City of London
Events at and Around the Gherkin, London: 23 events this week (10 Aug to 16 Aug)
Tours, talks, and open days in and around the Gherkin and the Square Mile. Find what's on this week. Updated daily.
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Hidden Stories of St. James’s Park Walking Tour
The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities Guided Tour + Devil’s Botany Absinthe
London Walking Tour - Mayfair & Royal Academy Café
Shakespeare's True Crimes Walking Tour
Hex and the City theatrical walking tour
Guided Tour of Southwark Cathedral
Great Fire of London guided walking tour
Drag Queen Disco Diva Tour- Silent Disco Walking Tour #SilentTours
John Constable in Hampstead Walking Tour
Five Points Brewery Tour & Beer Tasting (1pm)
Saint Monday Brewery Tour
Five Points Brewery Tour & Beer Tasting (3:30pm)
Ricky Gervais – Work In Progress
Ricky Gervais - Work In Progress
A Ted Lasso Historical Pub Tour of Richmond
Beside the seaside: A tour on beaches in the collection
Orbit Brewery Tour and Tasting
Extra/Ordinary women below stairs! Summer holiday tours for families at the Charles Dickens Museum
Theatre Tour
Curator's introduction: Waldmüller: Landscapes
30 St Mary Axe is one of those buildings that stops you mid-stride. The Gherkin has been part of the City skyline since 2003, and it still earns a second look. But beyond the architecture, the Square Mile around it quietly hosts more events than most people realise.
The building itself opens to the public more often than you might expect. Open House London brings it out every autumn, and private dining and evening events run throughout the year from the top-floor restaurant. If you want inside access rather than just the view from street level, it's worth knowing when the doors are open.
The neighbourhood rewards slow exploration. Leadenhall Market is five minutes south, a Victorian arcade that now hosts food traders, pop-ups, and occasional evening events. The Barbican is a short walk north and runs one of the most serious arts programmes in London across theatre, cinema, music, and gallery shows. Liverpool Street and Aldgate carry their own smaller venues and club nights.
Timing matters in the City. The Square Mile empties fast on Friday evenings as workers scatter, so the best-attended public events tend to run midweek or on Saturday afternoons. Architecture tours, walking tours of the Roman and medieval layers beneath the glass towers, and talks on the built environment cluster around this area more than anywhere else in London.
Venues to know
- Alexandra Palace 2 events this week
- The National Gallery 2 events this week
- The Five Points Brewery & Taproom 2 events this week
- Ale Hunters 1 event this week
- The Last Tuesday Society & Viktor Wynd Museum 1 event this week
- Orbit Beers Brewery 1 event this week
How we pick
OnlyHere tracks live listings from over a hundred London venues, councils, and programmers, refreshed nightly. Picks favour events with confirmed dates, real venues you can find on a map, and editorial notes written by us, not the promoter. Prices and dates come from the listing itself; we never guess.
Frequently asked questions
Can you go inside the Gherkin?
The Gherkin is a private office building, so public access is limited. The top-floor restaurant and bar, Searcys at the Gherkin, takes bookings for dinner and private events. Open House London, which runs every September, is the main free opportunity to get inside and up to the higher floors.
What events happen near the Gherkin?
The Square Mile and its immediate edges host architecture tours, walking history tours, talks at nearby livery halls, and cultural events at the Barbican and Guildhall. Leadenhall Market runs food and seasonal events. The area is also a node for City-based running clubs and outdoor fitness events.
Is Open House London the only time you can visit the Gherkin for free?
Open House is the main public free access event, typically in September. Occasionally corporate tenants or arts organisations partner with the building for one-off open days. Check what's running this week above for anything currently listed.
What is there to do in the City of London on a weekend?
The Barbican has weekend exhibitions, cinema, and performances. The Museum of London Docklands and the Monument are close by. Walking tours of the Roman wall, the Inns of Court, or the medieval lanes around Leadenhall are well-run and genuinely informative. The area is far quieter than on a weekday, which makes it good for walking.
Are there any tours of the Gherkin or nearby buildings?
Architecture-focused walking tours regularly cover the cluster of Norman Foster and Richard Rogers buildings in this part of the City, including the Gherkin, the Lloyds building, and the Leadenhall Building. Some are free, some ticketed. The listings above pull in what's running this week.
How many events at and around the gherkin, london are listed right now?
There are 23 events listed on this page right now. It updates daily.