ListingsUpdated Sat 24 Oct
Soho London: what's on and things to do
Soho is the densest square mile of evening in the country. Theatres, comedy rooms above pubs, jazz clubs, kitchens that serve past midnight and more bars than anyone could visit in a year, all packed into the grid between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Charing Cross Road and Shaftesbury Avenue.
It is also the part of London that has changed most and complains about it most loudly. Some of that is fair. Enough of the old Soho survives that an evening here is still unlike an evening anywhere else in the city.
Daytime
Soho in daylight is for eating and for records. Berwick Street still has record shops and the fruit and veg market; Bar Italia has been open since 1949 and effectively never closes. The bookshops on Charing Cross Road are fewer than they were but the survivors are good. Chinatown, technically its own place on the southern edge, is busiest at lunch and cheapest before six.
Evening and night
The theatres go up between half past seven and eight, which is why the restaurants have two clear sittings and why a table at nine is easier than a table at seven. Ronnie Scott's runs a late show after the main sitting, usually from about a quarter past eleven, and it is cheaper and better than the early one. The comedy rooms above pubs are where most of the country's stand-ups are actually working on a Tuesday.
The pubs on Dean Street and Frith Street spill onto the pavement from six. Last orders in most of them is eleven, which is when Soho's second half starts: the members' bars, the late licences and the places that only make sense after midnight.
Getting home
Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road, Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square all serve Soho and all are unpleasant at closing. The Victoria, Central, Northern and Piccadilly lines all run overnight on Friday and Saturday, so weekends are easy. Midweek, the last trains go around half past midnight and the night buses from Trafalgar Square go everywhere.
What to expect
258 listings ahead in Soho. The busiest rooms are The 100 Club, Ronnie Scott's and JK Comedy Club Piccadilly Circus. Mostly Gigs, Comedy and Cabaret.
Nearby
Each venue above has its own page with its address, its opening hours and every date we hold for it.
Showing free. Clear
Saturday
24 October-
Free
Carnaby Street and the courts
The street itself takes five minutes; Kingly Court behind it takes an afternoon. Three floors of a courtyard with the roof open in summer and closed in winter.
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Exhibitions Free
Outernet London
Four storeys of screen wrapped around a public hall by Tottenham Court Road station, free to walk into. What is on changes constantly; five minutes is usually enough.
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Gigs Free
Bar Jams
Until 27 Oct
Live music in the bar at Underbelly Boulevard, on Walker's Court in Soho. It is a run rather than one night, so there is more than one chance at it. Start time is on the venue's page.
Saturday
31 October-
Cabaret Free
Bar Burlesque: Halloween Special
A one off in the bar at Underbelly Boulevard, on Walker's Court in Soho. Start time is on the venue's page.
Wednesday
4 November-
Seasonal Free
Carnaby Street Christmas lights
Until 6 Jan 2027
A different theme every year and never a snowflake, which is why it earns a detour. Switch-on Wednesday 4 November. Free.
Sunday
7 February-
Food and drink Free
Chinese New Year in Chinatown
The largest celebration outside Asia: lion dances through Gerrard Street, the parade up to Trafalgar Square and stages on the square itself. Free, and packed from midday.
Thursday
18 February-
Exhibitions Free
London Fashion Week: the City Wide Celebration
Until 22 Feb
Free public talks, late openings and launches in London shops for fashion week. February 2027 dates are ours until the BFC publishes.
Friday
19 February-
Exhibitions Free
London Fashion Week: the City Wide Celebration
Until 22 Feb
Free public talks, late openings and launches in London shops for fashion week. February 2027 dates are ours until the BFC publishes.
Saturday
20 February-
Exhibitions Free
London Fashion Week: the City Wide Celebration
Until 22 Feb
Free public talks, late openings and launches in London shops for fashion week. February 2027 dates are ours until the BFC publishes.
Sunday
21 February-
Exhibitions Free
London Fashion Week: the City Wide Celebration
Until 22 Feb
Free public talks, late openings and launches in London shops for fashion week. February 2027 dates are ours until the BFC publishes.
Monday
22 February-
Exhibitions Free
London Fashion Week: the City Wide Celebration
Free public talks, late openings and launches in London shops for fashion week. February 2027 dates are ours until the BFC publishes.
Friday
2 July-
Seasonal Free
Pride weekend in Soho
Until 4 Jul
Old Compton Street closes and the whole of Soho becomes the afterparty, which for many people is the actual event. Free, outdoors, and it goes very late on the Saturday.
Saturday
3 July-
Seasonal Free
Pride weekend in Soho
Until 4 Jul
Old Compton Street closes and the whole of Soho becomes the afterparty, which for many people is the actual event. Free, outdoors, and it goes very late on the Saturday.
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Seasonal Free
Pride in London parade
A million people, from Hyde Park Corner down Piccadilly to Whitehall. Free from the pavement, and the stages in Soho and Trafalgar Square run into the evening after it passes.
Sunday
4 July-
Seasonal Free
Pride weekend in Soho
Old Compton Street closes and the whole of Soho becomes the afterparty, which for many people is the actual event. Free, outdoors, and it goes very late on the Saturday.