Chloe Lawrance

Let’s face it: the January blues are a real thing. It’s raining, usually pouring, our bank balances have been drained by Christmas consumerism and the last thing we want to do is touch a drop of booze (well, maybe a pint or two in the local).  But there’s good news: Tate, home to a clutch of must-see exhibitions across its family of galleries, is offering its Tate Trial membership to see you through the bleakest of months. For just £26*, you and a guest will get three months of unlimited entry to every exhibition with no need to book. Simply rock up and soak it up!  From Theatre Picasso and Tracey Emin at Tate Modern in Bankside to Lee Miller and Turner & Constable: Rivals & Originals at Tate Britain in Millbank, there’s more art to discover in 2026 than you can shake a paintbrush at.  Better still, the Tate Trial membership unlocks access to the hush-hush Members Rooms, where you and your bestie can relax and unwind like art aficionados.  But you’ll need to move quickly: this special offer ends on January 31. So swing into action now, and make 2026 your most culture-filled year yet.  Get your Tate Trial membership now   *Terms and conditions apply, please visit tate.org.uk/trial-membership for details  Theatre Picasso is presented in The George Economou Gallery. In partnership with White & Case. Also supported by the Huo Family Foundation. With additional support from the Theatre Picasso Exhibition Supporters Circle, Tate Americas Foundation and Tate Members. Lee Miller is s

If you’re a proper Londoner, you’ll know that there’s nothing quite like spending a drizzly Saturday afternoon wandering around the Tate Modern in Bankside or Tate Britain where you can take in greats like Tracey Emin, Pablo Picasso, Lee Miller and JMW Turner.  This winter, the family of galleries is hosting a clutch of must-see exhibitions for the culturally curious. Better still, with Tate Trial membership – which gives you and a guest three months of unlimited entry to every exhibition with no need to book for just £26* – you’ll be able to take in all of these and more. Perfect for the post-Christmas period when you’re looking for stuff to do that doesn’t cost the earth or involve boozing. Here are our picks of the best exhibitions – and don’t forget to sign up for a Tate Trial membership to make the most of them.

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

Even after a couple of vintage years for new music, 2025 has been special. Sure, we didn’t get a clear-cut ‘song of the summer’, but artists have been instead putting out defining works in a longer format. The past 12 (well, 11) months have featured all manner of extraordinary album releases.  Belted-to-the-rafters country pop, plunderphonic majesty, ecstatic dance music, intimate electronic world-building, history-collapsing art rock, triumphant hip-hop… these are just a few of the sounds and styles that have been executed marvellously in 2025. Here are the year’s finest 25 albums, chosen by Time Out editors and contributors.

It’s been another stellar year for music in 2025, packed full of belters, breakouts and hook-laden earworms.  Lorde returned to her angsty roots, Pulp dropped their first album since, and Bad Bunny reigned supreme on the streamers. We were blessed with new music from pop heavyweights Lady Gaga, Lily Allen and Robyn. In a plot twist, Rosalía dropped a classical album packed with religious references, and Turnstile made hardcore mainstream. Breakout stars CMAT, Addison Rae and Jim Legxacy proved that they are here to stay. Here Time Out editors and contributors have hand-picked the tracks they’ve had on repeat this year. These are the 40 best songs of 2025.  RECOMMENDED: The 25 best albums of 2025. 

This year of music has started with a bang. We’ve seen Chappell Roan go country, Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco smothering audiences with gushy love songs and Playboi Carti’s rapturous return from the underground. We've even been blessed with the return of Lorde! Alongside these pop heavyweights, we’re witnessing rap superstar Doechii continue her chart domination and the breakthrough of Gen Z artists like 2hollis, Tate McRae and Kai Bosch. What songs are defining 2025? Well, we’ve searched through our playlists and extracted the best songs of the year so far, to give you a mid-year vibe check of where we are currently at. But it doesn’t stop there. Keep your eyes peeled for updates to this list throughout the year as we’re still awaiting albums from Turnstile, Miley Cyrus, Pulp, A$AP Rocky and many more. RECOMMENDED: 🎧 The best albums of 2025 (so far)🎥 The best movies of 2025 (so far)📺 The best TV of 2025 (so far)

The most important thing about Christmas is here: the festive sandwich. So pure. So dense. So carby. This year, the staff of Time Out London have taste-tested seasonal sarnies from 10 independent bakeries, delis and street food stalls across London in order to find the jolliest Christmas sandwich in town. From vegetarian cheese feasts to meaty marvels and vegan sourdough wedges, these are the very best Christmas sandwiches in London. RECOMMENDED: For more festive fun here’s our guide to the best Christmas markets in London.  And don’t miss the best Christmas events, either. 

You think you know Switzerland? Cheese with holes in it. Gstaad with the fancy-schmancy palace. And chocolate – all the chocolate. But have you heard of Jungfrau, pronounced ‘Yoong-frow’ and home to a peak nicknamed the ‘top of the world’, before? It’s one of Switzerland’s most iconic alpine destinations, but also one of its best-kept secrets – until now. The Jungfrau Travel Pass is your ticket to ride as often as you like with unlimited travel on the mountain railways, cable cars and boats that make traversing the terrain and waterways simple and stress-free. From the soaring peak of Jungfraujoch, boasting Europe’s highest-altitude railway station, to the ice palace and the Aletsch Glacier, no snow-covered corner of this winter wonderland is off-limits. Just bring your pass – and a taste for adventure. Here’s our expert guide.

As the nights draw in and the temperature drops, it's time to embrace the festive season with full force. After all, Christmas has a way of making the December evenings a whole lot more special - particularly when those evenings are spent enjoying festive live performances inside one of London’s most iconic buildings.  We are, of course, talking about the Royal Albert Hall, where there’s something for everyone going on this Christmas. From performances of John Williams’ charming music in Home Alone to Tchaikovsky’s beautiful score in The Nutcracker, via nights of soul, gospel and jazz – there’s plenty of winter warmers to discover. Whatever your vibe, pick the live performance that best suits your personality with our seasonal guide, sure to get you in the festive spirit.

What is it? Westfield London is big. Taking up a whopping 43 acres across nine postcodes on the site of the 1908 Olympics, and costing roughly £1.6 billion to build, the White City landmark is home to no less than 450 shops and over 80 places to eat and drink. Following its 2018, Westfield is now the largest shopping centre in Europe, and is home to high-street stalwarts like GAP, John Lewis and Urban Outfitters, as well as a selection of upmarket brands (think Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Prada) in The Village. But what makes this giga-mall a grand day out is the fact that there’s so much more to do besides just shopping; eateries run the gamut from EL&N for pastel-hued brunching to Wagamama for dependable noodles and Flat Iron for reasonably priced steak without the queues you’ll find in central London. The entertainment offering is broad too; movies, bouldering, golf, football, gaming, tech…there’s something for absolutely everyone. Why go? Because it’s basically London in miniature: shopping, eating, drinking, entertainment and a surprisingly hefty dose of wellness, all under one very large roof. Ideal when you want maximum options with minimal faff. Don’t miss: A shopping centre might not be the first thing that springs to mind when you’re looking for some R&R, but in recent years, Westfield London has become a real hub for health and wellness. There’s a Gym Box for working out and StretchLAB for some assisted stretching afterwards (yes, that means someone else does all the