Various

Bloomsbury has got a formidable reputation for artsy goings on, with bohemian artists and writers making it their stamping ground a century ago. But this neighbourhood's relationship with creativity isn’t just in the past – it’s right here in the present too, as is more than evident with the Bloomsbury Festival, a haven of music, theatre, talks, walks and much more. The festival celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2026, with a month-long edition featuring 150+ events at more than 40 venues around WC1, under the theme of ‘Create and Celebrate’.  Keen to learn more about the area? There’ll be a variety of fascinating walking tours throughout the month, including a Trailblazers of Bloomsbury tour (Fri Oct 2), a behind-the-scenes tour of Cockpit Studios (Fri Oct 2), a Dickens-themed musical walk (Sat Oct 3), a Bloomsbury bookshop crawl (Wed Oct 7) and a poetry-focused walk featuring the works of William Blake, Thomas Hardy, Yeats, Rimbaud and the Romantics (Fri Oct 9). You can even put your newfound knowledge to good use at a Bloomsbury-themed quiz night (Sun Oct 4).  With the 200th birthday of UCL coinciding with this year’s edition, there’s plenty going on across its sprawling Bloomsbury campus, including ‘Two Centuries Here’, an exhibition exploring the legacy of London’s oldest university. There’s a slew of performing arts events too, including a one-night-only stop at City Lit for fringe theatre hit PATIENT:SOLDIER (Sun Oct 11).  And the festival concludes with some...

Set up by Charles Cooper from a room in Soho in 1951, legendary film distributor Contemporary Films has been bringing international cinema to Brits for 75 years. To celebrate its three-quarter-century, a few of its most iconic films are being screened in London cinemas in September and October. Among those on the slate are Spirit of the Beehive, intro'ed by Time Out alumnus Geoff Andrew; David Hockney doc A Bigger Splash with director Jack Kazan in conversation; and Ingmar Bergman’s Wild Strawberries presented by 16mm stalwarts Ciné-Real. London venues showing Contemporary's landmark releases include The Castle Cinema, The Rio, Phoenix in East Finchley, and ICA.

Party like its 1929 this Halloween, as musician Hugo Max provides viola accompaniment to a series of spooky silent classics at Prince Charles Cinema, Chiswick Cinema and Finsbury Park Picturehouse. On the slate across Octoober and November are psychodrama The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, German expressionist masterpiece Nosferatu, found-footage horror film Häxan, avant-garde A Page of Madness, Hitchcock’s The Lodger and The Adventures of Prince Achmed, the oldest survining animated feature film. Expect the unexpected in a unique and transportingly old-world cinemagoing experience. RECOMMENDED: The best scary film screenings in London for Halloween

Taking place across The Place, Sadler’s Wells, the Barbican and online, the massive annual contemporary dance festival returns to London this October, bringing groundbreaking artists from South Africa, Brazil, Lebanon, Britain and the Netherlands. Spanning live performance, artist talks, film screenings and more, highlights include Dance is Not for Us at the Barbican Pit, a rare UK performance from Lyon-based Lebanese choreographer Omar Rajeh. Legendary British choreographer Akram Khan will be in conversation with Kevin O’Hare, director of The Royal Ballet alongside English National Ballet lead principal Erina Takahashi and first soloist James Streeter. South African dance artist and recipient of the 2026 Venice Biennale Silver Lion Mamela Nyamza will be in town to put on a brand new work at Sadler’s Wells East. Plus much more across the month.     

Every great movie director had to start somewhere. Chloé Zhao first got recognition with her student short film Daughters, Steven Spielberg entered his first local fim fest aged 14 with Escape to Nowhere, Spike Lee broke through with his 1983 master's thesis film, Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads. In the same vein, London Breeze Film Festival exists to give today’s emerging filmmakers a leg up. Across five days, it will show 135 independent films, spanning feature films, short films, documentaries and animation. Different days of the festivals will bring different programmes – it will open with a day focused on women in film, followed by a showcase of films made by or featuring people with learning disablilities or autism and, later on, shorts and features that address urgent climate and environmental issues. They’ll be shown in venues across the city, from the Garden Cinema in Covent Garden to Cinema at the Power Station to the Ritzy Picturehouse in Brixton. Severak cinemas will also host panel discussions as part of the festival. Find the full programme here. 

Doc’n Roll Film Festival shines a spotlight on some of the movers and shakers who’ve lit up the music world with intriguing and eclectic sounds via an 18-day programme of music documentaries covering a wealth of genres and scenes, and screened in London cinema staples like the Barbican, BFI Southbank and Dalston’s Rio. The 13th edition of the festival boasts 21 feature documentaries and five shorts, with screenings often accompanied by Q&As with the musicians and/or filmmakers, and even one or two live performances.  Highlights this year include an Opening Night screening of Wolf, Christian Cargill’s portrait of English singer Patrick Wolf via intimate conversations with his longtime friend Tilda Swinton, the world premiere of Peven Everett: Voice of a Generation, documenting Chicago musician’s pioneering impact on house music and featuring interviews with peers including Damon Albarn and The Twilite Tone, and Kevin Wright’s Punk Brighton, documenting the lively punk scene that revolved around legendary Brighton music venue The Vaults in the ’70s and ’80s. There’ll also be a UK premier at BFI IMAX of Newport And The Great Folk Dream, Robert Gordon’s documentary delving into the spirit of protest and rebellion that epitomised the music festival, and its influence on the music of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Johnny Cash, plus another UK premiere for You Fuckers Figure It Out: A Jason Mollina Story, a tribute to the late indie-rocker by his high school friend and first-time...

Pitchfork Music Festival is gearing up for another edition, with a jam-packed schedule of eclectic live music encompassing everything from avant-rock and post-punk to UK rap and deconstructed dance music.  This year’s headliners include Boston indie-rockers Horse Jumper of Love (Moth Club, Mon 2 Nov), electronic producer Actress (EartH Theatre, Thu Nov 5), Aussie electronic group The Avalanches (Roundhouse, Fri Nov 6), Chicago rapper Noname (Roundhouse, Sat Nov 7). Elsewhere on the line-up are the likes of Panda Bear, Elijah Wolf, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Working Men’s Club, Bloodsports and Kiwi jr. These are just some of the hugely eclectic line-up of 80 artists playing across a plethora of London’s best venues, including Colour Factory, Union Chapel, Village Underground, Earth Theatre, Royal Festival Hall and 93 Feet East.  Check out the full line-up here for a whole bunch of emerging talents you’ve likely never heard of but will no doubt feature on your Spotify Wrapped come December 2027. It’s basically the place to be if you consider yourself a music fan with a finger on the pulse.

If you've ever watched curling during the Winter Olympics and thought 'pass me that broom, I could do better', you're in luck. This winter, the Curling Club will be taking up residence in both London Bridge's Vinegar Yard and Chelsea Winter Village, giving you the chance to have a go at this eccentric team sport. Both venues will be given a proper apres-ski makeover with wintry cocktails, Alpine-inspired street food and entertainment on hand. Curl your heart out for 45 minutes before rewarding yourself with a tasty cocktail.

Every year, the EFG London Jazz Festival brings together the best and brightest of the genre in venues across the city, from the capital’s major arts venues like Southbank Centre and Barbican, to atmospheric gig spots like Village Underground, EartH Theatre and Union Chapel. The 2026 line-up promises a bounty of bops, whether you’re looking to discover some of the most exciting new names in the genre (Ambrose Akinmusire Quartet, Sun Nov 15 at King’s Place) or witness some legends in action (Yasuaku Shimizu, Sun Nov 15 at Milton Court).  There’ll be a series of special gigs dedicated to the greats, from a night celebrating the centenary of John Coltrane (Coltrane 100, Fri Nov 13 at the Barbican) to Dave Okumu’s genre-hopping exploration of his musical heroes (DVTN: Music that Changes the World, Sun Nov 15 at Union Chapel).  And it’s not just jazz on offer; you can also catch everything from Portuguese fado (Mariza, Sun Nov 15 at Royal Festival Hall) and electroswing (Caravan Palace, Sat Nov 14 at ARC) to trip-hop (Morcheeba, Fri Nov 13 at the Troxy) and drum and bass (Goldie with his Live Band, Orchestra and Special Guests, Sat Nov 15 at Royal Festival Hall).  As well as tons of concerts every day, there are also film screenings, talks, masterclasses, workshops and more, many of them taking place at the festival’s pop-up hub The Jazz Social. Check out the full programme here.