What's On 1 June

Ellie Smith
June 01, 2025

Dear Reader,

Dolphins reminded me of the importance of play. On a half-term trip, our boat sped in circles creating foamy waves over which those most beautiful of mammals would arch their bodies backwards, springing completely clear of the water, more elegant than a Simone Biles Olympic-winning backflip. We all gawped, clapped and cheered like an inelegant elephant seal from aboard our vessel – but I knew each of us longed to be in that water playing. That freedom. That presence. That connection. Nowadays we live too much in our heads, which throb with all the stuff we think we have to do, but we should probably find – or rather create – more moments for play – and we must never stop learning from nature.

PS: Tickets for the new Chelsea Arts Festival go on sale this Tuesday. With a line-up including Elizabeth Day, Ian McEwan, Tigris Li, Dame Zandra Rhodes and Jordan Stephens, you won’t want to miss it.

Have a great week.

WHAT’S ON MY MIND THIS WEEK

We Brits Love A Good Nature-Romp

Sometimes, we Brits are just too bloody polite for our own good. We’re bombarded with news of travel trends and ‘hot’ holiday ideas, but do you know what they (almost) all have in common? Britain has been doing them for years. From rewilding and remote cabins to capering off grid, we show you where to go.

Pink Champagne Sales Are Up

While champagne sales are down (quelle horreur!), pink fizz is bucking the trend and contrary to popular belief, not all of it is sickly sweet either. We pick the bottles worth splashing out on.

Tom Kerridge Is Opening A New Chelsea Pub

One of our favourite chefs is making waves in Chelsea this month. While Tom Kerridge is closing The Butcher’s Tap and Grill, he’s opening The Chalk Freehouse, a sister pub to The Hand and Flowers in Marlow. Opens 16 June. Can’t wait.

FIVE THINGS NOT TO MISS

Looking for your next foodie staycation? Somerset’s farm-to-table restaurant Osip is launching accommodation this June.

Check out the newly launched Goodwood Art Foundation, a contemporary art destination in Sussex helmed by the Duke of Richmond.

Idris Elba, Jane Goodall and Deepak Chopra are just some of the names featuring in the first edition of SXSW London, an offshoot of the Texan festival.

Two parallel exhibitions are launching at The Arts Club this week: Between Worlds and Playing the Fool, focusing on themes of identity, abstraction and materiality. From 5 June

Learn about the relationship between scent and colour in your home in a special event hosted by Jo Malone and Little Greene. 3 June, book here

WHAT'S TRENDING ON C&TH

Tried & tested: the hottest aesthetic treatments for 2025

Father’s Day gift ideas, from Mulberry to 111SKIN

What to wear to Glastonbury 2025

7 new London restaurants opening this June

Win A Fabulous Father’s Day Hamper Worth Over £1,000

Want to line up the perfect gift for Father's Day? Well, you're in luck: we're offering you the chance to win a bundle of prizes from Bentley Fragrances, COCO Choclatier, Cotswolds Distillery, Firetree Chocolate and Reiss.