What’s coming up in August
We present our ‘What’s on’ for the month. While the summer edition of our regular luxury publication, in print and digital form is out there, this monthly listing has been designed to give you a handy what’s on guide for this month. Browse to be inspired for places to go and entertainment to be enjoyed in Surrey, Berkshire, West Sussex & London:
Surrey and neighbouring areas:
THEATRE
Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, Surrey…
Pictures: www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk
Browse Yvonne Arnaud’s full listings HERE
Yvonne Arnaud Theatre is located at Millbrook, Guildford GU1 3UX
New Victoria Theatre, Woking, Surrey…
Pictures: www.atgtickets.com/venues/woking-theatre
Browse New Victoria Theatre full listings HERE
New Victoria Theatre is located at The Ambassadors, The Peacocks Centre, Woking GU21 6GQ
G-Live, Guildford, Surrey…
Photo: www.trafalgartickets.com/g-live-guildford
Browse G-Live’s full listings HERE
G-Live is at London Road, Guildford, GU1 2AA
Dorking Halls & Pippbrook House, Surrey..
Pictures: www.dorkinghalls.co.uk
Browse Dorking Hall’s full listings HERE
Dorking Halls is on the Reigate Road, Dorking. RH4 1SG
Pippbrook House is on Reigate Road, Dorking RH4 1SH
Windsor’s Theatre Royal, Berkshire…
Pictures: www.theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk
Browse the full listing for Theatre Royal Windsor HERE
Theatre Royal Windsor is at 32 Thames Street, Windsor SL4 1PS
Richmond Theatre, Surrey…
Pictures: www.atgtickets.com/venues/richmond-theatre
Browse the full listing for Richmond Theatre HERE
Richmond Theatre is on Little Green, Richmond TW9 1QJ
Watts Gallery..
Pictures: www.wattsgallery.org.uk
Summer at Watts – for all the family
Watts Gallery’s ‘Summer at Watts’ includes a range of events and hands-on experiences for the whole family. They include Watts Quoits, skittles and jenga on the Gallery lawn, William Morris Wombat Trail, Bubble station, Big Butterfly Count, Picnic boxes, The Make Space, Face Painting, Children’s summer book festival and Clay Club
Bird & Pomegranate © Morris & Co
The Art of Wallpaper: Morris & Co.
Currently on display until January: Watts Gallery presents a major exhibition celebrating William Morris, one of Britain’s most influential designers.
The Art of Wallpaper: Morris & Co. is a vibrant exhibition exploring the beauty, craftsmanship and enduring appeal of William Morris’s iconic designs. The exhibition brings together more than 30 original wallpapers from the archives of Morris & Co. and offers a rare opportunity to see original, much-loved and well-known designs. Visitors will be able to get up close to original wallpaper and marvel at meticulous hand-printing techniques.
Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village, Down Lane, Compton, Surrey, GU3 1DQ
Tel. 01483 810235. www.wattsgallery.org.uk
Read more about all events at Watts Gallery HERE
Lightbox Gallery..
The Lost Gardens of Lobsteropolis
Artist Philip Colbert’s first UK museum exhibition, The Lost Gardens of Lobsteropolis, is on at Lightbox Gallery & Museum, Woking, until 1 November 2026. The immersive exhibition features paintings, sculptures and large-scale artworks inspired by mythology, Pop Art and digital culture, with Colbert’s signature lobster character appearing throughout the display.
Read more in our recent online article.
The Lightbox Gallery is Chobham Road, Woking, Surrey GU21 4AA
West Horsley Place
Picture: www.westhorsleyplace.org
Quantum Contemporary Art Exhibition
6–9 August
West Horsley Place hosts the Quantum Contemporary Art Exhibition from 6–9 August, featuring more than 100 original works by 25 artists. Free to enter, the annual exhibition showcases painting, printmaking, sculpture and mixed media within the historic manor house setting.
Secret Garden Sessions
7 August
West Horsley Place’s Secret Garden Sessions take place on 7 August, inviting visitors to enjoy live music in the walled gardens. The Sarah Jane Eveleigh Quartet performs interpretations of American Songbook classics while guests relax with picnics in the surroundings.
Greyfriars Vineyard, Puttenham
Photo: www.alfrescoactors.com
Around the World in 80 Days
6 August
Greyfriars Vineyard, Puttenham, presents Around the World in 80 Days on 6 August. This open-air adaptation of Jules Verne’s classic combines live music, inventive storytelling and actor-musicians for a fast-paced theatrical adventure across continents under the summer sky.
Tickets: www.alfrescoactors.com
Loseley Park, Guildford
Photo: www.liveatloseley.com
Live at Loseley
7–9 August
Loseley Park, Guildford, hosts Live at Loseley from 7–9 August, featuring open-air concerts across three evenings. Audiences can enjoy themed performances celebrating 80s and 90s hits, musical theatre and country music alongside food, drink and festival-style surroundings.
Farnham Maltings
Picture: www.farnhammaltings.com
The Great Gatsby
21–23 August
Farnham Maltings stages The Great Gatsby from 21–23 August. Fresh from the Edinburgh Fringe, Key Players present an immersive adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, featuring cabaret seating, live singing and a 360-degree theatrical experience throughout the performance.
Denbies Wine Estate, Dorking
Photo: www.surreyhills.org
Surrey Hills Sheep Parade
26 August
Denbies Wine Estate, Dorking, welcomes the Surrey Hills Sheep Parade on 26 August. Life-sized sheep sculptures, individually decorated by Surrey artists, highlight farming and animal welfare while celebrating local creativity through a colourful public art initiative for visitors.
Hampton Court Palace
Picture: www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace
Beano Havoc
25 July–23 August
Hampton Court Palace hosts Beano Havoc from 25 July–23 August. Families can follow a comic-strip trail through the palace, solving clues to help Dennis and friends repair a fictional time machine during this interactive summer adventure for children.
Food Festival
29–31 August
Hampton Court Palace hosts its Food Festival from 29–31 August, bringing together artisan producers, street food vendors and drinks stalls. Visitors can sample a wide range of cuisines within the palace grounds during the August Bank Holiday weekend.
www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace
Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre
Photo: www.thebritishmotorshow.live
The British Motor Show
21–23 August
The British Motor Show returns to Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre from 21–23 August. Visitors can explore new, classic and modified cars, live stunt shows, test drives, motorsport displays, family attractions, entertainment, food and live music.
Peaslake Village Fair
Monday 31 August
Peaslake Village Fair returns on Monday 31 August, 1-4.30pm. Enjoy traditional village fair fun with stalls, games, food, entertainment, children’s activities, and prizes in the heart of the Surrey Hills. A great family day out supporting local charities.
Our choices from London this month:
The National Portrait Gallery
Last few days of Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait
Pictures: www.npg.org.uk: L-R: Green Marilyn, 1962, by Andy Warhol, © 2026 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Licensed by DACS, London, National Gallery of Art, Washington. Gift of William C. Seitz and Irma S. Seitz; Marilyn Monroe, 1946, by André De Dienes, © André de Dienes / MUUS Collection; Norma Jeane, 1946, by Bruno Bernard, Bernard of Hollywood Foundation; Marilyn Monroe, Ballerina Sitting, 1954, by Milton H. Greene, Milton H. Greene © MHG Collective, LLC.
Until 6 September
The National Portrait Gallery will mark the centenary of Marilyn Monroe’s birth with Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait, running until 6 September 2026. The exhibition will explore her life, career and cultural legacy through portraits by leading photographers and artists, including Andy Warhol, Pauline Boty and Richard Avedon. It will also feature previously unseen photographs and examine Monroe’s role in shaping her public image.
The National Portrait Gallery is at St Martin’s Place, London WC2H 0HE
Notting Hill Carnival
29th – 31st August
Notting Hill Carnival returns to west London over the August Bank Holiday weekend, from 29 to 31 August 2026. The annual celebration features steel pan competitions, J’ouvert, opening ceremonies, children’s and adult parades, traditional mas performances and more than 30 sound systems across the parade route. Visitors can also explore hundreds of food stalls serving Caribbean cuisine.
Foe full details, visit the official website
National Theatre
Photo: www.nationaltheatre.org.uk
Electra/Persona (with Cate Blanchett)
From 19th August until 10th October
Electra/Persona arrives at the National Theatre from 19 August, combining ancient Greek tragedy with modern psychological drama. Starring Cate Blanchett, Nina Hoss and Ella Lily Hyland, Benedict Andrews’ production explores grief, identity and performance through two interconnected stories where the boundaries between self, role and reality become increasingly blurred.
National Theatre is at Upper Ground, South Bank, London SE1 9PX
The Royal Albert Hall
The BBC Proms
The BBC Proms this year features 86 concerts across eight weeks, featuring more than 3,000 artists. Alongside leading orchestras and internationally renowned classical performers, the programme also includes contemporary influences, with events celebrating Miles Davis and Marvin Gaye, plus the first-ever Prog Rock Prom and Altın Gün.
For the full line-up, visit the website
Mall Galleries
Pictured: 2 year old Freya and 11 year old Athena at the immersive Home Sweet Home exhibition by Huaicun Zhang at Mall Galleries. Photo: Mark Sepple & WADE PR
Home Sweet Home – interactive exhibition
Home Sweet Home is an immersive family exhibition by British-Chinese artist and author Huaicun Zhang at London’s Mall Galleries until 15 August. Blending art, storytelling, sound and interactive installations, it explores themes of childhood, identity and belonging, with family activities, workshops and performances running throughout the exhibition.
Advance booking is recommended. Read our online article about the exhibition HERE
Mall Galleries are on The Mall, London SW1
Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
Cats
Royal Academy
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
Photo: www.royalacademy.org.uk
Until 23 August
The Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy is a must-see. Year after year, it has occupied a special place in the collective imagination as a reflection of all that is exciting and essential in British and international art and architecture right now. You’ll encounter art and artists of all kinds here – drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, architecture, film and digital art, made by members of the public, emerging artists and household names, including our Royal Academicians (and the occasional celebrity).
The Royal Academy is at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD
Tel. 020 7300 8090
Kew Gardens
Henry Moore: Monumental Nature
Photo: www.kew.org
A landmark exhibition of Moore’s work across Kew Gardens
From May 9th, Kew Gardens hosts the largest outdoor presentation of Henry Moore’s work, uniting art and nature across its iconic landscapes. Around 30 monumental sculptures, spanning nearly 70 years, are placed in dialogue with trees and historic vistas. Indoors, the Shirley Sherwood Gallery shows 90+ smaller works and botanical paintings, exploring Moore’s fascination with growth, form and the natural world. Expect an immersive, large-scale journey blending sculpture with living collections.
Kew Gardens is at Kew, Richmond, London, TW9 3AE
David Hockney and Cecily Brown at Serpentine Gallery
David Hockney “A Year in Normandie” 2020-2021 (detail) Composite iPad painting © David Hockney. Photo: www.serpentinegalleries.org
The Serpentine brings A Year in Normandie to London for the first time. The work by David Hockney, who sadly passed away in June, was inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry. The ninety-metre frieze reflects seasonal change in Normandy, celebrating everyday beauty and opening a dialogue with Kensington Gardens.
Until 23rd August
Image: Cecily Brown: Picture Making, installation view, Serpentine South, 2026. © Cecily Brown. Photo: © Jo Underhill
Cecily Brown presents a exhibition at Serpentine in Kensington Gardens, featuring paintings inspired by the site’s landscape and park life. The show includes newly commissioned works alongside pieces dating from 2001 and recent monotypes and drawings. Brown explores scale, colour and recurring motifs, including couples, woodland scenes and unsettling nature walks. The exhibition reflects early influences such as English landscapes and children’s illustrations, while marking her first UK solo since 2005 and a return after three decades in New York.
Until 6th September
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