India Lawrence

Want a drink? You've come to the right place. This is Time Out’s list of best bars in London, our curated guide to London’s drinking scene, featuring the buzziest booze dens in the capital right now. If it’s on this list, it’s excellent. These are the 50 places we'd recommend to a friend, because we love drinking in them and have done many times over. From classy cocktail joints to delightful dives, hotel bars, speakeasys, bottle shops, rooftops and wine bars, London's got them all. But what makes a truly good bar? Well, our critieria for inclusion on this list is simple; a menu of genius drinks is important, but so is overall vibe – there’s no point having the perfect paloma if you have to drink it in a bar that smells of bins. To make the Top 50 a bar has to be fun, full of lovely folk, be inclusive and also look the part.  The latest additions to our list include the new Three Sheets in Soho, Rasputin’s by London Fields, Bar Lina, an Italian aperitivo spot underneath the famous Soho deli, Jumbi hifi bar in Peckham, Oranj's vertitable wine warehouse in Shoreditch, and Helgi's, a suggestively Satanic rock bar in Hackney. Now go forth and booze. RECOMMENDED: Like bars? Then you'll love London's best pubs.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor, and she'll have a dirty gin martini if you're buying. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

It’s nearly Christmas which means that London’s dance companies are putting their twinkliest toes forward and staging a beautiful array of yuletide shows.  I’m India Lawrence, the voice of all things dance at Time Out. As well as reviewing all of London’s biggest dance shows – including works from Matthew Bourne, Wayne McGregor, Akram Khan, the Royal Ballet, and more – I’ve got years of dance training under my belt (yes, I was one of those annoying ballet girls). So, you’re in safe hands when it comes to getting dance recs from me.  Even if you’re not a ballet fiend, or a contemporary dance fanatic like me, Christmas just seems like the right time to watch some unbelievably talented movers leap, pirouette and glide around a stage. After all, you don’t have to be a dance expert to enjoy the sparkly costumes, magical sets and amazing live orchestras that many of these shows come with.  So, with the help of Time Out’s theatre editor Andrzej Lukowski, we’ve put together our list of the best Christmas ballets and dance shows in London this Christmas. Read on to book tickets to a London dance show that'll inspire you to leap off the sofa and into the yuletide spirit. RECOMMENDED: Find more Christmas shows in London  See Christmas pantomimes in London.

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 restaurants in Margate🏡 The best Airbnbs in Margate🌤️The best things to do in Kent🌊The best seaside towns in the UK 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.

Like ’em, hate ’em or blast ’em 24 hours a day as soon as September starts, there’s no getting away from Christmas songs. And we’re not just talking about Mariah and the Pogues – Christmas songs are an exhaustive genre, from ’40s jingles to 2024 bangers.  On our list, we thought it would be best to include it all. The classics, sure, but some of the more rogue choices too. Like the ‘Eight Days of Christmas’ mash-up by Destiny’s Child, and the underrated classic ‘Dominick the Donkey, the Italian Donkey’. Whatever gets you feeling festive, you’ll find it on this list. Here are the best Christmas songs ever written.  RECOMMENDED:🎤 The best karaoke songs🕺 The best pop songs💧 The best sad songs🎅 The best places to go at Christmas

Breakfast is truly the most important meal of the day, and luckily for London, the city caters to every possible whim. These days, London isn’t just home to the fry-up, but the ubiquitous smashed avocado on toast, the shakshuka and many more besides. In fact, London genuinely might be the best place to eat breakfast in the entire 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. From morning mezze to croissants, udon noodle bowls and south Indian platters – it’s all here. 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 guidelines. The hottest new openings, the tastiest tips, the spiciest reviews: we’re serving it all on our London restaurants WhatsApp channel. Follow us now to tuck in.

No matter what time of year, you’re never too far away from the next excuse to get suited and booted in fancy dress. Whether you’re after some fangs and a cape for Halloween, a fabulous flapper dress for New Year, or ace your mates ABBA-themed birthday party, London’s ever-creative fancy dress shops are ready and waiting to help you get gussied up in some fabulous garb.  Off to a Jedi wedding? A Jane Austen convention? Hit up these brilliant fancy dress shops in London to live-out your one-night-only alter ego in style. 

Stella Ralfini was 76 when she decided to have a crack at stand-up comedy. At first, performing as an older female comedian was ‘tough’: she worried she would forget her lines, or that people wouldn’t get her audacious jokes. Now, she takes her raucous one-woman show – which features gags about having a toyboy and being a dominatrix for pensioners – all over London, sometimes to audiences of up to 300 people.  Ralfini isn’t the only Londoner trying new things later in life. Getting older can feel daunting, but for some, it’s an opportunity to grab existence by the horns, experiment and have a bit of fun. For Maurice Newman, Rachel Thompson and Ralfini, discovering new hobbies after 60 gave them fresh perspectives. They took up inline skating, dancing and stand-up comedy, respectively, proving that you don’t have to be a youngster to get out of your comfort zone.  Here, these three bold Londoners share what they’ve learnt.  Photograph: Jess Hand for Time Out Rachel Thompson, 71, dancer  I started dancing when I was 63. I went to a workshop organised by Sadler’s Wells because I’ll have a go at anything. Unbeknownst to me, Sadler’s Wells was looking for people to join the Company of Elders [a performance group for non-professional dancers over 60].  I was riding the bus to my first rehearsal. A guy offered me his seat. I said, ‘No thank you, I’m a dancer. I’m going to Sadler’s Wells for a rehearsal!’ We have one life, what’s the point in shrinking away into a corner? When I’m

London’s big, beautiful arts centre along the Thames is about to make its annual winter transformation. Winter at the Southbank Centre will once again be sprinkling some added sparkle along the riverside, with its charming Christmas market that sees a line of German-style wooden chalets line the riverside, twinkling with fairy lights and full of traders selling treats, gifts and decorations.  There will also be an annual helping of light installations which fill the trees and pavements along the South Bank, pop-up igloos where you can cosy up with a hot toddy and chow down on cheese fondue as you wave at passers-by from your very own private glass dome. And competitive souls can go head to head against their mates by flinging stones across ice at the Curling Club.  There’s plenty of fun inside as well with a brilliant season of music, theatre and art across the centre’s various stages and galleries. Look out for South Korean artist Haegue Yang’s Haywood Gallery show ‘Leap Year’ which will be filling the gallery with multisensory installations inspired by East Asian traditions and folklore, ‘Carlos Acosta’s Nutcracker in Havana’ which will be adding some Latin American spice to the traditional Christmas tale, ‘Circa's Duck Pond’ that will be turning the ballet ‘Swan Lake’ into an inventive circus show and ‘Tom Fletcher’s The Creakers’ for musical, pantomime-style fun for families.  No matter what you decide to go to, stick around till sundown so you can walk along the South Ba

Grab your fangs, your bottle of fake blood and your poison of choice: it’s Halloween time. And that means things are about to get seriously spooky, but there’s likely to be some dancing too. And you know what that means: it’s time for our Halloween playlist! There‘s no one size fits all for Halloween tunes. Some of what you’ll find on this list is seriously scary. Some songs were actually written about regular ol’ heartbreak but sound like they were made for a horror movie. Some of them have featured in your favourite spooky Netflix shows. But from The Cramps (of ‘Wednesday’ fame) to Olivia Rodrigo’s ex-boyfriend bleeding her dry, we’ve got a Halloween tune for everyone here. Time to get freaky, people.  RECOMMENDED:🎤 The best karaoke songs🕺 The best pop songs💧 The best sad songs🎅 The best Christmas songs

I’ve lived in this city for four years and have lived in four different properties in that time. A London baby, I know – but still long enough to have learned a thing or two about the capital’s treacherous rental market. My first London home was a strange-smelling shoebox above an agave bar on Kingsland Road. The second? A recently renovated Victorian townhouse with a garden which a former flatmate snagged for bargain rates during the pandemic (we begrudgingly moved out when the landlord raised rent by a sweet 60 percent). Fast forward through a month at an ex’s and now I’m living in a shared house in a decent area, paying below average rent with an (actually!) nice landlord. Hell, it’s not perfect, but I could be doing a lot worse.   The art of finding a good room to rent in the capital is an art you’ll slowly learn to master – often because you won’t have much other choice. Those horror stories about evil landlords, bidding wars, impossible flatmate interviews and viewing queues down the street? Not to scare you, but there’s some truth in them.  RECOMMENDED: 23 things you should know before moving to LondonLondoners on their subletting horror storiesInside the murky world of property guardianships There is, of course, the bog-standard advice you shouldn’t overlook when searching for a room: don’t rent somewhere with mould (it probably won’t go away), always do the viewing in person, and don’t take that flat on the other side of the river to your pals (you won’t make the jo

It’s officially autumn, which means Halloween, pumpkin spiced lattes and lots of lovely pints of Guinness. This spooky szn there’s also loads of fantastic dance to choose from in the capital, including the return of Christopher Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, a tremendous drag flamenco show at the Peacock Theatre, and Hofesh Shecter Company at Sadler’s Wells. Get stuck in.  MORE STAGE: Dance classes in London Best theatre shows this yearBest theatre shows this monthBest comedy shows this month

Money is a little tight these days, meaning we can’t just hop on a plane every time we fancy a bit of sun, sea and sand action. But the good news? We’re in the UK, where there’s an abundance of fabulous beaches for every occasion. Some look as if they’re straight out of the Mediterranean, and some (just some) may even rival the best beaches in the world – but whatever you’re after, you’ve got to know where to look.  What 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 places to visit in the UK ⛰️ The most beautiful places in the UK This guide was written by Time Out editors from all over the UK. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. F

London’s best club according to Time Out is throwing a third birthday bash this August. Colour Factory is putting on day-to-night party to celebrate turning three in style. On the decks will be takeovers from queer Latinx collective 2CPerrea, afro-portuguese label Prícipe and nigerian-colombian collective Baile Ijó. Expect 12 hours of eclectic and global beats, from techno, to amapiano. Oh, and there’s going to be a bucking bronco and bouncy castle, only right for a birthday party. Buy tickets online here. 

Everyone’s got an opinion of Barbie. Whether you adored playing with her growing up, loathed her for her wildly unrealistic body measurements, or came to appreciate her for her cultural impact, there’s no denying the 11.5inch leggy blonde is one of the most famous toys – if not women – on the planet. Now one year after Barbie-mania had London in a chokehold, Barbara Millicent Roberts has once again tottered back into the capital’s collective conscience, this time via a Design Museum exhibition celebrating 65 years of the iconic doll.  The clothes, the handbags, the mansion, the seemingly perfect boyfriend. Barbie has it all. And so does this exhibition. It provides an extensive look into how the toy was designed, how she has evolved over the years, and how she has influenced fashion, design and wider culture. Created in partnership with Mattel, Barbie’s parent company, the show looks at the toy not just as a kicky blonde doll, but as a brand, and from a design angle it can be considered a real success.  In a dark room filled with rainbow-coloured windows we are taken on an odyssey of all of Barbie’s different head and body shapes. I died a little inside learning about the 1968 Stacey, Barbie’s British friend who had stubby eyelashes, a pasty complexion and a funny shaped head who, in a cruel joke, is lined up next to the bronzed original Malibu Barbie.  In a section dedicated entirely to Barbie pink, we discover that Barb wasn’t always obsessed with the colour, and that it wa

When you think of a Shoreditch restaurant, TT is the kind of place that comes to mind; all stark wood and exposed brick, with a roof terrace featuring decor that isn’t a far cry from nearby Shoreditch House (think hanging bamboo lampshades, loadsa plants and rattan furniture). The ‘ditch might not be as cool as it once was, with tech bros and finance workers encroaching on its graffitied streets, but it’s still packed full of creative directors, plucky advertising interns and streetwear designers. TT is the kind of place where execs and hipsters can exist in harmony, and both have a nice time doing it. On a midweek evening in spring the place was packed with fashionable couples, after-work friends and preppy young professionals. Formerly known as TT Liquor, a bar with regular guest chef residencies, they’ve recently upped the food offering to become a full-blown restaurant. In the kitchen is ex-Oren head chef Sam Lone – he’s curated a menu of small and big woodfired dishes. Given that TT used to be a straight up cocktail bar, drinks were fabulous. The Violet Tendencies was floral, delicate and a mystical shade of blue. Its polar opposite, but equally delicious, was the sultry Lucifer; a rich concoction of bourbon and chocolate bitters. A mature drink.  Chargrilled aubergine was sweet, smokey and wonderfully gooey On the food front, things were a bit hit and miss. Let’s start with the good. An impressively big and pillowy focaccia was a serious statement dish, thanks to its l

Walking through the lime green doors to St Martin’s Lane feels a bit like entering a quirky modern art gallery. The decor isn’t for everyone, but it is unique. Everything smells really good too, with the hotel’s expensive-feeling signature lemongrass scent pumping through all the corridors. In the lobby, a row of giant gold teeth double up as stools. They’re lined up next to a trio of giant chess pieces and a seven-foot vase of flowers. Across the floor, a giant black and white photo of a ballerina leans against the wall. I’m sure when St Martin’s Lane opened in 1999, Philippe Starck’s ‘surrealist wonderland’ interiors made it the coolest hotel in town. Now, it all feels a bit random.   In the rooms, thankfully the decor is more understated, with white walls, crisp white bedding and plush beige leopard-print carpets. My suite was bright with an incredible vista of the London Eye, and panoramic windows covering two walls of the room. The best thing about staying in any hotel is taking a bath, and this had a tub big enough for a swim. The luxurious bed was incredibly comfortable and soft – a midday check-out made it the perfect excuse for a cheeky hurkle-durkle – and colour-changing neon lights in an alcove above the headboard were a fun addition. It could have all done with a little spruce up though, with visible age showing in the bathroom tiles and fixtures.  Neighbourhood Slap bang in the middle of ‘theatreland’, the location of St Martin’s Lane couldn’t be better. It’s a f

Hip hop festival Breakin’ Convention is back at Sadler’s Wells for its 21st anniversary. Its guiding light and curator Jonzi D creates a forum for the best hip hop dance theatre from the around the UK and the rest of the world. The event attracts a diverse and lively young crowd. This year’s global line-up features dancers and crews including Boy Blue, Jinjo Crew from South Korea,  LA-based Femme Fatale, UK-baed ShaolinOrShao and Olivier Award winners TRAPLORD. 

Everyone knows the story of ‘Swan Lake’. A princess turned into a swan, a wicked sorcerer, a chiselled prince coming to save her. It’s a wonder that the ancient story, and ancient 1877 choreography by Marius Petipa, is still beguiling audiences. But just like the most classic of fairy tales, the tale of the cursed princess remains a gesamtkunstwerk that will definitely pull on your heartstrings.  In a production first staged in 2018, ‘Swan Lake’ at the Royal Opera House is very much a trad ballet. It’s got all the things you’d expect – beautiful, featherlight swans moving in mesmerising unison, grand sets (designed by John Macfarlane), lavish costumes (a personal favourite was the Queen’s glittering black Victorian ball gown with an enormous bustle), and a bombastic Tchaikovsky score. Apart from an altered ending, there’s not much about this production by Liam Scarlett that shocks or surprises. Everything is neatly shaped to fit into the package that is ‘the ballet’. It’s still beautiful and satisfying to watch, but not particularly mind blowing.  In Act I the corps moves with military precision, with formations creating wonderful symmetry as the ballerinas swung their legs like pendulums. Then in the enchanted forest we meet Mayara Magri as Odette, who portrayed her with both a treacly sadness and light skittishness – not an easy combination to nail. Marcelino Sambé’s Prince Siegfried was a dependable partner, while also performing some seriously impressive jetés and pirouet

Impression Moxché by Secrets has got everything you could ever possibly need. And I mean everything.  This adults-only resort just outside of Playa Del Carmen is huge – so much so that you could easily spend a week here without having to leave once, although you might start to forget that the real world exists beyond the fortress of infinity pools and palm trees. It's got restaurants in every cuisine from Mexican to Californian, French to Italian, and south-east Asian to Japanese. It’s got a swim-up bar, a theatre, a beautiful spa; the list goes on. At Impression, relaxation is imperative. I felt like a queen being waited on hand and foot by the staff, who were always there to fold my towels, refresh my drink or offer me something to eat. Each guest is even set up with their own personal butler who you can communicate with via WhatsApp – if you need anything done, leave it with them.   The rooms are tasteful, spacious and immaculately presented. My room had not one, but two (!) hot tubs – one inside and one on the balcony. Plus Le Labo toiletries felt like a real indulgence. The main attraction is, of course, the beach, and the setting is chef’s kiss. With the stunning view of the azure Caribbean sea, stretches of white sand and plenty of secluded sunbathing spots, what’s not to like?  If you’re looking for a Mexican experience that feels more local, this probably isn’t the place for you. But if an all-inclusive is all you need, you’ll adore Impression.  Neighborhood  Found s

Good Mexican food in London is famously hard to come by. Mainly because Mexico is actually quite far from the Big Smoke, and compared to the likes of New York and LA we don’t have a huge Latinx population here. And yet, people (particularly Americans) still love to complain about it. So, moaners, we’re pleased to say that things could be changing. Mexican cuisine in the city is on the up, and joints like Taquiza are helping it on its way.  Taquiza has a bit of a ramshackle feel to it. There are exposed MDF boards, and the ceiling has a visible black curtain stapled across it, a bit like being backstage at a jaunty community theatre. This is down to the fact that the space doubles up as The Carpet Shop, one of London’s best new(ish) clubs, opened by the people behind the always-excellent Corsica Studios. It’s a fun concept! On a Friday night Taquiza was lively, but managed to remain cosy. Pisco sours and spicy margs were flowing and drinking them was a young and suitably fashionable, but not pretentious, crowd.  Our faces and hands were covered with various sauces and mayos – the messy sign of a meal truly enjoyed As for the food, they aren’t shy when it comes to portion sizes. We kicked things off with a trio of starters para compartir. Smoky refried black beans with the gooeyest island of queso fundido – hello cheese pull – and grilled elote (corn on the cob) with a cool burnt onion sour cream were firm favourites. A wonderful tuna tostada came piled high with crisp avocado

This review is from a 2023 performance at the Royal Opera House.  Dance performances at the Royal Opera House don’t typically begin with jumpscares. Nor do they feature rumbling techno scores, or have an interactive digital set projecting otherworldly CGI images of floating amoeba-like creatures. And yet, ‘UniVerse: A Dark Crystal Odyssey', has all of these things.  Based on Jim Henson’s 1982 dark fantasy puppet film ‘The Dark Crystal’, Company Wayne McGregor’s both wacky and bleak new production doesn’t quite follow the narrative of an elf on the quest for a crystal. Instead, the show takes key elements and themes from the movie – fantastical creatures, the destruction of worlds, and as the programme note puts it ‘ecological overtones’. What we’re given is a 70-minute plotless mystical odyssey through different realms, encountering a cornucopia of creatures, elements and humans. In an hour and 10 minutes with no interval we are hauled through time, space and everything in between. The typically awe-inspiring dancers’ strength, flexibility and precision allows them to be chameleon-like. With a cast of 11, we meet bizarre creatures made of hay, a sinister snake-like monster which hisses and hits the floor, aggressive forest fires and celestial water molecules. For the majority of the show, the dancers are faceless, enveloped in avant-garde full-body suits designed by Dr Alex Box and Phil Delamore.  There’s not much hope in this cheerless world. It’s bookended by spoken word po

Dimitris Papaioannou's spectacular production ‘INK’ features literally hundreds of litres of water sprayed, whirled and poured onto the stage. The Greek choreographer and director, famous for directing the opening and closing ceremonies of the Athens Olympics, is known for his surreal and nightmarish productions. ‘INK’ is no exception. Drawing on sci-fi and horror, a duet turns into a duel in this show set in a mythical water world. Prepare for a drenching. 

A man chopping an onion, dancers slapping each other in the face, and a stage covered in 8,000 handcrafted red and pink carnations are just some of the wonderfully bizarre things you're going to see in ‘Nelken’, performed by a new generation of Tanztheater Wuppertal dancers. As far as Pina Bausch goes, this is pretty standard. And if Bausch is your thing, ‘Nelken’ (translating to ‘Carnations’) isn't one to miss. Being performed in London for the first time since 2005, this performance is a meditation on life's ability to be painful and beautiful at the same time. 

First, a trigger warning: do not watch The Boy and the Heron on psychedelics. Hayao Miyazaki has returned from retirement with a real visual acid trip, full of breathtaking landscapes of cliffs with pounding waves and Hieronymus Bosch-like castle staircases.  Partly based on Miyazaki’s own childhood, it begins in Tokyo during World War II where a young boy – Mahito (voiced by Luca Padovan in the English dub) – witnesses the bombing of the hospital where his mother is an inpatient. Cut to a few months later and Mahito and his father (Christian Bale) have moved to the countryside, where dad has remarried Mahito’s aunt Natsuko. Here, Mahito must come to terms with his mother’s death, and accept his new family. Which is where the magic starts.  After being taunted by a frightening heron with a grotesque grin of tombstone-sized human teeth, Mahito discovers a boarded-up tower in the grounds of the house. Despite warnings that the tower is bad news, he’s drawn in by its sinister aura. Soon Natsuko is also taken by the tower and Mahito realises that he has to save her.  Inside, he meets massive people-eating parakeets, a helpful, robust fisherwoman, adorable and benevolent marshmallow-looking creatures, and a girl named Himi who has magical fire-rendering powers.  Hayao Miyazaki has returned from retirement with a real visual acid trip This enchanted world oscillates between light and darkness. Heavier themes of grief and war are balanced with funny moments. There are comically dul

There’s loads of Paddington stuff happening in London over the next few weeks, all of it celebrating the release of the third Paddington film in cinemas. As well as a Paddington statue trail, and a limited print edition of Time Out guest-edited by Paddington, there’s also a shop dedicated to the Peruvian bear coming to the city.  The Paddington in Peru pop-up shop is open at Paddington station from now until March 31. Visitors will be able to take home all sorts of Paddington-themed merch, including cuddly toys, key rings, puzzles, badges and more. You’ll be able to have your photo taken with Paddington’s statue too.  If you can’t get to the shop, you can also buy Paddington in Peru merch online. The film is out in cinemas on November 8, here’s everything we know about the flick so far.  Photograph: Studio Canal For more things to do with kids in London this half term, check out our ultimate guide to children’s activities and attractions in the capital.  ICYMI: A spectacular immersive Pokémon experience is coming to central London next month.  Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel. Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

Bonfire night in London isn’t going to be as bright or exciting this year. After the Blackheath fireworks were cancelled, another south London display has announced it’s not going ahead.  It’s bad news for residents of Carshalton, a town on the outskirts of southwest London. The annual fireworks display has just been called off due to ‘escalating costs’ and ‘insufficient support’ from the local council. ‘Several factors have contributed to this decision, including increasing time commitments of our members and organisers, a decline in our group's numbers, escalating costs associated with the event, and insufficient support from our local council in navigating the necessary paperwork,’ the organisers wrote in a letter to residents.  They added: ‘We have decided to donate the money raised through our fireworks events to charitable partners and other worthy causes, ensuring that our impact in the local community continues beyond this event.’ Thankfully, there are other options. Carshalton residents might have to travel a bit further afield, but there are still displays in Beckenham, Wimbledon, Crystal Palace and more. Read our guide to Bonfire Night in London for all the information. The V&A’s new east London museum has just revealed its official opening date – and announced a huge David Bowie archive. The City of London’s new tallest skyscraper has had a major redesign – retaining a much-loved neighbourhood square. Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news a

If you’ve been to Stratford lately you might have noticed a new building with big letters spelling ‘V&A’ on its roof. That’s because the Victoria and Albert Museum is opening an east London outpost with two two sites: V&A East Storehouse and V&A East Museum. Now, the opening date for V&A East Storehouse has been revealed, and we can’t wait to get down there to see what they have on.  We can confirm that the V&A East Storehouse will open on May 31 2025 as part of East Bank, the new cultural quarter in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The new venue will be absolutely jam packed with cultural treasures, being home to more than half a million works spanning every creative discipline. It’s going to have something for everyone, including vintage football shirts, the Glastonbury Festival archive, Schiaparelli haute couture, Elton John’s costumes, samurai swords and much more.  Photograph: Diller Scofidio + Renfro Photograph: Courtesy of the V&A The new V&A will also have a world-first ‘Order an Object’ experience, where anyone can book to see any object they like, seven-days a week V&A East Storehouse will also be the new home of the David Bowie Centre, which will be a massive archive dedicated to the singer, holding more than 80,000 items spanning six decades of Bowie’s life. The Bowie Centre will open at a later date, on September 13 2025. Photograph: V&A London art exhibitions coming this autumn that you won’t want to miss. Plus: It’s your last chance to see these five exc

If you’ve been thinking that your phone signal is really bad at the moment, you wouldn’t be the only one. And it turns out that it’s not just hearsay, the phone signal in London, and the rest of the UK, really is worse than it used to be these days.  An investigation into phone signal in the UK by the i has revealed that our mobile network infrastructure desperately needs upgrading, but there isn’t enough investment to do it.  Andy Aitken, co-founder of Honest mobile network, said: ‘We’re not upgrading our telecom infrastructure to keep up with more devices and users. ‘Planning regulations in the UK make [putting up new telephone masts] difficult, which makes a huge difference in how effectively 5G can be rolled out.’ As well as there not being enough 5G towers, the ones that we do have are struggling to operate due to restrictions placed on Huawei by the government amid security concerns a few years ago. Without their tech, we’ve found it more difficult to get our networks running successfully and efficiently.  And London has been particularly badly affected by the UK-wide problem. An investigation by the newsletter London Centric found that it is much harder to build new phone masts in the capital than elsewhere in the country due to complaints from locals.  Essentially, the report revealed that local councillors are politically incentivised not to build more phone masts, because constituents believe them, perhaps dubiously, to be health hazards, and ugly. For instance, M

Hundreds of Liam Payne fans gathered in London this past weekend to mourn the former One Direction singer, who died aged 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina last week (on October 16).  Fans laid flowers, balloons, teddy bears and hand-written tributes to Payne around the Peter Pan statue in Hyde Park on Sunday. Police estimated that between 800 to 1,000 people attended the gathering, where fans cried but also sang One Direction songs together.  Thousands here in Hyde Park for a vigil for Liam Payne.Helen, 30, told me she wrote this moving tribute because she grew up with One Direction. @LBC @LBC pic.twitter.com/Jn8gqLZNWi — Charlotte Lynch (@charlotterlynch) October 20, 2024 Today's memorial in London for liam. #RIPLiamPayne #RIPLiam #LiamsLaw pic.twitter.com/hwgWQH6N9N — ⚓️Gemz🪢 (@Gemma_Silk) October 20, 2024 One fan at the London vigil told the BBC: ‘Liam was a light in a lot of people’s lives, especially mine.’ She added:‘My favourite memories with my sister are almost entirely revolving around One Direction. So for me it feels like, I guess like the end of us growing up together. That's what makes it so hard." Another fan in Hyde Park told Sky it was ‘very surreal... sad, devastating, and shocking’.  ‘It's a reminder of what a huge part of my childhood and growing up, Liam and One Direction were,’ she added. As well as vigils, Payne was honoured on a tube station sign by London’s All On The Board.  View

To millennials all over the world, ‘TiK ToK’ used to have a totally different meaning. Before it was a video sharing platform, it referred to a mega hit by the poster girl of indie sleaze, Kesha. So, it’s massive news that the pop superstar will be coming to London next summer. Kesha has been announced as the headliner for Mighty Hoopla festival.  It might only be October, but we’re already getting excited for festival season 2025. Mighty Hoopla, one of London’s biggest LGBTQ+ day festivals, has revealed its line up for next year. As well as Kesha, the line up is stacked with global pop stars, many of them delivering a healthy dose of nostalgia for those of us who grew up in the noughties.  The ‘Joyride’ singer will headline the Sunday, while Ciara will headline on Saturday. The singers will be joined by Loreen , Jojo, Erika Jayne, Jamelia, Daniel Bedingfield, Omar Rudberg, Daphne & Celeste, Mutya Buena, Vincint, Vengaboys, Kash Nash & The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, G Flip, Pixie Lott and Lemar. Here’s the full line-up so far.  Image: Mighty Hoopla Mighty Hoopla will take place on Saturday May 31 and Sunday July 1 2025. Tickets are on sale online now. The best gigs and concerts in London this October.  More London 2025 festival news on Time Out Did you see that ELO are playing their final ever show at BST Hyde Park 2025? Plus, Field Day is moving to a new park for 2025.  Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends.

They say there are about 700,000 hotels in the world, and nearly 10,000 of them are in the UK. Ranking the best ones is no easy feat, but it’s exactly what Fodor’s Travel has done with its list of the best hotels in the world.  Fodor’s asked 750 travel writers and hotel professionals from around the world to nominate their favourites in order to come up with a list of 100 of the very best. Out of that 100, seven of them are in the UK, and here’s which British hotels made the list.  Not surprisingly, the lion’s share of the UK’s best hotels were in London, with the Dorchester, Chelsea Townhouse, Lanesborough and St. James Hotel & Club all making the top 100.  The art deco Dorchester was noted for ‘hosting history’s biggest names and immortalizing their defining moments’, referencing that the hotel was where Elizabeth Taylor regularly stayed. Posy Mayfair hotel St. James Hotel & Club, meanwhile, was praised for its ‘elegantly styled guest rooms and superb suites’.  Gleneagles Townhouse in Edinburgh made the ranking for its ‘classically handsome architecture and dignified opulence with more modern sensibilities’, while the 125-year-old Slieve Donard in Newcastle Northern Ireland also took one of the spots. The Victorian hotel near the Mourne mountains is known for its top health club and luxurious old style rooms.  The 7 best hotels in the UK, according to Fodor’s Travel Gleneagles Townhouse, Edinburgh Slieve Donard, Northern Ireland  The Dorchester, London The Chelsea Townhous

Remember when there were plans for London’s skyline to be besmirched by a massive illuminated dome, like the one in Las Vegas? Thank goodness that didn’t happen. But it’s not curtains for the world’s second Sphere just yet – it’s been revealed that it will be opening in Abu Dhabi instead.  Sphere Entertainment has teamed up with the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), and will be dropping a second planet-shaped music venue in the Middle East.  It’s not been revealed exactly when or where in Abu Dhabi the new 20,000 capacity Sphere will arrive, but it promises to rival its Las Vegas counterpart in size and spectacle.  James L. Dolan, executive chairman and chief executive officer of Sphere Entertainment said: ‘The vision for Sphere has always included a global network of venues, and today’s announcement is a significant milestone toward that goal. ‘Sphere is redefining live entertainment and extending the reach of its transformative impact. We are proud to collaborate with DCT Abu Dhabi to develop Sphere in their city.’ The $2.3 billion (£1.8 billion) venue in Las Vegas, with an LED screen wrapping halfway around the whole audience, has already been a massive success. But the glitzy venue apparently just wasn’t right for a city like London. When plans to build it in London were overturned in 2023, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said it ‘would result in an unacceptable negative impact on local residents’. Let’s hope the people of Abu Dhabi like it a bit more.

You don’t need us to tell you that some parts of the tube are loud. Noise levels on the Underground have been revealed to be harming our ear drums, and a recent study by Boots Hearingcare even found that the Vicky line was louder than a nightclub, with noise reaching 100 decibels. It’s so loud that TfL is even dropping a whopping £30 million to make the Underground quieter. So, in light of all this, tube drivers have decided enough is enough. They’ve organised a protest against noise levels on the Victoria line. Members of the RMT union have voted in favour of taking ‘action short of a strike’, which means an official protest.  The ‘go slow’ protest will involve drivers slowing down to below 50 miles per hour on the Victoria line, sources told the Standard, although it’s not confirmed when this will take place yet.  Although most of the Vicky line is automated, drivers control the speed of the train coming in and out of the depot. Even a small reduction in the speed of one train could cause knock-on impacts along the line and make it impossible for the Victoria line to achieve the peak hour frequency of 36 trains an hour. Members of the ASLEF union also expressed concerns about the noise volume on ‘deep level’ lines – the Central, Northern and Jubilee Aslef said that London Underground admitted that noise levels on the Victoria line ‘exceed legal limits’. The union is currently in meetings with TfL to come up with a solution, but union reps said if there wasn’t a fix to the n

If you pass by the London Eye this Friday (October 18), you’re going to see the structure illuminated with bold red lights. But why? To mark Wear Red Day 2024, and celebrate 10 years of the event created by the charity Show Racism the Red Card, London’s famous wheel will turn crimson to raise awareness about the ongoing racism and discrimination faced by many people in the UK.  In 2023, 615,000 took part in Wear Red Day (not to be confused with Red Nose Day), in the UK. This year, the organisation wants at least 1 million people in the UK to don red, showing their solidarity with marginalised groups, and highlighting the charity’s ongoing fight against racism in Britain.  If you want to do your bit and be proudly anti-racist tomorrow, all you have to do is pop on a red t-shirt in the morning. Easy as that.  Here’s what to do in London this weekend.  London tube closures this weekend: here’s the full list of travel disruption for Oct 18-20.  Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel. Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

Calling all chin scratchers, beanie lovers and obscure-record-label-tote-bag wearers. Tate Modern is hosting an Aphex Twin listening party later this month, and it’s totally free.  Taking place on October 25, ambient heads will have a chance to listen to Aphex Twin’s album Selected Ambient Works Volume II (Expanded Edition) in full, from 6pm to 9.30pm in the Blavatnik Building. The event will mark the 30th anniversary of the ambient producer’s record, and the album includes previously unreleased tracks.  The event requires a free ticket, which can be booked from 2pm on October 25, the day of the event. Tickets are booked from this link here.  If the Little Simz Tate takeover is anything to go by we reckon it might be quite busy, so we recommend getting there a bit early.   The listening party is part of October’s Tate Lates, which you can find the full schedule for online here.  For more music, these are the best gigs in London this month. Frieze Art Fair and Frieze Masters London 2024: dates and everything you need to know.  Plus: London art exhibitions coming in autumn 2024 that you won’t want to miss.  Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

Earlier this year, the Elizabeth line was nominated for a very prestigious architecture award, the RIBA Stirling Prize. Now, the results are in, and she’s only gone and bloody won it.  The Lizzie line, designed by architecture studios Grimshaw, Maynard, Equation and AtkinsRéalis, has been crowned the best architecture in Britain, taking the prize for the best new architecture in the UK.  ‘The Elizabeth Line is a triumph in architect-led collaboration, offering a flawless, efficient, beautifully choreographed solution to inner-city transport,’ said Stirling Prize jury chair and RIBA president Muyiwa Oki. The UK’s busiest train line was described as ‘like entering a portal to the future’, and its futuristic design featuring white panels and bright white lighting was praised highly in comparison to the often dark and dingy tube lines.  ‘Descending into the colossal network of tunnels feels like entering a portal to the future, where the typical commuter chaos is transformed into an effortless experience. It rewrites the rules of accessible public transport, and sets a bold new standard for civic infrastructure, opening up the network and by extension, London, to everyone,’ said Oki.  Photograph: Hufton + Crow Used by 700,000 passengers every weekday, the 73-mile-long network of underground tunnels beat the new National Portrait Gallery and King’s Cross Masterplan to the top spot.   Oh dear. The Piccadilly line’s first new train has arrived in London – and it’s already been van