Ed Cunningham

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 over the past 12 months 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 January 2026. London's best new restaurants at a glance: 🍛 Central: Dover Street Counter, Mayfair 🍠 North: Ling Ling’s, Islington 🥟 South: Doma, Sydenham 🍝 East: Legado, Shoreditch 🥗 West: Martino’s, Chelsea January 2026: New additions include slinky Italian joint Martino's in Chelsea, Dover Street Counter in Mayfair, foodie wine bar in a Clerkenwell tattoo parlour Passione Vino, Chinese cuisine at Ling Ling's at Godet in Islington, Hunanese heat at Fiery Flavors in Surrey Quays, Caribbean classics with a twist at 2210 by NattyCanCook in Herne Hill, perfect pasta at Casa Felicia in Queen's Park, Ukrainian elegance at Sino in Notting Hill, spicy southern Thai at the second branch of Plaza Khao Gaeng by Borough Market, and soup noodles at Khao So-i in Fitzrovia. Hungry yet? Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial

When it comes to big-ticket gigs and musicians touring Britain, how do you follow up a year like 2025? Last year some of the planet’s mightiest stars graced UK stages, from Coldplay and Lady Gaga to Olivia Rodrigo, Lana del Rey and, of course, Oasis. Fortunately, 2026 is shaping up to be just as huge as 2025 – if not even bigger. Sure, we might not have the Gallaghers on the schedule (well, not yet), but plenty of others are lined up to headline British stadiums and arenas over the next 12 months. Plus, even more names are rumoured to be yet to announce a tour (BTS, we’re looking at you).  Lily Allen, Bon Jovi, Bad Bunny, Ariana Grande… the UK has all these to look forward to and more in 2026. Here are the best major tours coming to Britain this year. RECOMMENDED: 🎵 The best albums of 2025. 🎶 The best songs of 2025.

Updated for 2026: Whatever you think of Netflix’s theatrical strategy, it continues to produce some of television’s most formally daring works, including Adolescence, a hard-to-watch but impossible to ignore limited series about an unimaginable crime. On the other end of the spectrum, there’s HBO’s hilariously profane The Righteous Gemstones, which stuck the landing in 2025 with its final season. In addition, we have moved Andor into the top 20 after its astounding second and final season.  Television used to be considered one of the lowest forms of entertainment. It was derided as ‘the idiot box’ and ‘the boob tube’. Edward R Murrow referred to it as ‘the opiate of the masses’, and the phrase ‘I don’t even own a TV’ was considered a major bragging right.  A lot has changed. Television is now the dominant medium in basically all of entertainment. The shift in perception is widely credited to the arrival of The Sopranos, which completely reinvented the notion of what a TV show could do. But that doesn’t mean everything that came before is primordial slurry. While this list of the greatest TV shows ever is dominated by 21st century programs, from The Wire to Succession to Adolescence, there are many shows that deserve credit for laying the groundwork for this current golden age.  Chiseling them down to a neat top 100 is difficult, so we elected to leave off talk shows, variety shows and sketch comedy, focusing on scripted, episodic dramas, comedies and miniseries. So don’t touc

London is full of perfect pizza. The finest of fast foods, this delicious staple has been elevated far beyond its humble roots by great Italian restaurants in London, pop-ups, street food vendors and pub residencies, and we know just where to find these world-class wonders, because we’ve been eating our way across London in order to discover the best. Whether it’s delivered in a cardboard box or served in a swish restaurant, excellent pizza is hard to beat. Browse our list of the best pizza places in town and try not to drool on your screen. Recent additions to the Top 20 include some nifty kitchen residencies; Dough Hands at the Spurstowe Arms and Old Nun’s Head, Bing Bong Pizza at You Call The Shots in Hackney, Little Earthquakes at the Railway Tavern in Dalston, and Short Road Pizza at the William The Fourth in Leyton and Three Colts in Bethnal Green. You can find Ace Pizza at the Pembury Tavern in Hackney Downs, but they have also opened their first standalone parlour in Victoria Park. Try also; Spring Street Pizza in Borough for pie with a Michelin-starred chefs touch, Carmela’s on Upper Street for a cosy slice and Vincenzo’s in Shoreditch for no-flop pizza. RECOMMENDED: The finest fish and chips in London.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

There’s a heck of a lot to get excited about in Britain over the next 12 months or so. Between now and 2027 Brits will gobble down platefuls of new restaurants’ grub, slurp tasty bevs in fresh bars, get cultural fixes at museum exhibitions, spectate at globally-renowned sport events and even witness moments of proper historic importance. In 2026 the UK will see the return of the Bayeux Tapestry (not seen on these isles in 900 years) and the completion of the nation-spanning King Charles III Coastal Path. Among the likes of new music festivals and theme parks will be the world’s biggest Irish cultural event, the premiere of one of this century’s most highly anticipated stage musicals and centenery celebrations for a globally-loved children’s character.  And that’s just the stuff that’s planned – who knows what else will define the year? Without further ado, here are the 16 best new things to do in the UK in 2026, chosen by Time Out editors and contributors. RECOMMENDED: 📍 The 14 best places to visit in the UK in 2026.🏛️ The 26 best new things to do in London in 2026.🌍 The best new things to do in the world in 2026.

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

Copenhagen has risen in popularity recently as one of the best destinations for a weekend city break. Whether you're a tourist travelling from afar or a fellow Dane looking for a change of scenery, renting an Airbnb for a few days is a great way to see the city and experience it like a true local.  The capital of Denmark, one of the world's happiest cities, is a gorgeous place with brightly coloured buildings, amazing food, lots of culture, rich history and architectural design, making it a place worth exploring with lots to do and see. And few cities offer such a resplendent selection of Airbnbs as the Danish capital. No matter your trip, whether you’re hunting for a table at Copenhagen’s fabulous restaurants, spending your days in its captivating museums or boogieing it out thanks to its exhilarating nightlife, there’s usually a phenomenal Airbnb to fit the bill. Here are our favourite Airbnbs right here in Copenhagen.  Time Out tip: The easiest – and quickest – way to get around Copenhagen is on two wheels, but if you prefer to hop on public transport, the DOT ticket app is your best friend.  Updated in January 2026: We think this list is pretty cracking already, but it's even better now that we've added this houseboat in the heart of the city for a truly authentic experience (and one you might recognise from a certain TV show).  Recommended: 🚲See the best things to do in Copenhagen🍷Hit up the best bars in Copenhagen🇩🇰Here's how to spend a weekend in Copenhagen Who m

2026 has officially landed. An entire year of adventure awaits, with Britain set for a deluge of thrilling new things to see and do. Beyond the individual openings, however – the new bars and restaurants, museums and attractions – where should be on your radar for places to visit in the UK?  If you’re up for being inspired here at Time Out, as always, we’ve got you covered. We’ve scoured the listings of all that’s happening in Britain in 2026 and consulted our nationwide network of writers and editors, harnessing all that info to put together a guide to the places that should be on your radar over the next 12 months.  Destinations made it onto Time Out’s list for a vast range of reasons. Some have swaggered onto the scene with a quickfire burst of thrilling new attractions. Others have built their cred slower and reached a point of quiet brilliance, while others still are established spots that simply remain very much worth their rep. Several places will be made even more tempting by those aforementioned 2026 openings, whether that be delicious places to eat and drink, game-changing new transport options or unmissable cultural events.  From trendy seaside towns to revived industries cities, medieval forts to ‘the new Berlin’: here are the UK’s 14 top places to visit in 2026. RECOMMENDED: 🇬🇧 The best new things to do in the UK in 2026.📍 The 26 best stuff to see and do in London in 2026. 

Whether you’re a fully-fledged railfan or just a traveller who loves convenience, 2024 has been an unmatched year when it comes to new night services. Countries throughout Europe, in bids to make travelling more planet-friendly and affordable, have launched countless sleeper routes this year, meaning most of us now have plenty of motivation to swap flights for night trains on our next trip. In other words, sleeper trains are back, baby, and at Time Out, we’re here for it. With the option to hop on a train, journey thousands of miles and wake up in your destination (hopefully with enough energy to go out and explore), night services are kind of ideal scenarios, right? And luckily, you’ve got us train afficionados on hand to point you in the right direction. So, pack your bag, embark your cabin and settle in – here are the most exciting sleeper trains we can’t wait to ride in 2025.  RECOMMENDED:🌤️The most scenic railway journeys in Europe🗺️The ultimate Interrail itinerary for Europe🚂The most beautiful European train journeys from London🚞The best train journeys in the world 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. 

A new year is upon us. Many will be locking in on a new gym routine. Others will be embarking on Dry January. But you? You’re setting your sights on seeing more of the world in 2026. And we’re right there with you – there’s no better time than now to start dreaming and planning some big adventures for the year ahead. So, where to go? Our Time Out editors, from South Africa to Sydney, have a few ideas up their sleeves. After all, this lucky lot make a living from exploring their corners of the world, discovering the next best cities, cool neighbourhoods and emerging travel destinations. Our recommended 2026 travel hotspots include Unesco’s next World Book Capital in Morocco, a new thermal wellness destination in the Canadian Rockies, unspoiled beach towns in Brazil – and many, many more where that came from. This is Time Out’s rundown of the best places to travel in 2026 – and how to plan the perfect trip in each.RECOMMENDED:🤩 The 26 best new things to do in the world in 2026🎵 The biggest and best music festivals to go to this year🖼️ 19 exhibitions worth travelling for in 2026 Grace Beard is Time Out’s travel editor. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines. 

Um novo ano começou. Muitos vão se dedicar a uma nova rotina de academia. Outros devem embarcar no Dry January. Mas você? Se você decidiu conhecer mais do mundo em 2026, nós estamos com você. Não há momento melhor do que agora para começar a sonhar e planejar grandes aventuras do ano. Então, para onde ir? Os editores da Time Out, da África do Sul a Sydney, têm algumas ótimas ideias. Afinal, esse grupo privilegiado vive explorando seus próprios cantos do mundo, descobrindo as próximas grandes cidades, bairros mais descolados e destinos de viagem emergentes. As recomendações para 2026 incluem desde a próxima Capital Mundial do Livro da Unesco, no Marrocos, até um novo destino de bem-estar termal nas Montanhas Rochosas do Canadá, passando por vilarejos de praia ainda intocados no Brasil, entre muitos outros lugares. Este é o guia da Time Out com os melhores destinos para viajar em 2026 e dicas de como planejar a viagem perfeita para cada um deles!

As much as Christmas trees, turkey and a mildly overworked Santa have become staples of the festive season, so has the music that soundtracks this cheer-soaked time of year. Christmas songs don’t just endure – many end up becoming the crown jewels of an artist’s entire career. From golden oldies by Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Bing Crosby, to ‘80s icons like Wham! and The Pogues, to modern favourites from Ariana Grande and Leona Lewis, these tunes have embedded themselves into our seasonal rituals. What is the best-selling Christmas song of all time? That honour still belongs to Bing Crosby’s 1942 classic ‘White Christmas’. With over 50 million sales, it’s not only the biggest Christmas record in history – it’s the best-selling song of all time, full stop. Guinness World Records first crowned it back in 1955, and it’s held onto the title ever since. What is the most-streamed Christmas song of all time? Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ may trail Crosby in pure sales (a mere 16 million), but streaming has turned it into a seasonal juggernaut. It finally hit No.1 in both the UK and US decades after its release and became the first Christmas song to pass 2 billion Spotify streams. Hot on its heels: Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas’ (1.83 billion) and Brenda Lee’s ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’ (1.27 billion). Are there any new Christmas songs for 2025? The past decade has delivered plenty of modern holiday staples, from Ariana Grande to Sabrina Carpenter to Cher. As

Soho, Marylebone and Mayfair – these are not London neighbourhoods that are in short supply of luxury. A hotel that sits at the intersection of all three, therefore, might be expected to be very glamourous indeed. And that the BoTree certainly is, though in a very modern and unstuffy sense, having only opened in 2023. Those familiar with this particular link between Oxford and Wigmore Streets might recognise the BoTree’s address from its previous life as home to the brutalist, geometrically-dazzling Welbeck Street car park. These days it doesn’t really resemble that structure, the eye-catching multi-storey replaced with a shiny grey-ish block – though latticed decoration on the corner does ever-so-slightly hint at the site’s previous life. Approaching the BoTree from Oxford Street, it’s miraculous – and a bit eerie – how the atmosphere shifts so quickly from the hectic stress of Europe’s longest shopping street to sleek, calm, palpably wealthy Marylebone. By the time you’ve stepped into the lobby, the blaring pedicabs, roaring buses and general hubbub of the West End are nowhere to be seen or heard. Why stay at The BoTree? The BoTree’s standout feature is its location, no contest. The primest of prime West End, stumble out of Bond Street station and you’re here – practically all of Soho and Marylebone is within walking distance, and the rest of the city is just a tube away. What are the rooms like at The BoTree? My room was the BoTree Suite, a seventh-floor space wrapping aro

art'otel and Hoxton: on paper, at least, a match made in heaven. Famously arty hotel chain meets famously arty London neighbourhood (well, if you lump Hoxton in with Shoreditch, which is fine by us). The address has arty history, too: the hotel occupies a site formerly home to the legendary Foundry, an ale bar and arts venue once described as ‘crucible of the Britart movement’. Not familiar with art'otel? Let us bring you up to speed. The brand posits its outposts as both hotels and art galleries, with your stay being a chance to encounter real pieces of art. Each location has its own ‘signature artist’, around whom not only is the hotel themed but who gets to actually design a lot of the hotel, from its wall artworks to its furniture. art'otel Hoxton’s signature artist is D*Face (Dean Stockton), titan of English street art known for his chaotic, colourful, attention-demanding works. Approaching the hotel there’s a sense of occasion fitting for D*Face’s rep: the building towers over the fork of Great Eastern Street and Old Street. Two original Banksys sit above the doorway; dramatic escalators glide past gigantic, blinding screens of video art; a human-size sculpture of ‘D*Dog’ (one of D*Face’s best-known figures) greets you at reception as a kind of concierge. It is very much like entering a proper art gallery. Why stay at art'otel London Hoxton? If you’re fond of art – specifically street art, even more specifically the work of D*Face – art'otel Hoxton is a real treat. It’s

You can spot the building that hosts Archives from miles around, a repurposed 1960s industrial tower standing tall above Tottenham Hale’s retail parks and marshland. And it’s a worthy local landmark: since opening in 2024 Archives has regularly hosted blockbuster nights, from James Blake’s CMYK to the second edition of Eastern Margins’ festival Margins United. The space itself is an 8,500-square-foot ground-floor blank canvas with thick concrete columns and capacity for 1,600; the 360-degree soundsystem is solid, the dancefloor is well-proportioned and the outdoor/rest areas are sizeable. The only downside is the bar prices. When I was last here pints were flatly priced at a very steep £8.50 (and £7.50 for cans).

A country home amid gargantuan piles of slate, Plas Weunydd sits atop a hill overlooking not just an old industrial town but the vast landscape of Snowdonia National Park. Needless to say, the hotel is all about its location: the location on a map, sure (it’s pretty much at the dead-centre of Snowdonia and surrounded by all manner of outdoorsy activities) but also its topographical location, with views galore.  For my visit to Plas Weunydd, the approach by car saw me wind my way past the hills and valleys of the national park, through old mining town Blaenau Ffestiniog and most of the way up a not-unsteep hill. The hotel is perched near the top, at the same turning as much-hyped adventure attraction Zip World and a mountain-biking course.  Why stay at Plas Weunydd? If you’re in Snowdonia for an adventure or outdoorsy holiday (and this is very much a region famous for that), Plas Weunydd is extraordinarily well-located. Hiking, cycling, mountain biking, zip-wiring and more is almost literally on your doorstep – as previously mentioned, Zip World is across the road – while countless mountains, waterfalls, lakes or rivers in Snowdonia National Park are no more than a half-hour drive away.  The building itself was built in 1870 as the home of John Whitehead Greaves, the founder of nearby Llechwed Quarry. It was turned into a hotel in 2021, and it relaunched in April 2025 following further refurbishment. Plas Weunydd prides itself on being an adventure holiday base, but also for b

Prince Durairaj and Glen Leeson are good at this by now. Excellent, in fact. The pair have put together a small chain of top Indian eateries; Islington’s Tamil Prince and Tamil Crown, and the first Tamila in Clapham. Fourth time around with Tamila King’s Cross, the experience is more refined than ever. London’s second Tamila is at the other end of Caledonian Road from the Tamil Prince, and, like the Clapham edition, isn’t a ‘desi pub’ but a curry house for fast, casual dining and with an all-day menu. Without the loveable musk of an ex-pub, the space is much airier and restaurant-y, while the service is sharper and more attentive. Food-over-booze indicators don’t get much more obvious than Tamila’s massive interior window directly into the kitchen.  The dhal flashed all sorts of vegetables across your tongue, while paneer butter masala was creamy and mightily generous Our drinks flew out at an impressive pace. A bold harbinger of the strong, spiced flavours to come, the gunpowder margarita, boasting masala dust for salt and earthy smokiness, was sumptuous. The paloma had grapefruity sweetness but a proper, heaped dash of ginger that lingered powerfully.  Tamila’s dishes verge on the more generous side of ‘small plates’. On platters so spotless and shiny they’re genuinely mirrors, come miraculously un-greasy onion bhajis, each one just more than a mouthful of prickly, salty crackle. Retaining integral crispiness beneath dollops of mint chutney, one gets the impression that th

If you’re a history buff (particularly a pottery history buff), the surroundings of this DoubleTree alone will be enough to have you in awe. The hotel is attached to Etruria Hall, a neo-classical Grade II-listed structure once home to Josiah Wedgwood – renowned industrialist and the founder of Wedgwood, one of the world’s most famous pottery companies.  Etruria Hall is no longer a stately home but an events venue, and since the 1980s it’s been attached to a hotel. In 2020 that hotel opened as a Hilton, specifically of the DoubleTree brand – yet despite being part of an all-conquering global chain, it’s maintained plenty of character. Beyond the obvious (the in-house restaurant is called Josiah), the corridors and rooms come lined with nods to local heritage; bottle oven skylines, Stoke dialect phrases, that sort of stuff.  Stoke-on-Trent’s DoubleTree, therefore, not only occupies a special historical site but makes sure you fully aware just how special it is. But it’s also a comfortable, well-kitted-out place to stay. I stayed in a king guest room that was extraordinarily spacious and flawlessly clean, with a sprawling, comfortable bed, fast wi-fi, effective blackout curtains and a practical bathroom.  The staff couldn’t have been friendlier or more helpful, the common areas were bright and welcoming, and there was a very sleek indoor pool and leisure centre. There’s on-site parking, too.  Given the building’s age, some of Stoke’s DoubleTree is understandably rough around the

When Stoke’s Hilton Garden Inn opened in 2020 it was the city’s first and only Hilton. Admittedly it didn’t hold that title for long (the DoubleTree in Etruria was rebranded a month or so later) but you get the sense that this was a statement opening. A terracotta titan towering over Hanley, this Hilton Garden Inn cost £20 million and is part of the wider redevelopment of Smithfield – a mixed-use quarter named after the area’s old bottle works. Given it’s getting on for half a decade old, Stoke’s Hilton Garden Inn still looks and feels shimmeringly new. Sure, stepping into the lobby feels very much like stepping into any new-ish Hilton, anywhere, but this one is exceptionally well-kempt, making it very much a slick, shiny beacon of modern comfort.  I stayed in a ‘king room’ up on the sixth floor, a tidy and well-proportioned space with plenty of light and a bunch of amenities tidily packed in. The décor was pared back, minimalist(ish) and very much of-this-decade, and the room’s simplicity made it feel bigger. Stoke touches on the walls (images of pottery ovens and so on) reminded you where you were – as did my view, stretching out westwards towards Etruria, Burslem and Shelton. The rest was very much as one might expect of a somewhat new Hilton. The mattress was supple, the pillows and duvet ideally sink-in-able; the shower worked as required, accompanied by fragrant Crabtree & Evelyn toiletries and the flashy touch of an anti-steam mirror. The room was well insulated for so

Down the cavernous halls of Whitehall’s Old War Offices, surrounded by opulent Michelin-starred restaurants and the supremely swish Raffles hotel, lies Kioku Sake Bar – less blindingly flashy, sure, but just as high-calibre. The street-level accompaniment to Kioku’s top-floor, five-star sushi restaurant has the effortless style and homely hideaway calm of a Japanese listening bar, prim décor and lines of hundreds of sake bottles sitting beneath immaculately balanced light. And Kioku’s substance more than matches its style. There are over 140 sakes on offer, each affectionately described, plus a trim list of sake cocktails and a refined menu of innovative, Japanese-infused small plates. The drinks and food are entirely different to those of the upstairs restaurant Kioku By Endo, making the bar very much worth a separate visit.  Order this The Daikon Gibson suspends itself entirely on the front of your tongue, with silky and potent Ginjo sake ‘vermouth’ and tangy pickled daikon combining with clean Roku gin and yuzu tang. Kioku’s cocktails all exude a sense of craft – and this does even more so. Time Out tip Make the most of Kioku’s formidable sake collection and the bar’s in-house sake sommelier to explore the tipple. Discover how the vessel material affects each sake, get a taste of the many, many different styles and regional varieties – and find a new favourite.

Stepping into the atrium of The Conservatorium, it’s immediately obvious that this is a very special hotel indeed. Rich red brickwork meets sharp glass angles, heritage details fit snugly among silky modern luxury; from the fittings and furniture to the architecture, wherever you look something catches your eye. The Conservatorium’s sense of occasion is tied to the building’s history. Many of its cavernous halls date back to 1897, when it was built as a bank. In the 1980s it became a conservatoire, then it was reconfigured into a hotel by starchitect Piero Lissoni in the 2000s. It opened as a founding member of the luxurious Set Collection in 2011. The Conservatorium’s rooms, appropriately for a hotel inhabiting a building of many previous lives, vary massively – yet they share plenty of common ground. Whether one is in the basic ‘deluxe room’ or the three-floor, roof terrace-boasting ‘I Love Amsterdam’ suite, well-proportioned rooms boast plush beds, spacious bathrooms, bountiful storage and thoughtful, refined décor. My room was a ‘royal duplex suite’, with elegant double-height windows looking out onto the humming trams and cafés of Van Baerlestraat. The essentials – bed, space, storage, bathroom, toiletries – were all faultless. Little touches of Dutch-ness (decorative clogs, a Van Gogh coffee table book, Delftware ceramic plates) were unsubtle but still tasteful, restrained. Beyond the room, breakfast (served in the Lounge) was high-calibre and the staff were as helpful

What comes to mind when you think of a treehouse? Woodlice, splinters, cold – yes, probably all those things. But treehouses are also secluded and peaceful, dwellings a few feet up in the air that feel that bit away from the rabble below and closer to nature. And a treehouse, crucially, is all yours.  The treehouses of TreeDwellers in Cornbury, northeast Cotswolds, are treehouses in a spiritual sense. No, they aren’t up trees (nor do they even touch them), but they’re surrounded by them, sitting an impressive height above the forest floor. TreeDwellers takes the idea of a treehouse – as something special, private, embedded in nature – and turns it into a luxurious experience genuinely unlike anything, anywhere else. Pulling up to a TreeDwellers dwelling (a TreeDwelling?) has a supreme sense of occasion. This is the sort of architectural magnificence you thumb through in glossy mags, lustfully dreaming of one day giving it all up for. Handsomely curved tubes are perched atop stilts; inside is all sleek, clean wood and floor-to-ceiling windows, each and every convenience slotted in with impossible neatness. It’s all so stunning that you could easily be satisfied with the design and that alone, left gawping at it for days on end. But these treehouses aren’t just flashy façades: they’re comfortable and practical, too. You check-in with slick door-code entry, the heating is underfloor and toasty on your toes, everything you could possibly need is on a tablet (or on hand from delig

On the face of it, Portobello’s neat, proper Holy Carrot and Dalston’s fire-worshipping feast ACME Fire Cult share little common ground. ACME is roaring and showy, as much a swaggering religion as a restaurant; Carrot is prim as a perfume shop, soft clay surroundings fronting a menu that is plant-forward, ‘root to peel’ and sustainable.  But there’s a clear link between the two – namely Daniel Watkins. The ex-ACME founder is now executive chef at the first permanent home of Holy Carrot (previously known for its supper clubs and Knightsbridge residency), and brings his ‘fire and ferment’ ethos across the capital from one neighbourhood of cool to another.  More than just Holy Carrot’s first proper restaurant, it’s also a Watkins-helmed reboot – and it has plenty of his signature punch. From the off, the pre-starter ‘snacks’ offer a studied but unshowy sort of tastiness. Pillowy insides dramatically burst out of crisp ‘honey’ drenched Jerusalem artichokes; one couldn’t help but mop up the warming chilli ragu with ultralight koji bread. Two cold ‘smalls’ followed suit, both intricately flavoured: each mouthful of the smoked beetroot breathing freshness, each spoonful of the stracciatella with persimmon and bitter leaves with deftly measured amount of creamy tang and gentle crunch. This is innovation of a dependable, not reckless, sort Imprinted upon my memory the most, however, was one of Holy Carrot’s ‘larges’: the crispy celeriac with pickle butter. I know what you’re thinking

The Nobu brand, in a word? Dependable. Nobu Matsuhisa’s Japan-via-USA restaurant empire both draws celebrities and is a celebrity itself, but it’s best regarded for its high-quality dining: nearly 30 years after it opened, Nobu’s Park Lane spot remains one of London’s best places for sushi. These days Nobu isn’t just a restaurant chain but a hotel brand too, with two outposts in London. The Shoreditch one, which opened in 2017, was the first of these – not just London’s first Nobu hotel (since followed by Nobu Portman Square in Marylebone) but the first in all of Europe. The greatest compliment one can pay to this place is that the dependability of the Nobu name transfers seamlessly from restaurant to hotel. This is a sleek and comfortable choice, a beacon of minimalist taste in the midst of Shoreditch’s gaudy pick-me bars and tech-bro co-working spaces. Nobu as a chain is Nippon-by-’Murica, and its hotels are too – Japanese style meets American comfort and convenience. From the front Nobu Shoreditch resembles a Pacific battleship, from the side it’s a hillside Kyoto villa. And inside the hotel offers plenty of that same cultural middle ground: polished black wood, sleek furniture and a tea set in every room, but also huge plasma TVs, delightful staff and an in-house spa.  All aided, of course, by housing a Nobu restaurant, the chain’s third in London. You know exactly the deal here: a spoiled-rich clientele, sure, but also generous portions, attentive service (I did exceptio

Two R&B titans, one nostalgia-fuelled tour. Ne-Yo and Akon have announced a global co-headlining tour, mapping out 57 dates around the world. And six of those shows will be here in the UK. The ‘Nights Like This’ tour starts in Ireland in April and will travel through the UK and Europe before nearly 40 more shows across North America. Each show will apparently boast a ‘unique, dynamic back-and-forth set’ which is ‘stacked with era-defining hits, sing-along anthems, and club classics’. Can’t wait to experience hits like ‘Smack That’, ‘Time of Our Lives’, ‘Lonely’ and ‘So Sick’ in person? Here’s what you need to know about getting tickets for Ne-Yo and Akon’s joint tour in the UK. RECOMMENDED: The 20 best major music tours coming to the UK in 2026. When are Ne-Yo and Akon going on tour in 2026? The two artists’ British 2026 tour dates are across April and May. What UK tour dates have been announced so far? Find all the confirmed Ne-Yo and Akon shows in the UK: April 27 – Newcastle, Utilita Arena April 28 – Glasgow, OVO Hydro April 30 – Leeds, First Direct Arena May 1 – Manchester, Co-op Live May 4 – Birmingham, Utilita Arena May 8 – London, The O2 When do Ne-Yo and Akon tickets go on sale? General sale starts for all dates on Friday January 30 2026 at 10am GMT. You’ll be able to snap up tickets on Ticketmaster here. Presale details There are a few presales to know about. Find out all you need to know below: Artist presale – from 10am on Wednesday January 28 (all dates) O2 Pri

Boot up and get ready for the pit: Enter Shikari have announced details of a sprawling UK and EU arena tour. The St Albans electronicore titans will be playing major British cities in November 2026, with seven dates initially announced. Frontman Rou Reynolds says this will be Enter Shikari’s ‘biggest tour ever’ and that they’ll be touring with a ‘completely new show’. The run of dates includes two mahoosive shows at London’s Alexandra Palace. Just imagine the size of the mosh in that place, eh? Better yet, the band is donating £1 for every ticket sold to the Music Venue Trust, thereby supporting grassroots music venues under threat of closure. Here’s what you need to know about Enter Shikari’s 2026 UK tour, including the dates, when tickets go on sale and who’s confirmed on support. RECOMMENDED: The 20 best major music tours coming to the UK in 2026. When are Enter Shikari going on tour in 2026? The band’s UK tour dates are all in November 2026. What UK tour dates have been announced so far? Here are all the British arena shows that Enter Shikari will play: November 13 – Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena November 14 – Cardiff, Utilita Arena November 15 – Hull, Connexin Live November 18 – Glasgow, OVO Hydro November 19 – Manchester, Coop Live November 20 – London, Alexandra Palace November 21 – London, Alexandra Palace When do Enter Shikari tickets go on sale? General sale starts for all dates on Friday January 30 2026 at 10am. You’ll be able to get tickets on Ticketmaster here.

Just under two months since Wolf Alice wrapped up a triumphant duo of headline shows at London’s O2 Arena, the band have announced another gig for the capital. And not only is this one huge – it’s set to be their biggest show yet. Wolf Alice will play to up to 50,000 fans at north London’s Finsbury Park in July. The event is being billed as a homecoming show – and even better, they’ll have a bunch of big-ticket supporting artists accompanying them, notably The Last Dinner Party, Lykke Li and Rachel Chinouriri. Up for seeing Wolf Alice at Finsbury Park this summer? Here’s what you need to know about the show, from the date and ticket details to the full lineup. RECOMMENDED: 🎤 The best music tours coming to the UK in 2026. When are Wolf Alice playing Finsbury Park in 2026? Mark your calendars, Wolf Alice fans: they’ll be in north London on Sunday July 5. When do Wolf Alice tickets go on sale? General sale starts this week, kicking off at 9am on Friday January 30. You’ll be able to get tickets on Ticketmaster here. Presale details There are a few presales to know about – here are the details. Artist presale – Wednesday January 28 at 9am O2 Priority presale – Wednesday January 28 at 9am Live Nation presale – Thursday January 29 at 9am Ticketmaster presale – Thursday January 29 at 9am Festival Republic presale – Thursday January 29 at 9am Spotify presale – – Thursday January 29 at 9am Ticket prices According to SeeTickets, pricing will start from £76.72 for general admission, a

Back in October, Times Higher Education (THE) ranked the best universities on the planet right now and UK institutions, as always, scored very well. Not only did the University of Oxford place first in THE’s prestigious top 200 but another two British unis – Cambridge and Imperial College London – placed in the top 10. The best university in the world to study computer science in 2026 Now THE has revealed its World University Rankings by Subject for 2026 and, once more, several British universities ranked highly. In fact, if you’re out to study computer science, there is no better place in the world to study it than one UK uni. The University of Oxford was named the world’s best place to be a computer science student in 2026 by Times Higher Education.  THE’s subject-specific ranking for computer science compared over 1,100 universities. The unis were judged on the same 18 ‘performance indicators’ as the general global list, including stuff like teaching reputation, research quality and the outlook for international students. The computer science list then evaluated the quality of course topics such software development and engineering, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. Oxford received a whopping 97.7 (out of 100) score overall, excelling notably in research quality (98.8), teaching (99.9) and research environment (98.2). Photograph: Shutterstock In close second was another UK uni – the University of Cambridge scored 97.1. Cambridge actually beat Oxford in two cate

Holiday bargain hunters, heads up. Affordable carrier easyJet has announced several new routes from UK airports for this summer, featuring popular European destinations. EasyJet is launching three new services, offering more options for holidaymakers around the UK. Two of the new routes are from Newcastle and one takes off from Manchester. Newcastle is getting budget services to two of Europe’s greatest capital cities. EasyJet will be flying between the northeast and Rome and Lisbon. The Rome Fiumicino flights take off on March 30 – yep, in time for the Easter holidays – with one-way fares starting from £33.99. The Newcastle-Lisbon easyJet service will start on June 22, priced one-way from £43.99. Both the Rome and Lisbon routes are on Mondays and Fridays, making them perfect for weekend breaks. Photograph: goodbishop / Shutterstock.com Manchester, meanwhile, will get direct flights to Bari. The Puglia capital is famous for its history (it dates back to ancient times), culture (a popular Christian pilgrimage spot) and food (especially orecchiette), as well as its proximity to some of Italy’s top beaches. EasyJet’s Manchester-Bari services will start on July 3 and start from £38.99 one-way. They’ll also run on Mondays and Fridays. And not only is easyJet often an affordable flying option, it’s safe, too. A 2026 report by independent aviation website Airline Ratings named easyJet the fifth-safest low-cost carrier on the planet. Find out more on the easyJet website here. For w

The process to renationalise British railways is well underway. Next up to be taken under public ownership is London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway, which is set to be nationalised this very week. As part of the process, the service will be operated by a new company called WM Trains Limited. When Labour was elected back in 2024, one of the party’s big manifesto pledges was to renationalise Britain’s railways. Keir Starmer and co promised to bring all of England’s major railway lines back into public ownership by 2027, and we are starting to see this come into effect. At the end of 2025 the UK government also revealed the branding for Great British Railways. A few of England’s train companies have already been brought into public ownership, as their private contracts with the Department for Transport expired. Going forward, all lines are on course to be nationalised by the end of 2027.  Here’s everything we know about the renationalisation of the railways so far.  Which train companies have already been nationalised? Here is a list of nationalised train companies and the date they were renationalised: South Western Railway (SWR), May 25 2025 c2c, July 20 2025 Greater Anglia, October 12 2025 Already in the public sector: LNER Northern Southeastern TransPennine Express ScotRail Transport for Wales Rail When will the rest of the British rail companies be nationalised? These are the companies that will be nationalised next, as well as the dates that have been c

Just when we thought 2026’s gig calendar couldn’t get any bigger, K-pop royalty BTS are going on a world tour. The 70+ date tour was announced last week – and better yet, it includes two dates here in London. The group’s world’s tour will kick off in Goyang, South Korea in April and last all the way through to 2027. The shows will be BTS’s first headline performances as a group since the Permission To Dance On Stage Tour of 2021-22 and all stops on the upcoming tour will feature an immersive set-up with 360-degree, in-the-round stage design. The group’s London dates are in July 2026. Keen to experience the likes of ‘Dynamite’, ‘Butter’ and ‘Blood Sweat & Tears’ in a live setting? Of course you are. Here’s what you need to know to make sure you get BTS tickets for their London shows this summer. RECOMMENDED: The 20 best major music tours coming to the UK in 2026. When are BTS going on tour in 2026? The group’s world tour kicks off this coming April and will last all the way through to March 2027, with further 2027 dates still to be confirmed for Japan, the Middle East and more. What London tour dates have been announced so far? BTS have initially announced two London dates, which are both at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in July. Monday July 6 2026 Tuesday July 7 2026 When do BTS tickets go on sale? General sale starts next week. General sale goes live 1pm on Saturday January 24. You’ll be able to get tickets on Ticketmaster here. Presale details If you want a chance to get tick

There are plenty of reasons to be out and about in London this weekend. Sunday is Burns Night, with a bunch of Scottish stuff happening across the city, while citywide art festival Condo is underway. If you’re still suffering from a post-Christmas lack of funds, there’s loads of free things to do in the city, too, like Signature Brew’s Veganuary Feast and free yoga sessions in Tate Britain’s galleries. Whatever you’re up to in the city over the coming days, you’ll want to know about planned travel disruption on TfL services. Following the closure of the Piccadilly last weekend, there are even more major service alterations to know about. The Circle, District, Metropolitan Hammersmith & City and Suffragette lines are set to be the worst affected. Here’s everything you need to know about tube and TfL train closures and service alterations on Jan 24-25. RECOMMENDED: 📍The best things to do in London this weekend. 🚇 All the upgrades and new services coming to London’s transport network in 2026. London travel disruption and tube closures, January 24-25 2026 Circle line On Saturday Jan 24 and Sunday Jan 25, no trains between Hammersmith and Tower Hill, or between High Street Kensington and Edgware Road. Only trains between Barking and High Street Kensington (via Victoria) will run. District line On Sat Jan 24 and Sun Jan 25, no trains between High Street Kensington and Edgware Road. Eastbound trains will not call at Barons Court until June. If travelling east, go one stop w

Who hasn’t dreamed of turning brutalist icon the Barbican into a nightclub? Even the least architecture-nerdy among us must surely have imagined how the labyrinthine space would look like as a club, with earth-rumbling beats and flashy strobes among its handsome curves, jagged edges and general rugged charm. In recent years, however, a Barbican club hasn’t just been a thing of dreams: the multi-arts venue has actually been holding quite a few late-night parties. Better yet, they’ve been great fun: particularly Rinse FM’s takeover last summer, which saw dancing until 2am.  And now the Barbican has announced a bunch more late-night events. A programme called ‘Anyone Can Dance’ will see the venue host a series of 18+ parties that will run until 3am. Five ‘Anyone Can Dance’ events are so far planned for 2026, with the programme intending to celebrate dance and diaspora. The events are all at Barbican ClubStage, which transforms the Level -1 Foyer into a dancefloor. Photograph: Shutterstock First up will be a night by Eastern Margins, a collective that celebrates the music of East and South East Asian artists (and that region’s diaspora). One of Time Out’s top club nights in London, Eastern Margins’ Barbican night will feature bedroom DJ nick cheo, hyped genre-blender KOLLIN, Rapper Jianbo and alt-pop singer MEYY. Eastern Margins’ night at the Barbican will be on Friday February 20 and you can get tickets for the event here (general sale starts at 10am on Friday January 23). Fiv

GALA, a regular feature on Time Out’s list of the top music festivals in London, has revealed its full 2026 lineup. While the Peckham Rye Park fest is best loved for specialising in dance music, the 2026 edition will feature a notable amount of hip-hop and grime. UK rap titans Giggs (doing a Peckham hometown set), Novelist, D Double E and CASISDEAD will headline the first day of the event on Friday May 22. Other names confirmed for the Friday are dubstep pioneer Mala and bassy IDM producers Djrum and Objekt, plus genre-spanning producer Or:la and the future-pop beats of the 1975’s George Daniel. The Saturday (May 23) will see GALA fully embrace the sounds it knows best, with a house- and techno-led lineup. Call Super, DJ Seinfeld and Logic1000 are all on the bill, as well as a new A/V set from Saoirse. Sunday (May 24), meanwhile, will apparently be ‘rooted in house, disco and the origins of dance music’. Global superstar DJ Seth Troxler will lead a lineup that also features legendary names Lil’ Louis and Todd Terje. Helping close out the fest will be Gilles Peterson, Moxie and a B3B by Antal, HUNEE and Palms Trax. And that’s all just a small fraction of the lineup. As always, GALA will be partnering with various others to put together the 2026 festival. Among this year’s partners are NTS, Rinse FM, Refuge Worldwide, FWEAKY, The Cause and JUMBI. Find the full GALA ’26 lineup below. GALA 2026 full lineup Here’s this year’s bill for GALA, split by day (and in alphabetical order)

Despite only having been open since 2023, Manchester’s Factory International has already established itself as one of the UK’s foremost cultural destinations. Yayoi Kusama and David Hockney are among the artists who’ve exhibited at the St John’s venue, while Aviva Studios has hosted gigs by the likes of My Bloody Valentine, Underworld and ANOHNI. And Factory International’s hot streak is set to continue in 2026. Sure, we might not be getting an edition of flagship biennial event Manchester International Festival, but Aviva Studios has plenty to see and do over the coming months. Its spring and summer programme spans theatre, dance, music and visual art and will feature several names with mighty cultural heft. Arguably the biggest deal on the programme is a major exhibition from Ai Weiwei. The artist and activist’s biggest ever exhibition in the north will be titled Ai Weiwei: Button Up!, with British imperialism, Anglo-Chinese relations, globalisation and censorship being some of the themes on show. Excitingly, the exhibition features two new commissions especially for Aviva Studios, one of which will be Ai Weiwei’s biggest 2D artwork to-date –made from over a million toy bricks. That’ll all land on July 2 and last until September 6. Also on the Aviva’s bill is The Surge: An Ode to Sinéad O'Connor, a dance work created by Tony award-winning choreographer and director Sonya Tayeh. Set to O’Connor’s music, the piece will be performed by 10 women and be a ‘mediation on voice, pr

’Spoons is on a roll. Fresh from a year of dozens of new openings in 2025 and receiving planning permission for a significant new outpost in central London, the affordable pub chain has been granted a licence for a new boozer in Edinburgh city centre. The venue is set to open on Chambers Street, near the National Museum of Scotland and the University of Edinburgh’s Old College. The pub, which has had its licence approved but not yet been officially confirmed by ’Spoons, is expected to take the place of a Revolution bar that closed in 2024. JD Wetherspoon apparently bought the site last year. According to Edinburgh Live, licensing board papers said that Wetherspoon applied for permission to sell alcohol 9am-1am Monday to Saturday, and 11am-1am on Sundays. The licence was approved on Monday (January 19). ’Spoons branding will be added to the building, as well as new steps and a lift at the entrance. The 485-capacity pub will occupy the ground and basement floors. Neither its name nor opening date has yet been confirmed. But a new Chambers Street pub isn’t all that JD Wetherspoon has planned for Auld Reekie. The company is awaiting a licensing decision on another potential new Fountain Park boozer, which would be in place of the popular Green King pub McCowans Brewhouse which closed last summer. 📍 The 14 best places to visit in the UK in 2026. 🇬🇧 The best new things to do in the UK in 2026. Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news a