First held in 2002, the London International Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastic Film (to give it its full title) covers all genres. It ranges from premières of the latest blockbusters to a 48-hour film challenge for five-minute films, via all-nighter screenings.
Pagans, witches, wiccans, druids and shamans gather at London's Conway Hall for an extraordinary celebration of the changing season. The Beltane Bash's parades have dancing bushes, medieval giants, live music, chanting and singing. Join in with a leafy green outfit.
Established for nearly 30 years, the London International Antique Dolls, Toys, Miniatures & Teddy Bear Fair attracts collectors and dealers from around the world. Now taking place at Dulwich College, find antique and new dolls, bears, miniatures and juvenilia.
Open your mind and release your body at the annual Mind Body Spirit Festival at Earl's Court. A huge range of 'alternative' goods, concepts, companies and individuals persuade you to embrace a spiritual future and a healthy lifestyle.
Liberty's summer sale offers discounts of up to 50% across the whole range of goods: from china and glass to linen, furniture and furnishing fabrics, fashion and jewellery.
Thousands of young Londoners can enrol on free summer courses throughout June, July and August this year. Futureversity offers a choice of over 100 subjects ranging from belly dancing and Japanese to rowing and business studies.
Situated on the beautiful Epsom Downs and run for more than two centuries, The Derby is the jewel in English racing's crown. Thousands flock to Epsom Downs Racecourse to watch the race. The winning rider nets one of racing's most generous prize funds.
The Royal Academy of Arts' famous Summer Exhibition is the world's largest open contemporary art exhibition. Paintings, sculptures, drawings and models by many distinguished artists jostle with works by unknown and emerging artists, with cash prizes and work for sale.
An annual summer fixture since 1989, Opera Holland Park performs fully staged opera under Holland Park Theatre's spectacular canopy. The all-new productions in 2011 comprise Don Pasquale, L'amico Fritz, Le nozze di Figaro, La rondine, Rigoletto and La Wally.
On the first Thursday of every month, more than 80 of East London's art galleries stay open until 9pm. Heavyweight galleries such as the White Cube and the Barbican participate alongside smaller independent exhibition spaces, and many stage special events.
London's Southbank Centre and the International Guitar Foundation celebrate six-string wizardry from around the globe at this festival of the guitar. Past performers have included award-winning guitarist Tom Kerstens, Allan Holdsworth and one of Spain's leading flamenco guitarists, Gerardo Nunez.
Browse paintings including Old Masters, ancient Chinese ceramics, Art Deco jewellery and other sought-after treasures exhibited by British and international galleries at the annual London International Fine Art Fair. Buyers, curators and fine art aficionados fill the Olympia Exhibition Centre.
Music lovers, river enthusiasts, culture vultures and party animals will enjoy the ten-day Twickenham Festival. Highlights include Morris dancing, quiz nights and al fresco dining in Church Street, which is closed to cars during weekend evenings.
World-class polo players come to Fulham's Hurlingham Park for the three-day Polo in the Park event. The London event aims to shed the sport's elitist image, and make it accessible to more people. Polo players from all over the world will battle each other over three exhilarating days to gain the winning title.
Trooping the Colour is a quintessentially English experience of pomp and ceremony. A parade of the Massed Bands and Troops of the Foot Guards and Household Cavalry takes over Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's birthday.
Over 1000 naked, body-painted and scantily clad cyclists turn out for the annual World Naked Bike Ride in London, protesting against climate change and the tyranny of the automobile. Motorists stuck in traffic jams may get more than they bargained for...
The inaugural London Electronic Dance Festival takes over the city's Victoria Park with a feast of crunching beats and booming bass. French house music star David Guetta and influential UK electronic dance act Leftfield top the bill.
London Sculpture Week exhibits a wide range of sculpture from all over the world, dating from throughout history to the present day. All galleries are situated in London's Mayfair, making it easy for visitors to walk from one to another.
Stella McCartney, Antonio Beradi and Sheila Maloney all launched their careers at London's Graduate Fashion Week, Britain's springboard for major new designers, held at Earls Court 2. Competition is fierce as students battle to impress buyers, headhunters and the press.
Street theatre, music, acrobatics, comedy and spectacle from across the world provide entertainment for all ages and tastes at Inside Out. The National's annual summer fiesta spills from the theatre and onto Theatre Square, Square 2 and the terraces.
The Friends Life T20 begins with a group format in June, before quarter finals in July and Finals Day at Southampton's Rose Bowl in August. Surrey Brown Caps play their home games at The Oval in London.
This 6K fun run (or 2x3K relay race) benefits homeless charity Crisis. Starting at Paternoster Square, runners in the Crisis Square Mile Run pass the Tower of London and Tate Modern before finishing on the Millennium Bridge.
Sinc 1976 Brick Lane and, more particularly, Nicholas Hawksmoor's iconic Christ Church Spitalfields has resounded with a summer jamboree of exceptional music making. Old and new, and both professionsals and comuunity performers come together for the annual Spitalfields Festival.
The annual Meltdown festival of contemporary music, organised by London's Southbank Centre, is programmed each year by a celebrity curator. In 2011 the artistic director is Ray Davies, lead singer and rhythm guitarist of The Kinks.
The Friends Life T20 begins with a group format in June, before quarter finals in July and Finals Day at Southampton's Rose Bowl in August. Middlesex Panthers play their home games at Lord's, Richmond and Uxbridge.
Lovebox Weekender brings love, tunes and happy people to London's Victoria Park, making the most of a summer weekend with a quality line-up and plenty of festival fun. Away from the main stage you'll find DJs filling the dance arenas.
Toni Tambourine, the man behind club nights such as Future Perfect, Malibu Stacey, Sign Of The Times and more recently We Are You, is gracing clubland with his presence once more. This time he aims to put the glam back into going out with the monthly City Loud bash at Turnmills.
Those with an eye for a real fashion bargain visit the Designer Warehouse Womenswear Sale at Islington Studios. Find catwalk samples, international designers and current collections at up to 80% off original prices. Major names include Prada, Armani and Missoni.
The pride and joy of London's "Square Mile" are its exquisite guild halls and churches, which resonate every summer during the City of London Festival. Also spilling onto the streets, the closing concert takes place at mighty St Paul's Cathedral.
Every year around 27,000 riders take part in the London to Brighton Bike Ride. This huge fundraising cycle event covers a distance of 54 miles. The ride departs from Clapham Common in South London and finishes on Brighton's seafront.
Harrods Summer Sale draws thousands of bargain hunters to the Knightsbridge store every year. Shoppers sniff out cut-price designer clothes, kitchen appliances and other goodies in the world-renowned prim and proper emporium. Arrive in the small hours, prepared to queue.
The Big Mix has seven hours of live music spread across East London venues around Brick Lane. Café 1001, 93 Feet East, Cargo, The Brickhouse, Rough Trade, Spitalfields Market and the Vibe Bar host performances. Money raised goes to Macmillan Cancer Support.
The Hurlingham Club hosts the BNP Paribas Tennis Classic, a mainly seniors tennis tournament with all-time favourites. Pat Cash, Ilie Nastase and Henri Leconte have graced the courts here, and high-calibre tennis is guaranteed.
Royal Ascot is one of the grandest race meetings of the year and also a great social event. As much attention is paid to the fashions being worn as to the horses in the paddock.
Hickstead's Derby Meeting is the most exciting competition in British showjumping, drawing enthusiasts from throughout the country. The highlight of these four days is the Derby, when riders pit their wits against a fiendishly difficult and notoriously challenging course.
A highlight in London's art calendar, the BP Portrait Award exhibition is held annually at the National Portrait Gallery. It showcases the winning entries of what is considered by many to be the most prestigious portrait competition in the world.
A bit of a well-kept secret, Club Kali at The Dome in Tufnell Park is an open and friendly bi-monthly gay Asian music night
East London erupts every summer at the award-winning Greenwich+Docklands International Festival, London's longest-established free outdoor extravaganza. Spectacular performances, encompassing theatre and music, fill spaces across the Thames, connected each year by a different theme.
West End Live transforms Leicester Square into an extravaganza of theatre, dance and music. While the stage offers free fun and family-friendly entertainment for all, the whole area is out to impress with shopping and eating to boot.
The Pride parade has firmly established itself in London and is the biggest event in the UK gay diary. The carnival atmosphere transforms central London with a flamboyant parade of floats representing the full force of Great Britain's GLBT community.
Widely considered the world's greatest tennis tournament, top-seed players, traditional strawberries and cream and the infamous rain delays set Wimbledon apart from other Grand Slams. Some of the greatest matches of all time have been fought out here on Centre Court.
Despite all those cuts and closures it's not all doom and gloom for London's cultural calendar. Venues throughout the city this summer play host to the inaugural Bluesfest. Featuring BB King, Booker T and others, its soundtrack is blues, soul and jazz.
From Bollywood Queens to Pearly Kings, the East End Film Festival is a celebration of local and international film. Screenings depict locations throughout the world but they're all inspired by the vibrancy and diversity of London's East End.
The Wireless Festival in London's Hyde Park is another of the capital's addictive outdoor summer festivals with a top line-up of international performers. There is also a market, side shows and chillout zones.
The V&A Museum of Childhood Summer Festival brings a touch of Glastonbury to East London. The museum buzzes with the sounds of live music, street performers and rickshaw rides. Face-painting, food stalls and games also keep the little monsters entertained.
Hard Rock Calling in London's Hyde Park is a veritable rock music extravaganza on two huge stages. Top international stars perform every year on the park's east side, near Park Lane. Tickets sell like hot cakes, so book early.
In 1995, 100 years after Henry Wood founded "the Proms," the first Proms Chamber Music concerts were held. Since 2005 they have been held under Cadogan Hall's Byzantine tower, a tube stop away from the Royal Albert Hall.
Eagle-eyed collectors and antiques enthusiasts hunt for gems at the Ardingly Antiques and Collectors Fair, held at the South of England Showground. Hundreds of stalls sell everything from 19th-century silverware to textiles, ceramics and paintings.
Dating back to 1907, Hickstead's Royal International Horse Show (RIHS) welcomes the elite of many equestrian disciplines. There are competitions in everything from international show jumping and dressage to the very best of national showing.
Founded in 1895 by Sir Henry Wood, the Proms concerts at the Royal Albert Hall take over London's classical musical calendar every summer and, with some justification, can claim to be the greatest classical music festival in the world.
For decades the famous BBC Henry Wood Proms have taken over the resplendant Royal Albert Hall each summer. More recently, chamber and smaller ensemble concerts have also been programmed at Cadogan Hall, just one Tube stop away, including four Saturday matinées.
The annual Audi International offers world-class polo in the regal surroundings of the Guards Polo Club in Windsor Great Park. The long-running event attracts attention from media-celeb spotters, and is traditionally attended by the Queen and Prince Philip.
During summer Buckingham Palace's doors are opened to the public, providing access to the State Rooms. Highlights include gifts the Queen has received on behalf of her subjects, like Salvador Dalí drawings and an embroidered silk scarf from Nelson Mandela.
Sneak a peek inside the British Houses of Parliament, one of the world's oldest representative assemblies, during the Summer Opening. With nearly 1200 rooms and 100 staircases, the one-hour guided tour visits both debating Chambers and the great State Rooms.
Top solo musicians, orchestras and groups play in the open air around the striking Old Royal Naval College to celebrate the run-up to the 2012 London Olympics. The Greenwich Summer Sessions trumpet Greenwich's heritage with six days of themed live music.
One of the few remaining 1930s lidos in the country, Guildford Lido in Surrey is a heated Olympic-sized swimming pool that proves popular every time the sun makes an appearance. There is also an onsite gym.
London's Lufthansa Festival of Baroque Music takes over the churches of St John's - Smith Square, St Peter's - Eaton Square and Westminster Abbey every summer. Concerts range from little-known gems of early 17th-century repertoire to large-scale masterpieces of the late baroque.
Forget stuffy auditoriums and enjoy the pleasures of Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. Combining natural beauty, atmosphere and choice drama, current artistic director Timothy Sheader has expanded the repertoire to programme high drama and musicals as well as Shakespeare.
The Chessington World of Adventures theme park is just a short drive or train journey from London and a great day out for adrenalin-starved kids and their excited parents. Apart from countless rides, there's a zoo and Sea Life Centre.
Delve into an age of decadence with The Cult of Beauty, an exhibition at the V&A Museum on the Aesthetic Movement in Britain. Pieces ranging from paintings to ceramics showcase one of the most sensuously beautiful art periods in Western tradition.
Climb aboard the MV Princess Pocahontas for a guided tour along the Thames. Cruise upstream as far as London or to Greenwich, where you can visit the Maritime Museum and Cutty Sark. Sail downstream to enjoy Southend's traditional seaside amusements.
The Chantry Heritage Centre is a small museum housed within a 14th-century chapel. Inside there is an ornate Jacobean staircase and displays on Gravesend's local industries and Roman history, including Roman coins excavated from nearby Springhead.
Touch ancient Roman objects like coins and pottery, excavated at Crofton Roman Villa in Orpington. Evidence of underfloor heating within the ten rooms of this former farming estate reveals the sophistication of Roman life.
Those of you who are yet to be convinced about the merits of farmers' markets should visit Maidenhead Farmers' Market, held on Groves Road. It's one of the town's most reliable addresses for fresh, locally produced treats and savoury delicacies.
Rescued from dereliction by antiquary Denys Bower in 1955, 15th-century Chiddingstone Castle is home to Bower's impressive collection of Japanese, Egyptian and Buddhist artefacts, including Edo period weaponry. Finish the day with a walk around the National Trust village.
A well kept secret awaits you at the top of the Hilton Trafalgar hotel. The chic, candlelit Trafalgar Roof Garden is a great way to start a romantic night on the town or to unwind after a hard day's graft.
Hauteville House was the home of 19th-century French Romantic writer Victor Hugo during his years in exile in Guernsey from 1856 to 1870. The house remains as the author left it, and the interior mixes classical style with idiosyncratic touches.
Step into Charles Darwin's slippers and explore Down House, in which he wrote and researched his revolutionary On The Origin of Species series. Watch bees building their honeycomb or pace his Sandwalk path and come up with your own theories.
Chosen as the home for Henry VIII's children, Hatfield House is a gem in Hertfordshire's crown. Visitors can see tapestries, furniture and works of art in the house and explore the extensive gardens.