Your Chelsea Agenda

Your Chelsea Agenda | What’s On This June

June is bustin’ out all over!

But it’s particularly bustin’ in Chelsea, because in the wake of the Chelsea Flower Show (the true harbinger of Spring), warm weather delights are popping up everywhere you look.

This month, your neighbourhood is lavishing you with a new-and-improved al fresco terrace in an iconic location; a new wine bar; pizza breakfasts in the sun; a landmark new photography exhibition (whose modest aims are simply to encompass the entirety of modern civilisation); a trilogy of new plays; live jazz on a sun-drenched lawn; a glittering production of Cinderella; and Craig David.

Allow us to fill you in…

With a new month comes new openings: wine aficionados Jeroboams will be unveiling a new bottle shop & events space on the King’s Road this month, with a cosy basement bar seating 18 for weekly tastings, and a small kitchen which hints at pop-ups to come – watch this space for the definitive opening date.

Over at the Saatchi Gallery, an ambitious photography show follows on the heels of the gallery’s hugely popular street art exhibition. Opening on 2nd June, Civilization: The Way We Live Now brings together shots by over 150 photographers around the globe in an effort to document “our great united achievements [and] our collective failings”, from robotics to refugees (via a lazy river in a Florida water park). More art abounds with the return of Kensington + Chelsea Art Week; the sixth edition kicks off on 22nd June with over 100 events across the borough. Early bird tickets are available now, with the full programme announced on 16th June.

© Olaf Otto Becker

Continuing in the cultural vein, prizewinning Pomona playwright Alistair McDowall’s trilogy of one-woman shows opens at the Royal Court this month. all of it combines two brand new monologues with a third that premiered in 2020, all written specifically for actor Kate O’Flynn (whose 2020 performance was described as “mesmerising” by The Guardian).

As the sun tentatively puts its hat on, Sloane Square’s al fresco pop up has returned with space for 160 sun-basking punters. This year it’s a collaboration between The Botanist (on cocktails), Côte (on the French sharing plates) and the Royal Court (on everything else), all set under garlands of bunting and festoon lights strung up between the trees.

And while Chelsea has plenty of restaurants with outdoor dining – we’re looking at you, Granger & Co and The Ivy Chelsea Garden – only one will let you indulge your childhood fantasies by having pizza for breakfast. Polpo‘s al fresco terrace is now open Thursday – Sunday mornings (9.30-11.15am), with sausage & fried egg pizza; poached peaches with yoghurt & honey; and parmesan scrambled eggs on the menu.

And while the flower show might have drawn all the attention, Chelsea Physic Garden‘s also in full bloom. This secluded apothecary’s garden is opening after hours for a couple of summer music sessions, with live jazz (25th June) and alt pop acts (11th June) playing on the lawns at dusk. Bring your own picnic blanket, and stock up on wine & BBQ dishes at the garden café between sets.

Venturing up to South Kensington, the Great Exhibition Road Festival returns on 17th & 18th June, with the area’s museums spilling onto the street with workshops, talks and more. There’ll be ‘hangover-free cocktails’ (which we assume have alcohol in, or that’s cheating); an ‘atomic silent disco’; space poetry; and an introduction to the history of mind-altering drugs – all soundtracked to live music programmed by the Royal Albert Hall. Speaking of which, there’s also a couple of gigs worth booking into there this month – Sister Sledge are headlining a disco night on 8th June, while Windrush 75 will celebrate Caribbean culture in the UK with performances by Craig David and Beverley Knight. And from the 15th-25th June, Christopher Wheeldon’s dazzling production of Cinderella in the Round returns, performed by the English National Ballet and their orchestra.

Andy Paradise

And finally… in case you missed it, we recently put together a shiny new itinerary taking you through some of Chelsea’s loveliest spots over the course of a langorous morning & afternoon. It features cosy bookshops, food markets and the finest eggs known to man: check it out here.

The Chelsea Agenda:

➊ Civilization: The Way We Live Now | From 2nd June | Saatchi Gallery

➋ Kensington + Chelsea Art Week | 22nd June – 2nd July | Across Chelsea

➌ all of it | 6th – 17th June | The Royal Court

➍ Breakfast at Polpo Chelsea | Thursday – Sunday mornings | Polpo Chelsea, Duke of York Square

➎ Summer Music Lawn Sessions: Jazz | 25th June | Chelsea Physic Garden

➏ Summer Music Lawn Sessions: Alt Pop | 11th June | Chelsea Physic Garden

➐ Great Exhibition Road Festival | 17th & 18th June | Exhibition Road, South Kensington

➑ Sister Sledge | 8th June | Royal Albert Hall

➒ Windrush 75 | 9th June | Royal Albert Hall

➓ Cinderella in the Round | 15th-25th June | Royal Albert Hall

Looking for more ideas? Check out The Nudge’s full June Agenda