United Kingdom

London

Sun Spots

Ace & Tate

Art Gallery

Snacks

Touching Bass

Ace & Tate’s ‘Bring on the Sun’ campaign

, we’ve partnered up with the brand and collaborated with collectives across Europe to bring you their recommendations for the best ‘sun spots’ in their home city.

This series celebrates the transformative nature of summer and each city guide will shine a light on must-visit locations for enjoying the sunshine, local style.

As anyone who’s ever spent a summer in London knows, it’s a special time for locals. The first glimpse of a promising ray of sunshine and everybody’s straight to the park with as many friends as they can gather, a pair of sunglasses and a speaker.

This coming together, through a shared determination to get as much Vitamin D as possible, fosters a beautiful atmosphere of community with park goers happily sharing music and spaces to enjoy the sunshine the only way they know how.

This is a vibe that Touching Bass, the South-London based musical movement, is all about. Their goal is to celebrate the ability of music to bring people together. It does this through regular club nights and concerts, cultural collaborations, a monthly NTS Radio show and a burgeoning record label.

The English capital, which they describe as a “cultural hub” is a special place for them, as they don’t think their movement would be the same anywhere else. “Soundsystem culture is so ingrained in the architecture of this city, in people’s bodies and people’s spirits as well,” says Errol, founder of the group.

Summer is the best time to enjoy that spirit, says Carli, label assistant and community manager. “Everyone is much friendlier, happy and it’s a great opportunity, everyone just wants to be really social. Some of my best memories are just hanging in parks, eating, playing music.”

Read their guide to find where to head for juices, black-owned restaurants, and the best parks to meet up with your mates.

The crepes are banging, and the juices are banging too and it’s black owned as well. It’s just a really great place to hang, it’s super informal. You can just go and buy a juice and hang out there all day and no-one’s going to kick you out or anything, it’s just a great spot.

We've been visiting Tafe and her husband's family-run business for years now. Someone from TB celebrates their birthday there at least once a year! It's everything we love about Ethiopian food: the taste (of course), the warmth of the people and the fact that you can eat together and with your hands. Make sure you order the T'ej ! (honey wine)

Telegraph Hill is very special to me because it was the first place that made me fall in love with London when I moved here from abroad. On my first visit a friend of mine took me up to the top of the park and there where all these smiley people with instruments and food, everyone playing music and vibing in the summer sun, it felt magical.

They just have lots of different things and because people trade in records all the time you never know what you’re going to find. You can find some really obscure stuff in there and I guess also because it’s a bit out of the way, you know, it’s like you kind of have to know about it to go there.

It feels a little bit more rural than some other parks, just like how big the trees are, and I guess it’s one of the bigger parks so it never feels too crowded. It’s just a beautiful park.


Maloko

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