If you’re anything like us, the latter two months of the year tend to be so rammed with work parties, shopping trips and general festive mania that staying up to date with the city’s cultural happenings is nigh on impossible. But the V&A is helping bring some much needed culture to your festival social calendar with its Festive Fridays lates, where you can combine mulled wine and Christmas shopping with free entertainment and the opportunity to see its big autumn exhibition openings.
Head down to the South Kensington institution after work to check out late openings of Constantinople to Istanbul and Freddie Mercury: Splendid Things, enjoy live performances in the Dome every half-hour throughout the evening, courtesy of the Rock Choir and a Freddie Mercury tribute act, and do some gift shopping across the museum’s three retail spaces, including its Exhibition Road Festive Shop pop-up.
There’ll also be festive drinks on offer at the cafes, and a professional gift wrapping service you can drop-in on after you’ve picked up some pressies.