India Lawrence

It’s October, which means that things are ramping up on the stage in the run up to the festive season.  It’s looking like an exciting month for ballet and contemporary fans. Dance Umbrella, a huge and varied annual festival of contemporary dance, taking place across the city with performances, workshops and events, returns to the capital this month with groundbreaking artists from around the world. Plus Christopher Wheeldon’s take on the magical realist Mexican novel Like Water for Chocolate is revived for the first time. Meanwhile, English National Ballet is paying homage to the pioneers of modern dance with an exciting quadruple bill.  Here we’ve rounded up the best dance in London this October.  India is in charge of dance listings at Time Out. She was first shoved into a leotard and ballet shoes aged four, and has loved it ever since. Nowadays India prefers contemporary (or dancing in a sweaty club) to ballet, but still has a soft spot for the odd grand jeté every now and again. India 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

We know that London is the best city in the world. But like any metropolis, it can also get a bit much sometimes. Occasionally, what you want isn’t to drink cocktails in a trendy bar after seeing the hottest Gen Z bedroom popstar at the Islington Assembly Hall, but a little peace and quiet, actually. Enter: the weekend getaway, invented by the Victorians (probably), there’s a reason why Londoners have been taking sojourns to the seaside on sunny bank holidays since the 1800s.  Together, we’ve come up with a cracking list of our favourite day trip destinations near London. There’s something for everyone here, from historic cities and cute villages to sandy beaches and rolling countryside. We've included some recommendations for ace restaurants, quaint little pubs, and our favourite things to do at each destination on the list – all of which are close enough to the city that you can get there and back in one sweet day.  Best day trips from London at a glance 🍔 Best for foodies: Margate 🎭 Best for culture lovers: Stratford-Upon-Avon ⛪ Best for history buffs: Canterbury 🛁 Best for families: Bath 🐴 Best for hikers: New Forest 🍺 Best for pub crawls: Lewes 🏖️ Best for seaside fun: Brighton RECOMMENDED:✨The best day trips an hour from London👪 The best family day trips from London☀️ The best weekend trips from London🏘️ The best Airbnbs near London🌳 The best quirky Airbnbs in the UK This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial conte

We know that Londoners love to dress in hiking gear: you can’t move in east London without rubbing shoulders with a sentient Arc’teryx jacket, or stomping on a pair of fresh Salomon trainers. But how much of it has ever actually seen a muddy trail? Take your most practical clothes on a trek to remember by going on a big walk, followed by a relaxing sesh in a traditional pub that definitely won't do small plates. Yep, there are plenty of pretty walking routes in London. But there's a lot to be said for escaping the hustle, bustle and ubiquitous Lime bikes by heading out into the true countryside. There are so many stunning bits of scenery to explore, just a short train, car or bus ride from the Big Smoke.  From a bluebell-laden amble through Epping Forest, to a bracing walk along the Seven Sisters cliffs, there’s loads to choose from. So pop on your XT6s and head to one of these wonderful hikes near London. Best walks near London at a glance Best for serious hikers: The Seven Sisters and the Eastern Downs Best for kids: Epping Forest’s Oak Trail Best for easy ambling: The Kentish Coast  Best for picnic spots: Chess Valley in the Chilterns Best for wildlife spotting: Goring Gap and the Thames Path RECOMMENDED: The best walks in and around LondonThe best forests in London for woodland walksThe prettiest walks in London

As the nights turn darker and the air feels cooler, it can only mean one thing: spooky season is upon us. The pumpkins are carved, the costume is finalised, and there’s only one thing left to sort out… a Halloween playlist that goes hard enough to have the afterlife dancing along too. When it comes to Halloween anthems, there are some stone cold classics that have soundtracked the spooky season for decades – we’re looking at you, ‘Thriller’ and ‘Ghostbusters’. But in recent years a new generation of pop ghouls have served up anthems befitting of All Hallows’ Eve. From Olivia Rodrigo’s ex-boyfriend bleeding her dry, to the bewitching melodies of Mother Monster, via the smooth tones of some immaculately styled K-Pop demons. Ironically, Halloween playlists have never felt more alive. Our favourite Halloween songs 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

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. 

Christmas is on the horizon, and even if you’re not a ballet fanatic, there’s no better time than the festive season to watch 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 this in mind, it might be time to start thinking about booking one of London’s fantastic Christmas dance productions. The 2025 season has all the classics in store: there are a whopping three versions of The Nutcracker to choose from; Matthew Bourne will take up his usual winter residence at Sadler’s Wells, this year with the smash-hit The Red Shoes; and the great-for-kids The Snowman will return to the Peacock Theatre. For the tights-and-tutu-averse, there’s a hip hop retelling of A Christmas Carol on at Sadler’s Wells East.  So, read on to discover the best London Christmas dance shows 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.

It’s sometimes easy to forget that London is home to world-leading nightlife. Sure, we have cracking pubs on every corner, amazing restaurants and a buzzy bar scene, but often what you really need is a full-on dance: I’m talking smoke, strobe lights and an absolute stomper of a sound system. I promise you, it’s good for the soul. Since I moved to London, I’ve been making my way around the city’s many dancefloors, and I like to think that by now I know a thing or two about what separates an average club from a venue which will have you itching to come back week after week. From Sunday day raves at FOLD to secret line-ups at Venue MOT and no-nonsense pop nights at Moth Club, we are home to some absolutely banging nights out in this city. You just need to know where to look. That said, the best thing about going out in London is the sheer variety on offer. You can go to a huge daytime party at Drumsheds with international superstar DJs then head to an underground warehouse party in the Docklands the very same weekend. You can try your best to master Northern Soul footwork, sing your heart out to some serious cheese or dance the night away at one of the capital’s many LGBTQ+ institutions. Want a big night out? Not sure where to go? We’ve got you. Our list features clubs in central London, east London, west London, north London and in south London, and all of them have been selected for their quality of programming, sound system and straight-up vibes. These are the best nightclubs

As Christmas approaches, London’s big, beautiful arts centre along the Thames turns into a festive wonderland. Soon, 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. It's also likely we'll see the return of pop-up tycoon Jimmy Garcia’s cosy winter lodge, where you can sip on decadent hot chocolates, toast marshmallows around the fire pit and gorge on unlimited raclette. Competitive souls can also 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. No matter what you decide to go to, stick around till sundown so you can walk along the South Bank after dark. It’s guaranteed to give you all the festive feels.  What is Winter at Southbank Centre 2025?  Winter celebrations at Southbank Centre include Yuletide markets, plenty of street food,  dazzling lights, family workshops and a packed programme of Christmas shows.  When is Winter at Southbank Centre 2025? The dates of this year's Southbank Centre’s Winter Festival are yet to be confirmed, but it typicall

Breakfast is 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, 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.  September 2025: Our latest update includes everything from udon noodle bowls and South Indian platters to Hong Kong toasted buns, as well as morning mezze and classic croissants. Of course, it wouldn't be a list of the best breakfasts in London without an appearance from Dishoom's bacon naan, so that's here too, as is old school East End hangout E Pellicci - one of the best classic caffs in London.  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.

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.

London music festivals have made plenty of headlines this year, with the future of some of the city’s most popular events looking a little uncertain at present. Nevertheless, Londoners are still exceptionally lucky to have an abundance of day-long musical extravanganzas to choose from. We Londoners love live music, so it’s no surprise that we’re absolutely spoilt for choice when summer rolls around. 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.  We are right in the thick of festival season right now, which means you’ve either been to one of the early summer events already or you’ve secured tickets and started planning your outfit for something coming up in the next few weeks. If not, there’s still time to plan a fabulous weekend of dancing, drinking and mild sunstroke before the summer is out, with up-coming festivals devoted to hip-hop, jazz, leftfield electronic music, disco, afrobeats, heavy rock ‘n’ roll...the list goes on. Take it from us, whatever your taste may be, London has a day festival for you! 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

Summer is officially here, and the current 30C heatwave has us excited about sweating it out on the streets of west London with Red Stripe pulsing through our veins, because Notting Hill Carnival is just around the corner. As you gear up for one of the capital’s most fun weekends of the year, it’s understandable if you might want to do a little more prep than simply stocking up on Red Stripe and paint powder.  Carnival is an incredible knees-up, but with all its sounds, sights and crowds, it can get a little overwhelming. An estimated 2.5 million punters head to west London for the celebration, so it’s totally normal that you might get turned around, lost or just need a handy reminder of where you're going after several rounds of Wray & Ting.  Never fear! We’ve created the interactive map below, soundsystems and all, to help you navigate your way around the famous west London parade. Check it out.  What is the schedule for Notting Hill Carnival 2025? Notting Hill Carnival 2025 starts on Sunday, August 24 and continues on Bank Holiday Monday, August 25.  What is the Notting Hill Carnival 2025 parade route?  NHC likes to keep attendees on their toes and is famous for releasing all the details, including stage headliners, at the last minute. In that ilk, the official route map for 2025 hasn’t been revealed yet. However, it’s pretty similar every year so we have a good idea of what it will look like.  Sunday is the day of the children’s parade and the adult’s parade takes place o

To the layperson, high-fashion shows can be a source of confusion. Why would anyone spend thousands on a dress constructed entirely of razor blades, or a pair of decrepit shoes that have been deliberately sullied or even torched? Well, because sometimes creating unwearable garments is actually the point, thank you very much. And that’s exactly what the Barbican’s latest fashion exhibition illustrates.  From the controversial £1,400 Balenciaga destroyed trainers, to Jordanluca’s pee-soaked jeans, and dresses that have been pulled out of bogs, Dirty Looks peers at the muckier side of fashion design. Don’t expect immaculate gowns displayed solemnly in glass cases. This isn’t a historical look at haute couture, or a glossy advert for a fashion house concealed inside a gallery show. The exhibition, featuring more than 120 garments from designers including Maison Margiela, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood and Issey Miyake, takes a clever thematic approach to the philosophy of dirt within fashion, showing how ideas around industrialisation, colonisation, the body, and waste, can be illustrated on the runway.  One particularly icky room is dedicated to bodily fluids, showing artificially sweat and period-stained garb, others to food stains, pieces made with rubbish and to trompe l’oeil faux-grimy clothing.Stand-out pieces include a torn and muddy lace dress from Alexander McQueen’s controversial ‘Highland Rape’ collection, a creepy Miss Havisham-esque Comme des Garçons anti-weddi

You could say that Marie Antoinette was the original celebrity. The last Queen of France worked with personal stylists, had her barnet done by celebrity hairdressers, and set the agenda for the fashion of the day. She had her own personal brand – an elegant ‘MA’ monogram – which she plastered all over her jewellery, furniture, belongings, and even most intimate toiletries. Like many celebs today, the queen’s dodgy reputation, founded on obscene rumours of debauchery, promiscuity and gorging on cake, was created by tabloid sensationalism. So it’s only fitting that a comprehensive exhibition dedicated to the style of the world’s most fashionable and infamous monarch should be just as fabulous, bold, sparkly and, at times, salacious. Featuring 250 objects, including loans from Versailles that have never been exhibited outside of France before now, Marie Antoinette Style takes visitors on a journey through the ill-fated queen’s forward-thinking wardrobe, dizzyingly elaborate jewellery, lavish interiors, huge hairstyles and enduring influence on fashion and art today. Alongside the myriad guffaw-inducing riches on display (a replica of the most expensive necklace ever made in France is particularly astonishing), mysteries surrounding the queen are confidently dispelled. Did she really say, ‘Let them eat cake’? (No.) Was the coupette glass actually modelled on her breast? (No, but a very realistic porcelain ‘breast bowl’ commissioned by Antoinette is on display.) What appears is a

What is it? The V&A East Storehouse is perhaps London’s best new museum, found in Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Inside, you will find rows and rows of steel shelves, filled with treasures that make up the V&A’s vast archive, that is now on display for all the see.  Purpose-built to house more than 1,000 archives from the museum’s collection, comprising more than 250,000 objects and 350,000 books, the storehouse promises to offer a peek behind the scenes to show how a working museum goes about cataloguing artefacts, from vintage footie kits and Glastonbury festival ephemera to a collection of samurai swords.  It is a ‘working museum’, meaning it doesn’t have permanent displays (it doesn’t really have proper displays at all, just shelves), and every one of its objects is free to be moved around by the people at work behind the scenes at any time. Why go? This is a genuinely radical new museum offering, and it could just change the way we think about viewing artefacts forever. There are no lengthy gallery texts, instead just library-like barcodes and the odd QR code, meaning it’s all down to your own interpretation. The randomness is part of the fun, and the objects get to speak for themselves.  What’s the deal with the David Bowie Centre? The David Bowie Centre, which opened in 2025, is a massive archive of more than 90,000 objects related to the music icon. It’s free but you need to book. In it there’s a small but high quality exhibition made up on objects from t

Everybody loves David Hockney. So it’s good news, because more colourful works from the fellow who can’t seem to stop making art will be going on display in London in 2026, this time at the Serpentine North, as the gallery welcomes its first ever Hockney exhibition. Featuring many of his iPad drawings created during lockdown, number of the artist’s recent works will be show, including ‘Moon Room’ which reflects his lifelong interest in the cycle of light and time passing, and ‘A Year in Normandy’, a ninety-metre-long frieze, inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry, showing the change of seasons at the artist’s former studio in Normandy.   

The radical work of Indian artist Mrinalini Mukherjee – known for her fantastical and overtly sexual sculptures made from woven fibres – is at the centre of the upcoming RA exhibtion that spans a century of South Asian art. Telling the story of Indian Modernism, more than 100 works comprising sculpture, painting, drawing, textiles, ceramics and printmaking, from a constellation of avant-garde artists, many whom were Mukherjee’s mentors, friends and family, will be on display. 

This new show by mixed media artist Tanoa Sasraku will examine the seductive and destructive nature of oil, and its ties to war and national identity. Through found objects, sculpture, works on paper, and textiles, Sasraku’s stark artworks – which include corporate paper weights infused with crude oil, and drawings of military symbols on paper that will gradually fade away – use emblems and mementos to shine a damning light on the oil industry.   

Vistors will be plunged into Candice Lin’s ghoulish, red hued world at Whitechapel Gallery this October, as the artist’s new commission inspired by the politcal and cultural upheaval in the USA goes on display. Created in Los Angeles during the the inauguration of Donald Trump’s second presidency, and the LA wildfires, Lin’s hellish and labrythine landscapes – where small creatures stand beneath towering monoliths, and human cadavers emerge from behind shrubberies – evoke the shock, grief and helplessness many Americans feel today in the face of genocide, police brutality and a climate catastrophe. 

Since the early ’80s, British artist Joy Gregory has been a pioneer in contemporary photography. Now, after four decades of work exploring identity, history, race, gender and societal ideals of beauty, her first major show arrives at Whitechapel Gallery. The landmark exhibition will bring together more than 250 works encompassing photography, film, installation and textiles, all of which showcase and celebrate Gregory’s inventive, culturally resonant and materially rich practice.  

The Curve gallery will be transformed with a kinetic light sculpture by Northern American video artist Lucy Raven. Ispired by rotating objects that use centrifugal force, Raven’s sculpture spins an electronic arm, sweeping light around an aluminium and concrete enclosure. Also on show will be her film Murderers Bar, which is the final part of her series The Drumfire. Through four moving images, Raven captures the the biggest dam removal and river restoration project in US history. A landscape in flux, videos show how the dam, the immense reservoir behind it, and the river now coursing through both, are transformed. Both works are a meditation on the cyclical violence, and unrelenting force, that were used in the formation of the Western United States.   

If you’ve seen a ballet at the Royal Opera House, there’s a high chance you will be familiar with the work of Wayne McGregor. The ROH’s resident choreographer since 2006, the dance polymath brought a sleeker, more minimal and modern style of ballet, rooted in contemporary, to the Covent Garden stage. He has worked with numerous companies, including his own Studio Wayne McGregor, and even choreographed ABBA Voyage. Now Somerset House is staging a huge exhibition dedicated to McGregor’s three-decade-long repertoire, which includes ballets inspired by Virginia Woolf, Margaret Attwood, and 1980s sci-fi. Through a series of multi-sensory choreographic installations, performances and experiments, Infinite Bodies will explore how technology is used in dance choreography, music, and lighting, with works that incorporate motion capture, machine learning, AI interactivity, and digital imaging, alongside hybrid realities and robotics. 

‘It’s Ibiza lite,’ says my trip guide about Amàre Beach Hotel Ibiza, as we whizz through the island’s lush hillsides in a taxi on our way to the hotel.  What she means is this: at the four-star resort Amàre you can be either a beachy hippy or a club rat (the dichotomy of ‘beefa, basically) – or for the most fulfilling stay, try a bit of both. So whether you’re going down the route of balearic poolside beats fuelled by unlimited breakfast mimosas, or rooftop yoga, heavenly massages, and serene swims, at Amàre you get to choose your own adventure, Ibiza style.  Why stay at Amàre Beach Hotel Ibiza? To put it simply, Amàre Ibiza is a non-pretetious place to kick back, lounge by the pool and enjoy the Island’s nighttime delights. It’s in a good location for getting to both the nightclubs and the more tranquil beaches, but there’s enough going on inside the resort that you could happily stay there for a week without leaving.  If luxe exclusivity is your motive, Amàre also gives guests the option to book access to ‘The One’, a VIP lounge offering unlimited free snacks and drinks all day long, and a private seafront terrace, as well as a 10 percent discount on the minibar and wellness treatments.  This adults-only resort did have quite a few hen parties (where in Ibiza doesn’t?) but it was nothing imposing, and it was quite fun playing ‘spot the bride’ when gaggles of women would arrive at reception in matching sparkly outfits.  What are the rooms like at Amàre Beach Hotel Ibiza? Bri

‘Instagram face’, CGI influencers and AI sex dolls are all going under the microscope in the new Somerset House exhibition, Virtual Beauty.   Through more than 20 works, this pay-what-you-feel show explores the impact of digital technologies on how we define beauty today. The exhibition traces the origin of the digital selfie from the first flip phone with a front-facing camera, to today’s minefield of deepfake pornography, augmented reality face filters and Instagram algorithms. It’s primarily concerned with the ‘Post-Internet’ art movement, a 21st-century body of work and criticism that examines the influence of the internet on art and culture. In the first room, we encounter early artworks that comment on society’s gruelling beauty standards, like ORLAN’s disturbing 1993 performance that saw her going under the knife live on camera, and taking recommendations by audience members over the phone. Famous celeb selfies like Ellen DeGeneres’ A-lister packed Oscars snap are shown on a grainy phone screen, then we’re taken on a whistlestop tour of digital artworks, each one providing some sort of comment on beauty, society and the online world.   There’s a lot in Virtual Beauty that is pretty on the nose. We are shown a Black Mirror-style satirical advert for a pharmaceutical company called ‘You’, that offers people the chance to alter their appearance without plastic surgery – simply have a chip inserted into your brain, and the technology makes you appear different, essentially

Do you enjoy the finer things in life? Perhaps you only drink wine from Bordeaux, wear exclusively cashmere jumpers, or do the weekly shop at the Ritz of supermarkets, Waitrose.  If this is you, you’re going to want to hear about this. Five Waitrose shops in London are getting a grand makeover, with new bakeries, refrigerators and improved checkouts.  Waitrose outposts in Marylebone, Clerkenwell, Coulsdon, Crouch End and Old Brompton Road have all either already had a glow-up or will undergo one in the near future.  Shops in Marylebone and Clerkenwell have already revealed their facelifts. Both stores now boast a new look bakery, improved fruit and veg sections, a new selection of John Lewis gifts, new fridges for improved energy efficiency plus self service as well as staffed checkouts. Waitrose Marylebone shoppers have also been treated to enhanced meat and fish counters as well as an entire counter dedicated to dry aged beef and an updated wine selection, including chilled white wine and champagne. La di da.  According to Waitrose, bestsellers in the new-and-improved shops include smoked salmon, speciality blueberries, all butter croissants, and Clarence Court Burford Brown eggs.  The makeovers of Waitrose and Little Waitrose stores in Coulsdon, Crouch End and Old Brompton Road are expected to be complete by the end of the year, with the supermarket promising to upgrade even more shops in the capital in 2026. This news comes as Waitrose has just opened a new convenience st

Do you know your glazed doughnut skin from your morning shed? Are you an expert in the difference between using cream vs powder blusher? Would you do anything to get your hands on a tub of Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream? If so, we’ve got good news for you. Listen up beauty addicts, because Selfridges has opened its second-biggest beauty hall in Britain, and it’s not in London. The department store has opened part of its brand-new Birmingham beauty hall, which upon full completion will span 30,000 square feet, making it the UK’s biggest beauty hall outside of the capital. Home to more than 160 beauty brands – including Charlotte Tilbury, Fenty Beauty, Kylie Cosmetics and Pat McGrath – the hall has assembled a crack team of more than 300 experts who will be on hand to help you with all your cosmetics needs. Plus, the new shopping destination is home to the UK’s first IRL counter for the skincare brand beloved by Gen Z, Sol de Janeiro.  The space is split into the Beauty Workshop and the Beauty Hall. The former, open now, is home to skin and body, colour and hair products, with a focus on platforming new and experimental brands, including a range of Korean skincare. The latter – which won’t be complete until November – will be home to the perfume section, stocking brands including Loewe, Le Labo, Maison Françis Kurkdjian.  On offer inside the beauty megalopolis will also be a place to get your nails done, lymphatic drainage massages and a Beauty Concierge, where customer

Before Labour was elected back in 2024, one of the party’s big manifesto pledges was to renationalise Britain’s railways. Keir Starmer and co promised to bring all of England’s major railway lines back into public ownership by 2027, and we are starting to see this come into effect.  A few of England’s train companies have already been brought into public ownership, as their private contracts with the Department for Transport expired. Going forward, the government has pledged to renationalise one line roughly every three months over the next couple of years.  Here’s everything we know about the renationalisation of the railways so far.  Which train companies have already been nationalised? Here is a list of nationalised train companies and the date they were renationalised: South Western Railway (SWR), May 25 2025 c2c, July 20 2025 Already in the public sector: LNER Northern Southeastern TransPennine Express ScotRail Transport for Wales Rail When will the rest of the British rail companies be nationalised? These are the companies that will be nationalised by the end of 2026, and the dates that have been confirmed so far: Greater Anglia, October 12 2025 West Midlands Trains (includes West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway), February 1 2026 Govia Thameslink Railway (includes Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink), May 31 2026 Chiltern Railways, TBC Great Western Railways, TBC Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry and East Midlands Railway will r

If you’re confused about which London university is the best, you wouldn’t be the first person. The Big Smoke has got a lot of unis (some better than others), and there are a tonne of different rankings telling us which is number one.  A new ranking of Britain’s universities has just been unveiled by the Sunday Times. The newspaper listed 130 of the UK’s unis from best to worst in its 2026 University Guide, ranking them on teaching quality, student experience, research quality, graduate prospects, entry standards and more, giving them an overall score out of 1,000.  According to the Times, the UK’s top university is in London. Coming in first place for the country and the capital was the London School of Economics (LSE). LSE retained it’s top spot from 2025, scoring 1,000 overall. It scored particularly well for its continuation rate and graduate prospects. ‘LSE has pulled further ahead of the pack this year, securing its lead with soaring levels of satisfaction among undergraduates,’ the paper wrote. ‘LSE is also boosted by its stellar record on helping graduates launch straight into professional careers.’  In the London ranking, LSE was followed by Imperial College and University College London (UCL) in second and third, respectively. You can read more about LSE’s triumph here. At the bottom of the pack was the University of Roehampton and London Metropolitan University, which were ranked as the joint worst universities in London, and came in joint 124th place out of 130.  

Brits are proud of their fish and chips. They’re so proud that every year the National Fish and Chip Awards crowns the best chippies across a whopping 14 different categories.  Now, the annual awards has revealed the 2026 shortlist for the best fish and chip restaurants in the UK. Ten outlets were included on the shortlist, including joints in Bristol, Devon, Yorkshire, and two from London. The judges selected the restos based not only on the quality of their food, but their customer service and ‘passion for the sector’.  Representing the capital was Golden Union in Soho and The Seashell of Lisson Grove in Marylebone, both of which feature in Time Out’s list of the best fish and chip restaurants in London. Golden Union has been open on Poland Street since 2008, and is known for serving up fish and chip butties and homemade sauces, alongside the traditional fish and chips. Golden Union also serves a range of plant-based fish alternatives, including battered ‘prawns’ and battered ‘sausage’.  The Seashell opened as a small fish bar on Lisson Grove more than 60 years ago, after the First World War. It’s now something of a legend, with its gold art deco interiors and giant statues of octopus and fish inside. The Seashell is also a celebrity haunt, with the likes of Dua Lipa, Lady Gaga and Denzel Washington eating there over the years, and it The shortlisted restaurants will be judged again, with the the overall winner to be crowned on February 15 2026 at an awards ceremony in Lond

It’s sad news for the clubbers of London. The legendary Corsica Studios, which has been operating in Elephant and Castle for 23 years, will close in 2026.  However, it’s not all bad, because the venue plans to re-open in the future with a new, refurbished space.  Founded in 2002, the 500-capacity no-frills sweatbox has long been a stalwart of London’s underground music scene. Over the years it has hosted many legends behind the decks, from Helena Hauff, Nina Kraviz and Bicep, to Daniel Avery, Four Tet and even Björk.  In a statement shared with Time Out, the club confirmed it will close at the end of March 2026, with the aim of reopening at a later date with a refurbished, sound-proofed venue. It will also have a ‘solid, long-term lease and a range of legal measures that will give the venue protection from any potential noise complaints from surrounding neighbours’.  The nightclub denied rumours that it was closing due to noise complaints from neighbours in new developments nearby.  ‘As Southwark Council will attest, we are a well-run, considerate venue operator and we are not on the receiving end of any noise complaints from local residents. We are also not being forced out by the developers or the council – we are in fact engaged in constructive dialogue with both parties about any potential future,’ the statement said.  It added: ‘It's no secret that operating a late-night venue such as ours has become increasingly difficult – especially in the midst of a huge new developm

In July, developers revealed plans to build a brand-new sky garden at 130 Fenchurch Street in the Square Mile. Now, the plans for the new 31-storey tower have officially been given the go-ahead. The new glass and steel building will take over the site of Fountain House, a derelict post-war office block that was one of the first towers to be built in the Square Mile after the Blitz. Earlier this week the City of London Corporation’s planning committee approved the plans unanimously. Designed by WilkinsonEyre architects, the new skyscraper will comprise 58,000 square metres of office space and 371 square metres of public space on its ground floor, including shopping and food and drink outlets, as well as a new pedestrian route between Cullum Street and Fen Court. As for the sky garden, the developers plan to build a double-height external garden terrace on the 17th floor. Currently, 130 Fenchurch Street is home to Seed130, a temporary gallery and cultural space that will be used for exhibitions and other displays while the building is still vacant.  The building will be designed to resemble a crown at its top, with distinct glass panels. Here are a few more renders of the designs. Image: Wilkinson Eyre Image: Wilkinson Eyre Image: Wilkinson Eyre Tom Sleigh, chairman of the City of London Corporation Planning and Transportation Committee, said: ‘130 Fenchurch captures our ambition to unlock growth: a striking new workplace in the heart of the City, with routes and views t

It’s the cult friend chicken chain beloved by Drake. Dave’s Hot Chicken launched in the UK in December 2024, with its first store in central London seeing queues around the block. Now the fried poultry mecca is expanding across Britain, with plans to open a whopping 57 new locations in Blighty.  Since arriving in London the chicken shop has expanded to Birmingham and Manchester, but now has unveiled grand plans to conquer even more of Europe.  RECOMMENDED: I went to Dave’s Hot Chicken with epic queues and a security guard – but was it any good? Dave's Hot Chicken has partnered with Azzurri Group (the company behind ASK, Zizzi, and Coco di Mama) to open 180 restaurants across the continent, including in Portugal, Spain, and Germany. Azzuri’s chief executive Steve Holmes called Dave’s ‘a once-in-a-generation brand’, set for huge success.  So where will the new British outposts be? Here’s everything we know about the expansion plans of Dave’s Hot Chicken in the UK.  Where is Dave’s Hot Chicken opening and when? The exact locations of all the new Dave’s Hot Chicken shops have yet to be confirmed. We do know that the brand will open soon at Westfield White City, while another opening is planned for Stevenage this week. Here are those opening dates: Stevenage Leisure Park, October 3 Westfield White City (London), October 24 In the meantime, you can chow down on the viral tenders and sliders at the brand’s West End store. But be warned, fans have been known to queue for up to fou

East London foodies, Lime bike enthusiasts and Good Squish scrunchie coveters, listen up. Mare Street Market is to undergo a big relaunch, and it’s being fronted by chef and columnist Gizzi Erskine.  Mare Street Market (MSM), on the corner of London Fields, was founded by Marc Francis-Baum in 2018. It launched an outpost in Kings Cross’s Coal Drops’ Yard in 2023. Erskine will now return to MSM as Chef Creative Director across both markets, bringing the indoor dining and shopping destinations a new food offering.  Erskine is known for her restaurants and ventures The Nitery at St Martins Lane Hotel, Filth Foods and Giz‘n’Greens, a pizza restaurant she owned with Professor Green.  Under Erskine’s new leadership, MSM will introduce produce-led French-Americana brasseries to the dining halls, alongside deep-filled focaccia sandwiches and ‘bold salads’ at the delicatessen. It will also later launch an ‘all-new health concept’. Keep your eyes peeled, because a series of pop-ups and guest residencies are also on the horizon for the markets. ‘Mare Street Market is my home. It has my DNA in the walls, and it feels natural to come back,’ Erskine said. ‘Marc and I have always been connected in its vision, and I look forward to being part of reestablishing Mare Street Market Hackney and Mare Street Market King’s Cross as some of the most important food and cultural spaces in London.’ The popular US taco brand that is opening its first restaurant in London.  Hyped bakery Forno is opening

Chef Tom Brown has had a big few years. After the huge success of his Michelin-starred Hackney seafood restaurant Cornerstone (which shuttered for good in 2024), the kitchen maestro went on to open oyster joint Pearly Queen in 2023, followed by his eponymous restaurant at The Capital Hotel in Knightsbridge in April 2025. Shortly after in July, Brown opened Island at Mare Street Market Kings Cross.  It has now come to our attention that Brown’s popular Shoreditch spot Pearly Queen appears to have served its last oyster.  Upon its opening in 2023, Time Out gave Pearly Queen three stars. Critic Joe Bishop loved it for its many iterations of oysters (which came with a hint of lime, paired with champagne jelly and slathered in hot sauce), but overall thought the joint ‘lacked punch’.  Now it seems that the restaurant has quietly closed its doors. The Pearly Queen website is no longer operational, while calling its phone line receives no answer, and its listing on Open Table says ‘permanently closed’. The restaurant has not posted on its social media accounts since July 2025.  With no official announcement from Brown or the restaurant, the reason for Pearly Queen’s apparent closure remains a mystery.  London foodies, don’t fret, because you can still get your chops around Brown’s oysters at Island, which we recently gave four stars.  Three new bakeries and cafes are opening in Covent Garden this autumn.  Mare Street Market is getting a grand relaunch.  Get the latest and greatest

London isn’t short on beautiful bridges. We’ve got the stunning pink Albert Bridge, the modern Millennium Bridge and the iconic Tower Bridge.  Now another historic London bridge is to undergo a big renovation, restoring it to the beauty of its Victorian heyday. Blackfriars Bridge is glowing up, with a major repair and repainting job that will begin this autumn. Opened by Queen Victoria in 1869, the Joseph Cubitt-designed Blackfriars Bridge is currently in need of some TLC. Phase one of the Blackfriars Bridge renovation was completed in 2023, however more than half the project remained incomplete due to restrictions caused by the building of London’s new ‘super sewer’.  During the works, managed by the City Bridge Foundation charity, more than 2,000 of the bridge’s iron balusters will be ‘painstakingly’ repaired, or replaced in some cases, alongside a complete paint job that will ‘restore its Victorian splendour’.  Photograph: Shutterstock The City Bridge Foundation has awarded the phase two contract to engineering firm Taziker Industrial. Works are estimated to being in late October.  Deputy Paul Martinelli, a City of London Corporation councillor and chair of the City Bridge Foundation, said: ‘The bridge refurbishment, which is being carried out at no cost to the taxpayer, will not only improve its appearance, but also protect the structure of the bridge and extend its lifespan.’ The massive new 15,000-home town that has just been approved for southeast London.  The iconic

Despite being England’s capital city, many parts of London have rubbish phone signal. Ever tried loading Citymapper while in Covent Garden? Yeah, think again.  Now it’s been revealed exactly where in the Big Smoke has the worst, and best, phone signal. Consumer advice site Which? has unveiled a new mobile network coverage map, using analysis powered by Opensignal. The analysis measured signal for four major network providers – EE, O2, Three, and Vodafone. RECOMMENDED: Why is London’s phone signal so bad? If you’re waiting for an important phone call, you’re going to want to avoid the E20 postcode. This covers the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford and its surrounding developments. The study found that mobile phone users in E20 only experienced a reliable connection 74.8 percent of the time, well below the 85 percent or higher seen in many other London postcodes. If you do live in E20, Vodafone will give you the strongest signal, with 86 percent of users reporting a reliable connection on the network. Three, however, performed the worst, with only 59 percent of users experiencing a reliable signal.  For speedy connection in London, SE11 (covering parts of Kennington and Vauxhall) is going to be your best bet. In fact, SE11 was found to have the best coverage in the UK, coming in joint first place with Nottingham's NG3 postcode, both of which scored 87.8 percent. Other London areas with good phone coverage were SW3, covering Chelsea, Brompton, and part of Knightsbridge a