June 2008

The twang of ball on raquet fills the streets of Wimbledon in June as the Lawn Tennis Championship gets underway. Summer is officially here so it's time to sit out in the park - if you're passing Regent's Park you can also get a Taste of London at the annual posh nosh food fair.

Foo Fighters

Wembley Stadium, London, HA9 0WS
6th June 2008 - 7th June 2008

Who would have believed in the wake of Kurt Cobain's death - when Dave Grohl first stepped out from behind his drum kit - that his solo career would be so enduring. But here we are over a decade later and the Nirvana drummer fronts one of the world's most popular rock bands, who filled Hyde Park last year, and are playing to an even bigger crowd this summer in Wembley Stadium. Though seldom groundbreaking, Foo Fighters' songs possess an instantly recognisable quality, and Grohl's music has changed with the times, without ever losing the intensity that has brought them success with a whole new generation of fans.

More info: Foo Fighters Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

The Vodafone Derby Festival

Epsom Down Race Course, London, KT18 5LQ
6th June 2008 - 7th June 2008

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will be an interested spectator at this calendar racing event. The Derby is one of the oldest and greatest horse races in the world, established by the Earl of Derby in 1779. Today this race for three-year-olds attracts prize money of over a million pounds and crowds approaching 100,000. The rolling hills of the Epsom Downs make this course a unique challenge for horses and jockeys alike. It is also one of the most glamorous events in the international racing calendar. The Queen arrives by carriage, followed by thousands of spectators in their best togs. Racing gets underway at 2pm sharp. The Derby itself takes place on the Saturday, while Friday features a race called The Oaks, and, more importantly, Ladies Day, which is as much a fashion show as a horse race.

More info: The Vodafone Derby Festival Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition

Royal Academy, W1J 0BD
9th June 2008 - 17th August 2008

The Summer Exhibition is a lot of fun. Anybody can submit work to the selection panel which gives the exhibition a glorious element of surprise. Around 12,000 pieces are sifted through from relative unknowns to famous artists and members of the RA. Pieces are hung in close proximity to cram in as many as possible so they appear to jostle for coveted space on the prestigious Royal Academy gallery walls. The fun part for visitors is choosing a favourite and, with the majority of works on sale at varying price ranges, you can even buy one if you really fall in love with it. First held in 1768, the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition is the largest regular contemporary art exhibition in the world. It's an impressive show that gives an excellent cross-section of contemporary art each year.

Photo: Jane and Louise Wilson, Safe Light, Corridor, 2003, C-type Print on aluminium in perspex. Courtesy the artist and Lisson Gallery, London

More info: Royal Academy Summer Exhibition Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

BP Portrait Award 2008

National Portrait Gallery, WC2H 0HE
11th June 2008 - 14th September 2008

The £5,000 BP Portrait Award is, for many young artists, a ticket to making it in the art world. The competition is now open to everyone over the age of 18. The 60 exhibited short-listed entries demonstrates that portraiture is still an exciting, vital and relevant medium today. Some of the images play on perspective or use photographic techniques, alongside a host of other tricks but all share one aim: to reveal the inner lives of their subjects. Last year's winner, Paul Emsley, presented an intimate and detailed portrait of contemporary artist, Michael Simpson (pictured).

Photo: © Paul Emsley

More info: BP Portrait Award 2008 Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Meltdown Festival

South Bank Centre, London, SE1 8XX
14th June 2008 - 24th June 2008

Though performed in the rather staid seated auditoriums of the Royal Festival Hall, Meltdown remains one of the UK's most brilliantly eclectic festivals. Each year, it's curated by a legendary musician - last year we had the lovely Jarvis Cocker, and previous events have been run by godlike musicians including David Bowie, John Peel, Morrissey and Lee 'Scratch' Perry. The reputation of the festival ensures that they can get pretty much whoever they fancy to play, and the most influential, innovative and downright odd bands share the billing with some of the biggest acts in the history of pop music.

More info: Meltdown Festival Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Trooping the Colour

Horse Guard's Parade, SW1A 2AX
14th June 2008

To mark the second of the Queen's two birthdays (this is the official one, her actual birthday is on 21st April), Trooping the Colour presents a colourful display of ceremony and military history. It's a spectacular piece of pageantry but also a timely reminder of the role of the armed forces who are - in theory at least - under the Queen's control. Hundreds of well-disciplined soldiers in full dress uniform march past, and a different Battalion gives the Royal Salute each year, all accompanied by stirring military music from the massed bands. If you want to avoid the crush you can see the Horse Guards practicing for the grand parade at two smaller rehearsals in the days leading up to the grand event (dates to be confirmed).

More info: Trooping the Colour Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Taste of London

Marylebone Green, London, NW1 4NR
19th June 2008 - 22nd June 2008

Direct your rumbling stomach to Regent's Park for four days of al fresco gluttony as fifty of London's best restaurants, including a flurry of Michelin stars, show off their culinary handiwork. 'Taste of...' has become a nationwide phenomenon with events taking place in six cities this year. The London event in Regent's Park must be one of the most enjoyable. Work your way through a range of miniature speciality dishes - visitors can sample seven or eight small courses in a meal - hot off the plates from upmarket places like Le Gavroche, Jamie Oliver's Fifteen, Tom Aikens, Scott's, Fino, Pied a Terre, Yauatcha and Galvin at Windows - if last year's line-up is anything to go by. While tasting fashionable fare and shopping for fine wines, spirits and gourmet foods among the 140 stalls, the civilised sounds of live jazz and opera fill the air and aid the digestion. A gourmet grazing picnic extraordinaire, no restaurant lover should miss this tasty event which has already become a firm fixture in the foodie calendar.

More info: Taste of London Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Nelson Mandela 90th Birthday Concert

Hyde Park, London, W2 3JA
20th June 2008 (probable date)

The inspirational revolutionary-turned-peacemaker has long regarded London as a second home. It was this city, under Ken Livingstone's GLC, that led the worldwide movement to free him during his twenty-seven years in captivity, and it is here that he has decided to celebrate his ninetieth birthday. There are no details yet of the ticketing and line-up details, but we can expect some pulse-raising South African music, alongside some of the protest bands that took up his cause, and the cause of liberty worldwide, during South Africa's long walk to freedom. Fingers crossed for a reformed Specials AKA to sing 'Free Nelson Mandela' as a grand finale.

More info: Nelson Mandela 90th Birthday Concert Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Candide

The Coliseum, WC2N 4ES
23rd June 2008 - 12th July 2008

Voltaire's masterly satire tells the story of a young man, Candide, who still clings to the philosophy that everything is for the best in this best of all possible worlds, even after being beaten, robbed and torn from the woman he loves. Brought to the stage with a jazzy score by Leonard Bernstein, this tragic tale rattles along in high comic fashion, mixing wacky slapstick with moments as sentimental as anything from Andrew Lloyd Webber. This new production at the English National Opera is cutting out the 1950s topical jokes: the script has been completely rewritten for the twenty-first century, and apparently now includes a scene where actors in Blair and Bush masks dance in their underwear, which was enough to have it banned from La Scala last summer (though it was reinstated after cuts). Directed by Canadian Robert Carsen, it was well-received on its Paris debut last year, and with Toby Spence as the eponymous victim should do just as well on the British stage.

More info: Candide Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube

Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship

All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, SW19 5AE
23rd June 2008 - 6th July 2008

Wimbledon is the most watched tennis event in the Grand Slam calendar, with a TV audience of untold millions and over half a million spectators attending the All England Club to catch the action live. Many tennis pros covet the Wimbledon crown above all others and the grass surface makes for fast, breathless duels. You're too late for the advance tickets ballot. It is, however, easy to get in to the grounds if you queue up in the morning. There are only 500 tickets for the centre courts available, so you have to turn up seriously early - or queue overnight - to be certain of getting to see the biggest matches, but in the first week the outer courts still have some of the world's greatest players and you can grab tickets for them if you arrive by about 9am.

More info: Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship Map, Prices, Opening Times and Nearest Tube