India Lawrence

    While the post-Halloween party hangover might be enough to have you frightened well past Bonfire Night, sometimes what you want for Halloween is to be scared properly silly.   From classic themepark fright nights, to creepy immersive dining experiences, and real-life ghost tours, these frankly terrifying experiences will have you jumping out of your skin, crying for your mum and even questioning your sanity. For the scaredy cats among you, no worries, because there are also a few toned down options in the mix. Think of those as the spooky-lite Halloween events.   So, guys and ghouls, from family-friendly to spine-chilling events that really, really aren’t for the faint hearted, these are the best Halloween events happening across the UK this year.  RECOMMENDED: The most haunted places in the UKThe UK’s spookiest ghost townsEerily beautiful graveyards to visit

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.  London's best breakfasts at a glance: 🌯 Best for a burrito: Bad Manners, Shoreditch 😎 Best for celeb-spotting: The Wolseley, Mayfair 🥓 Best for a fry-up: E Pellicci, Bethnal Green 🍛 Best for a South Indian feast: The Tamil Prince, Barnsbury 🍞 Best for Hong Kong-style french toast: Hoko Cafe, Brick Lane 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.  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 s

Amsterdam is one of the world’s best cities, no doubt about it. Every wander down a cobbled street will take you somewhere exciting, whether you're a foodie, curious about the Red Light District, or in the mood to party for 24 hours straight. And as a tourism capital, it’s no surpise that it’s overrun with exceptional places to stay, from 18th-century canalside mansions to converted bridge keepers’ houses and seriously high-grade establishments.  So if you’re looking for a tip-top place to bed down after a day of exploring the city’s best museums, attractions and coffee shops, you’ve come to the right place. From the city centre through to De Negen Straatjes, here are the best hotels in Amsterdam right now. Updated January 2025: We re-reviewed Amsterdam’s five-star Conservatorium Hotel to see if it’s up-to-scratch (spoiler: it is). See where we ranked it below! RECOMMENDED:🏠 The best Airbnbs in Amsterdam🌳 Where to stay in Amsterdam 📍 The best things to do in Amsterdam🍴 The best restaurants in Amsterdam🎀 The best boutique hotels in Amsterdam Ella Doyle and Grace Beard are Time Out’s travel editors. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by experts. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines. 

There’s nothing quite like a proper London pub. Maybe we’re old romantics, but old school boozers are the beating heart of this city. After many evenings of tipsy research, we’ve done the impossible and ranked the 50 best pubs in London.  The pubs on this list are heavy with the powerful whiff of history – though that just might be the sticky carpets – and throbbing with heart, soul and community charm.  How did we decide what made the final 50? With a scary amount of the UK’s pubs closing by the week, we wanted to highlight some of this city’s less well-known and independent inns. The pubs included here are places where you’ll not only get perfect pints, but pickled eggs, epic karaoke nights and intense darts sessions. There’s no gatekeeping here at Time Out and these spots are where old-school regulars rub shoulders with the new wave of pintspeople, from Clapton to Catford, via Walthamstow, Woolwich, Peckham and more. Want cosy and convivial? You’ve come to the right place.  Of course, in a city with well over 3,000 pubs, not everything can make the cut. If you’re looking for pubs with fancy food, you’ll find them in our list of the best gastropubs in London. Wondering where London’s most legendary drinking dens are? They’re all in this list of London’s most historic pubs. Cheers. RECOMMENDED: These are the best pubs in Soho. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor, and has spent an impressive amount of time drinking in London's many pubs. She even used to

Summer is over. And while the remainder of 2025 in London will still see a few great day festivals take place, including Pitchfork and London Jazz Festival, we already can’t wait for festival season 2026.  By the time summer rolls around, Londoners will be absolutley spoilt for choice. With something taking place almost every weekend throughout the warmer months, you can forget trekking across the country to live in a field for five days; simply hop on the tube and before you know it you’re listening to your favourite artists, tinny to hand, knowing that there’s a hot shower and a cosy bed waiting for you once the day is over.  The lineup announcements for next year’s events are already starting to come in, with huge acts like Tyler, The Creator, Lewis Capaldi and Pitbull set to take to the London stage next summer. Plus,the future of events in Brockwell Park was thrown up in the air in 2025, however the south London park’s usual lineup of events – which includes Cross The Tracks, Wide Awake and Field Day – will all return in 2026.  Have a scroll through our comprehensive guide – which we keep meticulously updated with all the latest line-up announcements – and see what takes your fancy. RECOMMENDED: ⛺ The best UK music festivals🌍 The best festivals in Europe

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

Field Day tried to get back to its roots in 2025 when it up sticks from its more corporate-feeling Victoria Park set up and went to Brockwell Park. It will return to south London on May 23 2026, so get it locked in the diary. Acts are still TBA, but expect many of the best electronic producers and DJs for a day of non-stop dancing.     

All of London’s hottest and hippest people will head to Peckham Rye Park for one of London’s best electronic music bonanzas in May. GALA will return after its hugely successful 10th anniversary event in 2025. Acts are still TBA, but previous years have seen the likes of Caribou, Avalon Emerson and Joy Orbison headline. 

BST will be back again next summer, bringing some of the world’s biggest pop stars to Hyde Park for its 13th edition. Already announced as headliners for 2026 are Lewis Capaldi, Pit Bull and Garth Brooks, with more to be confirmed. Taking place across weekends in June and July, Hyde Park will host an upmarket festival vibe complete with food, drink and a posh VIP area. Here’s all you need to know about the BST Hyde Park’s 2026 edition.  When is BST Hyde Park 2026? As in previous years, BST Hyde Park takes place over several dates in late June and early July. So far, dates have been announced for Saturday, June 27, Friday, July 10, Saturday, July 11 and Sunday, July 12.  How much are tickets? Tickets typically range in price depending on who’s playing and what kind of access you want. The cheapest general admission tickets cost £99.95 plus booking fee, with VIP tickets costing up to £350.95 plus booking fee. Check the website for the full range of tickets and prices. There are also a number of free community events taking place throughout the weeks as part of the BST Open House series. These usually include things like Wimbledon screenings, an outdoor cinema, outdoor theatre shows, DJ sets and gigs. Who’s on the lineup? Country singer Garth Brooks will headline on June 27. This will be his only European performance in 2026. Pitbull will play on July 10, joined by Kesha, and Lewis Capaldi will headline two shows on July 11 and 12. More acts are to be announced in the future. 

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? The acts for 2026 are still to be announced, but previous iterations have been headlined by the likes of Michael Kiwanuka, Ezra Collective, BADBADNOTGOOD and En Vogue.  Find more London music festivals here!

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

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 disorienting 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, 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.   

Over the years, London has given birth a number of appalling and frankly disgusting things: we’ve had stinkpipes, the great bed bug scare of 2023, and lets not forget about the Whitechapel fatberg.  Now a new totally gross thing has emerged from the capital. Get ready to go ‘ew!’, because it’s been revealed that some London bus routes are absolutely ‘infested’ with cockroaches. And they don’t even pay the fare.  The grisly news came out as London bus drivers reported finding the critters in the seats in a number of routes, with videos and photos shared with London Bus Forums. The unsavoury passengers were found riding on routes 159, 345 and 55. One driver operating the 159 reported finding a cockroach in their drink during a break.  ‘I went to take a sip from my drink and felt something in my mouth,’ the driver said. ‘I spat it out and saw it was a cockroach. I felt sick and ended up vomiting.’ Bus safety campaigners have written to Transport for London (TfL) highlighting the problem. TfL said such instances are rare and has launched an urgent investigation. Kevin Mustafa, a London bus safety campaigner, told the BBC: ‘The current state is untenable for drivers who already face demanding working conditions. Swift, transparent and decisive action will go a long way toward restoring trust, ensuring safety, and maintaining public confidence in London's bus services. ‘London bus drivers are reporting persistent issues with cockroaches and unsanitary conditions onboard their vehic

In recent years, flooding has become much more of a problem in London. What’s to thank? Climate change, of course. A new study by insurance company Aviva has now revealed which areas of the capital are most likely to have to be abandoned if flooding continues. Experts in the insurance industry analysed every parliamentary constituency in England, Scotland and Wales to assess how vulnerable they were to flooding. The study said that in the future many locations would be deemed uninsurable if they continue to be pummelled by storms, meaning living there would no longer be an option. According to the study, densely populated areas like London could be some of the worst hit – estuary cities such as the capital could be smacked by a double-whammy of flooding from both rising seas and overflowing rivers.   It’s bad news – and worse yet, the spot set to be the worst affected in all of England, Scotland and Wales is in London. The statistics showed that by 2050 Bermondsey and Old Southwark could see 92 percent of its homes being at risk of flooding.  Out of the top 20 constituencies set to be worst affected by severe weather, seven were in Greater London. Also at risk was Vauxhall and Camberwell Green with 73 percent of properties, Battersea with a risk of 65 percent and Peckham risking 46 percent of its properties.  Don’t panic, because a few solutions have been proposed to save London from turning into the Lost City of Atlantis. Some experts have suggested turning the capital into

It’s that time of year again: across the city, autumn obsessives are rejoicing in the fact that it’s finally acceptable to watch re-runs of Gilmore Girls, wear knitted jumpers, and start picking out their Halloween costumes. In recent years, Brits have also started to curiously catch on to the American tradition of visiting a pumpkin patch at around the time the leaves start to fall. If you’re not familiar with the concept, this is where you will walk around a quaint farm, probably take some cute pictures for Instagram, and pick your own supersized squash to take home to carve or eat.  If this sounds like your idea of a blast, Time Out has recently named the best pumpkin patches to visit in and around London this autumn.  Crowned as the best pumpkin patch for 2025 was Crockford Bridge Farm, a pick-your-own produce site in Surrey.  ‘The fields at Crockford Bridge Farm are often too muddy for visitors to pick their own in early October (check before you go), but their annual outdoor Pumpkin Market is a much cleaner, still thrilling trip,’ said Time Out editors.  ‘Pumpkins and gourds of every shape, size and colour are piled up on haybales in a display which runs from mid-October until Halloween, or whenever its bountiful crop sells out. Plus, there's family fun galore laid on at the weekend as Hallowe'en approaches, including kids' entertainers and spooky games.’ The farm’s abundance of gourds are available for picking from October 4 to 19, and entrance costs £6 per person.   A

Ever tried sending a Whatsapp in Soho, or loading maps in Covent Garden? Not so easy, is it? But now there might be a way to avoid being confronted with the loading wheel of doom when visiting central London. A new study has revealed exactly which mobile networks in the centre of town have the fastest and the slowest internet download speeds. And the answer might not be what you’d expect.  The research saw mobile data firm PolicyTracker carry out tens of thousands of mobile connection speed tests across the UK earlier this year. They shared their findings from the capital with London Centric, which reported on the outcome. According London Centric’s report, a cheaper network might be your best bet for fast connection in the city.  First, we need to explain how it works. In Britain there are four ‘real’ phone network operators: Vodafone, EE, O2, and Three. These operators then lease their spare capacity to ‘virtual’ networks, which piggyback off their signal, and are usually cheaper. These are the providers like Lebara (Vodafone), iD Mobile (Three), Giffgaff (O2) and Lycamobile (EE).  The fastest mobile network in London for 2025 In the tests, PolicyTracker found that Lebara was able to download data quicker than its parent network Vodafone, while charging 70 percent less. Lycamobile also outperformed its parent network EE, also with much cheaper prices. Out of all the parent and virtual networks, Three had the overall fastest download speed, followed by Lebara and then iD.  H

Prospective students, listen up, because the Times Higher Education (THE) guide for 2026 is here. This is one of the most prestigious and well respected global university rankings on the planet, so you are going to want to pay attention to what it says.  This year THE has ranked 2,191 institutions from 115 countries and territories, taking into account everything from teaching quality, to research and contributions to industry innovations.  We know that many of you eager young brainboxes will be dreaming of attending world-class institutions. Fortunately for us Brits, some of the planet’s best universities are right here on our doorsteps. According to the 2026 THE guide, three of the very top unis on the planet are in Britain. And one UK university was even named the best in the world for a whopping 10th year in a row.  Predictably, Oxford and Cambridge were named in THE’s top 10 for 2026, with Oxford taking the number one spot. Oxford clinched an overall score of 98.2. It did particularly well in the ‘research environment’ category, where it had a perfect score of 100.  Coming in joint-third in the world, Cambridge scored 97.2 overall, and 99.9 for research environment. Cambridge climbed two places from its 2024 position in fifth.  Imperial College London was the only other British institution in the top 10, landing in eighth place. Imperial’s biggest assets were its ability to attract the top students and faculty from around the world, and its contributions to industry inn

In case you didn’t already know, Birmingham is a great city. It’s got multiple Michelin-starred restaurants, has the fabulous Jewellery Quarter and it’s home to the arty Digbeth, the second coolest neighbourhood in the UK right now, according to Time Out.  Soon, Birmingham is about to get even better, as the city is getting a huge new canalside eating, drinking and events space. Dockworks Waterfront, run by the same people behind Digbeth Dining Club (DDC), will open in Dudley in early 2026.  After a receiving a £500,000 investment, DDC plans to open the 7,000 square-foot space, which will span two rooms, have two bars, eight food vendors and capacity for up to 450 people. Once open it will offer live music, comedy events, quizzes, sports screenings and independent markets, alongside food traders. The new spot will be taking over a spot in Brierly Hill that has been unused for more than a decade. DDC has been hosting one-off events at the site for the past few years, but will now take up permanent residence with Dockworks.  Bobby Barnes, co-director at DDC, said Dockworks was an opportunity to ‘create something truly special for the Black Country’. ‘After sitting empty for over 15 years, this site is ready to be brought back to life and we're proud to be filling it with the food, music, culture, and community spirit that DDC is all about,’ he said. ‘Dockworks will be a place where people come together, whether that's over incredible street food, live music, sport, or simply a

Northerners will probably remember the erstwhile Doncaster Sheffield Airport. The flight hub in the north had to close its doors in 2022 due to financial problems, however, it’s about to make a big comeback. Tui, which operated Doncaster Sheffield’s final flight three years ago, has said it could return to the terminal alongside budget airline Jet2. At the recent ABTA travel conference in Majorca, Tui bosses said they were in discussions with the airport to relaunch flights from Doncaster to destinations such as Alicante, Malaga and Tenerife, while Jet2 boss Steve Heapy didn’t rule out running flights from the hub in the future. Local Labour MPs have also said they are in talks with Ryanair to begin operation at Doncaster Sheffield once it reopens.  Named the UK’s best airport for 2022 by Which? mere months before its closure, there’s been a long campaign to get Doncaster Sheffield back up and running. Recently, a £160 million package to get the airport reopened was given the green light. It’s now hoped that the airport will be back up and running for passenger flights by 2028. ‘I have said all along that I want our airport to fully reopen as soon as possible,’ said Mayor of Doncaster Ros Jones in a statement at the end of September. ‘I outlined last week that, in terms of people wanting to go on holiday from Doncaster, we want to see bookings being taken before the end of 2026, with holidays available for the winter 2027/28 season. Freight flights will resume sooner simply b

Who doesn’t love a weird museum? In the UK alone we’ve got galleries dedicated to crabs, pharmaceuticals and of course, vaginas. Meanwhile, further afield in Europe you’ve got Amsterdam’s famous sex museum, the Museum of Break-ups in Zagreb and Froggyland, also in Croatia, which is dedicated to taxidermied amphibians displayed to look like they are doing human activities. Not peculiar at all.  Now a new list of Europe’s most bizarre museums has been revealed, and one is in the UK. In the study by easyJet, 2,000 Brits voted for the weirdest museums on the continent to come up with the 20-long list.  The only British museum to make the list was the Surgeons’ Hall Museums in Edinburgh, which came in eighth place. Home to a collection of grisly antique instruments, the Surgeons’ Hall is one of the oldest museums in the UK dedicated to the history of surgery.  Not for the squeamish, inside you can see gruesome pathology specimens (think hands in jars, and the like), surgical and dental instruments, artefacts – including a book said to be made from human skin – and art depicting a historic tooth extraction. Visitors can also take part in the Blood and Guts walking tour, which tells the story of Edinburgh's medical history.  RECOMMENDED: The weirdest museums in the world. Photograph: Jeff Whyte / Shutterstock.com However, the Surgeons’ Hall had nothing on the Icelandic Phallological Museum in Reykjavik – the world’s only museum dedicated to penises – which was crowned as Europe’s

In London, visiting a museum doesn’t have to be about seeing priceless masterpieces in the Tate, or ancient artefacts in the British Museum, because sometimes a local museum can be just as fascinating.  Six local museums in London have just been granted funding by the Arts Council Museum Renewal Fund. The funding was allocated to smaller museums across the UK to help them protect jobs and operating hours, making up for the shortfall between operating costs and income throughout 2025 and 2026. In total, £20 million was distributed among 75 museums across the UK, including £1.43 million for the six London sites. Among the London recipients was Fulham Palace, which was awarded more than half a million pounds. The historical site was once a Tudor-era episcopal retreat and the home of the Bishops of London, with Georgian and Victorian additions layered over the centuries. Photograph: cktravels.com / Shutterstock.com Nearly half a million in funding was also given to the Headstone Manor and Museum in Harrow, a Grade I-listed medieval estate with a moated 14th-century manor house that was  originally home to the Archbishop of Canterbury. Gunnersbury Park Museum, a historic collection focussed on local history and archaeology housed in a stunning white Regency mansion that was once home to the Rothschild family, was awarded nearly £150,000. Plus three more local venues were given grants from the fund.  Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair, Arts Council England said: ‘Travelling through cit

It’s good news for the people of Hammersmith and bad news for people that inexplicably love motorways running through cities, because Hammersmith and Fulham Council has revealed it wants to demolish the A4 flyover – the ugly 1960s viaduct that passes in front of Hammersmith tube station. Quite the eyesore, the Hammersmith flyover was originally built in 1961 to reduce traffic. The council has now said it wants to work with TfL and ‘other stakeholders’ to knock it down and replace it with a tunnel.  According to the council’s draft plans, the removal of the Hammersmith Flyover and parts of the A4 would free up land for development and reconnect communities separated by the road. It would also improve life in the area by reducing noise and pollution. The council wrote that in its 60 years of life the flyover has ‘had adverse consequences, cutting off Hammersmith Town Centre from the River Thames, severing the traditional Victorian street pattern and creating large amounts of traffic moving around the Hammersmith Gyratory to get on and off the A4’.  The plan to demolish the flyover is part of the council’s bigger Local Plan which outlined a strategy that will play out over a number of years in the borough. It is hoped the plan will be ready to begin in November 2027, to run for 15 years until 2042.  A public consultation into the plans will begin in due course.  The major London train station that has confirmed massive rail disruption for Christmas 2025: full list of closures an

It’s the gift that keeps on giving, rail disruption in the capital! This Christmas, skip the family drama; you’ll be able to avoid your relatives with the excuse that the trains simply aren’t running. And it won’t even be a lie. Instead, hunker down at home with a family-sized tin of Quality Street and revel in the bliss of not being asked when you’re getting that big promotion, or why you aren’t married yet.  Jokes aside, there’s going to be some serious travel disruption in the capital this December. If you are wanting to leave the city for the winter break, you’re going to need to plan ahead.  As with every year, there will be no National Rail services on Christmas Day in the UK. On Boxing Day most train operators will have no service, however, there will be a very limited service operated by a small number of train operators. Network Rail has announced it will carry out major upgrades around London Waterloo during Christmastime, meaning services into Waterloo will be disrupted over the festive period, with trains terminating at Clapham Junction.   Train services into and out of London Waterloo will be disrupted from Saturday, December 27 2025 to Sunday, January 4 2026 as engineers carry out vital upgrades near Queenstown Road. The work will improve safety and reliability on one of the country’s busiest railways.  Full list of disruption affecting Waterloo services, including dates On Christmas Day and Boxing Day there will be no train services as normal. No trains will c

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for. The results from the 2026 National Fish and Chip Awards quarter-finals are in, and they have narrowed the shortlist down to the 20 best chippies in the country.  Some context for the non chip-heads: every year the National Fish and Chip Awards crowns the country’s very best chip shops at a glitzy ceremony in London. Last month the shortlist was revealed for 2026, and two London chippies made the cut.  Brockley’s Rock in Brockley and Stones Fish and Chips in Acton were both included on the 40-strong shortlist, AKA the quarter-finals. Following this, the awards’ well-versed team of experts conducted close inspections of the chippies, looking at produce selection, industry knowledge, quality, sustainability and more, which has now reduced the lineup by half.  We can now reveal that Brockley’s Rock has beaten Stones Fish and Chips and will be sailing into the semis, going head to head with 19 other fish and chip joints from around the UK to win the coveted Takeaway of the Year gong.  Open for 14 years, Brockley’s Rock in Brockley has been serving southeast London since it took over the site of a run down Chinese takeaway in 2011. It’s known locally for its homemade tartar sauce and community outreach efforts, which includes supporting schools, raffles, food banks, and local charities.  ‘There’s nowhere to hide when a chippy puts itself forward for the National Fish and Awards,’ said Andrew Crook, president of the National Federation of