London weather for the Bank Holiday weekend

With the Bank Holiday weekend coming up, London residents might be looking forward to outdoor plans; just the idea of lounging in a park or heading to a festival or market. Will the weather be fine for wandering around the capital? We will look at some of the events coming up for north, south, west and east London. Many visitors will come from further afield on a day trip or short break, perhaps even staying longer for the half-term holidays and pondering what to pack for the weather in late May.

The weather is changing but don’t despair, it isn’t all bad news. There will be a change in the wind direction, to a westerly, and there is a mention of rain. However, there is still sunshine in the forecast, and temperatures of 20 or 21C on one of the days, so it will feel warm. It will just be worth staying out of the breeze and it will feel cooler after dark. No sultry nights at this time of year. The grass pollen season is just beginning and the sun’s rays are strong, so that can make a real difference to how the day feels. Whether it is cloudy and so stays cool, or in the strong sunshine, then temperatures will leap up.

On the 1st of May, Kew Gardens reached 29.3C (the highest temperature of 2025 so far) but the early Bank Holiday Monday was cool.  Kew only reached 15.3C which was the highest temperature in Southeast England.  This week it has felt cool on Thursday due to a chilly north wind but that will end. There will be warm and humid air for Saturday afternoon and the evening will feel mild. Sunday will soon warm up with strong sunshine but the air will be fresher so feeling cooler by the evening and early on Monday. 

What about rain? If you are heading to Central London perhaps to see Buckingham Palace, the Mall and Trafalgar Square there will be early rain as a warm front sweeps eastwards over England. This will bring welcome rain early on Saturday but should clear by 10am. It will leave a fair amount of cloud cover and further clusters of showery rain work their way towards southeast England from the west. Hopefully, these won’t come too much for London and the cloud cover will break up.

Saturday might be a bit disappointing in terms of sunshine but it will be fine for walking about. There could be some rain overnight as the cold front moves by. The models disagree about how much rain for Sunday night, one keeping a distinct band of rain which only clears SE England early on Sunday morning. However, as it clears there will be fresher air with brighter skies. So more sunshine on Sunday, this should be the best day. Monday is a bit more mixed, some areas could stay fair but there is the mention of showers across southern England. So this part of the forecast will need firming up in the next few days. Showers are always hit and miss, so some places avoid them and others would see a downpour of rain, then brighten up again.

It looks fine for the last day of the Premier League season with two matches in London Fulham v Manchester City and Tottenham v. Brighton. For both matches, it looks warm, sunny and dry just perhaps a bit breezy. FA Cup winners Crystal Palace play away on Sunday but Selhurst Park is hosting its Beer Festival again on Saturday 24th, “promises a festive summer day filled with hundreds of beers and ciders from breweries both local, and beyond.” Hopefully, the early rain will clear quickly. There is some uncertainty, will the cloud cover break up and allow warm sunshine or will it remain with a small chance of another burst of showery rain? 

If you are heading to North London, maybe a visit to Camden Market looking for gifts, vintage fashion or a bite to eat at one of the many cafes, bars and street-food stalls.

To Brick Lane where the main Sunday market is 10am to 6pm but there is plenty going on for the rest of the week. The Old Truman Brewery hosts several regular markets at its large site on Brick Lane. Sunday does look like the sunniest day.

London Zoo is holding events for the long weekend but also into the following week for half term. There is Feeding time at the zoo, Teddy Bears' Picnic and pop-up kitchen tents. Also, a new Zoo cooking show along with a selection of local street food vendors if visitors get hungry rather than the animals. Each day looks fine, although there could be a slow start on Saturday with rain, but it should improve. Sunday does look sunnier so will feel warmer. A chance of a shower on Monday but still with bright or sunny spells.

Further east, Up at the O2 is a 90-minute climb over the roof of the popular London entertainment venue. It’s a fun opportunity to see a different side of the city. There are daytime, twilight or sunset tours even a Friday night climb with cocktails and a DJ on the roof. You clip onto the walkway, listen to and follow the guide, and up you go to see the sights. Saturday could start rather damp with lower visibility but Sunday evening looks clear and fine.

Heading east along the Thames you could take a Boat tour to get to Greenwich and see the Pirates exhibition at the National Maritime Museum.  There is also a fine view from Greenwich Park along with the Royal Observatory. Here you can hop from one side of the world across the line that divides the world into Eastern and Western hemispheres.

There are the other Royal parks, in the centre, Kensington Gardens and St James’s Park. Further west Richmond Park with the opportunity to admire the deer. In these green spaces, you can walk and see woodlands, waterways and wildlife, relax on a deckchair by the bandstand or hire a boat. There is also golf at Richmond Park. Saturday morning looks to have a higher risk of rain, Sunday should feel warm in the sunshine but with a gusty westerly wind and Monday will feel a bit cooler especially earlier in the day with a slight chance of a shower.

Not too far away is Kew Gardens, which often appears on our temperature lists thanks to its observation enclosure. The top temperature this weekend could be 23C for the UNESCO World Heritage site if the sunshine appears in the humid air on Saturday. The Gardens are open from 10am into the evening at Weekends and Bank Holidays. 

Further south, GALA ’25 will take place on 23rd-25th May Independent South London festival in Peckham Rye Park, with DJs, dancefloors and varied musical offerings. There will be enough fair weather this weekend. Saturday evening will feel warm and humid and that mild air will last after dark. Sunday evening will soon feel cool. 

Keep an eye on the Netweather radar, on Saturday and Bank Holiday Monday to track any showers coming in from the west.