Notting Hill Carnival in west London, trading since 1966 over the August bank holiday weekend, fills 50 blocks with Caribbean street food, sound systems and steel bands.
Tip: Sunday is family day, Monday is the main parade. Jerk chicken counters line every block; expect £10-15 per plate.
Address: Ladbroke Grove and Notting Hill, London W11
London Coffee Festival at the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane in east London, trading since 2011, runs four days of specialty coffee tasting, barista competitions and roaster stalls.
Tip: The Sunday tickets are cheapest and the smallest crowds. The Lab Stage runs demonstration and tasting workshops throughout the festival.
Meatopia at Tobacco Dock in east London, trading since 2013 as an annual three-day live-fire meat festival, hosts 50 chefs cooking over open fires for ticketed sessions.
Tip: Three sessions per day (lunch, afternoon, evening). Friday evening session is the curated chef session; Sunday lunch is family-friendly.
London Cocktail Week, the city-wide cocktail festival since 2010, runs nine days of bar-discount cards, masterclasses, festival-pop-up bars and bartender competitions across London.
Tip: Buy the £15 cocktail card; 250 bars run £6 signature cocktails throughout the week. Tickets to masterclasses sell separately.
BBC Good Food Show at Olympia in west London, trading since 1990, runs four days of celebrity chef demonstrations and food retail stalls. The November London show is the autumn edition.
Tip: Buy general admission tickets plus a Super Theatre ticket separately for the headline chef demonstrations.
Taste of London in Regent's Park, the annual outdoor food festival in London since 2004, runs five days of tasting plates from top restaurants in central London. Booking ahead is required.
Tip: Weekend tickets sell out a fortnight ahead; weekday lunch slots are easier. The chef demonstration arena is the marquee programming.
