India Lawrence

When it comes to art and exhibitions, London has it all. From the niche spaces, to the avant garde galleries, and the massive crowd-pleasing museums, our city is packed with shows that will perplex, challenge, inspire, educate and leave you feeling awestruck.  The problem is... there’s absolutely tons to see. Too much, you could say. Lucky for you, Time Out exists. For decades, our experts have been visiting and reviewing all the sculpture, painting, performance, photography, history, fashion and other types of exhibitions on offer. You name it, we’ve (probably, most likely) seen it. If you’re wondering what’s actually worth your time, start here. Check out the best museum exhibitions and art in London right now, and be sure to come back weekly for the latest picks. Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. RECOMMENDED: Best photography exhibitions in LondonBest free exhibitions in London

June in London is pretty much as good as it gets. It's hot but not too hot. Festival season is in full swing. And there's the blissful anticipation of months more gorgeous weather ahead, perfect for picnicking, spilling out onto pavements outside pubs, exploring parks, or partying all day long.  There’s plenty of fun in store during the early days of summer, including the second edition of Lido festival (featuring CMAT and Maribou State), the return of SXSW London, and blockbuster exhibitions on Anish Kapoor and Frida Kahlo.  Plus, the capital truly comes into its own this month: beer gardens are at their prime, the city parks are at their prettiest, the open-air theatre season gets going and eating alfresco is on the cards at some of London’s best restaurants. Plus, expect to see long queues in south west London as tennis fans line up to bag a place at the epic Wimbledon championships.  RECOMMENDED: Plan a great summer with our guide to London’s best music fests Get ahead of the pack and start planning your perfect July in London. 

It may have rained almost every day so far this year, but don’t let that get you down, because March is finally here and London is in the throes of a glorious fool’s spring.   Something else to feel cheerful about is all the fabulous ballet and dance that’s on stage this month. Peter Wright’s Giselle – perhaps the most perfect romantic ballet – continues it run at the Royal Opera House. Over at Sadler’s Wells Scottish Ballet’s award-winning production of Mary, Queen of Scots comes to town, and English National Ballet is is permiering a new work by Crystal Pite.  Read on to see the best dance in London this month.  India is in charge of dance listings at Time Out. She has been dancing since she could walk and has been reviewing dance in London since joining Time Out in 2022.  MORE STAGE: Dance classes in London Best theatre shows this yearBest theatre shows this monthBest comedy shows this month

March 2026: Our latest update includes everything from an early morning Michelin-starred tasting menu to udon noodle bowls, South Indian platters and Hong Kong-style toasted buns. Of course, it wouldn't be a list of the best breakfasts in London without an appearance from Dishoom and their iconic-for-a-reason bacon naan, so that's here too, as is old school East End hangout E Pellicci - one of the best classic caffs in London.  The best breakfasts in London at a glance: 🌯 Best for a burrito: Bad Manners, Shoreditch 😎 Best for celeb-spotting: The Wolseley, Mayfair 🥓 Best for a fry-up: E Pellicci, Bethnal Green 🍛 Best for a South Indian feast: The Tamil Prince, Islington 🍞 Best for Hong Kong French toast: Hoko Cafe, Brick Lane 🍱 Best for Japanese brekkie: Ikoi, Kings Cross Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and luckily for London, the city caters to every possible morning whim. These days, London isn’t just home to the fry-up, but the ubiquitous smashed avocado on toast, bowls of shakshuka and many more besides. In fact, London genuinely might be the best place to eat breakfast in the world. Whether you’re the kind of person who favours a posh restaurant over a greasy spoon, or who champions a caff over a swanky hotel, we’ve rounded up the ultimate list.  RECOMMENDED: Breakfast’s a little too early for you? Try one of London’s best brunches instead. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial gu

There’s nowt wrong with a pork scratching or bag of Scampi Fries to accompany your hand-cranked pint of amber ale, but we are ever grateful for the invention of the gastropub. London boozer The Eagle, which opened in Farringdon in 1991, is widely regarded as the first one. Its chalkboard full of dishes with ‘big flavours and rough edges’ brought proper butcher’s sausages with lentils, generously portioned pasta dishes with fennel and lemon and lovingly crafted steak sandwiches to the polished pedestal table. It changed the pub food game in the ’90s and the dining world has never looked back. Outside of London, one of the best ways to enjoy a gastropub is to arrive several hours before your booking and take yourself off on a hike to work up an appetite. That first sip of a pint when your chosen trail guides you right back to the pub’s door tastes even sweeter when your cheeks are ruddy and your glutes are burning. When it comes to the main event, dishes can be hearty classics or surprising takes, like when a ‘pickled onion’ accompaniment comes as a swoosh of gel on your plate. Ingredients must be as local as possible, seasonal, obviously, and there has to be a decent wine list as well as a cracking pint. Oh, and you should absolutely never be at risk of going home hungry.  There’s a separate list for you if you’re looking for London’s best gastropubs. But here are 15 of the best gastropubs across the rest of the UK right now. Tuck in.  Kelly Bishop is a food writer based in M

People are obsessed with Kent for a reason, and to be honest, the biggest reason is probably Margate. This humble seaside town blew up a few years ago (mostly with day-trippers), and since then its seen a string of fantastic restaurants, bars and more open on its seafront.  Put simply, Margate is the perfect day out, from its quaint vintage shops to its old-school arcades, as well as its thriving contemporary art scene (shout out to the Turner Contemporary, one of the best in the business). We’ve curated the perfect day in this delightful seaside town: here are the best things to do in Margate right now.  🚆 RECOMMENDED: The best day trips from London At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This article includes affiliate links. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines.

Peckham locals have always been proud of the area’s brand: a melting pot of cultural vibrancy, eccentric individuals, and an artsy, young DIY crowd thanks to nearby Goldsmiths University and Camberwell College of Arts. It rivals Dalston and all those other East End upstarts as the place to hang out, and it’s the perfect spot for new restaurants to find their feet. Here are some of the best in the area, as well as a host of notable places to eat just down the road in Camberwell, too.  RECOMMENDED: The best 50 restaurants in London. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

The smog and stress of London can really take its toll on your skin. That’s why there’s nothing better than a regular facial (or a one-off treat) to give you that much-needed top-up, leaving you feeling glowing, fresh-faced and dewy.  Just thinking about what we put our skin through is enough to give you frown lines. That’s thanks to the combined efforts of pollution and air-conditioned offices, as well as the added bonuses of harsh weather, booze, sun exposure, dehydration and – our least favourite – the inevitable passing of time. Happily, there are loads of great spas, treatment rooms and estheticians in London who can give your face a break and a much-needed zhuzh. Whether you’re after a relaxing, soothing facial massage, some instant radiance, a total skincare overhaul or something a little more intense such as microneedling or laser treatment, read our pick of facials in London.  RECOMMENDED: The best spas in London. 

Dreaming of sand between your toes, wind blowing in your hair and sun beating down on your skin? You might just be due a trip to the beach. Here in the UK, we can’t quite guarantee the sunshine, but we can guarantee some seriously stunning beaches which will rival those of Mediterranean (and might even be contenders for the best beaches in the world).  We have white sand beaches, we have pebbles, we have towering chalk cliffs and rock pools galore. We pretty much have a beach for every occassion. Not sure where to go? We’ve rounded up the best beaches in the UK right here, from Scotland to Cornwall, all chosen by Time Out travel writers who have been to visit them IRL. You’ll also find our expert reccs for where to stay, so you can make the most of your beachy getaway. Enjoy.  Where are the UK’s most beautiful beaches? Pretty beaches are dotted all over the UK, but you’ll find some absolute beauties in Scotland, Cornwall and Wales, where the water is often clear, beaches are surrounded by tall cliffs and greenery and you might even find sand between your toes. On our list of the UK’s best beaches, we’ve included the prettiest and most serene stretches of coast out there, but we’ve also included those better for vibes, families and big old picnics. They might not be lookers, but they’re perfect for a seaside day out.  RECOMMENDED:🏖️ The most amazing hidden beaches in the UK🌊 The best outdoor swimmming pools in the UK🏊 The best wild swimming spots in the UK🌤️ The best place

We’ve made it through the most depressing month of the year, the endless wait for that post-Christmas payday is finally over, and festival season 2026 is on our minds. By the time summer rolls around, Londoners will be absolutley spoilt for choice. With something taking place almost every weekend throughout the warmer months, you can forget trekking across the country to live in a field for five days; simply hop on the tube and before you know it you’re listening to your favourite artists, tinny to hand, knowing that there’s a hot shower and a cosy bed waiting for you once the day is over.  The future of events in Brockwell Park was thrown up in the air in 2025, but you’ll be glad to know that most of the south London park’s usual lineup of events will return in 2026, with Cross The Tracks, Field Day and Mighty Hoopla all in the diary for late May. And the line-up announcements for next year’s events are already coming in thick fast, with huge acts like Tyler, The Creator, Lewis Capaldi, Lorde, Lily Allen, Blood Orange and Deftones all set to take to London stages come the summer. Have a scroll through our comprehensive guide – which we keep meticulously updated with all the latest line-up announcements – and see what takes your fancy. RECOMMENDED: ⛺ The best UK music festivals🌍 The best festivals in Europe

Covent Garden is so rammed with restaurants that decision fatigue can easily threaten the quality of your dinner. Weave through the tourists and theatregoing crowds and you'll discover that this area hosts many of the best restaurants in London, including French-styled Story Cellar, and The Portrait by Richard Corrigan, as well as old faves The Savoy Grill and J Sheekey. We’ve compiled a list of the best in the area, from cutting-edge eateries and classy counter joints to party-ready and casual hangouts, with pre-theatre favourites and cheap eats among them. Think of it as your Covent Garden bucket list. The best restaurants in Covent Garden at a glance: 🍸 Best for old school glamour: J Sheekey 🥦 Best for modern British cookery: Town 🥘 Best for Spanish tapas: Barrafina, Drury Lane and Adelaide Street 🍝 Best for perfect pasta: Bancone ⌛ Best for a fast feed: Adoh! RECOMMENDED: The absolute best restaurants in Soho. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

Twice a year, fashion Christmas comes to London, bringing with it whole closets full of covetable new looks you’ll dream of wearing. London Fashion Week returns next week for another deep-dive into the trends and styles that will be dominating red carpets, shops and streets in autumn and winter 2026 (AW26).  Across five days, the city’s most stylish will be hanging out around the Strand and sitting front row to see fresh looks from the likes of Simone Rocha, Chopova Lowena, Harris Reed, Burberry and Fiorucci. Yes, the majority of shows are invite-only, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be in the know. Here’s all the information you need ahead of London Fashion Week AW26.  When is London Fashion Week 2026?  LFW takes place twice a year: in February and September. The next fashion week will be from Thursday February 19 to Monday February 23.  Where is London Fashion Week held?  London Fashion Week usually takes place at the British Fashion Council’s own show space at 180 The Strand. The closest tubes are Holborn and Temple. Several events will also be held at external locations across the city. How do I get tickets to London Fashion Week 2026?  We hate to be the ones to tell you but unfortunately, most of the LFW shows are invite-only, so you can’t buy tickets.  What designers should I be watching out for?  Although you may not be able to see the shows in real life, you will be able to watch them live on the London Fashion Week website. So, these are all the one’s worth tuning in

I don’t think Terry’s has changed much since it was founded in 1982, and it’s all the better for it. As London’s only caff with its own brand of tea (yes, it’s as good as Yorkshire Gold), this traditional joint is an absolute goldmine for good old British nostalgia. And the food is very good too. Founded by, you guessed it, a former Smithfield butcher called Terry, the caff is now helmed by Terry’s son Austin, but still gets its meat from the Farringdon market. In fact, most of Terry’s ingredients come from London’s finest food suppliers, with fish procured from Billingsgate, coffee supplied by Monmouth and bread sourced straight from the ovens of St John Bakery. Keeping the spirit of Old Blighty alive, inside Terry’s is stacked with black and white photos of the East End, beat-up boxing gloves and old football boots, vintage plates and Union Jack flags. Not surprisingly, the food is a proper English affair, with an all-day breakfast of mega fry-ups, bacon sarnies, ham, egg and chips and Billingsgate rolls – whopping St John buns stuffed with a generous portion of meaty scallops, thick, smoky bacon, earthy black pudding and topped off with an indulgent spread of Café de Paris butter. Terry’s also dishes out pies, steak and chips, reuben sandwiches, homemade fish fingers and a selection of traditional puds. Snagging a table here might require a bit of forward planning – on a Wednesday lunchtime the place was almost all booked up – but you’ll be rewarded heartily.

Found inside Borough’s John Harvard Library, come to this ultra cute community cafe for a delicious flat white (beans supplied by Mission Coffee Works), but stay for the banana bread and cheese toasties. Specialising in banana-y bakes, Dairy Dairy has a changing daily menu of homemade loafs, with sweet treats on offer including an inventive bakewell b-bread topped with raspberry jam, frangipane and toasted almonds, or an indulgent peanut butter and chocolate variation. For under a fiver you’ll get a hefty slice with a perfectly browned, crisp crust. As for the savoury snacks, sourdough toasties come stuffed with pepperoni and honey, spinach and cheese, or you get get your chops around a classic croque monsieur. It's worth setting foot in this library for more than just the books, plus, you’ll be served by the friendliest barista in London.

What is the Chimney Lift? Doing what it says on the tin, Battersea Power Station’s Chimney Lift allows you to travel right up inside the smokestack of the Art Deco monolith – something that was once exclusively reserved for ‘engineers and Peregrine falcons’, I’m told before I get into the glass elevator that will shoot me 109 metres into London’s skyline.  Where is the Chimney Lift? London’s answer to Willy Wonka’s great glass elevator can be found inside Battersea Power Station’s Turbine Hall A, in south west London. The entrance to the lift is found on the first floor inside the Power Station.  What happens at the Chimney Lift? Before you fly up that chimney stack, you’ll pass through a recreation of the office of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the architect who designed the station, where a voiceover narrator spouts facts about the 1920s-built structure. Next up is a mini exhibition, where you’ll learn even more about the mechanics of the erstwhile ‘Cathedral of Power’ via kid-friendly touch screens and some interactive knobs and dials.  All of this essentially serves to pad out the experience ahead of the main event: going inside the great concrete chimney. After being taken inside some big metal revolving doors, your lift experience will begin with watching a short video which is essentially an advert for the shopping centre that now resides inside the old power plant. You’re then ushered up 39 steps, which will take you up to 55-metres-high, before completing the final 54-met

Is there a better ballet to coincide with Valentine’s than the haunting Giselle? I know what you’re thinking. Giselle, really? The tale of a woman who literally kills herself when she finds out her man is engaged to someone else? If you’re not familiar with the story, the eponymous heroine falls in love with the charming Albrecht, who she believes to be a fellow peasant. But when she discovers him to be a nobleman, betrothed to a princess, Giselle dramatically stabs herself. From then on she is fated to spend her days with the Wilis, a group of vengeful women ghosts who were all jilted and died of broken hearts.   It may be a bit OTT (no man is worth killing yourself over), but while ghosting might take on a different meaning in 2026, this tale of betrayal and revenge still resonates today; if you’re feeling disillusioned with dating, Giselle is the perfect post-Valentine’s antidote.  Peter Wright’s 1985 production of Giselle, originally choreographed in 1841 by Marius Petipa, is ageing like fine wine. Last revived in 2021, the timeless romantic ballet returns to the Royal Opera House in 2026.  Sarah Lamb is feather-light as the naïve Giselle of the first act, her slender limbs stretching away from her body like taffy. Once a Wili, she is forlorn, resigned to her (after)life as a wraith. Ryoichi Hirano hits the right balance of confident and endearing as the handsome Albrecht, performing gravity defying leaps and implausibly intricate batterie from start to finish. The chemis

Pina Bausch was a master of making an audience uncomfortable. In Sweet Mambo, which has finally received its London debut 18 years after it was created, a woman (Julie Stanzak) in an elegant gown is walked around the stage by a man, her long hair the leash. At another moment a woman (Julie Shanahan) is repeatedly dragged backwards by two men as she tries to run to a friend, her screams piercing through the theatre. Later the same men chase her with a table, causing her to fall down with exhaustion again and again. More disturbing scenes involve a man repeatedly pulling up a female dancer’s (Naomi Britto) skirt, exposing her underwear, as she tries to ignore him. It’s a harrowing watch at times, but that’s also the point.  There is no story to Sweet Mambo. Bausch’s penultimate work, performed by Tanztheater Wuppertal, is staged as a series of poignant vignettes – set to a vivacious jazz, electronica and folk soundtrack –  that all speak to the beautiful, painful and also funny experience of being human.  Some of Bausch’s longest Tanztheater Wuppertal collaborators worked with her on the creation of Sweet Mambo in 2008, with many of them returning to perform the piece in 2026, all to the benefit of the performance which speaks back to the ageism of the dance world. All but one of the remaining women are in their fifties and sixties. One of them is the 70-year-old Nazareth Panadero (‘don’t forget,’ she says, when proudly telling us her name), a formidable woman with an exuberant

All of London’s hottest and hippest people will head to Peckham Rye Park for one of London’s best electronic music bonanzas in May. GALA will return after its hugely successful 10th anniversary event in 2025. The theme for 2026 has been revealed as The Floor Is Ours, which is a call for community and creative ownership, and wants to take a stand against the growing commercial tide in dance culture. The Friday of Gala tends to lean towards the bassier side of things. In 2026 it will see Benji B take over with Deviation. Freshly announced acts include CASISDEAD, Giggs and Novelist Also on the bill is Or:La, Mala and Charli xcx’s new hubby, George Daniel. NTS will curate a stage, as well as Dirty Hit’s electronic imprint dh2, and dubstep specialists HVYWGHT. Peach will debut her new Dreamland project on the Saturday with a takeover of the Pleasuredome. She’ll be joined on the line-up by Saoirse, Call Super, Prosumer, Job Jobse and Steffi x Virginia. Other takeovers will be staged by queer party starters Club Are and Berlin radio station Refuge Worldwide. Sunday will go hard on the disco and house, with Todd Terje, Seth Troxler and Lil’ Louis leading the charge, alongside a rare b2b2b from Hunee, Palms Trax and Antal. Also playing will be Gilles Peterson, CC:DISCO!, Chaos in the CBD and Moxie, who will bring her On Loop party to the festival. 

No longer the newbie on the block, London’s Jazz Cafe returns for its third edition in early August. It’s leaving behind its former home of Burgess Park and moving to a secret location. Headlining the 15,000-capacity festival in 2026 is R&B star Ari Lennox, known for her hits ‘Pressure’ and ‘Shea Butter Baby’, making it the singer’s only UK date in 2026. The rest of the line-up is still TBA, but if previous editions are anything to go by it will be meticulously curated by the Jazz Cafe gang, spanning jazz (of course), R&B, hip hop and electronic sounds. 

Once again, London’s most ravey festival will take over Boston Manor Park with some of the biggest names in techno and house. Celebrating 10 years in 2026, Junction 2 will span a mega two weekends with an absolutley stacked line-up featuring the godmothers and godfathers of electronic music alongside exciting contemporary talent. DJs announced for 2026 include Nina Kraviz, Jeff Mills, Francesco del Garda, Gabrielle Kwarteng b2b Peach, I Hate Models, Miss Monique, Nicolas Lutz and more to come.   

After taking place in Burgess Park for the past two years in a row,  Maiden Voyage is yet to announce the location for its 2026 edition. Details for summer’s event are still being kept under wraps, but tickets are on sale – expect stage takeovers from London’s hottest clubs and nightlife collectives, alongside some big names in contemporary electronic music.

Did you know that the samurai believed gender and sexuality were fluid, and that they practically invented the concept of being non-binary? Because I certainly didn’t. This progressive view was one of many riveting – and surprising – things I learned at the blockbuster Samurai exhibition at the British Museum.  You don’t have to be a history buff to find Samurai intriguing – I’m not a medieval period obsessive, but like a lot of Zillenials I am a big fan of all things Japanese. This exhibition of treasures from Nihon, therefore, understandably appealed to me, and I suspect this will be the case for anyone who has spent hours trawling the internet for the perfect santoku knife or vintage Comme des Garçons jacket. There’s a lot crammed into the exhibition, which outlines the past 1,000 years through 280 objects and pieces of digital media, following the rise of the samurai from fierce mercenaries in the 1100s, through to their reign as an aristocratic social class from the 1600s to the 1800s. Examining the enduring legacy of the Japanese warriors in the present day, Samurai illustrates how the image of the noble fighter has been mythologised, altered and co-opted over the years, sometimes for nefarious means (as seen in a chilling Nazi pamphlet promoting the relations between Japan and Germany).  an incredible selection of ornate helmets resemble sculptures more than headgear Many of the artefacts on display are stunning – from intricately decorated partition screens, to fans,

The Barbican is celebrating 20 years of comissioning artists for The Curve in 2026. Chicago-based artist Julia Phillips will be the first to exhibit in the free space this year, with her first UK solo exhibition Inside, Before They Speak. Showing new sculptures that combine glazed ceramics sculpted on her body with metal hardware, Phillips explores ideas about the body, conception, technology and human connection. 

The legendary Scottish choreographer Michael Clark is unveiling a new solo at the Serpentine which was created in response to Peter Doig’s House of Music. Created for dancer Jules Cunningham (who has worked with Merce Cunningham Company, Michael Clark Company and Boris Charmatz), the site-specific commission will embody Clark’s signature punk spirit while responding to Doig’s artwork inspired by music, film and communal gathering. The solo will be performed three times throughout the days: at midday, 1.30pm and 3pm. 

Never get in the way of harried London commuters rushing down the left side of the escalator. But ever wondered why in the capital you stand on the right and walk on the left, when on UK roads you overtake on the right? The people of Reddit seem to have been pondering that very question, with a heated debate ensuing on the online platform.  ‘In the UK we drive on the left and overtake on the right on all the motorways etc. Why in London on the underground stairs and escalators do you stand on the right and overtake on the left? Anyone else find that interesting?’ one user asked on the r/london thread.  Photograph: NataliaCatalina.com / Shutterstock.com One commenter had a theory that it was to do with being left or right handed. ‘Most ppl are right handed and naturally stand on the right to hold the hand rail with their dominant hand. Making the left side emptier for those who want to walk,’ they wrote. Other speculations suggested that the tradition came from the fact that we drive on the left, and one person even said it stemmed from Henry VII, who was very superstitious and would only walk up stairs on the left.  However, there’s actually a solid reason why Londoners stand on the right, and it’s to do with the design of the city’s first escalators. When the capital’s premier escalator was installed at Earl’s Court station in 1911, travellers were not able to disembark from the moving staircase in the same direction of their travel. Instead, the base of the escalator had

If you studied at UCL, have an allotment, and your only shoes are a pair of beat up Scarpa hiking boots, the name Friedrich Engels probably means something to you. The German philosopher, along with Karl Marx, was one of the fathers of communism. Now London could get an entire museum dedicated to the socialist.  A multi-million-pound house in Primrose Hill could become an Engels museum. The philosopher and writer who co-authored the Communist Manifesto with Karl Marx moved into the house in 1870 to be near Marx, who was his close friend. While living at 122 Regent’s Park Road Engels held weekly socialism debates, wrote books of political philosophy and took daily walks on Primrose Hill.  The property near Regent’s Park was later owned by elderly librarian Caroline Amy Read until 2020 when she died. Read bequeathed the house to a trust which reportedly now has plans for it to become an educational space. Located opposite The Queen’s pub and the entrance to Primrose Hill, the house has a blue plaque dedicated to Engels. Trustees are reportedly bidding to turn it into a space for young people to learn about the history of working-class struggle, gender equality, and international solidarity. Did you see that one of the original Broadway stars of ‘Hamilton’ is joining the London version this summer? Plus: London’s best airport is set to get bigger, quieter planes.  Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time O

There’s nothing quite like strolling into London City Airport (LCY) an hour before your flight, breezing through security and hopping on your plane without any delays. This seamless flying experience is why LCY has been named the best airport in the capital, and the UK, multiple times. Now, City is about to get even better, because it could be introducing larger, quieter planes.  LCY has launched a public consultation into the introduction of a new landing approach for quieter, more efficient aircraft. The airport wants to establish a slightly shallower landing approach for certain new‑generation planes.  What does this mean exactly? Currently, all aircraft landing at the hub must use a steep 5.5-degree approach (that’s the angle of landing) due to the airport’s location in a built-up area of London. LCY wants to implement a new 4.49‑degree approach, made possible by high precision satellite‑based navigation. This new procedure would be available only to specifically authorised new‑gen aircraft like the Airbus A320neo, while most planes would continue to use the existing 5.5‑degree landing. Photograph: Shutterstock The proposal does not involve any changes to existing flight paths. Planes would continue to fly over the same areas they do today (London City has one of the world’s most beautiful landings, flying over the Thames), with the changes only affecting the final few kilometres before landing. Flight routes to and from the airport would also stay the same.  LCY is pro

This summer, the Barbican Centre is going to be taken over by a massive immersive film and art exhibition. The theme of the exhibit is simply the future, with a bit of science fiction thrown in for good measure.  BAFTA-nominated film-maker, artist, and ‘speculative futurist’ Liam Young is the man responsible for the exhibition. Called In Other Worlds, this will be Young’s first major solo show in the UK. He’ll be collaborating with artists working in the mediums of TV, film and graphic novels, as well as scientists, musicians and costume designers. Creators behind the likes of Westworld, Fallout, Blue Eye Samurai, Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Handmaid’s Tale and Andor are all contributing works to the mega exhibit.  Artists will transform the centre with pieces exploring imagined futures and real ones, spanning themes including dystopia, sci-fi, climate change and science. On display will be films, soundscapes, costumes, literature and immersive installations. All of this will take over three locations within the Barbican Centre, including the Silk Street Entrance, The Curve and Car Park 5.  Image: Liam Young Liam Young, Artist and Director, said: ‘I am delighted to be able to present my first major UK solo exhibition experience at the Barbican and feel honoured to be joined by so many world class collaborators. We have always learned about the future through stories. ‘Imaginary Worlds aren’t concerned with predicting the future, instead they prepare us for it

Spring has sprung, for now at least, and festival season feels just around the corner. We can already taste the warm beer.  Green Man, one of the UK’s best festivals, has just dropped its line-up for 2026, and it’s certainly looking like it will be one to fill the Glasto-shaped hole in our calendars.  Fresh off their BRITs win, Wolf Alice have been revealed as one of the headliners for the fezzie held in the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons). The British rock group will take to the main stage on the Sunday, following headliners Mogwai (Thursday), Wilco (Friday) and Four Tet (Saturday).  Joining them throughout the weekend are an excellent variety of acts spanning indie, punk, dance and rock. Also on the Green Man line-up are Baxter Drury, Cat Power, Aldous Harding and Dry Cleaning, alongside electro indie pop group Avalon Emerson & the Charm, party starters Fcukers, post-punk outfit Shame and Kiwi indie rock band The Beths. There’s also a strong spread of local Welsh favourites like Cate Le Bon, Charlotte Church's Late Night Pop Dungeon and Panic Shack. Green Man takes place in the Welsh Black Mountains from August 20 to 23 2026. It is sold out, however you can sign up for official resale tickets, sold via Tixel, online here.  Green Man 2026 lineup Here’s the full list of artists confirmed for the event so far. A Place To Bury Strangers Adult DVD Aldous Harding Ana Frango Elétrico Anna Calvi Another Country Art School Girlfriend Ata Kak Automatic Avalon Emerson & The Charm

British trains are famously unreliable. Chances are if your train’s not cancelled, it’ll probably be delayed – and to make matters worse, you’ll almost certainly have had to fork out an absolute fortune for a ticket. However, some train lines are better than others. Some, in fact, are award-winningly good.  A London train line has just been crowned the best rail service in the entire UK for 2026. Picking up the top prize at the 2026 Rail Business Awards was London Northwestern Railway (LNR). The capital-based line and its sister-brand West Midlands Railway (WMR) celebrated the win after £1 billion’s worth of investment was pumped into new trains and infrastructure on the services. Clearly that has paid off.  LNR operates trains from London Euston along the West Coast Main Line, with trains reaching the Midlands and northwest. In recent years both winning brands have introduced new fleets, increasing capacity on its services by 40 percent. Also improving the service was LNR’s introduction of the spacious 730/2 electric train on routes to and from London Euston. These roomy carriages feature intelligent air conditioning, improved accessibility features and power points at every seat. LNR said that since the arrival of the 730/2 customer satisfaction on the line has risen by 20 percent.  Photograph: Claudia8c / Shutterstock.com Ian McConnell, managing director at LNR, said: ‘We are extremely proud to win “Train Operator of the Year”. This award is testament to the hard work of

Could Londoners one day reach Paris in less time than it takes to get from north to south London? Thanks to new research into land travel, it might soon be easier to meet your pals for un café et croissant in Paree than making the dreaded journey from Hackney to Peckham.  Engineers are looking into hyperloop technology, which isn’t something from Star Trek, but instead could be a very real mode of transport that would make land travel as fast as flying. The European Hyperloop Center Veendam in the Netherlands, where the research is taking place, said one day travellers could reach Paris from London in just 20 minutes.  If it were to become a reality, passengers would be shuttled through hyperloop vacuums, travelling 600 miles per hour. Pods are not attached to rails, but are suspended in midair by magnets attached to the roof of the vehicles. It sounds a little scary, but advocates for the futuristic mode of travel say it could alter how we perceive time and distance forever, affecting everything from holiday planning, to house prices.  Hyperloop travel was once just a pipe dream, but it gained more recognition in 2013 after Elon Musk wrote a white paper on the topic. The world’s first hyperloop passenger test was conducted in Nevada in 2023, but then the project folded amid skyrocketing costs.  Thanks to funding from the European Union, research in the Netherlands is still zooming ahead. But it’s not been total plain sailing (or looping) – the project still faces challenges

Hold on to your horses, because one of London’s most coveted food teams, Four Legs, is opening a brand new bar and eatery in the capital. The people who brought you north London’s most famous burger (found at The Plimsoll, of course), and the hip Iberian seafood counter Tollington’s Fish Bar, are branching into pizza. Four Legs’ upcoming opening is called Bar Etna and it’ll be in Newington Green. Four Legs founder Ed McIlroy has teamed up with Philadelphia-based chef and restaurateur Joe Beddia, whose pies were once declared ‘America’s best pizza’ by Bon Apétit. Pizzeria Beddia was also awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2025.  McIlroy will be in the kitchen bringing his ingredient-led approach to Beddia’s signature ‘za style. Bar Etna will offer pizza with seasonal toppings, as well as dishes like aubergine parmigiana, meatballs, sides and soft serves. And if a bar opens in north London and doesn’t serve low-intervention wines, does it really exist? As well as natty wines, Bar Etna will serve house spritzes and negronis on tap.  McIlroy and Beddia’s new venture will take over the former site of Nino’s Italian restaurant and open in April 2026, Hot Dinners reported. ‘Opening in London is a dream come true, and together with Ed and Mike, they’ve helped make that happen,’ Beddia said. ‘I’m so excited to finally open the doors and bring my cooking outside of the US for the very first time.’ Here are London’s best pizza restaurants, according to Time Out.  Nothing like a bit of h

Step aside Moo Deng, because a new zoo animal has won the hearts of the internet. In case you’ve been living under a rock, people online are going bananas for a seven-month-old Japanese macaque named Punch after videos showing him being rejected by his mother went viral last week.  Since the rejection, Punch has been given a stuffed orangutan toy by zookeepers at Ichikawa zoo where he lives. Punch has won worldwide adoration mainly because people feel sorry for the baby monkey. The zoo has been posting updates of the macaque, with videos showing him playing alone, being hit by other monkeys and dragging his plushie around everywhere he goes.  So, what if you could catch the live version of all this monkey drama for yourself? Obviously, in London you wouldn’t be able to see Punch himself, but you can catch the same kind of monkey at a location very close to the capital. London Zoo did have macaques until as recently as 2023, but according to the zoo’s most up-to-date stocklist (taken in 2025), it no longer has the primates in residence. If you do want to see macaques in London, your best bet is to visit Woburn Safari Park in Bedfordshire. Just an hour from London by train, Woburn is home to a troop of Barbary macaques. The hardy creatures can be spotted all year round as they can survive in both arid and freezing cold conditions. They can be found roaming freely in the ‘African Forest’ in the safari drive-through.  Did you see that London is getting the city’s ‘first’ floating

Start stocking up on BuzzBallz now, because day festivals in London live to fight another day. Four Brockwell Park music festivals will be going ahead this summer, as Lambeth Council has unanimously granted planning permission to event organisers Brockwell Live. On Tuesday evening (February 24), after an hour of debate, council members voted overwhelmingly in favour of giving Brockwell Live temporary planning permission to build the festival site in Brockwell Park. Four events – Field Day, Cross the Tracks, City Splash and Mighty Hoopla – will take place from May 23-31.  Summer Events Ltd, which runs the Brockwell Live series, submitted its first full planning application in 2025. This was the first time that planning permission had to be granted for the festivals to run in the park – until the legal battle which was won by anti-festival campaign group Protect Brockwell Park (PBP) in 2025, day events in the park operated under permitted development rights.  Summer Events Ltd has now been given the green light to use the park for 32 days from May 9 until June 9 2026, which will including set-up, show days and ‘wet weather buffer days’. The approval comes as a relief to the festival organisers, as PBP had already sent a new objection to Lambeth Council after Summer Events applied for planning permission as was required.  Sadly, alternative indie music festival Wide Awake will not be going ahead in 2026 as organisers said it was ‘taking a break for 2026’, while free community ev

Folkestone, which was named Time Out’s best place to visit in the UK in 2025, is soon going to get even better. The £20 million regeneration of the Kent seaside town is gaining ‘real momentum’, local councillors have said, with the next important phase of works set to begin soon.  Folkestone & Hythe District Council began work on the major regeneration of the town centre in April 2025, with construction expected to finish by summer 2026.  Under the proposals, Folkestone’s old and unsightly bus station in Bouverie Square is due to be replaced with a new park which councillors are calling a ‘green heart’ for the town. The new public place will transform the town centre into ‘a much more inviting space, including a play area, to be enjoyed by residents and visitors,’  Folkestone & Hythe District Council said.  Image: Folkestone & Hythe District Council The square will receive new planting and ‘greenscaping’, while a new linear layout of the bus station will improve pedestrian safety. The one-way traffic system will be removed, limiting the flow of traffic along the southern side of Middelburg Square where the new bus stops will be located.  According to the council’s website, the grand makeover is more than 40 percent complete. However, locals will have to put up with a bit of disruption for the time being. The area around the bus station has been closed off while the now-disused shelters are removed and planter walls demolished. The public toilets are also temporarily closed,

A canalside park in northwest London has received a swanky £2.5 million glow-up, and it’s just reopened to the public after five years of consultations and works. Queens Park Canalside is now back in action with a fresh makeover which includes improved lighting, wheelchair and pushchair ramps, wildlife habitats and a new public mural.  Partly funded by the Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund and co-created by more than 90 members of the local community, the space in front of Queen’s Park Library has received a new garden, which includes bird houses, landscaping and play facilities. The site also has new places to sit, fresh paving and a renovated entrance.  The mural, called ‘Ebb & Flow’ was created by artist Freddie Denton in collaboration with residents and features large lettering surrounded by flowers, including drawings by children from Queen’s Park Primary School.   Photograph: Westminster Council Geoff Barraclough, Westminster City Council Cabinet Member for Planning and Economic Development, said: ‘Queen’s Park Canalside is much-needed community space and this transformation will help bring residents together in a more pleasant and more easily accessible small park. From new ramps to improved play areas, this project is a great example of how we are working with local residents to design public spaces that meet their needs and celebrate the area’s heritage.  ‘As part of the North Paddington Programme, refurbished space will play a small role in making the area nicer