Amy Houghton

Every year, we tend to bank on New Year’s Eve being one of the best night of our lives. But that’s a lot of expectation to put on one night out, and it can really set you up for disappointment. The solution? Ease the pressure and save your hardest partying for New Year’s Day instead.  New Year’s Day raves have taken off over the last couple of years. They tend to last longer than the events of the night before and there aren’t the same enormous NYE crowds to battle with. Of course, celebrations on Jan 1 needn’t be instead of NYE revelries – soldier through your hangover and combine the two to create one big 48-hour blowout.  The capital’s venues are ready to welcome you with open arms for the first rager of 2026, with all manner of day and night parties to check out. Because who says the fun needs to stop as soon as the countdown’s over? Here are London’s best New Year’s Day parties.      RECOMMENDED: Find New Year’s Eve parties in London.

Boxing Day might not get all the glory of Christmas Day, but if you ask us, in many ways, it’s far superior. It has all the magic of the big day, but without the stress of cooking and the pressure of keeping the whole family happy. But one of the best bits? While everything shuts down on Christmas Day, things start to tentatively open up on Boxing Day, meaning you can get up from your Quality Street-induced stupour on the sofa and get out and about on December 26.  The day after Christmas, London is mostly free of its usual crowds (except for shopping districts like Oxford Street packed with bargain hunters). That means that, should you leave your house, large parts of the capital city are yours for the taking. There are the parks and riverside paths for frosty winter walks or the Christmas lights to admire while you brave the Boxing Day sales. The city’s pop-up ice skating rinks are normally open, pantomime season is still in full swing, and there are even a few parties lined up. Here are some great ideas for how to spend your day off. RECOMMENDED: Find more festive fun with our full guide to Christmas in London.

Every week, a frankly silly amount of brilliant new restaurants, cafés and street food joints arrive in London. Which makes whittling down a shortlist of the best newbies a serious challenge. But here it is. The 20 very best new restaurants in the capital, ranked in order of greatness and deliciousness. All of them have opened in the past year and been visited by our hungry critics. So go forth and take inspo from this list, which is updated regularly. Check in often to find out what we really rate on the London restaurant scene. And look here for all the info about the best new openings in November. London's best new restaurants at a glance: 🍛 Central: Adoh!, Covent Garden 🍠 North: Belly Bistro, Kentish Town 🥟 South: Doma, Sydenham 🍝 East: Legado, Shoreditch 🥗 West: The Lavery, South Kensington November 2025: New additions include Sri Lankan fast food at Adoh! in Covent Garden, Chingford chophouse Gina, Filipino freshness at Belly Bistro in Kentish Town, indie disco turned gastropub the Macbeth in Shoreditch, Spanish smashers at Legado in Shoreditch and Balkan comfort food at Doma in Sydenham. Hungry yet? Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. RECOMMENDED: The 50 best restaurants in London. The hottest new openings, the tastiest tips, the spiciest reviews: we’re serving it all on our London restaurants WhatsApp channel. Follow us now to tuck in.

There are few things that we’d willingly brace the cold for during winter in London. But ice skating is one of them. From early November each year, ice rinks decked out towering Christmas trees and twinkly fairy lights start to fill London’s squares and courtyards, hosting everything from DJ takeovers and kids’ skating lessons to date nights and family outings over the festive period. Pretty soon you’ll get to pretend you’re in a festive London rom-com, as you 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. We’ll be topping up this list as more rinks for the 2025/26 season are confirmed. How much does it cost to go ice skating? The cost to skate at London’s various permanent and pop-up ice rinks varies quite significantly. So far, this year’s cheapest option is Queens Skate Dine and Bowl, where adult tickets are available from £8 (during off-peak hours). The most expensive adult ticket in 2024 was £26 for peak hours at Skate at Somerset House. For cheaper tickets, consider visiting at less popular times.  London’s best places to go ice skating this winter: ⛸️ Best for the biggest rink in town: Winter Wonderland, Hyde Park 💃 Best for ice dance parties: Somerset House, Ald

  We all know travelling with the kids can be tricky, so finding a hotel that keeps everyone happy is key. From splashable pools to free breakfasts for little ones, London has plenty of spots that make family life on the go a whole lot easier. Here’s our pick of the best family-friendly hotels in the city, where parents can relax and kids can be… well, kids. The hotels we’ve selected all make travelling with kids as smooth possible. We look for places that are close to London’s top attractions, so you can zip from Hamleys to the park, without having to spend your whole day on public transport, as well as having the resources to keep the whole family entertained. How we choose our family-friendly hotels A family-friendly hotel is about thoughtful touches for children. Perhaps, there are extra cots, kid-friendly menus, splashable pools, and little surprises that make young guests feel welcome. These are hotels that go the extra mile, from milk and cookies at bedtime to a designated kids concierge services. We include luxury stays and budget-friendly finds. Finally, we consider atmosphere and accessibility: helpful staff, close to attractions and safe play spaces, and a vibe that makes both little ones and grown-ups feel at home. London’s family friendly hotels at a glance 💰 Best for a cheap deal: Good Hotel 🗓️ Best concierge service: The Berkeley 🧠 Most iconic: The Ritz ☕ Best afternoon tea for kids: Park Plaza County Hall 🖼️ Most dramatic design: The Mandarin Oriental M

Do you smell it? That faint waft of pumpkin spice latte in the air? Summer’s sunny days and balmy nights may be behind us, but now it’s time to embrace all the wonderful, cosy things autumn has to offer.  For some, this time of year is all about spooky season, for others it’s about candle-lit evenings in front of the telly with a steaming mug of hot chocolate. For others, it’s about pumpkins galore – a golden excuse to get picking, carving and cooking. As the weather drops, farms in and around London become gourd wonderlands, littered with bright yellow and flaming orange pumpkins. Often there’ll be photo opportunities, craft workshops and spooky goings on thrown in so you can make a real outing of it. Just make sure you book in advance to make sure you get a decent pick of the crop. So, whether you want to stock up on pumpkins to carve into Halloween lanterns or to make masses of soup and pies, here are our favourite places near London for pumpkin picking in 2025.  London’s best places for pumpkin picking at a glance: 🎃 Pumpkin smashing fun: Rogate Pumpkin Patch, Petersfield 🪄 Magical village vibes: Marsh Farm, Chelmsford 🧙🏻‍♀️ Best for witches on a budget: Cobbs Farm, Essex 🦇 Best for spooky night-time picking: Foxes Farm, Chelmsford ⚡️ Best for little adventure-seekers: Hobbledown Heath, Hounslow  RECOMMENDED: The best things to do in London in October 2025

Whatever your vibe (and whatever your budget), London’s got it all – and anyone will find something they love here. Historic pubs, leafy parks and gardens and an unmatched restaurant scene make this city worth visiting year-round, but before you’ve booked anything in London, you kind of have to know where you’re going to be based. To get you started, we’ve rounded up the city’s best Airbnbs available to book right now, with expert tips from our local editors.  Should I choose an Airbnb or a hotel in London? London is not short on lovely hotels, ranging from budget to luxury and just about everything in between. But it’s fair to say that even the cheaper options cost a pretty penny – and you’ll often find them in more central, touristy areas in the city. If you want to live like a Londoner, an Airbnb can allow you to properly immerse yourself in a more residential area of London – and all the locally-loved bars, pubs and restaurants that come with it. You’ll find lots of our local tips below, but for a detailed breakdown of the best neighbourhoods to stay in London, check out our ultimate area guide. More of a hotels guy? No problem. Here’s our list of the best hotels in London.  📍 RECOMMENDED: Ultimate guide to the best hotels and Airbnbs in London Who makes the cut? While we might not stay in and review every Airbnb featured, our writers have based our list on expert knowledge of the destination covered, editorial reviews, user reviews, amenities and in-depth research to

It’s no secret that London can be very, very pricey if you’re not careful. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any options if you’re on a budget. Both big chains and beloved independents offer some very affordable rooms in the Capital – you just have to know where to look. Obviously, being ‘on a budget’ is pretty subjective, but every hotel on this list has rooms for under £200, with many starting under £100 – and even some shared dorms for £12 per person.  Every hotel highlighted here by Time Out’s experts is good value; whether that be because of its location, design, or quite simply, the price. Staying in one of these will give you the kind of buzz only a good deal can deliver. So get booking and then use all the cash you’ve saved on more important stuff. Like, erm, going to the pub.  🛌 Our guide to the best Airbnbs in London Which area is best to stay in London for a good price?  Honestly, it depends on what you’re looking for. There’s cheap options in Shoreditch, just off the South Bank and even in the heart of the West End – so you can save and still be in walking distance to Theatreland or London’s best museums. Or, go further afield to find deals that way, in more residential areas further out. To get a better grip on your options, here’s our handy guide on where to stay in London.  How we curate our hotel lists Headed up by editor Joe Mackertich, our team at Time Out London spend their time reviewing hotels all over the Capital – new openings, old classics and ever

The final stretch of 2025 is upon us. And now that we’ve said so long to summer, London’s institutions have begun to enter full festive planning mode. In a matter of months, the city’s skies will be sparkling with Christmas lights, its venues will fill up with classic Christmas tunes and its streets will be lined with colourful Christmas markets. Of course, December isn’t just about Christmas, and there’s plenty more brilliant things to do besides all the festive stuff. Notably, the acclaimed Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo is making its UK debut, it’s the first full month of the Design Museum’s hotly-anticipated Wes Anderson exhibition and the last full month of the bonkers jukebox musical Titanique. Plus, there are the ice-skating rinks, the winter pop-ups and the chilly winter walks followed by cosy pub hangouts. And that’s before we even get on to New Year’s Eve!  Here’s our guide to the finest events, parties, cultural happenings and things to do in London over December 2025.  London’s best things to do in December at a glance: 🧀 Best for foodies: Future of Food, Science Museum 🎭 Best for thespians: Ballet Shoes, National Theatre 🎬 Best for cinephiles: Backyard Cinema, Bermondsey 🎨 Best for aesthetes: Wes Anderson: The Exhibition, Design Museum 🧛 Best for night owls: Christmas lights, citywide 📚 Best for families: Winter Funland, Kensington RECOMMENDED: Time Out’s definitive London events calendar.

When someone utters the word ‘Wimbledon’, we’d bet big money that the first thing you think of is tennis. Normally a quieter part of town, SW19 erupts with energy every summer when it hosts the mighty Wimbledon Tennis Championships (one of the oldest and most prestigious sports tournaments in the world), with thousands of people queuing for tickets from four in the morning, roaming around in their all-white fits and guzzling down plastic cups of Pimms. When the crowds disperse, Wimbledon is once again demoted to simply being somewhere very, very far away from the rest of London.  🏘️ Ultimate guide to where to stay in London But we’re here to assure you that Wimbledon is actually worth the trek year-round, and it has loads more going for it beyond racket sports. There’s the homely pubs, the locally loved restaurants, the underrated theatres and the lush green plains. Yes, it feels a world away from the cool hordes of Hackney and the hectic hubbub of Camden, but when you need a little breather from the city without actually leaving the city, there are few places better. Go on – venture to the end of the District line and discover the best of what Wimbledon has to offer.  RECOMMENDED 🍽️ The best restaurants in Wimbledon🍺 The best bars and pubs in Wimbledon⬅️ The best things to do in west London📍 All of Time Out London’s area guides

Greece is, quite simply, king of the holidays. It’s a country full of sprawling cities, beautiful islands and some of the best beaches in the entire world, and the food? Don’t even get us started on the food. There’s a hell of a lot of islands, and our editors have been to a hell of a lot of them, but for the on-the-ground knowledge that only a local has, we’ve roped in our Greece expert Demetrios Ioannou, who grew up in Athens but has travelled all over the country. Whatever you’re looking for, here are the best places to visit in Greece.  Where should I go for my first time in Greece? We’re firm believers that everyone should go to Athens at least once in their lives. So if it’s your first time visiting the country, you should probably start there. But the good news is that in Greece, you can pretty much do it all. So don’t stay in Athens for a full week – spend a perfect weekend there before heading out on a ferry to Aegina, Poros, Hydra and more. If you’ve ticked off Athens already, consider Greece’s latest destination dupe, Paros, which is set to this year’s ‘new Santorini’ (just without the crowds).  📍 RECOMMENDED: Discover our ultimate guide to Greece Which is the best Greek island to visit? If we’re talking most popular, Santorini and Mykonos are always going to be top of the list. But Greece has more than 6,000 islands and islets, each with its own unique vibe and all worth visiting for entirely different reasons. Crete is Greece’s biggest island, in the south of th

It’s hard not to fall in love with Wales. This nation may be small but best believe it is crammed with irresistible Celtic charm, spectacular wilderness and vibrant culture. Even after growing up in Bannau Brycheiniog and spending family holidays up north and along the coast, I still cannot get enough. It’s the perfect place to rejuvenate, to give your mind a rest and to bathe in the warm hospitality of Welsh people. It’s also a hugely overlooked arts and music hub. From Michelin-star establishments, to gorgeous hikes, an official book town and several critically acclaimed festivals, whatever kind of getaway you're after, this is the very best of Cymru.  RECOMMENDED: 📍 The best places to go in Wales 🍴 The best things to do in North Wales 👀 The best things to do in Cardiff🌤️ The best things to do in the UK This article was recently updated by Amy Houghton, a writer from Bannau Brycheiniog, Wales. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines. 

Adoh! (Sri-Lankan for ‘oi!’) is loud.  Sat on Maiden Lane in frenetic, tourist-packed Covent Garden, this Sri Lankan spot from Kolamba duo Eroshan and Aushi Meewella fits right in. While Kolamba and its sister restaurant on Liverpool Street are sleek, sophisticated haunts, this is a maximalist whirlwind. Chopped roti gets more heavenly with each chewy bite Adoh’s goal is to emulate the rapid, chaotic energy of Colombo and its street food culture. The decor is raucous – the tables a striking shade of red and the walls busy with storybook murals depicting hand-painted trucks of South Asia. As for service, it’s full speed ahead. You can very easily be in and out within an hour, and fully satisfied. In the throbbing heart of the theatreland that’s no bad thing.  The menu features a blend of authentic bits (isoo vadai, mutton rolls or roti and curry) and some milder hybrid dishes (fried chicken and curry leaf waffles are best suited to less adventurous members of your party). Shiny squares of prawn toast dolloped with tamarind sauce start us off, swiftly followed by a supple dosa spread with smoky masala, alongside a rather dry coconut roti with eye-wateringly hot lunu miris chilli paste.  The must-order main (which at £17 is the priciest item on the menu) is crab kothu, a late-night classic in Sri Lanka. The bronze mountain of chopped roti, egg and stir fried crab meat (mutton, chicken or jackfruit kothu are available too) isn’t particularly pretty, but drenched in curry sauce (p

One hundred years ago, a strange curtained box appeared on Broadway in New York City. If you went inside and slotted in 25 cents, you’d emerge with eight sepia tinged photos of yourself in a matter of minutes. It was the Photomaton – the world’s first fully automated photobooth. Fast forward to the 21st century and photobooths are in bars, train stations, cinemas, record shops and on streets all over the world. The Photographer’s Gallery is marking a century of the machines with Click!, an archival exhibition exploring their imperfections, their quirks and their most famous fans. Naturally, there’ll be a working photobooth for visitors to take their own snap.

The UK’s first major retrospective of acclaimed Ukrainian artist Boris Mikhailov is coming to the Photographers’ Gallery. A ‘kind of proto-punk’, Mikhailov has been capturing and commenting on life in Ukraine since the 1960s – from the everyday consequences of the collapse of the Soviet Union to the realities of people living on the edges of society – through photography, conceptual work, painting and performance art. Ukrainian Diary brings much of that work together to illustrate the tumultuous social and political changes that have shaken Eastern Europe over the past fifty years.

In 1978, Zofia Rydet decided that was going to photograph the inside of every Polish household. Aged 67, she began knocking on doors and asking occupants if they’d be willing to partake in her project. She continued to knock on doors for the next three decades, collecting everyday stories and creating ‘one of the most important achievements in 20th century Polish photography’. More than 100 of Rydet’s prints will be on display at the Photographers’ Gallery alongside books and personal letters offering extra insight into her sociological mission.

When a place rates itself as assuredly (in huge bold letters, no less) as Good Hotel does, it’s natural to feel a little sus. But it’s true: Good Hotel really does make you feel good. Service is cheery and laid-back without being overly casual, the food leaves nothing to complain about and – maybe it’s the luxurious silence of the area or perhaps the proximity to gently lapping water – I visited in 2024, and I don’t know if I’ve ever had a better night’s sleep in the city. Aside from all that, guests can walk out of Good Hotel feeling extra gratified by virtue of its ‘do good’ DNA. Why stay at Good Hotel? As you walk along Royal Victoria Docks, this huge black shipping container is impossible to miss. Originally built as a Danish prison, this floating hotel docked in London in 2016 after sailing across from Amsterdam. Its founder, Marten Dresden, had come up with the Good Hotel concept four years prior while travelling in Guatemala. Now, each night you spend there pays for a week of school for a child in South America, with profits also going towards hospitality training for long-term unemployed locals (lots of whom become Good Hotel employees).  The hotel also hosts regular community workshops and events that guests can attend. There are comedy nights, yoga classes, salsa classes, kids art clubs and, if you’re in the mood to be extra good, litter-picking around the local area. What are the rooms like at Good Hotel? Throughout the hotel, the interiors are slick, earthy-toned

One of the more recent additions to Wimbledon Village, Good Fortune Club is bright and buzzy with a sprawling menu of Cantonese dishes, the best known of which is its handmade dim sum. Stop by with a large, hungry posse to pack your table with bamboo steamers and sample har gau (shrimp-filled dumplings,) xiao long bao (pork soup dumplings), cuttlefish cake and more.

Of its four south-west London outposts, DropShot’s Leopold Road location serves up hefty brunches on the daily. The portions here are breathtakingly generous, and the tennis-themed menu goes well beyond the standard eggs benny or avocado on toast; think mozzarella and chilli jam-filled potato pancakes andbig fat slices of French toast laden with monterey jack cheese and fresh pesto, or loaded with tiramisu cream and berries. The coffee is fantastic, too.

Crack Comedy Club brings pre-party laughs to Tunnel 267 – Wimbledon’s only nightclub – every Saturday night from 8pm to 10pm. For standup sets from four or five comics, tickets are £25 for general admission on the door or £21.50 if you book online in advance. You can also buy tickets that include dinner from a local restaurant beforehand, and if you stick around afterwards you’ll get free entry to Tunnel’s clubnight. Three in one. 

This quirky, tiki-themed minigolf course first popped up in Dalston's Efes in April 2015. A decade later, that debut site is no more, but you can now find Plonks outdoors in London Fields and under the arches at Borough Market. The Hackney course, which recently got a big ol’ refurb, takes you through a ‘Polynesian themed putt paradise’ complete with a tiki forest, a volcano canyon and octupuses. There are plenty of satisfying holes that fire your ball onto tricksy little mechanisms, a loop the loop, and a lot of impossibly steep ramps. All in all: it’s a great place for a plonking party. Prices start from £9.35 per person per play. 

There's a real sense of fun to this deliberately rough-around-the-edges course. Party tunes blare from speakers, graffiti jazzes up the walls and it's made from ‘twisted junk, car booty and charity shop shizzle’. Junkyard Golf Club has four courses – Gary, Pablo, Dirk and Bozo – that are all fabulously chaotic and mildly freaky. Depending on which challenge you take on, you’ll be putting past pirate pigs, dishevelled nightclub urinals, terrifying giant clown heads and a UV rave room. There's also a second location in Camden for more of the same.  Prices start at £12 for nine holes at off-peak times (Sunday to Thursday) and go up to £21 for 18 holes on busier days (Fridays and Saturdays). And as any good crazy golf should, Junkyard has a menu of themed cocktails to keep lubed up before, during and after your game. 

What is it?  Technically several adjoining markets, this sprawl of stalls stretching from Camden Town tube to the Regent’s Canal is London’s fourth most popular visitor attraction. In its recent heyday, around 250,000 people came here every week to shop, sample street food and soak up the distinctive, still-grungy atmosphere. Camden Lock Market is an arts-and-crafts haven while the Stables Market is a trendy spot for everything from quirky furniture to fetish clothing. Nearby Buck Street Market on Camden High Street has had a shipping container revamp. As you saunter through the different markets, don’t be surprised to see grungy teenagers and old punks on the street corners. Camden feels more mainstream than it did in the ‘90s, but it’s still one of London’s most rock ‘n’ roll neighbourhoods. Why go?  To get lost in a one-of-a-kind maze of art, garms, antiques, accessories, books and endless street food.  Don’t miss The Cheese Bar – London’s only fully fromage focused restaurant – for all manner of gooey, cheese-based delights in a classy, low lit space in Stables Market.  Ticket info  No tickets needed.  When to visit  Camden Markets are open everyday of the week from 10am until late.  Time Out tip If you find the lunch queues and options a bit too much in the main Camden Lock Market, cross the road to Buck Street Market where you’ll find food that is just as great and are more likely to find a free spot to sit.  RECOMMENDED: London’s best markets

What is it?  After 130 years, luxury department store Fenwick left its iconic outlet on Bond Street in February 2024 but its flagship store in Brent Cross Shopping Centre is still going strong.  What does it sell?  The three storey emporium offers up everything you expect from any good department store – apparel, homewear, beauty bits and accessories from classic and emerging high-end brands like Stella McCartney, Viviene Westwood, Ganni, Jo Malone and Our Place. There’s also a wee horticultral section downstairs, selling fresh plants and a bunch of tools and sprays to help your patch bloom.  Opening times  Mon-Fri 10am-8pm; Sat 9.30am-8pm; Sun 11.30am-6pm. 

Some London’s buses have become painstakingly slow. A recent study by the Londoner found that the city’s slowest bus, the number 14, averaged just 5.7mph in 2025, and the average speed of buses in the City of London between was a mere 6.2mph. Some days, you’re often much better off walking. But for three lucky boroughs, things could soon start speeding up again.  TfL has revealed that Haringey, Lewisham and Southwark will be getting up to £10 million over a four-year period to help them improves their buses. Each area hopes that the funding will help them improve reliability and slash their bus journey times by up to 30 percent. The three boroughs were chosen following a competitive bidding process that was open to all of London’s boroughs. They’ll now work closely with TfL to plan their schemes and are expected to start putting them into practice in 2027. Their proposals include better management of roadworks to reduce delays, bus stop improvements to make them safer, more pleasant places to wait and street improvements to make it easier and safer to walk to stops.  Lewisham Council called the funding a ‘gamechanger’ and revealed that it’ll focus on two ‘vital corridors’ – north to south through Grove Park to Greenwich and east to west through Sydenham towards Bromley and Southwark, upgrading bus stops, improving connections to stations and improving walking and cycling routes. Buses in the area currently travel at an average of 8.9mph.  Over in Haringey, where the average b

An extension of the DLR has been talked about for yonks. Now, it’s finally set to become a reality. Five years after it was formally proposed (and more than a decade since it was first mooted), the huge expansion is expected to be granted approval in the government’s Budget next week.  Besides the HS2 station at Old Oak Common, the DLR’s transformation is likely to the biggest upgrade to the London transport network in the next decade. Officials say that it’ll bring a massive boost to the southeast of the city, unlocking up to 25,000 homes and 10,000 jobs. The downside is that it may put other major projects, namely the Bakerloo line extension and West London Orbital rail link, on the back-burner.  In response to the announcement Sadiq Khan said: ‘I’m really pleased that the government is backing the DLR extension to Thamesmead - something I’ve long called for alongside London’s businesses and communities. The project is a win-win and a massive vote of confidence in London.’ Here are all the latest updates on the long-awaited DLR extension.  Has the DLR extension been officially approved? Not quite yet. Chancellor Rachel Reeves will announce her Budget on November 26 and is expected to commit a small amount of government funding to the project.  A spokesperson from the Treasury said: ‘This Budget will choose growth over austerity by supporting renewal in every part of the country. Extending the DLR to Thamesmead will deliver much-needed new homes, new jobs, and quicker co

Earlier this year, London was named the world’s best city for music lovers, and in 2026 the capital’s music offering is set to get even better. While it’s not all been good news for the capital’s music venues in 2025 (the legendary Corsica Studios and G-A-Y both recently announced closures), there’s a whole host of new spaces opening up in 2026 – from Peckham Palais to the Jazz Cafe in Stratford to Upstairs at Ronnie Scotts. Now, there’s a brand new music venue in west London to add to that list.  We’ve known that a new venue would be coming to west London’s transformed Olympia London (formerly Kensington Olympia) since 2020. But now, we finally have all of the details.  The 3,800 capacity music and events space will be named British Airways ARC (British Airways is the venue’s naming rights partner) and will be located above the existing west exhibition hall. And it’s due to open next year.  The venue will be operated by AEG Presents, the same people behind BST Hyde Park and All Points East, so it’s fair to expect that there’ll be some big names. And Olympia already has plenty of experience in welcoming huge stars. Over its 140 years of existence, it’s hosted performances from the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Rod Stewart, Primal Scream, The Cure and The Chemical Brothers. Anyone who wants to be the first to find out about events at ARC can sign up to its mailing list here.  Andrew Spencer, the chief operating officer at AEG Presents Europe said: ‘This is a pivotal moment as we ope

You can pack a lot onto a single London street. One moment you may stroll past an historic cultural institution, the next you might find yourself outside a trendsetting club or breathing in aromas from a locally-loved family food joint. The eclectic mishmash that lines London’s roads is part of what makes it so great, so it only makes sense that one of them made it onto Time Out’s list of the coolest streets in the world.  Blackstock Road, the 1km street running from Finsbury Park to Highbury, has been crowned one of Time Out’s coolest streets in the world for 2025. It ranked 23rd in the global list, between cool corridors in Buenos Aires and Cape Town. From storied bars to old-school pubs, cult takeaways to hipster stores, wholesome family-run caffs to shiny award-winning restaurants, Blackstock truly has it all.  Time Out’s things to do editor Rosie Hewitson said: ‘Blackstock Road represents everything that’s great about London. A bustling artery running from the lively and chaotic transport hub of Finsbury Park to the leafy, Georgian terraced streets of Highbury Fields, this 1km stretch is a fabulous showcase of the melange of cultures and vibes that make this city great.’ Rosie gave special mentions to unassuming Uyghur restaurant Dilara, hole-in-the-wall Kurdish takeaway Baban’s Naan, Ethiopian deli St Gabriel, late-night Jewish spot The Happening Bagel Bakery and Bib Gourmand-winning Thai joint Farang (just a few steps away on Highbury Park) – places that let you travel

It’s time to dive headfirst into festive season. There are only five weekends left until December 25, meaning that gifts, decor and the all-important Christmas Day menu are probably beginning to cross your mind. And there may be a small sense of panic at the thought of how much all of that is going to cost.  You might presume that saving your pennies in the lead up to Christmas means a suffering string of dull, uneventful weekends, but we’re here to inform you that that’s not the case. London is constantly teeming with tonnes of fun and completely free things to fill your time with. This weekend’s offering of free stuff includes a wholesome lantern festival, some brilliant jazz sessions and, of course, a twinkling assemblage of Christmas markets and illuminations. We’ve got all the details below.  📍 Things to do in London this weekend. The best free things to do in London this weekend   2. Wander through the city’s best festive markets Amp the Christmas activities up a notch and pair your light-gazing with a trip to one of London’s magical Christmas markets. Many, like the Southbank Centre Winter Market and the Covent Garden Market, will be around for the whole festive season, but others are popping up for just a few days. This weekend will be your only chance to browse the Scandi stalls at the Swedish Church Christmas in Marylebone and the Christmas Fair at the Norwegian Church in Rotherithe, and your one opportunity to explore Fulham Palace’s fifth annual Christmas fair.

A really good street is somewhere that you can amble around all day long. It’s somewhere lined with independent shops and creative hubs (with little-to-no big high-street chains) – a stretch of places that the local community is truly proud of. So, every year at Time Out, we like to shine a spotlight on the most world’s most exciting streets.  For this year’s list of the Coolest Streets in the World, Time Out’s global network of editors and experts first nominated stretches that they thought epitomise the very best of their hometown. Our travel team then narrowed the longlist down to 31, and ranked each street according to its offering of food, drink, culture, fun and community spirit. Among the colourful avenues and alleyways in Rio de Janeiro, Osaka, Berlin and New York City, two UK streets made it onto the final list: London’s Blackstock Road (which you can read all about here) and Margate’s Northdown Road.  Northdown, which landed in 31st place, is the main street running between Margate’s old town and the fashionable Cliftonville (a former Time Out coolest neighbourhood). Our local contributor Rachel Mills said: ‘The area fell on hard times in the 1980s and has been making a slow-and-steady comeback ever since – today, it has an edgy feel not unlike a street you’d find in east London.’ There are more than 50 indie shops lining the road – Rachel gave special mentions to vintage shops LJW Antiques, Tat Agent and Cliftonville Junktion, homeware treasure trove Clueit Webb In

Beauty comes with a price. And for the Scottish Highlands, one of the most spectacular parts of the UK, that price is an influx of short-term lets, like Airbnbs, driving up the cost of housing. Six percent of potential homes across the Highlands are currently licensed as short-term lets (STLs), but several areas are now seeking to limit them with control zones.  The control zones would limit the number of licensed short-lets and help tackle the shortage of affordable homes in the area. At the moment, there’s just one official control area in the Highlands – in Badenoch and Stathspey. It came into force in March 2024 and requires property owners to seek planning permission before turning their place into a holiday let.  Last month, the Highlands Council (made up of 21 wards) agreed to let individual areas across the rest of the region carry out assessments and make up their own mind on whether or not to follow suit Now, the results have started rolling in.   On November 4, members of the area committee for Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh agreed that a control zone for short-term lets like Airbnbs should be considered. A recent assessment of the area found that 11 percent of new houses completed between 2020 and 2025 have become short term lets, and suggested that a high proportion of people purchasing property there came from outside the Highlands and Scotland. Biz Campbell, the co-chairwoman of the Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh area committee, said: ‘We feel t

Tap-in, tap-out payments are a normal part of everyday London travel these days, and it’s easy to just assume that all stations in and around the city have contactless machines. But that assumption has cost plenty of people travelling to Stansted Airport a pretty penny.  Thousands of travellers have faced fines after travelling on the Stansted Express unaware that there is no contactless payment at the end of their journey, despite being able to tap in at Liverpool Street and Tottenham Hale station. In 2019, watchdog London TravelWatch estimated that 16,000 travellers per year were being fined up to £100 for not buying their ticket in advance. But that won’t be the case for much longer. Stansted and Southend airports are following in the footsteps of all the other London airports and finally introducing contactless payments. The new tap-in tap-out tech at the airports is part of a wider rollout of contactless payment across 50 rail stations in the south east of England.  Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy said: ‘Rail ticketing is far too complicated and long overdue an upgrade to bring it into the 21st century. Through the expansion of tap-in tap-out technology and shortly through GBR, we’re doing just that and making buying tickets more convenient, more accessible and more flexible – and ensuring passengers can get the best fares.’ Stansted Passengers on the Stansted Express will be able to conveniently tap out at the airport from December 14, just like at Heathrow, Gatwick o

Imagine walking into a hall packed with more than 5,200 cheeses. Pungent, to say the least. That’s how many cheeses were at the coveted World Cheese Awards in Bern, Switzerland this year. On Thursday November 13, thousands of gruyères, cheddars, emmentals, bries and blues went head to head in a race to be crowned the best cheese on the planet for 2025.  Organised by the Guild of Fine Food, the awards sees cheeses from over 40 countries being blind-tasted by a panel of 265 fromage connoisseurs. The judging happens over three days, first identifying the cheeses with a texture, aesthetic and flavour worthy of a Bronze, Silver, Gold or Super Gold award, then narrowing down the Super Gold winners to a final 14, then assessing those finalists to determine the World Champion Cheese. It’s serious business.  Photograph: Guild of Fine Food Last year, British cheesemongers were tragically robbed of the opportunity to compete in the awards when their cheeses didn’t make it past customs. But at this year’s event, they made a triumphant comeback. Rising above thousands of other entries, four British cheeses were among the 107 products that earned ‘Super Gold’. Three of those then made it into the top 14 cheeses in the whole world.  The Aged Rutland Red from Long Clawson Dairy in Melton Mowbray was the highest scoring British cheese with 76 points. It’s a Red Leicester that’s made with vegetarian rennet and is hand-buttered and clothbound before being matured for six months. Clawson Dairy

Since launching in a small subterranean space on Euston Road in 2014, Roti King has grown into a bonafide London institution. The casual Malaysian joint now has restaurants in Battersea, Waterloo and Spitalfields, serving up deliciously flaky roti, chewy noodles and melt-in-the-mouth curries.  But why should Londoners have all the Roti King goodness to themselves? Well, this year, the restaurant set out on a mission to bring its authentic Malaysian food to the rest of the nation. Back in May, Roti King opened it’s first branch outside of the Big Smoke in Brighton and now, it’s coming for Scotland.  Roti King is opening its second non-London restaurant – and its first Scottish outpost – in Edinburgh next month. It’ll sit just off Princes Street at 8 South St Andrew Street.  Photograph: Roti King You can expect all the beloved Roti King classics to be on the menu. Of course, there’ll be the roti canai, served with dhal, chicken, mutton, or fish kari, as well as the char kway teow (rice noodles stir-fried with prawn and egg) and the Malaysian fried chicken, which is marinated in garlic, ginger, and lemongrass, then crisped with cornstarch and rice flour, served with homemade spicy sambal. Ganan Kanagathurai, the restaurant’s CEO said: ‘Roti King has always been about more than food. It’s about the emotional connection between people, culture, and community. We’re excited to be part of Edinburgh’s incredible independent food scene and to share the passion and creativity of Mala

In case you haven’t already got the hint from all the mince pies on supermarket shelves, the pine trees in market squares and the fairy lights lining our high streets, Christmas is well on the way. And here’s another sure sign that the holidays are coming: it’s been announced that Coca-Cola’s bright red illuminated truck will soon return for 2025.   Every year for the past 15 years, the Coca-Cola’s Christmas lorry has gone on a tour of the UK to ensure every part of the country gets in the festive spirit. It normally stops by 15 different areas across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, bringing with it games, exclusive merch and prizes, photo opportunities and, of course, ice cold cans of the fizzy stuff.  The iconic vehicle will be back on the road to mark the start of the 2025 festive season very soon. And to celebrate its return, the brand has partnered with hunger and food waste charity FareShare to donate 1 million meals to those who need it most.  This is everything you need to know if you want to catch the Coca-Cola Christmas truck on its tour this year.  Coca-Cola truck locations and dates for 2025 We know that the truck will stop by 15 locations on it’s Christmas road trip 2025, but its specific stops haven’t been revealed yet. Coca-Cola normally keeps its route a secret until a day or two before arriving in each location. We’ll update this page as each place is announced.  Where did the Coca-Cola truck stop last year? To give you an idea of when and whe

The arrival of Storm Claudia last weekend saw much of the UK battered by heavy rain and strong winds. Now that the storm has blown through, however, there are rumours of more transport-impacting weather in Britain. That’s right, the UK could be getting snow this week.  Before you get your hopes too high though, different forecasters are predicting slightly different things, and it doesn’t look like there’ll be a huge blanket of the stuff. That said, on Tuesday (November 18), there is a yellow weather warning in place by the Met Office for snowfall in some areas.  So, will there be snowfall in the UK next week? Here’s what weather forecasters have to say.  RECOMMENDED: Will it snow in London this week? UK snow forecast November 17-21 2025 Met Office  In its outlook for Sunday November 16 to Tuesday November 18, the Met Office said ‘sleet and snow showers possible, mainly focused towards north facing coasts and hills’. A yellow weather warning is in place for snowfall ‘across higher parts of Scotland’, lasting from 3am to 6pm on Tuesday November 18.  Looking at Wednesday through to Friday, it predicts that the snow will clear by Weds ‘leaving very cold northerly winds with sunshine and wintry showers’. But that isn’t the end of the snow predictions: the Met Office says that hill snow could arrive in the west of the UK on Friday (November 21)   BBC Weather  The BBC has said that the yellow weather warning for snow will apply to the following areas: Central, Tayside & Fife, Gramp