- Enjoy drinks on the Lakeside or a Martini Bar cocktail: Our new pop-up Lakeside Lounge is serving cold drinks, ice creams and snacks, whatever the weather, while our suave Martini Bar offers a Happy Hour every day from 5-6pm, including our brand-new cognac-based cocktail The Gilbert, created by Barbican’s team member Lisa Reynolds.
- Celebrate Pride: With our specially curated Queer 80s film season (till 26 Jun), and the return of a season of Classical Pride concerts (3–7 Jul), ANOHNI‘s much anticipated return concert with The Johnsons (1 & 2 Jul), plus your last chance to see Soufiane Ababri‘s exquisite drawings in The Curve including three special performances on its closing day, 30 June.
- See free art across the centre all summer long: From Ranjani Shettar‘s delicate forms in our iconic Conservatory (until 14 Jul) to Ibrahim Mahama‘s expansive Lakeside commission, and our fascinating Architecture Tours, where you’ll discover things you never knew about the Barbican.
- Watch a star-packed, sizzling summer musical: Cole Porter’s legendary backstage musical comedy Kiss Me, Kate (till 14 Sept) starring Adrian Dunbar, Stephanie J. Block, Charlie Stemp, Georgina Onuorah, Nigel Lindsay, Hammed Animashaun and Peter Davison is now showing.
- Dance the summer night away: Our latest ClubStage (9 Aug) night curated by Jamz Supernova brings her Future Bounce label to the Barbican, with a special line-up showcasing the best of global Dance music and UK Bass.
- Indulge in world class music: Groove with Brazilian legends Arthur Verocai with Nu Civilisation Orchestra (28 Jun), and Margareth Menezes & Ilê Ayê (26 Jul), celebrate 15 years of UKF with an orchestral celebration of Bass music with OrchestRAVE (20 Jul), and reminisce as The Magnetic Fields perform all their iconic 69 Love Songs (31 Aug—1 Sep),
- Join us again at Barbican’s iconic Outdoor Cinema (21 Aug—1 Sep): Movie nights under the city lights return for its 4th year with another season of cult classics, international gems and delightful concerts, plus street food and drinks in a stunning architectural setting.
- Bring the children out to play: Visit our summer exhibition Francis Alÿs: Ricochets (27 Jun-1 Sept), which celebrates the universality and ingenuity of play. Make a day of it on Francis Alÿs Family Day: On Sat 6 July, entry to gallery will be free to families, offering free creative workshops for parents and children aged 2 and up – when you can also catch a Classical Music concert designed for all ages, Quentin Blake’s Box of Treasures with the BBC Symphony Orchestra on the same day (6 Jul, 3pm). And for the whole of August, the Curve will be transformed into Our Street (1-23 Aug), an imaginary avenue full of playful and engaging games, workshops, and events for the whole family.
- Pay What You Can for art and films: Every Thursday 5-8pm you can choose how much to pay in the Art Gallery while every Friday in the Cinema you can enjoy one of our new release film screenings at the best price for you, with tickets for both starting at £3 only.
There is so much more to enjoy at the Barbican this summer. You can see the full summer programme on our website, with more events being added regularly.
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