The Time Out London blog team

It’s December, which means we can finally stop feeling embarrassed about whacking on The Holiday and cracking open a bottle of Baileys (even though we’ve actually been drinking it since October). Christmas lights have arrived, festive trees have been erected, and people are embarrassing themselves at office parties all over the city. It really is the most wonderful time of the year.  Time Out has just crowned London’s very best Christmas tree for 2025. It’s... the spruce at St Pancras International train station. Titled ‘Powered by Dreams’, this year’s tree is made in collaboration with Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH). Sitting in the intersection between trad and inventive, this year’s St Pancras Christmas tree isn’t particularly whacky, but it’s not a total bore either. Inspired by a music box, the 2026 design features a 12-metre-high tree, adorned with 180 metres of fairy lights and a spiral of 158 glowing baubles, with an ornamental clockwork winder at the bottom. Just like a traditional music box, the tree gently turns to a soothing tune and is topped by a ballerina (based on a real dancer from the GOSH Charity-funded GOSH Arts programme, who visits children and their families on the hospital wards).  Photograph: Sam Lane Photography Thirty-eight children from GOSH were invited to draw their ‘wishes for the future’ that were then printed on the baubles that decorate the tree. Their dreams include becoming an Olympic gymnast, training to be a pilot, or travelling...

Foodies, set your alarms, because a much-loved street food market in south London is about to make a huge comeback. Lewisham’s Model Market will reopen in the spring, having been closed for the past five years.  Landsec, the developer that owns the area, has announced it will bring back the market as ‘a hub for independent kitchens, local makers and creative spaces’. The market’s return comes amid Landsec’s wider plan to demolish the 1970s-built Lewisham town centre to build 1,700 new homes.  Operating as a street food market since 2014, the hugely popular market closed in 2021 when its operator, Street Feast, collapsed. Before becoming a street food hub, Model Market was a trading site for many small Black-owned businesses dating back to the 1950s.  Despite the nearby impending demolition, Model Market will return to its original building, serving food as well as hosting live events including DJ sets, pop-ups and live music. Its new look will take inspiration from the original 1950s style, with retro shopfronts and string lights.  ‘The revived Model Market will serve more than food, it will be a social hub in the heart of Lewisham, delivering DJ sets and genre-spanning music, alongside a host of events, pop-ups and cultural programming that blends food, music and art,’ said Landsec. ‘By honouring the original architecture and preserving the site’s time-worn patina, the market will retain the character and charm that made it iconic while introducing a bold new visual...

One of London’s best known shopping streets could be about to undergo a big makeover. Carnaby Street – the shopping spot home to zeitgeisty brands including Rixo, Tala and Pangaia – could be transformed by plans to improve its public realm.  The main improvements that developers Shaftesbury Capital want to make to the area include new signage, upgrading the lighting and introducing more planting. The plans also want to take Carnaby back to its roots by making it look more like a road again. The street would remain pedestrianised, but could have a ‘road’ and pavements re-installed. The developers want to un-do a lot of the changes that were made in the ‘80s and ‘90s when artificial stone paving was installed.  ‘We believe there is an opportunity to refresh Carnaby Street’s public realm with high-quality, contextually appropriate materials that celebrate the street’s heritage while improving comfort and accessibility,’ says the public consultation website. ‘This includes replacing existing artificial stone with a refined mix of natural stone and subtly reintroducing a visual distinction between pavement and carriageway, reflecting the proportions and character of the original street.’ There is also a proposal to create a new art and cultural programme in the area, which could see art integrated into façades, paving, and key sightlines. The plans are still currently in their very early stages. If you want to have your say you can take part in the public consultation online...