ListingsUpdated Sat 5 Sep
Seasonal events in London
The annual fixtures: Halloween, Bonfire Night, the Christmas markets and lights, New Year, Pride, Carnival. Each has its own guide, rewritten every year with confirmed dates.
Saturday
5 September-
Seasonal From £11
Alexandra Palace ice rink
A permanent rink inside the palace, open most of the year rather than only at Christmas, which makes it the reliable one.
Saturday
12 September-
Seasonal From £11
Alexandra Palace ice rink
A permanent rink inside the palace, open most of the year rather than only at Christmas, which makes it the reliable one.
Sunday
13 September-
Seasonal Free
Ganga Aarti on the Thames
A river ceremony of lamps and music brought from the Ganges to the Thames, with food and live performance on the Greenwich bank. Free, no ticket, and better at dusk.
Saturday
19 September-
Seasonal From £11
Alexandra Palace ice rink
A permanent rink inside the palace, open most of the year rather than only at Christmas, which makes it the reliable one.
Friday
16 October-
Pick Seasonal From £17
Halloween at Kew: after-dark trail
Until 1 Nov
A lit trail through the gardens with live actors and the headless horseman. Adults from twenty-three pounds, children from seventeen, cheaper off peak. Slots from six until the clocks change on 25 October, from four after, in three grades from daylight to moonlight.
-
Seasonal From £25
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. Book a slot: walk ups wait, and the last entry is earlier than you think.
Tuesday
20 October-
Seasonal Free
Diwali at Neasden Temple
Until 10 Nov
The largest Hindu temple in Europe, free to enter, and at its busiest and best over Diwali and the Hindu new year. Dress code applies and shoes come off at the door.
Friday
23 October-
Seasonal From £14
Ice skating at Canary Wharf
Until 22 Feb
The longest season of any London rink, open from late October into February, under a canopy so the weather matters less. Cheaper than the west end rinks and rarely full on a weekday.
Saturday
24 October-
Seasonal Included with admission
Halloween at the Tower of London
Until 1 Nov
Daytime, not a scare event: costumed interpretation and family trails included in the normal ticket. Good for children who would hate the trails.
-
Seasonal From £20
Halloween ghost tour at Highgate Cemetery
Until 1 Nov
Guided after dark on the West side, which is the overgrown Victorian half and is not otherwise open without a guide at any hour. Small groups and it sells out weeks ahead.
-
Seasonal Included with admission
Halloween at Hampton Court Palace
Until 1 Nov
Daytime rather than a ticketed after dark trail: costumed characters through the state apartments and the maze, all of it inside the normal admission price.
Sunday
25 October-
Pick Seasonal Free
Diwali on the Square
Free and unticketed: a two-hundred-dancer opening, a main stage of music and dance from the Hindu, Sikh and Jain communities, workshops, and the food stalls that are the reason many people come. Arrive at one for the space, stay for the lamps at dusk.
Other kinds of night
FreeExhibitionsMarketsFood and drinkGigsTheatreLate nightSportClubsFilmTalksComedy