Sarah Cohen

Fancy a big night out? Head to Shoreditch. Want Japanese whisky, Danish craft beer co-owed by Rick Astley or independently produced Italian wine? Shoreditch. In the mood to drink in a jazz-era speakeasy, old police station or quirky cocktail bar? You guessed it: Shoreditch is the place for you. The east London neighbourhood pretty much has it all when it comes to evenings on the town, and we’ve handpicked the bars you should visit next time you’re in the area pining for more than a pint.  RECOMMENDED: The best restaurants in Shoreditch.

Want views with your food? Then eat at altitude. London’s best rooftop restaurants offer the elevation you need to gaze upon our beautiful city, and top menus to enjoy while you do. Our list includes swish spots, great gastropubs, hotel terraces and even a thriving herb garden. Although dining in the clouds is best in the summer – shout out to this country's unpredicatble weather – most of these places have outdoor spots that are open all year-round, so you can catch a sunset whenever you like, with some much appreciated heaters or glass roofs in the mix. If you’re thirsty for the high life but just want a drink, try London’s best rooftop bars.  RECOMMENDED: London's best outdoor dining restaurants.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

It's official: London is experiencing a fast-mushrooming plant-based restaurant boom. Across the city, creative chefs are showing off their prowess with plants, creating pitch-perfect imitations of meaty comfort food classics, or dreaming up new vegetable-based delights. Whether you're after a lavish night of culinary theatre, a delicate Middle Eastern spread, or a carb-coma-inducing full English breakfast, you'll find it in our list of London's best vegan restaurants. Read on and plan your next plant-free feast. RECOMMENDED: London’s best restaurants for vegetarian food. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

It’s different strokes for different folks when it comes to swimming in London. Exercise fiends can rack up the lengths in the London Aquatics Centre to make them feel like olympians, while fairweather doggy-paddlers have an array of heated lidos to choose from. The bravest of all may find themselves in the deepest and coldest of London's outdoor ponds, on equally chilly mornings. Our list of London’s best swimming pools features excellent local leisure centres, central London gems and everyone’s go-to for a chilly ‘wild’ swim in the city, Hampstead Ponds. So get planning your next dip. RECOMMENDED: London’s best gyms and fitness studios.The 101 best things to do in London.

Londoners have fallen in love with outdoor swimming over the past few years, seduced by the magic of plunging into chilly waters, whatever the weather. And that means that when the temperatures rise, there's one place to be: on the poolside at one of this city's stellar lidos or al fresco swimming spots.  If it's one of the UK's all too rare heatwaves, you'll need to book ahead if you want your open-air swim fix and be prepared for crowds. But there's a lot to be said for taking the plunge on less promising days, too, especially in early Autumn when the water retains the heat of the summer rays. Whether you’re looking for alternative ways to get fit, family-friendly fun or a body of water to lounge around next to, take your pick from our list of London’s best lidos and outdoor swimming pools. London also has some truly great (and exceedingly bracing) options for wild swimming too, so check those out if you’re feeling brave. RECOMMENDED: The best swimming pools in London.The best waterparks in London.

You can’t talk about Windsor without talking about the British monarchy, right? Obviously not, as we went ahead and opened with it, but all things royal punctuate the best things to do in Windsor. Reminders of who is in charge are everywhere here, and the bucket list nature of Windsor means it is more than a little tourist-heavy. That is impossible to ignore, but it isn’t difficult to understand why people flock here. Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t all about the family. Windsor has quietly established itself as a foodie magnet, and energetic amblers will find some of England’s most picturesque walks in these parts. Of course, it all comes back to the monarchy, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Come for the crown, stay for the craft beer. RECOMMENDED:  🍴The  best restaurants in Windsor🏰 The best castles in the UK🏛️ The best things to do in the UK 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. 

Shoreditch is awash with cool cocktail bars, but sometimes only a proper pub sesh will do. Luckily the area has loads of great pubs, from modern craft-beer establishments, where you can stroke your chin and muse over hops as you sip, to cherished backstreet boozers that make you want to get stuck into an old-school knees-up. It is the East End, after all. Check out our impeccable guide to Shoreditch’s best pubs before you head out for a pint. RECOMMENDED: The best restaurants in Shoreditch.

Bottomless brunch. These words strike excitement – and also a slight sting of terror – into our hearts. Endless quaffing of fizz, usually within a 90 minute time limit – and, often, endless platters of food, seem like the perfect backdrop to catching up with mates on a weekend. Simply bash your cash down and let the London restaurant of your chosing do the rest. Will you get drunk? Most likely. Will you be so full of food that you're worried you may explode? Also possible. Are you in? Yes, you very much are. In London, you’ll find bottomless bubbles and Bloody Marys, but you can also go beyond the tried-and-tested and experiment with infinite beer or endless streams of rosé. The food doesn’t have to be straightforward breakfast stuff either. Brunch can be anything from bao to barbecue, Turkish to Japanese. Time to go hard then go home! Or, you could just stick to regular old brunch. RECOMMENDED: Find more great breakfasts in London.

After-hours fun in London is easy to find if you know where to look. To help you avoid the hapless post-midnight plod around town on the hunt for more liquor, consult our definitive list of late-night bars and boozers in London. These are the best of the capital’s drinking spots that stay open into the wee small hours, listed in order of lateness. Remember, cocktail hour can be any hour in London. If you fancy a dance with your drink, then check out London’s best clubs. RECOMMENDED: The best cocktail bars in London.

Want a drink? Well you've come to the right place. This is Time Out’s list of best bars in London, our curated guide to London’s drinking scene, featuring the buzziest booze dens in the capital right now. If it’s on this list, it’s excellent. These are the 50 places we'd recommend to a friend, because we love drinking in them and have done many times over. From classy cocktail joint to delightful dives, hotel bars, speakeasys, bottle shops, rooftops and wine bars, London's got them all. The latest additions to our list include Bar Lina, an Italian aperitivo spot underneath the famous Soho deli, Moko hi-fi listening bar in Tottenham, Oranj's vertitable wine warehouse in Shoreditch, and Helgi's, a suggestively Satanic rock bar in Hackney. Now go forth and booze. RECOMMENDED: Like bars? Then you'll love London's best pubs.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

London is so stuffed full of world-class theatres, museums, attractions, music venues and parks that you’d have to live here for aeons before you’d be able to tick them all off your bucket list. A noble pursuit, for sure, what if you want to take a walk on this city's wilder side? Venture down dank tunnels, marvel at medical oddities, or take to the canals in a cow-print canoe with our guide to London's unique things to do. There's a pretty much limitless array of ways to stretch your legs, brain and wallet in the city's more esoteric corners. Finally, something actually good to tell your work mates about on Monday morning. RECOMMENDED: 101 things to do in LondonRECOMMENDED: Time Out Offers

Sushi doesn’t just mean raw fish, rice and seaweed – although there’s plenty of excellent examples of that kind in the capital. No, sushi can have many forms: fishy forms, meaty forms and even vegan forms. In London, you can eat it in Michelin-starred restaurants, at cosy omakase counters and with breathtaking views. Our list of London’s best sushi restaurants covers all this ground and more, so have a browse and then book your next Japanese feast. RECOMMENDED: London’s best Japanese restaurants.

The bright lights of Canary Wharf's towers are quite the spectacle after dark, but the business district will glow brighter than usual for 11 days in January thanks to the addition of sparkling illuminations created by artists from around the world. The Winter Lights festival returns for it's eighth edition with a new set of dazzling artworks, installations and interactive experiences, plus some old favourites from previous years. All 27 of the artworks are free to visit and a map showing their locations will be available to download before it opens. There will be food and drink stalls along the trail and many of Canary Wharf’s shops, restaurants and bars will be running special offers and discounts.

This Greenwich light trail has a dazzling array of extras. Expect twinkling trees, fire-art installations and interactive elements, plus live music, street food and drinks of all kinds. The whole thing is free, and takes places in the gorgeous Avery Hill Park. 

If you want to turn your home into an extra temple of Christmas, this is the place to go shopping. With more than 600 exhibitors, the huge annual show of all things festive provides everything you need to plaster your life in seasonal bling: home accessories, traditional food and drink, decorations, heaps of gift options and live demonstrations from the likes of The Curly Cooks, Juliet Sear and Eric Lanlard. There's also the chance to get stuck into some crafts, be it wreath-making or cocktail-making!

The beautiful Rivoli Ballroom – one of the last remaining ballrooms in town – is open again for its usual series of Halloween pop-up film screenings. In the days running up to fright night, it’ll be showing movies of the spooky and scary (and camp) variety, including 'Casper', 'The Lost Boys', 'Ghostbusters (1984)', 'Hocus Pocus' and 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show'. Scroll down for the full details of the spooktacular film programme.

Head to Hyde Park’s learning centre The LookOut for a family-friendly open day with a spooky twist this October half-term. Little ones can explore the witches’ den, learn about bats in and fun halloween facts along the nature trail, and listen to a spooky story, all with the fun of getting dressed up, which is seriously encouraged! Its free to enter, but it might help to register in advance. 

Now here’s a Santa experience that’s truly for children and adults. Bag and accessories designer Anya Hindmarch is setting up a grotto within Anya’s Village in Chelsea, where kids can go on an immersive journey through a moonlit forest and across crunchy snow to find Father Christmas, who will read them a story and give them a gift. Grown-ups get a free hot drink from the Anya Cafe, where there will be piles of mince pies, gingerbread men and Christmas cakes on sale. Exit through the gift shop to buy limited-edition Anya Hindmarch gifts and Christmas decorations, including ceramic tree baubles, crackers, puzzles, mugs, crayons and teddy bears. But will Santa be decked out in designer togs?

West Hampstead’s Jewish arts, culture and community centre gains a 70-capacity, 200 square-metre ice rink in its piazza for winter, with twinkling lights overhead. Sessions last 50 minutes and little ones can make use of cute penguin stabilisers or banana toboggans to help them round the ice. It’s also the only London ice rink open for skating on Christmas Day.  Find more places to go ice skating in London.

Skate around Henry VIII’s sixteenth-century pad this Christmas. Hampton Court Palace makes a mighty impressive backdrop for this outdoor rink, especially when lit up after dark. The ice is right by the side of the Thames and is an impressive 1,040 square metres. It’s pretty family friendly (those little penguin and dolphin skate aids are available for children, if you book in advance). For rink wallflowers, there’s a café where you’ll find loaded hot chocolates, mulled wine and mince pies.  Find more places to go ice skating in London.

Set up in 2018 by a mother in search of positive Black representation at Christmastime for her children, Noir Kringle offers a full-on grotto experience with a Black Santa. Kids can tour his vintage workshop surrounded by glitter, presents, stockings and Christmassy sounds and smells. The 45-minute experience includes activities like storytelling, making Mrs Kringle’s magic reindeer feed, mini elf school and, of course, a meet-and-greet – and photo op – with Father Christmas, who will give each child a present. It sounds super fun, but also an important step towards introducing more diversity into Christmas and extending inclusion to (whisper it) fictional characters. The first batch of tickets for Noir Kringle has sold out, but the organisers will be doing a second release with more time slots. Keep your eye on their website and social media for details.

London Zoo is the only place in the capital where you can meet Santa plus penguins, otters, tigers, zebras and a whole menagerie of other animals. The big guy and his elves need some help asking all the critters what they want for Christmas, so kids can head off on a festive trail to gather information and then send a postcard to Father C to make sure each animal gets a present they’ll love. An audience with the man in red in his grotto will cost extra, but the zoo’s other seasonal attractions – including animal crafts, Christmas-themed animal talks and marshmallow toasting– will be open through to January.

If you go down to the woods today you’re sure of a dazzling surprise. Syon Park’s 600-year-old woodland garden will be transformed by beautiful illuminations again for Christmas. Follow a glistening trail past luminous sculptures, glowing candles and laser beams around an ornamental lake, alongside the sixteenth-century Syon House, through a historic arboretum to the spectacular Great Conservatory, which will be lit up with tutti-frutti hues. It’s almost always a sell-out, so book in advance.

In 2015, chef Josh Katz opened Berber & Q, a now much-loved Middle Eastern grill and smokehouse in Hackney. Next came sister restaurant Shawarma Bar on Exmouth Market. But Katz lives way across town in west London, so for his latest project – with brother Paul and business partner Mattia Bianchi – he has chosen to set up closer to home, in Queen’s Park. Finally, a bit of restaurant love for my neck of the woods. Carmel, the resulting all-day Eastern Mediterranean restaurant, is a delight. The interior is mainly white – tiles and painted brickwork – and numerous plants nestle on ledges and hang from the ceiling. There are three seating options: up at the counter overlooking the open kitchen or the bar; on benches along the communal table that stretches across the room; or, our choice, in the row of smaller tables suitable for a more intimate experience. We visited in the evening, but there’s an exciting lunch menu too, and the plan is for Carmel to open for breakfasts of shakshuka, turmeric-fried eggs and stuffed french toast as well. From the dinner line-up of small and large sharing plates, we started with firm and zesty cured sardines with lemon verjus, chunks of soft potato and sour cream, topped with slices of onion, green chilli and radish. Each mouthful was a riot of contrasting yet complementary tastes and textures – a very well-put-together combination. Then came the surprise of the evening: this carnivore found a vegetable dish that rivalled any of the meat or seafoo

As the war in Ukraine continued over the weekend, so did worldwide protests in solidarity with its people, including several large events in London.  On Saturday, Ukrainians, Russians and people of many other nationalities gathered at Downing Street to put pressure on the UK government to increase sanctions on Russia and do more to help Ukrainian refugees. There were also crowds outside the Russian embassy in Kensington Palace Gardens who pelted the building with eggs and fake blood while calling for Putin to withdraw his forces. The focus switched to Trafalgar Square yesterday (Sunday February 27), where thousands of people congregated to add their voices to the protest. Photographer and journalist Chris Bethell was among them – you can see some of his pictures below. Another ‘Stand with Ukraine’ rally in Trafalgar Square is planned for 6pm this evening (Monday February 28), and there will undoubtedly be more until the war ends. Photograph: Chris Bethell Photographer: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Photograph: Chris Bethell Chris Bethell is a UK-based photographer and journalist. www.christopherbethell.com/@christopherbethell How to help the people of Ukraine if you’re living in London. This night walk is raising money for loads of London homelessness charities.

As we reported previously, the Tower of London’s moat is going to be filled with wild flowers to commemorate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Gardeners are currently busy planting 20 million seeds that will grow into a beautiful meadow called ‘Superbloom’ come June, when the attraction opens. Wandering through a floral garden sounds like a lovely, gentle activity, right? Except that the organisers have just announced the addition of a giant slide at the entrance. Thrill-seeking visitors can grab a mat and zip down the side of the moat on an eight-metre slide. There’s room for four people to have a go at once and adults are just as welcome as kids. But once you’re in, you’re in: it’s one slide per person. And access is weather-dependent. Image: Historic Royal Palaces The slide was originally built for a National Trust property in Berkshire, but has been repurposed for the Tower of London moat. It’ll have plants running alongside it that complement the wild flowers below.  And don’t worry, bobbing along on your bum isn’t the only way to get into ‘Superbloom’ – those who don’t like feeling their stomach jump into their throat can walk through the fully accessible main entrance. But where’s the fun in that? ‘Superbloom’ is at the Tower of London, Jun 1-Sep 18. Book tickets here. You can climb the Cutty Sark’s really high rigging. This summer’s Serpentine Pavilion will be a place of rest and music.

A few metres away from one of the most modern things in London can now be found one of the most ancient. A huge Roman mosaic, dating from the end of the second century or the beginning of the third, has been unearthed near The Shard.  Specialists from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA), who have been working to uncover the artefact since June, say the eight-metre-long mosaic is the largest to be found in the capital for 50 years, calling it a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ discovery. We're a bit late for #MosaicMonday but it's worth the wait!Our archaeologists unearthed the largest area of Roman mosaic found in London in over 50 years, an incredible discovery made while working on the Liberty of Southwark - @uandiplc urban regeneration project with @TfL. pic.twitter.com/AuD3t4zWeI — MOLA (@MOLArchaeology) February 22, 2022 The archaeologists have deduced from the highly decorative mosaic’s design – which features flowers, geometric patterns and twisted ropes – that it was probably the floor of a ‘triclinium’: a fancy dining room where well-to-do Romans would recline and feast. This may have been part of a ‘mansio’: a kind of motel for people travelling to and from Londinium over the river. Photograph: MOLA/AndyChopping The mosaic was discovered because the area is being redeveloped by TfL and property company U+I to build a housing, shopping and office-space complex called The Liberty of Southwark. Before that can happen, the mosaic is going to be lifted and taken

Around Christmastime, London’s outdoor venues, from Kew Gardens and Kenwood to the South Bank and Greenwich Peninsula, filled with dazzling light trails, installations and festivals. But as the nights began to get shorter, these cheering spectacles came to the end of their runs. The season hasn’t quite finished, though: on Friday March 4, Illuminate Rotherhithe and Bermondsey’s free lantern festival will be taking up the baton. Locals are encouraged to gather at either Rotherhithe’s Mayflower Hall or St James’s Church in Bermondsey from 4pm, from where, as night falls (5.30pm), processions of glowing lanterns will make their way through the neighbourhoods, accompanied by music from a choir and samba band, arriving at Southwark Park’s bandstand at 6pm.  By then, participants and onlookers will undoubtedly have worked up a hunger, so after the parade has done a circuit of the park, there’ll be free pizza, cinnamon buns and biscuits for all, plus musical entertainment, a barn dance and appearances from ‘much-loved surprise guests’. Mysterious. Want to get involved? Head to one of Illuminate’s free lantern-making workshops which are popping up in the area this weekend (February 26 and 27), and learn how to craft your own paper-and-willow creation. This year’s theme is ‘trees and everything in nature you find in or on them’, so you may need a lot of green tissue paper. Southwark Park, Gomm Rd, SE16 2TX. Fri Mar 4. Free. Find other things to do in Bermondsey with our area guide. An

Still haven’t caught up with ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ or ‘Licorice Pizza’? Well, clear your diary on Saturday (February 26) and head to your local Cineworld, because the cinema chain will be offering tickets for £3 all day (although booking fees will still apply). That means you could watch at least three or four movies back to back for the same price as it usually costs to see one.  The discount doesn’t only apply to traditional 2D screenings, either: for maximum eye-boggling effect, you can watch IMAX, 4DX, ScreenX and Superscreen presentations too. Not sure what all of those are, but they sound BIG. But which film(s) to choose? New releases like ‘Cyrano’, ‘Death on the Nile’, ‘Uncharted’, ‘Belfast’ and ‘Jackass Forever’ will be showing on Cineworld screens, and blockbuster hits from last year, like ‘Dune’, will be returning especially for the occasion. Or you could take the kids to see ‘Sing 2’ – or your parents to watch ‘The Duke’. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cineworld Cinemas (@cineworld) Arthouse fans can bag a bargain too: Cineworld owns all of the Picturehouses, and those cinemas will be running the £3 ticket deal as well. Choose from titles like ‘The Souvenir Part II’, ‘Flee’, ‘Drive My Car’ and heaps of others. And there’s more: Cineworld is also offering discounts on its Unlimited membership scheme, so you can get money off future cinema trips too. All of this means you should definitely spend twice as much as usual on

Tonight is the music industry’s big bash: the great and good of pop will be gathering at The O2 for the Brit Awards, hoping that they’ll be going home with a little statue to put on their, no doubt fancy, mantelpiece. But once the party’s over and the dustcart has done its thing, what’s next for the nominees? Big tours, that’s what, which is where you, the fans, come in.  Many of the Brit nominees are playing live in London this year, although some of their shows are already sold out: good luck trying to get tickets to see Adele at Hyde Park, Billie Eilish at The O2 or Wolf Alice at Hammersmith Apollo. The closest Little Simz is playing to London is August’s Reading Festival. And the only way to catch London Grammar in the capital is by watching them support Coldplay at Wembley Stadium, although you could leave when the headliners come on. But there are plenty of Brit-nominated acts whose London concerts you can still get into. Here’s our pick. Dave Nominated for: Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Hip Hop/Grime/Rap Act The south London rapper is bringing his We’re All Alone in This Together tour to, er, south London later this month. The O2. Feb 21-22 (Feb 22 sold out). Buy tickets. Dua Lipa Nominated for: Song of the Year, Best Pop/R&B Act Also coming to The O2 is five-time Brit winner Dua Lipa. She’s also won a bunch of Grammys, you know. The O2. May 2-3 (May 2 sold out). Buy tickets. Sam Fender Nominated for: Artist of the Year, Album of the Yea

It’s not just restaurants, bars and theatres that are feeling the Omicron effect in London. Several major museums have closed due to staff shortages and concern for public safety. The school holidays are usually a busy time for such institutions, so these closures will deliver a serious blow. The Natural History Museum, the UK’s second most-visited museum after Tate Modern, will be shut from today (December 21) for a week, but hopes to reopen on Tuesday December 28. All tickets already bought for its exhibitions ‘Wildlife Photographer of the Year’ and ‘Fantastic Beasts: the Wonder of Nature’ between these dates will be cancelled and refunded. Thankfully, the museum’s outdoor ice rink is unaffected by this closure, so you can skate into Christmas as planned. The Museum at South Kensington will be closed from 21-27 December, due to an unforeseen staff shortage. We plan to reopen on Tuesday 28 December. You can also book new tickets for a future date on our website. https://t.co/9CmgCms76H — Natural History Museum (@NHM_London) December 20, 2021 The Wellcome Collection is not so optimistic. It closed on Friday ‘until further notice’, saying it will ‘monitor the situation and government advice’. Other casualties include the Foundling Museum in Bloomsbury, Camden Art Centre and the National Army Museum, all of which will now be closed until early January. The Museum of the Home’s last day until next year is on Thursday December 23, due to staff shortages. And Sir John Soane's Mu

Yesterday marked four-and-a-half years since the Grenfell Tower fire, which took the lives of 72 people. To commemorate this, Grenfell United, ​​a group of survivors and bereaved families, organised a silent walk from Kensington Town Hall to the memorial wall at the base of the tower. Gatherings like this used to take place every month, but this was the first one since summer 2020, due to the pandemic. “Just look at the sea of evidence out there” - @GrenfellUnited #GrenfellSilentWalk pic.twitter.com/AlagXI3C39 — AO (@Anieshasha) December 14, 2021 As well as a symbol of remembrance, last night’s event was the launch of a new campaign for justice. Grenfell United is calling on the Metropolitan Police to pursue a criminal investigation, saying that plenty of evidence has been gathered and people have waited long enough. It’s encouraging supporters to share a video featuring survivors and relatives of the deceased reading out findings from the public inquiry, using the hashtag #DemandCharges, an evolution of its previous slogan, #DemandChange.  #DemandCharges #Grenfell @GrenfellUnited pic.twitter.com/qJ3Ksf2GCJ — Tim Downie (@TimDownie1) December 14, 2021 Is Grenfell Tower due to be demolished? The theatre group helping to rebuild its community after Grenfell.

Being told you look like the back of a bus is no longer an insult thanks to the London Transport Museum’s new Routemaster-inspired pyjamas. They sport a design that imitates the ‘moquette’ fabric used to cover double-decker bus seats in the late ’50s. ‘Moquette’ means ‘carpet’ in French, and anyone who’s travelled on a bus or tube will have experienced sitting on the hard-wearing, faintly bristly material. Luckily, the pyjamas are made from 100 percent cotton. Just as the Routemaster became a design classic, so the moquette pattern that adorned its innards has endured. It was created by industrial designer Douglas Scott, who used maroon, yellow and green to mirror the colour scheme of the bus’s interior. As well as the pjs, matching socks, a scarf, a throw, a baseball cap, a laptop case, a travel bag and a cushion are available. The pyjama set is unisex and comes in five sizes, from extra small to extra large. It costs £60 and can be bought online or from the London Transport Museum shop. Bus chic: it’s gonna be big in 2022. Consult our Christmas gift guide for other Londony present ideas. London buses are being turned into refuges for the homeless.

Here we go again. Following the government’s announcement of Plan B yesterday, you might be feeling cautious about those upcoming Christmas parties in your diary. But gathering with 30 of your workmates in a packed venue isn’t the only way to socialise. Remember when the great outdoors was our living room, restaurant, bar and dancefloor? It can be again, even in winter. Loads of London pubs have got wise and installed awnings and heaters in their beer gardens. Terraces couldn’t be cosier, with insulating foliage and blankets to snuggle up in. And these days, it’s common to bask in the glow of a heat lamp when eating outside at restaurants.  You can order pints and mulled wine to go, take in some alfresco art and even see a festive play in the open air. Most of London’s ice rinks are outside, and then there are the Christmas illuminations glowing-up every corner of London right now: grab some friends and head out on a light trail. You can even do your Christmas shopping outdoors at one of the capital’s many seasonal markets. So, fling on your hat, scarf and gloves and take the party outside. Want more outdoor fun? Explore London’s hidden gardens. Our ultimate guide to Christmas in London.

Nowadays, going for a swim at one of London’s lidos usually requires advance booking, but you’ll have to be seriously on the case to maximise on this cosy, outdoor swimming adventure: Hampton Pool is back with its very popular Moonlight Dip sessions.   Once again, Londoners will have the chance to splash about under the stars at the (thankfully!) heated outdoor lido. There are various time slots, starting from 6pm, but the most exciting are the Friday night 10.15pm swims: proper after-hours action. The 75-minute sessions run on selected Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights from November 26 to January 9 and can be booked on the pool’s app. They cost £12 for adults and £8 for kids. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hampton Pool (@hamptonpool) on Oct 25, 2019 at 12:22pm PDT A moonlight dip is something you’re more likely to find at a far-flung beach party than a swimming pool in the suburbs, but the Hampton team is determined to bring it to city dwellers too.  ‘We started our moonlight swims to give our customers the chance to swim in our heated pool under the stars,’ Hampton Pool manager Mickey Lewis told us. ‘Each one has its own special feel depending on the time of year, and we love seeing families from the locality and further afield coming along to join in the party atmosphere.’ View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hampton Pool (@hamptonpool) on Oct 29, 2019 at 11:24am PDT

Bond is back. Really, properly, definitely back. ‘No Time to Die’ was the first high-profile Covid cultural casualty: due to come out in April 2020, it was postponed again and again, but will finally be released in cinemas on September 30. Tickets went on sale this week, so you can book now to see the biggest film of the year. If you want to get in first, many cinemas are holding midnight screenings on September 29, but to really super-size your Bond experience, get involved in one of these events. After all, you only live twice. ‘No Time to Die’ Opening Night Event Head to your local Everyman cinema on the evening of the film’s release day to enjoy champagne, cocktails and canapés before the screening. Black tie optional but encouraged.Everyman cinemas. Sep 30. £50. Book here. Vesper Martini Cocktail Class Perfect your shaken-not-stirred technique at a masterclass in the Genesis Cinema’s Bar Paragon that will teach you how to create 007’s drink of choice. Also, if you turn up at the Genesis wearing black tie for a screening of the film on its opening day (Sep 30) you’ll get free bubbles.Genesis Cinema. Sep 27-29. £20. Book here. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Fulham Road Picturehouse (@fulhamroad_ph) ‘No Time to Die’ Evening Event Hackney Picturehouse and its new sister on Fulham Road are hosting a soirée where you can dress up in your finery for food and drink before the film with the bar staying open throughout the screening.Fu