London guides: Halloween, fireworks, Christmas and the rest

Twelve months from where you are now. Each one links to its own guide, with the annual fixtures that fall inside it. The dates are confirmed where a venue has published them and marked as the usual pattern where it has not.

1. October 2026 this month

   • Bloomsbury Festival
   • Halloween events
   • Diwali
   • Frieze week
   • BFI London Film Festival
   • When the clocks change

2. November 2026

   • Frieze week
   • Halloween events
   • Diwali
   • Bonfire Night fireworks
   • Candlelit concerts
   • London Christmas lights

3. December 2026

   • Bank holiday weekend
   • What is open on Christmas Day and Boxing Day
   • New Year's Eve
   • Candlelit concerts
   • London Christmas lights
   • London Christmas markets

4. January 2027

   • London New Year's Day Parade
   • London Art Fair
   • Canary Wharf Winter Lights
   • London Christmas lights
   • London Christmas markets
   • Ice skating

5. February 2027

   • Chinese New Year
   • Kew Orchid Festival
   • Pancake Day
   • Imagine Children's Festival
   • Valentine's Day
   • Six Nations 2027 at Twickenham

6. March 2027

   • Mother's Day
   • St Patrick's Day
   • London Cocktail Week
   • Where to see cherry blossom
   • Easter weekend
   • Kew Orchid Festival

7. April 2027

   • The Boat Race
   • Bluebell woods near
   • Vaisakhi on the Square
   • St George's Day
   • The London Marathon
   • Where to see cherry blossom

8. May 2027

   • London lidos and outdoor swimming
   • Outdoor cinema
   • Covent Garden May Fayre and Puppet Festival
   • London Craft Week
   • Photo London
   • Chelsea in Bloom

9. June 2027

   • London Open Gardens
   • Trooping the Colour
   • Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
   • Taste of London
   • Father's Day
   • BST Hyde Park

10. July 2027

    • London festival stage times
    • BBC Proms
    • London lidos and outdoor swimming
    • Outdoor cinema
    • Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
    • BST Hyde Park

11. August 2027

    • London Theatre Week
    • Notting Hill Carnival
    • London lidos and outdoor swimming
    • Outdoor cinema
    • Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
    • London festival stage times

12. September 2027

    • Frieze week
    • Totally Thames
    • Open House London
    • London Fashion Week
    • London Design Festival
    • London Theatre Week

What is on, what to book and what it costs, one page per month.

• Save All year Things to do in London in April Blossom, the Marathon, and the first evenings worth staying out for. Kew and the park cherries peak early, and the route is free to line the whole way.
• Save All year Things to do in London in August The city empties, and Carnival fills it again. Sunday for families and Monday for the parade, the Proms all month, open-air theatre in Regent's Park.
• Save All year Things to do in London in December Everything at once, and then a very quiet week. Markets, lights and rinks from the first week, carol services, and pantomime everywhere.
• Save All year Things to do in London in February Short, cold, and better than its reputation. Chinese New Year around Chinatown, London Fashion Week in the middle, the BAFTAs and half term.
• Save All year Things to do in London in January The cheapest month and the emptiest, which is the point. The New Year's Day Parade, Twelfth Night at Bankside and the last ice rinks.
• Save All year Things to do in London in July Wimbledon, the Proms, and the city at full volume. BST Hyde Park over two weekends, Pride on the first Saturday, Proms standing tickets on the day.
• Save All year Things to do in London in June The longest days, and the month with the most on. Trooping the Colour from the Mall, Open Garden Squares, and light until nearly half past nine.
• Save All year Things to do in London in March The month London comes back outside. The clocks go forward on the last Sunday, St Patrick's in Trafalgar Square and the Boat Race from either bank.
• Save All year Things to do in London in May Two bank holidays and the season starting properly. Chelsea Flower Show and Chelsea in Bloom, museum lates restart, outdoor cinema begins.
• Save All year Things to do in London in November Fireworks, then the lights go on. Bonfire Night displays on the nearest weekend, the Lord Mayor's Show on the second Saturday, then the switch-ons.
• Save All year Things to do in London in October Frieze, Halloween, and the clocks going back. The free sculpture park runs six weeks, Diwali on the Square, and Halloween trails at Kew and Hampton Court.
• Save All year Things to do in London in September The best month, and hardly anyone says so. Totally Thames all month, Open House for a weekend, the Design Festival and Fashion Week in the third week.

Christmas, Halloween, fireworks, Carnival and the rest. Same address every year, rewritten with the new dates.

• Save From 16 Jul BBC Proms 2027: dates, tickets and how to get in for £8 What Promming costs, how to get in on the day for £8 even when a concert has sold out, and when booking is likely to open for 2027.
• Save From 7 Oct BFI London Film Festival 2026: dates, prices and what to book 7 to 18 October 2026, across BFI Southbank, the IMAX and cinemas around the city. Tickets from £10, and £6 if you are 25 or under.
• Save On now Bloomsbury Festival 2026: 150 events across 40 venues, a lot of it free The festival's twentieth year, running across October in the squares, museums and university buildings of Bloomsbury. Much of the programme costs nothing.
• Save From 12 Apr Bluebell woods near London: where to go and when they peak Mid April to the first week of May. Woodland and old cemeteries, and one Hertfordshire wood worth the hour on the train.
• Save From 1 Nov Bonfire Night fireworks in London 2026 Every London firework display worth crossing town for, which nights they actually happen on, what they cost, and where to stand for free.
• Save From 25 Jun BST Hyde Park 2027: what is announced, how the tickets work, and the free days No 2027 dates or line-up have been announced. What the ticket types actually mean, the rule on children, and the free midweek days most people miss.
• Save From 19 Jan Canary Wharf Winter Lights: free light art in January Free, after dark, and the best reason to be in London in January. Dates, the three main sites, and the evening to avoid.
• Save From 17 May Chelsea in Bloom 2027: the free flower show on the street The free one. Around 150 shopfronts on Sloane Street and the King's Road turned into floral installations for Chelsea Flower Show week. No ticket, no ballot.
• Save From 6 Feb Chinese New Year in London 2027: the parade, Trafalgar Square and Chinatown The Year of the Goat begins on 6 February 2027. The parade, the stage, where to stand, where to eat and how to avoid the crush.
• Save From 15 Nov Christmas in London 2026: what to book, what is free, and the days themselves The shows and concerts to book in October, the free things that need only a coat, and what actually happens on Christmas Day and the week after.
• Save From 9 May Covent Garden May Fayre and Puppet Festival 2027: free Punch and Judy in the piazza The second Sunday of May, free, at the Actors' Church. A brass band procession at eleven, a service with Mr Punch in the pulpit at noon, and puppeteers all afternoon.
• Save On now Diwali in London 2026: Trafalgar Square, the temples and the fireworks Diwali on the Square is Sunday 25 October, free. Diwali itself is 8 November. The temples to visit, and which firework displays are Diwali ones.
• Save From 26 Mar Easter weekend in London 2027: the four days, what is open and what to book Good Friday 26 March to Easter Monday 29 March 2027. An early Easter, which means blossom in the parks and engineering works on the trains.
• Save From 20 Jun Father's Day in London 2027: where to book and what is actually good Sunday 20 June 2027. Long lunches, river trips and the places that do it without a set menu, plus what to book and when.
• Save On now Frieze week in London 2026: the fairs, the free sculpture park and the gallery nights Frieze London and Frieze Masters, 14 to 18 October in Regent's Park. What costs money, what is free, and the week of openings around it.
• Save From 15 Feb Half term in London: what is on, and how to do it without queueing February and October half terms fill every attraction in London at the same hour. The dates, the free options, and the trick of going in the afternoon.
• Save On now Halloween events in London 2026 Ghost tours, the after-dark trails, the late museum openings and the club nights, with the dates that sell out first. Rewritten every year.
• Save From 19 Nov Hyde Park Winter Wonderland 2026: dates, tickets and when to go Open 19 November to 3 January, every day but Christmas Day. How the free entry works, the one-pound off-peak days, the later openings that shorten a visit, and the days to avoid.
• Save From 7 Nov Ice skating in London 2026: every Christmas rink and when they open Somerset House, Hampton Court, Winter Wonderland and Alexandra Palace, with this winter's dates and prices, the two rinks that will not be back, and the year-round rinks that are better ice.
• Save From 10 Feb Imagine Children's Festival 2027: free half term at the Southbank Centre Eleven days over February half term, more than a hundred events for under twelves, and around forty per cent of it free.
• Save From 6 Feb Kew Orchid Festival 2027: what it is and whether it is worth the ticket A month of orchids in the Princess of Wales Conservatory, early February to early March. Included with Kew admission, and the warmest room in London in winter.
• Save From 2 Nov London Christmas lights 2026: the switch-on dates confirmed so far, and the walk that sees them all Carnaby on 4 November and Covent Garden on 12 November are confirmed by the streets themselves. Oxford Street and Regent Street have announced nothing yet.
• Save From 2 Nov London Christmas markets 2026: dates and the ones worth going to Southbank, Covent Garden, Leicester Square, London Bridge, Kingston and Greenwich, with opening dates as they confirm and the best time to go.
• Save From 15 Mar London Cocktail Week 2027: it has moved to March After years in October, the seventeenth edition moves to the week commencing 15 March 2027. Worth knowing before you plan an October trip around it.
• Save From 10 May London Craft Week 2027: what is on, and how much of it is free Around two hundred events across the city in one week in May, most of them free, from open workshops to demonstrations you would normally never see.
• Save From 18 Sep London Design Festival 2027: 18 to 26 September, and most of it is free 18 to 26 September 2027, the twenty fifth anniversary edition. Installations across the city, most of them free and outdoors, plus the ticketed fairs.
• Save From 17 Sep London Fashion Week: what the public can actually get into The September 2026 edition ran 17 to 21 September and has finished. The shows are invite-only, the City Wide Celebration is not. What is open to anyone, and where to stand.
• Save From 1 Jul London festival stage times: All Points East, Wireless and the rest Gates, curfews, last entry and the walk to the station for London's big park festivals, plus where the official stage times appear and when.
• Save From 1 May London lidos and outdoor swimming: which pools open when Most open at weekends from May and daily from June. Which are heated, which are cold, and which you can turn up to without booking.
• Save From 1 Jan London New Year's Day Parade 2027: route, times and where to stand Friday 1 January 2027, one o'clock to half past four, Piccadilly down to Whitehall. Free to stand and watch, and the best free thing on New Year's Day.
• Save From 5 Jun London Open Gardens 2027: private gardens open for one weekend A June weekend when more than a hundred gardens that are normally locked open to ticket holders. Formerly Open Garden Squares Weekend.
• Save From 17 Aug London Theatre Week: what it is and how to get the cheap seats Tickets from £15, £25 and £35 to more than ninety London shows, twice a year. The last sale closed on 13 September. How the bands work, and why the cheapest tier goes first.
• Save All year London victory parades: how they work and where to stand When a London club or an England team wins something, a parade follows within days. How it gets announced, the routes that get used, and how to actually see it.
• Save From 5 Mar Mother's Day in London 2027: where to book, and why it is not the same Sunday every year Sunday 7 March 2027, three weeks before Easter. It is a lunch, not a dinner, and the good tables are gone by the middle of February.
• Save From 31 Dec New Year's Eve in London 2026: fireworks tickets, free views and what else is on The midnight fireworks are ticketed. How and when to get one, where the free views really are, and the nights indoors that are better than the river.
• Save From 28 Aug Notting Hill Carnival 2027: dates, which day to go, route and how to get there Sunday 29 and Monday 30 August 2027, confirmed. Family day or main day, what time it starts, where the sound systems are and which stations will be shut.
• Save From 12 Sep Open House London 2026: how it works and the buildings worth queuing for The 2026 festival ran 12 to 20 September: more than eight hundred openings, all free. How the booked slots and the walk-ups work, and what to plan around next year.
• Save From 9 Feb Pancake Day in London 2027: the races, and where to eat them Tuesday 9 February 2027. Charity pancake races in the City and Spitalfields, most of them free to watch, and a fixed date you can rely on.
• Save From 13 May Photo London 2027: dates, tickets and where it is being held The city's photography fair, four days in mid May. It left Somerset House for Olympia in 2026 and the 2027 venue has not been confirmed.
• Save From 26 Jun Pride in London 2027: parade route, times, stages and the night after Expected Saturday 3 July 2027. Where the parade goes, where to stand, the free stages, the Soho street party and how to get home.
• Save From 18 May RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2027: dates, tickets and how to actually see it 18 to 22 May 2027 at the Royal Hospital Chelsea. Which days are members only, what Chelsea Late is, and the free flower show happening down the road.
• Save From 16 Jun Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2027: what it is and how to see it properly Mid June to late August. Around 1,500 works hung floor to ceiling, most of them for sale, and anyone can submit.
• Save From 14 Feb Six Nations 2027 at Twickenham: the England home games and getting there England v France on Sunday 14 February and England v Scotland on Saturday 13 March, both at Allianz Stadium. Eighty two thousand people, one station.
• Save From 18 Apr St George's Day in London 2027: the free festival in Trafalgar Square The Mayor's free St George's Day festival, midday to six, with the square in red and white. Usually the Sunday after Vaisakhi rather than the day itself.
• Save From 14 Mar St Patrick's Day in London 2027: the parade, the pubs and the day itself 17 March 2027 is a Wednesday, so London's parade and festival move to the Sunday. Two different days, and most people want the one they have not booked for.
• Save From 16 Jun Taste of London 2027: the food festival in Regent's Park Four days in Regent's Park in June. Restaurants serving small plates, producers selling, and a lot of it costs money on top of the ticket.
• Save From 11 Apr The Boat Race 2027: where to stand, and what time it actually starts Sunday 11 April 2027, with races at 15:40 and 16:40. Free from the towpath, over in twenty minutes, and the spot you choose decides what you see.
• Save From 24 Apr The London Marathon: how to enter, and where to watch it Race day is Sunday 25 April 2027. When the ballot opens, the ballot odds nobody mentions, and the six places on the course actually worth standing.
• Save From 12 Jun Trooping the Colour 2027: the ballot, the free view and the flypast The King's Birthday Parade, on the second Saturday of June, which points to 12 June 2027. Seats go by ballot; the Mall is free.
• Save From 17 Apr Vaisakhi on the Square 2027: free Sikh festival in Trafalgar Square The Mayor's free Vaisakhi festival, midday to six in Trafalgar Square. Kirtan, gatka, talks and langar, and nothing to pay or book.
• Save From 12 Feb Valentine's Day in London 2027: romantic restaurants, date ideas and what is on 14 February 2027 is a Sunday, which moves the weekend onto the 12th and 13th. Where to book, what to do instead of dinner, and when the good tables actually go.
• Save From 24 Dec What is open in London on Christmas Day and Boxing Day 2026 Christmas Day is a Friday in 2026. There are no tubes, no buses and no trains at all, and that is the fact that decides everybody's day.
• Save From 25 Oct When the clocks change: what it does to a night out in London The clocks go back on Sunday 25 October 2026 and forward again on Sunday 28 March 2027. One of those nights is an hour longer and the tube knows it.
• Save From 20 Mar Where to see cherry blossom in London: the spots and roughly when Late March into April, and over quickly. Greenwich, Kew, Regent's Park, the Kyoto Garden, and the Notting Hill streets that do it better than the parks.
• Save From 28 Jun Wimbledon 2027: the ballot, the queue, and how to get in 28 June to 11 July 2027, the 150th Championships. The public ballot is open now and closes on 14 September. The queue is the other way in.

The things that genuinely cost nothing, and the ones that only look like it.

• Save All year Free museums in London: the full list, and what still costs money The national museums are free to walk into and always have been. Which ones, what the paid exhibitions are, and the free late openings worth planning around.
• Save All year Free things to do in London with kids: the honest list Free things to do in London with kids that are actually free, actually good, and do not turn into thirty pounds at the gift shop.
• Save All year Free things to do in London: the ones that are actually free No ticket, no minimum spend, no catch. Museums, viewpoints, music, markets and gardens, and the handful that need a free booking.

Cabaret, late openings, outdoor cinema, dinner and a show.

• Save All year Activity bars in London: darts, shuffleboard, mini golf and bingo Competitive socialising, which is the industry's word for a bar with a game in it. What each one actually is, roughly what it costs, and which need booking.
• Save All year Adult entertainment in London: what is licensed, and what the law says A maximum of 25 licensed venues in the West End and none anywhere else in Westminster. What the licence is, which venues hold one, and where the licensing question stops and the criminal law starts.
• Save All year Bottomless brunch in London: how it works and what it costs The time limit, the drinks that count, and the rules nobody reads until the waiter takes the glass away.
• Save All year Cabaret in London: the rooms, the shows and the door times Twelve rooms, from the oldest music hall in the world to a converted public toilet at Aldwych. What each one is for, what it costs, and which doors check ID.
• Save From 1 Nov Candlelit concerts in London: what they are and what they cost The Candlelight series, the free church recitals and the December carol services, with prices and the difference between them.
• Save All year Date night in London: ideas that are not just dinner Cheap, late, indoors and outdoors, sorted by what kind of evening you are actually trying to have.
• Save All year Immersive experiences in London: what they are and which are worth it Digital art halls, walk-through theatre and the ticketed Instagram rooms, sorted by what you actually get for the money.
• Save All year Museum lates in London: which nights each museum opens late The National Gallery every Friday, Tate Modern every Friday and Saturday, the V&A on the last Friday, the Science Museum on the last Wednesday, and the rest, with this month's dates underneath.
• Save From 1 May Outdoor cinema in London 2027: rooftops, parks and how to pick a night The season runs May to September. Rooftop screens, the touring park and palace cinemas, the free ones, and the difference between a good night and a cold one.
• Save All year Rooftop bars in London: the free ones, the booked ones, and the seasonal ones Where to drink with a view, what you need to book, and which rooftops cost nothing at all.
• Save All year Stargazing in London: meteor showers, dark spots and where to actually look The Perseids, the Geminids and the rest, plus the handful of places inside London where you can genuinely see something.
• Save All year Sunset views in London: the free ones, ranked by effort Where to watch the sun go down over London without paying for it, plus the one view protected by an Act of Parliament.

Where to eat late, where to drink, and which pubs take dogs.

• Save All year Bars and pubs open near me: how late London actually drinks Which parts of London are still serving at one, which stop at eleven, and how to get home. An honest answer to a search that usually gives you a map.
• Save All year Dog friendly pubs in London: how to find one that actually is Most London pubs take dogs and almost none advertise it clearly. The rule of thumb, the areas, and how to check before you walk there.
• Save All year Eataly London: the Italian market, the restaurants and the terrace Eataly London fills a Bishopsgate building with an Italian market, restaurants and a cooking school, and it opens at 7am on weekdays. What is inside and when to go.
• Save All year Pre-theatre dinner in London: the menus, the hours, and what they actually cost Every roundup names the restaurants. Almost none tells you when the menu runs or what it costs. Here are both, checked.
• Save All year The Bermondsey Beer Mile: which day, which order, and how far it really is A chain of brewery taprooms in the railway arches south of Tower Bridge. Mostly a Saturday, longer than a mile, and better done backwards.

Streets, markets and corners of London that repay an afternoon.

• Save All year Beaches near London: the closest, the sandiest, and the ones you can reach by train Which coast is actually nearest, which beaches are sand rather than shingle, and the train times that decide whether it is a day out or a trek.
• Save All year Brick Lane: the market, the bagels and the day to go Sunday is the answer to almost every question about Brick Lane. What is on, what is open the rest of the week, and where the good bagel queue is.
• Save All year Carnaby Street: what is there now, and when it is worth going The Soho street that made the Sixties, what is there now, Kingly Court after the shops shut, and the one time of year it is worth a special trip.
• Save All year Crossrail Place Roof Garden: the free garden on top of a station A covered garden above the Elizabeth line at Canary Wharf, free and open daily, planted along the line of the Prime Meridian.
• Save All year Day trips from London by train: castles, cities and gardens Where you can actually get to and back in a day without a car, how long each takes, and which are worth the fare.
• Save All year Leadenhall Market: what to know before you go The Victorian covered market in the City, free to walk through, closed at the weekend, and standing on the site of the Roman forum.
• Save All year London walks: the long routes, the canal, and the ones you can do after work The waymarked routes that ring the city, the towpaths that cut through it, and how far each one actually is.
• Save All year St Dunstan in the East: the bombed church that became a garden A ruined Wren church in the City, planted as a public garden, free and open daily. The best fifteen minutes in London, and how to have it to yourself.
• Save All year Weekend trips from London by train: where to go for one night Places worth an overnight rather than a day out, with the real journey times and which are worth booking ahead.

Getting home, stage times, what is near you, what has closed.

• Save All year Afternoon tea in London: the prices, the sittings, and the one that runs into the evening The Ritz serves it at half past seven at night. What the grand rooms charge, and which of them will not tell you.
• Save All year Albert's Schloss London: the Soho bierhaus with a nightly show Albert's Schloss on Shaftesbury Avenue is a Bavarian beer hall that puts on live entertainment seven nights a week. Where it is and what to expect.
• Save All year Alto by San Carlo: the Selfridges rooftop with a roof that closes Alto sits on the roof of Selfridges on Oxford Street, with lemon trees, an Amalfi theme and a fully retractable roof, which is what makes it a winter rooftop as well as a summer one.
• Save All year Arcade Battersea: the kitchens, and the 30-minute cut-off Arcade inside Battersea Power Station is 24,000 square feet of chef-led kitchens and bars. The traders, the weekday deals, and the rule that catches late arrivals.
• Save All year Babylon Park London: how the free entry actually works Babylon Park in Camden is free to walk into and that is the confusing part. How the wristbands and coins work, the height limits, and how long to allow.
• Save All year Bakerloo line: last trains, and why it has no Night Tube The Bakerloo is the line that links Waterloo to the West End, and it stops at night. What it is good for, where it goes, and how to get home without it.
• Save From 24 Dec Bank holiday weekend in London: what to do, what is open, what is closed Rewritten before every bank holiday. Next: Christmas, Friday 25 to Monday 28 December 2026, then New Year. What is open, the transport works and the weekend list.
• Save All year Berenjak Mayfair: the new one, and how it differs from Soho Berenjak opened a third London site on Duke Street in 2026. What makes the Mayfair room different from the original Soho kababi, and which one you actually want.
• Save All year Best bars in London: the ones worth crossing town for The best bars in London sorted by what you actually want from the evening: a view, a seat, a late licence, or somewhere you can hear each other.
• Save All year Blackwall Tunnel charge: what you pay, and when it is free The Blackwall Tunnel used to be free and is not any more. How the charge works, when the peak rate applies, and the overnight window when both tunnels cost nothing.
• Save All year Bubble Planet London: tickets, timings and the Wembley catch What Bubble Planet London actually is, what it costs, how long it takes, and the thing nobody tells you before booking: it is in Wembley, not central London.
• Save All year Bun House Chinatown: walk-in only, and open to half ten at weekends Bun House does Cantonese steamed buns and dim sum on Lisle Street in Chinatown. It takes no bookings at all, and the weekend hours are longer than most of the street.
• Save All year Burger and Beyond Soho: the Old Compton Street one, and the other four Burger and Beyond has been going since 2015 and now has four restaurants plus food hall counters. Where the Soho one is and how it differs from the others.
• Save All year Burlesque in London: the rooms, the nights and the door policy Where to see burlesque in London: the long-running nights, the rooms worth the trip, what it costs and what the door actually expects of you.
• Save All year Cahoots London: the 1940s bars in Carnaby and Borough Cahoots runs three 1940s themed bars in London, two in Carnaby and one at Borough Market. Which is which, the addresses, and the nights with live music.
• Save All year Clays London: virtual clay shooting in Soho, the City and Canary Wharf Clays has three London venues doing virtual clay target shooting with clarified cocktails. Addresses, opening times and which of the three suits what you are planning.
• Save All year Comedy clubs in London: which nights are free, and what time the curtain really goes up There is free stand up in Islington seven nights a week, and a Drury Lane basement where you decide the price after the show.
• Save All year Crystal Palace Park: dinosaurs, concerts and the hidden Subway Crystal Palace Park has Victorian dinosaurs, London's original outdoor concert venue and a restored Subway most Londoners have never seen. What to see and when.
• Save All year Dopamine Land London has closed: what to do instead Dopamine Land's London run has finished. What it was, why listings still advertise it, and the multi-sensory experiences that are actually open.
• Save All year Drag shows in London: the nights, the brunches and the late ones Where to find drag shows in London, from Sunday drag brunch to the late cabaret rooms, with what each one costs and what the ticket actually includes.
• Save All year Eastcheap Records: live bands and a 2am licence in the City A live music and cocktail bar at 20 Eastcheap with bands on most nights and a 2am close from Thursday to Saturday. Opening times, and the day it is shut.
• Save All year El Pastor Battersea: the Power Station one, with a terrace open all year El Pastor at Battersea Power Station has a covered, heated terrace that runs through the winter, a Diego Rivera inspired mural and tortillas made daily from heirloom corn.
• Save All year Escape rooms in London: what a room costs, and why two players pay the most The per person price falls as the group grows, and a pair at peak pays £46 each. The published rates, and one famous room that has closed.
• Save All year Fazenda London is now Fogo de Chao: what changed Fazenda's Bishopsgate rodizio has been rebranded as Fogo de Chao. Same address, same all-you-can-eat format, new name. What it costs and how the bar works.
• Save All year Gigs in London: the rooms, the door times, and which ones publish a price
• Save All year Gods Own Junkyard: the neon warehouse, and it is weekends only A Walthamstow warehouse packed with salvaged neon, open Friday to Sunday and no other day. Opening hours, the cafe, the photography rules and how to get there.
• Save All year Hammersmith and City line: what it is useful for after dark The Hammersmith and City runs from Hammersmith to Barking and shares almost all of its route. Where it is genuinely the best option, and where it is not.
• Save All year Horizon 22: London's highest free view, and how to book it Horizon 22 is the highest free viewing platform in London, on Level 58 of 22 Bishopsgate. How the free ticket works, when to go, and how it compares to Sky Garden.
• Save All year Humble Crumble London: the five branches, and which to pick Where to find Humble Crumble in London, how the branches differ, and which one to go to depending on whether you want to queue or to sit down.
• Save All year Inca London: the South American show restaurant, and it is not in Mayfair Inca is a South American restaurant and bar where the performance runs through dinner. The address is Argyll Street by the Palladium, whatever the listings say.
• Save All year Jacuzzi London: Big Mamma in Kensington, and the lunch menu Jacuzzi is Big Mamma's four-floor Kensington palazzo. Where it actually is, the weekday lunch menu worth knowing about, and the dietary catch.
• Save All year Jurassic World: The Experience London has closed Jurassic World: The Experience has ended its London run and the official site no longer lists the city. What it was, and the dinosaurs you can still see for free.
• Save All year Karaoke in London: what a private room really costs, and how late they go The advertised price is per person per hour with a two-hour minimum. What that works out at, and where to sing for nothing.
• Save All year Late night food in London: what is open after midnight, and how late The genuinely 24 hour places, and what to do when the kitchen has shut and the last train has not gone.
• Save All year Live jazz in London: the late sets, the jams, and what gets you in cheapest Where jazz actually happens on a weeknight, what time the late sets start, and the room to try first.
• Save All year London Aquarium: how long it takes and whether to book ahead What a visit to the London Aquarium on the South Bank actually involves, how long it takes, and how the combined County Hall tickets work.
• Save From 12 Jan London Art Fair 2027: dates, ticket prices, and the cheapest way in 19 to 24 January at the Business Design Centre. What each ticket costs, and which one to buy.
• Save All year London Dungeon: what it is like and who it suits What actually happens at the London Dungeon, how long it lasts, how frightening it really is, and the age question nobody answers straight.
• Save All year London parakeets: where to see them, and where they came from London has wild parrots. What they actually are, the best places to see them, and why every story about how they got here is probably untrue.
• Save All year London restaurants with a view, including the two that are free Where to eat and drink above London, what each one actually costs, and the two best views in the city that charge nothing at all.
• Save All year London Transport Museum: what is inside and who it suits What is actually in the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden, how long it takes, and why the ticket works differently from every other museum in London.
• Save All year London venues that have closed: what we have lost, and when A record of the rooms that have gone, with dates and what actually happened. Updated as closures are confirmed.
• Save All year London Zoo: how long you need and the quiet times What a day at London Zoo actually involves: how long it takes, when it is quietest, and how to use the keeper talks rather than wander past them.
• Save All year Market Halls Oxford Street: what is inside, and the hours Market Halls Oxford Street is a food hall a minute off Oxford Circus. How the ordering works, when it is open, and how it compares to the other three.
• Save All year Mersea Island from London: the tide that closes the only road Mersea Island has one road on and off, and the sea covers it. How the Strood works, when it floods, and how to get there from London without being stranded.
• Save All year Moco Museum London: tickets, times and how long you need What is inside Moco Museum at Marble Arch, what the three ticket types actually get you, how long to allow, and the free thing most visitors miss.
• Save All year Once in a lifetime things to do in London The London things genuinely worth planning a trip around: the ones that happen once a year, once a reign, or only if you get a ballot place.
• Save All year Paradox Museum London: how long it takes and what it costs What is inside the Paradox Museum in Knightsbridge, how long a visit takes, what it costs, and whether it is worth the trip opposite Harrods.
• Save All year Pergola on the Wharf: the bar inside the roof garden Pergola on the Wharf sits inside Crossrail Place roof garden at Canary Wharf. The £12.50 weekday lunch, the Saturday DJs, and why the setting is the whole point.
• Save All year Pirana London: where it is, what it is, and the dress code PIRAÑA London is a Nikkei restaurant with a DJ every night, open until one in the morning. Where it actually is, the hours, and the dress code that catches people.
• Save All year Plume Wine Bar: the Covent Garden speakeasy in Dickens's old office Plume is a two-floor wine bar and speakeasy at 26 Wellington Street, the building where Charles Dickens ran his magazine and kept a flat. Hours, booking and the two steps at the door.
• Save All year Pub quiz in London: 421 of them, what they cost and when they start Entry is a pound or two almost everywhere and the questions start before eight. Where the quizzes actually are.
• Save All year Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration: what to see, and when London's new illustration centre opened in a restored Clerkenwell waterworks in June 2026. Three galleries, the UK's only illustration library, and late openings.
• Save All year Rogue Sarnies: wood-fired sandwiches in Bethnal Green, open late on Fridays Rogue Sarnies makes wood-fired sandwiches on Poyser Street in E2. A daytime operation for most of the week that runs to 10pm on Friday and Saturday.
• Save All year Roller skating in London: roller discos and where to learn Two different things go by this name in London: a roller disco you turn up to, and lessons that teach you to skate. Which you want, and where each one is.
• Save All year Roof East: the Stratford car park rooftop, and when it shuts for winter Roof East is a summer rooftop on floors seven and eight of a Stratford car park, with crazy golf, batting cages, bowling and a cinema. Prices, ages and the closing date.
• Save All year Sea Lanes Canary Wharf: prices, and the rules for children London's floating 50 metre lido at Canary Wharf: what a swim costs, how the open water dock swimming works, and the swimming ability rules for children.
• Save All year Sevenoaks from London: 36 minutes, and the Knole booking rule Sevenoaks is half an hour from Charing Cross and Knole is a 600-year-old estate with a deer park. The booking rule that catches people, including members.
• Save All year Silent disco in London: the late ones, in buildings you cannot normally be in at that hour Doors at ten, over 18s, three channels on the headphones. The dates and prices the big venues have published.
• Save All year Stage times in London: when the headliner actually comes on Doors, support times and curfews at Wembley, the O2 and BST Hyde Park, and where to find the real times for a specific show.
• Save All year Stranger Things Experience London: it has closed Stranger Things: The Experience has finished its London run. What it was, where it was, why you can still find tickets advertised, and what to do instead.
• Save All year Student nights in London: the freshers wristbands, and what the clubs will not tell you UCL's autumn 2026 wristband sold six nights at Fabric, Ministry of Sound and Egg for £50. Most commercial student nights publish no door price at all.
• Save All year Tattu London: where it is, and the one that is not open yet Tattu London is on Denmark Street above the Outernet, not where most listings suggest. Where to find it, what the menus are, and the Canary Wharf confusion.
• Save All year Thames boat trips: the fares, and why tapping in beats every ticket The same boat costs £16.40 or £9.90 depending on how you pay for it. The whole fare table, in one place.
• Save All year The Eagle Farringdon: where the gastropub was invented, in 1991 The Eagle opened on Farringdon Road in 1991 and the gastropub came with it. The kitchen hours, the twice-daily chalked menu, and why Sunday is the short day.
• Save All year The Empire Strips Back London has finished The Empire Strips Back has ended its London run. What it was, why tickets are still advertised, and where to find burlesque that is actually on.
• Save From 14 Nov The Lord Mayor's Show 2026: the times, where to stand, and the half nobody watches Saturday 14 November, free, and it passes twice. The times, the route, and the quieter half of the day.
• Save All year The Night Tube: which lines run, what times, and where it stops short Friday and Saturday nights, five lines and the Windrush, midnight to half five. The gaps in the network are the part people get caught by, so they are listed here.
• Save All year The War of The Worlds London has closed, and what replaced it Jeff Wayne's The War of The Worlds: The Experience closed at 56 Leadenhall Street after seven years. The concert tour that follows it, and the immersive shows still running.
• Save All year There is no capybara cafe in London: where the capybaras actually are The UK's only capybara cafe is proposed for Norfolk, not London, and had no planning application lodged as of March 2026. London Zoo has two capybaras and a bookable encounter.
• Save All year Things to do in central London: within a mile of the middle What to do in central London when you have a few hours and no interest in crossing town: everything here is walkable from Charing Cross.
• Save All year Things to do in London at night: after work to 3am What to do in London at night, hour by hour: the things that start after work, the ones that run past eleven, and the handful still going at three.
• Save All year Things to do in London for couples: beyond dinner and a film Romantic things to do in London that are not just dinner: the views, the small rooms, the walks, and what is worth booking rather than wandering into.
• Save All year Things to do in London with kids: free, indoor, half term What actually works with children in London, what it costs, and the indoor options for the day the weather turns.
• Save All year Things to do near me: a London answer, by area and by tonight If you are in London, this is the honest version of a near me search: what is on today, what is free, and how to narrow it to your own bit of the city.
• Save All year Tonbridge from London: 42 minutes to a 950-year-old castle Tonbridge is 42 minutes from Charing Cross and its castle is one of the best preserved in Kent, straight off the high street. What to expect and how to plan it.
• Save From 1 Sep Totally Thames 2026: a month on the river, and what is still to come The whole of September, along the length of the river. What it is, who runs it, and the events still ahead.
• Save All year Tower of London: how long you need and when to go What the Tower of London actually takes out of a day, when the Crown Jewels queue is shortest, and the thing most people get wrong about Tower Bridge.
• Save All year Tube strikes in London: how to check, and what still runs What actually stops during a Tube strike, what keeps running, and the one page to check before you give up on the evening.
• Save All year UK bank holidays 2026 and 2027: the dates, and what actually opens in London The next ones are 25 and 28 December 2026, then all eight of 2027. What runs on each, and the two that shut London almost completely.
• Save All year V&A East Storehouse: free, open late, and the bag rule V&A East Storehouse is a working museum store you can walk into, free and without booking, open until ten on Thursdays and Saturdays. What to know before you go.
• Save All year Vaulty Towers: the Waterloo pub furnished with theatre props A pub near Waterloo decorated with original props from The Vaults Theatre, open seven days, with DJs from Wednesday to Saturday and no door charge.
• Save All year Wagtail London: the City rooftop with a late licence Wagtail sits in the eaves of an art deco building on King William Street with 360 degree views and, unusually for the City, a late licence and resident DJs.
• Save All year What time do West End shows finish? The curtain times, the running times, and when you are actually out Every listing gives you the start time. None gives you the end. Curtain plus running time, worked out, for the shows that publish both.
• Save All year Where to watch football in London, and how to get in The London venues that advertise showing live sport, with addresses and how they handle big fixtures, plus the finders that tell you who has your specific match.
• Save All year Wye Valley from London: why it is not a day trip The Wye Valley is two hours from Paddington with a change, each way. Here is the honest arithmetic, and what to do instead if you only have a day.