At a Glance
Compared to this destination's peak season
London in August — Travel Guide
By Harry Nara · Last updated
London in August offers some of the best conditions of the year, ideal for carnival & festival fans. Expect temperatures of 14–23°C, around 8 days of rain, and very high crowds across the city. Daily budgets typically land around £125–210 for mid-range travellers. Book accommodation two to three months ahead — the most popular rooms sell out fast during peak visiting windows.
Contents16 sections
#At a Glance
August is London's holiday month. The schools are out, many Londoners are away, and the city fills with visitors instead: the museums and the big sights are busy, while the City and the office districts go quiet. It is usually warm, about 23°C by day, with long evenings that start to shorten noticeably by the end of the month.
The highlight is Notting Hill Carnival on the August bank holiday weekend, Sunday 29 and Monday 30 August 2027, one of the biggest street festivals in Europe.
Around it, the BBC Proms fill the Royal Albert Hall every night, Buckingham Palace opens its State Rooms for the summer, and the parks, lidos and riverside pubs are at their busiest.
#Weather in London in August
London in August averages 14–23°C (57–73°F) with around 8 days of rain, and crowds are very high.
| Measure | August in London |
|---|---|
| Daytime high | About 23°C / 73°F |
| Overnight low | About 14°C / 57°F |
| Wet days | About 8 |
| Sunset | 8:50pm on the 1st, 7:50pm by the 31st |
| Big dates | Notting Hill Carnival, 29–30 August 2027; bank holiday, Monday 30 August |
| Crowds | Busy with visitors, quiet in the business districts |
Figures are Met Office 1991–2020 averages for London.
What that actually means for your trip:
- It is usually warm rather than hot, but a heatwave can push the city past 30°C, and London's homes, older hotels and Tube lines are not built for it.
- Rain comes in showers, and a grey, cool week is always possible; London's summer is changeable.
- The evenings shorten through the month, losing about an hour of daylight between the first day and the last.
- The parks dry out in a hot August, turning the lawns of Hyde Park and the Heath to straw.
Is August a good time to visit London? Yes, if you like the city lively: the long evenings, the Proms, the palace openings and Carnival make it one of the fullest months of the year. It is also busy and expensive at the big sights, so book tickets ahead, and remember that the summer can be cool and wet as well as hot.
#London's August
Notting Hill Carnival takes over the streets of Notting Hill and Ladbroke Grove on Sunday 29 and Monday 30 August 2027: the Sunday is Families and Children's Day, the Monday Adults' Day, with costumed bands, steel bands and sound systems along the route and food stalls in every side street.
The ticketed Panorama steel band final is on the Saturday, 28 August. See our Notting Hill Carnival guide.
The BBC Proms, the summer season of classical concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, run every night from mid-July to mid-September; cheap standing places are sold on the day for most concerts.
Buckingham Palace opens its State Rooms to visitors in the summer while the King is away, usually from July to September; book a timed ticket.
The school holidays run all month in England, so the museums, the zoo and the family attractions are at their busiest. Many Londoners leave for a week or two, and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, a train ride north, draws many of the city's theatre-goers in August.
#What to Do in London in August
Solo Travellers
Queue for a standing place at a Prom, walk the South Bank from Westminster to Tower Bridge in the long evening, and spend a morning at Tate Modern or the British Museum, both free, before the crowds arrive.
Couples
Take a boat down the river to Greenwich for the park, the observatory and the view back to the City, or up the river to Hampton Court Palace and its gardens. A drink by the water at a riverside pub in Richmond or Hammersmith is a London summer evening.
Families
The Natural History Museum and the Science Museum are free and busy; go at opening time.
The RAF Museum at Colindale is free, and London Zoo in Regent's Park is good on a warm day.
On hot days, the paddling pools and the Serpentine Lido in Hyde Park are where London's children go.
Groups
Spend a Carnival day together, or book a table at a pub garden and a summer outdoor film screening, held in parks and courtyards across the city in August.
#Getting Around
Heathrow is linked to the centre by the Elizabeth line, the Piccadilly line and the Heathrow Express; Gatwick by the Gatwick Express and Thameslink; Stansted and Luton by their own trains.
Tap a contactless card, phone or Oyster card on every Tube, bus and train; the Zones 1–2 daily cap was £8.90 at 2026 prices, and TfL revises fares each March.
On Carnival weekend, stations around Notting Hill close or run exit-only; use Paddington, Bayswater or Shepherd's Bush and walk in. In hot weather, the deep Tube lines, such as the Central and the Northern, get stuffy; the buses and the river boats are cooler.
#Budget & Costs
| Travel style | Per day | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | £85–125 | Hostel bed, pub and market meals, contactless travel |
| Mid-range | £190–280 | 3-star hotel, restaurant meals, one paid sight or show |
| Luxury | £500+ | Top hotels and fine dining |
August is high season for hotels, especially around the Carnival weekend.
Costs worth knowing:
| What | Price |
|---|---|
| National museums and galleries | Free |
| Notting Hill Carnival | Free |
| Proms standing places | Sold cheaply on the day |
| Zones 1–2 daily cap | £8.90 at 2026 prices |
| Lido or ponds swim | A small fee, often booked online |
- Book Buckingham Palace and the big paid sights ahead in the school holidays.
- Check the bill for a service charge before tipping.
- Hotels in west London are dearest over the Carnival weekend.
#Food & Dining
August brings English tomatoes, sweetcorn, plums and the first blackberries to the markets.
Borough Market is busy all week; go on a weekday morning. At Carnival, the food is part of the party: jerk chicken from oil-drum grills, curry goat, patties and rum punch along the route. With many Londoners away, some smaller restaurants close for a summer break, while the City's lunch spots are quiet.
#Nightlife
Summer nights are spent outdoors: on the terraces of the South Bank, in pub gardens and on the rooftop bars of Peckham and Shoreditch.
Ronnie Scott's in Soho has jazz every night, the West End runs all summer, and on the Carnival weekend the sound systems keep going into the evening.
#Shopping
The summer sales are winding down in August, with the last reductions on Oxford Street and in the department stores.
Liberty, the markets of Spitalfields and Portobello Road, and the shops of Marylebone are good for browsing.
#Culture & Etiquette
- At Carnival, follow the stewards and the police, stay with your group, and keep valuables out of sight.
- Stand on the right on Tube escalators, and let people off before you board.
- Queue for buses, tickets and bars.
- Tipping of about 12.5% is usual in restaurants, often added as a service charge; check the bill.
#Essential Local Phrases
| What you want to say | What Londoners say |
|---|---|
| The subway | The Tube |
| A public holiday | A bank holiday |
| An outdoor swimming pool | A lido |
| A pub's outdoor area | The beer garden |
| A queue for cheap concert tickets | Prommers' queue |
| Very hot weather | A heatwave |
| A drink at the end of the day | A pint after work |
| The bathroom | The loo |
#Packing List
- Light summer clothes and a jumper for cooler evenings
- A light waterproof or a compact umbrella
- Sunscreen and sunglasses
- Swimwear for the lidos and ponds
- Comfortable shoes for long walks and Carnival
- A refillable water bottle
- A contactless card or Oyster card
#Backup Plans (Rainy Days)
The free national museums, the V&A, the National Gallery and the British Museum, fill a wet day, and the Barbican Conservatory is a tropical refuge on the days it opens, usually Sundays. A matinee in the West End is the classic rainy-afternoon plan.
If a heatwave hits: keep to the parks' shade, swim at a lido, and spend the afternoon in a cooled museum or cinema.
If Carnival is too crowded: watch from the edges of the route around Westbourne Park, or go on the Sunday rather than the Monday.
#Safety & Health
London is generally safe. Pickpockets work the crowds at Carnival, Oxford Street and the big sights, so keep phones and bags secure. In a heatwave, drink plenty and stay out of the midday sun; at the ponds and lidos, swim only where lifeguards are on duty.
Emergency: 999, or 111 for urgent medical advice and 101 for non-emergency police.
#What's New for August 2027
- Notting Hill Carnival is on Sunday 29 and Monday 30 August 2027
- The summer bank holiday is Monday 30 August 2027
- The Panorama steel band final is on Saturday 28 August
- London fares: the Zones 1–2 daily cap was £8.90 at 2026 prices, and TfL revises fares each March
- Buckingham Palace opens its State Rooms in the summer, with timed tickets
#About This Guide
By Harry Nara (founder of WhenToWander), updated October 2026 for August 2027. Climate figures are Met Office 1991–2020 averages. Dates and prices verified against:
- Notting Hill Carnival for the 2027 dates
- BBC Proms for the season
- Royal Collection Trust for the summer opening
- Transport for London for fares
- City of London for the Hampstead Heath ponds
For the month before, see London in July, and for the season as a whole, London in summer.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When is Notting Hill Carnival in 2027?
Sunday 29 and Monday 30 August 2027, the August bank holiday weekend. Sunday is Families and Children’s Day and Monday is Adults’ Day; the ticketed Panorama steel band final is on Saturday 28 August. Carnival itself is free.
Is August a good month to visit London?
Yes, for the long evenings, the Proms, the summer opening of Buckingham Palace and Carnival. It is busy with visitors during the school holidays and hotels are expensive, and the weather can be hot or cool and wet, so pack for both.
Are there heatwaves in London in August?
Sometimes. The average high is about 23°C, but heatwaves above 30°C happen in some summers, and many homes, older hotels and Tube lines have no air-conditioning. Carry water and plan indoor visits for hot afternoons.
Where can I watch Notting Hill Carnival without huge crowds?
Go on the Sunday, the family day, and arrive in the late morning, before the crowds peak in the afternoon. The edges of the route around Westbourne Park are less packed than Ladbroke Grove, and leaving by the early evening avoids the worst of the crush.
What’s the weather like in London in August?
London in August typically sees temperatures of 14–23°C with around 8 days of rain across the period. Pack lightweight layers that suit both cooler mornings and warmer afternoons.
How much does it cost to visit London in August?
Budget-conscious travellers can expect daily costs of £125–210, covering accommodation, food, and local transport. Prices climb during peak weeks — book early to lock in the lower end of this range.