Last chance for 'Flowers - Flora in Contemporary Art & Culture' at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea (closes May 5)

Get aboard! The annual IWA (Inland Waterways Association) Cavalcade lights up Little Venice for the first Bank Holiday in May (3-5), daily from 10am with an illuminated procession 9pm Sunday

Open City's Documentary Festival takes place across the capital from May 6-11

Wandsworth's year as London's Borough of Culture has begun with events all over the South London borough - see WelcometoWandsworth.com

The poppies are back! 30,000 of the original 888,000+ poppies in Paul Cummins' artwork, made in 2014 to commemorate the First World War, are back for the 80th anniversary in the Tower of London's moat.

The Affordable Art Fair is back on Hampstead Heath, with works from over 100 galleries starting at £100 each (May 7-11)

The charming Charles Dickens Museum on just as charming Doughty Street celebrates its 100th birthday with an exhibition on his life and work (throughout 2025)

The Dulwich Festival takes over leafy South London for 10 days, with open studios, kitchen discos, barn dances, choral workshops and guided walks.

Happy 25th Birthday, Tate Modern! Who could imagine London without it? Celebrate with an extended weekend of art, experiences, and community events - free and open to all, opens 10 am (May 9-12)

The National Gallery's dazzling show 'Siena - The Rise of Painting - 1300-1350' is full of gold and exquisite painting by Sienese artists and the artists they influenced (until June 22)

'Dress Codes' at Kensington Palace explores the coding involved in royal fashion over the centuries - with a brilliant fashion catwalk display by young designers (until Nov 13)

The Regent's Park Open Air Theatre opens May 10, which means it's officially summer. Choose from Rodgers & Hammerstein ballets, Mallory Blackman's 'Noughts & Crosses', Roald Dahl and Brigadoon (May 10-Sep 20)

Entries to much-loved Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition are on show at the Natural History Museum in South Kensington (until next June)

On Sunday 11, Mr Punch celebrates his 353rd birthday at the 50th Covent Garden May Fayre and Puppet Festival, with Punch & Judy Professors and Puppeteers, a Grand Procession and church service, show, stalls, music and Maypole dancing. Free!

London Craft Week takes over the capital, in venues big and small, for a week of displays, demonstrations and lovely things to buy - time to support makers everywhere! (May 12-18)

'The Edwardians: Age of Elegance', another excellent exhibition from the Royal Collections Trust, lands in the King's Gallery at Buckingham Palace (Apr 11 to Nov 23)

Question: Could Life Exist Beyond Earth???? Find the answers at the Science Museum's new ticketed show, with tons to see including a 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite. Suitable for 8+ (May 6-Feb 22)

Feast your eyes on 350 pieces of classic, stunning jewellery in the Cartier Exhibition at the V&A in South Kensington (opens Apr 12)

Greenwich Peninsula opens its 10th Urban Village Fete, with DJs, live performances, indie markets, creative happenings and yummy street food (May 18).

'Grayson Perry: Delusions of Grandeur' features 40 new works on display in the august, but oddly cool, surroundings of the Wallace Collection on Manchester Square (until October 26)

'Feel the Sound' is the Barbican's new show focusing on frequencies and human perception of sound, using multi-sensory installations that take you across locations in the Barbican, from car parks to the Lakeside Terrace (May 22-Aug 31)

'Live Odyssey: The Ultimate British Music Experience' opens in Camden, home to Amy Winehouse, George Michael, Madness etc, including entry to the John Lennon Exhibition (opens May 22)

Check out one of the world's oldest cultures in a booming 21st century economy in 'Ancient India, Living Traditions' at the British Museum (May 11-Oct 19)

Here East, formerly the broadcast centre for the London 2012 Olympics, is the perfect setting for the ticketed World Press Photo Exhibition, which lands the MPB Gallery for three months (opens May 23)

Much loved regular Opera Holland Park opens its summer season with The Flying Dutchman and closes with Handel's Semele. There's masses more in between, from dress rehearsals to outdoor singing (May 27 to Aug 22)

V&A Voom! The decorative arts behemoth opens the V&A East Storehouse at Here East on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, with its incredible object stores opening to the public for the first time (May 31 onwards)