This weekendFri 16 to Sun 18 OctoberUpdated Wed 7 Oct, 15:02
Things to do in London this weekend: Fri 16 to Sun 18 October
The weekend edition: what to book, what is free, and what is worth the trip across town. Rewritten every Thursday.
Two things open on Friday that people will be talking about all winter. At the Palace Theatre, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child plays for the first time as one play rather than two: the whole story in a single evening, 2 hours 55 minutes with an interval, curtain at seven, then 1pm and 7pm on Saturday and 2.30pm on Sunday. The West End show times guide has the new schedule beside everything else. A few minutes away, the National Portrait Gallery opens Tim Walker’s Fairyland at half past one: five years of his portraits of queer trailblazers, £25 at weekends, in a building that stays open until nine. And Tate Britain’s The 90s, Edward Enninful’s show on the decade when art, fashion and club culture ran together, has its first weekend.
Friday evening can cost nothing. The National Gallery and Tate Modern both stay open until nine, free and with nothing to book, and the Tate does it again on Saturday; the museum lates guide has the other nights. On Brick Lane, The Other Art Fair runs four until ten at the Truman Brewery, with DJs and a bar, £22 on the door, and every stand is an artist selling their own work.
Then the bigger rooms. Westlife begin three nights at the O2, doors at half six. Simon Amstell is at Hackney Empire at half seven, and Wilton’s shows Harold Lloyd’s Safety Last with a live score at seven, the one where he hangs off the clock. The London Film Festival has Inherit, a Thai family horror from the director of The Medium, at ten to nine at Curzon Soho. Ronnie Scott’s runs two late shows: Viva Cuba upstairs at quarter to eleven and Creature in the main room at quarter past.
Saturday is a last night for several runs. Michelle Dockery’s Bloodsport finishes at Stratford East, The Turn of the Screw closes at the Arcola, Flamenc Oh! ends at the Peacock and The Hound of the Baskervilles at the King’s Head. By day, New Scientist Live fills ExCeL from ten until five, with Jim Al-Khalili, Alice Roberts and Helen Sharman among the speakers and a stage pitched at children; you cannot reserve a seat for a talk, so go early for the names you want. Knit and Stitch has its last two days at Ally Pally, and the festival’s Everest, The Other Side is at Vue West End at quarter to one.
Saturday night, go east first. At V&A East in Stratford, Rewind: Grime on Camera puts RiskyRoadz, Ratty of Lord of the Mics and Troy ‘A Plus’ Miller in a room with the footage they shot when nobody else would, seven until nine, free but booked, with the museum open until ten around it. Westlife play night two, Adam Rowe brings Fashionism to Hackney Empire, and The Lancashire Hotpots are at the 100 Club at half seven. The Black Cat Cabaret is at quarter past nine under Brasserie Zedel, £37.50, and the burlesque guide has the rooms that do this every week. For later, the Clapham Grand’s Charli XCX vs Slayyyter starts at half ten and runs to three.
Sunday starts early and outdoors. The Royal Parks Half Marathon sends its first wave off at quarter to nine, and it is free to watch: stand in St James’s Park and you see the runners at miles 1, 2, 3 and 4.5. Roads across the West End are closed for the morning, so allow for it if you are crossing town. In Tottenham the Eagles play the Jaguars at half two, the second of this autumn’s three NFL games; when we checked on Wednesday, the stadium showed no tickets left beyond VIP packages. In Chelsea, the 606 Club’s gospel brunch has Clive Brown and Urban Sound, last year’s Premier Gospel Choir of the Year, from half one, £16 on top of lunch and children welcome.
The film festival has a full Sunday: Javier Bardem in conversation at half ten in the morning at Curzon Soho, Robert Eggers at half five at Vue West End, and the gala of Artificial at nine at the Royal Festival Hall, Luca Guadagnino’s film about the week Sam Altman was sacked, with Andrew Garfield. The festival guide has how the box office works. Elsewhere, Westlife finish with doors at six rather than half six, the Sunday Cabaret at the RVT starts at four, The Worst Poets Club is at Hackney Empire at half seven, and the Comedy Store Players make it all up at half seven.
Friday
16 October-
Theatre £45 to £110, under 30s and students from £10
Main Stage: Kimberly Akimbo
Until 7 Nov
Kimberly Akimbo at the Main Stage. The run is published; the times and prices are on the booking page.
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Theatre £15 to £35
Bush Theatre: Darkling, by Titas Halder
Until 24 Oct
Titas Halder's play set in Bhopal in 1984, with Linnea Berthelsen, in 90 minutes. A Bush and Actors Touring Company co-production.
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Theatre From £31
Young Vic: Thelma and Louise
Until 24 Oct
Thelma and Louise at Young Vic, Main House.
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Free
Stargazing in Richmond Park
Until 31 Oct
The darkest sky inside London, far enough from the centre that the Milky Way is occasionally there. The park closes at dusk in winter, so this is a late summer and autumn thing.
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Theatre £25 to £74.50, standing tickets 10p
Royal Court Theatre: Man to Man
Until 24 Oct
Man to Man at the Royal Court Theatre. The run is published; the performance times and the prices are on the booking page.
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Comedy £5
Belly Laugh
Until 9 Dec
Comedy in the studio 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.
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Exhibitions Free
Frieze Sculpture 2026 in Regent’s Park
Until 1 Nov
Eleven international artists across the English Gardens, curated for a fourth year by Fatoş Üstek. Free and outdoors until 1 November, so go on a weekday morning and have it to yourself.
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Exhibitions Free
Gabriel Orozco at White Cube Bermondsey
Until 8 Nov
Coinciding with Frieze London 2026, White Cube Bermondsey presents a major solo exhibition by Gabriel Orozco (b. 1962, Jalapa, Veracruz, Mexico). The exhibition juxtaposes over 100 new and existing wo
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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.
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Exhibitions
Alexandra Palace: BBC TV 90 at Ally Pally
Until 30 Nov
BBC TV 90 at Ally Pally at Alexandra Palace. The date is published; the time and the price are on the ticket page.
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Theatre £28 to £35, previews £10, under 30s and students £10 Sold out
Hampstead Downstairs: The Urmetazoan, by Alex Rugman
Until 24 Oct
The Urmetazoan, by Alex Rugman at the Hampstead Downstairs. The run is published; the times and prices are on the booking page.
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Theatre £250 per term
Alexandra Palace: Palace Performing Arts
Until 5 Dec
Palace Performing Arts at Alexandra Palace. The date is published; the time and the price are on the ticket page.
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Theatre
Hay Fever at Wyndham’s Theatre
Until 12 Dec
Christine Baranski makes her West End debut opposite Richard E. Grant in Coward's comedy of bad manners. Opens Tuesday.
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Gigs Free
Bar Sounds
Until 22 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.
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Pick Theatre £15 to £55
Kiln Theatre: Table 17
Until 24 Oct
Marisha Wallace and Jamael Westman as two exes at one dinner, in the UK premiere of Douglas Lyons' comedy. 95 minutes, no interval.
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Talks
Bloomsbury Festival
Until 31 Oct
Bloomsbury Festival's twentieth year: 150 events through October in the squares, churches and colleges around Russell Square.
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Talks
London Month of the Dead 2026
Until 1 Nov
A month of torchlit cemetery tours, catacomb visits and macabre talks, starting with a moonlit walk in West Norwood on Thursday.
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Theatre £15 to £30
Royal Court Theatre: Blood of my Blood
Until 7 Nov
Blood of my Blood at the Royal Court Theatre. The run is published; the performance times and the prices are on the booking page.
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Theatre £15 to £25
Bush Theatre: The Hungry Ghost, by Mei Leng Yew
Until 31 Oct
The Hungry Ghost, by Mei Leng Yew at the Bush Theatre. The theatre publishes the run and puts the times and prices on the booking page.
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Theatre From £68 Selling fast
Harold Pinter Theatre: The Cherry Orchard
Until 9 Jan 2027
Kristin Scott Thomas is Lyubov Ranevskaya, losing the house and the orchard, in a run to 9 January.
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Theatre £10 to £60
Lyric Hammersmith, Main House: August Wilson’s Fences
Until 31 Oct
August Wilson's Fences at Lyric Hammersmith, Main House. The venue publishes the date and puts the performance time and the price on the booking page.
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Theatre Pay what you can, £12 to £30 (£16 recommended)
Battersea Arts Centre: Nina, by Caroline Williams
Until 24 Oct
Nina, by Caroline Williams at Battersea Arts Centre. The date is published; the time and the price are on the ticket page.
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Film
BFI London Film Festival 2026
Until 18 Oct
The 70th edition, twelve days of premieres, documentary, series and immersive work.
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Theatre £20 to £45
The Other Palace, Main House: An Oak Tree, by Tim Crouch
Until 15 Nov
An Oak Tree, by Tim Crouch in the Main House at The Other Palace. The theatre publishes the run and the room; the price is on the booking page.
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Comedy £20 to £45
Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody
Until 1 Nov
Comedy in the main theatre 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.
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Theatre £15 to £29
Arcola Theatre, Studio 2: The Banality of Evil: Hannah Arendt, France 1940
Until 7 Nov
The Banality of Evil: Hannah Arendt, France 1940 at the Arcola Theatre, Studio 2. The run is published; the performance times and the prices are on the booking page.
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Talks £5
ESP Live From Soho
Until 2 Dec
A podcast recorded live in the main theatre 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.
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Theatre From £25
The Lives of Others at the Adelphi: Keira Knightley in Robert Icke’s play
Until 9 Jan 2027
Robert Icke's first stage version of the Oscar winning film, with Keira Knightley, Stephen Dillane and Luke Thompson.
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Pick Exhibitions £51.15 to £159.75, children £10.65
Frieze London 2026
Until 18 Oct
Almost 300 galleries from 48 countries across two tents in Regent's Park. Public entry starts at 1pm on the Thursday; the Wednesday is invitation only.
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Theatre £13.50 to £27, concessions from £11
Wilton’s Music Hall: Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
Until 17 Oct
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet at Wilton's Music Hall in Whitechapel, the oldest surviving grand music hall in the world.
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Exhibitions
1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair at Somerset House
Until 18 Oct
The fourteenth London edition of the fair for contemporary African art, at Somerset House. Four days, and it does not need a whole afternoon.
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Exhibitions
PAD London at Berkeley Square
Until 18 Oct
Sixty exhibitors of art and design in a pavilion on Berkeley Square, five minutes from Frieze and a good deal calmer. Public days are Thursday to Sunday.
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Exhibitions £51.15 to £159.75, children £10.65
Frieze Masters 2026
Until 18 Oct
The Regent's Park fair for antiquities to twentieth-century art, beside Frieze London. General admission from 1pm on Thursday 15 October; a ticket covers one fair.
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Pick Seasonal From £19.50
Halloween at Kew: after-dark trail
Until 1 Nov
A lit trail with live actors and the headless horseman. Non-members from 19.50 off peak, and 1 pound on Universal Credit or Pension Credit. Opens 6pm, 4pm from 25 October.
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Theatre £12 to £30, pay what you can on some dates
Battersea Arts Centre: Room 13
Until 1 Nov
Room 13 at Battersea Arts Centre. The date is published; the time and the price are on the ticket page.
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Exhibitions From £16.93
Alexandra Palace: Mind Body Soul Experience
Until 18 Oct
Mind Body Soul Experience at Alexandra Palace. The date is published; the time and the price are on the ticket page.
-
Exhibitions From £16.93
Alexandra Palace: OM Yoga Show
Until 18 Oct
OM Yoga Show at Alexandra Palace. The date is published; the time and the price are on the ticket page.
-
Exhibitions From £16.93
Alexandra Palace: Vegan Life Live
Until 18 Oct
Vegan Life Live at Alexandra Palace. The date is published; the time and the price are on the ticket page.
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Gigs £22
Electric Ballroom: Guilt Trip
Hardcore and metal five-piece Guilt Trip headline a four-band bill with Judiciary, Justice For The Damned and Long Goodbye.
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Gigs
LE SSERAFIM in London: Pureflow tour at The O2
The five piece behind Perfect Night and Spaghetti bring the Pureflow tour to The O2 for a Friday night in London.
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Theatre £20, £12 and £6
Bloomsbury Festival: We Love and Then We Drown
Part of the Bloomsbury Festival, which runs across October in its twentieth year and puts about a hundred and fifty events into the museums, churches, libraries and squares of Bloomsbury. £20, £12 and £6.
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Gigs £25.97
Clapham Grand: Massaoke: Time Machine
Massaoke: Time Machine at the Clapham Grand, 18:30 to 22:30.
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Gigs £12 to £20
Bloomsbury Festival: Double Bill: Soraya Verjee and No More Girl Friday
Part of the Bloomsbury Festival, which runs across October in its twentieth year and puts about a hundred and fifty events into the museums, churches, libraries and squares of Bloomsbury. £12 to £20.
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Comedy £15
JK Comedy Club Leicester Square: Friday night comedy, 7pm
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Fifty one seats in the Grosvenor Casino, a minute from Piccadilly Circus. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
-
Gigs £25
Leslie Lewis: What’s Next, Where Jazz meets Soul
A set in the art deco room under Brasserie Zedel, 7pm. One act and a piano rather than a revue, and the room listens.
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Comedy £13.75, concessions £11.75
Museum of Comedy: Richard Ashcroft Revived My Libido
Mel Hudson, of Knowing Me Knowing You and The Catherine Tate Show, working up a new hour. On stage 19:00. Age 16+.
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Theatre £12 to £39
Arcola Theatre, Studio 1: The Master Builder, by Henrik Ibsen
Until 21 Nov
The Master Builder, by Henrik Ibsen at the Arcola Theatre, Studio 1. The run is published; the performance times and the prices are on the booking page.
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Gigs From £29
Ed O’Brien at the Barbican: An Evening With Blue Morpho
The Radiohead guitarist plays his new record Blue Morpho with the band who made it, Dave Okumu leading. From £29.
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Theatre £13.50, concessions £11.50, plus booking fee
Hen & Chickens Theatre: What Are We Going To Do When All This Is Over?
Two long-time theatre-making partners face Helen's failing memory, and the secrets Alexander finds she has kept for years.
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Theatre From £25
Jesus Christ Superstar in London: Sam Ryder at Drury Lane
Until 9 Jan 2027
Sam Ryder stays on as Jesus as the Open Air Theatre staging moves into Drury Lane, with Matt Bomer as Herod to 31 October.
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Gigs £24.02 in advance plus booking fee
The 100 Club: Laura Stevenson
Laura Stevenson, whose sixth album Late Great deals with heartbreak, with Ann Liu Cannon in support.
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Comedy From £9.60
City Comedy Club: Friday night, 8pm
A drink is included in the ticket, alcoholic or not. Seating is allocated, so you are shown to a seat rather than fighting for one. Doors half an hour before, over 18s, ID checked.
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Comedy £15
JK Comedy Club Covent Garden: Friday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Two hundred seats at Arboretum, and doors open a full hour before, so there is time to eat first. Over 18s, ID on the door.
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Comedy £15
JK Comedy Club Piccadilly Circus: Friday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Fifty seats at BOX Piccadilly, about as central as a comedy room gets. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
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Comedy £13.75
Museum of Comedy: Adam Larter: Who Remembers the 90s?
A musical run through the decade from one of the alternative circuit's odder fixtures. On stage 20:30. Age 18+.
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Comedy £15
JK Comedy Club Leicester Square: Friday night comedy, 9pm
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Fifty one seats in the Grosvenor Casino, a minute from Piccadilly Circus. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
-
Gigs £25
Tom Seals Trio
A set in the art deco room under Brasserie Zedel, 9.15pm. One act and a piano rather than a revue, and the room listens.
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Comedy From £9.60
City Comedy Club: the late show, 10pm
The late one. An hour straight through with no break, which is the format that suits a room this size after ten at night. Doors half an hour before, over 18s, ID checked.
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Gigs £15
Ronnie Scott’s Upstairs: Late Late Show with Viva Cuba
Viva Cuba in the upstairs room, doors 22:45 and on until three. Tickets from the club's own page.
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Clubs Late
The Social: Localism: Night Manoeuvres takeover
Localism: Night Manoeuvres takeover at The Social, from 23:00. Runs past eleven.
Saturday
17 October-
Theatre £15 to £35
Bush Theatre: Darkling, by Titas Halder
Until 24 Oct
Titas Halder's play set in Bhopal in 1984, with Linnea Berthelsen, in 90 minutes. A Bush and Actors Touring Company co-production.
-
Theatre From £31
Young Vic: Thelma and Louise
Until 24 Oct
Thelma and Louise at Young Vic, Main House.
-
Theatre £25 to £74.50, standing tickets 10p
Royal Court Theatre: Man to Man
Until 24 Oct
Man to Man at the Royal Court Theatre. The run is published; the performance times and the prices are on the booking page.
-
Pick Theatre £15 to £55
Kiln Theatre: Table 17
Until 24 Oct
Marisha Wallace and Jamael Westman as two exes at one dinner, in the UK premiere of Douglas Lyons' comedy. 95 minutes, no interval.
-
Theatre From £25
The Lives of Others at the Adelphi: Keira Knightley in Robert Icke’s play
Until 9 Jan 2027
Robert Icke's first stage version of the Oscar winning film, with Keira Knightley, Stephen Dillane and Luke Thompson.
-
Pick Exhibitions £51.15 to £159.75, children £10.65
Frieze London 2026
Until 18 Oct
Almost 300 galleries from 48 countries across two tents in Regent's Park. Public entry starts at 1pm on the Thursday; the Wednesday is invitation only.
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Theatre £13.50 to £27, concessions from £11
Wilton’s Music Hall: Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet at Wilton's Music Hall in Whitechapel, the oldest surviving grand music hall in the world.
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Exhibitions
1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair at Somerset House
Until 18 Oct
The fourteenth London edition of the fair for contemporary African art, at Somerset House. Four days, and it does not need a whole afternoon.
-
Exhibitions
PAD London at Berkeley Square
Until 18 Oct
Sixty exhibitors of art and design in a pavilion on Berkeley Square, five minutes from Frieze and a good deal calmer. Public days are Thursday to Sunday.
-
Exhibitions £51.15 to £159.75, children £10.65
Frieze Masters 2026
Until 18 Oct
The Regent's Park fair for antiquities to twentieth-century art, beside Frieze London. General admission from 1pm on Thursday 15 October; a ticket covers one fair.
-
Exhibitions From £16.93
Alexandra Palace: Mind Body Soul Experience
Until 18 Oct
Mind Body Soul Experience at Alexandra Palace. The date is published; the time and the price are on the ticket page.
-
Exhibitions From £16.93
Alexandra Palace: OM Yoga Show
Until 18 Oct
OM Yoga Show at Alexandra Palace. The date is published; the time and the price are on the ticket page.
-
Exhibitions From £16.93
Alexandra Palace: Vegan Life Live
Until 18 Oct
Vegan Life Live at Alexandra Palace. The date is published; the time and the price are on the ticket page.
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Theatre From £25
Jesus Christ Superstar in London: Sam Ryder at Drury Lane
Until 9 Jan 2027
Sam Ryder stays on as Jesus as the Open Air Theatre staging moves into Drury Lane, with Matt Bomer as Herod to 31 October.
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Seasonal From £27
Halloween at the London Dungeon
Until 1 Nov
The permanent show turns its dial up for the fortnight, which mostly means more actors and longer queues. Runs 17 October to 1 November, from 27 pounds. Book a slot.
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Theatre £12 plus a £2 booking fee
Lyric Hammersmith, Little Lyric: The Misadventures of Thor
The Misadventures of Thor at Lyric Hammersmith, Little Lyric. The venue publishes the date and puts the performance time and the price on the booking page.
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Food and drink From £12.55
Electric Ballroom: Camden Oktoberfest
Camden Oktoberfest's anniversary season carries on: German food, beer and live music, with tables on offer.
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Clubs From £13.50
The Social: Lost in Disco, 2pm to 7pm
Lost in Disco, 2pm to 7pm at The Social, from 14:00.
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Comedy From £9.60
City Comedy Club: Saturday brunch show, 4pm
A one hour set with no interval and drinks included, which makes it the rare comedy show you can do in the afternoon and still have an evening. Doors half an hour before, over 18s, ID checked.
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Sport
Dubois vs Wardley 2 at The O2
Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley meet again at The O2, billed as the Heavyweight World Championship. Doors at four.
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Comedy £15
JK Comedy Club Soho: Saturday afternoon comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Sixty seats above the Spice of Life, two minutes from Leicester Square. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
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Comedy Sold out
Museum of Comedy: Emer Maguire: Perfectly Chaotic, 4pm
Storytelling and songs from the Belfast comedian, an extra 4pm show added after the evening one sold out. Age 16+.
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Comedy £15
JK Comedy Club Leicester Square: Saturday night comedy, 5pm
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Fifty one seats in the Grosvenor Casino, a minute from Piccadilly Circus. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
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Comedy From £9.60
City Comedy Club: Saturday night, 6pm
A drink is included in the ticket, alcoholic or not. Seating is allocated, so you are shown to a seat rather than fighting for one. Doors half an hour before, over 18s, ID checked.
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Gigs From £35
Scala: Shed Seven: Jacaranda edition
Shed Seven: Jacaranda edition at Scala. Starts at 6pm, tickets from £35.
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Comedy £15
JK Comedy Club Leicester Square: Saturday night comedy, 7pm
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Fifty one seats in the Grosvenor Casino, a minute from Piccadilly Circus. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
-
Comedy Sold out
Museum of Comedy: Emer Maguire: Perfectly Chaotic, 7pm
Storytelling and songs from the Belfast comedian, the evening show on a Saturday that later added a 4pm extra. Age 16+.
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Gigs £22.50
TJ Johnson’s Big City Jazz Party
A set in the art deco room under Brasserie Zedel, 7pm. One act and a piano rather than a revue, and the room listens.
-
Theatre £13.50, concessions £11.50, plus booking fee
Hen & Chickens Theatre: What Are We Going To Do When All This Is Over?
Two long-time theatre-making partners face Helen's failing memory, and the secrets Alexander finds she has kept for years.
-
Gigs £24.50 in advance plus booking fee
The 100 Club: Jon Gomm
Jon Gomm, singer-songwriter and acoustic guitarist, plays a solo show for Glasswerk.
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Comedy £10
A Dinner with the SL*TS
Comedy in the studio at Underbelly Boulevard, on Walker's Court in Soho. Start time is on the venue's page.
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Comedy From £9.60
City Comedy Club: Saturday night, 8pm
A drink is included in the ticket, alcoholic or not. Seating is allocated, so you are shown to a seat rather than fighting for one. Doors half an hour before, over 18s, ID checked.
-
Comedy £15
JK Comedy Club Covent Garden: Saturday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Two hundred seats at Arboretum, and doors open a full hour before, so there is time to eat first. Over 18s, ID on the door.
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Theatre £10 to £23
The Other Palace, Studio: Not Quite My Type
Not Quite My Type in the Studio at The Other Palace. The theatre publishes the run and the room; the price is on the booking page.
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Comedy £16 advance, £19 on the door
Downstairs at the King’s Head: Comedy Cabaret
Julia Eckhoff, Will Mars, John Smith and Ronnie Golden, with Windsor compering the Saturday bill.
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Comedy £15
JK Comedy Club Piccadilly Circus: Saturday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Fifty seats at BOX Piccadilly, about as central as a comedy room gets. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
-
Comedy £15
JK Comedy Club Leicester Square: Saturday night comedy, 9pm
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Fifty one seats in the Grosvenor Casino, a minute from Piccadilly Circus. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
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Cabaret £37.50
The Black Cat Cabaret
A show in the art deco room under Brasserie Zedel, 9.15pm. One act and a piano rather than a revue, and the room listens.
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Clubs £10
BeefMince
A club night at the RVT, doors ten. It runs on well past the last tube, so work out how you are getting back before you go.
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Comedy From £9.60
City Comedy Club: the late show, 10pm
The late one. An hour straight through with no break, which is the format that suits a room this size after ten at night. Doors half an hour before, over 18s, ID checked.
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Clubs £18.61
Clapham Grand: Swiftogeddon: twenty years of Taylor special
Swiftogeddon: twenty years of Taylor special at the Clapham Grand, 22:00 to 03:00. Runs past midnight.
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Clubs £41.20
EartH Hackney: Takuya Nakamura, live
Takuya Nakamura, live at EartH Hackney, 22:30 to 03:30. Runs past eleven.
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Gigs £15
Ronnie Scott’s Upstairs: Late Late Show with N22
N22 in the upstairs room, doors 22:45 and on until three. Tickets from the club's own page.
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Clubs £3 to £7
Electric Ballroom: LOOP
LOOP's weekly club night of party anthems, house and R&B, with a big club sound system and high impact lighting.
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Gigs £12
Ronnie Scott’s: Late Late Show with Malika Collective
Malika Collective in the main room, doors 23:15 and on until three. Tickets from the club's own page.
Sunday
18 October-
Pick Exhibitions £51.15 to £159.75, children £10.65
Frieze London 2026
Almost 300 galleries from 48 countries across two tents in Regent's Park. Public entry starts at 1pm on the Thursday; the Wednesday is invitation only.
-
Exhibitions
1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair at Somerset House
The fourteenth London edition of the fair for contemporary African art, at Somerset House. Four days, and it does not need a whole afternoon.
-
Exhibitions
PAD London at Berkeley Square
Sixty exhibitors of art and design in a pavilion on Berkeley Square, five minutes from Frieze and a good deal calmer. Public days are Thursday to Sunday.
-
Exhibitions £51.15 to £159.75, children £10.65
Frieze Masters 2026
The Regent's Park fair for antiquities to twentieth-century art, beside Frieze London. General admission from 1pm on Thursday 15 October; a ticket covers one fair.
-
Exhibitions From £16.93
Alexandra Palace: Mind Body Soul Experience
Mind Body Soul Experience at Alexandra Palace. The date is published; the time and the price are on the ticket page.
-
Exhibitions From £16.93
Alexandra Palace: OM Yoga Show
OM Yoga Show at Alexandra Palace. The date is published; the time and the price are on the ticket page.
-
Exhibitions From £16.93
Alexandra Palace: Vegan Life Live
Vegan Life Live at Alexandra Palace. The date is published; the time and the price are on the ticket page.
-
Film £10 plus £1 booking fee
Hen & Chickens Theatre: UVFF Funding Lab: Celebrating Tchaikovsky
London premiere of a comedy short about an impatient driver and two refuse collectors, then a Q&A with cast and filmmakers.
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Gigs Free
Downstairs at the King’s Head: Crouch End Jazz
A free jazz jam, founded in 1985 and a weekly fixture at the King's Head for more than 40 years.
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Cabaret
Sunday Cabaret at the RVT
The Sunday institution, four in the afternoon, and the show this pub is best known for. A different bill most weeks.
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Cabaret £26
Cabaret Cubana with Ann Liebeck and Omar Puente
A show in the art deco room under Brasserie Zedel, 5pm. One act and a piano rather than a revue, and the room listens.
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Gigs
Clapham Grand: 2026 Lee Young Ji world tour
2026 Lee Young Ji world tour at the Clapham Grand, 17:00 to 21:00.
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Comedy £11.50 plus booking fee
Hen & Chickens Theatre: Liminal Tales: Spooktacular
Terrifying short stories read to a live audience, with exploding Hollywood celebrities and Halloween costumes encouraged.
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Comedy From £9.60
City Comedy Club: Sunday night
A drink is included in the ticket, alcoholic or not. Seating is allocated, so you are shown to a seat rather than fighting for one. Doors half an hour before, over 18s, ID checked.
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Gigs £35
Electric Ballroom: El Tri
Mexican rock institution El Tri, led by Alejandro Lora, with more than five decades of rock en español behind them.
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Gigs Sold out
LSO season opening: Mahler 2 and Fujikura at the Barbican
Pappano opens the LSO season with Mahler's Resurrection and the UK premiere of Fujikura's Amber Alchemy. Sold out.
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Comedy £10
The Bill Murray: Sofie Hagen is going to be on stage talking
Sofie Hagen is going to be on stage talking at the Bill Murray, on stage 19:00. Angel Comedy's ticketed room, round the corner from the free one at the Camden Head.
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Food and drink £2.50 per person, on the night
Woolwich Works: Sunday Quiz Night with Inquizition
Inquizition's Sunday quiz in the Visitors' Book Cafe: picture, music and mystery voices rounds, £50 to the winners. £2.50 each.
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Film
LFF Closing Night Gala: The Debut
The UK premiere of The Debut closes the 70th festival, Jesse Eisenberg directing Julianne Moore. Quarter past seven at the Royal Festival Hall, with two later screens the same night.
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Gigs £16.95 to £36.95
Alexandra Palace: Friday Night is Music Night: Sound of Sleep
Friday Night is Music Night: Sound of Sleep at Alexandra Palace. The date is published; the time and the price are on the ticket page.
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Cabaret £30
Ria Jones: In Good Company
A show in the art deco room under Brasserie Zedel, 7.30pm. One act and a piano rather than a revue, and the room listens.
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Gigs £27.50 in advance plus booking fee
The 100 Club: The 5.6.7.8’s
The 5.6.7.8's, a Japanese garage rock band since 1986, who played three songs in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill.
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Comedy £13.25 to £25.25
The Comedy Store Players: improv on a Sunday
The improv troupe that has held the Sunday night slot for decades, making the show up from audience suggestions. No two performances are the same. Doors an hour before, over 18s.
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Comedy £12
JK Comedy Club Covent Garden: Sunday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Two hundred seats at Arboretum, and doors open a full hour before, so there is time to eat first. Over 18s, ID on the door.
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Comedy £12
JK Comedy Club Piccadilly Circus: Sunday night comedy
A host and four professional comedians, a new bill every week. Fifty seats at BOX Piccadilly, about as central as a comedy room gets. Doors fifteen minutes before, over 18s, ID on the door.
Open anyway
EverythingNot on tonight in particular: these are open whenever you want them, and they are here so the list above can stay to things that are actually happening.
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Sport Free
Dogs on Hampstead Heath
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Exhibitions Free
Free entry: Westminster Cathedral
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Food and drink Free
Leadenhall Market
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Sport Free
Dogs in Richmond Park
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Sport Free
Dogs in Battersea Park
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Exhibitions Free
Free entry: Southwark Cathedral
Free this weekend
All free this weekendRunning late
Everything after 23:00-
Comedy From £9.60
City Comedy Club: the late show, 10pm
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Clubs £10
BeefMince
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Comedy From £9.60
City Comedy Club: the late show, 10pm
Guides for what is coming
All guides-
On now
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...
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On now
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...
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On now
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....
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On now
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.
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Saturday 14 November
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...
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Sunday 18 April
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...
Listings are checked by us before they go in and re-checked when this page is rewritten. Times and prices can change on the night; the venue link on each event is the one to trust. How we choose what goes in.