Festivals

Merchant City festival
If you like street art, music, theatre (including a one-man play about Charles Rennie Mackintosh), dance and some nice artisan food then you should pop to the Merchant City district of Glasgow. A carnival procession kicks off proceedings.
Various venues, Glasgow, 22-30 July

Edinburgh art festival
Founded in 2004, the UK’s largest annual festival of visual art again brings together Edinburgh’s leading galleries, museums and spaces. If you prefer your art outside then you’ll be happy to hear there will also be some newly commissioned public art, including the elaborately titled The Making of the Future: Now series, as well as a programme of special events. Another bonus is that the majority of the fest is free, so there’s really no excuse.
Various venues, Edinburgh, 27 July to 27 August

Afropunk
Launched in New York in 2005, Afropunk’s initial aim was to shine a spotlight on black punks in the US. As the festival has grown, however, the genre focus has expanded to include R&B, soul and hip-hop, with the festival itself spreading to Paris, Johannesburg and London. The latter iteration starts today at The Printworks in south London and features a typically diverse lineup including Jeremy Corbyn’s favourite rapper, JME; child prodigy Willow Smith; gonzo US troublemaker Danny Brown and the never knowingly understated Thundercat. DJs include Clara Amfo and gal-dem.
The Printworks, SE16, 22-23 July

Exhibitions

London Film & Comic Con
Air out your cosplay-ready Dumbledore hat, matching tunic and floor-length beard because Showmasters London Film & Comic Con is almost upon us. Slightly wary guests not making direct eye contact during autograph sessions include Benedict Cumberbatch, director Kevin Smith and Pamela Anderson.
Olympia, W14, 28-30 July

Coming Out
Marking the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Sexual Offences Act, which partially decriminalised male homosexual acts, Walker Art Gallery presents a diverse collection of work by the likes of Sarah Lucas, Steve McQueen, John Walter and Margaret Harrison. The exhibition will also aim to shine a light on hidden queer stories via events and performances.
Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, 28 July to 5 November

Theatre

Nassim
Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour, whose 2011 play White Rabbit, Red Rabbit featured actors reading the script for the first time on stage, returns with Nassim, a similarly experimental exploration into the power of language and it’s ability to unite. This time Soleimanpour himself stars, but expect the unexpected.
Bush theatre, W12, 25-28 July

Yerma
Honey to the Bee hitmaker Billie Piper returns in Simon Stone’s critically adored adaptation of Lorca’s tale of desperate desire. Catch it if you can.
Young Vic, SE1, 26 July to 30 August

Podcasts

A Piece of Work
Broad City star Abbi Jacobson teams up with New York’s Museum of Modern Art for a podcast answering frequently asked questions about various aspects of contemporary art. Guests include people actually involved in the art world – curators, conservators, etc – as well as the likes of Tavi Gevinson, RuPaul and Jacobson’s three-year-old niece, Stella.
Available at wnyc.org, moma.org and wherever you download podcasts

Film

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie
All you really need to know about this tale of two schoolfriends who accidentally turn their teacher into a Y-front-sporting superhero (finally, a Hollywood character we can all relate to) is that the baddie is called Professor Pee-Pee Diarrheastein Poopypants, Esq. Amazing. Take a school summer holiday breather in all good cinemas from 24 July.

Music

Jessie Reyez
This year’s Kiddo EP saw Canada’s latest export tackling both heartbreak (Figures) and insidious misogyny in the music industry (Gatekeeper). With a bruised voice and brutal honesty, she feels like the antidote to pop’s beige brigade.
Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen, N1, 25 July