The Time Out London blog team

Playlists you can change when the mood strikes you, free glasses of strong punch, and no curfew for when you have to leave the dance floor; there’s much to love about house parties in theory, but there’s also a lot to worry about. Namely, will I lose my rental deposit if someone pours red wine over the newly laid cream carpet? Will I start a huge rift with the neighbours? And who is going to stick around for the big clean-up the next day?  To get into the house party spirit without all the hassle, Little Door & Co came up with a solution. They started styling venues as London flats and throwing parties that felt like being in someone’s home, but with fun added extras. Each of the company’s locations across London is dressed up like a homely apartment, but with pool tables, giant games, expertly-made cocktails and professional DJs.  Photograph: Little Neon Door Now, it’s opening a brand new venue, which is set to be its biggest yet, as well as its first in east London. The Little Neon Door will be an iconic industrial-style flat on Old Street, filled with neon accessories. It’s the sixth venue from the group, following Little Yellow Door (Notting Hill), Little Blue Door (Fulham), Little Orange Door (Clapham), Little Scarlet Door (Soho) and Little Violet Door (Carnaby).  This new iteration will be split across two levels with five immersive rooms to explore. ‘The Sitting Room’ is for sipping cocktails on comfy sofas, the ‘Living Room and Kitchen’ is where you’ll find the...

If your idea of an ideal afternoon is sitting on the sofa with a steaming cuppa and a packet of biccies practicing the perfect dunk, we have good news. Posh department store Fortnum & Mason is about to debut a 200 square metre wonderland dedicated to disks of crumbly goodness. From May 14 a new ‘biscuitorium’ with 70 flavours of biscuits is taking over the mezzanine level of its Piccadilly store’s ground floor.  We can expect an interactive biscuit library with 12 different flavour profiles, where you’ll be able to select from categories like ‘buttery and traditional’, ‘dark and decadent’ and ‘gluten-free and vegan’. Fortnum’s will be divulging some of its heritage recipes, as well as new flavours, through elaborate displays which tell you everything you need to know about each bic: its flavour profile, diameter, texture, ideal dunking time and the perfect tea pairing.  Photograph: David Goymer Executive pastry chef Roger Pizey – who made a name for himself in the ’90s as the pastry chef at Marco Pierre White’s Harvey’s restaurant when it was awarded three Michelin stars – has whipped up a new ‘Made in Piccadilly’ selection. Oat & Ganache, Eton Mess and Chocolate, Peanuts & Caramel will be among the flavours available at the counter. If that wasn’t decadent enough, also among the many baked wonders will be 400g ‘Whoppalossus’ sharing biscuit. Unsurprisingly, this gargantuan treat – measuring 15.5cm in diameter – will be the biggest biccy ever made by the bougie...

While the cost of tickets for London’s trains and tubes continues to go up and up (you can see a chart of just how much fares have increased since 2006 here), the humble bus remains pretty cheap. Sure, the Big Smoke’s double (and single) deckers currently crawl along at an average of 7.1mph, but a single fare still costs just £1.75. And this summer that single London bus ticket will stretch even further, thanks to the extension of TfL’s ‘Hopper’ fare. The Hopper, for those who aren’t in-the-know, allows passengers to take as many trips as they like on London buses and trams within an hour for the price of a single ticket. This summer TfL will launch the Weekend Hopper, allowing bus- and tram-riders to pay a single fare ticket for unlimited travel all weekend. That’s right, one fare for as many buses and trams as you can cram into 48 hours. The promotion won’t be in place all summer, only on weekends between July 25 and August 31. For reference, that’s the following dates: August 1-2 August 8-9 August 15-16 August 22-23 August 29-30 A single fare on a London bus is currently £1.75. However, it has not yet been confirmed that fares will be the same in July. While TfL froze bus ticket prices in March 2026, they’re only at the same cost until July 5 2026. The Hopper fare was introduced back in September 2016 and initially allowed Londoners to take a second bus or tram for free within an hour – saving £1.50. It was expanded to include unlimited journeys within an hour in...