India Lawrence

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.  RECOMMENDED: The best walks in and around LondonThe best forests in London for woodland walksThe prettiest walks in London

Why not enjoy your dinner with a side of strange? London is home to hundreds of amazing restaurants, but sometimes everyone hankers for a talking point with their tapas. We’ve rounded up a serious bunch of entertaining eateries: oddball decor, kooky culinary concepts and – yes – cats. Our list of unusual restaurants will delight animal lovers, garlic fans, and yodellers and more. You’ll find these joints in venues as varied as a boat, a prison and a church crypt. This is dining with a difference.  RECOMMENDED: The best weird bars in London. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

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. 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.

We’re holding out for a sun-soaked July this summer, which means plenty of lidos, rooftop bars, beer gardens and alfresco dining. We can already taste the sunset Aperol Spritz.  This July is going to be a biggie. Drake is in town for a whopping three nights at Wireless festival, Rosamund Pike hits the West End stage starring in Inter Alia, and BST at Hyde Park is in full swing, with Noah Kahan and Sabrina Carpenter performing in July.  Other London music festivals are popping off throughout the month, and it’s also a chance to take in the city’s lavender and sunflower fields, which are at their blooming loveliest. Here’s our guide to the best exhibitions, shows and things to do this July 2025 in London.  RECOMMENDED: The definitive London events calendar

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. 

It’s 3pm on a Sunday afternoon and I’m at the Rivoli Ballroom, the 1913-built dance hall in Brockley, south London. When I arrive, a group of mullet-sporting twenty-somethings dressed in vintage suits and loafers are smoking outside. Inside – with its plush carpets, red neon lights, crystal chandeliers and disco ball – the place is packed. But no one is drinking on the dancefloor; instead, the crowd is locked in to the music, moving to the sounds of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’. These punters aren’t just bobbing their heads and stepping from side to side. They’re properly dancing: performing steps that include a mix of shuffling, fast spins, high-kicks and split-legged leaps. Each mover appears in their own world as people trickle on and off the floor, some with their shirts drenched through with sweat. Photograph: Richard Oughton This is northern soul dancing, which has been having a full-blown renaissance lately. In part thanks to social media (a recent TikTok from the Rivoli went viral, with two million views, while the popular Bristol Northern Soul Club also recently blew up online, now amassing more than 150,000 Instagram followers), younger generations are being introduced to the dance style that originated at all-nighters in Manchester, Stoke and Wigan in the late ’60s. Back then, British teenagers in the north of England adopted American soul music as a rebellion against the music charts. Today, young adults come to northern soul e

The future of some of London’s best day festivals may be up in the air right now, but for the moment we feel pretty damn lucky to have an abundance of world-class festivals happening on our doorsteps all throughout the summer. Forget trekking across the country to live in a field for five days. When you live in London, you can hop on the tube, and an hour later 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 Londoners love live music, so it’s no surprise that we’re absolutely spoilt for choice when summer rolls around. You’ve got festivals devoted to hip-hop, jazz, leftfield pop, disco, afrobeats, heavy rock ‘n’ roll. Whatever your taste may be, my god does London have a day festival for you. The line-ups have been coming in thick and fast over the past couple of months, which means it’s time to make some decisions about which festivals are worth your time and money. Have a scroll through our comprehensive guide – which we keep meticulously updated with all the latest line-up announcements – see what takes your fancy, and start planning a fantastic summer in 2025. But be warned, most London festivals get more expensive the later you leave it, and plenty of them will sell out long before the portaloos are installed and the stages are constructed. Grab your tickets right now if you know what’s good for ya! RECOMMENDED: ⛺ The best UK music festivals🌍 The best festivals in Europe

What makes a good party song? Is it uplifting lyrics? Or maybe it's an uptempo production?Throughout the decades, they’ve come in all shapes, sizes and vibes. However, for a song to be a proper, hip-shaking party song, there are some rules: it’s gotta be a banger, and it’s gotta give you absolutely no choice but to get up and boogie.  No wonder then that this list includes everything from funk, soul and disco classics to ‘90s RnB tunes and 2025 chart-toppers. There’s a tonne of variety on here, so pass the aux cable over to us and we’ll have your party shaking in no time. Ready to throw some shapes? You’re in the right place – these are the best party songs of all time.  RECOMMENDED: 🎵 The best songs of 2025 so far 🕺 The best albums of 2025 so far 🎤 The best karaoke songs🍻 The best drinking songs🎶 The best ’80s songs🎊 The best pop songs This guide was recently updated by Georgia Evans, who covers Time Out’s music section. Entries are by Time Out Editors. For more about how we curate, have a look at our editorial guidelines.

Picture the scene. It’s June in London, it’s properly summer, festival season is in full swing, and you just broke up with the situationship that was weighing you down for the past six months. Feels good, doesn’t it? There are already a load of cracking events announced for June in the city, including the first edition of Lido festival (featuring Charli xcx, Massive Attack and Jamie xx), the return of London Road to the National Theatre, and the inaugural SXSW London.  Plus, the capital truly comes into its own this month: beer gardens are at their prime, the city parks are at their prettiest, the open-air theatre season gets going and eating alfresco is on the cards at some of London’s best restaurants. Plus, expect to see long queues in south west London as tennis fans line up to bag a place at the epic Wimbledon championships.  RECOMMENDED: Plan a great summer with our guide to London’s best music fests Get ahead of the pack and start planning your perfect July in London. 

May is looking to be a scorcher in the capital, and with the that will come a wave of funky and fresh dance in London. This month Breakin’ Convention is back, bringing together the best poppers, lockers and b-boys for the four-day-long hip hop extravaganza. On the Sadler’s stage is Northern Ballet’s take on Jane Eyre, as well as Oona Doherty’s new production, Speccy Clarke.  Here’s our pick of the best dance and ballet on stage this month.  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 all over 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

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, inclusive, and full of lovely folk as well as looking the part.  April 2025: A rash of great new bars have opened in London over the past year or so and many of them have made the immediate jump to our hallowed Top 50. The latest additions to our list include rowdy sports bar meets 80s horror movie set Bloodsports in Covent Garden, whisky wonderland Dram Bar on Denmark Street, the hypnotic Bar Lotus in Dalston, Below Stone Nest in Chinatown, Rasputin’s by London Fields, and Bar Lina, an Italian aperitivo spot underneath a famous Soho deli. Now go forth and drink. 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 gibson marti

This year of music has started with a bang. We’ve seen Chappell Roan go country, Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco smothering audiences with gushy love songs and Playboi Carti’s rapturous return from the underground. Alongside these pop heavyweights, we’re witnessing rap superstar Doechii continue her chart domination and the breakthrough of Gen Z artists like 2hollis and Tate McRae. What songs are defining 2025? Well, we’ve searched through our playlists and extracted the best songs of the year so far, below. But it doesn’t stop there. Keep your eyes peeled for updates to this list throughout the year as we’re still awaiting albums from Turnstile, Lorde, Addison Rae, Miley Cyrus, Pulp, A$AP Rocky and many more.  Georgia curates Time Out’s music section. If she's not blabbering about music on the website, she's doing it in-person (much to the office’s dismay). For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. RECOMMENDED: 🎧 The best albums of 2025 (so far)🎥 The best movies of 2025 (so far)📺 The best TV of 2025 (so far)

What is it? Brixton club Phonox has been an important part of London’s electronic music scene since it opened a decade ago in 2015.  A sleek, dark dance cavern with plenty of space for dancing, Phonox has been a favourite with the heads for a while. It stays ahead of the curve, booking the best current and underground DJs – over the years pretty much any selector who’s worth their salt has graced its decks, with recent bookings including DJ EZ, Laurent Garnier, Sherelle and Call Super.  Phones are not banned, but taking photos and videos is strongly discouraged in this space that wants punters to enjoy the music and use the dance floor for well, dancing.  Why go? Killer DJs, a Funktion One soundsystem and gorgeous disco ball make nights out at Phonox an always stellar experience. If you want to experience properly good house, techno, garage, UK bass, disco and everything in between, chances are that Phonox will have something decent on.  Don’t miss: The legendary residencies. Phonox has a revolving list of the hottest DJs taking over the club as part of its ‘4 Fridays at Phonox’ series. Past editions have seen Peach, Daytimers, Saoirse and Ross From Friends curate four weeks of parties at the south London venue.  When to visit: If you want to attend the DJ-curated residencies, it’s Friday nights. Saturdays are the regular club night, which could see record-label takeovers, all-night-long sets or special one-off events.  Ticket info: Depending on the entry time or the release,

Picture your classic hotel bar. It’s probably got dark wood panelling, a wall of leather-bound books to rival an Oxbridge library, low lighting, squidgy arm chairs, and maybe a jazz band playing smoothly in the background. This is Scarfes Bar, an elite embodiment of the quintessential hotel watering hole. This is the kind of place where you might find Gossip Girl’s Chuck Bass moodily sipping a Scotch alone at the bar. The crowd gives an equally sophisticated vibe; millennial couples on date night, people who look like they have important jobs and cash to spend, and fashionistas dressed all in black. The name is not an ode to having a warm neck, but to the cartoonist Gerald Scarfe, whose jaunty drawings line the walls. They’re probably not to everyone’s taste – think a giant-nosed caricature of King Charles, and an ultra flamboyant David Bowie – but they certainly add a unique flavour to décor that could otherwise be seen as identikit. Order this  The gimlet on the vine was my winner of the evening, a trendy riff on a gimlet, with a base of Bombay Premier Cru. But instead of lime-y sweetness, this savoury delight tastes just like a ripe cherry tomato, and a saltiness is supplied by a pleasingly massive floating caper. Time Out tip Get down earlyish, because after 8pm there was already a line at the door. Plus you’ll want to have ample time to have a bash at the 20-strong list of inventive, complex drinks (hello Smoky Maria, a concoction of tequila, smoked clamato juice and Mar

This is one for fans of Glastonbury’s NYC Downlow. The former Panorama Bar resident and Downlow big cheese Prosumer will bring his house and disco goodness to Phonox for an all-night-long set of pure vibes this Easter Thursday. Expect a night of euphoric house, uplifting soul and disco deep cuts, the perfect start to the bank holiday weekend. 

As anyone who has ever tried to secure a booking at the London Fields Lido on a warm summer day will know, us Londoners love a good dip. So it’s only natural that the capital’s Design Museum should stage an exhibition dedicated to our adoration of swimming.  With more than 200 objects, Splash! presents a whistle-stop tour for water babies taking us all the way from bizarre Victorian bathing carriages, to the present-day mermaidcore TikTok trend. From the politics of the pool (and who gets to learn to swim) to the evolution of swimwear and pool architecture, Splash! covers a lot of ground. The show is split into three sections – the pool, the lido and nature – and perhaps the most fun part, each section is designed to mimic different swimming spaces which feature in the exhibit, including the London Aquatics Centre and the art-deco Penzance Jubilee Pool.  In the first part, ‘the pool’, is quite the collection of stuff, focussing largely on Olympic swimming – a model for the London Aquatics Centre, a swimming cap belonging to Syrian swimmer Yusra Mardini, a jumper knitted by Tom Daley, and a 1984 David Hockney poster for the Los Angeles Olympics are all show. It also wouldn’t be an exhibition about pool design without some pretty Wes Anderson-style photography. The highly controversial LZR racer swimsuit is another gem on display – the suit designed by Speedo and NASA was responsible for 94 percent of swimming gold medals at Beijing 2008, and was subsequently banned for ‘techni

This June, Tate Britain will stage Edward Burra’s first retrospective in over a decade, and the first in London in 40 years. The 20th Century painter is best known for his vivid and surreal scenes of cafés, clubs and cabarets, capturing life in the Roaring Twenties. In more than 80 paintings, the exhibition will look back at Burra’s life, including his time spent in the cultural scenes of Paris and Harlem, and his personal experience of conflicts in Europe. A ticket to Edward Burra will also allow entry to Ithell Colquhoun, also at Tate Britain, as the exhibitions are running in tandem.   

What is a spatial audio festival, you might be wondering? If you go to Polygon Live LDN, you’ll probably find out. The gist is seeing live music in a 360-degree arena surrounded by high-tech lights and loads of crystal-clear speakers – a spectacle which event organisers actually call a ‘spaceship’. Artists on the lineup so far include dreamy Pakistani-American singer Arooj Aftab, electronic legend Jon Hopkins, and composer Cosmo Sheldrake. This is one for audiophiles looking for something a bit more immersive. 

Wake up babe, a new house and techno festival in London just dropped. Legendary house DJ Jamie Jones has announced he is bringing a brand-new festi to the capital this summer, taking over Boston Manor Park with one of his world-famous Paradise parties. Spread across four stages, Paradise in the City promises to have ‘cutting-edge sound and state-of-the-art production’, all produced by partners LWE. The line-up hasn’t been anounnced yet, but it’s going span to a variety of techno and house DJs, all hand-selected by Jones. Expect a day of four-to-the-floor belters with an Ibiza vibe. 

40FT brewery is teaming up with neighbouring ‘live fire’ restaurant Acme Fire Cult for a proper Irish knees-up this St Paddy’s Day. The Dalston brewers will be launching their Nitro Deep Stout for the occasion, with boozy Jameson Boilermaker cocktails also on offer. On the food menu? Spice bags! For anyone unacquainted, these are an Irish takeaway staple, featuring chips, fried chicken and peppers all shaken up in a paper bag with loads of spices. Chef Andrew Clarke’s take on them will feature grilled, herb-fed chicken, chicken fat potatoes, peppers, onions and chicken skin doused in a special Acme Vadouvan curry sauce. And there’ll also be DJs on from 7.30pm. 

There’s a lot going on at Dram Bar. Beneath this cool Denmark Street hangout, bartenders are making their own ferments, cordials, and low ABV wines in a basement lab. They are also whisky specialists, and there’s a vending machine packed with Dram’s homemade, pre-packaged cocktails. Vibe-wise, this 17th century, Grade II-listed building has been converted into a Bauhaus by way of Blade Runner drinking cave. It’s drenched in pink and orange neon and has a cute terrace out the back – a rare find for a venue so close to Tottenham Court Road. For drinks, you’ve got whiskys, the usual suspects of beers and wines, and a small, seasonal menu of superb, innovative cocktails. Also: they serve fantastic pickles, which are the perfect accompaniment to Dram’s well thought-out tipples.  Order this  Do not sleep on the ‘taps’ section of the menu, pre-made on site and available on tap. I started off with the Stone Fruit. Made with seasonal fruit that has been fermented in-house, my peach-y edition was refreshing and light with a hint of natty wine funkiness aka pure catnip for trendy London drinkers.  Time Out tip Dram serves 350 kinds of whisky. If you’re open to trying new things, tell the knowledgeable bartenders what you like and they’ll sort you out with something decent.

Watching Humanhood’s spellbinding new show, ∞ {Infinite}, feels a bit like being hypnotised. For one hour and 15 minutes you get to be mesmerised by dancers moving with liquid limbs; their flow is impeccable as they execute flawless spirals, their spines constantly twisting and arms almost always undulating, as they roll, dive, slide and leap across the space.  Humanhood’s directors Julia Robert and Rudi Cole are known for looking at dance through a spiritual lens, incorporating shamanic practice into their choreography. They call ∞ {Infinite} their first ever ‘dance theatre meditation’, and it certainly delivers on the meditation. There is no story or plot to the piece, Instead it’s a visceral exploration of the human body and its connection to the elements and wider universe. This isn’t just a load of mumbo jumbo – as viewers, we get to go on the spiritual journey too. A serene, echoing voice asks us to close our eyes. Breath. Listen to our bodies. The gentle sound of birdsong and crashing waves takes us deeper into the meditation. The smell of incense fills the auditorium and fog is gently pumped out across the stage, making the room smokey.  Elements of South Asian mysticism are certainly evident here. Many times the dancers sit on the floor cross-legged and stoic, eyes closed. At other times their formations and floor patterns are mapped out like a Buddhist zen garden, all spirals, swirls and perfect circles. Almost in constant flow, Humanhood’s signature fluid choreogra

All of London’s hippest and hottest people will once again be making the pilgrimage to Peckham for the tenth edition of electronic music bonanza GALA. Returning in its usual slot over the late May bank holiday, the festival is celebrating reaching double digits with a stellar three-day line-up curated in partnership with NTS radio, plus some of the city’s most acclaimed music and nightlife brands. Friday’s slightly mellowed line-up features headline sets from Floating Points, Moodymann and Theo Parrish, while Avalon Emerson, Ben UFO and KiNK get top billing on a Saturday line-up that leans towards the heavier end of the dance music spectrum, with curation from Chapter Ten and The Cause. Headlined by Caribou, Floorplan and Hunee & Antal, the festival’s closing day features artists from Rhythm Section, plus several stalwarts from London’s queer party scene. Also on the line-up across the three days are: Anz, Batu, Bradley Zero, Gideön, Heléna Star, Horse Meat Disco, Hudson Mohawke, Michelle Manetti, Surusinghe, Tash LC and many, many more. 

Yes, the landmark exhibition opening Somerset House’s 2025 season is all about soil. Unless you are a pedologist, you might question if SOIL: The World At Our Feet will be worth your while. Can a topic as humdrum as the dirt beneath our feet be interesting? My answer is: sort of.  The exhibition is part science display, part art show, part anti-climate change call to action. If you think it sounds a tad confused, that’s because it is. Other than just ‘soil’, it is hard to sum up exactly what this exhibition is about. ‘Soil abounds with life,’ reads the wall text that begins the exhibition. ‘Look down’ it tells us, hoping to inspire awe at the ground we walk upon. It opens with some quite beautiful up-close images of bacteria, and planet-like photographs of microbes making patterns in earth. Not so pretty are the zoomed-in black and white photos of bugs – including a very scary ant – and grim up-close videos of slime mould. Not for the squeamish, but great if you’re into that stuff. Then there’s a nice immersive installation showing beautiful time lapses of seed germination and roots growing. After this everything gets a bit more random.  Can a topic as humdrum as the dirt beneath our feet be interesting? Sort of.  The bulk of the show is made up of artworks inspired by nature, made with natural materials (sometimes literally made with soil), or pertaining to some wider theme about the natural world. There’s definitely some cool stuff in here, including an Ana Mendieta super-

ABBA might have reached the peak of their popularity in the 1970s, but that doesn’t mean the band doesn’t have young fans. But here’s the thing, a night out at ABBA Voyage isn’t cheap, meaning that many young people have been missing out on attending the holographic gig.  To prove that listening dancing around in sparkly flares to ‘Waterloo’ is in fact a young person’s game, ABBA Voyage is offering discounted tickets to young people in London this summer.  If you are between the ages of 16 and 25 you will soon be able to get your hands on an ABBA Voyage ticket on the Young Persons Rate, which offers standing tickets for £35 a pop.  These cheaper rates will be available throughout all of June and July. As per ABBA Voyage's website, seated tickets start at £38.50 and dance floor tickets usually start at £55. However, fans aged 16-25 can now book tickets at the discounted rate via AXS. In order to use the ticket, you must be able to produce a valid ID at the venue. Soon schools, colleges, and universities will also be able to access the new £35 rate for students aged 14+ for select performances (Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday concerts). Plus, the venue will host two dedicated concerts for state school students from Year 3 to Year 13 later this year, following a successful pilot last year. In 2025, these performances will take place on June 19 and October 15, giving more 5,000 local young people access to ABBA Voyage for just £10 per ticket.  Svana Gisla and Ludvig Andersson, pr

Londoners have been patiently waiting for the Guinness brewery in Covent Garden since it was first announced all the way back in 2022. Since then, the city has gone through a bonafide stout craze, followed by a dramatic shortage of the black stuff, where some pubs were even dishing out Guinness ration cards.  There’s finally been an update on the London spot, officially called Guinness at Old Brewer’s Yard. The drinking haven was first tipped to open in 2023, following a £73 million build, but the opening was delayed by the collapse of the lead contractor. It’s now hoped that the West End brewery will fling open its doors in the run up to Christmas 2025.  Located on a historic site that first produced beer over 300 years ago, the 50,000-square-foot building will feature plenty of event spaces, a rooftop with 360-degree views, a merch shop and a micro-brewery pumping out 14 different limited-edition brews, including no and low alcohol options. Sadly Guinness will not be brewed on site, but it will be readily available for drinking, of course.  Photograph: Diageo There will be plenty of sustenance to fuel your boozing, with three different outlets including a food truck, brasserie and grill, and a seafood restaurant on the rooftop. The brewery building will be open from 9.30am to 11.30pm during the week with paid for tours available in the early evening. The best restaurant in London in 2025 has been crowned by Time Out.  These are the 50 best pubs in London.  Stay in th

If you’re afraid of snakes, we’re afraid it’s not good news. An urgent warning about venomous vipers has been issued across the country, with people being urged to keep their eyes peeled for the reptiles. Before you get hissterical, Britain has been home to one type of venomous snake for years. A new species hasn’t arrived, but they have been on the rise in 2025.  What snakes have been spotted? There’s been an increase in sightings of adders (AKA the common European viper) around the UK recently, with the slippery fellas spotted in the south of England, Cornwall and Wales. Sightings have led to local police forces issuing statements warning locals about the animals.  Are they dangerous? While adders are poisonous, their bites are very rarely lethal to humans. The snakes are also known to be shy and secretive, meaning they rarely approach people. The Wildlife Trust said: ‘The adder is the UK’s only venomous snake but its venom is generally of little danger to humans. An adder bite can be painful and cause inflammation, but is really only dangerous to the very young, ill or old.’ The reptiles can also cause harm to dogs, so its best to keep a close eye on furry friends when out for walks. Adders are often found in basking in long grassy areas. They don’t often approach pets and are known for hiding or playing dead, but they do bite if startled. The snakes can live up to 15 years and measure up to 80 cm in length. Where have snakes been sighted in London? Before Londone

You know what they say about buses – you wait 20 minutes for one and then three turn up at once. But soon some parts of central London will be getting fewer double deckers overall, as TfL is planning to restructure certain routes through the city centre.  Bus journeys in Paddington, Euston and Marble Arch are going to be affected by upcoming changes to the capital’s bus routes. The 30 and 205 services will both be restructured, meaning these buses will now skip certain locations. To help lessen the blow, additional journeys will be added to the 27 which runs between Hammersmith and Camden via Paddington.  Transport for Lonfon plans to remove the section of route 30 between Marble Arch and Euston Bus Station, while the 205 will no longer travel through Paddington and Baker Street Station, but the service will extend to Marble Arch. TfL’s decision to partially axe the journeys follows a public consultation on buses that took place earlier this year.  Geoff Hobbs, TfL’s director of public transport service planning, said the network will be monitored ‘to make sure we deliver a comprehensive public transport offering as well as it being value for money’. According to the transport bosses, bus services need to become more efficient as passenger numbers have not returned to pre-pandemic levels.   The changes will require travellers to change buses depending on their destinations. For example, those journeying on the 30 from East London looking to go west of Euston will now need to

If you’ve bought a ticket to a festival in Brockwell Park this summer, you might be wondering what’s going on. Last week campaign group Protect Brockwell Park (PBP) won its High Court case against Lambeth Council. PBP, fronted by campaigner and local resident Rebekah Shaman, took Lambeth to court on the basis that the events – which include Mighty Hoopla, Field Day and Wide Awake – were unlawful because they didn’t have the correct planning permission. The judge ruled in Shaman’s favour, putting the future status of the festivals up in the air.  Now the festival organisers have said that events in the park will go ahead this summer, despite the High Court ruling. In a statement, the Brockwell Live said: ‘Brockwell Live can confirm that all events in the series will go ahead as planned. Friday’s High Court ruling dealt with a particular point of law and whether an administrative process had been carried out correctly. ‘We wish to make it clear that no event will be cancelled as a result of the High Court’s decision. We take our stewardship of Brockwell Park seriously. As we prepare to deliver these much-loved, culturally significant events, we remain fully committed to its care, upkeep, and long-term wellbeing.  ‘With setup nearly complete, we look forward to opening the gates and welcoming festival goers later this week.’ The anti-festival campaigners built their case on the grounds that Brockwell Live’s festivals go on for longer than the agreed period for temporary planning

In 2014 the Tower of London was transformed with tens of thousands of ceramic poppies to commemorate Victory in Europe Day. This VE Day the landmark poppy exhibition has made a comeback to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, using flowers from the ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’ exhibition that took place more than 10 years ago.  This year’s installation won’t be on as grand a scale, but it will use poppies from the 2014 artwork that saw the Tower encircled by a ‘sea’ of flowers and was visited by more than five million people.  Photograph: Historic Royal Palaces / Imperial War Museums From May 6 2025, visitors will be able to see 30,000 poppies, on loan from Imperial War Museum, arranged in a new display designed by Tom Piper. The 2025 artwork will resemble a ‘wound’ at the heart of the Tower, which was itself bombed during the Blitz. ‘Poppies will pour across the lawn overlooked by the ancient White Tower, where the blood-red flowers will form a crater, with ripples flowing outwards. The installation, on display within the Tower’s walls, will create striking images, reminding us of the sacrifice and loss of war, and of the long-lasting impact of conflict,’ the Tower of London described.  The installation inside the tower is included as part of Tower of London admission (£35.80 for adults, £17.90 for children). A small part of the display will be visible from the public footpath, which does not require a ticket. It runs from May 6 until November

Liverpool and Manchester could be getting a much-needed link-up.  We can’t believe this didn’t exist already, but plans have been proposed for two of the biggest cities in the north of England –Manchester and Liverpool, the nation’s third- and fourth-biggest metropolises, respectively – to be connected with a brand-new train line. Consider us on board.  Mayors of both cities Steve Rotheram and Andy Burnham, joined by former rail minister Huw Merriman, are backing the project, and are asking the government for its support.  In the proposals, it reveals the new Liverpool-Manchester Railway (as it’s officially being called) could allow Mancs and Scousers to get between the two cities in just 32 minutes, down from the current average time of 49 minutes. It’s thought that the fresh route would expand the number of people living within a 30-minute commute of both cities by more than half a million. The train line would connect Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly via Liverpool Gateway station, Warrington Bank Quay, and Manchester Airport. Construction of this line alone is estimated to inject a whopping £15 billion into the economy and generate 22,000 jobs. Back in 2023 the Tories committed £17 billion to a new railway line between Liverpool and Manchester following the cancellation of HS2’s northern leg, but it remains to be seen whether this funding remains.  Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram said there is ‘hardly a person in the North who hasn’t felt t

From the Scottish islands to the Cornish coastline, the UK has got a load of absolute stunners when it comes to views. Most locals will claim the view in their region is the best one, but which British vista is actually the most beloved? A new list by car insurance company GoShorty has ranked the most gorgeous views in Britain. Lake Windermere in the Lake District topped the list for Britain’s most beautiful view, gaining 42 percent of the vote that asked 2,000 people to identify their favourite famous UK beauty spots. The World Heritage Site of Windermere is ‘surrounded by rolling hills, quaint villages and postcard-perfect countryside’, according to the report. And this isn’t the only accolade it’s picked up – in 2024 it was also named Britain’s most beautiful lake.  In second place was Snowdonia in Wales, winning 35 percent of the vote thanks to its rugged peaks, deep valleys and breathtaking lakes. The welsh national park was followed by Loch Ness in Scotland, which is famous not just for the mythical monster living in depths (allegedly), but for its peaceful coves and awesome waterfalls. The home of Nessie clinched 29 percent of the vote.  GoShorty also asked its 2,000 respondents if they could identify the location of the beauty spots. Surprisingly, many thought these gorgeous views came from abroad, and not right on our doorstep. In the survey, a third of people thought Ben Nevis was in Iceland, 22 percent of people mistook the lavender fields of Snowshill in the Cotsw

Travelling abroad this summer? As well as all the essentials you definitely need (in-date passport, sun cream, ear plugs if you’re travelling with a snorer), it’s also advised you check the ‘do not travel’ lists, just in case a warning has been issued.  The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is regularly updating its list of no-go zones, with conflict, natural disasters and other safety concerns being the primary reasons for these travel warnings.  Currently, 73 countries around the world have been flagged with safety issues by the FCDO. These warnings range from advising against all travel, to all but essential travel, and to against all travel to only some parts. At the moment all travel is advised against in Haiti, Russia, Belarus and more, with travel advised against some parts of Thailand, Mexico and Turkey.  When defining ‘essential travel’, the FCDO says: ‘Whether travel is essential or not is your own decision. You may have urgent family or business commitments which you need to attend to. Only you can make an informed decision based on your own individual circumstances and the risks.’ Here are all the countries on the FCDO’s not travel list as of May 14 2025.  FCDO advises against all travel Afghanistan – ‘The security situation is volatile’ Belarus – ‘You face a significant risk of arrest’ Haiti – ‘Due to the volatile security situation’ Iran – ‘British nationals are at significant risk of arrest’ Russia – ‘Due to the risks and threats from its con

London is well on its way to becoming one of the biggest sporting capitals in the world. This summer the UK capital will host the Women’s Rugby World Cup, while future bids have been revealed for the big smoke to host the Olympics, World Cup and even the Superbowl.  This autumn, American football will return to the shores of Old Blighty after 2024’s successful season. The NFL has announced its 2025 international schedule, which includes matches in Dublin, Madrid, Berlin and London, taking over Wembley and Tottenham Hotspur stadiums.  Want to catch a bit of American football action in the city? Here’s everything you need to know about the NFL in London 2025.  Which NFL teams are coming to London? This October there will be three NFL matches in England with some of the titans of American football. The teams coming our way are the Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, New York Jets, Los Angeles Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars.  When are the games? The matches will take place on the following dates: Minnesota Vikings vs Cleveland Browns – October 5, Tottenham Hotspur stadium Denver Broncos vs New York Jets – October 12, Tottenham Hotspur stadium Los Angeles Rams vs Jacksonville Jaguars – October 19, Wembley stadium  How to get tickets to the games Ticket prices and sale dates haven’t been announced yet, but you can sign up for email alerts via the NFL website here.  Previous NFL games in London In 2024 the NFL in London was a big success. Last year we saw showdown

Grassroots music venues are the lifeblood of London’s nightlife scene. They are where artists like Charli xcx, Coldplay and Chappell Roan cut their teeth, and they provide Londoners with a hub for fun times, dancing and community – important stuff in these often bleak times.  To celebrate all the wonderful venues, artists and genres that have come out of London, a brand new tube map has been designed showing off all the city’s best musical attributes. The Mayor of London and TfL have teamed up with leaders in the music industry including Outernet, the Music Venue Trust and the Featured Artist Coalition to create the first ever tube map dedicated to grassroots music in London.  The special map, which is part of TfL’s 25th anniversary celebrations, features lines representing songs, genres, albums, subcultures, music venues, record shops and more.   Image: Transport for London The map was officially published today in Metro newspaper today (May 13) and if you want to see it blown up big, it will be displayed for a month at Outernet London from now.  London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: ‘London’s grassroots music scene is renowned around the world. From providing opportunities for talented aspiring artists to develop their trade, to giving Londoners a great night out, our venues are an essential part of our life at night and provide a huge boost to our economy. ‘However, they have faced huge challenges in recent years, which is why we’re joining with partners across the capital to ch

In January, the legendary Prince Charles Cinema (PCC) announced it was at risk of closure. The iconic filmhouse, which is beloved for its movie marathons and cult film screenings (like this month’s A24 takeover), was being threatened by a potential redevelopment from its landlords Zedwell LSQ Ltd and parent company Criterion Capital.  According to the PCC at the time, the landlords were demanding a rent ‘far above market rate’ and a new clause which, if triggered, would leave the PCC homeless with six months’ notice. But now there’s been a positive update. The PCC in Leicester Square has been listed as an asset of community value (ACV), meaning it is seen as a building that’s important to the community and has extra protections. Under the new status, if the building is put up for sale the local community has the right to try to raise funds to buy it back first.  If a building is an ACV, its owner must notify the council if it is put up for sale. A six-month moratorium on the sale can then be invoked by locals to give them the chance to raise money and make a bid to buy it on the open market. 🎬 RECOMMENDED: An oral history of the Prince Charles Cinema. But it isn’t plain sailing for the PCC just yet. Being listed as an ACV does not require the building owner to sell to a community group, and it does not mean the landowner has to continue any existing lease. The cinema is still fighting for the future of its lease. At the time of writing, a petition to save the picture house