Rosie Hewitson

There are few things that we’d willingly brace the cold for during winter in London. But ice skating is one of them. From around October each year, pop-up ice rinks fill the city, decked out in fairy lights, hosting DJ takeovers and inviting folk to skate late into the night. So, dig out your warmest hats and scarves – soon, you’ll get to romantically glide (or awkwardly stumble) with your loved ones under the backdrop of landmarks like Somerset House, Battersea Power Station and Hampton Court Palace.  Keen to flaunt your best ice moves? Determined to skate at least one lap without clinging onto the wall for dear life? We recommend you book a spot at your chosen rink as early as you can. Here are some of the best rinks to soar across this winter. We’ll be topping up this list as more rinks for the 2025/26 season are confirmed. How much does it cost to go ice skating? The cost to skate at London’s various permanent and pop-up ice rinks varies quite significantly. So far, this year’s cheapest option is Queens Skate Dine and Bowl, where adult tickets are available from £8 (during off-peak hours). The most expensive adult ticket in 2024 was £26 for peak hours at Skate at Somerset House. For cheaper tickets, consider visiting at less popular times.  RECOMMENDED: our ultimate guide to Christmas in London.

Charge the steins! You don’t have to travel all the way to Germany for a lederhosen-clad knees-up this Oktoberfest – and you don't even have to wait until October. Munich’s world-famous beer festival is very much on in London and starting on Saturday September 20 2025; with big steins of beer, platters of excessively long wurst and loud oompah bands blowing brass like they don’t give a schnitzel.  Oktoberfest began over 200 years ago, as a mammoth wedding party for a Bavarian prince and princess. It turned out that beer, bratwurst and all-round silliness were a match made in heaven, so now it's an annual excuse for everyone to cut loose as autumn approaches. Whether you’re after a traditional take on the event or drag queen-led partying, authentic Bavarian beers or east London craft IPAs, you can find the perfect Oktoberfest for you right here in London. You're sure to get a warm willkommen at one of these London Oktoberfest events.  RECOMMENDED: The best things to do in London this October

September in London may be ‘back to school’ time, but it’s also when the city comes alive. A lot of London’s cultural scene goes into semi-hibernation mode over the summer, but come autumn it kicks back into gear with landmark museum exhibitions, new theatre and art shows and brand new food and drink openings.  There’s also a whole host of city-wide fests taking over the capital, including Open House London – giving us a chance to get a sneak peek inside usually private buildings – London Design Festival and Totally Thames – the brilliant celebration of London’s watery main artery. While autumn is still on the horizon, summer isn’t over yet. So make sure you grab your final chance to enjoy the spoils of the season by booking a seat at some of London’s best rooftop bars and alfresco restaurants and lolling about in the city’s best urban beaches, parks and lidos. Get your diary out and start filling it up now. Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

From striking documentary works from a time bygone to glitzy, high fashion editorial shoots and everything in between, London is an excellent city to explore if you’re a photography lover. There are new exhibitions popping up pretty much all of the time, allowing you to lose yourself through the camera lens.  In this list below, we’ve put together all of the best photography exhibitions out there in the city right now. We’ve been there, done that, checked them out in the flesh, and can guarantee that every exhibition on this list is worth going to.  RECOMMENDED: Top 10 art exhibitions in London12 London art exhibitions we can’t wait to see in 2025

We all know that it costs an arm and a leg to enjoy a day out in London these days. Step out the front door and you’re probably already down a tenner – so once you’ve factored in transport, food, drinks and tickets for whatever takes your fancy, you’re looking at some serious damage to your poor old bank balance. But not all is lost: you’re in a cultural capital, for goodness’ sake. Let’s not forget that we can enjoy some world-class art in world-class galleries, right here on our doorstep, free of charge. Pretty much every major museum in London is free to enter, as well as every gallery – and while the temporary exhibitions will usually take a fee, you can still see some of the greats (we’re talking your Monets, Michelangelos and Emins) at places like the Tate Modern and National Gallery without splurging a penny of your hard-earned cash.  Below, you’ll find all of the free art and photography exhibitions happening in London right now, but that’s not everything: don’t miss out on the permanent collections of some fantastic free museums and galleries right here. Enjoy. RECOMMENDED:All of the free galleries and museums in LondonExplore our full guide to free LondonThe best art exhibitions in London

October signals the arrival of autumn proper, which means it’s time to say goodbye to the sticky, sweaty days of summer and hello to crunchy carpets of leaves and pumpkin spice everything. It’s also the time of year for a hell of a party, with Halloween bringing with it all kinds of spooky celebrations – from family-friendly frights, movie screenings, pumpkin picking and scary nightlife so good it could raise the dead taking over the capital this month. But October isn’t just about dressing up like a half-dead corpse or sexy version of a viral meme. The colder weather means it’s a great time for indoor activities, with a host of big theatre productions, film releases and other cultural highlights throughout the month. The BFI London Film Festival returns, as does the London Literature Festival and the Bloomsbury Festival. On the art scene, there’s a wealth of new exhibitions not to be missed, plus Frieze’s annual London art fair, uniting some of the world’s best art galleries in one place. It’s also Black History Month in the UK, and you can expect many of London’s major institutions to throw events to mark the occasion. If you’re not committing to Sober October, the month also calls for big steins and inventive mixes. Oktoberfest celebrations will take over the capital at the start of the month, while London Cocktail Week is also on the cards. And there’s plenty more too! Check out our list of the best cultural happenings and things to do throughout October 2025.  RECOMMENDE

Is it a tad early to start planning Halloween? Perhaps! But the solstice is just days away, the nights are gradually drawing in, and the ancient celebration of winter's arrival will be with us before we know it. In 2025, Halloween falls on Friday October 31, which is great news for anyone who wants a ghoulishly good time without the haunting prospect of work the next day.  The fun doesn't start there. There’s plenty of fright-filled fun to be had throughout October, whether you want to watch horror films on the big screen, join a lantern-lit ghost tour, learn about London’s graveyards, carve pumpkins, or let your synthetic wigs down over themed cocktails. So when you’re after something strange in your neighbourhood, who ya gonna call? Time Out London, that’s who! We might not be so great at ghost-busting, but we do know how to sniff out a great activity. Keep checking back and you'll see all sorts of thrilling, chilling events appear on our list of the best Halloween events London has to offer in 2025. RECOMMENDED: Your ultimate guide to Halloween in London

London is more than two thousand years old. It’s a world-class hub for history, art, culture and politics. Frankly, it’s a bit overwhelming. What is the best way to explore a city that has so damn much on offer? Where do you begin in an area that’s 1,572 square kilometres? The answer: on foot.  This is where a guided walking to tour comes into it. Street tours. Museum tours. Food tours. There are literally hundreds to choose from in the capital. So this is where I step in, tour guide-esque, with some suggestions of my own, to help you understand all that history a little better.  A great tour guide will inspire and fascinate you – before you know it, you’ll enthusiastically be sharing the stories you heard with Linda on the checkouts at your local supermarket, or Iqbal at work. The ones included here are the well-worth doing and unsung tours that deserve your attention. Yes there’s your usual Changing of the Guard and Westminster Abbey tours, but there’s also some more offbeat ones which are frankly exceptional.  Why take my word for it? I’m a tour guide myself. I have since led all sorts of walks around London, from cemetery tours, queer history walks to pub outings. I regularly guide in places like The British Museum and National Gallery and after a decade in the industry, here are some of my choices for an unforgettable experience. Need more sightseeing inspiration?🛥️ Here are London’s best boat tours💂‍♂️ Check out our list of 101 things to do in London🛏 Or stay in one

Do you smell it? That faint waft of pumpkin spice latte in the air? Summer’s sunny days and balmy nights may be behind us, but now it’s time to embrace all the wonderful, cosy things autumn has to offer.  For some, this time of year 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. 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 2025.  RECOMMENDED: The best things to do in London in October 2025

A blustery September weekend awaits us, and while things might be tempestuous outside, inside London’s cultural venues are gearing up for a brand new season of shows, exhibitions and events.  This weekend, some of the biggest exhibitions of the season finally begin after months of anticipation. Head to the Design Museum to learn about the Blitz club, the iconic Covent Garden nightclub where New Romanticism was born in 1979. Hit up the V&A for its autumn blockbuster exhibition looking at the enduring style of ill-fated French queen Marie Antoinette, and see Kerry James Marshall’s big, colourful paintings in one of his biggest shows outside the US at the Royal Academy of Art.  There’s also some standout food events, including Brick Lane Curry Festival, which is back after a nine-year absence, and the Regent Street and St James’s Future of Food Festival, where you can eat cutting-edge dishes and learn about what’s next for our food scene.  Or, get stuck into cosy season by heading out on an autumnal walk, visiting a warming pub or picking up spoils from London’s best markets. Get out there and enjoy!   Start planning: here’s our roundup of the best things to do in London this September In the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

One minute it’s sunny, the next it’s torrential rain, and there’s a new chill in the air. It can only mean that autumn is here. But there’s no need to lament the passing of summer. The russet-leaf, conker-filled season is our favourite for many reasons, not least because it means that London’s cultural scene kicks off again with a bucket-load of new exhibitions, theatre, and events about to fill our diaries.  This week, some of the biggest exhibitions of the season finally begin after months of anticipation. Head to the Design Museum to learn about the Blitz club, the iconic Covent Garden nightclub where New Romanticism was born in 1979. Hit up the V&A for its autumn blockbuster exhibition looking at the enduring style of ill-fated French queen Marie Antoinette, and see Kerry James Marshall’s big, colourful paintings in one of his biggest shows outside the US at the Royal Academy of Art.  There’s also some standout food events, including Brick Lane Curry Festival, which is back after a nine-year absence, and the Regent Street and St James’s Future of Food Festival, where you can eat cutting-edge dishes and learn about what’s next for our food scene.  Or, get stuck into cosy season by heading out on an autumnal walk, visiting a warming pub or picking up spoils from London’s best markets. Get out there and enjoy! Start planning: here’s our roundup of the best things to do in London this September In the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the ci

Monday 15 September: It’s a blustery start to a brand new week, and London is starting to feel very autumnal. But while the urge to stay at home making soup and binge-watching true crime programmes can be strong at this time of year, we’d urge you to get out there and make the most of September’s bounty of cultural highlights, from London Design Festival and Totally Thames to Open House Festival, Colourscape and the newly opened David Bowie Centre. The strikes are over now, so you have no excuse not to! Got a few hours to kill today? You’re in luck. London is one of the very best places on the planet to be when you find yourself with a bit of spare time. In this city, you’re never too far away from a picturesque park, a lovely pub or a cracking cinema, and on any given day, you’ve got a wealth of world-class art shows, blockbuster theatre and top museum exhibitions to choose from if you’re twiddling your thumbs. Use your spare time wisely with our roundup of the best things happening in London today, which gets updated every single day and includes a specially selected top pick from our Things to Do Editor seven days a week. Bookmark this page, and you’ll have absolutely no excuse to be bored in London ever again! Find even more inspiration with our curated round-ups of the best things to do in London this week and weekend

Returning for a fourth winter season in 2025, this ice-skating pop-up in the shadow of the rejuvenated Battersea Power Station is one of London’s most aesthetic. Returning to its usual spot right next to the Thames, it offers magnificent views over the riverside, a twinkling 30ft Christmas tree that forms the perfect backdrop for your on-ice selfies, and all the fun of the fair courtesy of an adjacent vintage fairground. It’s the perfect date night spot, Christmas party location or a well-earned reward after a hectic day of gift shopping.  Opening times: Varies throughout the week  Price: Adult from £18.70; child from £10.50  

Opened in spring 2025, Fulham Pier is a swanky new foodie destination and events space on the banks of the Thames. Created as part of Fulham Football Club’s £100 million new Riverside Stand development, the venue features a brasserie from Michelin-starred chef Adam Byatt offering riverside views and a ground floor street food market with an eclectic range of vendors, alongside a variety of hireable events spaces, a private members club, Lighthouse Social, and a boutique hotel and spa due to open in autumn 2025. All of these facilities are open to the public year-round excluding a limited number of matchdays, with a huge variety of events on offer throughout the year, from away day match screenings and Boat Race viewing parties to jazz and comedy nights, fitness classes, roller disco, wine clubs and loads more. 

London nightlife big hitter The Cause is no stranger to throwing killer parties and this mega day-to-night Halloween extravaganza will more than prove that. Headlining proceedings this year are nu-disco/indie electronica outfit Hercules & Love Affair. More details are yet to be unveiled, but previous editions have seen funfair rides, food stalls, games and circus performers, as well as a frighteningly good cast of DJs on the decks.

The Tate Modern kicks off its 2026 programme with a retrospective tracing the 40-year career of Croydon’s finest artistic export, Tracey Emin. Over 90 pieces will be exibited in the landmark exhibition, including some of the Young British Artist’s most defining works, from her famous neons and her controversial Turner Prize-nominated installation My Bed, to painting, video, textiles and never-before-exibited sculptures. Expect plenty of raw, confessional art exploring love, trauma and the female body.

A humongous light trail that takes over south west London’s 300-acre World Heritage Site botanic garden, Christmas at Kew has become a key date in London’s festive calendar since its first iteration in 2013. Visitors embarking on the 3km trail will get see the space lit up with dozens of larger-than-life illuminations, with both the venue’s glass houses and the trees that cover its grounds drenched in different hues. The whole thing is stunning, but don’t miss the lake, where you’ll catch reflections of the vibrant bulbs dancing on the water, taking the magical feeling to another level. For 2025, Kew’s iconic Great Pagoda will be adorned with festive lights for the very first time, too. Keep yourself toasty along the way with warming winter snacks from food vendors curated by Kerb, and make sure say hi to Father Christmas himself as you walk past.  How to get Christmas at Kew 2025 btickets  As the UK’s original festive light trail, tickets to this illuminated adventure tend to sell out fast. Keep an eye on Kew Garden’s booking page, which tells you what dates and times at each of the different entrances are available. If you’re willing to wait until the New Year, there are normally a decent number of tickets available for the first week of January. And if your desired dates are booked up, it’s worth checking back regularly for returns.  What are the prices and opening times? Tickets for non-members start at £27.50 for off-peak slots and £34 at peak times. Members can get di

London’s art lovers go mad for a bit of French Impressionism, so it’s a little surprising that the capital hasn’t hosted an exhibition on one of its leading figures, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, since the National Gallery’s 2007 show on his landscapes nearly 20 years ago. It’s excellent news, then, that the Trafalgar Square institution will once again be hosting a major exhibition dedicated to the master painter next autumn. Created in partnership with Paris’s Musée d’Orsay, Paris, and Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, Renoir and Love will focus on the most significant and prolific years of the artist’s career, from the mid-1860s to the mid-1880s. Opening in October 2026, it will feature several of Renoir’s most iconic works, including  the 1876 painting Bal au Moulin de la Galette, exhibited for the first time ever in the UK. 

Say auf wiedersehen to 2025 in style at central London’s Bavarian pleasure palace Albert’s Schloss, which is celebrating New Year’s Eve with a time-hopping party featuring some of history’s biggest party animals, with performances by ornately costumed artistes. Guests can expect kabaret and haus band performances from 7pm until the early hours, with free-flowing bier and plenty of schnacks available to keep you going, plus an indulgent three-course NYE offering in the Cook Haus. Catch us dancing on das benches!   

If you’re into the foodie side of social media, there’s a good chance you’ll have heard of Ben Lippett, the moustachioed chef and food writer best known for cooking up some seriously tasty-looking beer snacks on Instagram. With his debut cookbook out this month, the ex-Mob Kitchen member is teaming up with Portland Street’s Middle Eastern grill house, Honey & Smoke for a one-off supper club featuring some of the standout dishes from the title, How I Cook. For £65 per person (or £83 with a copy of the book) diners will be treated to a three-course feast featuring semolina flatbreads kissed by the grill, Neapolitan-style scapece courgettes, cumin lamb skewers, and a rich olive oil-laced chocolate mousse to finish.

Alongside its neon Neverland-themed Christmas light trail, Father Christmas himself is stopping by Kenwood House to amp up the festivities. Mr C is selflessly taking time out of his hectic pre-Christmas schedule to swing by Hampstead Heath’s stately home to spin a few yarns and do a meet-and-greet with some of his biggest little fans. Tickets include a group storytelling sesh and an individual meeting, where every kid will get to take home a wrapped Christmas present to open on the big day.   

South London adventure park Hobbledown Heath is offering a whole host of festive fun for little’uns this December, having transformed into Santa’s Secret Village for the season, with twinkling lights, treat trails and a whole host of face to face experiences with Mr Claus himself. The main event is a Santa’s Grotto experience taking place on weekends throughout the month, and daily in the run-up to the big day. Tickets include all day entry into the Hounslow fun palace, festive cookie decorating in the Elves’ Workshop, timed entry to a meet and greet with yer man and a token allowing kids to claim a present. For the tiniest tots, Hobbledown is also offering a Toddler Santa Experience, a group meet and greet for kids under five. 

One of London’s quirkiest Christmas traditions as well as being one of the oldest, the Peter Pan Cup has been contested on Christmas mornings since 1864. Strictly a spectator event – unless you happen to be a regular, not to mention hardy, member of the Serpentine Swimming Club – the name of the 100-yard swimming race in Hyde Park’s lido derives from the 1904 edition, when author and playwright Sir James Barrie presented the trophy to the winner. The race commences at 9am so head down to watch the brave folk go for it before you start opening your presents.

As usual, beloved central London repertory cinema The Prince Charles will be showing more frightening films than Dracula has had bloody dinners during month-long season of spooky cinema this October. The wildly eclectic programme features almost 100 titles this year, encompassing everything from horror classics to niche B movies, all-night marathons and, of course, its famous Sing-A-Long-A Rocky Horror Picture Show (Oct 31 and Nov 1).  Highlights of the programme include the original 1977 Suspiria (various dates Oct 4-Nov 1), The Night of the Living Dead (Oct 26), the original 1922 Nosferatu performed with a live score (various dates Oct 6-Oct 31) and several all night marathons, including all six Final Destination films (Oct 25), a mystery space-themed bonanza (Oct 4) and another mystery line-up on All Hallow’s Eve itself (Oct 31).  There’ll also be several screenings on 35mm, including The Exorcist (various dates Oct 11-31), The Shining (various dates Oct 10-Nov 6) and Texas Chainsaw Massacre (various dates Oct 13-31). And that’s just a few options; there really is something for absolutely everyone acxross the month. Excluding wusses. Check out the full programme here.

Have you ever really done Christmas in London if you haven’t experienced the festive loveliness of Somerset House’s skating pop-up? Probably not, we’d argue.  A fixture of Somerset House’s winter programme since the riverside institution first opened its doors in 2000, the 900 square metre rink in the centre of William Chambers’s magnificent eighteenth-century courtyard it arguably the most scenic ice rinks in the capital, and certainly one of its most popular ones. Keen to go for a glide (or an awkward shuffle) around the ice this festive season? Here’s everything you need to know about the beloved winter attraction’s 2025 season.  Somerset House ice skating dates and prices Skate at Somerset House returns from Tuesday November 12 and runs daily (excluding Christmas Day) until Sunday January 11 2026. Tickets for hour-long skating sessions vary in price depending on when you’re visiting, starting from £11 for super off-peak times and going up to £26 for the most in-demand dates and times. Somerset House skating on-sale date Tickets for the 2025-2026 Skate season go on general sale on Friday September 26, but if you’re keen to secure tickets for one of the more sought-after dates, it’s worth signing up to the presale here for early access.  Once general sale goes live, you can get tickets on the Somerset House website here. Somerset House Skate Lates line-up Featuring DJ sets from a host of London’s most celebrated music and nightlife collectives, Somerset House’s Skate Lat

The summer holidays are well and truly over, and London’s cultural institutions are very much in ‘back to school’ mode this month, with loads of great exhibition openings across September and new season announcements coming thick and fast. The Tate, the Courtauld and the National Portrait Gallery have already announced their 2026 seasons, and now it’s the turn of celebrated arts institution Somerset House.  Ahead of its 25th birthday celebrations this weekend, the venue has shared details of its 2026-2027 culture programme, including major exhibitions, another big birthday celebration and the return of some of the venue’s best-loved seasonal events.  Following the closure of the venue’s winter exhibitions on Jennie Baptiste and Wayne McGregor, and the ever-popular Skate at Somerset House, the 2026 programme kicks off with the annual Spring commission in the venue’s neoclassical courtyard.  Created by German-Scottish artist and researcher Dana-Fiona Armour, Serpentine Currents (Feb 19-Apr 26) will feature large-scale serpentine structures derived from 3D scans of endangered sea snake specimens, illuminated by light patterns triggered by oceanographic data, addressing the looming threat of marine ecosystem collapse. Cheerful stuff! Photograph: Anne Tetzlaff This is followed by the return of Somerset House Studios’ biannual experimental music and sound series Assembly (Mar 25-28), which returns over four days in early spring with a programme of new commissions and live premier

Anyone else got a touch of that September-ish ‘back to school’ feeling? The first conkers are starting to speckle London’s pavements, stationery shops are looking increasingly tempting, and there’s a brisk breeze that means you can finally wear a jumper without becoming filled with sweaty regret. And with the start of a new season comes the desire to become a new person, with fresh hobbies and hangouts to match. Luckily, London’s got you covered, with any number of possible past-times jostling for your attention. Many of them are pricy but some are totally free, meaning you can spend your spare cash on more important things, like chic sweaters or seasonal gourd displays. Read on for our pick of the best free things to do this weekend. The best free things to do in London this weekend, September 12-14 1. Browse the stalls at artist book fair GLUE Discover the delights of thick matte pages, hand-sewn bindings and radical ideas at this celebration of indie and DIY bookmaking. This event at the Institute of Contemporary Arts will host 70 indie publishers including the likes of SMUT, Montez Press and Sports Banger, with special exhibitions and a packed programme of talks, workshops and parties. Hot Potato – the ‘newspaper for people who don’t read the news’ – is putting on an exhibition for the occasion, as is photographer Sana Badri. While you’re there, drop into a bookbinding workshop, have a go at self-portraiture or sit down for a talk from radical publishers Verso Books. All

After a quiet summer, September is always a great month for London’s art scene. Not only does back to school season see the arrival of loads of great new exhibitions across the city’s museums and galleries – Kerry James Marshall at the Royal Academy, Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley at the Serpentine and the V&A East’s new David Bowie Centre to name a few – but it’s also when we get to learn what’s in store for the city’s biggest art institutions in 2026. With the Courtauld and the National Portrait Gallery having both announced their 2026 programmes in the last week, next year is shaping up to be a vintage one for London’s art scene. And one exhibition we’re particularly excited to see is the Tate Modern’s major retrospective on YBA icon Tracey Emin, new details of which have just been announced.  Arriving at South Bank gallery in February, Tracey Emin: A Second Life (Feb 26-Aug 30) promises to be the largest ever exhibition on one of Britain’s most renowned living artists, tracing her four-decade career through more than 90 works encompassing painting, video, textiles, sculptures and, of course, her signature neons and large-scale installations.  Photograph: Tracey Emin, ‘I whisper to My Past Do I have Another ’, 2010. © Tracey Emin Among these will be some of the Croydon-born artist’s most iconic works, including two seminal installations, 1996’s Exorcism of the Last Painting I Ever Made, for which Emin locked herself in Stockholm’s Galleri Andreas Brändström for three weeks

The National Portrait Gallery has been on an absolute roll over the last couple of years, not only opening its swanky new £35 million Blavatnik Wing back in summer 2023, but curating some truly unmissable temporary exhibitions since. And now, following on from last year’s fabulous Francis Bacon show, and this year’s brilliant offerings on 80s pop culture bible The Face Magazine and British painter Jenny Saville, the Trafalgar Square gallery has announced yet more bangers for its 2026 season. National Portrait Gallery 2026 exhibition programme The year kicks off with the already-announced Lucian Freud: Drawing into Painting (Feb 12-May 3), the first major UK exhibition focusing on the celebrated British portrait artist’s works on paper. Encompassing drawings in pencil, pen, ink and charcoal, as well as etchings and a small selection of paintings that reveal the dialogue between Freud’s practice on paper and canvas, the exhibition will feature a selection of recent acquisitions including an etched portrait of his daughter, the fashion designer Bella Freud. Image: Bella in her Pluto T-Shirt (etching), 1995 © The Lucian Freud Archive, All Rights Reserved (2025) Next up in the gallery’s 2026 schedule is the first major UK exhibition on Catherine Opie, the American photographer best known for her stylised, painterly portraits of queer communities that explore themes of belonging and identity. Catherine Opie: To Be Seen (Mar 5-May 31) will span the Ohio-born artist’s three-decade

The Courtauld Gallery might be relatively small compared to some of London’s other major art institutions, but boy does it punch above its weight. Founded in 1932 by art collector Samuel Courtauld, the gallery boasts a genuinely jaw-dropping collection of paintings and drawings dating from the Middle Ages through to the modern day, with a particularly impressive collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art. And alongside its magnificent permanent collections, the gallery has a stellar reputation when it comes to its programme of temporary exhibitions, with recent hits including Goya To Impressionism, Monet and London and Frank Auerbach’s ‘The Charcoal Heads’. It’s no surprise, then, that the Courtauld’s newly announced 2026 exhibition programme looks thoroughly exciting, featuring a major neo-impressionist, an icon of British modernist sculpture and the first European show of a contemporary American talent.  The 2026 season kicks off with A View of One’s Own (Jan 28-Jun 14), an exhibition exploring the oft-overlooked contributions of female artists to Britain’s golden era of landscape painting. Showcasing watercolours and drawings created between 1760 and 1860, the exhibition features ten artists ranging from accomplished amateurs to those ambitious for recognition, including Harriet Lister, Mary Lowther, Amelia Long and Elizabeth Batty.   February sees the long-awaited opening of the already-announced Seurat and the Sea (Feb 25-May 17), the first UK exhibition on t

The August bank holiday is without a doubt one of the liveliest weekends of the year in London. Not only do around two million people take to the streets to celebrate Notting Hill Carnival, there’s also a plethora of late-summer music festivals – All Points East, Rally and Body Movements to name a few – plus plenty of outdoor cinema and open-air theatre. But if you’re anything like us, after a summer spent holidaying, day-tripping, festival-going, beer garden session-ing and generally acting like you have unlimited disposable income, all the late summer antics might just be one expense too far. So to save your overdraft from taking another rinsing, we’ve rounded up eight great things to do over the long weekend without shelling out a single penny. 📍 Our guide to the bank holiday in London The best free things to do in London this bank holiday weekend, August 22-25 1. Watch the opening performance at the Greenwich + Docklands International Festival The 30th edition of London’s leading outdoor performance festival kicks off this weekend, and its opening show is one you won’t want to miss. After dazzling audiences with last year’s performance, Life Lines, French movement company Lézards Bleus are back with Above And Beyond, a breathtaking acrobatic feat that will see eight parkour performers traversing landmark buildings around Woolwich, accompanied by music from the Greenwich-based Citizens of the World Choir. You don’t need to book, just head to Beresford Square for 6.45pm

Smashed or double-stacked, gloriously simple or adorned with crispy bacon, zingy pickles, oozing melted cheese and all the trimmings; however you like your burgers, you can’t really go wrong with a big ol’ pile of meat in a bun. Especially on Thursday August 21, when patty slingers across the city will be offering limited-edition creations, hefty discounts and fab freebies in celebration of National Burger Day.  Fancy upgrading your boring mid-week office lunch to something a bit more decadent without having to splash too much cash? We’ve rounded up five of the best offers around the city. Order’s up! RECOMMENDED: London’s best burgers The best National Burger Day 2025 offers in London  Black Bear Burger The current holder of the Burger of the Year award for its sensational Miso Bacon Burger, London mini-chain Black Bear has taken inspiration from Le Relais de Venise for its limited-edition National Burger Day creation, which features 40-day aged beef, smoked bacon and onions slathered with rich, herby and buttery Cafe de Paris sauce like the steak served at the viral west London restaurant. Sample either burger as part of a £20 burger, fries and beer offer available for one day only at Black Bear’s Brixton, Camden, Westfield and Exmouth Market locations.  Available: Thursday 21 August only. Honest Burgers With 30 branches around London, you’re never too far away from one of Honest’s glorious medium-rare burgers and an accompanying mound of hand-cut rosemary salt fries. One

If you’re the kind of nosy neighbour who’s always peering out from behind your front curtains whenever there’s even a whiff of some drama happening outside, you’ll love Open House. The annual festival takes place every September, and offers curious Londoners a rare chance to pull back the curtain and go through the keyholes of some of the capital’s most renowned – and often most secretive – buildings, completely free of charge.  From historic royal dwellings to magnificent specimens of modern architecture, churches and bridges to art studios and municipal buildings, a whole load of interesting real estate across nearly every London borough is open for snooping during the festival, which returns from 13-21 September. Bookings open this week, on Wednesday August 20.  Having partnered with Airbnb, Open House is promising its biggest and boldest festival yet in 2025, with over 800 events on the programme, announced earlier this week. So to help you decide which spots are most worth snooping around ahead, we’ve rounded up some of the most iconic London buildings taking part this year.  RECOMMENDED: 10 Downing Street is opening to the public for exclusive tours during Open House London 2025. The 5 best buildings to visit during Open House 2025 Lincoln’s Inn The oldest of London’s four Inns of Court – its records date all the way back to 1422 – Lincoln’s Inn has been home to London’s elite legal minds for more than 600 years. The 11-acre site encompasses an array of facilities used

If you ask us, 10 Downing Street is easily the most iconic address in London – sorry, 221B Baker Street – if not the entire planet. The home of British prime ministers since 1735, the Georgian dwelling off Whitehall is where many of the UK’s most significant political decisions of the last 300 years have been made, has been visited by countless legendary historical figures over the years, and still serves as a backdrop for key addresses from the Prime Minister. The opportunity to visit this illustrious home is usually reserved for cabinet members, royalty, foreign dignitaries, Larry the Cat and very special invited guests, and most Londoners can’t even get a good look at its famous black door thanks to the security gate at the end of the street.  It’s thoroughly exciting news, then, that a handful of lucky guests will be welcomed inside for a once-in-a-lifetime tour of the building as part of this year’s Open House Festival. Prospective visitors can enter a public ballot for a chance to book onto the special tour, one of several in-demand experiences being balloted alongside the 700+ buildings, spaces, and experiences available to book for free as part of Open House’s wider programme.  RECOMMENDED: Five iconic London buildings you’ll be able to access for free in Open House 2025. The 2025 ballot also features tours of Fitzrovia’s Grade II-listed BT Tower, Canada House, the Trafalgar Square home of Canada’s High Commission, BBC’s Broadcasting House and the new London Museum du

London’s annual Open House Festival is back this September, and it’s looking bigger and better than ever before, with over 800 events taking place across all 33 London boroughs over two consecutive weekends. As well as offering Londoners the chance to go behind-the-scenes at a bunch of iconic buildings that are usually closed to the public – you can even enter a ballot for a tour of the Prime Minister’s gaff – its programme also features free private tours of dozens of architecturally impressive private homes.  RECOMMENDED: Five iconic London buildings you’ll be able to access for free in Open House 2025. Maybe you’re the kind of curtain-twitching neighbour that’d love nothing more than a good old snoop around the big fancy gaff at the end of your street, or maybe you’re just looking for some inspiration for your home renovation project. Either way, don’t miss your chance to tour these five remarkable properties.  The Green House, South Tottenham This South Tottenham marvel is an ordinary family home – with a difference. It's inspired by the greenhouses that once sat on the site, making it a plant and light-filled marvel. Architects Hayhurst & Co’s award-winning 2021 design takes the familiar outlines of a classic British terraced house and reimagines them in elegant panels of polycarbonate and concrete blocks, creating an eco-friendly space that’s worlds way from your average cramped London gaff. There are plenty of ideas you could bring home with you, though, like practica

If there’s one wellness trend that defines London right now, it’s sauna. The city has gone crazy for the Finnish pastime in 2025, with everyone from run club hipsters to allotment-owning Islington grannies going crazy for a good ol’ steam bath and cold plunge.  It’s a trend that’s seen several new venues open across the city in the last year, from Peckham’s Sauna Social Club and Shoreditch’s The Sanctuary to Netil House’s revamped Rooftop Saunas and the UK’s largest sauna, Arc, in Canary Wharf. London even hosted a ‘Sauna Summit’ that saw 350 ‘sauna luminaries’ from around the country gather at the newly-opened Arc for a day of learning and discussion back in May.  The best saunas in London If you thought the sauna frenzy had reached its peak, think again, because next month sees the opening of yet another new steamy venue in the capital. Due to welcome the fashion buyers and graphic designers of Walthamstow from Monday September 8, the latest branch of London’s Community Saunas mini-empire will be based on a vacant industrial plot just off Blackhorse Road.  The new venue will feature three communal saunas and cold plunge pools, hot and cold showers, changing rooms and a shared relaxation space, with plans for a wheelchair accessibly community garden that will be open to the public.  Sauna culture is heating up London’s nightlife Fancy getting steamy? Prices for the new spot are yet to be revealed, but if they’re in line with Community Saunas’ five existing London venues, off