Unmissable things to do and events in London in November 2025

Amazing news for lovers of neat symmetry, loud primary colours and twee outfits. Following on from autumn 2024's major exhibition on director Tim Burton, west London’s Design Museum will be staging a blockbuster show delving into the iconic aesthetic of another of Hollywood’s most distinctive auteurs, the Texas-born Oscar- and Golden Globe-winning director Wes Anderson. London has had several Anderson-inspired openings over the years, including the ‘Isle of Dogs’ exhibition at 180 The Strand and the ‘Accidentally Wes Anderson’ photo show, but the film director’s first official retrospective promises to be a different beast. A collaboration between the Design Museum and Cinémathèque Française, it has been curated in partnership with Wes Anderson himself and his production company American Empirical Pictures and follows his work from his early experiments in the 1990s right up to his recent Oscar-winning flicks, featuring original props, costumes and behind-the-scenes insights.

Escape reality through maximum immersion and experience 42 masterpieces from 29 of the world’s most iconic artists, each reimagined beyond belief, through cutting-edge technology. Situated in Marble Arch, Frameless plays host to four unique galleries with hypnotic visuals and a dazzling score. Enjoy 90 minutes of surreal artwork from Bosch, Dalí and more for just £24!

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Belgian super director Ivo van Hove got his big English-language break with 2014’s astounding production of Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge, and a couple of years later lucky New Yorkers got a deluxe production of The Crucible that scored warm reviews (maddeningly it never played here despite its largely British and Irish cast).

Since then, Van Hove’s career has gone into overdrive and he’s famous dedicated a lot of time to making stage adaptations of classic films, to mercurial effect. 

It would be entirely misunderstanding Van Hove to imagine that he’s returning to the safety of Miller as a result of last year’s colossal West End flop Opening Night. But there will certainly be those glad he’d doing so as he tackles the US playwright’s first big hit, All My Sons. 

Set in 1943, the drama concerns Joe Keller, an upstanding pillar of the local community whose business partner has been found guilty of selling faulty parts to the US Airforce. Joe has escaped any blame. But should he have?

Van Hove has assembled a proper A-grade cast here, with US star Bryan Cranston – who led the director’s 2017 hit Network –  as Joe, with the wondrous Marianne Jean-Baptiste as his wife Kate and Paapa Essiedu as their son Chris. 

This exhibition will put the work of two rivals – and two of Britain’s greatest painters – J.M.W. Turner and John Constable side by side. Although both had different paths to success, they each became recognised as stars of the art world and shared a connection to nature and recreating it in their landscape paintings. Explore the pair’s intertwined lives and legacies and get new insight into their creativity via sketchbooks, personal items and must-see artworks.

Have we finally reached Peak Paddington? The Young Peruvian bear’s spectacular film-begat renaissance hasn’t just yielded a trilogy of hit film: there’s a tie-in TV series for younger kids, there was that skit he did with the late Queen, and 2024 saw the opening of official immesive attraction the Paddington Bear Experience. A really banging computer game aside, it’s hard to see what else there is to do with the character beyond ‘more films’. Apart from, of course, a big splashy West End musical. Which we’re now getting: West End super-producer Sonia Friedman has done the honours, assembling a crack team headed by playwright Jessica Swale doing the book and kids’ author and McFly member Tom Fletcher on songs, all directed by Luke Shepherd, who did such a good job with the smash revival of Starlight Express.

Beyond that we don’t know a huge amount, other than the plot will roughly trace Paddington’s classic origin story of turning up at the titular station and being taken in by the kind-hearted Brown family.

As with all noveaux Paddington stuff, the musical is co-produced by the film company STUDIOCANAL, who have hitherto been quite painstaking about tying everything back to their films – the Paddington Bear Experience was based around an exact replica of the Browns’ house from the movies, and the redoubtable Ben Whishaw has provided the voice for films, TV show and Experience. A musical would however seem like an understandable and probably advisable opportunity to do something a bit different.

All will be revealed this autumn, with casting announcements when they come presumably giving a few clues as to what we can expect – most notably the question of what the deal is with Paddington himself. Will he be some bloke in a beat suit? A puppet voiced by a pre-recorded Whishaw? A puppet with a live voice actor who probably won’t be Ben Whishaw? All will hopefully become clearer in relatively short order. 

It’s aimed at ages six plus.

Even if you’re the biggest Scrooge, you can’t deny that London looks pretty magical once the Christmas lights have been turned on and tinsel-covered trees greet you at every turn. 

London starts to fill up with Christmas light displays in early November each year, with Oxford Street’s decorations leading the charge, followed by countless local displays across the city as December hits full swing. Many of the biggest shopping streets mark the occasion with big switch-on events featuring musical entertainment, celebrity guests and special offers across local restaurants, bars and shops. Click through for more details. 

Post 2022’s The Burnt City, immersive theatre legends Punchdrunk seem genuinely liberated by apparently ditching the mask-based format that’s defined most of their previous body of work. Viola’s Room (2024) was a focussed and unnerving hourlong plunge into a twisted fairytale; and Lander 23 is something completely different again, being a ‘stealth based exploration game’ based on ‘videogame mechanics’ that will see audiences deployed in teams of four onto an alien planet to try and find out the fate of the titular landing vehicle, which has disappeared mysteriously.

Exactly what will happen in it is vague beyond the above synopsis. What we do know is that Lander 23 will run to about 90 minutes, that it’s based on videogames, that it’s possible to ‘die’ in it (you’ll come back to life though), and that the set will be a ‘modded’ version of the Trojan cityscape from The Burnt City. This all feels very new and indeed, in acknowledgement of this the show is billed as ‘early access’, that is to say it’s effectively a work-in-progress for now. But who wouldn’t want to be one of the first to experience it?!

If you’re the kind of person who’s already humming Mariah, this one’s for you. The Ideal Home Show Christmas returns to Olympia London this November with everything you need to sleigh the season in style. Whether you're after design inspo, clever hosting hacks, handmade gifts or just want to soak up some proper festive spirit, it’s all happening under one roof. Wander through show sections dedicated to everything from interiors to indulgent food and one-of-a-kind decorations, then pop over to the co-located Eat & Drink Festival and Cake & Bake Show for even more treats. There are live demos, hands-on workshops, celebrity appearances and even Santa himself. ‘Tis the season to be thoroughly spoiled.

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Looking for a dirty weekend? The Barbican is going strictly 18+ for one weekend only. It’s all in honour of its big Autumn exhibition Dirty Looks: Desire and Decay in Fashion, which traces fashion’s obsession with all things dirty, grimy and messy. For this weekend of events, it’s dialling it up a notch and looking at how fashion is influenced by sex, sweat, protest, and pleasure through performances, talks, screenings, live art, and late-night club energy. HOWL, the queer rave and sexual wellness brand, will be putting on screenprinting workshops and speed dating nights, a new collaboration between artist Sophie Cundale and author Izabella Scott will take place in the Barbican Conservatory and foyer takeovers will range from an x-rated fashion show to a club night from Club Stamina championing trans-femme talent. 

Every year, the EFG London Jazz Festival brings together the best and brightest of the genre in venues across the city, from capital’s arts venues like Southbank Centre and Barbican, to atmospheric gig spots like Village Underground and Union Chapel. This year is no different. The 2025 line-up promises a bounty of bops, whether you’re looking to discover new artists on the scene (Rita Payés, Nov 19), or want to witness some legends in action (Dee Dee Bridgewater, Nov 15). As well as tons of concerts every day, there’s also sessions, workshops, talks and more to take part in and enjoy. More announcements to come. 

Maggi Hambling and Sarah Lucas are good friends. Since meeting on their shared birthday, they have portrayed each other in paint and sculpture, shown their work together multiple times and, perhaps, developed something of a shared sensibility. On the surface, Hambling’s gestural, subconsciously macabre canvases have little in common with Lucas’ euphemistic sculptural assemblages. This year, though, a joint presentation at Sadie Coles HQ and Frankie Rossi Art Projects on Bury Street will tease out hidden commonalities between the two canonical British artists.

Some people start prepping for Christmas before the first autumn leaf has fluttered to the ground. But if you hang on a little, you’ll be rewarded with a shopping experience to savour, as you shop for one-of-a-kind gifts in a festive market.

In the winter months running up to Crimbo, the capital becomes home to tons of wintry fairs, stacked with stalls selling unique pressies from small businesses and independent designers that you’d never find in the big shops online or off. They’re perfect for browsing as the big day looms and a good excuse to treat yourself to Christmas snacks and mulled wine as you tick gifts off your list.

You’ll find everything you need to make someone’s Christmas Day memorable at London’s pop-up markets, from ceramics and plants to pressies from around the world. Be sure to bookmark this page, because we’ll be adding more markets around the city as they’re announced.

As anyone who has seen her everyday figures lining Whitechapel’s Elizabeth Line platform will know, Chantal Joffe pays attention. Though her paintings are cartoonish and sometimes distorted, she faithfully renders the intricacies of expression. A sidelong glance, a furrowed brow, the specific placement of a hand: it’s in these easy-to-miss details that her sensitive portraits come to life. This exhibition at Victoria Miro will focus on a new body of paintings of friends and fellow artists, made in London and Venice. 

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. 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 get into the Christmas spirit, this is one great place to find it.

Remember five years ago when, in the deep depths of lockdown, former postman Nathan Evans’ took over TikTok with his version of 19th-century sea shanty ‘Wellerman’? His viral rendition lit us all with a new appreciation for maritime folk songs. Of you want to hear those guttural tones and soothing accapellas in real life, hit up the Sea Shanty Festival at Cutty Sark. Shanty bands from across the UK will convene to sing trad maritime songs onboard the iconic Cutty Sark tea clipper. Listen to the choirs, or join a drop-in workshop to master the shanty yourself. Stick around for the mass sing-along to finish the day. 

Each year, Hyde Park gets transformed from pretty park to a dazzling, snow-covered, Alpine-themed, 350-acre festive funscape. One of the largest Christmas events in the UK, Winter Wonderland returns for its eighteenth year in 2025, and is expected to welcome around 2.5 million visitors over six magical weeks. 

As you make your way around the space, you’ll find fairground rides, a child-friendly Santa Land (including a Santa’s Grotto, where presents lie in wait) and traditional Christmas markets where you’ll be able to buy gifts for all your loved ones, which has been freshly extended for 2025 with the addition of premium, artfully lit shopping spot Luminarie Lane.

Other highlights include circus shows from Cirque Beserk, which take place three times each evening, the biggest outdoor ice rink in the UK and  an ice sculpture exhibit that’s been freshly reimagined as a ‘Mystical, Mythical Fantasy World’, featuring a Real Ice Slide and ice sculpting workshops, after which you can warm yourself up later with frothing steins and steaming cups of mulled wine at the German-style Bavarian Village.

The queues can get pretty long, so we recommend booking your tickets in advance. Plus, there’s so much to explore that you need to leave a fair bit of time; it tends to take about three hours to make it round the whole site. Make sure you wrap up warm, too!

RECOMMENDED: In photos: Christmas chaos in London as Winter Wonderland lights up Hyde Park

Unless you’re some kind of monster, it’s impossible to appreciate the unbridled joy of chomping down on your favourite filling cosily encased between two slices of bread. No matter what you’re flavour of choice, the humble sandwich is a gastronomic delight, which is why Sarnie Party are back for a Christmas edition. For one day only, 15 of the country’s top chefs and sandwich specialists, including The Black Pig, Rogue Sarnies, Dom’s Subs, The Bodega, Imma The Bakery and Picnic Deli, will be taking over the beautiful Somerset House and creating festive takes on the lunchtime treat for you to try. Expect upgraded turkey-and-stuffing subs, inventive new twists and even toasted ice cream sandwiches from Happy Endings. To accompany all theyt sandwich snafling there’ll be live DJs, mulled drinks, party games and sing-alongs. 

If you haven't yet set foot in the Institut Français, housed in an ornate red-brick building in south Kensington, then its annual film bonanza is a great excuse to visit. This November, its French Film Festival returns for its 33nd year with a hefty programme that showcases the freshest and best new films from across the Channel.

Taking place across two weeks in the venue's two-screen Ciné Lumière, this bigger-than-ever edition features more than 76 screenings of 33 Gallic cinematic treats, including plenty of UK premieres of newly released films, a number of which were released to critical acclaim at Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. Highlights include this year’s Palme d'Or winner It Was Just an Accident by the award-winning director Jafar Panahi, a thriller exploring political repression. In Black to the Future, comedian Jean-Pascal Zadi imagines the first African space mission as creating a place of refuge for a whole diaspora. And The Voice of Hind Rajab by Kaouther Ben Hania won a Silver Lion at Venice and an astonishing 23-minute standing ovation for its moving depiction of suffering in Gaza. There's also a classic cinema strand featuring freshly-restored copies of French landmarks, and some spectacular animated works aimed at families: browse the full programme for details. 

Things tend to look different in the glow of candlelight, whether that’s the curious faces of people or stony sculptures sitting spectre-like in the shadows. It’s a phenomenon that Joseph Wright of Derby interrogates in the pieces displayed here – the first major exhibition dedicated to his candlelight paintings – questioning what we see and the act of looking itself. Submerging his work in darkness, he explores themes like death, morality and scepticism in a way that challenges more typical views of his output as a painter.

Remember five years ago when, in the deep depths of lockdown, former postman Nathan Evans’ took over TikTok with his version of 19th-century sea shanty ‘Wellerman’? His viral rendition lit us all with a new appreciation for maritime folk songs. Of you want to hear those guttural tones and soothing accapellas in real life, hit up the Sea Shanty Festival at Cutty Sark. Shanty bands from across the UK will convene to sing trad maritime songs onboard the iconic Cutty Sark tea clipper. Listen to the choirs, or join a drop-in workshop to master the shanty yourself. Stick around for the mass sing-along to finish the day. 

If you’ve seen a ballet at the Royal Opera House, there’s a high chance you will be familiar with the work of Wayne McGregor. The ROH’s resident choreographer since 2006, the dance polymath brought a sleeker, more minimal and modern style of ballet, rooted in contemporary, to the Covent Garden stage. He has worked with numerous companies, including his own Studio Wayne McGregor, and even choreographed ABBA Voyage. Now Somerset House is staging a huge exhibition dedicated to McGregor’s three-decade-long repertoire, which includes ballets inspired by Virginia Woolf, Margaret Attwood, and 1980s sci-fi. Through a series of multi-sensory choreographic installations, performances and experiments, Infinite Bodies will explore how technology is used in dance choreography, music, and lighting, with works that incorporate motion capture, machine learning, AI interactivity, and digital imaging, alongside hybrid realities and robotics. 

Returning for a second Christmas season, the National Theatre’s big festive family show is a sumptuous adaptation of Noel Streatfeild’s classic 1936 children’s novel Ballet Shoes. Slick, classy and meticulously directed by Katy Rudd, the story follows the eccentric household initially headed by Justin Salinger’s Great Uncle Matthew (aka GUM), a paleontologist in the old-school explorer vein. A confirmed bachelor, he is initially aghast when he is abruptly made legal guardian of his 11-year-old niece Sylvia (Pearl Mackie). But he soon changes his tune when freak circumstances lead to him taking in three baby girls: Petrova (Yanexi Enriquez), Pauline (Grace Self) and Posy (Daisy Sequerra), each of whom he found orphaned while out on an expedition. The three women’s journey to self realisation is an enjoyable enough watch, even if the production won’t go down as an all time classic, and makes for a classy, Christmassy night out with the family. 

For some reason, this November is a bumper month for new openings. If you’re a pizza-head then there are new branches of Ria’s and Napoli On The Road set for Foubert’s Place and Wardour Street in Soho, while old school Knightsbridge Italian Sale e Pepe is opening a second seafood-forward site, Sale e Pepe Mare, at The Langham hotel by Oxford Circus.

Ivan Orkin from Netflix’s Chef’s Table also opens Ivan Ramen, his first London restaurant, this month in Farringdon, while Maset, a classy coastal French restaurant, launches in Marylebone. Want something even more glam? Then Belmond’s festive lunch kicks off this month, offering a five-course meal served on a vintage train that pootles around the most scenic parts of Kent. Click through to find out more. 

Korean music isn’t just about K-pop. The return of K-Music Festival – now in its 12th year –will help you discover a whole range of the country’s diverse aural culture at iconic venues including the Barbican, the Southbank Centre, the Royal Albert Hall, and Kings Place. Highlights of this year’s programme include Seoul-based post-rock outfit Jambinai joining forces with the London Contemporary Orchestra, composer Won Il delivering shamanic immersive performance Dionysus Robot, and genre-hopping quartet Gray by Silver. 

There are few things that we’d willingly brace the cold for during winter in London. But ice skating is one of them. From around October each year, pop-up ice rinks fill the city, decked out in fairy lights, hosting DJ takeovers and inviting folk to skate late into the night. So, dig out your warmest hats and scarves – soon, you’ll get to romantically glide (or awkwardly stumble) with your loved ones under the backdrop of landmarks like Somerset House, Battersea Power Station and Hampton Court Palace. Keen to flaunt your best ice moves? Determined to skate at least one lap without clinging onto the wall for dear life? We recommend you book a spot at your chosen rink as early as you can. Click through for more information on the best rinks to soar across this winter.

Every year, thousands of professional and amateur photographers around the world submit their best portraits to The Taylor Wessing Photo Prize – a contest that has helped launch the careers of many top photographers. Around 60 finalists are selected and put on display at the National Portrait Gallery, giving an insight into the lives of friends and family of those behind the lens, or capturing a moment in time with stars in the spotlight. One image will take home the big prize, while the annual ‘In Focus’ display will feature a new work by an established photographer.

From the people who brought you the immersive Tutankhamun and Titanic exhbitions (a Spanish company called Madrid Artes Digitales, fyi), here comes The Last Days of Pompeii. As with its predecessors, the massive scale international touring show will mix historical artifacts from the doomed Roman town and casts of the bodies entombed there during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius with slick techie stuff including an immersive film that puts you (safely) inside the eruption, and bits of VR that let you explore the bustling Roman town prior to its shocking demise.

Looking for gift inspiration? Look no further than London’s Christmas markets and fairs, which start to pop up all over town from mid-November. Among a raft of special festive events, you’ll find foodie gifts, hand-crafted items, sustainable pressies, Christmas cards and festive decorations. And there’ll usually be some mince pies and mulled wine to reward yourself with. Click through for our roundup of the best Christmas markets across the capital. 

The years have done little to dim Douglas Adams’s genius sci-fi comedy The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. But it’s been a while since there any sort of major adaptation of the intergalactic adventures of hapless last surviving human Arthur Dent and his eccentric alien pals. Until this new, admirably ambitious-sounding work of immersive theatre that will take over Riverside Studios’ Studio 2, Studio 3 and points inbetween. It’s created by Arvind Ethan David, a writer-producer who's worked with Adams himself, who'll doubtless ensure it stays true to the original's offbeat spirit.

A month-long feast of contemporary Czech cinema, the Made in Prague Festival is back for its 29th edition with a thrilling selection of high-calibre dramas, comedies, docs and family films, hosted by venues including BFI IMAX, BFI Player, ICA, Regent Street Cinema, The Garden Cinema. This fest opens with the UK premiere of Jiří Mádl’s historical drama Waves, an intriguing-sounding drama about the journalists who risked everything to keep broadcasting during the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, followed by a Q&A with its director and lead actress. It'll also include Zuzana Kirchnerová’s feature directorial debut Caravan, a portrait of a mother and her disabled son which was warmly recieved at Cannes. Browse the full line-up for more.

Catch Christmas classics while tucking into grub carefully picked to complement the films’ best-loved scenes. On the menu is a screening of The Holiday, served with courses including a ‘Happy Hanukkah’ crepe and a Christmas Eve fettuccine. Or tuck into a helping of comedy classic Elf, featuring ‘The World’s Best Cup of Coffee’ course and a ‘Naughty and Nice’ dessert. Book in advance.

Every year, thousands of professional and amateur photographers around the world submit their best portraits to The Taylor Wessing Photo Prize – a contest that has helped launch the careers of many top photographers. Around 60 finalists are selected and put on display at the National Portrait Gallery, giving an insight into the lives of friends and family of those behind the lens, or capturing a moment in time with stars in the spotlight. One image will take home the big prize, while the annual ‘In Focus’ display will feature a new work by an established photographer.

The Curve gallery will be transformed with a kinetic light sculpture by Northern American video artist Lucy Raven. Inspired by rotating objects that use centrifugal force, Raven’s sculpture spins an electronic arm, sweeping light around an aluminium and concrete enclosure. Also on show will be her film Murderers Bar, which is the final part of her series The Drumfire. Through four moving images, Raven captures the the biggest dam removal and river restoration project in US history.