Season in the Sun: London’s Unbeatable Summer Social Scene

“The season” has a Regency ring to it, harking back to an era when the great and the good came up from the country to entertain in their London townhouses. Today’s season has a much broader canvas. The guest lists are more diverse, while the marquee occasions – from the Chelsea Flower Show in May to the Frieze contemporary art fair in October – are global in appeal and on a scale too vast for even the grandest Mayfair ballroom. 

It is this eclecticism that gives the season its particular flavour, says Liza-Jane Kelly, head of London residential at Savills. “In London, you get lots of worlds rubbing shoulders at the same parties – people from politics, business, culture and showbusiness,” she says. “It makes for a more interesting and exciting crowd.” So which occasions create the key moments in the London season? 

The Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show in May is widely considered the start of the London season, says Pete Bevan, co-head of prime residential London at Savills. “The gala opening is a really glamorous moment.” Clearly, the show – visited by the King and Queen – gains traction everywhere, from Tatler to Instagram and beyond. But Bevan argues that the social wattage of such events brings added lustre to wider London life. Beyond the confines of the flower show, for example, the King’s Road is decked out with floral displays, while Chelsea’s restaurant and bar scene is livelier than ever for the five days of the event. 

“You can enjoy the buzz that the season brings to the capital,” says Bevan. “You might not go to the Opera Holland Park festival, but residents who live close to the park can enjoy hearing the cast rehearse. That feeling – that you’re living in a world-class city with a rich cultural and social life – is core to London’s wonderful appeal.”

Great sporting competition has always been a key part of the season. There are hardy perennials that have featured in the social scene for aeons: rowing at Henley Royal Regatta in July, or polo at Hurlingham Park and Windsor. Then there’s the tennis: Queen’s – now the HSBC Championship – in West Kensington, or the more boutique Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic at the Hurlingham Club. Both are in June, and both allow the sport’s biggest names to fine-tune their grass-court game ahead of Wimbledon, to an accompaniment of champagne, strawberries and cream. 

Traditionally, it was a sporting event – outside London – that marked the end of the social season. After Glorious Goodwood in Sussex (now the Qatar Goodwood Festival), it was regarded as a faux pas to be seen in London until the autumn – your social eligibility being defined not just by what you attended, but by what you didn’t. For Edwardian high society, August meant Cowes for the regatta, then Scotland for the grouse. These days, Londoners might choose to go away in high summer to the Cotswolds or Tuscany instead.

You wouldn’t want to miss Frieze week, however, when the art scene and many of the world’s most prominent collectors descend on Regent’s Park to meet gallerists and art advisers, and enjoy pop-up versions of London’s finest restaurants. The influence of Frieze is felt around the city – in smart hotels, which are full, and in fashion stores such as Dover Street Market, which enjoys its biggest takings of the year. “Alongside Frieze,” says Bevan, “you’ve got PAD [the art and design fair] and big sales at all the major auction houses” – as well as countless openings and private parties at leading galleries.

While the season is always evolving, its appeal endures – and makes London a more glamorous place for visitors and residents alike.