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A lot happened in 2024. There were elections, brat summers, and me-espressos by all, and here in London things were as busy as ever – with plenty of excellent food, art, theatre, music and more. But that’s done now. Time marches relentlessly onwards, and if you’re looking for a distraction from the terrifying realisation that we’re now a quarter of the way through the 21st century, we’ve got just the list for you.
Here at Time Out, we’ve got a dedicated team of talented critics who keep up to date with absolutely everything worth doing, seeing, eating, and drinking in the capital every single day. They are experts in their fields, and know what you should be filling your 2025 diary with to make the most of all that this city has to offer.
Buckle up and grab a pen, cause we’ve got a lot of ground to cover here, and a lot of stuff you’ll want to remember. Think of this as your London activities Argos catalogue, and you as a child at Christmas. From art exhibitions to theatre productions, movies to records, this is all the very best cultural offerings coming your way next year.
The best theatre
Whether you prefer intense, one man plays in traverse staging which tackle the big questions or sparkly musical numbers about finding your father in Greece, there’s something for everyone in London’s theatres. And next year is no different – there are dozens of exciting new shows hitting our stages, some which feature Hollywood stars.
But to cut the fat, Andrzej Lukowski, Time Out’s theatre editor, has a compiled list of the crème-de-la-crème of shows you’ll want to see in the new year. Some of his highlights include Titanique, a musical re-imagining of the original Titanic film but from the perspective of Celine Dion, Reese Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton’s bringing their TV hit Inside No. 9 to the stage, and Tom Hiddleston starring in Jamie Lloyd’s adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing.
You can have a look at Andrzej’s full list of recommendations here.
The best art, museums, and exhibitions
How many world class museums and galleries can one person visit in a year? Not enough, if you ask us. London’s art scene is exciting as ever, and no one knows it better than our very own art editor, Eddy Frankel.
You could spend your entire life visiting galleries in the Big Smoke (and Eddy basically does), and never run out of cool things to see, but life’s busy and you need to make sure to prioritise the very best, like Jenny Saville’s first ever exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, or ‘Nigerian Modernism’ at the Tate Modern. If you’re currently curating your 2025 bucket list, this rundown of the best art coming to London is a good place to begin.
We’ve also named the brand new V&A East, due to open next year, amongst the best new attractions in the world, so it’s definitely worth a visit.
The best things to do
There’s plenty else to do in London that doesn’t revolve around art and theatre – and all that has been compiled by Things To Do Editor Rosie Hewitson. The inaugural SXSW London, Sadler’s Wells new east London venue, the Women’s Rugby World Cup, IKEA Oxford Street and Covent Garden’s new Guinness brewery were all picked out by Rosie as among the capital’s best stuff to see and do in 2025.
You can find all 25 of the best new things to do in 2025 in London here.
The best film and TV
Realistically, you can’t always be out and about. Sometimes you need to relax in front of the TV, but luckily, there’s a lot coming out over the next 12 months that’ll be well worth watching.
Coming to Netflix this January are a series of exciting new titles, including a brand new instalment of Cunk on Life, Dianne Morgan’s comedy series which seems to ask what would happen if a five year old was allowed to present a documentary, the first full Wallace and Gromit feature film since 2005, and WWE Raw, which will now be viewable on streaming. You can find the complete list of shows and films arriving on Netflix here.
In terms of cinema, there’s a lot to be excited about. Rachel Zegler will become Snow White, Ana de Armas will lead a John Wick spin-off, and Wicked will return for a second instalment in the winter. And that’s barely even scratching the surface: here’s the 30 best films to look forward to next year.
Travel
London’s great, but it’s not the only place which is worth seeing. We also recommend booking yourself a couple of holidays or staycations in the new year, just to keep things interesting. And don’t worry – we’ve got you covered here too.
In terms of the UK, check out this list of the best new things to do in the country next year, from a luxurious train ride to a floating sauna.
If you’re looking to go further afield, here are our top 25 things to do across the world, including the Vatican’s jubilee, brand new flights to Greenland, a new ‘hyper-club’ in Spain, and much, much more.
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