Tis time for the summer season at Shakespeare's Globe on Bankside: first out of the gate are Romeo & Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream (opens April 1)

Last chance for the British Museum's Samurai show, exploring Japan's warrior culture (until May 4)

The lineup is live for the Roundhouse 360 Festival - music, poetry, dance and other stuff - April 9-29

Sir John Soane's Museum is marking the tercentenary of flamboyant 17th century architect Sir John Vanbrugh with an exhibition of his work (to June 28)

Try Ally Pally's new 'Summit' rooftop walk, with a spectacular views over North London and a climb to the Angel of Plenty on the top.

The London Games Festival kicks off with a free-to-attend takeover of Trafalgar Square focusing on diversity in the gaming industry followed by events across the capital (April 13-19)

Taking over venues across London is the much-loved Open City Documentary Festival, from Cuban amateur cinema to a Ken & Flo Jacobs retrospective (April 14-19)

The Design Museum and la Cinémathèque française showcase the 30-year archive of filmmaker Wes Anderson, adults from £22 (to July 2026)

Worlds collide - or rather, merge - at the Southbank Centre's Multitudes festival, with orchestral music re-interpreted by everyone from heavy metal musicians to acrobats (April 16-30)

Somerset House hosts the Sony World Photography Awards 2026 with an exhibition of 300 winning and shortlisted images with associated talks and events (April 17 to May 4)

Hot on the heels of Britain's most famous storage unit, V&A East Storehouse, the actual V&A East opens with two free 'Why We Make' galleries focusing on art, architecture, design, performance, and fashion, and its first paid show, The Music is Black: A British Story (opens April 18)

Last chance: Tate Britain's blockbuster 'Turner & Constable: Rivals & Originals' pits the two English greats against each other (ends Apr 12)

The annual Tweed Run, starring up to 1,000 tweed-clad cyclists of all stripes (or checks), converges on Regent's Street for refreshments and selfies. Start point and route published the week before the day (April 18)

Last chance: The Museum of Edible Earth, created by artist-researcher and geogphager (look it up) masharu, brings eating earth for health, ritual and culinary benefit to Somerset House (to April 26).

Reclaiming St George: Trafalgar Square is the venue for family-friendly, all-faith, all-ages celebrations on England's national saint's day, with music, dance, workshops, food and fun (April 23)

Wildly popular: the Natural History Museum's Wildlife Photographer of the Year show runs to June 26

The British Library hosts this year's HistFest, celebrating all things history with events and talks at the home of British knowledge (April 18/19)

Bowie is still with us in many ways, including this new immersive show at the Lightroom, King's Cross, 'David Bowie: You Are Not Alone', voiced by the man himself and showcasing his chameleon-like career (opens April 22)

'Beauty and Destruction: Wartime London in Art' is at the often-underrated IWM Art Gallery, showing London under attack through the eyes of artists. Until November 1.

The Wellcome Collection, always good for a punchy show, examines senescence in 'Coming of Age', with work and objects from 120 artists (to Nov 29)

Enfant-terrible-turned-national-treasure Dame Tracey Emin's retrospective, 'A Second Life', runs at Tate Britain (to Aug 31)

Va-Va-VAM! The V&A stages what turns out to be, incredibly, the UK's first show on the out-there sophistication and chic of Elsa Schiaparelli in 'Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art' (to Nov 8)