The Best Things to Do in London in April

Looking for things to do in London in April? We’ve got you covered

You’re in plenty of time to book tickets to the best events in London, from theatre shows to art exhibitions, and there are always pop-ups opening across the city, but our handy guide features the best of what’s on in London in April so you won’t miss a thing.

There are some big name stars treading the boards this month, including Brian Cox, Billy Crudup, Sarah Snook, and Ian Mckellen, plus the arrival much-anticipated stage adaptation of Spirited Away, so there’s plenty of culture to indulge in.It’s also Eid al-Fitr in April, so there’s a lot to celebrate if you’re observing Ramadan. And talking of food, there’s Stop Food Waste Day this month, so there’s even more reason to visit some of the city’s most sustainable restaurants and supper clubs


PRELUDE by Oriole

1. Eat & Drink at This New Pop-Up From the Team Behind Oriole

After closing its doors not too long ago (due to the Museum of London’s expansion into Smithfield Market), award-winning cocktail bar Oriole is coming back to London with a new permanent site set to open in The Yards, Covent Garden, this summer. But first, the team (who are also behind Nightjar and Bar Swift) will be testing the waters with PRELUDE, a three-month pop-up bar, restaurant and innovation space, which will be open from Wed-Sat for the whole of April.

Wed 3rd – Sat 27th April 2024
23 Slingsby Place, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9AB
oriolebar.com


Bert Hardy at the Photographers' Gallery

2. Explore the Photojournalism of Bert Hardy at This Exhibition

The Photographers’ Gallery is looking back on the four-decades-long career of Bert Hardy this spring with this Photojournalism in War and Peace exhibition. This retrospective covers his work at Picture Post magazine, including his portrayal of post-war life in Britain and the way he revealed the social conditions and working-class lives of the time. His photographs taken during the Blitz, the liberation of Bergen-Belsen and the war in Southeast Asia will also be on show alongside archival material like press passes, diaries, and correspondence.

Mon 1st – Tues 30th April 2024
16-18 Ramillies Street, London W1F 7LW
thephotographersgallery.org.uk


Le Gavroche sale

3. Nab a Piece of London Restaurant History at the Le Gavroche Sale

Last summer, it was announced that Michel Roux Jr’s two Michelin-starred restaurant Le Gavroche would be closing down and now that the doors are shut, it’s having a sale. Following an in-person sale at the Mayfair site back at the end of January, where glassware, cutlery, crockery, furniture, books, house wines, house champagnes, and other memorabilia were up for grabs, Michel is now gearing up for an online auction. He’s teaming up with Christie’s for the auction featuring premium wines from Le Gavroche’s cellar alongside prints, drawings, porcelain, silver and decorative objects collected over the restaurant’s 57 years.

Weds 10th – Weds 24th April 2024
Online
christies.com


4. See the Star-Studded Long Day’s Journey Into Night

After playing Logan Roy on the small screen, Brian Cox is returning to the stage for his first West End role in almost a decade. He’s starring in Eugene O’Neill’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play Long Day’s Journey Into Night. Widely regarded as one of the greatest American plays of the 20th century, Long Day’s Journey Into Night explores themes like love, hate, addiction and betrayal through the lens of a day in the life of the Tyrones, based on O’Neill’s own dysfunctional family. Jeremy Herrin is directing this production at Wyndham’s Theatre and Brian Cox will be starring as James Tyrone, opposite Patricia Clarkson as the matriarch Mary Tyrone, Laurie Kynaston as Edmund, Daryl McCormack as James Jr and Louisa Harland as Cathleen.

Mon 1st – Tues 30th April 2024 (excluding Sundays)
Wyndham’s Theatre, Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0DA
wyndhamstheatre.co.uk


Penguin Keeper at London Zoo

5. Become a Penguin Keeper for the Day

If you’ve always wanted to go behind the scenes at London Zoo and find out what it’s actually like to be a zookeeper, now you can. The zoo is launching a Penguin Keeper experience, where you can join the zoo’s experts in looking after the colony on Penguin Beach for a morning.

Tues 23rd, Fri 26th & Tues 30th April 2024
London Zoo, Outer Circle, London NW1 4RY
londonzoo.org


Drumsheds

6. See What’s On at Drumsheds

Broadwick Live, the team behind Printworks, Beams and Manchester’s Depot Mayfield, opened its biggest venue back in October by taking over the former Tottenham IKEA and turning it into the 608,000 sq ft, 15,000 capacity Drumsheds nightclub. For April, expect headliners to include Sophie Ellis Bextor, Meduza and James Hype.

Sat 13th & Sat 27th April 2024
6 Glover Drive, London N18 3HF
drumshedslondon.com


Zheng Bo, Bamboo as Method at Somerset House

7. Explore This Pop-Up Bamboo Garden in the Heart of London

Zheng Bo is the latest artist to be given Somerset House’s courtyard commission and they’re turning the space into a bamboo garden. Bamboo As Method is an expression of Zheng’s eco-queer approach and looks to redistribute the power that humans are assumed to have over nature. Made of 300 locally sourced bamboo, the garden will give visitors a chance to disconnect from the hustle of normal life and immerse themselves in nature by spending time sketching one of the ten different species of bamboo. Biodegradable paper will be provided for the drawings, which will then be composted into the soil to fertilise the garden, to complete the cycle of creativity and ecology.

Mon 1st – Sun 28th April 2024
Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA
somersethouse.org.uk


Giant London Flea

8. Hunt for Treasure at the Giant London Flea

The Big London Flea is back in town for its second edition of 2024 and this time it’s not just big, but giant. The supersized market, taking over a multi-storey car park in the Olympic Park this April, is the largest indoor flea market in the city. Over 100 vintage traders will be there, selling everything from furniture, records, homeware, and lighting to prints, maps, clothing, artworks and one-of-a-kind finds. It’s just £2 entry, with on-site cafes and a sound system to keep you going in between all that bargain hunting.

Sun 28th April 2024, 10am – 5pm
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Multi-Storey Car Park, London E15 2GZ.
@biglondonflea


9. Watch Billy Crudup in His West End Debut

After two hit runs in the US, David Cale’s critically acclaimed play Harry Clarke is opening in London this spring. The one-man show stars Tony and Emmy Award-winning actor Billy Crudup (of The Morning Show, Coast of Utopia, No Man’s Land and Almost Famous) who has played its titular character since the world premiere in 2017, and this will mark his West End debut.

Mon 1st – Sat 27th April 2024 (excluding Sundays)
Ambassadors Theatre, West Street, London WC2H 9ND
atgtickets.com


Dinings SW3

10. Grab Dinner at This Gill-to-Tail Guest Chef Event

In a celebration of sustainable seafoodDinings SW3 chef Masaki Sugisaki is welcoming a number of guest chefs whose restaurants are located close to different areas of the British coastline into his kitchen for a gill-to-tail dinner series. As well as spotlighting ethical sourcing, the four-hand omakase dinners are all about using every part of the fish, similar to nose-to-tail preparations for meat dishes, in an effort to eliminate waste. The series kicked off at the end of January with Emily Chia of Sargasso in Margate, and will end with Dan Cox of Cornwall’s Crocadon on 16th and 17th April.

Tues 16th & Weds 17th April 2024
Walton House, Lennox Gardens Mews, Walton Street, London SW3 2JH
diningssw3.co.uk

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