Which Week in August for London?

I usually use Google flights and booking.com to check flight/hotel price differences over the different time periods to make my decision. Other considerations - are there any special things you want to do in London that may be time limited? Eg. if you want to see a special exhibition at a museum, or if you want to go to the theatre, check the dates they are on.

You didn't ask but September is a little quieter and cheaper than August, if that is a possibility.

Have a wonderful trip!

What is Labour Day? We have August bank holiday the last Monday of August but it doesn’t really make a difference to how busy London is. I’ve been to London a lot over that weekend for the Challenge Cup Final held in Wembley and always found a decent hotel and had a good weekend (except for a result or two).
I would say just go with the most convenient to everyone who is going.

US Labor Day just isn't a thing here. The Bank Holiday/Public Holiday weekend the previous weekend is a big thing.
Traditionally that is the weekend which is the end of the summer school Holidays. The way the calendar falls this year Labor Day weekend will actually be the end of the Holidays.
But that affects seaside resorts or tourist areas- like Cornwall, the Lake District, the Peak District.
So it'll affect the seaside resorts close to London in Essex and Kent, central London I very much doubt.

The only thing is that the Public Holiday weekend is when a lot of rail engineering gets done- both on National Rail and the Tube. That could affect days out of London or airport travel.

London is going to be hot (climate wise) and very busy any of those weeks. Peak international and domestic travel season.

As Map Lady says I would look for anything that interests you. Bearing in mind the Holiday and Oasis I would narrowly plump for Option 2 but doubt it makes any real difference. Perhaps air fare vagaries will give you the deciding throw of the dice.

Every week in August will be busy. Monday 25th is the late summer Bank Holiday weekend (kind of our equivalent to Labor Day).

But really the only way to check the best week is by hotel and flight prices.

London is always busy, particularly so in August, but major events tend to get absorbed somewhat better than in other cities. So just pick the week with the best prices.

London does get a bit busier during the late August bank holiday (which this year falls on Monday 25th). One thing also to consider that weekend is the Notting Hill Carnival (24-25 August)- which may be a reason to be here on those dates, if you're interested in attending a parade/street party celebrating Caribbean culture (more info here: https://nhcarnival.org/)- lots of music, food, fun, but it does get incredibly crowded. It may also be a reason to avoid that weekend as there are associated Tube closures around the area and it makes the whole Notting Hill area in general less fun to visit if you don't like crowds.

Other than that I'd say there's not much difference between the weeks. It does get "hot" here in August but that's very relative- "hot" for London is like 25C / 77F which for many places in the US isn't considered especially hot. But you do need to consider that few places have air conditioning here. Hope this helps, good luck with the planning!

All Points East will be on from 22/8 to 24/8. 3 separate days of concerts in Victoria Park in East London. Line ups here -https://www.allpointseastfestival.com. It's a nicely sized festival (I have been twice) and tickets should be available.

I don’t find London busier than usual in August. It’s usually the best month to get good deals on more upmarket hotels, especially in the City area, because there is no business travel and many people with the means to do so leave London for their summer holidays. I’m sure some things aimed primarily at tourists get busy but London as a whole is not busy. August is always the month with the lowest number of tube journeys taken.

London is always busy.

Embrace the reality. As far as August events:

https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/whats-on/special-events/london-events-calendar

Honestly, what you should be concerned about is securing your flight and your lodgings.

Also fyou and your friends need to agree upon what you really want to do; Shop? SightSee? Hang out in pubs? Walk in parks? Along the Thames path? See theatre? Visit the Tower of London? Climb the O2? Hampton Court Palace? Bletchley Park? Camden Lock Market?, Shoreditch Wall Art, museums, take the Eurostar to Paris, etc., etc.,

If you aren't able to see Oasis or Coldplay, I would skip the week of 8/1 - 8/10. I was in London last year when Taylor Swift was at Wembley and the price for hotel room went up significantly during that time. You may find better deals on hotel rooms another week.
Enjoy your trip. London is an absolute blast. I can hardly wait for my next trip in June.
Happy Travels!!

I believe the reason the OP mentioned Labor Day was because it’s a very busy weekend in the US and probably not the best time to be in the airports here. And if it wasn’t the reason then probably something she should be considering.

I’m not sure I’d specifically avoid Labor Day weekend in the USA to fly to the U.K. While it will be a 3 day weekend, it’s more of a one last driving getaway out of the city or hit up the theme park type of weekend. In a lot of the USA the kids are already back in school, it is definitely not crazy like Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Depends on your industry at work, but the week after Labor day also tends to be back to normal at work after a summer lull.

I’d just plug in your days for your trip and see how the airfares and hotels are