As summer goes into full-swing, there’s tons to see and do in London for the month of June. Here’s a brief round-up of what’s not to miss.
Trooping the Colour
Saturday 17 June 2023
Horse Guards Parade
Nearest Station: Charing Cross / Westminster
For the King’s official birthday he will inspect the regiments of the British and Commonwealth armies in a traditional ceremony for the first time. Spectators watch the King’s carriage go along The Mall as he leaves Buckingham Palace and returns afterwards before he appears on the Palace balcony with family to see the RAF fly past.
qbp.army.mod.uk
Summer Exhibition
12 June – 20 August 2023
Royal Academy
Nearest Station: Piccadilly Circus
The 255th year of the world’s largest open-submission contemporary art show. This annual exhibition provides a unique platform for emerging and established artists to showcase their works to an international audience, comprising a range of media from painting, printmaking, and photography, to sculpture, architecture, and film. It has been held each year without interruption since 1769. Around 1200 works go on display, the majority of which will be for sale, offering visitors an opportunity to purchase original work. Funds raised support the exhibiting artists, the postgraduate students studying in the RA Schools, and the work of the Royal Academy.
royalacademy.org.uk
Cinderella in-the-Round
15 – 25 June 2023
Nearest Station: High Street Kensington
English National Ballet returns to the Royal Albert Hall for the first time since 2019, with 14 performances of Cinderella in-the-round, featuring over 90 dancers, a live orchestra, magnificent sets, and transformational projections. This sparkling ballet transports you to an enchanting kingdom where forest creatures live alongside princes, a growing tree appears to dance in the wind, and Cinderella’s wit and generosity get her to the ball – with the help of a little bit of magic. Christopher Wheeldon’s glittering choreography sees the arena floor flooded with exquisite dancers, while the English National Ballet Philharmonic performs Prokofiev’s sublime score.
www.royalalberthall.com
DIVA
24 June 2023 – 7 April 2024
V&A
Nearest Station: South Kensington
From the Opera goddesses of the Victorian era to today’s global megastars, DIVA celebrates the power and creativity of iconic performers, exploring and redefining what it means to be a diva and how this has been subverted or embraced over time across opera, stage, popular music, and film. Featuring fashion, photography, design, costumes, music, and live performance drawn from the V&A collection and loans from across the world, the exhibition looks at how the performer has intersected with society and driven change through their voice and art. It considers how the diva has been reclaimed and redefined and examines the external and internal forces that contribute to shaping and worshipping the diva.
www.vam.ac.uk
MORE JUNE 2023 EVENTS
Royal gun salutes: 2 June 2023 to mark The Queen’s Coronation (Green Park 12pm and Tower of London 1pm), and 10 June 2023 for The Queen’s Official Birthday (Green Park 12.52pm and Tower of London 1pm). FA Cup Final: Saturday 3 June 2023 (The oldest football tournament in the world). Open Garden Squares Weekend: 10–11 June 2023 (Interesting green spaces across London are unlocked for one weekend only). West End LIVE: dates tbc (Held in Trafalgar Square, this is one of the world’s biggest free celebrations of musical theatre).
Author: Laura Porter
Laura Porter writes AboutLondonLaura.com and contributes to many other publications while maintaining an impressive afternoon tea addiction. You can find Laura on Twitter as @AboutLondon, on Instagram as @AboutLondon and @AboutLondon Laura on Facebook.