Exploring the Top 10 Events at the London Festival of Architecture 2025
Every June, the London Festival of Architecture (LFA) transforms the city into a vibrant hub of architectural exploration and dialogue. As Europe's largest annual architecture festival, LFA 2025 embraces the theme ’Voices’ , inviting participants to engage with diverse perspectives that shape our urban environments. From thought-provoking installations to insightful talks, this year's festival offers a rich tapestry of events that celebrate the multifaceted nature of architecture and city-making.
Running from 1–30 June 2025, the festival features over 450 events, including exhibitions, installations, talks, and tours, all designed to amplify diverse perspectives in architecture and urban design. Key destinations include Barnet, Fitzrovia, Hounslow, and the City of London.
1. Migration Museum Walking Tour
📍 City of London
📅 04 June
👤 Migration Museum team
Led by the Migration Museum team, this two-hour walking tour explores the diverse histories of Aldgate and the City of London. Tracing the stories of migrants who have lived and worked here over centuries, the tour offers insights into how London's multicultural identity was built and continues to shape the city today.
2. The AMAZING architecture of Tooley Street
📍 Tooley Street
📅 11 June
👤 Team London Bridge
Led by Team London Bridge, this architectural walking tour uncovers the hidden gems of Tooley Street, from the grandeur of Southwark Cathedral to the restored Edwardian Findlater’s Corner. Exploring everything from Harry Goodhart Rendel’s St Olaf’s House to the reimagined Lalit Hotel, the walk celebrates the area’s rich heritage and architectural diversity, a living record of Southwark’s evolving identity.
3. The Street Where I Live: A 15-Minute Neighbourhood Community
📍 Art in the Docks, Royal Docks, London
📅 Tuesday 04 June, 11:00am – 5:00pm
👤 Art in the Docks
Organised by Art in the Docks in partnership with the University of East London, this interactive workshop invites young people and families to envision their ideal 15-minute neighbourhood. Participants will engage in creative activities, contributing their voices to the design criteria of imagined communities, fostering a sense of ownership and connection to their local environment.
4. Voices of London: Nature Reimagined
📍Thomas More Street
📅 12 June
👤 ECF
This roundtable event, hosted by ECF, invites Londoners to share and hear ideas on how to bring nature back into the city’s public spaces. Through a ‘fishbowl’ discussion format and the interactive “Voice Tree” installation, attendees will explore how design, policy, and community action can reshape London’s green spaces for everyone.
5 Unheard Voices of the City
📍 St Bartholomew’s Hospital Courtyard
📅 14 June – 6 July
👤 POoR Collective
Created by POoR Collective with the London Museum, this pop-up installation explores the City’s hidden stories, from night shift workers to 24-hour cafés. Hosted in Wiggle Wonderland’s open-air gallery at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, it’s accompanied by free lunchtime events that amplify the voices often overlooked in London’s evolving urban narrative.
Image: POoR Collective
6. How Are You Invested in Your Heritage?
📍 Donald Insall Associates
📅 Tuesday 10 June, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
👤 Donald Insall Associates
This panel discussion, hosted by Donald Insall Associates, delves into the relationship between individuals and their heritage. It examines how architecture speaks to us and comes to life in our communities, exploring themes of identity, preservation, and the evolving nature of heritage in contemporary society.
Image: Damian Griffiths
7. GM100 – A Centenary Celebration – 980 Great West Road: Walk + Talk
📍 Brentford Golden Mile
📅 21 June
👤 Hadley Property Group
This guided tour, hosted by Hadley Property Group, explores the past, present, and future of 980 Great West Road, the former GSK HQ. Join the design team as they discuss plans to transform the site with community input, blending the area’s rich history with forward-thinking design. The experience ends with a unique canal cruise, featuring an onboard presentation on Hadley’s collaborative planning approach.
Image: Google Images
8. Regent’s Park Estate Story Trail
📍 Regent’s Park Estate
📅 21 June
👤 Old Diorama Arts Centre
Led by Old Diorama Arts Centre, this tour invites you to discover 28 new artworks woven throughout Regent’s Park Estate. Created by 10 artists in collaboration with residents, these site-specific pieces, from interactive sculptures to photographic portraits, celebrate local stories and voices. The 1.5-hour trail highlights how public art can reflect and amplify the experiences of a community, making it a welcoming and inspiring
Image: Artwork credit: Brendan Barry; Photo credit: Nick Turpin
9. Place at the Table: Voices Across Generations
📍 Brent Cross Town Pavilion
📅 24 June
👤 IF Design Labs
Hosted by IF Design Labs with Brent Cross Town, this interactive workshop uses a shared dining experience on a rooftop terrace to spark conversations on how urban spaces can foster connection and inclusivity across generations. Bringing together city-makers, community leaders, and residents, the event explores how places shape our collective well-being and how we might reimagine them for a more intergenerational future.
Image: Brent Cross Town
10. Youth at the Helm: Shaping Public Spaces Through Co-Design
📍 HTA Design
📅 Thursday 26 June 2025, 18:00–21:00
👤 Beyond the Box CIC
Hosted by Beyond the Box CIC, this panel event explores how young people are shaping public spaces through co-design. Featuring voices from the People’s Pavilion 2025 team alongside architects and designers, the conversation highlights how collaboration across generations can lead to more inclusive and imaginative environments.
Image: Luke O'Donovan
Bonus pick - Migration Stories: Tropical Plants in London
📍 East London
📅 21 June
👤 Catherine Harrington
One for the plant lovers. Led by Catherine Harrington, this walking tour explores how tropical and rainforest plants arrived in English gardens through colonial trade. Discover the legacy of Loddiges’ Botanic Nursery Garden and the 19th-century Palm House, as you hear the ‘voices’ of plants themselves, weaving together stories of botanical migration and historical displacement.
Image: Catherine Harrington
The London Festival of Architecture 2025 offers a comprehensive exploration of how architecture intersects with society, culture, and identity. By centering the theme ‘Voices’, the festival not only showcases architectural innovation but also fosters inclusive conversations about the future of our cities.
For more information on these events and to plan your visit, please refer to the official London Festival of Architecture website.
Curious to hear more voices and insights from this year's LFA?
Tune in on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube to hear Tanisha Raffiuddin speak with Rosa Rogina, Director of the NLA about the next big ideas shaping the festival.
Stay connected with us on Talking Place’s Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Bluesky, and TikTok for updates on upcoming episodes, where Tanisha talks with experts across the built environment. From placemaking and branding to sustainability, finance, health, culture, and more, each episode shares valuable insights and practical advice to help inspire your place-based projects and initiatives.
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