While it’s an official farewell to the summer of 2025, embrace the new season with our shortlist of the most highly anticipated London autumn events, exhibitions, and activities:

The Design Museum, Kensington

A smoky wine bar turned electric club every Tuesday night, Blitz was a place where you’d find yourself shoulder to shoulder with young unknowns, including aspiring musicians, fashion creatives, and art students, many of whom were influential in reshaping pop culture in the decade to follow.

The niche night club-turned-launchpad for global superstardom is connected to names such as Boy George, Stephen Jones, Spandau Ballet, and David Bowie, as well as a long list of influential designers, artists, filmmakers and writers.

For those who didn’t experience its glory in its heyday, Blitz: The Club That Shaped The 80s will provide an in-depth insight into London’s most beloved and historic nightclub as well as its famous figures who shaped its legacy. 

Date: 20^th September - 29^th March

Price: £16.00 - £20.00

The Design Museum, Kensington

Widely considered The Design Museum’s most anticipated exhibition, Wes Anderson: The Archives features a collection of over 600 private items, including costumes, storyboards, sketches, and film props, all of which offer a behind-the-scenes look at some of Anderson’s most celebrated films.

Highlights include the vending machines from Asteroid City, Margot Tenenbaum’s FENDI fur coat worn by Gwyneth Paltrow in The Royal Tenenbaums, as well as a three-metre-wide model of the Grand Budapest Hotel.

Date: 21^st November – 26^th July

Price: £22.00 - £26.00

Hayward Gallery, Central

The Hayward Gallery will reopen its doors on the 7^th of October with a vibrant, large-scale exhibition championing the artistic evolution of Gilbert & George.

Renowned for their visually striking artworks that explore modern life complexities, challenge social norms, and capture elements of our changing society, Gilbert & George: 21^st Century Pictures is set to include over 60 floor-to-ceiling installations, as well as new and acclaimed works from their portfolio.

The popular London-based artists are known for their bold blend of imagery and text to curate thought-provoking works, highlighting social norms and taboos with recurring themes relating to sex, religion, class, nationalism, death and corruption.

Date: 7^th October – 11^th January

Price: £20

Tate Britain, Millbank

Remembered as one of the 20th century's most compelling artistic voices, Tate Britain celebrates Lee Miller with an extensive retrospective of her fearless, boundary-breaking career in photography.

Around 250 vintage and modern prints will be on display, showcasing her participation in French surrealism, her fashion and war photography, as well as lessor-known ventures and never-before-seen imagery. This London Autumn exhibition serves as a powerful tribute to the photographer’s spirit and journalistic brilliance.

Date: 2^nd October – 15^th February

Price: £20

Tate Modern, Bankside

A celebration of cultural and artistic rebellion, Tate Modern’s Nigerian Modernism brings together works curated from before and after Nigeria’s independence from British colonial rule.

The exhibition features paintings, sculpture, textiles and poetry from 50 artists, including Uzo Egonu, El Anatsui, Ladi Kwali, and Ben Enwonwu MBE. It reflects Nigeria’s vibrant cultural centres, such as Zaria, Ibadan, Lagos, and Enugu, as well as international networks in London, Munich, and Paris.

Date: 8^th October – 10^th May

Price: £18

Regent's Park

It wouldn’t be a London autumn events shortlist without mentioning one of the world’s most influential contemporary art fairs. Frieze will return to Regent’s Park this October, featuring contemporary works from over 160 galleries showcasing today’s most pioneering artists.

This year’s Frieze has introduced a new themed section, ‘Echoes in the Present,’ which explores interconnected dialogues between Brazil, Africa, and their transnational communities, focusing on shared histories, cultural challenges, and societal changes.

Bringing with it an artistic frenzy felt across the city, Frieze’s sister fairs - including Frieze Masters, which focuses on works from antiquity to 20th-century masters, and Frieze Sculpture - are also well worth the visit.

Date: 15^th October - 19^th October

Price: £48 ‑ £250

East London’s The Other Art Fair brings a more relaxed, informal alternative to London’s month-long art events. Favouring all budgets, the fair features original artworks from 175 independent, local, and emerging artists, with prices starting at £100. The four-day event will include immersive installations, performances, and DJ sets, as well as a fully stocked bar.

Date: 9^th – 12^th October

Price: £10 - £135

A fascinating exhibition for the fashion enthusiasts, V&A’s Marie Antionette Style  explores one of the most fashionable and controversial queens in European history. This London autumn exhibition explores Antoinette’s origins and her enormous impact on fashion, an influence that continues to resonate to this day.

Around 250 pieces of contemporary clothing and decorative arts will be on display. The exhibition will also include audiovisual installations and immersive curation, including a scent experience that recreates both the senses of the court and her preferred perfume.

Designer pieces from Moschino, Dior, Chanel, Erdem, Vivienne Westwood and Valentino will also be featured, along with costumes from Sofia Coppola's Oscar-winning film, Marie Antoinette.

Date: 20^th September – 22^nd March

Price: £23 - £25

Spread over ten days, the EFG London Jazz festival will include over 300 live performances across several locations throughout London. From basement jazz bars to the world’s finest concert halls, venues will include Barbican, Southbank Centre, and the Royal Albert Hall.

The festival is a standout on the London autumn events calendar for jazz lovers, showcasing global stars and emerging talent with names like Bilal, Stella Cole, and Nubya Garcia.

Date: 14th – 23rd November

Price: £20+