- The summer’s great and all that, especially with all of the crazy partying and long nights and masses of park land, but if can feel a bit overcrowded during the haze of July and August.
- We know how great the desire to pull out clumps of one’s own hair can be when what should be a five minute stroll along the South Bank turns into a five hour perambulatory traffic jam. Who’s going to miss that? Not you, that’s for sure. Most of these visitors have left by September, leaving London free for you to roll around in to your heart’s content.
- Overall, September is a wonderful time to visit London. It’s quieter than at many other times of year and offers you the chance to get to grips with the town and make it feel like your own, rather than continually jostling with tourists.
- And with so much on, there’s really no reason not to book that trip now, especially considering all of our amazing cheap hotel, hostel and budget B&B deals. Book from just £15 per person per night and check out all the reasons why September is great below!
We think this September is one of the best months for sports to have graced our green and pleasant shores since the 2012 Olympics, and here’s why:
The cricket season is still open, but the football and rugby seasons open too. So this is pretty much the only time of the year that you can go to all of our country’s national sports inside the same month.
After the excitement of Wimbledon you may have decided that you can’t deal with any more tension. But do what you can to stave it off, because one of our most anticipated events of the year is kicking off, both literally and figuratively…
The Rugby World Cup gets its muddy and bloodied game on, starting on 18 September. Even if you can’t make it to a game, the pubs and social clubs of London will be rucked by rugger fans from up and down the country.
You can also enjoy the final day of the County Cricket Championship, the venue of which is currently TBC (the teams are still sluggishly battling it out) but that will certainly be played on any self-respecting Sky Sports subscribing pub or sports bar.
Other events include the Tour of Britain (our version of the Tour de France) which sees an international coterie of competitive cyclists negotiate the terrifying narrowness of our country lanes, ending up in the capital on 13 September.
Thence to wetter pastures, namely the Lee Valley where the Canoe Slalom World Championships are taking place. We include this one as you actually can physically go and see it without having to re-mortgage your house to get a ticket, and let’s be honest, it’s quite exciting.
There are two Grand Prix: one in Monza, Italy; the other in Suzuka, Japan (6th and 27th September respectively), so motor heads can enjoy those from the safe and warm enclosure of a decent London pub. And there’s plenty more! Sort out your London accommodation from just £15 per person and enjoy your sporting fixture knowing you haven’t got far to go to rest your weary head afterwards.
We’re talking slightly more sophisticated affairs than the festivals of July and August. Two of these festivals run through the entire month, so you have no excuse for missing either.
The first is the iTunes Festival, which you will need to get tickets to, but offers some of the biggest names in music doing their thing at Camden’s spectacular Roundhouse. Even if you’re not the world’s biggest music fan, there will definitely be someone you like playing, so check out the line-up.
The second of these is Totally Thames, a festival incorporating the 17 London boroughs that line the Thames. All sorts of entertainment will be offered up and down the most famous river in England and the community spirit is quite inspirational. Once again, that’s a month long affair, and this one you don’t need tickets to. Just check out their listings and see what’s on during your temps libre and head on down. Why not make a day of it and bring some friends and a picnic?
From 3 to 14 September is Portobello Film Festival at Westbourne Studios in Notting Hill. London has had a few notable outdoor film festivals over the summer, but this is a chance to get to one of the country’s longest running independent fests. There are new films from all genres, most of which won’t be gracing normal cinemas, as well as talks with giants of the film industry.
The Angel Canal Festival is a colourful family day out full of great activities for kids and big kids alike. Being a canal festival, you’d be right if you thought there’d be water-based activity including boat trips, mini-regattas, canoeing and all sorts. There’s live music, tons of kids’ stuff like story-tellers, bouncy flippin’ castles and Punch and Judy shows, and all packed into one day; 6 September.
Alson on 6 September is London Mela at Gunnersbury Park, celebrating the cultures, cuisines, performance traditions and current day lifestyles of South East Asia. This is as colourful as it is tasty, and provides an iconic cultural window into the host cultures. The festival engages a range of communities and projects.
The V&A is hosting the London Design Festival yet again, which contains celebration of the most innovative in arts and design from all over the world. Prepare to be dazzled and, if we’re honest, a little confused by the amazing items you’ll see there.
There’s also the 100 Per Cent Design festival at Olympia, which is similar but bigger and more targeted at trading. If you need a new kitchen or something, we recommend going to get design ideas and just to see what’s cool in the design world (23 to 26 September).
We still consider The BBC Proms to be a lengthy festival of sorts, and you can still wander up and prom for the princely sum of a fiver most days, including taking in the enormous celebrations of the Last Night of the Proms. (If you don’t get in, which is likely unless you plan well in advance, then it’s always shown on BBC so you might be able to persuade a friendly barman to put it on for you.)
Finally, on 27 September there’s the Pearly Kings and Queens Harvest Festival. For the many of you for whom the concept of Pearly Kings and Queens is new and vaguely scary, they’re a London tradition going back centuries, whereby people from East London sew buttons and other odds and ends onto their clothing, creating some quite remarkable costumes. This is at the Guildhall, and celebrates London’s ancient association with guilds and aldermen.
Whichever festival tickles your fancy, make your budget spread even further by booking yourself into one of our cheap London accommodations for a bargain price this September.
September and October are traditionally the harvest months in the UK, and this is reflected in many of our hundreds of eateries.
Straight off the bat, there’s the Speciality and Fine Food Fair at Kensington Olympia from 6 to 8 September. This is a treat for the taste buds and offers a lot for the other senses too. As well as getting the opportunity to taste the finest foods from all over the world, you can witness demonstrations from world-class chefs and foodies. The Fair is aimed at restaurateurs in principle, but this doesn’t mean that you can’t get yourself along just to immerse yourself in delectable treats and get a few heads up as to the best places to eat (and what they’re cooking) in London.
September is also a fantastic time for seasonal ales, but knowing where to go for your preferred experimental sup can be a tricky game. Fuller’s brewery is one of London’s finest and they run a good number of pubs in the capital. Our top pick from their many establishments is the delightfully named Hung Drawn and Quartered in Tower Hill. As well as being a pretty large place, this has one of the most extensive guest ale selections of any pub as well as those produced by the brewery itself.
Aside from having slightly impersonal interiors, J.D. Wetherspoon pubs have by far and away the best collection of guest ales in London, and at prices that will make you laugh with joy. Our top London pick for these is The Knights Templar on Chancery Lane. This is a converted Victorian bank with a huge mezzanine looking over an impressive expanse of tables. The prices will assist in your saving plans, as will the great prices TravelStay.com has on accommodation in September!
