London’s best pop-ups

London Cocktail Week invites you to celebrate the city’s inventive and innovative cocktail makers for a 15th year this October, with 11 days of exciting and unusual concoctions to enjoy. Hundreds of bars across the capital will take part, including the likes of KOL Mezcaleria, Swift, Side Hustle, Dram and many more. Pick up a wristband in advance or at any participating bar and sip your way around London with tried-and-trusted classics and electrifying new recipes to make your new fave. The event is all not-for-profit, with funds being redirected back to the bars involved, helping support the people behind the drinks.

Flat Iron Square are getting in on the Oktoberfest action, with two Saturdays of Bavarian bonanzas. Inside the beer tent, you’ll find a whole host of German beers and food, from soft pretzels, bratwurst, currywurst and so much more. Entertainment will come from The Chapel Brass Band and a selection of DJs. There’ll also be a series of games being played throughout the event to up the excitement even more.

At Between the Bridges, you’ll find a German-style beer hall ready to make your Oktoberfest dreams come true. Over three weekends of boozy fun, you’ll be entertained by the tweed-clad ten-piece brass crew Old Dirty Brasstards and more DJs on the decks, while the kitchen and bar will be pumping out the goods to line your stomach with. We’re talking two-pint steins of delicious beer and street food so good it’ll make you say, ‘Hell ja!’

Three weeks of Bavarian joy are coming up at Munich Cricket Club, taking over its Canary Wharf, Tower Hill and Victoria locations. Expect foaming steins, platters of sausage and a live oompah band to get the vibes flying. Dancing on tabletops is encouraged – just be careful not to slip on any saus. Wear your best Oktoberfest ‘fit and you could also be in the chance of winning the title of Mr/Mrs Oktoberfest, while games held throughout the night will throw up the chance to win more prizes.

Housed inside a Grade II-listed building that was once home to the first purpose-built gymnasium in the UK, King’s Cross bier hall German Gymnasium is a great option if you’d like to line your stomach with some proper Bavarian delicacies before necking all those Oktoberfest steins. As well as partnering with global brewing experts James Clay and Sons to bring some of Germany’s best pours to London for the festival, it’ll be offering a special menu curated by head chef Alexander Thiel, including Schweinebraten, a roast pork collar with red cabbage and dark beer sauce, and Halbes Hendl, a roast half chicken with warm potato salad. Head down on Friday evenings throughout the festival to hear a live Oompah band playing traditional Bavarian ditties from 5.30pm, and be sure to don your best lederhosen or dirndl for a stein on the haus. Prost!

Dreaming of a kitsch Christmas? New York’s famous Miracle on Ninth Street bar is popping up in London for its seventh year, ‘50s Christmas decorations, nostalgic accessories and creative new spins on beloved cocktail favourites in tow. This year’s menu is still a work in progress, but past years have seen the bar slinging the likes of a Snowball Old Fashioned or a Christmapoliton, which includes cranberry sauce and absinthe mist – a take on Christmas trimmings that’s not for the faint-hearted. If you’re failing to find the Christmas spirit, this is one great place to come find it.

The regenerated King’s Cross area will once again be transformed into a Christmas paradise from November, with eight different markets popping up over the course of five weeks. The Lower Stable Street Market offers up everything from food and drinks to homeware, art, books and clothing. Christmas under the Canopy will be showcasing some of London’s best artisan traders and food stalls, with a special vegan Christmas market over one weekend of its run. Elsewhere, the Mexican Christmas Market will provide a spicy twist on the festive season, with piñatas and a roaming cumbia band while you shop for artisanal clothing, accessories, ornaments and crafts from the country. After its 2023 debut, lifestyle brand TOAST returns to Coal Drops Yard, bringing with it handcrafted and sustainably made lifestyle products, from textiles to stationery. The Illustrators Fair will highlight local independent artists, the Crafty Fox Markets will showcase more than 100 designers and makers in the fields of jewellery, homeware and more, and the Shōtengai Christmas Market will bring a taste of Japan to London. Talk about shopping til you drop!