industries.
Expect talks and lessons, tours, and exhibitions, as well as special events at museums and galleries all around London.
Many of the events and gallery showings are free to attend! You can find events from September 16th - 24th.
9. BBC Proms & Proms in the Park
BBC Proms is famous for providing high-quality classical and contemporary concerts at an affordable price.
There will be a full schedule of concerts at the Royal Albert Hall and other venues.
Concerts take place from July 16th to September 24th. Tickets can be purchased here.
And, if you're looking for other evening activities, check out our things to do in London at night post.
10. Save with a Tourist Attraction Discount Pass
You can save both time and money by getting a tourist discount pass for your trip to London!
Passes work by bundling entry tickets to multiple attractions or tours and passing the discounts on to you.
This means you can get into some attractions for free, and many will have a 20% or 50% discount depending on the pass.
Most of these passes include skip-the-line entry, which will save you valuable time waiting in line.
- Kensington Palace
- The Churchill War Rooms
- Kew Gardens
- London Bike Tours
- Hop-on-Hop-off Bus Tours
- London Boat Tours
Make sure to read the full post covering London discount passes.
FREE THINGS TO DO IN SEPTEMBER
Below we list some of the free things to do in London in September, including events and fun attractions.
For more ideas on cost-free activities, do check out our top 10 free things to do any time of year, as well as our guide to London on a Budget.
Attend London Open House
London Open House is one of the biggest events in London’s social calendar.
Dozens of city landmarks open their doors to the public for one weekend only.
Get behind the scenes in government buildings, take lifts to the top of the city’s most iconic skyscrapers, and delve underground to see the historic remains of London’s past.
Events take place September 6th-17th. Best of all - this event is entirely FREE.
Watch a Parliament Debate
The Houses of Parliament return from their summer recess during the first week of September which means the public galleries in the Palace of Westminster will be opening their doors to visitors once again.
Take in a debate in the iconic House of Commons, or surround yourself in opulence in the historic House of Lords.
There’s no fee to enter, so take the opportunity to visit a royal palace for FREE!
TIP: Our Westminster Tour finishes across the street from the Palace of Westminster so consider making this the next stop after your walk with us!
Escape the Crystal Palace Maze
This hidden London gem is situated in the stunning grounds of Crystal Palace Park.
Built in the 1870s, the Crystal Palace Maze is one of the largest in the country with a diameter of 160ft!
A tricky mix of hedgerows and pathways, navigating your way through the maze is no easy feat. Explore it all without having to pay a penny!
For more ideas on cost-free activities, do check out our top 10 free things to do any time of year, as well as our guide to London on a Budget.
THINGS TO DO AT NIGHT IN SEPTEMBER
London doesn’t stop when the sun goes down! Check out these activities that take place at nighttime.
For more ideas on night activities at any time of the year, be sure to read our definitive guide on things to do at night in London and check out the top 10 video below.
Take a Night Walking Tour
As with our walking tours mentioned above, our evening tours are also offered on a pay-what-you-like basis so no matter what your budget, you can join us.
We have 6 evening/night tours including a Harry Potter Film Location tour, a Twilight River Walk, and night versions of our classic Westminster tour and City of London tour mentioned above.
For the braver souls, our Jack the Ripper tour and our London Ghost tour are waiting for you.
For availability, check our calendar.
Drink Moonshine
Enter the wild west at one of London’s most interesting cocktail experiences at The Moonshine Saloon.
Guests will travel back in time as they descend into a hidden Western world.
Smuggle in a bottle of your favorite spirit, covertly hand it to the bartender, and they will craft specially made moonshine out of it.
But watch out for the sheriff - he’s always on the lookout for smugglers!
Explore London Dungeon...After Dark
September is the perfect time of year to start enjoying spooky attractions.
The London Dungeon has been educating and scaring visitors for decades - and now, to make things even spookier, they’re doing it at night with London Dungeon Lates.
A mash-up of theatre, special effects, storytelling, and surprises, it’s a walkthrough of London’s gruesome past.
Oh - and there’s a cocktail in it for you, too!
For more ideas on night activities at any time of the year, be sure to read our definitive guide on things to do at night in London and check out the top 10 video below.
NOTE: in 2022 this has been temporarily suspended.
FAMILY-FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES IN SEPTEMBER
Below are just some of the many family-friendly activities you can do in September in London.
For more ideas, read the family section of our free things to do in London post.
Surround Yourself With Toys at Legoland
Legoland is open all year round but the weather is perfect during September!
This is an entire world made of Lego. With rides, restaurants, activities and even hotels, Legoland is the setting for a completely immersive experience.
Travel through time, drive a car, go underwater, or walk through shockingly accurate recreations of the world’s most iconic landmarks. This is a real day out for the whole family.
Take a Harry Potter Tour
Let us introduce you to the behind-the-scenes world of Harry Potter.
Our walking tour takes guests through locations used in filming, areas mentioned in the book, and everything in between.
Walk in the footsteps of the world’s most famous wizard with Free Tours By Foot!
We offer during the day as well as early evening.
Check our calendar to see what times the tour runs.
Visit The Science Museum
The Science Museum is worth visiting even for those traveling without children – but for those with little ones, the Science Museum is full of hands-on educational activities.
Here children can create science-based art, construct their own crafts, and take in a fun film in the Science Museum IMAX theatre.
Go to a City Farm
London is one of the world's biggest and most sprawling metropolises – but we also have our fair share of green spaces and wild animals!
City farms are popping up all over the place and offer a great way for children to get hands-on experience with farm animals as well as speak to their caretakers and learn about running a classic British farm.
Check out their individual websites:
