Rosie Hewitson

There’s nothing quite like a proper London pub. After many evenings of important, pint-based research, we’ve done the impossible and ranked the 50 best pubs in London, with a brand new list for the year. London’s best pubs at a glance:  🐎 Best pub in Soho: Coach & Horses 🪖 Best pub in Hackney: Army & Navy ⛪ Best pub in Peckham and Nunhead: The Old Nun’s Head 🍻 Best pub in Shoreditch: The Pride of Spitalfields 🎭 Best pub in Angel: The Shakespeares Head Old school boozers are the beating heart of this city, and the ones on this list are heavy with the powerful whiff of history – though that just might be the carpets – and throbbing with heart, soul and community charm.  How did we decide what made the final 50? With a worrying amount of the UK’s pubs closing weekly, 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, karaoke nights and 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 Holloway to Hackney, via Bexleyheath, Brixton, Nunhead 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 posh 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

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 bars in the capital right now. These are the 50 places we'd recommend to a friend, because we love drinking in them and have done many, many times over. From classy cocktail counters to delightful dives, sleek hotel bars, rooftop bars, liquor lounges and places to quaff wine, London's got them all. But what makes a truly good bar? 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 bin juice. To make our Top 50, a bar has to be fun, friendly, and inclusive, as well as looking (and tasting) the part.  The best bars in London at a glance: 🍸 Best hotel bar: Scarfes Bar, Holborn 🍷 Best wine bar: Godet, Islington 🍻 Best dive bar: Blondies, Clapton 🎶 Best listening bar: Jumbi, Peckham July 2025: Congrats to the newly-opened bars that have made the immediate jump into our hallowed Top 50, such as Ellie's – a lowkey Dalston cocktail bar recently anointed by Charli XCX, who chose it for the site of her wedding afterparty and wine pub Godet. They sit alongside some true London classics which have returned to this list due to their outstanding excellence and unerring commitment to getting us tipsy, like the Keith Floyd-core Le Beaujolais. Now go forth and drink. RECOMME

Twenty years ago, Stratford basically just consisted of miles of industrial wasteland filled with abandoned factories, contaminated waterways and ‘Fridge Mountain’, a 20-foot-tall pile of discarded white goods that looked like some sort of monumental Anselm Kiefer sculpture. But then London was chosen to host the 2012 Olympics and a £9.3 billion regeneration project began. It scarcely seemed possible back when E20 was just the fictional postcode designated to ‘Walford’ on EastEnders, but these days Stratford is a destination in its own right. Your shopping needs are covered by Westfield Stratford City, a second location for Europe’s biggest shopping centre, boasting over 250 shops and more than 70 dining destinations. ABBA Voyage sees around a million sequin-clad dancing queens descend each year to boogie along to ‘Voulez-Vous’, while gigs and football matches at the London Stadium attract crowds of 70,000 raucous fans, be it for a crucial West Ham fixture or the latest Metallica tour. And that’s before we even mention the handful of world-leading cultural institutions that have recently arrived in the area, or the plethora of Olympic venues that are now open for public use. Add to that some tasty restaurants and bars, and you’ve got yourself an up-and-coming area that gives trendy neighbours like Hackney Wick and Leyton a run for their money.  Not sure what to explore first? Time Out has got you covered. Here are the best things to do in Stratford, as recommended by our tea

Ranking the greatest pubs in the UK is, obviously, very tricky business indeed. Pub preference is such an intimate, personal thing – one person’s dream boozer might not remotely appeal to another. That said, when it comes to Britain’s absolute finest pubs there are universal marks of excellence: convivial atmosphere, charming staff, charismatic decor and, above all, a varied selection of well-kept, well-served drinks. Time Out’s 2026 ranking of Britain’s greatest pubs was compiled with the assistance of our UK-wide network of drinking aficionados, and features all kinds of establishments. Pint enclaves built in barren deserts, atop blustery mountains and on isolated beaches. Sturdy booze bastions, age-old no-fuss pubs, innovative craft alehouses and everything in between.  Some of these pubs are old favourites though plenty are more recent obsessions; they’re almost all independent (with a couple of worthy exceptions). Mostly, though, they’re united by one thing: a sense of community. A pub is made by its cast of regulars, and you’ll find quality company in each of the institutions below.  (Oh, and for the most part these pubs are outside London. You can find a list of the capital’s top drinking holes here). RECOMMENDED: The best gastropubs in the UK.  

There may not be any goal-heavy third-place play-off matches or nerve-wracking World Cup finals to watch this weekend, but that doesn’t mean you have to sit at home, twiddling your thumbs until the Premier League season starts. Wondering what you’re going to do with your all your spare time now? Well, the sun continues to shine; it’s the height of the Great British Summer, and there’s plenty of unmissable stuff going on in the final full week of July.  Make the most of the sunny weather by heading outside to swim in Royal Victoria Docks’ open-water lido for free for its new Summer Splash series, get two stepping in Boston Manor Park as Junction 2 festival brings a whole load of big name DJs to London for its tenth edition, or watch alfresco experimental theatre and dance at Ensemble Festival, a free two-day performance festival where some of the country’s most exciting artists will be performing circus, dance, and theatre.  There’s also plenty to keep you cultured. Head to the cinema to see Christopher Nolan’s take on Homer’s The Odyssey, which has been given a whopping five stars by our film critic. Can’t get enough of Greek myth? See director Simon Stone’s expansive adaptation of the Greek legend The Oresteia at the Bridge Theatre, or look at the fascinating works of Victorian painter Richard Dadd, who created much of whis works while in psychiatric hospitals, at the RA’s new show. With more sun on the agenda, it’s the perfect time to check out some open-air cinema and thea

Wondering what you’re going to do with your spare time now you don’t have an endless programme of World Cup matches to watch? The football may have come to an end, but that doesn’t mean your social life has to. The sun continues to shine; it’s the height of the Great British Summer, and there’s plenty of unmissable stuff going on in the final full week of July.  Make the most of the sunny weather by heading outside to swim in Royal Victoria Docks’ open-water lido for free for its new Summer Splash series, get two stepping in Boston Manor Park as Junction 2 festival brings a whole load of big name DJs to London for its tenth edition, or watch alfresco experimental theatre and dance at Ensemble Festival, a free two-day performance festival where some of the country’s most exciting artists will be performing circus, dance, and theatre.  There’s also plenty to keep you cultured. Head to the cinema to see Christopher Nolan’s take on Homer’s The Odyssey, which has been given a whopping five stars by our film critic. Can’t get enough of Greek myth? See director Simon Stone’s expansive adaptation of the Greek legend The Oresteia at the Bridge Theatre, or look at the fascinating works of Victorian painter Richard Dadd, who created much of whis works while in psychiatric hospitals, at the RA’s new show. With more sun on the agenda, it’s the perfect time to check out some open-air cinema and theatre, or to plan another picnic or pub garden sesh. Get out there and enjoy!  Start planning

We never thought we’d say it, but this summer’s never-ending heatwave has got us dreaming of cooler days and chilly nights cosied up with a hot bev and wool blanket. There are still a few months to go before autumn hits, but that doesn’t mean it’s too soon to start planning how we’ll spend it.    For some, it’s is all about spooky season, for others it’s about candle-lit evenings in front of the telly with a steaming mug of hot chocolate. For others, it’s about pumpkins galore – a golden excuse to get picking, carving and cooking. If you fall into that final category, you’re in the right place.  As the weather drops, farms in and around London become gourd wonderlands, littered with bright yellow and flaming orange pumpkins. Often there’ll be photo opportunities, craft workshops and spooky goings on thrown in so you can make a real outing of it. Just make sure you book in advance to make sure you get a decent pick of the crop. So, whether you want to stock up on pumpkins to carve into Halloween lanterns or to make masses of soup and pies, here are our favourite places near London for pumpkin picking in 2026.  London’s best places for pumpkin picking at a glance: 🎃 Pumpkin smashing fun: Rogate Pumpkin Patch, Petersfield 🪄 Magical village vibes: Marsh Farm, Chelmsford 🧙🏻‍♀️ Best for witches on a budget: Cobbs Farm, Essex ⚡️ Best for little adventure-seekers: Hobbledown Heath, Hounslow   

Summer's finally here! And that means it's high time you dug out last year's swimsuit (faintly bobbly though it may be) and took it for a spin in one of London's many gorgeous outdoor pools. But don't even think of heading to your local noisy, chlorine-scented indoor swimming baths. When the temperatures soar, lidos are the only way to go. I'm one of the growing band of Londoners who's been bitten by the outdoor swimming bug, and braved the waters at every al fresco pool I can find in this city. Yep, the water's a bit chilly. But that's the whole point: to feel that rush of exhilaration you only get once your body adjusts to the cool water and starts gliding through it like a dolphin (or in my case, a geriatric elephant seal – I said I'm a keen outdoor swimmer, not a good one).   The seriously dedicated will head to wild swimming spots where you bob about face to face with aggy ducks and the odd bit of pondweed. But if you want to get a proper swim in, lidos are the easiest, freshest way to do it. Heated or unheated, regimented lanes or wide open water, serious fitness or chilled family fun – these are all of London’s best lidos and outdoor swimming pools for making a splash in this summer. Best lidos and outdoor swimming spots in London at a glance 🏊‍♀️ Best for getting lengths in: Tooting Bec Lido 🥐 Best for a post swim brunch: Brockwell Lido ☀️ Best for warm water all year round: Pools on the Park ✨ Best for beautiful views: Parliament Hill Lido 🏖️ Best for hanging ou

It might be tempting to spend August lost in fantasies about escaping on a luxury holiday with no sweaty commutes, overcrowded beer-gardens or un-air-conditioned restaurants to contend with. But London’s hottest, stickiest month can also be pretty damn lovely if you know how to do it right.  August has got a festival feel, and the biggest party on its line-up is Notting Hill Carnival – which takes over the streets of west London for the bank holiday weekend. When you’re not having a riotous time dancing to tinnitus-inducing dance hall with a pocket full of Red Stripe, there are plenty of other ways to get your fill of live music this month. All Points East and Body Movements are among the many festivals pitching their tents and blasting music across various parks in London. It wouldn’t be summer in London without outdoor theatres like Shakespeare’s Globe or Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, which serve up spellbinding performances that’ll bring magic to the long summer evenings. Or keep your cool with some of this city’s more chill ways to spend an afternoon, like lido swims, lazy days in the park, outdoor-cinema sessions and all the other alfresco pleasures that summer in London has to offer, before September puts an autumnal chill in the air.

When it comes to art and exhibitions, London has it all. From the niche spaces, to the avant garde galleries, and the massive crowd-pleasing museums, our city is packed with shows that will perplex, challenge, inspire, educate and leave you feeling awestruck.  The problem is... there’s absolutely tons to see. Too much, you could say. Lucky for you, Time Out exists. For decades, our experts have been visiting and reviewing all the sculpture, painting, performance, photography, history, fashion and other types of exhibitions on offer. You name it, we’ve (probably, most likely) seen it. If you’re wondering what’s actually worth your time, start here. Check out the best museum exhibitions and art in London right now, and be sure to come back weekly for the latest picks. Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. RECOMMENDED: Best photography exhibitions in LondonBest free exhibitions in London

From top-tier off-licences to under-the-radar vintage shops, specialised delis, plant havens and everything in between, we’ve shopped (and dropped) our way through the capital’s retail offering. You really can buy whatever you want in this city – you just need to know where to look. That’s why we’ve put together this definitive list of the capital’s 50 best shops for 2025.  Featured in the list are a selection of excellent independent shops, some unmissable department stores, and a few delightfully quirky places you might have never known existed. Plus, for 2026 there’s an exciting pop-up from one of the world’s most beloved brands in one of London’s most renowned venues. This is our ultimate guide to shopping in the capital. Just don’t blame us if you get a little carried away next payday.  Rosie Hewitson is Time Out London’s Things to Do Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. RECOMMENDED:London’s best secondhand shops, picked by expertsThe best markets in London for shopping and browsingThe best car boot sales in London London’s best shops at a glance 📚 Best bookshop: Daunt Books 🏬 Best department store: Liberty 🍴 Best vintage shop: Blackout II 🥪 Best deli: Salvino 🎁 Best gift shop: Botanique

Once the clocks have gone back, the weather has gone all blustery and autumnal, and Halloween has been and gone, it’s time to remember, remember the fifth of November.  Of all of the UK’s winter traditions, there’s nothing like gathering in a park in the nippy nights of early November to watch a pile of flaming wood and fireworks piercing the sky. Bonfire Night – aka Guy Fawkes Night –might sound strange to those unfamiliar with it, but it’s a great British tradition and one of the highlights of the second half of the year. London puts on a plethora of Bonfire Night and fireworks displays with sparkly skies, yummy street food and so much more. We’ll be updating this page as more details of this year’s events are released.  When is Bonfire Night in London? You know the old adage! Bonfire Night is officially on November 5 every year, and this year, that falls on a Thursday. You’ll find some displays on the night itself, but most will be taking place on either the weekend before or after so you can really make the most of the fun. These days, fireworks displays are about more than bonfires and colourful skies – it’s now the norm for events to boast funfairs, food stalls and more. Top tips for Bonfire Night in London  Book in advance: Some events you can just rock up to and pay on the gate; others sell out early and don’t keep tickets back for the spontaneous among us. The key to not being disappointed is being organised! Wrap up: The unpredictable great British weather rarely

You’ve probably heard of All Points East, the  London music festival taking over Victoria Park for its eighth installment this August, with headliners including Jorja Smith, Lorde and Tyler, The Creator. As well as hosting gigs with a whole bunch of international megastars, it’s bringing back its community festival In The Neighbourhood in collaboration with Tower Hamlets Council. Taking place in the middle of the festival’s two weekends, it features loads of free family entertainment. Youngsters can get stuck into kids’ sports sessions hosted by local groups like Tower Hamlets Hockey Club, Adore Dance London, Limehouse Boxing Academy and Girls Allowed, while grown-ups can sign up for free barre, yoga and pilates classes, or make use of free bike maintenance courtesy of Cambridge Heath studio Bikeworks. And for the more creatively inclined, there’ll be on-stage entertainment from the likes of Limehouse’s Half Moon Theatre, Whitechapel’s Tamaring Theatre and Bethnal Green arts venue Rich Mix, plus workshops with the Orchestra Of Objects and The Big Draw. In short, it’s a fabulous way to keep kids entertained during the long summer holidays, or a great venue for post-work meet-ups in the sun. Find out more on the All Points East website.

Get sun and sand without the faff of a two-hour journey on a baking hot train this summer by heading to Walthamstow’s Big Penny Social, where the courtyard of the UK’s largest beer hall has been transformed into the Big Penny Beach Club for the warmer months. Formerly known as Walthamstow-On-Sea, the seasonal pop-up has had a bit of a glow-up for 2026, with soft golden sands, beach bars and bookable cabanas giving more Balearic than Blackhorse Road, just with more graphic design dads and fewer Wayne Lineker wannabes. Soak up some rays on a deck chair, sip draught beers, Aperol spritzes and frozen cocktails served up by the beach bar, and treat yourself to some fish and chips or a scoop or two of Hackney Gelato. And as usual, look out for loads of great events throughout the season, from beach volleyball sessions and family festivals to bank holiday parties with live music and DJs. Ibiza’s got nothing on E17!

‘Where is Ana Mendieta?’ was the question ringing around the halls of the Tate Modern’s Blavatnik Building just over 10 years ago. It was June 2016, at an opening party for the Tate Modern’s shiny new £260m wing, when around 150 activists invaded the gallery to hold a vigil for the Cuban-American artist who died in 1985 at just 36 years old. Dressed in black and holding funeral flowers, the group had marched across Millennium Bridge carrying banners and placards, before gathering outside the Tate to read poems and share thoughts about Mendieta and her work.  The demonstration was organised in response to the gallery’s decision to display works by Mendieta’s husband, and alleged killer, Carl Andre. A revered modernist sculptor 13 years her senior, Andre was controversially acquitted of murdering his wife, a severe acrophobic, when she fell to her death from the window of his 34th-floor Greenwich Village apartment in the early hours of Sunday 8 September 1985, after neighbours heard them arguing into the night. As a rising star of New York’s avant-garde feminist art scene, there’s no knowing what brilliant work Mendieta might still be producing if her career hadn’t been cut tragically short just as she was entering her prime. And despite her friends and family members having long campaigned for her groundbreaking practice not to be obscured by the violent manner of her death, it’s unfortunate that demonstrations outside of Carl Andre exhibitions have been a lot of fans’ introdu

Anyone who tries to tell you that Dalston’s reign as east London’s most party-ready neighbourhood is a thing of the past clearly hasn’t been to Om, the late-night venue from the people behind beloved local listening bars Brilliant Corners and Mu. Om has a ‘music-first’ ethos that means it has an excellent sound system, a bar stationed in a seperate room and a no phones on the dance floor policy, as well as lockers for bags making for easy dancing. The clincher: its 6am license on weekends makes it the go-to spot when the area’s lesser clubs reach kicking out time.

Wandsworth Council’s annual display is back for 2026, and will once again take place over two nights this year. Saturday November 7 is the regular fireworks and bonfire event, while Sunday November 8 is more family-friendly, with activities for kids and fewer nerve-jangling explosions. There’ll also be mulled winter warmers and autumnal comfort food. It always sells out, so book early. What time do the fireworks start in Battersea? On Saturday, gates open at 6pm and last entry is at 8pm, before a display that begins at 8.30pm. On Sunday, gates open at 4.30pm, last entry is at 6.30pm, and the display begins at 7pm.  How much do tickets for the Battersea Park fireworks cost? Pre-sale tickets are available to sign up for now.   What is the capacity of Battersea Park fireworks? One of the largest displays in the city, Battersea Park fireworks can accommodate 50,000 ticketed spectators per night.  Find more fireworks displays in London.

Many N16 locals will remember when this tiny 120-capacity venue in the basement of pleasant Stokey pub The Three Crowns was home to the late, great Andrew Weatherall’s monthly night A Love From Outer Space, back when the place was known as The Drop. Having long since been relaunched by the team behind The Lock Tavern and The Shacklewell Arms, these days it hosts a mixture of (often queer-leaning) club nights such as UK Hun? and Pop Never Dies, as well as gigs programmed by Snap, Crackle and Pop. A host of electronic music innovators have played here over the years too, including Daniel Avery and Four Tet, while Stoke Newington local Caribou hosted a four-night residency here in September 2024 ahead of the release of his latest album. Gigs here are cheap, or sometimes even free, and it stays open later than anywhere else nearby, shutting at 3.30am on weekends. 

In spring 2027, Tate Britain will present a landmark exhibition marking the 300th birthday of one of the nation’s greatest portraitists, Thomas Gainsborough. Spanning from his youth in Suffolk to his portrait practice in Bath and London, to the landscape paintings he focused on in his later years, it will be the first major survey of the Georgian painter, draughtsman and printmaker’s work in over 20 years, and will bring together 120 paintings and drawings to examine his considerable influence on British art history. 

Back in 2009, the United Nations officially declared July 18 to be Nelson Mandela Day, in honour of the former president of South Africa, who spent 27 years in prison for his anti-apartheid activism. To mark the celebration, and the 30th anniversary of the South African Constitution, London’s South African diaspora will descend on Trafalgar Square for a day of music, food, storytelling and solidarity with those campaiging for human rights across the globe. Head down to sample some classic South African street food, hear from storytellers and check out free performances from some of the country’s most exciting contemporary music acts, including veteran Zulu folk musician Sipho Mchunu, contemporary singer-songwriter Jesse Clegg, electronic producers Sun-El Musician and Thakzin, rapper Sjava and composer Msaki. 

From vintage car boot sales to London’s best street food stalls, all manner of excellent markets pop up around King’s Cross throughout the year, but this weekend is an especially good one for those fond of a good old rummage, with no fewer than three fabulous free-entry indie markets happening across Granary Square and Lower Stable Street. From Thursday to Sunday, the Lower Stables will transform into Shōtengai Market, a pan-Asian fair co-curated by streetwear brand Beams and Co, where you can browse products ranging from street food snacks to the latest tech. This edition features some London foodie faves including Mama Yu, Lil Wong Bakes and Shokudo, alongside record label Caravan, minimal accessory brand 3rd/Diadem and clothing label If Not Now.  On Saturday, be sure to check out the Illustrators Fair. The UK’s largest free-entry illustrator market, it will feature more than 100 curated artists selling illustrated products ranging from limited edition zines, comics and graphic novels to greetings cards, pins and stickers.  And on Sunday, there’s another edition of the Crafty Fox Market, which is the place to go for handmade jewellery, clothing, ceramics and homeware from another 100 artisan craftspeople. Is mid-July too early to start Christmas shopping? Maybe...so you’ll just have to treat yourself instead. 

The New York Times bestselling essayist, BBC Radio broadcaster and all round funny guy David Sedaris stops by the Southbank Centre for two evenings this July to celebrate his latest book, The Land and Its People, a curmudgeonly collection of 28 short essays considering the absurdity of modern life, from family, ageing and travel to the pandemic and politival landscape. Expect to hear some new and unpublished stories, and stick around for a book signing afterwards. 

You need only look at the shelves piled high with unibrowed fridge magnets, tea towels, plant-pots and earrings in the average museum gift shop to know that Frida Kahlo is one of the 20th century’s greatest icons.  Featuring over 130 works alongside documents, photographs and memorabilia taken from Kahlo’s archives, Tate Modern’s blockbuster summer exhibition will explore how the Mexican painter became the kind of cultural phenomenon whose likeness adorns everything from novelty socks to limited-edition eyeshadow pallets. The first major London exhibition on the feminist icon since the V&A’s fashion-focused 2018 show Making Her Self Up, it will include some of her most iconic paintings, as well as the work of more than 80 fellow artists, from her contemporaries to the later generations she inspired.  All in all, it promises to be a fascinating exploration of the transformative role of women artists in the 20th century, as well as notions of fandom and the diverse communities who claim Frida as their own. Read our review here. 

What is it?  One of the capital’s more under-the-radar royal residences, Kew Palace is tucked away inside Kew’s world-famous Royal Botanical Gardens. A pretty, red-brick villa built as a riverside country residence for a Flemish merchant in 1631, the house had a succession of tenants before George II’s wife Caroline decided to purchase it as a home for the couple’s three eldest daughters when the royal family was in residence at the nearby Richmond Lodge.  It was George II’s son, Prince Frederick, and later Frederick’s widow, Augusta, who began cultivating the gardens that would eventually become one of London’s four World Heritage Sites, but Kew Palace truly came into its own during the reign of their son, who grew up at Kew and made it a home for his own family. A keen astronomer, George III had an observatory installed while his wife Queen Charlotte added to the gardens with a rustic-style cottage which the family used as a picnic retreat.  Why go?  With entry to Kew Palace included in admission to the Royal Botanical Gardens, it’s well worth a visit for a rare glimpse into family life among kings, queens, princes and princesses.  Visitors can see the fashionable Georgian decor of the Princesses’ rooms, George III’s library, and the vast Royal Kitchens once staffed by thirty cooks and virtually untouched since they fell out of use in the early 19th century.  Also on display are a series of artefacts telling the fascinating and often tragic story of George III’s life, inclu

Wherever you go tonight, you won't be able to miss England vs Argentina. Pretty much the whole of London will be glued to the TV screen from 8pm tonight, as the Three Lions take on the current world champions for a place in the World Cup final. And each triumphant goal celebration or agonising near miss will be accompanied by a surround sound of roars and groans, spilling out of houses and pubs in every corner of London. Still, why settle for secondhand excitement? Even if you’ve left it til today to figure out where to watch tonight’s game, it’s not too late to watch the match somewhere with bags of atmosphere. The keen beans might have booked tables weeks ago, Big Penny Social and Boxpark might have sold out in seconds, but there are still pubs, bars and public screenings taking walk-ins all across town. Show up early to bag a good spot for the most hotly-anticipated game since, well, the last international final – whatever happens, you won't regret coming along for the ride. RECOMMENDED: Where to watch the World Cup in London. The best walk-in venues for England’s World Cup semi-final Central London The Box, Piccadilly A 7,200 sports bar on the corner of Piccadilly Circus, The Box has plenty of room for walk-ins, and serves up some hefty World Cup-themed sharing platters alongside beer buckets and cocktail steins.  23 Shaftesbury Ave, W1D 7EF Mercato Metropolitano, Elephant & Castle  Spanning 17,000 square feet and featuring more than 40 food and drink vendors, the OG

We’ve seen screamers galore, a few absolute howlers, some controversial calls and a couple of shocking early exits. We’ve witnessed everything from turgid 0-0 draws (England vs Ghana) to edge-of-your-seat, five-goal thrillers (Argentina vs Egypt). We’ve heard the words ‘altitude’ and ‘hydration break’ more times than we care to remember, spotted dozens of American celebs in the stands, and shared literally hundreds of memes comparing Erling Haaland to a spring onion.  And now, after five weeks, 100 games and nearly 300 goals, 48 teams have been whittled down to just four, with the 2026 World Cup semi-finals taking place over the coming days. With England having reached another semi-final, the atmosphere in the capital has pretty much reached fever pitch.  But not everyone is supporting the Three Lions. London prides itself on being a gloriously diverse city, so you’ll find several watch parties for fans of the other semi-finalists across the capital too. Whether you’re an expat, a Scotland fan planning a hate watch, or just want to cheer on your sweepstake team, here’s where to go to watch Spain, France or Argentina with a home crowd in London.  RECOMMENDED: Where to watch the World Cup in London. When is each World Cup semi-final match?  France v Spain Tuesday July 14, 8pm BST England v Argentina Wednesday July 15, 8pm BST – find walk-in venues here. Best places to watch the 2026 World Cup semi-finals for each team France France’s World Cup semi-final happens to fall on

Hot on the heels of the Chelsea Flower Show, the first week of June sees the arrival of the second biggest event in the calendar for London’s flower fanatics.  London Open Gardens is back this weekend, offering dedicated horticulturists, amateur botanists and other admirers of a colourful wall trellis or an artfully deployed water feature the chance to have a peek at whole bunch of fabulous gardens across the city, the vast majority of which are not usually open to the public.  A £26 weekend ticket grants visitors access to over 120 venues around London, from floating oases and rooftop hideaways to sculpture gardens and historic plots. But there’s only so much time to snoop around, so before you go trekking round the capital in search of blooms, have a look at our roundup of eight brilliant gardens that are definitely worth taking a look at.  The 8 best gardens to visit during London Open Gardens 2026 The Sanctuary Garden at Freedom from Torture, Islington The Sanctuary Garden earned a silver medal at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2024. After that, it was relocated to Freedom from Torture’s London Therapy Centre in Finsbury Park and for most of the year, it functions as a place where survivors of torture can find calm and partake in horticultural therapy. Willow structures curve and sweep around the space, and plants like figs, nigella seeds, chickpeas, pomegranate and a strawberry tree have been installed to evoke happier memories of home. For Open Gardens, experts will be on

The 2025/26 football season has almost come to a close, but while most football fans are turning their thoughts towards this summer’s World Cup, Arsenal fans are gearing up for a huge weekend for their club. After winning their first league title in 22 years last week – which fans will get to celebrate at a huge trophy parade around north London this Sunday – Mikel Arteta’s team will be attempting to clinch a second major piece of silverware as they face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League Final on Saturday night in Budapest’s Puskás Aréna. Many Gooners will be flying to Hungary for the occasion, with a further 60,000 watching live at the Emirates Stadium. Not got a ticket for either, but still keen to catch the nail-biting action somewhere with a bit more atmosphere than your living room? Local fans will be also be heading to the boozers and beer gardens of north London to watch Ødegaard, Rice and Eze battling it out against Dembélé and co. So if you fancy joining them, look no further than our roundup of London’s best Gooner pubs. Just be sure to book where possible, or show up very early if not, because venues will be packed out for the club’s biggest game in 18 years. RECOMMENDED: London’s best football pubs. The best Arsenal pubs in London The Drayton Park A bar stool at the Drayton is basically as close as you can get to pitchside without a ticket. You can see the stadium from the window, which means you can hear the roar from inside the stadium when Arsenal sco

World-renowned multi-disciplinary festival SXSW launched its London outpost last summer, and it was a pretty major affair, with a whopping 600 talks, 600 gigs and 200 films screenings all taking place around Shoreditch over six days in June. And with the festival’s sophomore edition only a couple of months away (it takes place Tue June 2-Sun June 7) and we’re getting very excited about what’s in store. Some major names have already been announced for the conference and film strands of the multi-disciplinary festival, and now we also have details of the music line-up, with some huge artists set to headline. Taking top billing across the six-day festival are a host of internationally-renowned artists including critically acclaimed US rapper Earl Sweatshirt, Afrobeats star Tiwa Savage, moody electronic producer Sega Bodega, indie-rock outfit Circa Waves, post-punk band Shame, indie-pop singer Rachel Chinouriri, veteran radio DJ Pete Tong and Time Out’s 2024 Londoner of the Year DJ AG.  But it’s not just the big stars to look out for on the line-up. SXSW has long been known as a launchpad for emerging artists and a discovery platform for keen music fans looking for their next favourite band, and the London 2026 festival will be no different. As usual, the festival’s enormous, hugely eclectic musical programme has been co-curated with a variety of esteemed partners, including Clash magazine, Notion, and The Crack, emerging artist platforms like BBC Introducing, Bite Back and Gener

If, like us, your bank account is reeling after a double bank holiday spent tapping your credit card with joyful abandon, then you may be in need of a somewhat more frugal couple of days this weekend. Well, fear not. The second weekend of April is shaping up to be an excellent one for penny-pinching Londoners looking for a good time. From classical concerts on council estates to a major new regular flea market in east London, there are loads of reasons to get out and about this weekend, even if the glorious mid-week sunshine is, in typical fashion, set to be replaced by clouds and showers as the weekend arrives. Ah well. Us Londoners know better than to let a little rain ruin our plans.  RECOMMENDED: 📍 The best things to do in London this weekend.❌ London travel disruption this weekend: full list of tube and train closures for April 11-12. The best free things on in London this weekend, April 10-12 2026 1. Get a free dose of youth culture at Roundhouse Three Sixty Iconic Camden arts venue The Roundhouse will be buzzing this weekend, as the Three Sixty festival fills its walls with music, poetry and performances heralding a new generation of artists and fans. Book a free slot at interactive exhibition From Soundboy to Streaming and you’ll get to experience all the highs of London’s underground music cultures, as curated by local young people, including photographs, gig tickets, zines and more. Or tune in to Transmission, a live podcast recording with special guests from the

More bad news for London’s festival lovers. Just days after it was announced that Wireless festival would no longer go ahead this year after the UK Government revoked headliner Kanye West’s right to enter the UK, the capital’s summer music schedule has been dealt another blow, with the cancellation of the majority of dates for this year’s Lido festival.  Victoria Park’s newest summer event, the 35,000 capacity Lido festival debuted last June, with Charli xcx, Jamie xx and London Grammar headlining. This year’s sophomore edition of the festival was set to take place in mid-June, but the majority of the festival will no longer take place owing to ground conditions in the Tower Hamlets park.  RECOMMENDED: The best music festivals in London. Cancelled and rescheduled dates for Lido Festival Headline shows from Irish country singer CMAT on Friday 12 June and London indie rockers Bombay Bicycle Club on Sunday 14 June have been cancelled, while the festival’s third day, headlined by electronic duo Maribou State, has been rescheduled for the bank holiday on Monday 31 August.  Why has Lido Festival been cancelled and rescheduled? Announcing the cancellation on Instagram, festival organisers wrote, ‘LIDO 2026 is unable to take place in June to protect park ground conditions and will instead move to late August as a one-off date adjustment.’ They were also keen to stress that the changes ‘are in no way the fault of the artists or London Borough of Tower Hamlets (LBTH), all of whom have

The arrival of spring means that there are loads of fabulous new art exhibitions on the horizon in London, with major shows on the likes of Francisco de Zurbarán, Henry Moore and James McNeil Whistler joining excellent recent openings including Hurvin Anderson at Tate Britain, Michaelina Wautier at the Royal Academy and Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art at the V&A. But before all the shiny new openings, we must wave goodbye to the old ones.  Some excellent exhibitions are set to close this weekend, and there’s a good chance you’ve been too busy scoffing Easter eggs, frolicking among the spring flowers and generally making the most of the first rays of sunlight we’ve seen this year to spend your weekends gallivanting around the capital’s art galleries. But you’ve not got long left to see some of the winter season’s best openings. Here’s what to catch this weekend, just in the nick of time.  RECOMMENDED: The top 10 exhibitions in London. Four amazing London art exhibitions closing in April 2026 Turner & Constable: Rivals and Originals at Tate Britain The greatest of rivals – and two of Britain’s greatest painters – JMW Turner and John Constable are placed side by side in this starry exhibition. Although both had different paths to success, they each became recognised as stars of the art world and shared a connection to nature and recreating it in their landscape paintings. Explore the pair’s intertwined lives and legacies and get new insight into their creativity via sketchboo

Major news, music fans. Back in February it was revealed that former One Directioner, three-time Grammy winner and general pop culture icon Harry Styles would be curating the 2026 edition of Meltdown, following in the footsteps of David Bowie, Patti Smith, Grace Jones, Jarvis Cocker and countless other musical legends in selecting the line-up for the Southbank Centre’s renowned summer music festival.   And now, hot on the heels of his chart-topping fourth album Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally, the heartthrob has revealed the first wave of acts set to join him at the central London arts institution this June. On the bill for Meltdown’s 31st edition is an eclectic roster of established and up-and-coming artists, including plenty of artists born or based in the capital.  Harry Styles’s Meltdown opens with Warpaint’s only live date in 2026. The California-based indie rock outfit will play at Royal Festival Hall on Thursday 11 June in what promises to be an atmospheric opening for the eleven-day festival. The festival’s first Friday will feature gigs from folk singer Stephen Fretwell (Purcell Room, Fri 12 June), electronic producer Ninajirachi (Queen Elizabeth Foyer, Fri 12 June) and British jazz composer and multi-instrumentalist Shabaka Hutchings, who will be inviting a host of special guests to join him on stage at the Queen Elizabeth Hall for a one-off collaborative performance (Fri 12 June).  Also appearing over the opening weekend are experimental pop singer Erika de

Spring has finally sprung, and as the capital’s parks and gardens start to burst into life, its art scene is also a hive of activity. Some brilliant shows have opened in the last few weeks – there’s Beatriz González at the Barbican, Catherine Opie at the Portrait Gallery and Hurvin Anderson at Tate Britain, to name a few – but it’s about to get even busier for the city’s major galleries and museums.  Alongside the arrival of three massive new venues – V&A East (opening on April 18), the Museum of Youth Culture (opening on May 15) and the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration (also due to open in May) – Londoners can expect loads of brilliant exhibitions on everything from Gilded Age portraitists and monumental sculpture to Baroque masters and avant garde couture. Grab your diary and get planning with our guide to the truly unmissable shows coming up over the next few months.  10 London art exhibitions we’re most excited about in spring 2026 1. Michaelina Wautier at the Royal Academy Until relatively recently, few art historians believed that paintings bearing 17th century artist Michaelina Wautier’s signature could possibly have been made by a woman, instead attributing them to her brother or other male artists. And yet she did it all; flowers and still lifes, portraits and large-scale history paintings, mastering subjects typically reserved for her male peers. Twenty-five pieces feature in this landmark exhibition, the first in the UK to be devoted to this rediscovered mas

You’ve really gotta hand it to Tate. The UK’s largest gallery conglomerate is in a league of its own when it comes to programming season after season of blockbuster exhibitions. Hot on the heels of the institution’s widely lauded Tracey Emin retrospective, in the brief lull before its next major opening – Tate Britain’s Hurvin Anderson exhibition arrives at the end of the month – the institution has announced its full programme for 2027, and there are plenty of bangers to get excited about. From 18th century landscapes and 20th century ink painting to giants of impressionism and post-impressionism, here’s everything to look forward to next year at two of London’s biggest and best art galleries.  Tate Modern  Tate kicks off 2027 with a huge exhibition examining Claude Monet’s relationship with time at Tate Modern. The gallery’s first ever exhibition to focus exclusively on the works of Impressionism’s founding father, Monet: Painting Time (Feb 25-Jun 27) promises to bring together loans from across the globe to examine how he evoked the rapid pace of modern life through fleeting, transient moments in time.  Image: Yuan Jai, ‘Jadeite Cabbage’, (1999). Courtesy of the Artist and Vitamin Creative Space. Spring will see the arrival of the gallery’s inaugural exhibition focusing on the practice of ink painting. Focusing on 20th century artists in Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China, Ink (Apr 22-Aug 20) will examine this ‘enduring and profoundly philosophical’ discipline through

Do you occasionally have a flutter on the National Lottery? Your chances of winning millions might be pretty slim, but whether you win big or not this weekend, your ticket means guaranteed prizes in the form of free or discounted entry to dozens of top attractions across the UK. Returning from Saturday March 7 to Sunday March 15, the National Lottery’s Open Week is a way for National Lottery-funded venues across the country to say thank you to participants for their part in raising £32 million each week to support charitable causes. The annual celebration offers free or heavily discounted access to visitors who present a lottery ticket upon entry at hundreds of celebrated venues, from historical sites, art galleries and museums to wildlife hotspots, sporting venues and even some lovely independent cinemas. In the mood for a bargain day out in the city? Here are loads of great London venues participating in National Lottery Open Week 2026. London venues with free or discounted entry for National Lottery Open Week 2026 The Tower of London What? 50 percent off for two adults and four children When? March 7-14  Kensington Palace What? 50 percent off for two adults and four children When? March 7-8 and March 11-14 Hampton Court Palace What? 50 percent off for two adults and four children When?  March 7-8 and March 13-14 Photograph: Shutterstock Tate Modern What? Two for one entry to the Theatre Picasso exhibition When? March 7-15  Eltham Palace and Gardens What? Free entry fo