October 2025: Autumn has well and truly arrived, but there’s no need to go into hibernation for us city-dwellers, because just as the leaves start to turn brown, the capital’s cultural scenes burst into life. There’s arguably no better month than October for culture-loving Londoners; the next few weeks are a flurry of activity across the city’s major institutions, with London Film Festival, Frieze art fair and London Literature Festival all taking place. There are also plenty of big openings across the city’s major institutions, including a brand new ‘Hamlet’ at the National Theatre, Susan Sarandon’s London stage debut, the Portrait Gallery’s big Cecil Beaton exhibition and a rare opportunity to see sumo wrestling outside of Japan at the Royal Albert Hall’s Grand Sumo Tournament. And that’s before we even mention Black History Month and Halloween. So if you thought you’d be staying home eating hearty stews and binge watching period dramas as the days get darker, think again!
No matter what your vibe, tastes or interests, there is always something to do in London. Whether you want to see cutting-edge art exhibitions, iconic attractions, secret spots, world-beating theatre, stunning green spaces, it’s all here and you can probably fit all this in and more still barely feel like you’ve scratched the surface of the city. And that’s before you factor in all those historic London pubs, the latest must-visit restaurants and vibrant LGBTQ+ venues. And if you need somewhere to stay? Check out London’s best hotels or Airbnbs.
This London bucket list (curated by our editors and always hotly debated in the Time Out office) is a good place to start because exploring this city can be a little daunting. There truly is something for everyone here.
And if you want to know what’s happening in London, like, right now, check out things to do in London this week and things to do in London this weekend. After a few days pottering about in the capital, you’ll be more than ready to reel off Dr Samuel Johnson’s famous quote: ‘When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.’
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Start planning a great end to 2025 with our roundups of the best things to do in November and December
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