Summer is undoubtedly the best time to get involved in the Park.
Summer is undoubtedly the best time to get involved in the Park. Now is the perfect time to use your Friends’ membership to the max to get a huge number of discounts at cafés, on chair rental, theatre tickets, boat hire, tennis, Friends’ events and more.
The Music Festival is underway and our visitor information van, Rambling Rosie is on duty on weekend and bank holidays. Volunteer for one or both and get to meet new park friends. Litterpicking is another opportunity in demand when the weather is fine and the park is populated.
There are a great number of events and activities coming up which are outlined in this update. Don’t put it off. Sign up now! ,Get out and get the most out of your membership. Give back to your park and get even more in return.
Free Music at the Bandstand!
The bandstand concerts started with a bang on Saturday June 21. They will end on Sunday 21 September. There will be Jazz on the Broad Walk every Saturday from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. and Concert bands, Brass bands, Jazz Big bands and choirs every Sunday when bands will play from 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
The weather forecast is great and there are still places available at the 3rd Annual Big Lunch on the Broad Walk on Sunday 6 July, 12:00 – 4:00 p.m. This family friendly event is a great day out and well- behaved dogs are welcome too. Bring a picnic and refreshments and sit back and enjoy the show. There’s the Mardi Gras Jazz Band, Face Painting, Yoga and a children’s Music session too.
Benugo will have ice cream and hot and cold food and drinks available to keep you hydrated, fed and refreshed throughout the day. And don’t forget to use your Friends’ card on your phone as members get 25% off when they show their card at many concessions within the park. You can check your benefits here.
We provide tables, chairs and the entertainment. To claim a seat you must reserve a place – £12 for a single and £60 for a whole table of six places. BOOK NOW as places are limited.
Walking in The Regent’s Park you see plants and trees not only native to the U.K. but from all over the world. Join Ian Rodger, the Arboricultural Manager of the Royal Parks, on a walk looking at and talking about many of the strange and exotic plants that you may have seen in the Park and wondered about. 25 places – 23 Friends, 2 guests.
As everyone files out of the park, come on in and join Charlotte Cass for a walk at dusk, just as the park’s nocturnal creatures are coming out to feed. Be guided through Regent’s Park in search of bat species, spiders building their nests, toads crossing roads and foxes.
Charlotte will tell you all about the adaptations that nocturnal creatures use to hunt and survive in the darkness plus the issues many of these threatened animals face. Bat detectors and torches will be provided. The event could be cancelled at short notice if weather is foul, so please include your phone number when booking. Bat detectors provided. 25 places – 23 Friends, 2 guests.
There are 6,000 trees and 47 different species of trees in The Regent’s Park. These trees play a vital role in supporting communities of birds, mammals, insects, lichen and fungi.
Join Matt Steinmann, the Arboricultural Officer of The Royal Parks, who is part of the team that cares for all the Royal Parks’ 170,000 trees, explore our park and learn about Matt’s job as an arboriculturist. 25 places – 23 Friends, 2 guests.
Explore The Regent’s Canal by kayak or canoe. Each kayak takes one person but the canoes can seat more than one. It is your choice. All sessions are led by experienced instructors, eight paddlers to one instructor, to ensure group safety and help you optimise time on the water, whether you are looking to learn or to simply have fun splashing about.
Each session lasts about 1½ hours, including a short time spent talking about safety precautions and basic paddle instruction. Life jackets are provided and mandatory for all ages. If the weather is unkind, waterproof jackets may be borrowed and there are changing facilities with hot showers. No matter the weather, you will be able to comfortably paddle.16 places. Friends & their families only. Participants must be 8+ years.
Booking closes 30 June for the first session or 15 July for the second.
Once you sign up and pay for this event, we pay the provider, therefore no money can be refunded if you cannot attend for any reason. You can, however, transfer your place to somebody else.
Thursday 24 July, 4:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
There is nothing better on a summer evening than “messing about on the river”. In Regent’s Park we do not have a river but we do have two boating lakes, one of which is for small children.
The Royal Parks have generously offered to Friends and their families a free half-hour session on each lake on this evening. Come and pedal or row. Food and drink will be available from the Boat House Café (which will not be free).
MEET: After 4:30 p.m. first come first served. Last boats at 7:30 p.m. Free to Friends and their family. No guests.
1. Friends who wish to come must register in advance. Registration will close on 14 July.
2. Please remember to bring with you proof of Friends membership.
Wednesday 16 July, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Join us in exploring the Regent’s Canal by boat from City Road Lock to Little Venice. Instead of walking or cycling along the Regent’s Park towpath, gain a new perspective on familiar sites by boating.
We will enter the Islington Tunnel through the lock to Camden Lock, then pass the Cumberland Basin, London Zoo with the Snowden Aviary, and go under Blow Up Bridge before we enter the Maida Vale Tunnel to arrive at Little Venice.
Our boat, Long Tom, a 45 -foot long narrow boat, has excellent viewing windows for its 12 passengers. The gallery has provision for making hot drinks, heating is available for cold weather and there is a washroom and W.C. 12 places – Friends only.
COST: £30 per person. Friends and their families only.
If you would like to lend a few hours of your time to help us set up, decorate tables, meet and greet please contact Robin Black on rbh@dircon.co.uk
You will earn a free place at the Big Lunch if you do by way of thanks. Meet new people, learn new skills and be part of a great, Community-spirited event.
We want to inform Friends of a weed control operation taking place on the patio of the Broad Walk Café. This work will take place early morning, before the café opens, on 4 July 2025. Signage will be in place informing people of the work ahead of time.
The material being used is a low toxicity, is biodegradable and ecofriendly. Block Blitz is made from mineral and plant extracts and contains no biocides, pesticides or bleach. A vinegar-like smell is the only residue that will remain for couple hours after application.
After an enquiry from one of our members we have the following information on the Sports Pitches. The next date for fertiliser application is scheduled towards the end of August/early September as part of a seasonal, late summer renovation.
Pawel Szynkarczuk, assistant Park Manager, contacted The Veterinary Poisons Information Centre. They advise that the fertilizer we are using is safe to use and goes on to say ‘walking on the pitch, licking or eating treated grass is unlikely to harm people or animals however it is best to avoid the area immediately after application.’ We will advise in our updates the dates when we know them and signs will be in place prior to fertiliser application.
Thank you to our sponsors
©2025 Friends of Regent’s Park & Primrose Hill
Friends of Regent’s Park & Primrose Hill is a registered charity in England and Wales (no 1201666)
