Your Day By Day Guide To The Chelsea Arts Festival

We’re thrilled that the inaugural Chelsea Arts Festival is finally here, taking over Sloane Square and the King’s Road from Thursday 18 to Sunday 21 September 2025. Spanning everything from the arts and literature to theatre, film and fashion, there are both free and ticketed events across the whole weekend – with some tickets still available. Here’s a day by day guide to the affair.

Chelsea Arts Festival 2025: A Guide

Chelsea Arts Festival is a long weekend city art festival championing the uniquely artistic and rebellious spirit of Chelsea, held in partnership with Cadogan. Curated by C&TH Events, a division of Country & Town House, the main venues are Cadogan Hall, the Royal Court theatre and Saatchi Gallery, with additional events on Sloane Square and Duke of York Square, as well as at fringe venues like John Sandoe Books and Cafe Linea.

According to festival curator Tessa Clarfelt, we can expect ‘a vibrant, inspiring and eclectic weekend of live performances, thought-provoking conversations, and colourful celebration,’ with a line-up boasting an almost-ceaseless barrage of illustrious names. Headliners include (but are by no means limited to): Sir Stephen Fry, Elizabeth Day, Sir Lenny Henry, Ian McEwan CBE, Sheila Atim, David Shrigley OBE, Ambika Mod, Marian Keyes, Dame Zandra Rhodes and Rupert Everett. They will all take to the streets (and stages) of Chelsea for talks, debates, podcast recordings, readings and more.

What To See On Thursday

Chelsea Arts Festival commences on Thursday 18 September with two events at Chelsea’s byzantine concert hall, Cadogan Hall. 

Kicking it all off at midday is actor, writer, director and recently-spotted barman Rupert Everett who will delve into his wide-ranging, esteemed career in conversation with broadcaster and journalist Hannah MacInnes. Best known for starring in My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997) and An Ideal Husband (1999) – earning Golden Globe nominations for both – Everett will also invite audiences inside the inner workings of his latest book The American No. Tickets are still available, starting from £12.50pp.

Come the evening, man of the hour Ian McEwan will take Everett’s spot on the Cadogan Hall stage to delve into his new novel What We Can Know on its publication day with the help of his author and environmentalist interviewer George Monbiot. A new cli-fi work spanning 2014 to 2119, fans of McEwan will be among the first to get their hands on his new book at Chelsea Arts Festival: each ticket includes a hardback copy, with the chance to get it signed in the foyer after the talk. Limited tickets are still available, starting at £45pp.

Ian McEwan will be joined by George Monbiot at Chelsea Arts Festival this September.

What To See On Friday

Chelsea Arts Festival will be in full swing by Friday 19 September, with the morning commencing with a performance from none other than Stephen Fry from 10.30am. Taking to the Cadogan Hall stage, the beloved actor, author and comedian is headlining a very special Blue Plaques Talk Back event along with Lyse Doucet OBE, Dennis Morris and Kathryn Hughes, which sees some of Chelsea’s most iconic former residents (including Oscar Wilde and Bob Marley) brought back to life with unique dramatisations and discussions. Tickets are still available, starting from £12.50pp.

As the day warms up, visitors will bump into outdoor performances on Sloane Square and roaming the nearby streets, including a toe-tapping show from the National Youth Jazz Orchestra at midday, while young readers can sign up to Kensington and Chelsea Library’s special reading challenge and everyone can get creative at Art Play’s painting classes, running from midday (from £12pp, tickets here).

Come the afternoon, any creatives conscious of the impact of AI on their work should swing by Saatchi Gallery for an illuminating talk from Omar Karim, Freya Salway, Dr Shama Rahman & Suhair Khan (£12.50pp, tickets here), while TV fans should snap up tickets to see Supacell producer Sheila Nortley in conversation with Davina Forbes-Williamson afterwards (£12.50pp, tickets here). Over at Cadogan Hall, fans of William Boyd will be treated to an early discussion of his new book The Predicament just days after it was released, with the author in conversation with writer Olivia Cole (from £12.50pp, tickets here).

Later in the afternoon, sold out events include a talk with renowned author Elif Shafak and a performance by poet Lucas Jones, but there’s still a chance to get your hands on tickets to see Raising Hare author Chloe Dalton in conversation with Gareth Howell-Jones at John Sandoe Books in the evening (£15pp, tickets here).

Come Friday night, you have a choice of two showstopping events: London’s legendary jazz club Ronnie Scott’s will be taking over Cadogan Hall with a funk and soul night from Ashton Jones (from £12.50pp, tickets here), while down the King’s Road Chelsea Theatre will host a special fashion show from ReLovEd and Hanway Collective in homage to London Fashion Week from 8pm. But first, it’s happy hour (6–7pm).

Cadogan Hall

What To See On Saturday

Saturday is Chelsea Arts Festival’s biggest day, with 12 fabulous events taking over Cadogan Hall, the Royal Court and Saatchi Gallery, plus even more family-friendly fun roaming the streets courtesy of Autin Dance Theatre, Natural Theatre Company, Kitch n Sync and Tootles and Nibs.

The morning kicks off bright and early for little ones, who are invited to twirl, leap and spin at the English National Ballet School’s free workshops for budding young ballerinas (free, book here), ahead of a special family-friendly performance from the company’s young artists at Cadogan Hall (£7.50 for children, £12.50 for adults, tickets here). 

Meanwhile Kensington and Chelsea Library’s special reading challenge continues, as do Art Play’s painting workshops, while musical performances and roaming theatrics once again take over Sloane Square and the surrounding area.

The Royal Court (© Helen Murray)

The first talk of the day will shine a spotlight on the importance and even quantifiable value of the arts sector, with Arts Council chief exec Darren Henley, multidisciplinary artist LionHeart and celebrated broadcaster Samira Ahmed joining forces at Saatchi Gallery (from £12.50pp, tickets here). The art theme continues, with talks from Ekow Eshun and Katy Wickremesinghe (£12.50pp, tickets here), Kate Bryan and David Shrigley (from £12.50pp, tickets here), and Alison Jackson and Philip Colbert (£12.50pp, tickets here) filling the Chelsea Arts Festival agenda come the afternoon.

In the meantime fashion lovers can head over to Everyman Chelsea to enjoy special screenings of documentaries Twiggy (11am, £25pp, tickets here) and Quant (2pm, £20.90pp, tickets here), both ending with a live Q&A, ahead of an afternoon celebrating British film and TV with Sally Phillips, Sadie Frost, Dr Nitin Sawhney CBE and Twiggy herself at Cadogan Hall (from £12.50pp, tickets here). In the midst of all that is a celebration of fashion with Zandra Rhodes and Daniel Lismore, with both incredible characters delving into fashion’s place as the ultimate form of self expression (£12.50pp, tickets here).

Feeling peckish? Head to Duke of York Square between 10am and 4pm to enjoy Real Food Market’s weekly showing. Expect street food from across the globe, plus the opportunity to shop fruits and veg, freshly baked bread and sweet treats.

Jack Edwards

Elsewhere the internet’s resident librarian Jack Edwards will interview award-winning Palestinian author of The Coin Yasmin Zaher (sold out) while rising star Ambika Mod will join David Byrne and the London Theatre Review podcast team for a live recording at the Royal Court Theatre, where Mod will soon star in Porn Play (£14pp, tickets here).

The literature theme continues later that evening, with Allie Esiri’s 365 Poems for Life taking over the Royal Court with the help of actors Susan Wokoma, David Morrissey, Kate O’Flynn, Rory Kinnear and more, who will breathe new life into time’s most beloved poems in captivating live readings (from £24pp, tickets here).

This magnificently jam-packed day concludes with Chelsea Arts Festival’s comedy gala fundraising evening, with comedians Sindhu Vee, Daniel Foxx, Shazia Mirza, Michael Odewale, Lloyd Griffith and more taking over Cadogan Hall in an evening that promises belly laughs, with funds going to Nucleo, a charity that brings young people and communities together through music making (from £12.50pp, tickets here).

Duke of York Square (Getty Images)

What To See On Sunday

The final day of Chelsea Arts Festival, Sunday 21 September, comes bearing a bounty of outdoor entertainment, with more live music on the Sloane Square bandstand and roaming the streets of Chelsea – while art enthusiasts can still enjoy Art Play’s ongoing painting sessions and the city’s next great batch of writers will be honing their skills at a writing masterclass hosted by Silk Road Slippers (sold out). 

Come 11am, a very special Chelsea Art Market will be open on Duke of York Square, inviting art collectors and casual appreciators alike to browse the work of the borough’s creative spirit and emerging artists (and apply everything you learned about art collecting from Kate Bryan and David Shrigley’s talk on Saturday to a real-world scenario).

As for talks, it all kicks off at 11am at Cadogan Hall with a very special event delving into mental health, creativity and resilience as two of the field’s most compelling voices – artist and writer Jordan Stephens, and bestselling author Matt Haig – come together in a discussion guided by beloved radio DJ Annie Macmanus (from £12.50pp, tickets here).

Elizabeth Day (© Jacquetta Clark)

Then it’s over to beloved writers Elizabeth Day and Marian Keyes, who will be celebrating Day’s new novel One of Us on its publication day. The How To Fail podcast host will take the Cadogan Hall stage with her characteristic wit and humour in tow, with Keyes asking all the questions we’re dying to know the answers to. One of Us will hit the shelves on 25 September but Chelsea Arts Festival goers will get their hands on a copy early, with each ticket to this event including a hardback copy of the brand new book (from £34.99, tickets here).

The day (and the whole festival) culminates with another very special celebration of women’s words, this time courtesy of the Women’s Prize, which is celebrating its 30th birthday this year. Taking to the Cadogan Hall stage in partnership with The White Company, expect an unforgettable evening celebrating women’s creativity, with inimitable speakers including Malala Yousafzai, Sheila Atim, Sheila Hancock, Lesley Sharp, Kate Mosse, Lenny Henry, June Sarpong, Emily Berrington, Cariad Lloyd, Emily Beecham, Deborah Frances-White, Sara Pascoe and Tim Wallers. Ticket sales will raise money for the Women’s Prize Trust, and each ticket will include a gift from The White Company and a book from the Women’s Prize (from £15, tickets here). A grand finale indeed.

How To Get Tickets To Chelsea Arts Festival

All tickets to Chelsea Arts Festival are sold by the hosting venue. However to find all of the events and booking links in one place, visit chelseaartsfestival.com/whats-on

Getting Around

All the venues are within walking distance of one another, but if you’d like to travel in style, Chelsea Arts Festival’s official partner Blacklane is launching new pick-up points in aid of the festival. Find out more here.

Eat & Drink

Other than the fabulous food market, there are plenty of lovely spots to eat and drink around Chelsea Arts Festival. Here are our favourite pubs and our pick of the very best restaurants, these are the best spots for brunch and here are some outside options if you fancy going al fresco.