August in London doesn’t empty restaurants and bar staff outnumbering customers, just because half of the city is away. Between a Neapolitan pizza village landing by Tower Bridge, a month of Daiquiris across six bars, a Georgian garden turned cocktail village and a brand new festival taking over two of the capital’s most-booked postcodes, there’s more reason to stay in town this summer than leave it, especially if you’re a foodie.

London festivals for food and drinks at a glance

• Best for a pizza pilgrimage — Caputo Pizza Village (23–26 July, Potters Fields Park)
• Best for evening drinks — Daiquiri Month (until 2 August, various bars)
• Best for a group night out — Cocktails in the City (6–8 August, Bedford Square Garden)
• Best for a foodie stroll — Plated (1–31 August, King’s Road & Knightsbridge)
• Best for a unique date night — Sipsmith Sipper Club (29 July & 26 August, Chiswick)
• Best for a listening-bar night in — Toki-O Nights at Mitsu (5 & 19 August, Shoreditch)

The London food and drinks festivals coming up: full list

Caputo Pizza Village – 23 to 26 July

Naples’ biggest pizza festival is landing in the capital for the first time. Caputo Pizza Village – already established in Naples, Milan and Berlin – takes over Potters Fields Park, right beside Tower Bridge, from 23 to 26 July, bringing four days of Neapolitan pizza-making, live cooking and an unmistakably Italian atmosphere to the South Bank.

Eight pizzerias are taking part, each serving the classic Margherita and Marinara alongside a signature special created just for the event. Highlights include Pellone’s SolodaPellone, topped with pistachio ricotta, fior di latte, Bologna IGP mortadella and pistachio crumble; Errico Porzio’s Margherrico, with a crust stuffed with ricotta and finished with semi-dried tomatoes and basil-flavoured cheese; and Pizza Pilgrims’ Golden Blaze, made with yellow tomato sauce, crumbled sausage and smoked provola. London names Braviragazzi Streatham, 081, Connie’s and Rudy’s are also on the pizzeria lineup, alongside Antica Pizzeria da Gennaro – each bringing their own take on the format straight from their home kitchens.

Beyond the food, visitors can book onto a Casa Caputo Pizza Masterclass to learn hands-on dough and topping technique from Neapolitan pizzaioli, alongside live entertainment and workshops running throughout the four days. Tickets cost £19.50 and menu pre-orders are available now via Eventbrite, with masterclass places booked separately through the event’s official site.

Daquiri month – until 2 August

Last Sunday, 19 July, marked 127 years of the Daiquiri, and six London bars are marking the occasion with limited-edition menus running throughout July, in partnership with rum brand Ron Santiago de Cuba. Expect bar-specific twists on the original, alongside Cuban music nights and giveaways at select venues. Some of the new exclusive drinks include:

Callooh Callay has converted its Lounge into a Havana-themed hideaway for the month. The £13 menu includes the Frozen Guinness Rum Punch, alongside the Dulce Oriente, which carries an absinthe kick.

Silk Stockings (Dalston Ln, E8) has three new additions for July only: the Cuban Breeze, made with mint, lime and coconut; a Mandarin Daiquiri; and the Santiago Orchard, built on 11-year-old Añejo rum, Licor43, cloudy apple juice, lime and soda.

The Cocktail Trading Co joins slightly later, from 20 July to 2 August, with a Classic Daiquiri, a Solero-inspired ice cream milk punch, and a Corn N Oil riff.

Cocktails In the City – 6 to 8 August

From 6–8 August, Bedford Square Garden, one of London’s few remaining private Georgian gardens, tucked just off Oxford Street, transforms into a three-day village of pop-up cocktail bars, with drinks from £10.

Roughly 20 bars take part each session, and this year’s wider line-up spans everything from grand hotel bars to cult neighbourhood spots – names appearing across the 2026 series include Ognisko, Dram Bar, The Coral Room, Laki Kane, Hutong, Quaglino’s, Hidden Society, Aqua Kyoto and Holborn Dining Room, among others, each designing a bespoke festival menu.

Beyond the bars, the garden turns into a proper summer set-up: a DJ-led silent disco, live music on a mainstage, and garden games including table tennis, cornhole and a dedicated pétanque court. There’s a food village running alongside it, with small plates from local chefs and restaurants, plus cocktail masterclasses and tasting rooms, General admission starts from £17, with tickets at cocktailsinthecity.com.

Plated dining festival – 1 to 31 August

A new dining festival is landing in two of London’s most established food neighbourhoods. Plated runs for the whole of August, bringing together more than 30 restaurants, cafés, bars and hotels across King’s Road and Knightsbridge, each creating a festival-exclusive menu, limited-edition dish or one-off dining experience for the month.

It’s the first edition of what organisers – the Knightsbridge and King’s Road Partnerships business group – hope will become an annual fixture, designed to draw people to the area during what’s traditionally a quieter stretch for London dining.

Confirmed participants include:

• Hawksmoor Knightsbridge, offering a two- or three-course menu with a complimentary drink from £25
• The Cadogan Arms, which has created a limited-edition dish in partnership with The Lost Explorer.
• The Trafalgar is offering 33% off food for the month
• Harry’s Dolce Vita and SETTE at the Bulgari Hotel London, each with dishes specifically for the festival.

Plated runs from 1–31 August 2026.

Sipsmith Sipper Club — 29 July & 26 August

Sipsmith is opening its Chiswick distillery after dark this summer for a two-night supper club set right among its copper stills. Sipper Club runs on Tuesday 29 July, with a second date on Tuesday 26 August.

Guests arrive to a welcome cocktail from the Sipsmith gin bus, then sit down to a three-course, gin-paired menu from chef Giuseppe Trezza, the Rome-trained Head of the Event Kitchen at The Ned and a current contestant on MasterChef: The Professionals 2026. It’s part supper club, part distillery after-hours, with cocktail pairings through every course, storytelling from the Sipsmith team, a hands-on cocktail-making moment, and dinner served among the stills that helped shape London’s modern gin revival.

Tickets include:

• Welcome cocktail from the Sipsmith gin bus
• After-hours access to the Chiswick distillery
• Three-course menu by Giuseppe Trezza
• Sipsmith cocktail pairings with every course
• Storytelling from Giuseppe and the Sipsmith team
• A hands-on cocktail-making moment
• A Sipsmith gift bag to take home

Toki-O Nights at Mitsu – 5 and 19 August

Mitsu in Shoreditch is hosting Toki-O Nights, a two-date music series built around Japan’s kissaten listening-bar culture and its slower, hi-fi-led approach to a night out. Both dates are free to attend, with Technics supplying the sound system and Toki Japanese Highballs – the drink traditionally served in Tokyo’s listening bars – poured throughout the evening.

Wednesday 5 August brings Scott Pelloux, an East London DJ and record collector tied to VDS (Vinyl Delivery Service), playing across jazz, ambient, funk and electronic. Wednesday 19 August brings Shuya Okino, the Japanese DJ and producer who co-founded Kyoto Jazz Massive – the first Japanese act to reach No. 1 on the BBC Radio 1 charts, with “Eclipse.” Both nights also give guests the chance to win Toki Highball and Technics prizes.

Music runs from 7pm on both dates. Entry is free with no RSVP needed, though Mitsu recommends booking a table directly.

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