The Time Out London blog team

There’s no shortage of high achievers in London. In fact, based on last year’s A-level and GCSE results, the majority of England’s smartest students are right here in the capital, making it home to eight of England’s top 10 private schools.  The Top Schools Guide uses exam results to publish rankings of the best fee-paying schools in the country. According to the 2026 league tables, the majority of England’s brightest boffins are attending school here in the capital.  Per 2025 exam results, England’s very best private school is St Paul’s School in Barnes. Founded in 1509, in 2025 the all-boys’ school saw 93 percent of its A-Level entries achieve either A or A* and 97.9 percent of it’s GSCE entries awarded top results of 9, 8 or 7. A top tier education will cost you, because fees at this establishment range from £9,551 to £17,981 per term.  First place’s sister school, St Paul’s Girls’ School, came in a very close second with 88.7 percent achieving the highest A-Level results and an impressive 99.5 percent attaining the GCSE equivalents. In third place was King’s College School in Wimbledon with 86.1 percent of students getting A* or A at A-Level and 98.26 percent getting 9, 8 or 7 at GCSE. This was followed closely by Westminster, the alma mater of quite a few celebs including Andrew Lloyd Webber, Helena Bonham Carter and Louis Theroux, which had an A-Level A*/A rate of 86 percent and a GCSE 9 to 7 rate of 97.38 percent.  The best private schools in London according to...

Just a couple of years ago, journey juice (that’s the drink you have en route to a night out) usually consisted of a corner shop beer or maybe a pre-mixed G&T if you were feeling fancy. These days, we can’t imaging attending a pre-drinks without a horde of radioactive-looking spherical cocktails in our arsenal. We’re of course talking about BuzzBallz, and good news, because the corner shop cocktail brand is launching a new flavour in the UK.  To celebrate, everyone’s favourite ball-shaped cocktail is bringing a 10-foot gacha machine to the capital where thirsty Londoners can win a chance to try the new BuzzBall. Arriving in the flavour ‘Berry Cherry Limeade’ (we’re guessing it’s got notes of berry, cherry and lime), the bright blue drink will be London’s to try for the day, at a pop-up taking place on Friday February 27 at Observation Point on the Southbank.  Image: BuzzBallz By spinning the giant prize machine (which is apparently the world’s biggest), Londoners will be able to win the new flavour BuzzBall as well as 4,000 other prizes. One lucky person will even take home a £5,000 cash prize. That could buy you at least 1,000 BuzzBallz.  The pop-up will take place from 12pm to 7pm and, obviously, you must be over 18 to take part.  Did you see that a dive bar with a BuzzBallz vending machine has opened in east London? Sad: Excellent London music festival Wide Awake has been cancelled for 2026.  Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to...

Come rain or shine, Londoners love a beer. Under the glaring summer sun, fruity IPAs and crisp Pilsners in the park hit the spot. During the chilly, dreary winter months, thick stouts and spiced ales by cosy pub fireplaces are a reliable way to warm the cockles.  Now, with just a month or so left before spring begins, the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has revealed the greatest winter beer in Britain for 2026. And it’s brewed right here in London.  Beer Street by London Brewing Co. has been named CAMRA’s Champion Winter Beer of Britain. It went up against hundreds of other stouts, porters, strong ales and barley wines that had been nominated by beer lovers and expert tasting panels. After a year of local and regional blind heats, it landed first place in the ‘speciality, differently produced’ category and came out on top overall.   CAMRA judges described the victorious ale as ‘a sparking golden amber bitter, with spicy rye and a roasty nose, sweet biscuit on the flavour, where the spicy rye notes increase and linger in the dry and slightly bitter finish’. They added that it made for ‘very easy drinking’.  London Brewing began producing beer in 2011 at the Bull in Highgate before acquiring The Bohemia in North Finchley and moving there in 2014. Its own description of Beer Street says that it delivers ‘notes of toffee, dried fruit, dark chocolate and a subtle nutty rye finish’. Silver medal went to Cairngorm’s Black Gold and bronze was awarded to Green Jack’s Baltic Trader...