Rosie Percy

    It used to be that whatever curveballs life threw, cheese could be relied on to get you through tough times. Break up? Brie. Got fired? Gouda. Life sucks? Stilton. But the old dependable disappointed last weekend. On December 16 #GiantCheeseboard, a south-east London cheese festival, promised unlimited cheese, mulled wine and waiters dressed as mice. Instead it delivered long queues, fold-out tables and rapidly diminished supplies, according to many of those who attended. Dubbed the UK’s Fyre Festival (which saw rich millennials lured to the Bahamas earlier this year on the promise of a music festival and luxury accommodation only to be housed in relief tents as it all fell apart), Giant Cheeseboard left attendees fuming – with one person saying it was ‘one of the most depressing things’ they’d seen. #GiantCheeseboard this is one of the most depressing things I've seen pic.twitter.com/Ufs8rz3sHK — petestravelogue (@petestravelogue) December 16, 2017 The only thing giant about this cheese board was that it was a total giant waste of time. 5 different types of cheese are you fucking kidding me, no giant camembert, ran out of bread, chorizo, crackers, grapes, cold mulled wine, 90 minute wait to get in #giantcheeseboard — Kevin Chun (@peanutter571) December 16, 2017 What was billed as ‘a massive, oversized cheeseboard – one you can walk around on as if you’re in a giant’s kitchen’ turned out to be more like a

Mamma mia! Here we go again: an ABBA exhibition has just opened in London. Those of us obsessed with Eurovision or guilty of belting out ‘Dancing Queen’ at ungodly hours are in for a treat, as the ABBA Museum in Stockholm is letting us borrow some of their best bits.  Swapping Sweden for the Southbank Centre, a huge archive of memorabilia from the ’70s pop gods is being installed in SE1 as an immersive exhibition experience.  Visitors will be given a guided tour through ABBA’s history, walking through recreated scenes of pop history past, from the Brighton hotel room where they celebrated winning Eurovision with ‘Waterloo’ to Polar Studios in Stockholm, where they made many of their indisputable bangers. And what’s more, it’s all narrated by none other than Jarvis Cocker. ‘Super Troupers’ features original memorabilia, merchandise, costumes, instruments and more, as well as never-before-seen artefacts, including a letter from the London Met declining the band’s request to record a music video at Piccadilly Circus, and unseen photographs. There’s a special focus on ABBA’s relationship with the UK too, when they helped bring a slice of glittering-catsuit-optimism to a bleak 1970s Britain. And we’re eternally grateful.  All of that got you saying ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!’? Get yourself down to the Southbank Centre. We’ll see you there.  ‘Super Troupers’ is open at the Southbank Centre from today and closes on April 29 2018. While you’re down there, why not stop by at one of our top

Forget the royal wedding, the monarchical moment that we’ve all been waiting for is finally upon us: season two of ‘The Crown’ comes to Netflix this weekend. To celebrate the fact that the majority of us will spend all weekend binge-watching the new season from start to finish, mobile network Three is offering you the chance to have a regal canine to keep you company between episodes.  Three is launching a ‘Borrow My Corgi’ service, allowing dog-loving Londoners to watch ‘The Crown’ as the real Queen would: on the sofa, with a cuppa, alongside a loaf-shaped pooch.   © Nigel Davies   The corgis will be allocated via an email ballot, and be available December 8-10. Sound like a pawsome idea? All you have to do is email borrowmycorgi@cowpr.com confirming the area of London that you live in and what day you’d like to borrow a corgi. If you’re successful, a ‘royal butler’ will deliver the corgi to you and the regal dog is all yours for an hour before it’s trotted off to its next destination. Or back to the palace. Now that Prince Harry is off the market, this might be the closest you get to living like one of the royal family. The ‘Borrow My Corgi’ email ballot is open from now until 5pm on December 7.  Fancy some dog-spotting? Check out this ruff guide to London dogs and where to find them. 

Cancel the trains. Call in sick. Stockpile the canned food. Because it’s just started snowing in London. Over-excited weather-watchers reported flakes falling, starting in the north. First snow flakes in #MillHill #London !!! #SnowWatch ❄️❄️❄️ — OfficeFront (@OfficeFront) November 30, 2017 @metoffice It is starting to snow in Tottenham Hale in North London. Unexpected!! — Sau Fong Chan (@SauFongChan27) November 30, 2017 It is very much snowing in Angel 🤗 — Jo H-C (@JoannaHC) November 30, 2017 Snow flakes in North London! — Cllr Kath McGuirk (@RedKaff) November 30, 2017 Later reports showed the cold front spreading further south, adding a thin sprinkling of the white stuff arriving over central London.  Snowing in Central London!Still boiling hot on the @centralline though...#snow pic.twitter.com/FcLVhdJHWY — Dave Scullion (@The_Scullion) November 30, 2017 CONFIRMED: early sighting of a (sort of) snow flurry from the @TimeOutLondon office pic.twitter.com/XwKVBN1HcL — Rosie Percy (@rosiepercy) November 30, 2017 SNOW IN CENTRAL LONDON YOU GUYS pic.twitter.com/Ptl3iVqC1m — Merry Mikey Mouse 🎄🐭 (@MichaelJMcA) November 30, 2017 It may have only lasted all of three minutes, but it was enough to send any Londoner into absolute meltdown. (Geddit? Meltdown. MELTdown. Because it’s snow.) OMG WHAT IS THIS WHITE STUFF FALLING DOWN IN LONDON RIGHT NOW OM

London’s most Instagrammable location is about to get even prettier: Sketch has had a Christmas makeover. The place with *that* pink tearoom hasn’t come over all snowy for the festive season, but has instead welcomed a series of light installations by artist Chris Levine, called ‘Silent Light’ (geddit?). © Dan Alani   This alternative to the other festive light displays flickering to life across the city includes 3D holographic portraits of Her Maj, Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell, a crystal cross projecting light beams through the foyer and floral-shaped neons crawling across the ceilings. In short: lots of cool stuff that looks really good.    © Dan Alani   It’s being described as an immersive laser and sound experience that creates ‘an entrancing meditative experience’ – welcome news to anyone finding themselves stressed-out by Christmas shopping in central London. ‘Silent Light’ is open Nov 16 2017-Jan 6 2018. Check it out at Sketch, 9 Conduit St, W1S 2XG. Sketch isn’t the only place getting lit: Leake Street Tunnel has had an arty light makeover too.  Fancy some more traditional Christmas decorations? Check out the best festive light displays in London.    

Stopping on Oxford Street with no warning. Fumbling at the barriers for an Oyster card. Paying over a fiver for a pint. These are just some of the things guaranteed to make a Londoner's blood boil - and we haven't even touched on making eye contact yet.  But of all the things bound to irritate anyone in this city, what gets under your skin the most?  Tell us: what's the thing that bugs you the most about London? Whether it's the property market, millennials or the endless stream of novelty pop-ups, share your London pet hate anonymously in the form below. The best submissions that strike a chord with us will feature in Time Out magazine.  Fill out my online form. // var z1q9vlrz1sidggs;(function(d, t) { var s = d.createElement(t), options = { 'userName':'timeoutlondon', 'formHash':'z1q9vlrz1sidggs', 'autoResize':true, 'height':'377', 'async':true, 'host':'wufoo.eu', 'header':'hide', 'ssl':true}; s.src = ('https:' == d.location.protocol ? 'https://' : 'http://') + 'www.wufoo.eu/scripts/embed/form.js'; s.onload = s.onreadystatechange = function() { var rs = this.readyState; if (rs) if (rs != 'complete') if (rs != 'loaded') return; try { z1q9vlrz1sidggs = new WufooForm();z1q9vlrz1sidggs.initialize(options);z1q9vlrz1sidggs.display(); } catch (e) {}}; var scr = d.getElementsByTagName(t)[0], par = scr.parentNode; par.insertBefore(s, scr); })(document, 'script'); // We feel you. Maybe these rules every London should follow will help?

If you ask any Londoner what their worst city scenarios are, navigating Oxford Street on a Saturday is likely to come out on top.  But that high street nightmare might soon be a thing of the past, as the Mayor of London has announced plans to pedestrianise the busy shopping strip in just 12 months. Following his pledge last year to cut the number of buses on Oxford Street by half, Sadiq Khan is going the whole hog and getting rid of them all. The plans, proposed by Sadiq Khan and Deputy Leader of Westminster City Council Cllr Robert Davis MBE DL, aim to pedestrianise a section of Oxford Street, turning it into the 'world's best outdoor shopping experience'. It'll affect an area between Selfridges and Oxford Circus, with east-west routes restricted but north-south traffic staying put. Roads will be raised to pavement level to make it a wider, more accessible area for London shoppers and additional seating and a public mural will transform Oxford Street into a place to stop and relax, rather than rush away from as soon as humanly possible. And they're not hanging around. The proposal is being publicly consulted next month on December 17, and the Mayor hopes to have work completed on that section to coincide with the unveiling of the Elizabeth Line in December 2018 - with the rest of the street being transformed by 2021.   So far, so good. But will it stop slow walkers or those people who stop in front of you for NO. REASON. WHATSOEVER? We'll see.   Talking of curing nightmarish

Halloween might have only just arrived but Christmas has been in the air across London for several weeks, with the Oxford Circus Christmas lights going up 84 days early and ice rinks opening before we’ve even had Bonfire Night.  But if chowing down on mince pie croissants just isn’t festive enough for you, you can take your love of all things Christmas to a much more, ahem, personal level: a chain of London salons are offering mulled wine waxes. That’s right – soon your private parts can be seasonally spiced to smell like your favourite winter tipple. The festive de-fluffing procedure is being offered by hair removal mavericks Ministry of Waxing, who are de-pubing Londoners with a sprinkle of cinnamon in anticipation of the Christmas party season. According to their press release, ‘nothing says “Merry Christmas!” like a Mulled Wine Wax!’ – so you better swap that novelty jumper for a smooth undercarriage, if you care about Christmas at all. If you want your genitalia to smell like a Glade candle, book in for a mulled wine makeover at one of Ministry of Waxing’s five London locations from November 6. Novelties aside, they’re one of the best waxers in London and are guaranteed to get you ready for any festive fumbles under the mistletoe. And first timers get 25% off - now that's Christmas come early.  Fancy celebrating Christmas in a more traditional way? Check out the London rooftops that have had a wintery makeover.

Here at Time Out we're pretty clued up on what's going on at the weekend - but we want to know how you choose to spend yours. From wandering around exhibitions to eating out or even nursing a two day hangover after 'just one after work' turned into an all nighter, there's loads of ways you can spend your Friday-Sunday. So tell us: what did you get up to this weekend? We want to know about the ill-advised texts sent, sordid hook-ups had, shots sunk and shoe soles danced through. Share your best, unbeatable or even boring stories from what you did this weekend in the box below. It's totally anonymous and our favourite submissions might be picked for a Time Out feature. Fill out my online form. // var znoapnv0n1jnxy;(function(d, t) { var s = d.createElement(t), options = { 'userName':'timeoutlondon', 'formHash':'znoapnv0n1jnxy', 'autoResize':true, 'height':'377', 'async':true, 'host':'wufoo.eu', 'header':'hide', 'ssl':true}; s.src = ('https:' == d.location.protocol ? 'https://' : 'http://') + 'www.wufoo.eu/scripts/embed/form.js'; s.onload = s.onreadystatechange = function() { var rs = this.readyState; if (rs) if (rs != 'complete') if (rs != 'loaded') return; try { znoapnv0n1jnxy = new WufooForm();znoapnv0n1jnxy.initialize(options);znoapnv0n1jnxy.display(); } catch (e) {}}; var scr = d.getElementsByTagName(t)[0], par = scr.parentNode; par.insertBefore(s, scr); })(document, 'script'); // Looking for something new to do next weekend? Tick off these 17 things to do before

It’s been nearly 10 months since a shadow was cast over central London, when the Piccadilly Circus billboards were switched off. The giant screens went dark to undergo a transformation, replacing the multiples with just one, making it the biggest digital screen in Europe. This morning London lit up again, as the iconic billboards came back to life at 8am. 3...2...1...and the Piccadilly Circus billboards are back ON 💡 pic.twitter.com/mpbMpZPEj2 — Time Out London (@TimeOutLondon) October 26, 2017 The screen flickered back into action with a burst of coloured chips, each one sponsored by people all over the world who wanted to be a part of the iconic moment, and to also raise money for the children’s charity Barnado’s. The chips made a global colourful patchwork to celebrate the new screen, before the ads slid back into view.  The Piccadilly Circus billboards are ON, and the new ads look faaancy pic.twitter.com/6SNRJuujyq — Rosie Percy (@rosiepercy) October 26, 2017 Coca-Cola still has pride of place, having held an advertising slot on the billboard for over 60 years, and they’re sharing space with eBay, Hunter Boots, L’Oréal and a few more.  Want to know how the billboards actually work? Watch our behind the scenes video below.  Into your London landmarks? Find out how Big Ben bongs. 

  They’ve been iconic in advertising since 1908, and they’re in one of the most Instagrammed locations in London: of course we’re talking about the Piccadilly Circus billboards.   A shadow fell across central London earlier this year when the big screens were switched off. The iconic landmark went dark for a major upgrade in January 2017, for the illuminated, tiled adverts to be replaced with one single, curved screen – which will make it the largest digital screen in Europe. In anticipation of the landmark lighting up again later this month we wondered – aside from making us really want a Coke – how does it actually work? Is there one big red button to turn it on? Can you hire out the screen to declare a message of love? And what’s it all made of? Find out by watching the video above.  Big Ben is also taking some time out. Go behind the scenes to find out how it bongs (or doesn’t). 

If your small talk is stalling today don't worry: some mad weather has arrived in London, setting you up for all the awkward communal kitchen chat you'll need this week. Anyone who looked out of a window or logged into Twitter today will notice a sepia tone soaking the city, a side effect from Hurricane Ophelia dragging dust and sand in from the Sahara.   Some people were bemused. Am I on Tatooine? pic.twitter.com/yykM9mbKvW — Olly Gibbs (@ollyog) October 16, 2017   Is it me or is the sun red in London right now? — martin | titanrain (@TitanRain_Games) October 16, 2017 That’s got to be the strangest 2pm sun I’ve ever seen. Whole of London is bathed in sepia light. #redsun #orphelia pic.twitter.com/yntgZJYVcb — MIKE BUONAIUTO (@Mike_Shapes) October 16, 2017 Others were loving living in an IRL Instagram filter. I love how this red sun is giving a tangerine glow to London's scenery. Like we're all living with a Made in Chelsea filter overlay. — Clare Dyckhoff (@cdyckhoff) October 16, 2017 @bbcweather The "red sun" phenomenon is manifest in London as a sepia tone...like living in a vintage photograph. Or #instalife. #Ophelia. — Mark Abthorpe (@markabthorpe) October 16, 2017 And then inevitably we all started wondering if we were all about to die.   We've got 'end days' sun down here in South London... — Liz (@kiwiLiz) October 16, 2017