Let the summer break truly begin

With opera and ballet season soon coming to a close, it really is the start of the true summer holiday season. This will be the last mention of football for a long while, but it should be noted that England's battle for third place saw them score six(!) goals against France, beating a still-impressive four. Both Scotland and England fared better than they have in past World Cups, although you won't hear that in most of the hand-wringing football commentary. Starmer is set to resign officially as Prime Minister on Monday and has pledged to make a lunch reservation for midday every Wednesday for the foreseeable, decisively placing the weekly PMQs punch-up in the rear-view mirror. Perhaps he might like to try some of the recently-opened restaurants in this week's Sunday Paperweight. Sunny, but not-too-hot, weather covers the whole of Great Britain this coming week, so wherever you are, here's how to enjoy it:

Darkroom: Sand eels and puffins on Skomer Island
On the Town: Offset the end of the opera and ballet season with openings and exhibitions
World Affairs: Cal Roscow laments the last of longwave, and what it means for news media worldwide
UK Affairs: Pablo O'Hana makes a forthright point about those returning from Dubai
En Route: Check in at Mondrian's newest hotel for 50% less

Johnny Boy's Opened earlier this month, Julian Denis (of Hackney's Facing Heaven) swaps Sichuan influences for the So Cal cuisine of his childhood; an all-day Stoke Newington diner led by a breakfast burrito, with crab tostadas, a pastrami dip and French toast. Reservations recommended. Johnny Boy's, 3 Northwold Rd, London N16 7HL. Opened 3rd July 2026.

Hon's BBQ Man Hon Luk takes his Austin-honed, East-Asian-inflected smoke to the former Silo space, plating short rib with Sichuan peppercorn sauce, Taiwanese pork belly and Iberico ribs in Texas rub, plus a late-night menu for the late crowd. Reservations recommended. Hon's BBQ, The White Building, Unit 7 Queen's Yard, London E9 5EN. Opened 17th July 2026.

Vesper Jackson Boxer (Dove, Brunswick House) takes over the old Taqueria site on Exmouth Market for a light-flooded, daily-changing "tribute to London"; charcoal grill, fresh pasta, and just 10 off-menu gorgonzola burgers a day on a first-come basis. Reservations taken, large section kept for walk-ins. Vesper, 8–10 Exmouth Market, London EC1R 4QA. Opened June 2026.

Village Underground Rooftop Shoreditch's famous stack of former Tube carriages has opened to the public as an open-air bar for the first time: draught pours, Bad Boy Pizza Society and a skyline view, freshly launched for the venue's 20th birthday. Reservations taken, walk-ins welcomed. Village Underground, 54 Holywell Lane, London EC2A 3PQ. Open Weds–Sun across the week.

Trent Park House of Secrets North London gets a brand-new museum this week; the Enfield mansion where WWII "Secret Listeners" bugged captured German generals. Opening to the public this week, its 1930s state rooms, above the eavesdropping basement, have been fully restored. Tickets from £14. Trent Park House of Secrets, Daffodil Crescent, Enfield, London EN4 0NS. Opens Tuesday 21st July 2026 (Tue–Sun, 10am–5pm).

Jasleen Kaur – Superstructure The Turner Prize winner's gift to her home city: a trail of eight weathervane-like sculptures dotted along the Clyde, turning a riverside walk into a treasure hunt. Free outdoors exhibition. Along the River Clyde, Glasgow. Until 10th August 2026.

Trans Pride at Dalston Superstore The official after-party for the London Trans Pride march: a trans-led, DJ-stacked fundraiser (NYC's Archangel among them) splitting proceeds between Not a Phase and Positive East charities at the East London queer HQ. Tickets £10. Dalston Superstore, 117 Kingsland High St, London E8 2PB. Saturday 25th July 2026.

The Authoritarian Playbook: The week after next, the Quiet Riot podcast, Byline Times, and The Lincoln Project host a live recording asking "What Britain Can Learn From America" in order to deal with the growing threat of the radical right. Hardeep Matharu and Peter Jukes from Byline, Naomi Smith and Alex Andreou from Quiet Riot, are joined by Americans Rick Wilson and Maya May from The Lincoln Project. Tickets from £20. Leicester Square Theatre, 6 Leicester Place, London, WC2H 7BX. Thursday 30th July 2026.

The World Is Full of Married Men Sweden's Malmö Stadsteater stages the London premiere of its adaptation of Jackie Collins' debut novel, told with dolls and dollhouses to create an adult puppet show, in the Yard's brand-new, twice-as-big auditorium. Tickets from £15. Under 27s from £5 on the day. The Yard Theatre, Unit 2a Queen's Yard, Hackney Wick, London E9 5EN. Tuesday 21st July until 1st August 2026.

Break the Mould An exhibition of ceramicists bending clay well past the polite dinner-service, with resident artists (Jack Ky Tan's in-gallery ceramics studio runs from 24th July) throwing pots in front of you and Mark Essen reimagining a medieval Deritend jug as Digbeth street art. Free entry, no booking necessary. Ikon Gallery, 1 Oozells Square, Brindleyplace, Birmingham B1 2HS. Until 6th September 2026.

Summerhall's Fringe Festival exhibitions open Summerhall throws open four free shows to launch its Fringe season, all landing the same day: Jennifer Binnie's Spirits of the Forest, Sally Price's Twig Pools, Ryo Yamada's In Vitro / Zero Metre Above Sea Level and Rudy Kanhye's Black Coral, the reliably off-kilter corner of the city's art scene getting going early. Theatre tickets from £23, exhibitions are free admission. Summerhall, 1 Summerhall, Edinburgh EH9 1PL. Opens Saturday 25th July 2026, until 13th September 2026.

Trading Station: How Hot Drinks Shape Our Lives Manchester Art Gallery traces tea, coffee and cocoa back through slavery, colonisation and today's ethics, with a late opening on Wed 29th to 9pm. "Hot drinks, once expensive luxuries for the few, have enriched our lives, promoted the exchange of ideas and influenced the design of our homes." Free admission. Manchester Art Gallery, Mosley St, Manchester M2 3JL. Until 31st December 2026.

Steel Scenes Southbank marks seventy-five years of the steel pan in Britain with a weekend takeover across the Riverside Terrace, Royal Festival Hall and Jubilee Gardens: youth ensembles, UK steel bands and new commissions, almost all of it free; a ticketed orchestral commission anchors the Saturday. Mostly free admission, Steel Pan Reimagined tickets from £14. Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, London SE1 8XX. Friday 24th to Sunday 26th July 2026.

Arp: The Plasters Newly-acquired plaster sculptures by Dada founder Jean (Hans), a gift from the Stiftung Arp, e.V. to Leeds Museums and Galleries and The Hepworth Wakefield. The exhibition will present Arp’s plaster sculptures alongside works by his contemporaries, including Alexander Calder, Barbara Hepworth and Paule Vézelay. Free admission. Leeds Art Gallery, The Headrow, Leeds LS1 3AA. Until 4th October 2026.

Spike Print Fair Spike Island turns 50 and throws open its doors for a new three-day print fair: original prints, zines and artist editions sold straight from the makers, plus drop-in linocut, screenprint and even Lego-printing workshops. Free admission. Spike Island, 133 Cumberland Rd, Bristol BS1 6UX. Saturday 25th to Sunday 26th July 2026, 10am–5pm.

Ice Weekend at the London Canal Museum Descend into a Victorian 42-foot ice well, watch ice-cream demos and hear tales of the Georgian ice trade at the canal museum's annual weekend, with boat trips on the surrounding canals thrown in. Tickets from £8. London Canal Museum, 12–13 New Wharf Rd, London N1 9RT. Saturday 25th to Sunday 26th July 2026.

Last chance to see:
La Fille du Régiment Royal Opera House, Bow Street, London WC2E 9DD. Until Friday 24th July 2026. Tickets from £41. (We recommend the amphitheatre for the best sound-for-money.)
Archduke. Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, London SW1W 8AS. Tickets from £25. Until Saturday 25th July 2026.
State Ballet of Georgia: Swan Lake London Coliseum, St Martin's Lane, London WC2N 4ES. Tickets from £35. Until Saturday 25th July 2026.

50% off reservations at Mondrian Cancún For stays between 19th August and 19th December 2026, members of Dis-Loyalty can try out Mondrian's new Mexican arrival at a half-price discount. The membership additionally provides discounts and benefits across hotel brands The Hoxton, Mama Shelter, and 25 Hours. Membership starts at £12.

**STILL ON** Free Sunday Santander Cycles Transport for London is offering the chance to use the cycle hire scheme for free every Sunday in July. It's a little bit complicated to redeem; you'll need a promo code specific to each Sunday, and you can only book it on the day. But it's still worth it for unlimited 60-minute rides if you're planning a day of cycling. These are the codes you'll need:

• 19 July - CYCLEJULY19
• 26 July - CYCLEJULY26

Check the full details on the Transport for London website.

The long wave goodbye to Britain’s broadcasting prowess

Cal Roscow laments the longwave switch-off, and asks what we’re left with

PaperweightCal Roscow

The growing epidemic of Dubai-er’s remorse

Pablo O’Hana asks if the recent repatriates should be a little more patriotic.

PaperweightPablo O’Hana

Eradicate the Sunday foreboding by making plans for Monday night. Today's Greater Things is all about bringing joy back to the beginning of the week:

№ 4 | Make more effort to go out on a Monday evening

In the words of Kylie Minogue, ‘your disco/pub/bistro/bakery/chip shop/life drawing class needs you’.

PaperweightSunday Paperweight

And if you're thinking of where you might go, but want to spend under £30 per person, you might want to read Cal Roscow's write-up of a surprise visit to Flat Iron:

It turns out that I’m the only person who hasn’t been to a Flat Iron

Casual dining has taken a kicking in the last few years. Are there still any chains that don’t leave you feeling flat?

PaperweightCal Roscow

The first rule of London City Airport club is that you do not talk about London City Airport. But as Sunday Paperweight readers are almost certainly already members, we think it's alright to tell you about a recent catering problem that's plaguing British Airways flights from the city's greatest airport. If you find yourself on a flight without breakfast, lunch, or dinner, we're told that the going rate in terms of apologies is around 5,000 Avios... (you didn't hear it from us!) But it's probably best to be prepared and grab a table at Hithes beforehand, or pack something of your own to eat.

In other news, The Groucho Club seeks redemption following the news that a Conservative MP, accused of sexual assault at the (in)famous haunt, has been acquitted. An email to members at the start of the trial sought to remind all that the institution was not part of proceedings itself. Those previously avoiding the club might now get back to spending summer evenings screeching singing by the piano.

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