Around Town

Sidestep the obvious high street shopping routes and look for present inspiration at winter markets, open studios and...

London's ice-skating rinks are gearing up for the seasonal freeze

Gaze up at Alfred Waterhouse's stunning Natural History Museum from the 1,050m square outdoor ice rink, or the smaller rink for children. Spectators can take in the scene with a hot chocolate or mulled wine from the balcony café/bar overlooking...

The show welcomes into office the new Lord Mayor of the City of London. The three-mile-long parade involves 6,000 people, 1,550 of them servicemen and women, 202 horses, 24 marching bands and 71 floats featuring people from a huge variety of...

A number of the 50 independent shops at Gabriel's Wharf and neighbouring Oxo Tower Wharf are offering discounts and free giftwrapping for this shopping event. The day coincides with the Lord Mayor's Show fireworks, which take place on the river...

The cold, bleak weather is no excuse to forego the exciting outdoors for a night in front of the telly. Catch some...

The grand eighteenth-century courtyard at Somerset House provides one of the most impressive skating backdrops in town. The skate school offers lessons for beginners and there are special sessions for families, students and disabled people, as...

In a spot surrounded by vertiginous towers, skaters can glide serenely across the ice, down a dram in the rinkside Moose Bar or just watch the action from the viewing gallery. The rink is located next to the new Park Pavilion which houses bars...

Hyde Park's seasonal makeover takes place for the third year running in late November. We may have had reservations about the ice rink last year (it was just too narrow for us to demonstrate our prowess) but the lights of the Giant Wheel added a...

Small and independent businesses gather at this annual fair to offer traditional furnishings, home and garden decorations, jewellery, handcrafted toys and regional food and drink not available on the high street.

Offering a grand historical setting for seasonal skating sessions, the rink in the dry moat features views of London's ancient fortress. Ice guides are available for supervised group skating. As at fellow Historic Royal Palace Hampton Court,...

Offering something a little bit different for skating enthusiasts, the ice track at Wembley Stadium runs right around the pitch in a 360m-long promenade for speedy sprinting or careful gliding (and there's a nursery track for young skaters). The...

The two West End streets are presenting joint Christmas lights this year, themed to link in with Disney's 'A Christmas Carol'. Public events including carol singing take place on Regent Street, Oxford Street and in the City of London until Jan 5...

Set in front of Henry VIII's picturesque old pad, this 900-square-metre rink has space for 250 skaters. Sessions last an hour, and the adjacent Frost Fayre café serves hot drinks to counteract exposure to the elements. Wheelchairs are welcome on...

We round up London's best bike shops - whether you're in need of a brand new bike or just need to get a puncture...

Summer might be slipping away, but autumn in London won't disappoint. From art to dance and from theatre to clubbing,...

Annual jewellery showcase in the Olivier foyer, featuring more than 3,000 works for sale by 75 designers from around the world.

Exhibition about the Hammer film company, which cornered the horror market between the 1950s and the 1980s and is about to release a new film, 'Let Me In'. On show are original posters, rare photographs of Hammer stars including Christopher Lee,...

Take a drive into Buckinghamshire to catch Pinewood Studios' first ever public drive-in movies, projected on to Europe's largest bluescreen on the Paddock Lot, complete with refreshments delivered direct to your car. The drive-in will be...

The bars, restaurants, sights and sounds that comprise the creme de la capital

Celebrations to accompany the switching on of the Christmas lights in Putney High Street include stalls from 30 local retailers selling food and gifts, plus carol singing and children's activities including a bouncy castle and a treasure hunt.

Seventy stalls selling gifts ranging from monogrammed socks to specialty cheeses, plus activities such a human table football pitch for children to try out.

A huge range of festivals, special events, ice skating and fireworks.

The first national art show to be curated by serving prisoners encompasses film, music and writing alongside the visual arts. The work, drawn from more than 5,000 submissions from secure establishments across the UK and abroad has been selected...

The art of truffle making is covered at this workshop. Those attending will take home their creations.

Get acquainted with the city while finding ways to make your money go further and investigate a whole new world of...

This paid-for exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery explores the iconography of sixties pop culture through 150 images and memorabilia tying in the music and fashions of the day. Featured artists include the Fab Four, David Bowie, The...

Roll up for a tour on a Routemaster painted black and redecorated in a gothic vein, to hear half-factual, half-fictional tales about the sinister side of London, delivered by an on-board troupe of actors, stand-up comics and cabaret performers....

These open studios are a great chance to support independent designer-makers and pick up unique gifts (for Christmas or for yourself) that you won't find on the high street. Whether you're after furniture, lighting, jewellery, fashion...