Rosie Hewitson

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

People are obsessed with Kent for a reason, and to be honest, the biggest reason is probably Margate. This humble seaside town blew up a few years ago (mostly with day-trippers), and since then its seen a string of fantastic restaurants, bars and more open on its seafront.  Put simply, Margate is the perfect day out, from its quaint vintage shops to its old-school arcades, as well as its thriving contemporary art scene (shout out to the Turner Contemporary, one of the best in the business). We’ve curated the perfect day in this delightful seaside town: here are the best things to do in Margate right now.  🚆 RECOMMENDED: The best day trips from London At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This article includes affiliate links. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines.

London is a bookworm’s paradise. With a literary history even older than the printing press, the city has been a home and an inspiration for Chaucer, Shakespeare, Dickens, Virginia Woolf, Zadie Smith, and countless other titans of the written word. Scrooge, Holmes and Potter are just three of the fictional heroes to have trodden our streets. And then, of course, there are the bookshops. I’ve visited dozens of London booksellers, from Richmond to Crouch End, and I’m delighted to report that the rise of online retailers hasn’t put a dent in the city’s characterful, welcoming bookselling scene. Instead, bookshops have upped their game, offering personalised recommendations, readings, book clubs and cosy cafés where you can enjoy your purchases over a steaming cuppa. Whether you’re after novels, comics, antiquarian tomes, or just somewhere beautiful to curl up with a good read, you’ll find it here in one of the many shops dedicated to the printed word. Ready to get turning pages? Here’s our guide to the best bookshops in London, whether you’re in central, north, east, south or west London. And if you’re more of a borrower? Head to these lovely London libraries.James Manning is the co-author of An Opinionated Guide to London Bookshops, and Time Out’s content director for Europe.  London’s best bookshops at a glance: 📚 Best for breadth and depth: Foyles, Charing Cross ✨ Best for oh-so-stylish design: Libreria, Shoreditch 📖 Best for bargain books: Judd Books, Russell Square 👩🏻‍

February 2026: The first month of the year might be a quiet period for most of London’s major attractions, but February packs a whole lot into its four short weeks. Many of the capital’s biggest galleries and museums are opening new exhibitions - there’s Tracey Emin at the Tate Modern, Lucien Freud at the Portrait Gallery and the Aardman exhibition at Young V&A to name a few. Plenty of venues are also hosting events for Valentine’s Day and the Lunar New Year, while there are all sorts of kid-friendly things to do over the half-term holidays too. And if you haven’t already gotten round to it, be sure to check out our 2026 preview for more unmissable London events on the horizon.  The London Eye. Hyde Park. Wembley. The Shard. London landmarks are iconic for a reason!  Even if you’ve lived here for years and pride yourself on steadfastly avoiding ‘tourist traps’, you really ought to check these places out at least once. Marvelling at the capital’s museums, galleries, monuments and parks is a London rite of passage, whether you’re a day-tripper visiting for the first time, or a lifelong local who knows the entire Tube map by heart.  But where to begin? Right here of course, with our massive list of the capital’s 50 best attractions. We’ve thought long and hard about what is worthy of your London bucket list, so you can expect to find a real mixture of iconic institutions known throughout the world and (comparatively) lesser-known gems that we’d argue are just as worth visiting. 

The Irish really know how to celebrate, so when it comes to St Patrick’s Day in London, the city’s Celtic community has no problem showing us how it’s done. With an estimated 170,000 expats from the Emerald Isle living in the city, and many more Londoners with Irish heritage, the celebration of Ireland’s patron saint is always one big welcoming bash, involving plenty of dancing, hearty traditional dishes, a huge parade and as many pints of Guinness and drams of whiskey as you can handle. The Mayor of London’s annual St Patrick’s Day Festival celebration will take place on Sunday, March 15 – two days before the official holiday – and, as usual, thousands of revellers are expected to watch the parade wend its way from Hyde Park Corner to Trafalgar Square for a giant free party with Irish music, food and performances from 12noon to 6pm. If you don’t fancy braving the crowds of central London for the main event in the capital, there are still plenty of St Patrick’s Day parties and events to check out. We’ll be rounding up the best of them below as they get announced, so you’ve got plenty of time to get planning for a very green week. RECOMMENDED🍻 The best Irish pubs and bars in London☘️ Our ultimate guide to the St Patrick’s Day parade and festival🌱 The best London events in March

If there’s one symbol of the rivalry between academic titans Oxford and Cambridge, it’s the Boat Race – the annual oars-off between the two unis. Typically, over 300,000 people line the banks of the Thames to get a glimpse of the action. If you’re like the majority of them, then as well as the sporting spectacle, you’re also there for the excuse to knock back a few pints (or more). Whether you’re a diehard supporter or a fair-weather fan, here’s our guide to everything you need to know about the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race 2026. What is the Boat Race? Every year, rowing teams from Oxford and Cambridge duke it out on the waters of the Thames to be crowned Boat Race victors. It’s a tradition that stems all the way back to 1829, when two pals – Cambridge student Charles Merivale and his Oxford counterpart Charles Wordsworth – organised the first-ever race down at Henley-on-Thames. Nearly 30 years later, it became an annual event, only pausing during wartime and, more recently, for the Covid-19 pandemic. A women’s race was added in 1927 and, since 2015, has been contested on the same day and at the same location as the men’s race. When is the Boat Race 2026? Traditionally, the Boat Race takes place on a Sunday in April, however this year’s race will break with tradition, instead taking place on Saturday April 4.  What time does the race start? The competition kicks off at 1:21pm with the 80th Women’s Boat Race, followed by the 171st Men’s Boat Race at 2:21pm. There’ll be other

Easter is an underrated holiday. It doesn’t get anywhere near as much hype as Christmas, but is almost as good. Sure, you might not get sacks full of presents, but you still get an excuse to stuff your face with chocolate, tuck into a big roast dinner, and a whole four-day weekend to spend however you like. This year, this glorious double bank holiday lands between Good Friday on April 3 and Easter Monday on April 6. The only thing standing between you and a glorious four days of fun is figuring out how to fill all your extra time off. Don’t worry – as always, Time Out’s fun-loving editorial team have your back. There’s tons to do in the capital over Easter weekend, from checking out spring flowers and other kid-friendly activities to making the most of the spring sun (thankfully the weather isn’t lookimg too bad!) at one of London’s top rooftop bars and parks. You could also spend your time checking out a free art exhibition or, of course, treating yourself to a proper pub roast on Easter Sunday. The big weekend is still a way off, but rest assured we'll be keeping this page updated with all our top things to do in London this Easter, as they're announced. RECOMMENDED: Check out our eggcellent guide to Easter in London.

Given its dreaming-spires background, you’d be forgiven for associating the Oxford v Cambridge Boat Race with more hoity-toity events in the sporting world. But unlike the polo and the horse racing anyone can rock up for free along the four-and-a-quarter mile race route from Putney to Mortlake. In fact, more than 300,000 spectators are expected to cram on to the banks of the Thames in west London on Saturday April 4 to get a load of the action. The women's race kicks off at the pleasingly precise time of 2.21pm, followed by the men’s race at 3.21pm, but the riverside will be bursting with activity from around noon, with fan zones and pubs along the course putting on a whole host of food, drink and entertainment in anticipation.  So, where will you be? We’ve put together a list of prime locations along the route, in Putney, Fulham, Hammersmith, Barnes and Chiswick, all perfect for spectating. RECOMMENDED: Everything you need to know about the Boat Race

  We’ve blinked, and suddenly we’ve made it to the final week of February. That means it’s nearly time to say goodbye to the rain-soaked winter and hello to a brighter, and hopefully, sunnier spring. As ever, a new season means fresh culture to enjoy in London. This weekend, Tracey Emin’s much-anticipated blockbuster show hits the Tate Modern and will feature 90 pieces from the legendary artists including some of her most defining works. There’s also a new fascinating exhibition at Battersea Power Station featuring priceless Ancient Egyptian treasures, and brilliant British painter Rose Wylie has an exhibition fill of her bold, colourful paintings at the Royal Academy of Art.  On top of that, there are beer festivals to sip top-tier suds at, tequila festivals in excellent east London pubs, orchid festivals and new five-star Thai restaurants to try. Enjoy. Start planning: here’s our roundup of the best things to do in March.  In the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

We’ve blinked, and suddenly we’ve made it to the final week of February. That means it’s nearly time to say goodbye to the rain-soaked winter and hello to a brighter, and hopefully, sunnier spring. As ever, a new season means fresh culture to enjoy in London. This week, Tracey Emin’s much-anticipated blockbuster show hits the Tate Modern and will feature 90 pieces from the legendary artists including some of her most defining works. There’s also a new fascinating exhibition at Battersea Power Station featuring priceless Ancient Egyptian treasures, and brilliant British painter Rose Wylie has an exhibition fill of her bold, colourful paintings at the Royal Academy of Art.  On top of that, there are beer festivals to sip top-tier suds at, tequila festivals in excellent east London pubs, orchid festivals and a chance to party with Honey Dijon happening this week. Enjoy.  Start planning: here’s our roundup of the best things to do in March.  In the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

Monday 23 February: March arrives at the end of the week, and as spring approaches, the city’s cultural scene is also bursting into life, with major shows on Tracey Emin and Rose Wylie joining the plethora of exhibitions that have opened this month. And we don’t want to jinx it, but it looks like London might be getting a bit of respite from the near-constant rain we’ve had over the last few weeks, meaning you’ve got no excuse not to get out there and soak up some culture! 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

‘When a man (person) is tired of London,’ as Dr Samuel Johnson wrote in 1777, ‘he is (they are) tired of life.’ Well, it’s fair to say that Johnson wasn’t running for the tube before squeezing himself into a sweaty, crowded carriage and then spending the day being bombarded with short videos about apocalyptic geopolitics on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter? London is the greatest city in the world, but should you find yourself a little tired and in need of some R&R what better way to recover than booking yourself into one of London’s world-class spas? And, better still, getting a massage or, even, a facial with a bespoke sound journey while you’re at it? Spa culture - from high-end luxury to community spaces - is really starting to take off in London. On our list, you’ll find standout spas and treatments, five-star hotels and community spots all offering you the chance to unplug and unwind, regardless of whether you’re on a champagne or lemonade budget. Here - in no particular order - are our absolute favourite places to relax in the capital. Best spas in London at a glance Best for affordable pampering: Ironmonger Row Baths Best for a serious splurge: Ushvani Best for men’s grooming: Thai Square Spa Best for couples’ visits: Aire Ancient Baths Best pool: Surrenne at The Berkeley Best facial: Salon C Stellar RECOMMENDED:The best saunas in LondonThe best facials in LondonThe best hotels in London

Highbury wine bar Top Cuvée’s seems to outdo itself year after year with its ever-popular Easter egg hunt for grown-ups, and 2026 is no different. The enfants terribles of London’s natty wine scene have once again partnered with ethical choccie purveyor Tony’s Chocolonely for the sixth edition of their cult event, with full-sized Tony’s Easter eggs (going for twelve quid in the supermarkets) and a Top Cuvée tote on offer for up to 1000 hunters who complete the trail, and a covetable grand prize. There’ll also be sandos, plenty of wine and a few surprises throughout the day. Simply sign up online and rock up to Top Cuvée from midday on Easter Sunday to be in with a shout of taking home the goodies. Happy hunting!

What’s better than a load of chocolate for Easter? A load of hard, cold cash of course! And that’s what Walthamstow’s expansive beer hall Big Penny Social is offering up this Easter Sunday when one lucky team in its Big Easter Quiz will be taking home a big cash jackpot. And there’s plenty more to win, besides the wonga. Each team taking part will receive a chocolatey prize, and there’ll also be bar tabs, rounds of drinks and various other treats on the line.

A purveyor of hard-to-source tomes on art, photography and culture, Climax Books was founded by former Dazed Editor-in-Chief Isabella Burley in 2020, and had already achieved cult status among the chicest members of London’s fashion crowd by the time its physical shop opened in 2023. Stocking everything from rare first edition art books and cultural ephemera to some very cool merch including latex tote bags and underwear and t-shirts made in collaboration with Chopova Lowena, Climax has also hosted collaborative events with the likes of Heaven by Marc Jacobs and Sadie Coles HQ, and opened a New York outpost in 2024. Its physical shop has now moved from Soho to a quiet corner of Farringdon, where it's open Wednesday to Sunday. Find more great bookshops in London

Spending your Friday night sweating next to a bunch of investment bankers might well sound like some people’s idea of hell, but there’s no denying that Canary Wharf’s 5000 square metre ‘contrast therapy club’ is a seriously impressive venue. Opened in January 2025 to much fanfare, it features the largest sauna in the UK, a huge circular space with a capacity of 65 people. Alongside the mega sauna, ARC consists of a dimly-lit room filled with ice baths, and a sleek coliseum-shaped lounge decked out with a custom 300-watt sound system, where guests can take breaks between the intense sauna sessions while drinking loose-leaf tea. Visitors can book self-governed ‘free flow’ sessions lasting 50 or 70 minutes or a range of different classes incorporating breath and strength work, movement, meditation, myofascial release and lymphatic drainage techniques. The staff are upbeat and keen to help – I was coached through my somewhat daunting first cold plunge by an enthusiastic guide – and the atmosphere throughout the venue is relaxed and friendly.  On weekends there are also 120-minute Arc After Dark sessions, which promise to ‘push the boundaries of the conventional night out’ and feature aromatherapy and live DJs playing immersive soundscapes. As you might expect, sessions here are a little pricier than your usual community sauna, but still reasonably affordable; individual classes are £29, or you can purchase a block of 10 for £250, while memberships start at £125 for five sessions

Step inside this white washed, uber Californian feeling spa on Newburgh Street in Soho for a real good skin cleaning, or laundering, as the name suggests. Designed to work from the inside out, Skin Laundry’s high-tech facials are designed to be repeated as part of a plan targetting long-term skin issues such as acne scarring, hyper-pigmentation and rosacea.  The signature laser facial only takes 15 minutes and literally zaps the bacteria out of your pores. After a skin consultation and cleansing, your specialist will treat your face with a laser pen. It feels quite hot and pricks a little, but isn't painful. During the treatment you’ll hear the bacteria in your face crackle, and you might even smell it being vaporised away. If you're squeamish this might sound off-putting, but it's satisfying as hell. If you’re brave enough, there’s also a fractional laser treatment, which uses a thermal decive to create  thousands of microscopic channel in the skin, stimulating new collagen formation.  This one is a little more intense – you’ll will get a cooling hyaluronic acid serum to take home and apply regularly in the aftermath of your treatment, and will need need to avoid sunlight for a week – but on our visit it really did work to minimise wrinkles and leave skin plumper and more youthful-looking.

  It starts with a sweet, floral smell. Before you know it, an extremely hospitable staff member with dayglo hair starts plying you with all kinds of magical balms, soaps and face scrubs, promising you they’re going to change your life. You know where we’re talking about. Cruelty-free cosmetics shop Lush has become a beloved fixture on UK high streets since it was first founded in the mid-nineties.  At its three-floor Oxford Street flagship, you’ll find the usual towers of delicious smelling, neon-coloured cosmetics, as well as the first-floor Poetry Pharmacy, a have of curated poetry and books on beauty and wellness where you can self-medicate with a cosy cuppa and some Emily Dickinson, andone of Lush’s seven in-store spas. Sure, Europe’s busiest boulevard hardly seems like the location for a day of relaxation; however, as soon as you step into the quaint, country kitchen-styled spa, where you can experience a mineral bath, a multi-sensory massage or a reflexology session all to a tailor-made soundtrack, the street’s shuffling tourists and tooting buses are forgotten. For the ultimate muscle untangler, we recommend stopping by for ‘The Good Hour’.

With its 31st edition taking place this summer, the Southbank Centre’s Meltdown Festival has long since established itself as a key date in London’s cultural calendar. Each year, the Southbank invites one celebrated artist to curate the festival, with such luminaries as David Bowie, Yoko Ono, Grace Jones, David Byrne, Chaka Khan and Little Simz having previously taken on the exciting task. Taking place in the middle of the iconic London institution’s 75th birthday celebrations, we expect this summer’s edition of Meltdown to elicit one of the most exciteable reactions to date, seeing as it’s being masterminded by none other than former One Direction member, multiple BRIT and Grammy Award-winner and all-round pop superstar Harry Styles. The ‘Watermelon Sugar’ singer will be drawing on his eclectic musical influences to curate a line-up traversing pop, soul, rock and electronica, and featuring plenty of young British talent. And as is usually the case for curators of the festival, Styles will also be gracing one of the Southbank Centre’s stages himself for an intimate headline gig. No doubt competition for tickets will be fiercer than ever before, so stay tuned for more details, with further line-up announcements and on-sale dates due in the spring.

Seasoned London festival-goers have been singing the praises of this 10,000-capacity Southwark Park festival since it debuted in 2023, thanks to its boutique size, community vibe and collaborative line-ups created with help from some of the city’s best culture venues. So we’re pleased to say that Rally is coming back for a fourth edition in 2026, with a very exciting line-up curated by Blood Orange. Dev Hynes – AKA the guy behind Blood Orange – will bring his signature blend of synth funk, experimental beats and emotional depth to Southwark Park. Hynes will headline and has hand-picked the rest of the line-up. Of course, we always knew we could trust his good taste. The rest of the fest’s programme includes Daniel Avery performing with a full band, ethereal electronic pop girlie james K and the legendary Glaswegian DJ duo Optimo (Espacio). Rally 2026 will see the first ever UK performance from Jump Source – the project of Montréal-based DJs and producers Priori and Patrick Holland – alongside sets from GENA, out-there DJ and producer Parris, a special live show from Roman Flügel, and Pitchfork-approved artists like Norwegian slinky poppers Smerz and US experimental rockers YHWH Nailgun.

The UK’s largest queer film event returns to the BFI Southbank (and to the BFI Player online) for its 40th edition from March 18-29, with its usual jam-packed line-up of world premieres, feature films, documentaries and shorts programmes, plus all manner of talks, panels, workshops, free events and after-hours fun. The 2026 festival will open with the world premiere of American documentary maker Jennifer Kroot’s riotous new film Hunky Jesus, which follows social justice movement the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence as they prepare to host their legendary annual Easter Sunday drag contest in San Francisco.  The mid-festival Special Presentation will be Kiwi director Paloma Schneideman’s ‘tender, unflinching’ coming of age drama Big Girls Don’t Cry, following 14-year-old Sid over one transformative summer in the early 2000s. And the festival will close with Black Burns Fast, South African director’s debut feature, following nerdy student Luthando through her sexual awakening at a prestigious boarding school.  Other highlights to look out for include the world premiere of Madfabulous, Welsh director Celyn Jones’s quirky period drama based on the life of irreverent socialite Henry Cyril Paget, the fifth Marquess of Anglesey, starring It’s A Sin’s Callum Scott Howells, Stud Life director Campbell X’s long-awaited second feature Low Rider, and Barbara Forever, NYC documentary-maker Brydie O’Connor’s portrait of trailblazing photographer Barbara Hammer. Alongside the usual Hearts, B

If you’re of the opinion that they just don’t make love songs like they used to, then Walthamstow Trades Hall’s Valentine’s night party is the perfect place for you and your boo to celebrate. Local acts Simon Lawrence ands the Sunnymoon Jazz Band will be headlining the evening, covering Rat Pack classics like ‘Sway’, ‘Mack the Knife’ and ‘That’s Amore!’ with support from ‘lounge folk’ duo Weaver Line. And after the live acts have finished, resident DJ Lord Darkwave will be upping the tempo with a set of disco bangers that’ll keep you dancing til the early hours with E17’s older funsters, cheap pint in hand. 

Get cosy this Valentine’s Day at the Prince Charles and explore their rotating programme of cult, arthouse and classic films, alongside recent Hollywood blockbusters. Veering away from the typical romcoms, the Prince Charles Cinema is offering a line-up of more obscure Valentine’s friendly films, from Wong Kar Wai’s paean to the agony’n’ecstasy of buttoned-up emotions In the Mood for Love, romantic classics True Romance and Brief Encounter, Céline Sciamma’s glorious queer period romance Portrait of a Lady on Fire, a marathon of Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy and rom-com faves like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, When Harry Met Sally. 

The Southbank Centre is teaming up with Switzerland’s Montreux Jazz Festival for a second time to present a weekend of events celebrating the legacy of legendary Miles Davis. There'll be a mixture of free and ticketed events, workshops, panel discussions and jam sessions inspired by the trumpeter's work, in the centenary year of his birth.  Highlights include a gig from Theo Croker (Mar 13) where he'll present Miles Davis works in unexpected ways, with a line-up of special guests. The following day there'll be a link-up between Manchester groups Children of Zeus and Tomorrow’s Warriors, in an intergenerational pairing that'll play two headline events. On the final night, Mercury Music Prize-nominated corto.alto will play a set that takes in broken-beat bounce and bass-heavy dub, signposting jazz's future sounds.  Other events include soul artist Celeste in conversation (Mar 14), a free open jam from the Five Points Project (Mar 13), and a Women in Jazz showcase (Mar 13). 

Somerset House is a truly year-round venue. Through the winter months, the palatial arts complex on the Strand is home to one of the city’s most atmospheric winter skating pop-ups. In spring and autumn it hosts all manner of interesting art installations in its magnificent neo-classical courtyard. And at the height of summer, the same space plays host to some of the season’s most memorable outdoor concerts, as part of the Somerset House Summer Series. With festival line-up announcements coming thick and fast, and another glorious London summer beginning to take shape, the riverside arts venue has revealed the headliners for this year’s Summer Series, with eleven eclectic gigs scheduled from 16-26 July.  As usual, it’s an eclectic line-up, encompassing everything from indie and rock to neo-psychedelica, contemporary jazz and soul. RECOMMENDED: The best music festivals in London to book for 2026. The biggest names in this year’s series include breakthrough pop sensation Naïka (Thursday 16 July), veteran indie band The Cribs (Monday 20 July), ascendent art-rock outfit Black Country, New Road (Wednesday 22 July) and psychedelic rockers The Flaming Lips (Saturday 25 July). Also headlining are Palace (Friday 17 July), Thee Sacred Souls (Saturday 18 July), Lightning Seeds (Sunday 18 July), Agnes Obel (Tuesday 21 July), Venna (Thursday 23 July), Raf-Saperra (Friday 24 July) and Benjamin Clementine (Sunday 26 July).  Tickets for all gigs will be priced between £30 and £60, with the g

One of the longest-standing and largest queer film festivals, BFI Flare celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2026. The springtime film bonanza at the BFI’s South Bank home is a major calendar fixture for London’s queer communities and cinephiles alike, and with exactly one month to go until the 2026 edition of the festival kicks off, the line-up has just been revealed. Film buffs attending this year’s edition of Flare will be able to catch 31 world premieres among the 65 feature films and 62 shorts on the programme, alongside a stellar curation of classic queer cinema, and the usual programme of talks, workshops, exhibitions and DJ nights that make the BFI Southbank such a buzzy place to be during the festival.  The BFI Flare 2026 Line-Up Opening Night Film  As previously announced, the 40th edition of Flare will open with the world premiere of American documentary maker Jennifer Kroot’s riotous new film Hunky Jesus, which follows social justice movement the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence as they prepare to host their legendary annual Easter Sunday drag contest in San Francisco. Alongside the premiere, long-serving member Sister Roma will be present for a talk exploring the ‘sistory’ and impact of the movement alongside UK chapter members. Image: Hunky Jesus Special Presentation Taking place halfway through the festival, the Special Presentation for Flare 2026 is Kiwi director Paloma Schneideman’s ‘tender, unflinching’ coming of age drama Big Girls Don’t Cry, following 14-ye

The Southbank Centre’s early summer festival Meltdown has long since established itself as a key date in London’s cultural calendar.  Each year, the arts centre invites one celebrated artist to curate the festival, getting them to hand-pick a roster of their favourite musical talents and nightlife promoters to star across a two-week programme of gigs, participatory events and after-hours parties at the prestigious venue. Such luminaries as David Bowie, Yoko Ono, David Byrne, Grace Jones, Nick Cave, and Little Simz have previously stepped into the role, with news of who will curate each year’s edition of the festival always hotly anticipated. Anticipation for this year’s event is surely set to reach fever pitch now that it’s been revealed that it’s being masterminded by none other than former One Direction member, multiple BRIT and Grammy Award-winner and all-round pop superstar Harry Styles. Cue the ear-splitting screams. Taking place from Thursday June 11 to Sunday June 21, during the iconic London venue’s 75th anniversary celebrations, the 31st edition of Meltdown will see the ‘Watermelon Sugar’ singer draw on his eclectic musical influences to curate a line-up traversing pop, soul, rock and electronica, and featuring plenty of young British talent.  ‘My goal as the curator is to share the music and art that I love, and to celebrate the rich history of the venue,’ Styles said of his part in the latest edition of the festival. ‘We both share a passionate belief that music is

A Valentine’s date doesn’t have to be anything extravagant. Sure, a fancy meal is nice and all, but St Valentine’s Day is really about giving quality time to your favourite people, whether that be a partner, pals or a situationship that you’re trying to turn into something a bit deeper.  This year V Day falls on a Saturday, which means there’s an awful lot of time to fill. But, like we said, that doesn’t have to involve big spending. There are all sorts of romantic experiences going on in London that won’t burn a gaping hole in your wallet and have you resenting your other half for the next six months.  For artsy couples, there are free events to get your creative juices flowing or for food-obsessed lovers, there are loads of affordable meals to bond over. However you want to impress your hot date, we’ve got you covered. Here are all of London’s best cheap and free things to do with your Valentine. RECOMMENDED: The best alternative things to do in London for Valentine’s Day. The best free things to do in London this weekend.The 10 cheapest Michelin-starred restaurants in London. The best free and cheap things to do for Valentines Day in London 2026 1. Celebrate love at a mid-week Museum of the Home Late A few days before the main event, the Museum of the Home is keeping its doors open after hours for a lovely wholesome night of music and making. A zine workshop with Tummy Ache Magazine will invite you to create a zine that pays homage to your personal love story, a pop-up ma

When it comes to blockbuster sporting events, few things come close to the Super Bowl. The NFL’s showpiece fixture is less a match and more a full-blown cultural phenomenon – and while the game takes place thousands of miles away, London will be very much awake for it.  In 2026 the Super Bowl heads to Santa Clara. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, around 45 miles southeast of San Francisco, the California city won a fiercely competitive bidding process to host the game (a privilege that reportedly costs close to $100m once security and production are factored in). It’s not Santa Clara’s first rodeo either, having previously hosted the Super Bowl 50 back in 2016. As ever, the action on the field will be joined by all the familiar Super Bowl trimmings: high-stakes drama and, most importantly, a globe-stopping half-time show. I mean, who could forget Beyoncé? And Rihanna? Prince? Pop-culture milestones one and all. So sure, you could watch it from your sofa with a multipack of crisps. But for anyone after a proper Super Bowl experience – big screens, booming sound systems, flowing pints and American food – London has plenty of late-night parties worth staying up for. These are the best places in the city to catch it. When is the Super Bowl?  Super Bowl LX takes place on Sunday February 8, kicking off at around 11.30pm GMT. Who is performing at the Super Bowl? Bad Bunny was announced as the headline performer for the Super Bowl Halftime Show back in September. Green Day are

Happy New Year, art lovers! January tends to be a pretty quiet month for London’s art scene – what with all the collectors and gallerists off sunning themselves – but it’s the perfect time to get organised for the year ahead. And what a year it’s gonna be for the city’s gallery-botherers, with blockbuster exhibition after blockbuster exhibition on the way over the next twelve months. There’s monumental sculpture, pointillist landscapes and flashy photography, massive names from Renoir to Hockney, and so many big shows by women that the Guerrilla Girls might have to get a new schtick. RECOMMENDED: The best photography exhibitions in London for 2026. Stay tuned for loads more details on this year’s exhibitions, as many of the smaller commercial galleries are yet to announce their schedules for the coming year. And in the meantime, get this lot in your diary. The 12 best art exhibitions coming to London in 2026 1. Frida: ‘The Making of An Icon’ at Tate Modern Featuring more than 130 artworks, including some of Frida Kahlo’s most iconic paintings, the Tate Modern’s mammoth summer exhibition will explore how the Mexican painter became the kind of cultural phenomenon whose monobrowed likeness adorns everything from novelty socks to limited-edition eye shadow pallets. The first major London exhibition on the feminist icon since the V&A’s one in 2018, it promises to be a fascinating exploration of the transformative role of women artists in the 20th century, as well as notions of fan

Dun, dun-dun-dun dun, dun-dun-dun dun! If there’s one thing that’s gotten us through the dark, cold nights of January 2026, it’s been tuning into BBC 1 three nights a week to hear that melodramatic theme music. With traitor-on-traitor violence, multiple secret relationships, some truly iconic knitwear and more gasp-worthy plot twists than Claudia Winkleman has had spray tans, this might just have been the best series of the camp-as-Christmas gameshow yet. Can Rachel and Stephen’s Celtic alliance take them all the way? Does Faraaz know more than he’s letting on? Will James finally vote out an actual traitor? We’ll get all the answers from 9pm tomorrow during the climactic finale. And if you fancy watching it somewhere with a wee bit more atmosphere than your living room, there are a bunch of live screening parties happening across London, many of which are free to attend. So don your cloak, grab yourself a chalice of wine and settle in to catch all the drama at one of these London venues screening the final episode. The best Traitors finale screening parties in London Oslo, Hackney Hackney Central bar and nightclub Oslo will be showing the finale on two huge screens, with tables of 4, 6 and 8 available and £5 pints until 10pm.  1A Amhurst Road, E8 1JB. From £11.33 for a table of 4. Picturehouse, Finsbury Park Witness all the drama unfold from the cabaret-style seats in this plush cinema’s event screening room. Tickets include bottomless popcorn and a free Traitor’s Tipple co

We might only be a couple of weeks into the new year, but 2026 is already looking like a stellar vintage for London’s arts and culture scene, with major new venues on the horizon – including the new London Museum, the opening of V&A East and a permanent home for the Museum of Youth Culture – and some fabulous art shows and museum exhibitions to look forward to.  And if you haven’t already filled up your diary for the next few months, we’ve got even more unmissable culture for you in the form of some eye-catching photography exhibitions. Make the most of ‘planuary’ by organising your upcoming excursions to these shows encompassing everything from snapshots of queer communities and American urban life to cutting-edge wildlife and fashion photography.  RECOMMENDED: The 26 best things to do in London in 2026. The 8 best photography exhibitions coming to London in 2026 1. ‘Light and Magic: The Birth of Art Photography’ at Tate Modern When the camera was first invented, it was a wonder of science, able to capture images with an accuracy that had never been seen before. But soon, instead of being seen as a rival to painters and sculptors, photographers began to join them as artists, interested in all the creative possibilities of this new method of image making. Tate Modern’s autumn opening explores how art photography emerged as a discipline between the 1880s and 1960s, taking an international approach that spans places from Shanghai to Sydney, New York to Cape Town, and Brazil t

Great news, culture vultures; it’s the start of a brand new year, and that means a host of new exhibitions to look forward to. January is pretty quiet for new openings – we’re all too busy watching The Traitors and trying not to spend any money – but there’s plenty of unmissable culture on the horizon in the capital, from flashy fashion and design retrospectives to deep-dives into ageing, fandom and the studio behind everyone’s favourite claymation canine and inventor duo. Joyless health kicks got you feeling glum? Stop meal prepping and start planning an enriching cultural diet instead, with our guide to the biggest and best museum openings coming up over the next year.  RECOMMENDED: 🎨 The 12 best art exhibitions coming to London in 2026.🏗️ Developments that will transform London in 2026. The 8 best museum exhibitions coming to London in 2026 1. The Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum Huge news for British history buffs; for the first time in 900 long years, the Bayeux Tapestry is going on display in Britain this autumn. The intricately embroidered 70-metre-long artwork depicts the 1066 Battle of Hastings, when William the Conquerer took the English throne. Although it’s believed to have been embroidered in Canterbury, the tapestry has resided in Bayeux, Normandy for the past nine centuries, so this is a super rare chance to see it on home soil. The British Museum. Sep 2026-Jun 2027. More details here.    Photograph: Shutterstock 2. Schiaparelli: ‘Fashion Becomes Art’

Black Friday has been and gone, London’s festive markets, Christmas shops and department stores are buzzing with activity, and the big day is less than three weeks away. So if you haven’t already made some serious headway on your gift shopping, you might be starting to feel a little panicked. But don’t worry about it! Time Out’s 2025 Christmas Gift Guide just landed, and it’s packed full of great pressie ideas, from nifty gadgets and stylish accessories to covetable homeware and fun stocking fillers. And we’ve also got some excellent ideas for what to get the small people in your life. Landed your primary school-aged cousin in the family Secret Santa, or got a boisterous little niece or nephew you usually get a little something for? Time Out’s Theatre Editor and resident kids’ expert Andrzej Lukowski has picked out the perfect thing; these cutesy little things from the venerable toymakers Ty (of Beanie Babies fame).  Setting you back less than the price of a central London pint, the Ty Beanie Bouncers have topped renowned toy shop Hamleys’ list of the most in-demand toys for Christmas 2025. If you’ve walked past the Regent Street shop in recent weeks, you might have noticed that its window display is dedicated to the colourful little spherical plushies.  Essentially a cross between a Beanie Baby and a bouncy ball, they come in a huge range of different designs, including the cheerful snowman pictured above, some adorable little animals, both real (we’d die for Banana the Monk

It’s been a busy couple of years for London’s iconic Victoria & Albert museum, with a whole bunch of major development projects on the go across the city. First, there was the £13 million revamp of the museum’s childhood-focused Bethnal Green outpost, which reopened as the Young V&A to  in June 2023 to critical acclaim, picking up the Art Fund Museum of the Year Award the following summer.  This spring then saw the opening of another very well-received project, the V&A East Storehouse, a ‘working museum’ purpose-built to house half a million objects from the museum’s various archives while offering Londoners a peek behind the scenes to see how a museum goes about curating and caring for the items in its collection.  And now, the museum group has announced the opening date for the second part of its east London development project, V&A East, which is due to open to the public on Saturday, April 18 2026. Opening just shy of a decade after it was first announced as part of the £1.1 billion development of Stratford’s East Bank cultural quarter, the 7,000 square metre museum will bring together exhibits that speak to both east London’s creative heritage and the voices that are shaping contemporary culture across the globe today.  Photograph: V&A East Museum Why We Make Galleries render © JA Projects Also announced today are details of the free-to-visit permanent galleries, new commissions and temporary exhibitions that comprise the museum’s opening displays. These include the Wh

It’s a huge weekend on the London social calendar, with Halloween parties galore, Day of the Dead fiestas, a smattering of early Bonfire Night celebrations and the final few days of October half-term entertainment all happening over the next couple of days.  But while that sounds really fun, it also sounds...expensive! Blown all your money on a killer Halloween costume and/or a week of entertaining the kids? No worries; it’s also an excellent weekend for wallet-friendly fun around the capital.  From great museum lates to fun pop-ups, here’s where to have fun this weekend without spending any more of your paycheque before November has even started.  RECOMMENDED: All the best things to do in London this weekend.  The best free things on in London this weekend 1. Learn about Nigerian modern art at a Tate Late  Inspired by its new exhibition Nigerian Modernism, the Tate Modern’s October late features talks, workshops and curator chats exploring food cultures, diaspora fashion and key African artworks in the Tate collection. There’ll also be plenty of music with DJ sets curated by Native Soundsystem, Tone and Sample Chief.  Tate Modern, SE1. Fri Oct 31. Free (some events are ticketed). 2. Or go rococo at a V&A Late hosted by Riposte  Have you heard the rumours that Marie Antoinette was actually queer? This late drawing off the V&A’s blockbuster exhibition all about the fated French queen, will be delving into the lesbian-coded history and symbolism of Marie Antoinette, in an ev