Having trouble deciding on the best spots for photography in London?
Then check out the fantastic events in the London and Watford area this month. These events are more geared towards photography, fashion and art.
Welcome to October! A month of colour with all the autumn changes. As we reach mid-autumn, summer still feels like it’s clinging on; October brings another busy month, especially across London and Watford.
So much is happening over the coming weeks, from the Frieze Art Show to World Zombie Day. Plenty of opportunities to get out with your camera. In this month’s newsletter, I’ve picked out some of the most interesting events and places worth adding to your diary, along with a few highlights from September you may have missed.
More events are listed below.
You can check out my free Photography Journal on Substack for more in-depth on what I have been up to each week with photography. There is also a Substack membership, where I have been adding more Photography guides on various aspects of the industry to help photographers grow their business. You can find out what I will be adding in the next couple of months here.
Last Updated: 1st October
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If you’re a writer interested in fashion, I’m an editor on a publication on Medium called Fashion Police. I am looking for new writers; get in contact if you are interested.1s
Black History Month at venues across London – 1st till 31st
A month of talks, exhibitions and events celebrating Black history and culture across the capital.
Find out more here.
Bloomsbury Festival at venues across Bloomsbury – 1st till 31st
The neighbourhood arts and ideas festival returns at full strength for a month-long programme.
Find out more here.
Korea at the British Museum – 1st till 31st January 2027
2,000 years of Korean art and design, and the most comprehensive survey of its kind in Europe in over 40 years.
Find out more here.
Painting the French Riviera at the Royal Academy of Arts – 2nd till 31st January 2027
Over 160 works, including Picasso, Matisse and Cézanne, tracing how the Côte d’Azur shaped modern art.
Find out more here.
Es Devlin: Other Worlds at the Design Museum – 2nd till 4th April 2027
The first European retrospective of the artist and stage designer’s 30-year career in sculpture, light and performance.
Find out more here.
Salman Toor: Someone Like You at The Courtauld Gallery – 2nd till 10th January 2027
The New York painter’s first European solo show, with 19 works about friendship, love and belonging.
Find out more here.
Hex in the Gardens at Chelsea Physic Garden – 3rd
An after-dark storytelling walk about women herbalists and cunning folk who were persecuted during the witch craze.
Find out more here.
Renoir and Love at the National Gallery – 3rd till 31st January 2027
Renoir at his peak, including ‘Bal au Moulin de la Galette’, shown in the UK for the first time.
Find out more here.
Japan Matsuri at Trafalgar Square – 4th
Showcasing Japanese culture in the UK, Japan Matsuri has attracted a loyal audience of Londoners, the Japanese community and other visitors, families and friends each year since 2009. Food, music, dancing & Japanese culture on show.
Find out more here.
BFI London Film Festival (70th edition) at venues across London – 7th till 18th
The biggest event in London’s film calendar, with galas and UK and world premieres.
Find out more here.
The 90s: Art and Fashion at Tate Britain – 8th till 14th 2027
Edward Enninful curates British art, fashion and photography from the 90s, including Juergen Teller, Damien Hirst and Alexander McQueen.
Find out more here.
Tim Walker’s Fairyland: Love and Legends at the National Portrait Gallery – 8th till 31st January 2027
Five years of new portraits of queer trailblazers by one of Britain’s leading fashion photographers.
Find out more here.
The Other Art Fair at Trueman Brewery – 8th to 11th
Affordable and original artworks and independent artists with immersive installations, performances, and DJs. Taking place at the Truman Brewery in Shoreditch.
Find out more here.
World Zombie Day in London – 10th
Experience the thrill of London’s reanimated zombie walk through the heart of the city. Don your most impressive zombie attire and join fellow enthusiasts for a gory-good celebration of horror, creativity, and community. This is good to photograph.
Find out more here.
Decorex at London Olympia – 11th till 14th
An interior design show with over 280 brands, plus talks and workshops.
Find out more here.
Cindy Sherman: Fabric Matrons at Hauser & Wirth London – 13th till 23rd December
A new series of staged portraits exploring ageing, femininity and visibility.
Find out more here.
Frieze London & Frieze Masters at The Regent’s Park – 14th till 18th
London’s leading art fairs, bringing galleries from around the world to the capital.
Find out more here.
Light and Magic: The Birth of Art Photography at Tate Modern – 14th till 21st February 2027
Over 200 rare prints tracing pictorialism as a global photography movement.
Find out more here.
Colourwalk in Spitalfields Market – 15th
An informal gathering of colourful, creative souls who meet, dressed in their finest, to walk, talk, and strut their stuff. It is excellent for photography. This happens on the 3rd Thursday of each month.
Find out more here.
Halloween at Kew at Kew Gardens – 16th till 1st November
An after-dark trail with a fire garden and illuminated haunted woods full of ghouls, witches, spiders and bats.
Find out more here.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year at the Natural History Museum – 16th till 11th July 2027
The 100 winning images from the world’s leading nature photography competition. The winners are announced on 13 October.
Find out more here.
London Literature Festival at the Southbank Centre – 21st till 1st November
Authors, poets and public figures take part in talks and readings. The full lineup has not been announced yet.
Find out more here.
Photographic Walk in Cassiobury Park Nature Reserve – 21st
Take a guided walk through Cassiobury Park Nature Reserve & Peace Garden led by Andrew Lalchan (local photographer); we’ll explore early autumn in the park with changing leaves and early fungi.
Find out more here.
MCM Comic Con at ExCeL London – 23rd till 25th
Three days of celebrity guests, panels, cosplay and gaming.
Find out more here.
Spooky Science at the Royal Institution – 24th
Halloween-themed shows and hands-on experiments for families with children under 12.
Find out more here.
Piccadilly Line 120th Anniversary Activities at the London Transport Museum – 24th till 1st November
Family activities for half term celebrating 120 years of the Piccadilly line.
Find out more here.
Jet & Space Week at the RAF Museum, Hendon – 24th till 1st November
Planetarium shows, laser tag and trails for children aged three and up.
Find out more here.
Diwali on the Square at Trafalgar Square – 25th
Celebrate the Mayor of London’s annual Diwali on the Square. Bringing Londoners together for a joyful day of light, hope, and unity.
Find out more here.
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Portrait of a City: A Century of American Photography exhibition at Dulwich Picture Gallery – till 4th October
Step into a century of American city life through photographs that capture the people who built, inhabited, and transformed urban spaces into living, breathing communities. This exhibition takes place at the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London.
Find out more here
Anish Kapoor Exhibition at Hayward Gallery – till 18th October
Celebrating 75 years of the Southbank Centre with a vibrant, inclusive programme that looks to the future. One of the most influential artists of our time returns to the Hayward Gallery with a landmark immersive exhibition.
Find out more here.
KyotographieKawada Kikuji x Iwane Ai at Japan House – till 18th October
Encounter two of Japan’s most exciting photographers – Kawada Kikuji and Iwane Ai – in a rare opportunity to see their thought-provoking works in the UK.
Find out more here
Serpentine Pavilion 2026 by LANZA atelier – till 25th October
LANZA atelier emphasises the role of design in everyday interactions and identifies the pursuit of beauty as a recurring theme in their work. The Mexico City-based architecture studio founded by Isabel Abascal and Alessandro Arienzo, has anchored the 2026 Serpentine Pavilion on the English architectural feature known as a serpentine, or crinkle-crankle, wall.
Find out more here
Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art at V&A – till 8th November
The UK’s first exhibition on Elsa Schiaparelli spans the 1920s to today, celebrating the innovative designer’s influence. It traces the fashion house’s groundbreaking origins and its evolution under current creative director Daniel Roseberry.
Find out more here.
The Last Princesses of Punjab at Kensington Palace – till 8th November
Discover the story of Punjabi princess and suffragette icon Sophia Duleep Singh, and of five women who shaped her extraordinary life, in a new exhibition at Kensington Palace for 2026. Sophia and her sisters, Catherine and Bamba, her mother, Bamba Muller, grandmother Jind Kaur and godmother Queen Victoria each expressed womanhood, power, and royalty in different ways. They infused their identities and heritage into the causes they devoted themselves to, becoming powerful changemakers in their own right.
Find out more here.
Frida Kahlo exhibition at Tate Modern – till 3rd January 2027
Discover the extraordinary story of how Frida Kahlo became one of the most influential artists of all time, a cultural phenomenon, and an internationally recognised commercial icon.
Find out more here
Julio Le Parc Exhibition at Tate Modern – till 3rd May 2027
Discover seven decades of joyful works by Argentinian artist Julio Le Parc, which turn visitors into active participants.
Find out more here
Zineb Sedira Exhibition at Tate Britain – till 17th January 2027
Sedira is a Franco-Algerian artist who has worked across film, photography and installation.
Find out more here
Ana Mendieta exhibition at Tate Modern – till 17th January 2027
This major exhibition dedicated to Ana Mendieta presents many of her iconic works alongside newly remastered films, early paintings, and late sculptural pieces, many of which have never been seen in the UK before. The show will continue outside the gallery walls, embracing Mendieta’s deep relationship with the natural world.
Find out more here
Amar Kanwar exhibition at Serpentine North Gallery – till 31st January 2027
Over three decades, New Delhi-based artist and filmmaker Amar Kanwar has developed a distinctive body of lyrical films and multi-video installations that move between documentary, travelogue and visual essay. This major solo exhibition unfolds as a site-specific installation, bringing together new and existing films to transform Serpentine North into a meditative visual and sonic environment.
Find out more here.
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