Maria Vieira

So long, TGI Fridays Covent Garden – and welcome to the third London food hall from global foodie hub Arcade. The food hall brand, which currently has outposts at Battersea Power Station and Tottenham Court Road (the latter pictured above) is opening its next outpost in Covvy G’s old TGI’s on Bedford Street.  As revealed by Estates Gazette, Arcade Food Halls has submitted a planning application to Westminster City Council to open a venue at 6 Bedford Street and revamp the building’s exterior, which was originally a 19th-century department story. It’ll offer Arcade’s usual worldwide selection of kitchens plus cocktails and music. The 13 vendors include family-run pizzeria Gracey’s Pizza and Nepali street food Tipan Tapan.  Arcade Food Hall originally opened at Tottenham Court Road in 2019. While that site closed during the pandemic, it was relaunched with backing from JKS Restaurants in 2022, and was followed by a second venue at Battersea Power Station in 2023. From Borough Market to Spitalfields, London is enjoying something of a food hall boom. Recently, it was announced that a major new net-zero carbon food hall will open near Tower Bridge, while more have opened at Market Halls Paddington, Market Place St Paul’s and Kerb’s Corner Corner at Canada Water. An application to convert the property at 6 Bedford Street into a pub was refused in February 2023 due to concerns about potential disturbances. Arcade’s concept for a food hall is still in development, with planning pe

How did you celebrate your 25th birthday (if you’re that old)?. Cake? Party hats? Overdoing it at a pub night? Well, TfL is commemorating 25 years of service with a glow-up, giving eight of its services a fresh new makeover.  A new purple-blue design will wrap TfL buses, DLR trains, Jubilee line trains, trams and IFS Cloud Cable Car cabins. As well as featuring a new colour, the new design will depict a timeline of London’s transport network achievements over the last quarter-century, including the launch of the Oyster card in 2003 and the opening of the Elizabeth line in 2022.  In a first for TfL, the distinctive new designs will be in place on a number of vehicles across all types of London transport. The Docklands Light Railway (DLR), Elizabeth line, IFS Cloud Cable Car, London Overground, London Trams and London Underground, as well as on one of London’s more than 2,000 zero-emission buses and a taxi, will boast the designs, while a special 25th anniversary roundel will also feature on Santander Cycles bikes. Commenting on the designs, London’s Transport Commissioner Andy Lord said: ‘We’re excited to launch these special designs across a number of our services for the first time to mark the occasion, whilst also looking ahead to the next 25 years and all the improvements we have in the pipelines, such as those to make our network as accessible and inclusive as possible.’ Deputy Mayor for Transport Seb Dance called the 25th anniversary ‘a great opportunity to reflect on ju

From its dusty vinyl shops to its punks sitting on the bridge sporting bright mohawks, music has always been a huge part of the identity of Camden. Already home to several brilliant live music venues, the north London area has now welcomed a brand-new music-themed attraction at Camden Lock. The venue, which is named Live Odyssey, calls itself an immersive 'celebration of British music past, present and future’. Developed by landowners LabTech in partnership with long-time Camden music promoter Gary Prosser, the venue features live music spaces and a stage for holographic performances of iconic UK bands, with acts like Oasis, Arctic Monkeys, The Smiths and The Libertines appearing in never-seen-before digital form. Located in the Stables Market, Live Odyssey spans six themed rooms, each representing a different era in British music – from the swinging 60s and Beatlemania to the Britpop boom of the 90s, the rise of grime and Amy Winehouse’s Camden years. Visitors can also walk through the exhibit drink in hand, thanks to bars placed throughout the attraction. Beyond the holographic performances, guests get to see rotating displays of heritage items from music legends, including David Bowie’s Glastonbury microphone from his 2000 headline set, leads from John Lennon’s Imagine recording sessions, and original album art from the likes of Kate Bush and the Rolling Stones. The attraction opened in May, but it hasn’t gone down a treat with all of Camden’s local community.  Before it o