Unmissable things to do and events in London in November 2024

The pandemic-delayed delayed first production of the musical adaption of the fabulous Meryl Street and Anne Hathaway-starring fashion industry screen satire (pictured) debuted in Chicago in the summer of 2022, but producer Elton John deemed it unready and it was shelved without ever making it to Broadway. Good news for us, however: London has been chosen as the scene of the show’s relaunch. There’s no word on the casting yet, but expect some pretty heavyweight talent to fill out the story of Andy, the young journalism graduate who ends up taking a role at fashion magazine Runway, working for its terrifying editor-in-chief Miranda Priestley. 

With their big Autumn exhibition, the Royal Academy’s almost gone full Ninja Turtle. Only Donatello is missing as they take a look at the work of three giants of the Renaissance - Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raphael – and how for a brief time they weren’t just contemporaries, but rivals. Here’s hoping 2025 sees them doing a show about April O’Neil and her impact on the development of early conceptual installation art. 

Step into Phantom Peak's one-of-a-kind Wintermas celebrations, where festive fun blends seamlessly with the town’s signature adventures and mysteries. Snow falls over the streets, enchanting lights illuminate the canals, and beautiful decorations bring joy to all of Phantom Peak. Join Mayor Pocket, Dr. Winter, and beloved townsfolk for a season brimming with surprises, schemes, chills, and secrets – a time when the town itself faces its greatest challenge yet.

Get adult tickets for £36.52, down from £47.50 to Winter at Phantom Peak, only through Time Out Offers.

‘Emily in Paris’ star Lily Collins trades the French capital for the Catalan one (but also London) for this new stage thriler about an American tourist visiting Spain who gets more that she bargained with when she goes home with a handsome local (Álvaro Morte). Given Collins isn’t exactly known for starring in a particularly, uh, highbrow show then you might imagine this could go one of several ways. But US playwright Bess Wohl turned in a very interesting play for the Old Vic (‘Camp Seigfried’) a couple of years back, and director Lynette Linton (who runs the Bush) rarely misses.

Somerset House’s iconic ice rink has become a Christmas tradition for Londoners and visitors heading to the capital for some festive cheer. There’s good reason – gliding (or, at least, attempting to) around the rink, gazing upon the Georgian architecture and 40ft Christmas tree feels like you’ve skated onto a movie set. There’s more to this rink than just skating, with pop-up gourmet dining and DJ takeovers. 

The original 2001 production of ‘The Producers’ was such a colossal deal – the biggest musical of the century until ‘Hamilton’ came along – that it’s almost hard to quite comprehend that there might be a new production. Nonetheless: in a major coup for the Menier, Mel Brooks’s satirical masterpiece about an unscrupulous Broadway director attempting to produce an awful musical about Adolph Hitler in the hope he can grift off its failure is receiving its first ever UK revival. Andy Nyman will play director Max with Marc Antolin his hapless accountant and co-producer in a production that also includes Harry Morrison and Joanna Woodward.

The Secret Society of Cabaret has gathered some of the West End’s most esteemed artists alongside exciting new talent to create a magical evening right at the audience's doorstep. And the best part? You can enjoy 30% off tickets for a night filled with glamour and excitement that won’t break the bank! See this captivating performance with standard seating, or add a two-course meal. Elevate your experience with VIP dining and get a premium two-course dinner and priority seating for the best view.

Get 30% off the tickets to The Secret Society of Cabaret, only through Time Out Offers.

Somerset House has a history of creating intruding and carefully-curated exhibitions about Black and queer culture. This autumn, it’s at it again with this deep dive into the largest cultural and historical archive of Black LGBTQ+ people in Britain: rukus! Curated by artist and filmmaker Topher Campbell, the exhibition is a chance to see items from the award-winning rukus! archive (currently housed at the London Metropolitan Archives), including material showcasing the activism, artistic events and private lives of Black Queer Britains, work from UK Black Queer pioneers from the 1970’s until the present day, newly commissioned work and pieces from the ‘first out generation’ who have created greater visibility for the Black LGBTQ+ diaspora.

Oscar Wilde’s drawing room comedy pretty much invented twentieth century British comedy, and as such it’s become something of a cliché. The NT hasn’t tackled it since the early ’80s, but here, intriguingly it is, finally getting a splashy Christmas revival that’ll star newly-minted Timelord Ncuti Gatwa as lusty young idler Algenon, who alongside his BFF Jack (Hugh Skinner) must infiltrate the stately home of the formidable Lady Bracknell in order to go a-wooing. But is there anything new to be found in Wilde’s play? If there is, director Max Webster is the man to find it – with his extravagent visual style and innovative recent takes on Shakespeare you can expect something more than period dress and wobbly country house sets. 

Each year, Hyde Park gets transformed from pretty park to Winter Wonderland. The annual favourite returns in 2024 for its seventeenth year, bringing a sleigh-load of festive fun with it. As you make your way around the space, you’ll find fairground rides, a child-friendly Santa Land (including Santa’s Grotto, where presents may be waiting) and traditional Christmas markets where you’ll be able to buy gifts for all your loved ones. Other highlights include circuses and, of course, the biggest outdoor ice rink in the UK, the Real Ice Slide, ice scultpting workshops and a German-style Bavarian Village.

The Cavaliers’ fortunes are about to change: LeBron James, basketball’s biggest star, is coming to Cleveland. But when superfan Matt’s business fails, he’s forced to sell his prized Cavs season tickets. The buyer, Shawn, is a writer celebrating his first published story and is thrilled to finally watch his team live. With one ticket to share, the next 12 years become a journey of friendship, loyalty, and heartbreak for both men –as well as for LeBron and the Cavs.

Award-winning playwright Rajiv Joseph brings this powerful story to Hampstead Theatre, directed by Associate Director Alice Hamilton, known for The Dumb Waiter and The Memory of Water.

Save £15 on tickets to Hampstead Theatre’s 'King James', only through Time Out Offers.

Dreaming of a kitsch Christmas? New York’s famous Miracle on Ninth Street bar is popping up in London for its seventh year, ‘50s Christmas decorations, nostalgic accessories and creative new spins on beloved cocktail favourites in tow. This year’s menu is still a work in progress, but past years have seen the bar slinging the likes of a Snowball Old Fashioned or a Christmapoliton, which includes cranberry sauce and absinthe mist – a take on Christmas trimmings that’s not for the faint-hearted. If you’re failing to find the Christmas spirit, this is one great place to come find it.

The National Theatre’s big family Christmas show is the first ever major stage adaptation of Noel Streatfeild’s classic 1936 children’s novel. ‘Ballet Shoes’ follows a trio of very different adopted sisters raised in the home of an absent-minded palentologist who turn to ballet to make a living when their adopted father Gum fails to return from a lengthy expedition. Adapted by rising star Australian playwright Kendall Feaver and directed by Katy Rudd – who did the honours with the NT’s smash ‘The Ocean at the End of the Lane’ – the cast will be led by Melanie-Joyce Bermudez, Grace Saif and Daisy Sequerra as Petrova, Pauline and Posy Fossil, the three sisters.

November is the month when London gets transformed into the sparkliest, blingiest, most festive place on earth with the switching on of Christmas lights all over town. There's nothing like the sparkle of London Christmas lights to give the city an instant festive makeover. Head to one of these display for a good old dose of Christmas cheer. 

Christmas at Kew has become a key date in London’s festive calendar, with a humongous light trail taking over the 300-acre botanic garden. See the space lit up with larger-than-life illuminations, with both the venue’s glass houses and the trees that cover its grounds drenched in different hues. The whole thing is stunning, but don’t miss the lake, where you’ll catch reflections of the vibrant bulbs dancing on the water, taking the magical feeling to another level.  Keep yourself toasty along the way with warming winter snacks and make sure you pop by the grotto to say hi to Father Christmas himself.

This Christmas will be the twenty-fifth Hackney Empire panto since the iconic East London venue turned back into a theatre after a stint as a bingo hall, and well over half of those productions (17 to be precise) have involved Clive Rowe, who is back for 2025 as director and as London’s most iconic dame. There’s no other casting announced yet, though Hackney rarely casts celebrities and tends to have a posse of regulars (comedian Kat B inevitably features). There’s no word on how the timeless tale of Dick and his cat will be interpreted, though the Hackney panto tends to have a good-natured local focus and a real sense of grounding in east London.

Need an opportunity to get stuck into an utterly decadent feast just a month before Christmas dinner? Then let us present Thanksgiving: the American holiday dedicated to eating piles of turkey and lashings of pumpkin pie. There’s a bunch of different ways you can celebrate in London come November 25 – here are a few of our faves.

The reputation of the Lyric Hammersmith panto is as the spikey satirical bad boy of the London pantomime scene. Last year’s ‘Cinderella’ was distinctly cuddlier, however, and the same may go for 2024 given that it reunites 2023 director Nicholai La Barrie and writer Sonia Jalaly. Specific details of their production are thin on the ground at the moment, but rest assured it’s not going to be one of those iffy yellowface productions you still hear about. Andre Antonio stars as Aladdin, with the redoubtable Emmanuel Akwafa returning on daming duties as Widow Twerkey.

Looking for gift inspiration? Look no further than London's Christmas markets and fairs, which start to pop up all over town from mid-November. Among a raft of special festive events you'll find foodie gifts, hand-crafted pressies and usually a bit of glühwein to help you get into that merry spirit.