London comes alive in the sunshine, with weekly outdoor parties cropping up everywhere from royal parks to industrial wastelands. And whilst the UK is by no means stumped for choice in terms of music weekenders, with such a big selection on offer in the capital, you need not venture beyond the M25 to get your festival fix. From forward-thinking electronic music, to rap and grime heavyweights and music from far beyond, here are seven of this year's best that are simply an Oyster Card tap away.
1. Red Bull Music Festival
When: August 20 - September 14
Where: Various venues
One hundred-plus artists, 16 events, one city – Red Bull Music Festival will take root across London as summer draws to a close, hosting a series of gigs, talks, club nights and concept shows all over the city.
The festival kicks off Carnival-style with NormalNotNovelty workshops hosted by the likes of Alicai Harley and Br3nya, a conversation with dancehall superstar Spice, and the return of the Red Bull Sound System and Mangrove Truck across Notting Hill Carnival weekend. The partying continues with Refractions at fabric, a celebration of drum'n'bass, jungle, grime and other low-end, London club sounds with sets from Blawan, Pariah, Saoirse, Special Request, Sherelle and many, many more.
As for UK Garage? The following week, The Sunday Club brings together the likes of So Solid Crew, Todd Edwards and Ms Dynamite in a car park just south of the Thames to celebrate UKG's glory days.
Further live shows include a Round Robin featuring Lapalux, Nubya Garcia and Swindle, a one-off performance from object blue with a 360° audio-visual show, and a collaboration between beatmaker Shy One and drag artist Victoria Sin that explores queer experience in London's underground club scene.
There's also a programme of talks, exhibitions and workshops hosted throughout the festival, such as a discussion on the importance of sound system culture explored by Joe Muggs in his most recent book, and a celebration of the voices and language of multicultural London hosted by Kieran Yates. Plus, catch west London crew NiNE8 collective take over Ladbroke Grove's Westbank Studios with installations, a pop-up shop, workshops and other creative endeavours.
The grand finale? Aphex Twin's first club show in London in 10 years at Canada Water superclub Printworks, featuring visuals from long-term Aphex collaborators Weirdcore with support from Afrodeutsche, Nihiloxica and Caterina Barbieri. You won't want to miss out on this one.
For tickets and more information, head to redbull.com/london.
2. Visions
When: August 3
Where: Various Venues, London Fields
It's not often you stop and do a double-take when skimming across a festival programme, but nestled on the outer-edges of Visions' timetable is this: a midday dog show, complete with an all-star cast of judges and a line-up of titles (including 'Waggiest Tail') to be won. Here, at this London Fields all-dayer, it's clear that the only thing that's serious is a sincere love of music. A scintillating blend of underground and alternative bands, producers and DJs, Visions is steadily carving out its own niche in the capital's festival scene. Shygirl, Squid and Steam Down all rub shoulders in some of E8's best venues like Pickle Factory and Hangar, soundtracking an atmosphere that is as free fun-loving as the pups that open up the party.
3. Eastern Electrics
When: August 3-4
Where: Morden Park, Morden SM4 5QU | MAP
Eastern Electrics began as a Saturday showcase of house and techno in 2012, and has hosted scene stalwarts such as Masters At Work, Jamie Jones and Kerri Chandler over the years. Now a two-day affair with drum ’n’ bass, grime and other heavier sounds dominating the Sunday, Eastern Electrics has grown to offer a delectable array of underground music. This year, they've got Skream, Defected Records, Rinse FM, Hannah Wants and Andy C’s RAM on hosting duties across the site's seven stages – plus a pool party run by Ibiza legends Cuckoo Land, kitted out with a real life swimming pool.
4. Meltdown
When: August 3-11
Where: Southbank Centre
With Nile Rogers at the helm, the Southbank Centre's Meltdown festival celebrates its 26th edition in true style. With just over a week's worth of programming to get stuck into – spanning R&B, pop, West African rock, vogue, jazz and, of course, disco and soul – there's something for everybody. But you won't want to miss out on its second weekend, where James Murphy and Soulwax's collaborative club night Despacio follows on from a special show from pop experimentalist SOPHIE.
5. South West Four
When: August 24-25
Where: Clapham Common, SW4 9DE | MAP
Fans of stadium-filling bass and dance-music theatrics rejoice – with original fire starters The Prodigy and EDM superstar Martin Garrix heading up South West Four, August Bank Holiday will have it by the bucket-hat-load. The Clapham-Common weekender takes a no-frills (yet firework-filled) approach to your typical festival, but packs a punch with acts like Chase and Status, Craig David, Andy C and Ms Banks. One for those looking for big-spectacle stage shows and even bigger dance-floor filling beats.
6. Maiden Voyage
When: August 25
Where: Three Mills Island, E3 3DU | MAP
Or if jazz, hip hop and funk are more your thing, head to the inaugural Maiden Voyage festival that kicks off on August Bank Holiday Sunday. Taking over Three Mills Island in Bow, and ran by London hotspot The Jazz Cafe, Maiden Voyage promises a no frills and no stress daytime party centred around one stage of music. Amongst those on the bill are 'The Godfather of Neo-Soul' Roy Ayers, Norwegian composer and vocalist Charlotte Dos Santos and a rare UK performance from Madlib. Gilles Peterson and Bradley Zero round off the day's proceedings with a special b2b.
7. Hospitality in the Park
When: September 21
Where: Finsbury Park, N4 1EE | MAP
South London drum 'n' bass spearheads Hospital Records head north of the river for the fourth edition of Hospitality in the Park, a massive open-air rave-up celebrating the full scale and spectrum of D&B. Across seven stages in Finsbury Park hosted by the likes of Critical Sound, Outlook, S.P.Y's Dubplate Style and Hospitality themselves, you can catch label mainstays like London Elektricity and Danny Byrd play alongside next gen artists like Indika and Klax. Other highlights include a showcase from Kings of the Rollers and the UK debut of Mefjus' A/V performance, Mefjus Cubed. It's possibly – probably – the biggest drum 'n' bass event you're going to get in the great outdoors this year. Don't sleep on this one.
Like Red Bull Music on Facebook and follow us on Twitter at @RedBullMusicUK
Listen to Red Bull Radio for in-depth interviews, exclusive mixes, live broadcasts and more