Inside new City of London summer festival with free events throughout July

Exclusive: The City of London is hardly famed for its cultural events, but that’s something event organisers working with The Leadenhall Building, otherwise known as The Cheesegrater, are looking to change this summer with the announcement of a new festival.
Dozens of free-to-attend events are taking place in the City of London this July as part of the Leadenhall Live series, which will run over four weeks in July. The event will welcome journalists, celebrities, musicians, AI experts and comedians to run workshops, live art performances, concerts, talks and mindfulness activities like guided meditation.
City AM can reveal that the event series begins on 1 July and will take place in the public galleria area at the base of the building.
Leadenhall Live: A new festival of music, culture and mindfulness for the City of London
Funded by the Eastern City BID and owners CC Land, press material says the event is “further evidence of the City evolving as a cultural and leisure destination.”
A new pop-up bar will offer alcoholic and alcohol-free drinks on Thursday evenings. One event on 3 July will involve networking for LGBTQ people and their allies ahead of London Pride weekend. Two panel conversations will be followed by drag performances, and a performance from an LGBTQ choir. Jazz and live dance music events have also been confirmed, with more details to follow on the website, where tickets will be available from 1 June.
Adam Goldin, Head of C C Land UK said: “We are proud that this festival is part of the evolution of the City as a dynamic place to work, live, socialise and learn.”
The festival is for all Londoners, not just those within the building
Richard Jones, Head of Community and Events at The Leadenhall Building, added: “The festival is for all Londoners, not just those within the building, and the programme will bring moments of creativity, joy and escapism into the workday.”
Kate Hart, CEO at Eastern City BID, added that the event is “a powerful example” of what can be achieved when stakeholders “come together, turning collective will into collective action.” Nick Buckley, founder of wellness practitioner platform Antidote LDN said the mindfulness activities will “deliver the unexpected and in this unique space will be so impactful.”
The Leadenhall Building is 51 floors high and provides 610,000 sq ft of office space.
Other cultural events in the City
Leadenhall Live follows initiatives like the Fragments arts festival and London Design Week, which have used the Square Mile to host cultural events.
The City’s spectacular churches have been particularly popular locations to host live music series or design installations. In 2023 the Aura installation marked the first time St Paul’s Cathedral has worked with a modern designer on an installation. A sound-responsive strip light hung from the domed ceiling and responded to the reverberations of the singers by lighting up.
Pride and Black History Month events have also been a mainstay in the City of London. In terms of making the City a more liveable place to be, the City of London Corporation has recently invested in opening more green spaces within the Square Mile.