Looking for things to do in London this September that go beyond the usual sightseeing list? A body-butter deli, an Armani blush club, ice-cream-filled doughnut buns and an ASUS sound bath are all on the agenda. London’s September 2026 pop ups are making a very convincing case for leaving the house.
This guide brings together 10 new London pop ups and opening celebrations, with the dated stops running from 14 to 27 September, plus The Body Shop’s Butter Shop, which runs from 17 September to 17 October. There are beauty discoveries in Covent Garden and Stratford, food collaborations around Liverpool Street and Bethnal Green, fragrance storytelling at the Royal Academy of Arts, and a design-led takeover in Soho.
Below, you’ll find what each experience involves, the products behind the launches, full locations, dates and booking links where available. I’ve separated complimentary experiences from offers that require a purchase, so a “free wrap” doesn’t turn into a surprise at the till.
Already working through my earlier recommendations? This is a new selection to sit alongside my September London pop up guide featuring SKITTLES, Clinique and more.
Disclosure: I have a paid partnership with PureOaty for the accompanying pop-up carousel. Its inclusion is identified below.
Table of Contents
September 2026 London pop ups by date
The London pop ups are listed by opening date. The Body Shop’s Butter Shop runs for a full month, from 17 September to 17 October.
| Dates | Pop up | Area | What to expect |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14–19 September | JOE & THE JUICE breakfast takeover | Liverpool Street | Free wrap with a coffee, juice or shake |
| 17 September–17 October | The Body Shop: The Butter Shop | Westfield Stratford City | Interactive Body Butter sampling and deli-style displays |
| 18–27 September | Bon Bao opening celebrations | Soho | Opening promotions; free bao with any purchase on 20–27 September |
| 18–20 September | Penhaligon’s Portraits anniversary | Royal Academy of Arts | Free ticketed fragrance exhibition |
| 18–20 September | Yum Bun × The Real Fruit Ice Cream Co. | Old Spitalfields Market | Ice cream doughnut buns to buy |
| 19 September | Armani Beauty Dolci Club | Covent Garden | Blush discovery, Dolci-inspired drinks and prize opportunities |
| 21–27 September | Givenchy L’Interdit Elixir | Westfield Stratford City | A fragrance-focused beauty experience |
| 21 September | PureOaty Kitchen × Burnt Arches | Bethnal Green | Free drinks and pastries for the first 100 customers |
| 25 September | rhute: Journey to Great Hair | King’s Cross | Scalp-first haircare and personalised consultations |
| 25–26 September | ASUS: Design You Can Feel | Soho | Free entry, colour analysis and aerial sound baths |
1. JOE & THE JUICE breakfast pop up at Liverpool Street
Breakfast doesn’t need to end at 10am. For six days, JOE & THE JUICE is turning its Liverpool Street branch into a breakfast-only takeover, with its new breakfast range served from opening until closing. The usual sandwich menu steps aside for the promotion, making this a useful stop whether your day starts with the morning commute or something considerably later.
The headline offer is a FREE breakfast wrap with every coffee, juice or shake purchased. The important part is the drink purchase: this is a breakfast-and-drink deal, rather than a completely free meal. It applies at the Liverpool Street takeover from 14 to 19 September, not every JOE & THE JUICE branch.
The all-day format is what makes it stand out among September food promotions. You don’t have to squeeze it into a narrow morning window, and the location works particularly well if you’re arriving at Liverpool Street or spending the day around the City and Spitalfields. On 18 or 19 September, you can follow it with the Yum Bun birthday collaboration at Old Spitalfields Market for a savoury-then-sweet outing.
You can explore the brand’s wider offering on the JOE & THE JUICE website; the free-wrap offer is specific to this takeover and its qualifying drinks.
📍 Where: JOE & THE JUICE, 28–29 Liverpool Street, City of London, London EC2M 7PD
📆 When: 14–19 September 2026
⏰ Times: From opening until closing
Entry: Walk-in. Buy a coffee, juice or shake to receive the free breakfast wrap.
2. The Body Shop Butter Shop pop up at Westfield Stratford
The Body Shop is turning Body Butter into the star of a traditional deli. Its month-long Butter Shop activation takes place inside the Westfield Stratford store, with the familiar rituals of a food counter reimagined for body care.
At the interactive sampling bar, a member of the “deli” team guides customers through the different Body Butter textures and scents. Around the space, expect fridges filled with Body Butters, butter dishes and retro scales used to weigh and wrap the products. The deli references are part of the staging: these are skincare products, not edible treats.
It’s a particularly good fit for anyone who normally buys the same body moisturiser without comparing the alternatives. Sampling side by side gives you a way to explore fragrance and texture in person, while the displays provide the playful, photo-ready element. The brand also says surprise offers will be revealed during the month-long activation.
For a product to explore, The Body Shop Mango Body Butter fits the fruit-forward theme. The formula includes mango seed oil, shea butter and cocoa butter, with a rich, creamy texture and fruity scent. It’s one example from the wider Body Butter range, rather than a promise that a particular variety will be featured at every sampling session.
This listing is for the month-long customer activation inside the Stratford store, not the short press event. It makes a natural companion to Givenchy’s fragrance pop up when their runs overlap, keeping two very different beauty experiences within one shopping-centre visit.
📍 Where: The Body Shop, Ground Floor, The Arcade, Westfield Stratford City, Stratford, London E20 1EL
📆 When: 17 September–17 October 2026
Entry: Walk-in.
3. Bon Bao opening pop up and giveaways in Soho
Freshly made bao and an opening-week offer are a strong reason to take a detour through Soho. Bon Bao opens on Tisbury Court on 18 September, bringing together two different bao traditions: sheng jian bao, with a pan-fried base, and soft steamed zheng bao. This is a permanent new opening with a temporary programme of launch celebrations, so the restaurant itself isn’t disappearing when the giveaways finish.
The promotions come in two stages. On 18 and 19 September, the team is distributing 1,000 tote bags around Soho, each containing a discount coupon. Then, from 20 to 27 September, customers can get a FREE bao of their choice with any purchase. The free-bao offer starts on the 20th, not opening day.
If you like a contrast of textures, the OG Pork bao is the menu item to explore: Iberico pork, ginger, spring onion and sesame inside a pan-fried bun. For a steamed option, Cheeky Chicken combines chicken thigh with black vinegar, ginger and spring onion. The official menu also includes Tofu Party, with pickled mustard root and chilli.
There is a sweet direction too. Golden Hour is a steamed bao filled with salted egg yolk, butter and milk, with a molten centre. Ordering across the pan-fried and steamed sections makes more sense than treating all the buns as interchangeable: the textures are part of the attraction.
📍 Where: Bon Bao, 4 Tisbury Court, Soho, London
📆 When: Opening celebrations: 18–27 September 2026
⏰ Times: 12–9pm daily
Entry: Walk-in. Free bao with any purchase from 20–27 September.
4. Penhaligon’s Portraits anniversary pop up at the Royal Academy
Penhaligon’s is taking its wonderfully theatrical Portraits collection into the Royal Academy of Arts for The Who’s Who of London. The occasion is the collection’s tenth anniversary—not the tenth birthday of the perfume house—and the exhibition puts its fictional cast of characters at the centre of the experience.
Expect an immersive combination of fragrance and storytelling, with new arrivals, family intrigue and a closer look at the personalities behind the perfumes. Rather than simply browsing a row of bottles, the idea is to enter the Portraits world and discover how the scents connect to its characters. Exclusive keepsakes will also be available to buy.
For a product to explore alongside the anniversary, The Tragedy of Lord George Intense Eau de Parfum brings together rum, chocolate and vetiver. The 75ml fragrance is part of the Portraits Intense collection, giving the familiar character a darker direction. It’s a useful introduction to the brand’s habit of building a personality around a perfume, rather than naming it solely after an ingredient.
One detail is especially important: the exhibition entrance is 6 Burlington Gardens. The organiser explicitly says there is no access through the Royal Academy’s Piccadilly entrance. Use the exhibition address when planning your journey, even if you already know the main gallery.
📍 Where: Royal Academy of Arts, 6 Burlington Gardens, Mayfair, London W1J 0PE
📆 When: 18–20 September 2026
Entry: Free tickets via Eventbrite.
Book Penhaligon’s The Who’s Who of London exhibition.
5. Yum Bun × The Real Fruit Ice Cream Co. birthday pop up
Yum Bun is turning sweet sixteen, and the celebration involves bringing back its ice cream doughnut buns with a new set of flavours. The collaboration with The Real Fruit Ice Cream Co. takes place at the ice cream company’s carts in Old Spitalfields Market, making it a particularly tempting stop for anyone planning a food-focused weekend in east London.
The buns are deep-fried until golden, dusted in cinnamon sugar and filled with ice cream. That warm-bun, cold-filling combination is the whole point: a familiar Yum Bun format turned into a birthday dessert.
- Strawberry: real fruit ice cream with wild plum coulis and birthday sprinkles.
- Banana: ice cream with miso caramel and pecan brittle.
- Spiced pumpkin: an autumnal ice cream option served in the same cinnamon-sugar bun.
The strawberry version leans into the birthday theme, while banana, miso caramel and pecan brittle takes a sweet-and-salty route. Pumpkin is the seasonal choice if you’re already mentally ordering everything autumn-flavoured. These are desserts to purchase, not a free-food giveaway.
The collaboration runs for three days, with a slightly earlier finish on Sunday. Head for The Real Fruit Ice Cream Co. carts inside the market rather than assuming the special is being served at every Yum Bun location.
📍 Where: The Real Fruit Ice Cream Co. carts, Old Spitalfields Market, 16 Horner Square, Spitalfields, London E1 6EW
📆 When: 18–20 September 2026
⏰ Times: Friday and Saturday: 12–7pm; Sunday: 12–6pm
Entry: Walk-in.
6. Armani Beauty Dolci Club pop up in Covent Garden
Armani Beauty is giving blush a dessert-inspired setting at the Dolci Club in Covent Garden. The pop up celebrates the UK arrival of Dolci Blush, turning shade discovery into a playful beauty experience at The Stables on Earlham Street.
Inside, Armani’s Face Designers will help visitors find a blush shade, while the Dolci Makeup Blush counter explores how different colours can be combined into a signature look. It’s an opportunity to see the shades together and ask about application, rather than trying to choose from a tiny product swatch online.
The announced experience also includes a Dolci-inspired hot or cold drink and a collectibles element with the chance to win Dolci-inspired prizes. Treat that as a prize opportunity, not a guaranteed full-size product gift.
The launch product is Armani Dolci Multi-Use Blush Stick, a cream-to-powder formula in an 8g format. The UK listing includes Rose, Caramel, Apricot, Cinnamon and Mauve, so there’s a direct connection between the sweet-shop naming and the colours being explored. If you’re refreshing your makeup bag for autumn, this is the product to investigate before or after the pop up.
The public date for this guide is 19 September. The central location makes it easy to combine with Bon Bao’s Soho opening celebrations or the Penhaligon’s exhibition, provided you plan around your booked entry.
📍 Where: The Stables, 40 Earlham Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9LH
📆 When: 19 September 2026, 9am – 5pm
Entry: Free ticketed entry.
View the Armani Beauty Dolci Club booking page.
7. Givenchy L’Interdit Elixir pop up at Westfield Stratford
If your September beauty plans involve finding a new fragrance, Givenchy is bringing L’Interdit Elixir to Westfield Stratford City for a week-long activation. The experience centres on the latest interpretation of L’Interdit, making this a fragrance-discovery stop to add to an east London shopping day.
The scent moves between fruity, floral and warm gourmand notes. Givenchy L’Interdit Elixir Eau de Parfum opens with black cherry and bitter almond, followed by orange blossom, jasmine, tuberose and oakwood. Its base brings together rum absolute, davana and vanilla. In practical terms, it’s a useful one to explore if you’re drawn to cherry perfumes but still want a white-floral heart.
Givenchy presents Elixir as a more intense expression of the L’Interdit family. The bottle follows the same richer direction, moving from ruby-inspired red into black. That visual identity is part of the launch, but the reason to visit is the chance to discover the fragrance beyond its campaign imagery.
For a beauty-focused outing, pair it with The Body Shop’s Butter Shop in the same shopping centre during that activation’s run. The two experiences have different emphases: Givenchy is about fragrance, while The Body Shop makes texture and body care the centre of its deli-inspired concept.
📍 Where: Westfield Stratford City, Montfichet Road, Stratford, London E20 1EJ
📆 When: 21–27 September 2026
Entry: Walk-in.
8. PureOaty Kitchen × Burnt Arches pop up in Bethnal Green
Paid partnership: PureOaty is a partner for my accompanying pop-up carousel.
A mango-and-coconut iced matcha and a pistachio crème brûlée Danish are a persuasive way to improve a Monday lunchtime. British oat drink brand PureOaty is taking over Burnt Arches for a one-day PureOaty Kitchen pop up, bringing a special drinks-and-pastry line-up to Poyser Street.
The public session runs from 12–2pm on 21 September. There will be FREE coffees, Mango and Coconut Iced Matchas and Pistachio Crème Brûlée Danish pastries for the first 100 customers. The drinks and pastry are made with PureOaty oat drink, including a new flavour, giving the collaboration a specific menu rather than a standard coffee giveaway.
There is also a sit-down option. Burnt Arches’ Michelin-trained Head Chef Finlay Logan has created three exclusive brunch dishes, priced at £7 each. Those dishes are paid menu items and separate from the first-100-customer offer.
This is the one to keep firmly in the lunchtime diary: the public activation is a two-hour window, rather than an all-day café takeover. If you want a longer meal, the bespoke brunch dishes give you another way to take part beyond the complimentary drinks and pastries. Ask the team about ingredients if you have dietary requirements; using oat drink does not, by itself, make every pastry or dish suitable for every diet.
📍 Where: Burnt Arches, 278 Poyser Street, Cambridge Heath / Bethnal Green, London E2 9RF
📆 When: 21 September 2026
⏰ Times: 12–2pm
Entry: Walk-in. Complimentary drinks and pastries for the first 100 customers; sit-down dishes £7 each.
9. rhute pop up: a Journey to Great Hair in King’s Cross
Haircare brand rhute is celebrating its first birthday with a pop up at Radio in King’s Cross. Its Journey to Great Hair concept puts the scalp first, with an experience built around understanding your routine rather than simply picking a new styling product.
The announced programme includes personalised scalp consultations and blow-dries, alongside an introduction to the brand’s skincare-inspired approach to haircare. Founded by consultant dermatologist Dr Aamna Adel, rhute focuses on the scalp as the starting point for its product range. The anniversary format brings that approach into a salon setting, where the conversation can be more individual than a product description.
The product to explore is rhute DENSITY + REPAIR Scalp Serum. It’s a daily leave-on formula containing ingredients including caffeine, peptides and niacinamide, developed for the scalp rather than as a finishing product for the lengths. The brand lists it as fragrance-free. A consultation is a useful opportunity to ask how a product would fit into your existing routine; it shouldn’t be treated as a promise of a particular hair-growth result.
📍 Where: Radio, Unit 1B, The Arthouse, 1 York Way, King’s Cross, London N1C 4AS
📆 When: 25 September 2026, 9am – 6pm
10. ASUS Design You Can Feel pop up in Soho
Colour analysis, an aerial sound bath and a personalised AI mood board might not be the first things you associate with a laptop launch. That’s the appeal of ASUS’ Design You Can Feel pop up, which is taking over the Black & White Soho Shop for two days to celebrate the new Zenbook 14.
The experience draws on the laptop’s nature-inspired Arctic Blue, Komodo Coral and Zabriskie Beige colourways. A one-to-one colour analysis explores your undertones and personal palette, while the AI-powered Zen Mood Board uses your portrait, outfit colours and style to create a digital visual you can save via QR code.
For the sound bath, visitors settle into low-suspended cocoon hammocks for a guided session using sound and vibrations. Elsewhere, the Ceraluminum experience explores the tactile finish and design of the laptop through sensory installations, with opportunities to get hands-on with the device itself.
The product behind it is the ASUS Zenbook 14 UX3480. The official UK product page shows the three colourways, an OLED display and the ceramic Ceraluminum lid with a metal chassis. You don’t need to be shopping for a laptop to enjoy the public experience, but the design story gives the different installations a common theme.
After completing the experience, visitors can enjoy a FREE barista-made drink at the Zen Café. There is also Zen-inspired merchandise, including tote bags, caps and T-shirts. Accepting merchandise comes with a social-sharing condition: attendees agree to post or share a story featuring it and tag the relevant ASUS UK account, including @asusuk.
General entry is free and walk-ins are welcome. For colour analysis and aerial sound baths, advance booking is recommended; these sessions take place at half past the hour. The organiser’s listing is for ages 18+.
📍 Where: Black & White Soho Shop, 59 Greek Street, Soho, London W1D 3DZ
📆 When: 25–26 September 2026
⏰ Times: Friday: 11am–8:30pm; Saturday: 11am–6pm
Entry: Free walk-in general entry. Book colour analysis and aerial sound bath sessions.
Book an ASUS Design You Can Feel session.
Things to do in London this September: which pop ups can you combine?
The dates overlap in useful clusters. Pick a part of London and a date first, then build around the experiences that genuinely run that day. A ticketed fragrance exhibition, a lunchtime food giveaway and a walk-in shopping activation work quite differently, even when they appear in the same roundup.
18–19 September: Liverpool Street and Spitalfields
Start with the JOE & THE JUICE breakfast takeover, then head to Old Spitalfields Market for the Yum Bun ice cream doughnut collaboration. Both run on Friday and Saturday, and the breakfast offer lasts all day. On Sunday 20 September, Yum Bun is still running, but the JOE & THE JUICE takeover has finished.
19 September: Covent Garden, Soho and Mayfair
Armani Beauty, Bon Bao and Penhaligon’s all have dates on Saturday 19 September. Plan around the Armani and Penhaligon’s booking arrangements, with Bon Bao as the food stop. Remember that Bon Bao’s free-bao-with-purchase promotion starts the following day; the 19th belongs to its opening tote-bag programme.
21 September: a Bethnal Green lunch, then Stratford beauty
PureOaty Kitchen’s 12–2pm public session is the fixed point for this Monday plan. Givenchy’s week-long Stratford activation starts the same day. The Butter Shop is also running at The Body Shop’s Stratford store, making it an easy second beauty stop.
25–26 September: the Soho design stop
ASUS runs on both Friday and Saturday, with a later finish on Friday. Book a colour analysis or sound bath if that is the main reason for your visit. Bon Bao’s launch promotion is also running on those dates, making it a convenient Soho food stop before or afterwards.
September London pop ups: frequently asked questions
Which of these London pop ups are free?
ASUS offers free general entry, and Penhaligon’s and Armani have free ticketed listings. The PureOaty Kitchen promotion offers complimentary drinks and pastries to the first 100 customers. JOE & THE JUICE’s wrap requires a qualifying drink purchase, and Bon Bao’s free bao requires a purchase on 20–27 September. Yum Bun’s ice cream doughnut buns are paid menu items.
Which pop ups should I book in advance?
Use the official Eventbrite listings for Armani Beauty Dolci Club and Penhaligon’s The Who’s Who of London. ASUS welcomes general walk-ins, but recommends booking its colour analysis and aerial sound bath sessions. Follow your selected session details rather than treating a venue’s opening hours as your appointment time.
What are the beauty pop ups in London this September?
This selection includes Armani Beauty Dolci Club in Covent Garden, Givenchy L’Interdit Elixir and The Body Shop Butter Shop in Stratford, Penhaligon’s Portraits anniversary at the Royal Academy, and rhute’s first-birthday pop up in King’s Cross. Each focuses on a different part of beauty, from colour cosmetics and fragrance to body care and scalp-first haircare.
Is The Butter Shop a food pop up?
No. The Butter Shop is The Body Shop’s deli-inspired Body Butter activation. The sampling bar, fridges, butter dishes and scales are a playful setting for skincare discovery. For actual food in this guide, look to Bon Bao, Yum Bun, JOE & THE JUICE and PureOaty Kitchen.
Are these pop ups all running until 30 September?
No. They take place during September, but each has its own dates. Most of the dated experiences finish between 19 and 27 September. The Body Shop’s Butter Shop runs from 17 September to 17 October 2026. Use the individual listing when choosing your day.
More things to do in London
For more September plans, explore my London pop ups guide covering beauty, food and Fashion Week experiences and more London pop ups this September. These roundups cover different line-ups, so you can build a wider shortlist without assuming every activation happens on the same weekend.
Follow @itsnasg and @freethepopup for more London pop ups and beauty discoveries.
Research checked 15 September 2026. Booking arrangements and offers can change; check the linked organiser pages before travelling.
Reply