Chris Bethell

Last night (January 25) London was awash with neon orange Irn Bru, the skirl of bag pipes and Celtic pride as Scots in the capital gathered to celebrate Burns Night. Punters broke a sweat at ceilidhs all over the city, while copious amounts of haggis, neeps and tatties and whisky were consumed.  Time Out sent photographer Chris Bethell to the knees up organised by the Ceilidh Club at the Porchester Hall to capture the action.  ‘The Porchester Hall, a beautiful building near The Royal Oak, looked hugely grand as I walked in with my pal Tim,’ Bethell said. ‘We were there first and grabbed a table near the front, watching people pour in covered in tartan, as we waited for a polite time to go get a plate of haggis with potatoes, carrots and swede. It was delicious. ‘We came back and our table had filled up with people quickly, we got chatting with them all. Then the music kicked off with everyone taking to the dance floor, the band taught everyone how to perform each ceilidh before getting into it. ‘The atmosphere was great, so social and fun. Being on the dance floor was like being in a very well organised moshpit. Halfway through the “piping of the haggis” happened, where a bagpiper and two others brought out a huge haggis.’ Burns Night 2026 in London Photograph: Chris Bethell for Time Out     Photograph: Chris Bethell for Time Out   Photograph: Chris Bethell for Time Out   Photograph: Chris Bethell for Time Out   Photograph: Chris Bethell for Time Out Photograph: Ch

This week Time Out revealed its latest ranking of the coolest streets in the world. The 2025 list (which follows our rankings of the planet’s current top cities and neighbourhoods) spans every feasible definition of cool, from boutique shopping in Osaka and architectural excellence in Montreal to community arteries in Rio de Janeiro. Naturally, a London street made it into the list. Taking a crown that in previous years has been worn by the South Bank, Deptford High Street and Soho’s Gerrard Street is Blackstock Road. The Finsbury Park-Highbury link placed 23rd in the global ranking, sandwiched between avenues in Buenos Aires and Cape Town. So, what exactly makes Blackstock Road cool right now? Well, loads of things. You can read up on Time Out editors’ favourite Blackstock spots here. If you’re after a more visual representation of what Blackstock Road is all about, we’ve got that, too. Photographer Chris Bethell headed to the street to take snaps of its coolest bits. Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Did you see that Camberwell is one of Time Out’s Coolest Neighbourhoods in the World for 2025? Plus: London is officially one of Time Out’s Best Cities in the World right now. Get the latest and greatest fro

Earlier this week Time Out published the Coolest Neighbourhoods in the World 2025, the ultimate lowdown on the most hip ’n’ happening places on the planet right now. Among areas in cities ranging from Tokyo to São Paulo, Chicago to New York, one London neighbourhood ranked near the top of the list. None other than Camberwell was named the fourth-coolest place in the world right now. The chilled-out and green south London area was recognised for its ‘young-at-heart vibe’ and ‘independent spirit’, as well as for its bountiful excellent food options. Take a stroll through Camberwell and you’ll quickly realise why we love this part of the capital so much. Photographer Chris Bethell headed down to show off the areas coolest bits. RECOMMENDED: Time Out’s Coolest Neighbourhoods in the World 2025. Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel. Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

Oasis’ reunion shows in Cardiff and Manchester blew fans’ minds – so the hype for the duo’s first London concert in 16 years was, naturally, sky-high. On Friday July 25 Liam and Noel (plus Andy Bell, Gem Archer and Bonehead, with Joey Waronker) made a triumphant return to the capital at Wembley Stadium. Wembley is the biggest venue on the UK leg of Oasis’ Live ’25 tour. A whopping 90,000 punters – many of them donning bucket hats, sports jackets, football tops and official merch – descended on northwest London for the show, and Time Out was there to capture the occasion. Photographer Chris Bethell headed to Wembley for London’s first Oasis reunion gig. Here are his highlights.  Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

This was my fifth year wandering the halls of the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre to photograph Crufts, the international dog show which has been held in the UK annually since the late 19th century. At this point, the competition feels like home – if home had 155,000 people coming over to visit at the weekend and I owned 24,000 dogs, that is.  A four-year-old whippet from Venice, named Miuccia, was crowned best in show at this year’s show, beating more than 18,000 pooches for the top award. The competition is split into four days, each for a different category of dog. This year I visited on day one, Terrier and Hound: the exhibition centre was lined with stalls housing staffordshire terriers in their crates and excited norfolk terriers getting belly tickles, while afghan hounds milled elegantly around one of the judging areas, green floored squares where handfuls of almost identical dogs paraded about as Karrimor-clad judges scribbled in notebooks.  Friday was the ‘utility and toy’ day, made up of dogs like dalmatians, french bulldogs and cavalier king charles spaniels. Saturday was ‘gundogs’ day, for your labradors, cocker spaniels and irish setters. Finally, Sunday brought the ‘working and pastoral’ category, which saw border collies, german shepherds, boxers and great danes take over the halls. With so many canines in one place, you might expect chaos. But for what is essentially the biggest doggy day care centre going, the whole place was pretty calm: the occasion