Looking for things to do this weekend, 23 to 25 May 2026? The late May bank holiday has arrived with its usual blend of optimism, train engineering works, overcommitted group chats and one person insisting “we don’t need to book”. You do.
This is the weekend when the South properly wakes up. Brighton is deep in festival season, London is pretending floral installations and comic book costumes are entirely normal, Sussex has castles and twilight gardens, Kent is welcoming back the Dunkirk Little Ships, and Surrey is offering jazz on a National Trust lawn, which is about as bank holiday as it gets without someone producing a warm bottle of rosé from a tote bag.
Here are twelve genuinely useful things to do across Brighton, London, Sussex, Kent and Surrey this May bank holiday weekend.
Brighton Festival’s 60th edition reaches its closing stretch over the bank holiday, which means the city is still full of theatre, outdoor art, circus and people earnestly asking whether you have “seen anything good yet”. Sensible answers include Soft Machines on Hove Promenade, a free outdoor visual art commission running until 24 May, and CHAIR! at Circus Street on 23 and 24 May. The wider programme also includes carnation, a large-scale immersive circus show running until 25 May.
The joy of Brighton Festival is that you do not need to understand every artistic intention to have a good time. Sometimes it is enough to stand by the sea, look at something strange and say, with conviction, “I think it’s about bodies.”
When: Saturday 23 to Monday 25 May
Where: Various venues across Brighton and Hove
Best for: Culture without committing to sitting indoors all day
Artists Open Houses is one of Brighton’s best ideas: residents, artists and makers open their homes, studios and garden sheds to the public, allowing everyone to wander around buying ceramics, prints, jewellery and the dangerous fantasy of a more creative life. The May 2026 festival runs over four weekends, with the final bank holiday weekend taking place on 23, 24 and 25 May.
This is perfect if you want something free, walkable and nosy in a culturally respectable way. Pick a trail, leave time for cake, and accept that you may return home wondering whether your hallway needs a lino print of a mackerel.
When: Saturday 23 to Monday 25 May
Where: Across Brighton, Hove and surrounding areas
Best for: Art lovers, home snoopers and gift buyers with taste
Brighton Fringe is still in full chaos mode across the long weekend, and Caravanserai is again one of its most atmospheric hubs, positioned north of St Peter’s Church in Valley Gardens. The site includes intimate venues such as Junk Poets and Klub Kaput, with free and ticketed performances throughout the festival. CaraDANCErai! also has free outdoor performances listed for Saturday 23 May.
This is the Brighton experience in concentrated form: a converted carousel, a big top, someone doing something emotionally ambitious with a microphone, and a bar close enough to make everything feel like a good decision.
When: Saturday 23 May and throughout the Fringe weekend
Where: Caravanserai, Valley Gardens, Brighton
Best for: Fringe energy without needing a spreadsheet
SpiegelGardens is another strong Fringe bet for the bank holiday, with comedy, cabaret, music and nightlife running through May. The venue’s 2026 programme includes events at the Spiegeltent and WundaBarn, with Brighton Fringe listings showing performances across the weekend.
It is the sort of place where a casual drink can become an 11pm cabaret booking, which can become a 1am chips situation, which can become a solemn vow never to make plans again. In other words, festival season working exactly as intended.
When: Saturday 23 to Monday 25 May
Where: SpiegelGardens, Brighton
Best for: Cabaret, comedy, music and accidentally staying out
Chelsea in Bloom runs until Sunday 24 May, transforming the area around King’s Road into London’s largest free flower festival. The 2026 theme is Out of this World, with more than 140 shops, restaurants, pubs and hotels creating floral displays inspired by space travel, astrology and spiritual symbolism.
It is free, photogenic and knowingly ridiculous. Essentially, Chelsea looks in the mirror and says, “What if we were even more Chelsea?” For once, the answer is rather lovely.
When: Until Sunday 24 May
Where: Chelsea, London
Best for: Free London plans, photos and pre-lunch wandering
MCM London Comic Con returns to ExCeL London from 22 to 24 May, covering the heart of the bank holiday weekend. The official event page lists opening times across Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with Saturday 23 May running from 9am to 7pm for priority and weekend tickets, and Sunday 24 May running until 5pm.
Expect cosplay, comics, gaming, panels, merch, queues and the joyful sight of several thousand people taking fictional universes far more seriously than the actual one. Frankly, who can blame them?
When: Friday 22 to Sunday 24 May
Where: ExCeL London
Best for: Pop culture, cosplay and indoor spectacle
Foodies Festival lands at Syon Park from Saturday 23 to Monday 25 May, promising the UK’s biggest celebration of food and drink. The 2026 line-up includes music from Scouting For Girls on Saturday, Boyzlife on Sunday and Gareth Gates on Monday.
It is not subtle, but nor should it be. Bank holidays were not designed for tiny portions and quiet reflection. They were designed for street food, chef demos, live music and buying chilli jam from someone who looks like they has opinions about sourdough.
When: Saturday 23 to Monday 25 May
Where: Syon Park, London
Best for: Food, music and family-friendly day drinking
City Splash takes over Brockwell Park on Monday 25 May, bringing reggae, dancehall, afrobeats, jungle, garage and Caribbean and African culture to South London. The festival describes itself as a one-day celebration of carnival energy, music and food, with ticket listings confirming the 25 May date at Brockwell Park.
This is the big Monday option. Not the “shall we go for a gentle walk?” Monday. The proper one. The “book Tuesday off if you have any respect for your nervous system” Monday.
When: Monday 25 May
Where: Brockwell Park, London
Best for: Music, food and starting summer properly
Leonardslee Lates returns from 22 to 24 May, opening the gardens after hours with live music, street food and Sussex sparkling wine. Doors open at 5.30pm, music starts at 6pm and last entry is at 8pm.
This is a strong choice if your ideal bank holiday involves flowers, lakes, wine and not having to pretend you enjoy standing in a packed pub garden next to a recycling bin. It is gently romantic, very Sussex and significantly less stressful than trying to find dinner in Brighton at 8pm without a booking.
When: Friday 22 to Sunday 24 May
Where: Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens, Lower Beeding, near Horsham
Best for: Date nights, garden lovers and civilised evenings
Arundel Castle hosts Medieval Festival: A Skirmish from Saturday 23 to Monday 25 May. The event is set in 1480, after the Wars of the Roses, with living history, combat, camps and castle atmosphere.
There are few bank holiday sights more satisfying than adults in armour taking history extremely seriously while children eat ice cream nearby. Arundel also gives you the bonus of a proper town to wander, with antique shops, riverside walks and enough tea rooms to survive a constitutional crisis.
When: Saturday 23 to Monday 25 May
Where: Arundel Castle, West Sussex
Best for: Families, history fans and anyone who thinks weekends need more weaponry
The Dunkirk Little Ships return to Ramsgate Royal Harbour from 22 to 25 May, marking the 86th anniversary of Operation Dynamo. Visit Thanet confirms a four-day programme with more than 25 original Dunkirk Little Ships in the harbour, alongside military vehicle displays, parades, workshops and more.
This is easily one of the most meaningful events of the weekend. It has history, harbour views, maritime spectacle and actual emotional weight, which is more than can be said for most bank holiday entertainment involving face paint and a falafel wrap.
When: Friday 22 to Monday 25 May
Where: Ramsgate Royal Harbour, Kent
Best for: History, families, photographers and a proper day by the sea
Polesden Lacey is hosting Lazy Jazz Bank Holiday Weekend from 23 to 25 May, with music on the South Lawn from 2pm to 4pm. Visit Surrey recommends bringing a rug and settling in for the afternoon at the National Trust estate.
This is the gentlest option on the list, and there is nothing wrong with that. Not every bank holiday needs a wristband, a food queue and someone shouting “one more tune” into a microphone. Sometimes the correct answer is a picnic, a lawn, jazz and the smug serenity of leaving before the traffic gets silly.
When: Saturday 23 to Monday 25 May
Where: Polesden Lacey, Surrey
Best for: Picnics, families and low-effort elegance
Best free things to do: Chelsea in Bloom, Artists Open Houses, Brighton Festival outdoor works
Best for families: MCM Comic Con, Arundel Castle, Ramsgate Little Ships, Polesden Lacey
Best for food and drink: Foodies Festival, Leonardslee Lates, Brighton Fringe hubs
Best for culture: Brighton Festival, Artists Open Houses, Chelsea in Bloom
Best for a full day out by train: Brighton, Ramsgate, Arundel or London
Best if you want Monday to feel like summer: City Splash
The late May bank holiday is a strange little national performance. Everyone pretends they are being spontaneous, while secretly checking train times, weather apps and whether the pub takes bookings. This year, the South has enough going on to make that effort worthwhile.
Brighton gives you festivals at full tilt. London offers flowers, fandom, food and one very big Monday in Brockwell Park. Sussex does gardens and castles. Kent brings back the Little Ships. Surrey provides jazz on a lawn, because Surrey understands the brief.
Book where needed, check timings before travelling, and do not be the person who says “we’ll just see what happens”. That person ends up eating crisps outside a closed café.
