- Words Notion Staff
August has arrived in all its sun-soaked glory - knock on wood - and that means festivals galore, Carni's en route and the Women's World Cup is all over the telly. Here's everything on this month.
STAYING IN
Only Murders in the Building on Disney+
Season three of Only Murders in the Building hits Disney+ on August 8th, as crime-loving trio Selena Gomez, Steve Martin, and Martin Short reprise their roles as Arconia tenants-cum-detectives. Joining this series’ cast is Paul Rudd, whose untimely murder in series two provides the focus this time around, as well as the much-loved Meryl Streep.
Harlan Coben’s Shelter on Prime
Following Netflix’s hugely popular Harlan Coben adaptations of The Stranger in 2020 and Stay Close in 2021, Prime Video have followed suit with a small-screen-ready series full of Coben’s characteristic intrigue. Shelter follows teenager Mickey Bolitar who moves to a quiet, suburban community in New Jersey, where he begins dating a classmate called Ashley. But, when Ashley goes missing, Mickey must take it upon himself to investigate – in the process uncovering a dark secret their town has held for decades.
Heartstopper on Netflix
The beloved coming-of-age drama Heartstopper, hailed for its representation of LGBTQ+ identities and relationships, returns to Netflix this summer for a second season. The series continues to follow the love story of leads Charlie and Nick, while opening up to the stories of supporting characters Elle and Tao, who attempt to take things to the next level, and girlfriends Tara and Darcy, who face a hiccup they must overcome.
Women’s World Cup
After a huge victory at the UEFA Women’s Champions last year for the Lionesses, all eyes are on the team as they reunite for the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand this year, enjoy the games from the comfort of your own home with BBC’s live broadcasting of the semi-finals and the final. Or, head to your local pub for some pint-in-hand cheering on.
GOING OUT
The Meg 2
Cinema lovers are still reeling from July’s Barbenheimer as we enter a quieter month for major motion pictures, with only a handful of notable releases. Out in August is the sci-fi-action-horror film The Meg’s follow-up, which features Jason Statham and his run-in with thought-to-be-extinct Megalodon sharks. Expect many thrilling Jaws-esque jump scares, questionable takes on the laws of deep-water biology, and comedy moments that serve as a breath of fresh air amongst the pure unbridled tension.
Reframe: The Residency Exhibition at Southbank Centre
At Southbank’s ongoing Reframe exhibition, until the 27th of August, experience the responses of 77 Black artists to climate change in an audiovisual, immersive installation. The exhibition explores themes and topics about how global warming could disproportionately affect communities of colour and younger people, created as part of Southbank’s career acceleration programme.
Notting Hill Carnival
Returning to Notting Hill on the weekend of the 26th is London’s biggest and brightest street party. A celebration of Caribbean culture for the past five decades, there’ll be around 40 sound systems offering all types of music from salsa and reggae to dancehall and house, as well as a myriad food stalls, steel bands, and sequinned costumes galore. The event opens on Saturday, which is the Steel Band Competition Day: a ticketed event that sees the best of the best go head to head. Sunday will see the traditional families and children’s day return, before the big event on Monday which kicks off at 12pm.
Field Day
London’s finest Field Day hits Victoria Park a week ahead of All Points East, promising a star-studded lineup from Bonobo and Jayda G to Fever Ray and Arca. Celebrating its 16th year, if last year’s 50,000 turnout is anything to go off, it’s bound to be a big one – especially with Aphex Twin as headliner. Head down to Viccy Park on the 19th for some of the best acts from the UK and beyond.
All Points East
All Points East returns to Victoria Park this year with a stellar lineup spread across two jam-packed days, the 25th and 26th. The festival fires up with ‘00s indie figureheads The Strokes and Yeah Yeah Yeahs on Friday, with support from Black Midi, Amyl And The Sniffers, and Girl in Red. There’s no slowing down on Saturday either as Jungle and soulstress Erykah Badu take to the main stage. RAYE, Gabriels, and Nia Archives join Saturday’s roster, making for great vibes all weekend long.
WE ARE FSTVL
Coming to Upminister on August 25th is one of London’s most exciting festivals, WE ARE FSTVL. Across the three-day fest, there’ll be some major throwback tunes from The Prodigy, Skepta will join the Solid Grooves stage and a performance from the one and only drum & bass godfather, Shy FX.
