India Lawrence

January always seems like it lasts for several hundred days, but February will here sooner than you think.  And after the punishing health regimes, sober stints and penny-pinching that the first month of the year usually entails, London’s social calendar tends to be pretty busy once that long-awaited payday finally rolls around.  February packs a bunch of important dates packed into its short four weeks, including Valentine’s Day, London Fashion Week and LGBTQ+ History Month. It’s also half-term, again (yes, already!) which means loads of family-friendly activities across the city, many of which won’t cost you a penny.  Elsewhere, the art and film industries spring into life again after a quiet few weeks at the beginning of the year, with several local film festivals on the horizon and a slew of major exhibition, from Tracey Emin at the Tate Modern to Rose Wylie at the RA.  There’s also plenty of live sport, from the Six Nations to the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, plus Kew’s Orchid Festival and King’s Cross’s new wellness-focused Equanimity Festival for the sport and outdoorsy types. And that’s by no means all! Seize your chance to have some fun this February, with our guide to the best things happening in London over the month. London’s best things to do in February at a glance: 🛏️ Best for art lovers: Tracey Emin, Tate Modern 🎭 Best for thespians: Dracula, Noel Coward Theatre  👹 Best for culture buffs: Samurai, British Museum 🏉 Best for sports fans: Six Nations, vario

January is here, which means we’re entering a brand new year. Despite all the January goals, resolutions and hopes we have for 2026, it’s no secret that January can ostensibly become the most depressing month of the year. The days are short and dark, it’s cold, and our bank balances are severely depleted after the December festivities. But, we’re here to help you realise it’s not all bleak.  For one thing, it’s the ideal time to discover London on a budget and without the crowds, while many of city’s very best theatre and musicals, restaurants and bars – ranked definitively by Time Out's crew of expert local editors – offer discounted tickets and cheap meal deals to entice you out of the house during the coldest and darkest days of the year. Believe it or not, but January can also a time for celebration, too. London will once again be playing host to plenty of Burns Night ceilidhs, haggis suppers and poetry readings commemorating Scotland’s most famous poet, plus dinners and parades in celebration of the Lunar New Year, which falls nice and early in 2025, on January 29. If you’re someone who likes to commit to a month of sobriety or a punishing new exercise regime at the start of the New Year, London definitely has your back too. The city is home to countless excellent sports clubs and fitness classes, plus dozens of glorious parks and spectacular walking routes, and there’s arguably nowhere that better caters for the sober and sober-curious. Of course, if you’d rather just s

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.

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. 

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.

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

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

As the nights draw in and the chill sets through the air, there’s no denying it: spooky season has officially arrived. The pumpkins are carved, the costume’s nailed and now there’s just one thing left to summon… a Halloween playlist wicked enough to get even the undead on their feet. Sure, the classic Halloween songs still reign supreme – we’re talking ‘Thriller’, ‘Ghostbusters’ and all the usual heavy-hitters. But lately, a new wave of pop phantoms has emerged to soundtrack your October nights. From Olivia Rodrigo’s ex-boyfriend bleeding her dry, to the enchanting spellwork of Lady Gaga a.k.a Mother Monster herself, with a detour through the slick, otherworldly beats of K-Pop’s most stylish demons – Halloween playlists have, quite literally, come back to life. Our favourite Halloween playlist songs for 2025 at a glance: Most iconic Halloween track: ‘Thriller’ by Michael Jackson Best new Halloween anthem: ‘Abracadabra’ by Lady Gaga Most dramatic Halloween song: ‘There Will Be Blood’ by Kim Petras Best Halloween anthem with a K-Pop twist: ‘Your Idol’ by Saja Boys Best Halloween track to dance to: ‘Monster Mash’ by Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett & the Crypt-Kickers RECOMMENDED: 👻 The best Halloween movies of all time 🎤 The best karaoke songs 🎵 The best songs of 2025 so far 🕺 The best albums of 2025 so far

It’s a brand new year, and the dance world is leaping into 2026 with some absolute bangers returning to the London stage this month.  Akram Khan’s dystopian and haunting take on Giselle is back for a limited run with the English National Ballet, while Wayne McGregor’s stunning Woolf Works will take to the Royal Opera House stage. Another one not to miss is Gecko’s The Wedding at Sadler’s Wells East – a truly unique piece of dance theatre that will leave you questioning the concepts of marriage, capitalism and more.  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

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

It’s easy to leave planning New Year’s Eve to the very last minute – often you get so tangled up in the tinsel-decked glories of Christmas that you forget there's another big bash, just a week later. But New Year's Eve is the kind of night that you forget at your peril. Attempt to wing it and you might well end up stuck at home with a glass of flat prosecco in front of Jools Holland’s Hootenanny, because all London's best clubs and parties book out weeks or months in advance.  But fear not, we're here to make sure you give 2025 a seriously good send-off. Here's our list of London best NYE bashes for ringing in 2026, from never-ending club nights to LGBTQ+- friendly celebrations. Assemble your crew, book your tickets, plan the perfect ‘fit and prepare to say a big fat goodbye to the year gone by. London’s best NYE parties at a glance 🎆 Best for views of the fireworks: New Year’s Eve at Sky Garden 🦖 Best for a one-of-a-kind party: NYE at the Natural History Museum 🍴 Best for midnight snacks: New Year's Eve at Aram, Somerset House  🏳️‍🌈  Best for LGBTQ+: Horse Meat Disco at Village Underground 🌟 Best for glitz and glamour: New Year's Eve at W London RECOMMENDED: Find things to do in London on New Year’s Day.

Let’s be honest, with all the pressure that gets put on New Year’s Eve, often it ends up as a disappointment. You’re lying if you say you haven’t spent at least one countdown with your head over a toilet after getting too razzed before midnight, or the night is spent jostling with what feels like everyone in London to get into an average club night. This year, spare yourself the pain and save the hardest partying for New Year’s Day instead.  New Year’s Day raves have taken off over the last few years. They tend to last longer than the events of the night before and there aren’t the same enormous NYE crowds to battle with. Of course, celebrations on Jan 1 needn’t be instead of NYE revelries – soldier through your hangover and combine the two to create one big 48-hour blowout.  The capital’s venues are ready to welcome you with open arms for the first rager of 2026, with all manner of day and night parties to check out. Because who says the fun needs to stop as soon as the countdown’s over? Here are London’s best New Year’s Day parties.   RECOMMENDED: Find New Year’s Eve parties in London.

If you’ll always carry a torch for your teenage celeb crush, then this one’s for you. From the internet’s impact on beauty trends to all things cute and cuddly, Somerset House has a history of delving into contemporary pop cultural trends with its exhibition programming, and it continues in a similar vein with its spring 2026 exhibition. In Holy Pop! Somerset House will explore the power of fandom and the world of modern shrines. Through art, memorabilia, letters, photographs, and interactive installations, the pay what you can exhibition will uncover the rituals of idolisation, showing how fandom shapes identity, values, and community. 

Get ready to scream, because the ‘rockstar of the English baroque’ – yep, you heard that right – is getting his own major exhibition in London this spring. Three hundred years after his death,  the OG ‘starchitect’ Sir John Vanbrugh will get a show dedicated to his iconic architecture at Sir John Soane’s museum. Vanbrugh brought England some of its most-admired country houses, including Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard, and is known for his dramatic use of light and shadow, recessions and projections. 

Henry Moore’s bulbous and undulating sculptures were designed to be seen outside and surrounded by nature. So we’re happy to say that Kew is displaying a huge collection of his works as they were intended at this mega exhibition. The world’s biggest ever exhibition of Moore will open at the botanical gardens, with 30 sculptures on show in the open air and more than 90 works including carvings and drawings displayed in the Shirley Sherwood Gallery. Several of his famous and iconic reclining figures will be on view, as well as more abstract and amorphous pieces like the massive bronze marvel ‘Large Two Forms’. 

This is huge, because the Bayeux Tapestry is going on display in Britain for the first time in 900 years. The 70-metre-long artwork is an intricately embroidered depiction of the 1066 Battle of Hastings, in which William the Conquerer took the English throne, and it’s coming to the British Museum. Although it’s believed to have been embroidered in Canterbury, the tapestry has resided in Bayeux, Normandy for the past nine centuries. Despite numerous attempts from Brits to borrow the masterpiece over the past century, it will finally be on show on British soil for the first time since it was made. 

The first major European exhibition of James McNeil Whistler’s work in 30 years arrives at Tate Britain in 2026. Known as a truly global aritst, The Victorian oil painter re-wrote many of the rules of art, and was an early adopter of ’art for art’s sake’. The retrospective brings together the artist’s world-famous paintings such as ‘Whistler’s Mother’ (Mr Bean fans will recognise this one, IYKYK) alongside rarely, or never seen, works. It includes exquisite portraits, drawings, prints, and designs, from as early as his teens in St Petersburg to the enigmatic late self-portraits.   

Groundbreaking Colombian artist Beatriz González gets her first solo UK show – and biggest ever European show – at the Barbican this spring. Famed for her vibrant, Pop Art-influenced depictions of Colombia during the decade-long civil war known as La Violenca and known in her native country as ‘la maestra’, González draws on found images to tell stories about power, grief, conflict, community and more. Featuring over 150 artworks made between the 1960s and the present day and spanning painting, sculpture, furniture and monumental printed curtains, this major will look at Gonzalez’s work not only from a Colombian and Latin American perspective, but a global one. 

Floating Points will be on the decks all night long at FOLD this NYE, warming up the club before its bumper 24-hour Unfold sesh on New Year’s Day. FP will dig into his deep collection to take clubbers on a sonic journey, playing everything from disco, to garage, to techno. Skip the Jools Holland and lose yourself in here instead. 

This one is not for the faint-hearted. The Cause is going all out for 2026, bringing in the new year with a massive 16-hour day into night party. They have assembled what can only be described as the Avengers of party starters for this shindig, with takeovers from Gottwood, Bugged Out!, Origins, picnic records and more. The bash will take place across at least seven dancefloors, with more maybe to be announced. Big headliners include Francesco Del Garda, Young Marco, Helena Hauff, Lukas Wigflex, Factory Floor, Spray and Special Request. Don’t forget to pack a Snickers. 

Since launching in 2019, Cross the Tracks has firmly made its name for itself as London’s go-to festival for funk, jazz, RnB and hip hop heads. Its groove-heavy curation leads to a laid-back and open-arms atmosphere, which means you’ll find all sorts of people of having a boogie at the one-dayer.  When is Cross the Tracks 2026? Cross the Tracks is taking place in its usual slot on Sunday May 24, in Brockwell Park. How much are tickets? Next year’s ticket prices haven’t been revealed yet, but in 2025 General Admission started at £54.50 + booking fee, while VIP tickets were from £89 + booking fee. What’s the Cross the Tracks 2026 line up? Little Simz is leading the line up for 2026, joined by the likes of Joy Crookes, KOKOROKO, Obongjayar, DON WEST and WAR.  Find more London music festivals here!

Two acclaimed choreographers who you might expect to work together – the remarkable ballet creator Crystal Pite alongside commercial dancer and Taylor Swift collaborator Kameron N Saunders – have come together to create Body and Soul with ENB, which recieves its UK and world premiere at Sadlers Wells. Pite’s Body and Soul (Part 1) explores bereavement, featuring two dancers in funereal black suits and white shirts. Meanwhile Saunders presents a new work in three parts that looks at the quest to find our authentic self under crushing societal scrutiny, inspired by his own experiences.

You can’t swing a pair of pointe shoes in London at Christmas without hitting a production of The Nutcracker. So it’s nice to see that there’s finally a new festive dance show on the block (one that isn’t by Matthew Bourne, anyway).  Hip hop honchos ZooNation are taking on the Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol, this winter. However, at the beginning we are told that writer/director/choreographer Dannielle ‘Rhimes’ Lecointe’s version is absolutely not going to be the tale you recognise, with Tiny Tim et al. Instead, the recorded opening narration explains that Ebony Scrooge is about a ruthless fashion mogul (there’s certainly a bit of Miranda Priestly in there), hellbent on completing her monochrome fashion show in time for Christmas Day. It’s also spelled out that this is a story of belonging and finding your roots, which is perhaps a bit unnecessary – we all know the moral of A Christmas Carol.  Ebony Scrooge offers up a fun and inventive cast of characters, and I’m sure people will have their favourites. There are the mischievous content editors Tren and Dee (see what they did there?) with iPhones in hand; Scrooge’s sweet niece Freddie, always dressed in pink; and the kind natured Bob who just wants to put colour in Scrooge’s strictly black and white designs, played by a wonderfully fluid Malachi Welch. Leah Hill is a fabulous Scrooge, vogueing onto the stage in a pair of sparkling killer platforms over a house beat. Marley (that’s Janet Marley in this version) is quite te

Are you looking for something fuzzy to warm your heart this Christmastime? Then boy does the National Theatre have the show for you.  Katy Rudd’s seamless production is adapted by playwright Kendall Feaver from the Noel Streatfeild children’s novel of the same name. It follows the story of the three Fossil sisters: Pauline (Nina Cassells), Petrova (Sienna Arif-Knights) and Posy (Scarlett Monahan) who are adopted by the eccentric explorer and palaeontologist Great Uncle Matthew, aka Gum (Justin Salinger). After Gum goes missing on one of his many, many expeditions, the girls are looked after by his steadfastly loyal niece Sylvia, aka Garnie (Anoushka Lucas) and the matronly Miss Guthridge, aka Nana, played by the charming Lesley Nicol with a drawling West Country accent.  Set in the 1930s, the five women live in a tumbledown house filled with fossils on the Cromwell Road in Chelsea, until they realise they are desperately running out of money and assemble a motley crew of lodgers to take up rooms. There’s the stern but kind-hearted English professor Doctor Jakes (Pandora Colin), glamorous dance teacher Theo Dane (Nadine Higgin), and the bumbling car repair man Jai Saran (Raj Bajaj). After being booted out of every state school in the area, the girls are enrolled in the Children's Academy of Dancing and Stage Training, where luckily Dane is the teacher. Here they discover their passions for acting, ballet and er… being a mechanic. The whole plot is basically implausible – espec

In huge news for London’s dog owners, commuters and flâneurs, for the first time ever it is now possible to walk along the north bank of the Thames from Westminster to the Tower of London without straying more than a few metres from the river. It’s all thanks to a brand new embankment. The box-fresh Bazalgette Embankment – named after the Victoria engineer who created the OG Embankment and sewer Sir Joseph Bazalgette – opened to the public on January 13 on a former ‘super sewer’ work site. The 1.5 acre site next to Blackfriars Bridge was was closed off for nine years during the Thames Tideway Tunnel project, which allowed the construction of the 25-kilometre crap overflow-collecting tunnel.  Photograph: Danny Loo / Tideway The area has been given a brand spanking new lease of life, now home to a new public space. Bazalgette Embankment is the largest single structure built into the River Thames in around 150 years and boasts walkways, viewpoints, seating, public art, pocket parks and 71 trees. It’s one of seven new riverside embankments created by the super sewer project.  The artwork along the embankment features five sculptures by Glasgow-based Nathan Coley and includes ‘Waterwall’, an 8.8-metre-high sculpture with a cascading water feature. Photograph: Danny Loo / Tideway The area is fully accessible, with ramps and a four-metre-wide footpath. It can also be reached by boat, with new lifts installed to the east of Blackfriars Bridge. Underneath the site below ground, ne

Sad news! A beloved book and art shop in Covent Garden is closing its doors forever this week after 26 years of trading. Magma on Shorts Gardens announced on social media that it would be shuttering for good on Friday, January 16.  The red-fronted shop is known for its curated selection analogue media, including books, indie magazines and prints, as well as selling things like games, gifts, jewellery and cards.  In an emotional farewell Instagram post, the shop said that ‘greed’ from their landlords had led to the decision to close the Covent Garden shop. The owners wrote: ‘We started Magma in this area 26 years ago, and our long-time landlords have decided that our time to leave has now come. In their words: “the current level where the market is at the moment, is not a level that could be sustained by Magma”.’ View this post on Instagram A post shared by Magma (@magma_books) ‘It is with very heavy hearts that we will be leaving this once vibrant, creative retail neighbourhood,’ the post added. ‘We are moving out of an area where almost every small, independent retail business has been pushed out, an area which was undoubtedly more interesting when we moved in and which is now almost identical to every other high street.’ Magma Covent Garden is having a closing down sale until its final day this week, with 40 percent off most items in the store. And don’t despair too much because this isn’t the total end of Magma – the shops’s kiosk in King’s Cr

If you live in London, or just spend time online, you’ve probably seen photos on Instagram of Sketch’s iconic egg-shaped loos, gold and yellow-hued interiors and art-decked walls. The legendary restaurant is synonymous with its classy yet quirky aesthetic. Now the arty eatery has undergone a new redesign, with fresh works on display by British artist Jonathan Baldock.  The Mayfair restaurant and gallery has revealed its new artworks, which were unveiled to the public yesterday (January 13). The restaurant has kept its sunshine yellow interiors designed by India Mahdavi that replaced Sketch’s millennial pink look in 2022, but has swapped out the artwork by Yinka Shonibare that previously hung on its walls. Previous artists to display at Sketch also include David Shrigley and Martin Creed.  Baldock’s creations for the restaurant comprise a selection of 84 colourful clay masks from Baldock’s ‘Maske’ series lining the walls, surreal sculptures of flowers that bloom into faces and bodies surrounding the bar, and huge wool cocoons suspended from the ceiling.  Photograph: Sketch Gallery Mourad Mazouz, Owner of Sketch, said: ‘I am pleased to unveil this next chapter of the Gallery, created with Jonathan. At sketch, I have always believed in championing British artists, giving them the space to experiment, provoke and inspire. This new evolution continues that spirit, and I could not be more excited to share it.’ Jonathan Baldock said: ‘I am grateful for the opportunity to exhibit m

A hyped new bakery has entered the chat.  Onsu, an Asian-inspired bake house and patisserie, opens its doors in Soho on January 15. The sweet treat haven at 55A Dean Street is fronted by chef Michael Kwan, a multi-title pastry champion and the former executive pastry chef of the Dorchester. Kwan’s career has also included stints at Ladurée, Hakkasan, and the three-Michelin-starred The Fat Duck. The new spot will combine Asian flavours with classical European style baking. Decadent menu highlights will include black truffle toast, wagyu beef curry buns, salted egg yolk mille feuille, and an oolong and milk chocolate tart. Onsu will also serve the viral minus 86C coffee, a trend that originated in Shanghai that sees a hot espresso poured into a glass that has been frozen at -86C, turning the coffee into a slushy-like consistency. It will also serve ube lattes, matcha and other coffees.  The bakery’s soft launch takes place from January 15 with a special offer of a tray for £4.90, which includes a bread, a pastry, and a coffee. The offer is limited to 500 trays per day, with one per person, while stocks last. The full menu will be available from January 18.  Onsu, 55A Dean St, W1D 6AG. The best bakeries in London, according to Time Out.  The 8 best new London restaurant openings in January 2026.  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 Ti

Some sad news: our January will not be brightened by Battersea Power Station’s annual winter Light Festival this year. The event is officially not returning as the London landmark turns its attention to other events in 2026.  The Grade II*-listed power station has hosted the free lights festival every year since 2020, with the event dating back to before the art deco building was re-opened as a shopping and cultural destination. Last year’s light installations included a massive spider made up of 80 smaller spiders, a mechanical cyborg and a gigantic, partially unravelled ball of yarn (pictured above).  The power station team said the light trail would not return so they could focus on bringing new events to the landmark instead, such as a pop-up planetarium that will open at the end of January. In February, a blockbuster exhibition on the Egyptians will arrive in Battersea; Ramses and the Pharaoh’s Gold finally opens at the power station after embarking on a five-year-long world tour.   A spokesperson for Battersea Power Station said: ‘After five successful years of hosting the Light Festival at Battersea Power Station, we have decided to evolve our events programme to deliver a variety of new and exciting visitor experiences, and therefore we will not be hosting the Light Festival in its previous format for 2026. ‘We are focused on bringing an exciting line-up of new events, cultural and art partnerships throughout the year and as part of this will be bringing back the larg

In what really is a huge deal, the Bayeux Tapestry is returning to the UK for the first time in almost a millennium this year. The event is such a big deal, in fact, that Time Out has named it as the number one thing to do in Britain in 2026.  The medieval masterpiece was last on English soil 900 years ago, when it was made. Most historians agree that the artwork was embroidered in Canterbury in Kent, despite it being named after the Normandy town where it has resided since its creation.  The 70-metre-long tapestry will be displayed in the British Museum from September 2026 until July 2027, with exact details of the exhibition and how to get tickets still to come.  Telling the story of the 1066 Battle of Hastings between the Normans and Anglo-Saxons, most famously the Bayeux Tapestry depicts the moment an arrow hit King Harold II right in the eye.  Photograph: Shutterstock Britain has tried to borrow the work three times in the past century – in 1931, 1953 and 1966 – but none of the requests were approved. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that Brits will finally be able to cast their eyes over what Nicholas Cullinan, the director of the British Museum, called ‘one of the most important and unique cultural artefacts in the world’. He added: ‘It is hard to overstate the significance of this extraordinary opportunity of displaying it at the British Museum and we are profoundly grateful to everyone involved. ‘This will be the first time the Bayeux tapestry has been in th

The UK is packed full of fabulous destinations worth visiting, but every year new openings and cultural events make some places more worth the trip others. That’s why Time Out has just revealed its annual list of the best places to visit in Britain in 2026 – and, excitingly, one of them is in London.  We named Strand in central London as one of Britain’s must-see destinations this year, ranking it in 11th place on the list. Why now? You might be thinking about this street that has literally been there since the Roman times. Well, as well as being one of the capital’s most ancient and historic streets, it’s also absolutely stacked with culture, restaurants, hotels and sites to see. And 2026 is looking to be an even more stellar year than most for the Strand.  In 2026, art and theatre fanatics will be able to get their fix at Somerset House, The Courtauld and the Strand’s several theatres. Things to look out for include exhibitions about marine ecosystems, music fandoms and edible earth at Somerset House; retrospectives on artists Barbara Hepworth, Salman Toor and Georges Seurat at the Courtauld; and of course, the production that won everybody’s hearts in 2025: Paddington the Musical at the Savoy Theatre, which is set to run all the way through to 2027. Photograph: Shutterstock Foodies will want to know about the relaunch of the legendary restaurant Simpson’s In the Strand, headed up by famed restauranteur Jeremy King and expected to open in February. Other eateries to try i

From towns filled with cosy pubs to luxurious spas and quaint countryside trails, there are tonnes of escape options for weary Londoners in need of a countryside fix during the colder months. Winter doesn’t all have to be about drinking zero percent beer, going to the gym and staying inside watching Traitors.  And if you’re feeling so over the London crowds this January, why not head to a bucolic village in the Cotswolds for a frosty day out? We have named it as one of the best day trips from the city for winter 2026, after all.  Time Out crowned Broadway in the Worcestershire as the seventh best day visit outside the capital this cold season. Often referred to as the ‘jewel of the Cotswolds’, this historic village has ample open space for strolling across frosty fields, as well as an abundance of honey-coloured cottages, sweet shopfronts, independent art galleries, country inns and rustic pubs to hunker down in with a hot toddy. For a day well spent, we suggest strolling up to the grand turrets of Broadway Tower and admiring the view or, if you’re feeling energetic, hike part of the idyllic Cotswolds Way from Broadway to pretty market town Chipping Campden.  Photograph: Ed Cunningham for Time Out Broadway can be reached in one hour 35 minutes by train from London Paddington to Moreton-in-Marsh then bus to Broadway, or in around two hours by car. For more pastoral day trips out of the capital this winter, here’s our guide to the best things to do in the Cotswolds. Plus, rea

Here’s something we didn’t have on our bingo card for 2026: TfL will be giving out free beers on the Bakerloo line this January. The catch? It’s alcohol-free, and all part of a temporary Bakerloo rebrand which will see TfL promoting Heineken 0.0.  For two weeks this January, the Bakerloo line will become the Bakerl0.0, as part of TfL’s partnership with the alcohol-free beer brand. The transport bosses will be making an exception to the ‘no boozing on the tube’ rule thats been in place since 2008 so long as you are sipping on a can of TfL-approved Heineken 0.0. So don’t take this as an excuse to start chugging BuzzBallz on the Central line.  This is a brand-new kind of advertising campaign seen on TfL, with the transport authority using branded roundels for the first time. As well as the Bakerloo’s temporary name change, travellers will see the use of ‘Oxf0.0rd Circus’ and ‘Waterl0.0’ on Underground signage throughout the period of the brand activation.  Photograph: TfL The travel honchos also hope that by giving out drinks they will encourage busy commuters to stop for a chin-wag with a stranger, instead of doing the usually thing of whacking on a pair of noise-cancelling headphones and wilfully ignoring one another. This comes after a study that found that 63 percent of Londoners said they would be ‘very unlikely’ to start a conversation on the Underground, with 16 percent of people saying they’ve faked sleeping to avoid chatting, while 14 percent have worn sunglasses, and

One thing we wish we could have left behind in 2025? London’s extortionate house prices. But, unfortunately, as we enter the new year buying a house in the capital remains a pipe dream to many. So, here’s a bit of bleak news to kick start your 2026: how much you need to earn to afford a house in every London borough, including a full list at the end.   New data from Zoopla – reported in Metro – has revealed the average salary needed to afford the price of the average house in each borough in the capital. The salaries were calculated assuming the buyer would save a deposit that was 20 percent of the property value, plus a mortgage loan amounting to 4.5 times the buyer’s household earnings.  Not surprisingly, London’s priciest borough for buying a house was Kensington and Chelsea, where the average house according to Zoopla costs an eye-watering £1.12 million. To afford a 20 percent deposit and then to pay the mortgage you would need to be on a salary of £199,300 or higher.  Westminster wasn’t much cheaper, with the average house costing £936,900 and requiring a salary of at least £166,600. In Camden you’d need to be able to cough up £764,600 for your abode, meaning you would have to earn £135,900.  The cheapest borough was Barking and Dagenham, where the average house cost a much more modest (compared to Chelsea, at least) £335,500. In B&D you’d need to be on a salary of £59,600, which is still much higher than the UK average salary of £37,430, according to the Office for Nati

There’s nothing quite like a good bookshop. That delicious new book smell, shelves stacked with endless beautiful covers and spines, and the lingering possibility that you just might bump into a bumbling Hugh Grant (we can dream). And even better if it’s a pretty location. So, we have some good news for bibliophiles and hopeful romantics – a new book shop and café has opened right next to Hampstead Heath, and it looks ever so charming.  Funny Weather, a bookshop and café, has opened its doors at 31 Grove Terrace in NW5. The yellow-painted store opened just before Christmas on December 22 2025. Inside, it’s stocked with a range of fiction, non-fiction, contemporary and classic books. There are also reading nooks and places to sit with a coffee, or to work. Funny Weather also serves barista coffee and pastries, making it the perfect place to spend a few hours with your nose in a novel.  Photograph: Funny Weather In other London literary news, one London bookshop was named one of the best in the world in December 2025. The independent seller Donlon Books in London fields was crowned as one of Cultured magazine’s top bookshops on the planet. Founded in 2008, the Broadway Market store is known for its idiosyncratic selection of books and magazines covering counterculture, art, photography, music and fashion, many of which are rare and sourced directly from indie publishers and individual creators.  And if that isn’t enough inspiration to get you to pick up a book in 2026, here’s

Developments in London don’t seem to be slowing down in 2026. As well as new museums, hotels and music venues, the city is tipped to get a number of spanking fresh neighbourhoods in the future too. All four corners of the have new homes, town centres and facilities in their future pipelines. For north London, the final plans to complete the Woodberry Down development were approved in 2025.  In September Hackney Council gave the green light to the final phases of the Woodberry Down regeneration masterplan. This has been a long time in the making, as the Woodberry Down regeneration officially began 20 years ago. Developers Berkeley Homes have now been given the go-ahead to complete the final stages, officially known as phases 5-8.  Berkeley sought permission to build up to a 3,083 new homes in the area across the four phases, of which the developer said 43 percent would be affordable. Originally built as a 100 percent social housing estate in 1949, the final stages of the development plan want to see the demolition of 692 social rent units, which will be replaced with 583 new social units. The plans also include 950 square-metres of space for local community use.  RECOMMENDED: All the major developments that will transform London in 2026. Some concerns about the plans were expressed by the Woodberry Down Community Organisation (WDCO), with locals particularly worried about the reduction in social homes, and the potential loss of biodiversity in the area.  Once all the new homes