Christmas lights in London

You can’t really miss the Churchill Arms. For most of the year, the Irish-owned Kensington pub’s exterior is a bonanza of exploding foliage in pinks, purples, yellows, reds and everything in between. But at Christmastime, it gets a special festive makeover featuring over 80 Christmas trees and a mind-boggling 22,000 individual lights. The exterior decor is a clue to the eccentricity at the heart of this fabulous old boozer, a sort of living tribute to Winston Churchill (whose grandparents were reportedly regulars) festooned with bric-a-brac, Union Jack bunting and busts of the wartime Prime Minister. It’s the perfect place to sink a festive pint or two, perhaps alongside some dishes from its top-tier Thai kitchen, which the owner reckons was London’s first.

Best for: a cheeky pint after

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The Southbank Centre is shining a light on some great artworks this winter – literally. In its annual Winter Lights exhibition, the institution will be bringing a selection of pieces to the streets surrounding the venue. Everything on display uses light and colour to dive into topics like identity, environment and tech, making it both an attention-grabbing and thought-provoking exhibit. Among the works you’ll be able to see at this free exhibition are ‘Beacon’ by Lee Broom, which invites you to pause and reflect as you examine the chandelier of light, and Jakob Kvist’s ‘Dichroic Sphere’, a geodesic dome that is illuminated by only one single energy-efficient light bulb, but is still lit up in various colours.

Best for: thought-provoking light artworks

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