Anya Ryan

Look, we get it. It’s cold, it’s dark, and we are truly in the depths of winter. But it’s not all rubbish, we swear! It’s the first weekend of February, which means brighter, warmer days and the promise of spring are on the horizon.  In fact, it’s the time of the year when some of the best events and things to do come thundering back onto London’s cultural scene after a long post-Christmas hibernation period. As we transition into a brand new month, London’s cultural scene is packed full of events and things to do. This weekend, get ready for warmer days by visiting the return of Kew Gardens’ annual orchid festival, which has a Chinese theme this year and will see the hot and steamy Prince of Wales Conservatory filled with your fave floral animal sculptures. For alternative theatre, head to The Globe to see a cerebral meta-version of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, or learn about the history of Samurai at the British Museum’s new exhibition.  Start planning: here’s our roundup of the best things to do in February.  In the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

Pat yourself on the back. You’ve managed to slog through the first, and what always feels like the longest, month of the year. Now the days are getting slowly lighter, and it’s less treacherous to walk around outside. It can only mean February is here, and the promise of spring is just around the corner.  As we transition into a brand new month, London’s cultural scene is packed full of events and things to do. This week, get ready for warmer days by visiting the return of Kew Gardens’ annual orchid festival, which has a Chinese theme this year and will see the hot and steamy Prince of Wales Conservatory filled with your fave floral animal sculptures. For alternative theatre, head to The Globe to see a cerebral meta-version of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, or learn about the history of Samurai at the British Museum’s new exhibition.  Stay warm and get out there!  Start planning: here’s our roundup of the best things to do in February.  In the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

From top-tier off-licences to under-the-radar vintage shops, specialised delis, plant havens and everything in between, we’ve shopped (and dropped) our way through the capital’s retail offering. You really can buy whatever you want in this city – you just need to know where to look. That’s why we’ve put together this definitive list of the capital’s 50 best shops for 2025.  Featured in the list are a selection of excellent independent shops, some unmissable department stores, and a few delightfully quirky places you might have never known existed. Plus, for 2026 there’s an exciting pop-up from one of the world’s most beloved brands in one of London’s most renowned venues. This is our ultimate guide to shopping in the capital. Just don’t blame us if you get a little carried away next payday.  Rosie Hewitson is Time Out London’s Things to Do Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. RECOMMENDED:London’s best secondhand shops, picked by expertsThe best markets in London for shopping and browsingThe best car boot sales in London London’s best shops at a glance 📚 Best bookshop: Daunt Books 🏬 Best department store: Liberty 🍴 Best vintage shop: Blackout II 🥪 Best deli: Salvino 🎁 Best gift shop: Botanique

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. 📍 Looking for your own space? Check out our guide to the best Airbnbs in London 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

Planning the perfect date can make or break how well your time together goes – choose the wrong activity and you could be ditched in less time than you spent working up the courage to ask your companion out in the first place. Luckily, London’s bars, restaurants and places where you can do stuff make for great date spots, whether you want to sit and gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes over a glass of vino or prefer to get active with your chosen paramour. Soothe your sweaty-palmed anxieties about meeting a stranger from the apps with our great big list of ideas: from cosy fire-lit pubs and intimate Italian bistros to quirky rock-climbing venues, open-air film screenings and peachy picnic spots. If things don’t go to plan, at least you’ll have a tried-and-tested place to take your next prospective partner. RECOMMENDED:😍 The most romantic restaurants in London. ❤️ How to spend Valentine's Day in London 💘 The best alternative romantic things to do in London.

We all know that London is full of options when it comes to general nights out, with pubs, clubs and quirky events for miles. If you’re looking for something a little more spicy than your average night down the boozer, though, you’ll find plenty of choice in the capital, too. London hosts a range of adult nights out for every taste, from fetish to kink, BDSM to queer sex, and everything in between. So, if you’re in search of a grown-up club or party in London, try out one of the picks on our list. We can vouch for them as fun, friendly and full of surprises – you’re in for a memorable night. RECOMMENDED: 🥳 The best festivals in London📌 The best things to do in London this weekend⭐ The 50 best nights out in London🎵 The best London gigs and concerts this month😈 The not-so-secret new wave of London’s sex-positive parties

If you can somehow prize the iPad out of your child’s filthy mitts and get them out of the house, you’ll find a city full of amazing cultural experiences for kids. Historical relics and heirlooms not for them? Drag them through a hall of Egyptian mummies, fighter planes or dinosaur fossils instead, let them loose on interactive play areas themed around pirates, paintings or the postal service. They might not thank you now, but they’ll appreciate it when they get to your age.    RECOMMENDED: The 50 best things to do in London with the kidsThe 7 best child-friendly exhibitions coming to London in 2026

There’s a reason why so many romantic comedy films are set in London; quite simply, it’s one of the best places in the world to be loved up. The picturesque Little Venice, the historic Whispering Gallery at St Paul’s Cathedral, and the breathtaking Waterloo Bridge are among the many romantic places to visit at any time of year – and we can’t get enough. But to encourage your love to reach full bloom, it’s important to pick a hotel with the right kind of vibe. Breakfast in bed, complimentary cocktails upon arrival, and pampering spa packages are the sort of special touches that can make all the difference when you’re in the mood to woo... or maybe even pop the question! For the ultimate couple’s break, here are our hotels in London to cook up a bit of romance.  💞 January 2026: We’ve just added two of London’s best romantic hotel packages in time for Valentine’s Day in February – find them in spots number one and two on our list.   🛏️ Discover our list of the sexiest hotels 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 everything in between – to bring you fresh, honest recommendations, all year round. Along with our pool of trusted hotel experts, every hotel on this list has been individually reviewed and selected for a reason: we’ve been there, we think it’s great and we’d genuinely recommend it. By the way, this article includes

It's tempting to hibernate when the thermometer dips, but what a waste that would be when London's blessed with so many gigantic, historic parks to explore. As winter arrives, walking among the sculptural trees, frozen lakes and peaceful pathways is a must for anyone who wants to blow the cobwebs away. Whether you're a Royal Parks stan, a fiend for Hampstead Heath on a chilly day or a Greenwich Park fanatic, there are so many winter walks to choose from in London. So, get out there and enjoy a bracing tramp around this city's prettiest green spaces - if you're lucky, there might even be a dusting of snow to make your winter walk even more magical.  RECOMMENDED: Seven of London's prettiest walks Best winter walks in London at a glance Best in north: Hampstead Heath Best in south: Richmond Park Best in west: Kew Garden Best in east: Victoria Park  

Need a place to stay in London? We’re here to make it easy for you. Every year, a wealth of new hotels open in the capital – a testament to the fact that London remains one of the most desirable places to visit in the world. That can, however, make it rather tricky to decide which hotel to choose. But worry not: we have slept our way across the city and hand-picked our favourites, to bring you this ultimate list of London hotels, from Mayfair to Shoreditch, and from budget to blowout (butler included).  Newcomers to our list include the all-new July in Victoria, apartment-hotels which opened in July 2025, and eco-hotel 1 Hotel Mayfair, as well as a few old classics we’ve re-reviewed just for good measure (hint: The Dorchester is just about as great as we remembered). We’ve got a brand-new number one too, but we won’t give that one away just yet. For everything from genuine good value stays to all-out, Zone 1 luxury, you’ll find something on this list for every kind of trip. Superb bars, great architecture, world-class hospitality and the opportunity to have a home-from-home in the best city in the world await you – here are the best hotels in London.  🏘️ Looking for even more options? Check out our list of the best Airbnbs in London Which area is best to stay in London? It’s not just the range of hotels that’s so impressive – you’re also spoilt for choice when it comes to picking a neighbourhood to stay in London. The city is made up of a sprawling network of dynamic neighb

Even on the coldest, darkest days of winter, London is always bustling with fun things to do, with a jam-packed calendar of unmissable events to keep you entertained during most people’s least favourite time of the year. And yet, even we culture-mad London superfans have to admit that every once in a while it’s nice to have a little break from it all. When the capital’s hustle and bustle leaves you feeling a little drained, you can find some escape from the crowds and hordes of tourists by getting up and getting out just for a day. In dire need of crisp country air, a relaxing spa day or a gorgeous, long walk? These day trips from London are all under two hours from Zone 1 and will give you the relief you need this winter. RECOMMENDED: The best day trips from London Best winter day trips at a glance 🪄 Best for magic-lovers: Warner Bros Studio Tour 🎄 Best for the light deprived: Go Wild 2025 at Wakehurst  🍴 Best for the always peckish: Chapel Down Luxury Dining Experience 🏞️ Best for crowd haters: Broadway, Worcestershire 📱 Best for digital detoxers: Rocheser Christmas Fair

In a year when it’s become pretty much impossible to so much as glance at a screen without being bombarded with all manner of maddening AI slop, it’s comforting to know that there is still plenty of vivid, funny, brilliantly human writing out there if you know where to look. From laugh-out-loud debuts and masterful autofiction to big-name autobiographies, gripping non-fiction thrillers and binge-worthy travelogues, here are our editors’ favourite page-turners of 2025. Add this lot to your ‘to read’ pile, stat. RECOMMENDED: 🎵 The 40 best songs of 2025📀 The 25 best albums of 2025

Ciao ragazzi! Celebrate the end of your January health kick in style at the London branch of Eataly, with a two-day celebration of the bougie Italian food hall chain’s nineteenth birthday. Expect tasting stations, regional Italian dishes, wines, cocktails and live food demos, all designed for grazing rather than sitting still. Tickets get you a festival glass, a pouch and a pocketful of tokens to spend as you please. It’s relaxed, family-friendly and built for wandering. Come hungry, and leave planning your next trip to Italy.

Tooting’s turning up the heat for 2026’s Valentine’s weekend with the launch of the Tooting Food Festival, a two-day celebration of global flavours, local legends and proper community vibes. Taking over Tooting Market and Broadway Market, the festival brings together the neighbourhood’s best traders for tasters, street eats and stories behind the dishes. Expect live music from afternoon to evening, guided tours exploring Tooting’s rich food heritage and plenty of chances to graze your way around the world. Entry’s free – just grab food tokens and follow your nose. A tasty new highlight of Wandsworth’s Borough of Culture year.

Scottish scran purveyors Auld Hag return to Lock Warehouse this weekend with an all-singing, all-stomping celebration of Robert Burns. Expect live poetry, theatre and songs woven through the night, building to a full-throttle rendition of Tam o’ Shanter. A piper leads the Address to a Haggis, followed by a feast of haggis, neeps and tatties, then a ceilidh that keeps the floor busy till late. Wee pies are also served throughout the night (expect cotch, smoked haddock and macaroni) and there’s a headline set from Katie Gregson-Macleod, plus plenty of whisky and gin cocktails, as well as the beer and cider from top Scottish breweries at the bar. Wear tartan and bring your dancing shoes.

Burns Night gets a polished London spin at The London EDITION, where Jason Atherton’s restaurant the Berners Tavern hosts its annual salute to Robert Burns. The room is dressed in tartan, thistles and heather, setting the scene for a hearty feast of Scottish classics: on the menu is gin-cured Loch Duart salmon, haggis with neeps and tatties (with a vegetarian option), and Cranachan to close. Live piping and a ceilidh band keep things lively throughout the evening, while a Burns Night–exclusive whisky and lemon sherbet cocktail adds to the revelry. If you miss it, the food continues throughout the weekend, too.

East London’s getting its cinematic glow-up as PictureEast Film Festival returns with two weeks of bold, brilliant and totally free screenings. Hosted by The New Black Film Collective, the festival brings indie gems, global hits and must-see previews to screens across east London. On the line-up are prison drama Wasteman, Akinola Davies Jr.’s debut feature film My Father’s Shadow and a gala closing with Palestine Comedy Club, with screens popping up everywhere from Stratford to Barking, turning libraries, hotels and cinemas into buzzing film hubs. Film fans can also expect comedy, kids’ screenings, director Q&As and panels led by local creatives.This has proper community energy. So, grab a seat and some popcorn, obviously.

Let’s start with the positives. The performances in Al Miller’s revival of Lyle Kessler’s 1983 play Orphans are absolutely tremendous. Fred Woodley Evans completely inhabits the childlike Phillip; his hands tremble as he addresses his older, more violent and streetwise brother, Treat, and he gazes with wide-eyed wonder out of the window of the little row house they inhabit in North Philadelphia. Treat (Chris Walley), too, is sharply drawn as spiky and hostile, often clutching a small penknife to heighten his menace. The trio is completed by Forbes Masson as Harold, the elusive businessman whom Treat kidnaps in the hope of an easy robbery, only to discover someone far more unsettling; his performance is suitably dark, jittery and inscrutable. And yet, despite the talent on show here, it feels as though there are plenty of plays far more worthy of revival in 2026. The two brothers live alone and parentless, though their mother’s coats and shoes still decorate the space like relics. While Treat ventures out to make ends meet through theft and intimidation in the neighbourhood, Phillip is ordered to stay inside, dressed in pyjamas like a child, secretly reading and watching television. In form, it could best be described as a poor man’s Pinter or Shepard. The play leaves us with more questions than answers. What happened to Phillip and Treat’s parents? Who, exactly, is Harold — a gangster or a man who deals in stocks and bonds? And how does he manage to convince these two grown-u

What’s funnier than watching things go wrong? Honestly: not much. Building on the theatrical mishaps of the previous Goes Wrong hits (notably West End long-runner The Play That…), Mischief Theatre’s proper laugh out loud spin on A Christmas Carol sees the hapless Cornley Amateur Dramatic Society return with a new Christmas show. And while the slapstick and mayhem that ensues is hardly new ground for the company, the endless stream of slip-ups is what we’re here for. Things begin in the audition room, as steely director Chris sets about casting the play. From the start there’s disaster upon disaster – prospective performers read scenes from films rather than the actual play, the resident dimwit Dennis (Jonathan Sayer) insists Bob Cratchit is actually a frog, and Robert (Henry Lewis) will do just about anything to play Scrooge. To no one’s surprise, though, Chris – who shares some striking qualities with Scrooge himself – casts himself in the leading role. But surprise, surprise, everything that could possibly spiral out of control absolutely does. Written by Mischief’s co-founders Lewis, Sayer and Henry Shields, many of the big gags are set up in the early rehearsal section of the play, with the payoff coming later. It’s a script that leaves no loose end – every single line has a worthwhile, deliciously funny purpose. The play within the play follows Dickens’ story closely: Scrooge is visited by the ghost of Marley, and then the three spirits who aim to show him the error of

Unless you’re fluent in turn-of-the-twentieth-century Hiberno-English, John Millington Synge’s The Playboy of the Western World requires proper, eyes-wide-open concentration. And even more so in this NT revival, in which director Caitríona McLaughlin celebrates the lyrical language of the play in all its glory. At its best, hers is a production that rewards attentiveness, weaving in beautiful, affecting images of County Mayo folklore alongside some standout acting performances. But despite the play’s undeniable importance within the Irish canon, it feels like a strange choice for the National Theatre’s 2025 programme, and the production comes across as a hodgepodge of competing ideas.Not all of that is down to McLaughlin. There’s the rambling, stretched-out plot in which young Christy Mahon arrives at a small local pub, claims he has killed his father, and then, rather than being shunned, becomes something of a village celebrity. What follows are strings of repetitive scenes in which the truth about Christy’s story threatens to come out. Despite an assured, characterful performance, Éanna Hardwicke makes Christy a constantly wowed dufus. Which begs the question: could this really be a man who has hordes of women running after him?It is one of many confusing directorial decisions from McLaughlin, who attempts to lean into both the comedy and the pathos in Synge’s script. Crowds of mummers in traditional dress appear between the scenes, while mourners dressed all in black wail

At this point, Charles Dickens is basically a second Father Christmas. Every year, theatres across the country are engulfed in a blizzard of productions of A Christmas Carol. Jermyn Street Theatre have gone a little left field with their festive programming, then – but really, only a little. Scrooge has been ditched for an adaptation of Dickens’s ‘favourite child’, David Copperfield. And, in Abigail Pickard Price’s production, the reasons for this great honour shine loud and clear. With a small cast of three – Eddy Payne as David, and Luke Barton and Louise Beresford as, erm, everyone else – the diverse and sprawling world is pulled out bit by bit. Does it manage to include all the intricate chronicles and glory of the book’s 882 pages? Well, of course not. But good god, Pickard Price keeps Dickens’s irresistible richness intact. Much of that is down to Barton and Beresford, who must be dying for a lie-down after their final bow. The pair dash from one personality to the next, changing costumes, physicality, and accents at the rate of a runaway train. The speed alone is enough to impress you, but with every new face so sharply etched, it becomes a magnificent, character-exploding evening. As our narrator, David (also nicknamed Davy, Trotwood, Daisy, and Doady at various points), Payne exudes wide-eyed, open-hearted charisma. Occasionally, he slips away from telling the story to provide reflections from his future life; early on, he ponders the novel's iconic central question:

Sketch has never been shy about doing Christmas loudly, and for 2025 they’ve basically turned their Mayfair mansion into a high-fashion ski lodge. The new festive takeover, The Art of Après, whisks you straight from Conduit Street to the Alps, minus the frostbite.A gentle fall of snow greets arrivals (because of course it does), leading into a the Reception and Glade room that has been transformed by Lucy Vail Floristry into a frosted forest. Yes, there’s real pine galore, hand-painted alpine scenery and drifts of snowy dried flowers. There’s even a repurposed ski chairlift just casually plonked among the trees.In the East Bar & Pods, Sketch stalwart Ricky Paul returns for his ninth Christmas installation, and it’s a show-off moment in the best way. A tiny ski resort rises beneath the dome, complete with glowing lodge and moving cable cars. Upstairs, the three-Michelin-starred Lecture Room & Library shimmers with Mehbs Yacqub’s crystal tree, dressed this year by artist Maya Heritage. Throw in seasonal menus, some festive cocktails and the return of Folie Saturdays (think DJs, Veuve and après-ski chaos), and you’ve got Sketch doing what Sketch at Christmas does best.

December can be expensive, but this year Creditspring is on hand to make things feel a little easier with an actually-quite-lovely little brand activation.  The loans company is launching Home A Loan, a three-day pop-up just off Brick Lane where families can effectively borrow Christmas.  From Wednesday to Friday, 137A Bethnal Green Road will transform into a treasure trove of twinkling fairy lights, wreaths, baubles, tableware and other festive essentials; all available to be borrowed without spending a single jingling penny. Think of it as a magical mash-up of a Library of Things and the McCallister family home. There’s no faff either: no sign-ups, no forms, just walk in, browse, and borrow. Once Christmas is over, you can return your borrowed delights, with everything donated to local charities, or if you’ve become emotionally bonded to your bauble set (it happens), you’re welcome to keep it for next year. A branded pop-up with a bit of heart, that. 

If your Thursday night could do with a hit of fun, Somerset House has you sorted. Photographer Jennie Baptiste (whose work celebrates Black British style, music and identity) is taking over for an evening packed with hands-on workshops, DJ sets and good vibes.  You can try your hand at zine-making, design your own flyer, and catch DJ 279 spinning tunes while Baptiste chats with curator Lisa Anderson about her career behind the lens. It’s all part of the Upgrade Yourself series, which champions young creatives. And best of all, it’s free.

When it comes to blockbuster sporting events, few things come close to the Super Bowl. The NFL’s showpiece fixture is less a match and more a full-blown cultural phenomenon – and while the game takes place thousands of miles away, London will be very much awake for it.  In 2026 the Super Bowl heads to Santa Clara. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, around 45 miles southeast of San Francisco, the California city won a fiercely competitive bidding process to host the game (a privilege that reportedly costs close to $100m once security and production are factored in). It’s not Santa Clara’s first rodeo either, having previously hosted the Super Bowl 50 back in 2016. As ever, the action on the field will be joined by all the familiar Super Bowl trimmings: high-stakes drama and, most importantly, a globe-stopping half-time show. I mean, who could forget Beyoncé? And Rihanna? Prince? Pop-culture milestones one and all. So sure, you could watch it from your sofa with a multipack of crisps. But for anyone after a proper Super Bowl experience – big screens, booming sound systems, flowing pints and American food – London has plenty of late-night parties worth staying up for. These are the best places in the city to catch it. When is the Super Bowl?  Super Bowl LX takes place on Sunday February 8, kicking off at around 11.30pm GMT. Who is performing at the Super Bowl? Bad Bunny was announced as the headline performer for the Super Bowl Halftime Show back in September. Green Day are