Amy Houghton

The Irish really know how to celebrate, so when it comes to St Patrick’s Day in London, the city’s Celtic community has no problem showing us how it’s done. With an estimated 170,000 expats from the Emerald Isle living in the city, and many more Londoners with Irish heritage, the celebration of Ireland’s patron saint is always one big welcoming bash, involving plenty of dancing, hearty traditional dishes, a huge parade and as many pints of Guinness and drams of whiskey as you can handle. The Mayor of London’s annual St Patrick’s Day Festival celebration will take place on Sunday, March 15 – two days before the official holiday – and, as usual, thousands of revellers are expected to watch the parade wend its way from Hyde Park Corner to Trafalgar Square for a giant free party with Irish music, food and performances from 12noon to 6pm. If you don’t fancy braving the crowds of central London for the main event in the capital, there are still plenty of St Patrick’s Day parties and events to check out. We’ll be rounding up the best of them below as they get announced, so you’ve got plenty of time to get planning for a very green week. RECOMMENDED🍻 The best Irish pubs and bars in London☘️ Our ultimate guide to the St Patrick’s Day parade and festival🌱 The best London events in March

Every week, a frankly silly amount of brilliant new restaurants, cafés and street food joints arrive in London. Which makes whittling down a shortlist of the best newbies a serious challenge. But here it is. The 20 very best new restaurants in the capital, ranked in order of greatness and deliciousness. All of them have opened over the past 12 months and been visited by our hungry critics. So go forth and take inspo from this list, which is updated regularly. Check in often to find out what we really rate on the London restaurant scene. And look here for all the info about the best new openings in March 2026. London's best new restaurants at a glance: 🍛 Central: DakaDaka, Mayfair 🍠 North: Ling Ling’s, Islington 🇹🇭 South: Kruk, Peckham 🍝 East: Tiella, Bethnal Green 🥗 West: Martino’s, Chelsea March 2026: We have a new Number 1! The newly-opened Tiella in Bethnal Green has scooped the top spot thanks to knockout regional Italian dishes from chef Dara Klein. Other fresh additions include the slinky Martino's in Chelsea, Cambodian residency Barang at The Globe in Borough Market, foodie wine bar in a one-time Clerkenwell tattoo parlour Passione Vino, perfect produce at Dockley Road Kitchen in Bermondsey, Korean fusion spot Calong in Stoke Newington, Hunanese heat at Fiery Flavors in Surrey Quays, Ukrainian elegance at Sino in Notting Hill, cool diner energy at Dover Street Counter in Mayfair, Georgian classics at DakaDaka in Mayfair, and veggie-friendly Thai at Kruk in Peck

Twice a year, fashion Christmas comes to London, bringing with it whole closets full of covetable new looks you’ll dream of wearing. London Fashion Week returns next week for another deep-dive into the trends and styles that will be dominating red carpets, shops and streets in autumn and winter 2026 (AW26).  Across five days, the city’s most stylish will be hanging out around the Strand and sitting front row to see fresh looks from the likes of Simone Rocha, Chopova Lowena, Harris Reed, Burberry and Fiorucci. Yes, the majority of shows are invite-only, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be in the know. Here’s all the information you need ahead of London Fashion Week AW26.  When is London Fashion Week 2026?  LFW takes place twice a year: in February and September. The next fashion week will be from Thursday February 19 to Monday February 23.  Where is London Fashion Week held?  London Fashion Week usually takes place at the British Fashion Council’s own show space at 180 The Strand. The closest tubes are Holborn and Temple. Several events will also be held at external locations across the city. How do I get tickets to London Fashion Week 2026?  We hate to be the ones to tell you but unfortunately, most of the LFW shows are invite-only, so you can’t buy tickets.  What designers should I be watching out for?  Although you may not be able to see the shows in real life, you will be able to watch them live on the London Fashion Week website. So, these are all the one’s worth tuning in

Tell someone you’re taking a city break to Belgium and you’re generally met with a painfully unenthusiatic ‘oh, that’s cool’. For one reason or another, that small nation bordered by holiday heavyweights like France and the Netherlands, has long been cursed with a reputation for being the most beige country on the continent. Travellers are slowly starting to see through that myth, though. Increasingly, people are booking trips to the likes of Brussels for its grand political prestige, Antwerp for its fashion crowd or Bruges for its historical cobbled streets. But what if I told you there’s another Belgian city that gives all three of those, as well as Europe’s more famous cities, a run for their money?  Thirty miles east of Bruges, Ghent is a small and endearing city that’s understatedly cool. It’s packed with stunning cycle routes and environmentally and socially conscious communities, littered with fantastic slow fashion stores and a wealth of organic shops. It’s also the veggie capital of Europe – every week its cafes and restaurants focus on serving plant-based fare as part of the ‘Veggie Thursdays’ initiative – and in 2024 it held the title of the European Youth Capital. Oh, and here’s an adorable fun fact: every time a baby is born in one of Ghent’s maternity wards, parents can press a button that causes the city’s streetlamps to flicker in celebration. Does it get more wholesome than that?  ➡️ READ MORE: The best city breaks in Europe for 2026, picked by Time Out edito

With a bounty of great parties happening in the capital this Easter bank holiday, you can dance till you drop. Here’s our round-up of the long weekend’s best parties from Thursday April 2 to Monday April 6 2026, from (hopefully) sun-soaked daytime soirees to late-night ragers at some of the city’s best clubs.  If you’ve got the stamina, you could turn Easter into a proper bender. Just don’t count on a quick resurrection in time for work on Tuesday. RECOMMENDED:The best Easter events and activities in LondonThe 50 best nights out in London

We all know travelling with the kids can be tricky, so finding a hotel that keeps everyone happy is key. From splashable pools to free breakfasts for little ones, London has plenty of spots that make family life on the go a whole lot easier. Here’s our pick of the best family-friendly hotels in the city, where parents can relax and kids can be… well, kids. The hotels we’ve selected all make travelling with kids as smooth possible. We look for places that are close to London’s top attractions, so you can zip from Hamleys to the park, without having to spend your whole day on public transport, as well as having the resources to keep the whole family entertained. How we choose our family-friendly hotels A family-friendly hotel is about thoughtful touches for children. Perhaps, there are extra cots, kid-friendly menus, splashable pools, and little surprises that make young guests feel welcome. These are hotels that go the extra mile, from milk and cookies at bedtime to a designated kids concierge services. We include luxury stays and budget-friendly finds. Finally, we consider atmosphere and accessibility: helpful staff, close to attractions and safe play spaces, and a vibe that makes both little ones and grown-ups feel at home. 📍 Looking for your own space? Check out our guide to the best Airbnbs in London London’s family friendly hotels at a glance 💰 Best for a cheap deal: Good Hotel 🗓️ Best concierge service: The Berkeley 🧠 Most iconic: The Ritz ☕ Best afternoon tea for

It can’t be denied that Saturday is one of the greatest days of the week. For lots of us, the working week is over and it’s the one day that you can have a long lie in and stay up all night knowing that you don’t need to be up bright and early the next morning.  In other words, it’s the best day to make the most out of the huge spectrum of things that London has to offer. Whatever your budget, whatever your interests, whatever the weather, there are literally hundreds (if not thousands) of things you could do. Here are some of our favourites things you can get up to in London almost any Saturday of the year (see here for specific stuff going on this weekend).  London’s best Saturday things to do at a glance Best for being outdoors: Hampstead Heath  Best for shopaholics: Selfridges Best for a budget: Natural History Museum Best for group gatherings: Frank’s Cafe  Best for an all-nighter: MOT  RECOMMENDED: The 50 best things to do in London with kids. 

Things are getting more and more expensive here in Europe, and many of our reliably ‘cheap’ cities aren’t so cheap anymore. The hotspots in Greece, Spain, Italy and more that are plagued with overtourism are seeing hiked prices to match, and starting to look startingly similar across the board. But don’t fear: if budgets are tight this year, there’s still plenty of spots that won’t break the bank.  The best part? On the most part, this list of budget-friendly destinations tend to come hand in hand with other wins – we mean less tourists, less crowds, and the flights there are likely to be much cheaper too. Of course, it goes without saying that a ‘cheap city’ is highly subjective, depending on a whole load of factors: which city you’ve travelled in from, what time of year you’re visiting, how bougie your tastes are and all the rest of it. But the spots you’ll find below are lively, culture-packed, and generally incredibly good value for money. Read on for the cheapest (and best) cities to visit in Europe in 2026.  RECOMMENDED:📍 The best city breaks in Europe for 2026🌃 The most underrated travel destinations in Europe Ella Doyle is Time Out’s Europe editor. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by experts across Europe. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines. 

Thank god for Burns Night. As the long, bleak month of January rolls on, this kilt-raising, haggis-scoffing, whisky-fuelled celebration of Scotland’s national poet Rabbie Burns is a chance to banish the winter blues and have a rip-roaring time. The Bard turns 267 this year, but you don’t have to be in the big guy’s motherland to join in the festivities. An estimated 200,000 Scottish expats live in the capital, which technically makes it the third most populous Scottish city, so you can guarantee there’s plenty of feasting, boozing and partying to be done down here too.  When is Burns Night in London? Burns Night always falls on January 25, the day Robert Burns was born in South Ayrshire way back in 1759. This year’s celebration falls on a Sunday.  Whether you want to get sweaty at a ceilidh, pipe in a haggis, or have a classy time at a whisky tasting or indulgent Burns supper, this is how you can enjoy Burns Night 2026 in London.  RECOMMENDED: Here are London's best spots for a delicious Burns Night supper.

There’s a heck of a lot to get excited about in Britain over the next 12 months or so. Between now and 2027 Brits will gobble down platefuls of new restaurants’ grub, slurp tasty bevs in fresh bars, get cultural fixes at museum exhibitions, spectate at globally-renowned sport events and even witness moments of proper historic importance. In 2026 the UK will see the return of the Bayeux Tapestry (not seen on these isles in 900 years) and the completion of the nation-spanning King Charles III Coastal Path. Among the likes of new music festivals and theme parks will be the world’s biggest Irish cultural event, the premiere of one of this century’s most highly anticipated stage musicals and centenery celebrations for a globally-loved children’s character.  And that’s just the stuff that’s planned – who knows what else will define the year? Without further ado, here are the 16 best new things to do in the UK in 2026, chosen by Time Out editors and contributors. RECOMMENDED: 📍 The 14 best places to visit in the UK in 2026.🏛️ The 26 best new things to do in London in 2026.🌍 The best new things to do in the world in 2026.

January is here, which means we’re entering a brand new year. Despite all the January goals, resolutions and hopes we have for 2026, it’s no secret that January can ostensibly become the most depressing month of the year. The days are short and dark, it’s cold, and our bank balances are severely depleted after the December festivities. But, we’re here to help you realise it’s not all bleak.  For one thing, it’s the ideal time to discover London on a budget and without the crowds, while many of city’s very best theatre and musicals, restaurants and bars – ranked definitively by Time Out's crew of expert local editors – offer discounted tickets and cheap meal deals to entice you out of the house during the coldest and darkest days of the year. Believe it or not, but January can also a time for celebration, too. London will once again be playing host to plenty of Burns Night ceilidhs, haggis suppers and poetry readings commemorating Scotland’s most famous poet, plus dinners and parades in celebration of the Lunar New Year, which falls nice and early in 2025, on January 29. If you’re someone who likes to commit to a month of sobriety or a punishing new exercise regime at the start of the New Year, London definitely has your back too. The city is home to countless excellent sports clubs and fitness classes, plus dozens of glorious parks and spectacular walking routes, and there’s arguably nowhere that better caters for the sober and sober-curious. Of course, if you’d rather just s

2026 has officially landed. An entire year of adventure awaits, with Britain set for a deluge of thrilling new things to see and do. Beyond the individual openings, however – the new bars and restaurants, museums and attractions – where should be on your radar for places to visit in the UK?  If you’re up for being inspired here at Time Out, as always, we’ve got you covered. We’ve scoured the listings of all that’s happening in Britain in 2026 and consulted our nationwide network of writers and editors, harnessing all that info to put together a guide to the places that should be on your radar over the next 12 months.  Destinations made it onto Time Out’s list for a vast range of reasons. Some have swaggered onto the scene with a quickfire burst of thrilling new attractions. Others have built their cred slower and reached a point of quiet brilliance, while others still are established spots that simply remain very much worth their rep. Several places will be made even more tempting by those aforementioned 2026 openings, whether that be delicious places to eat and drink, game-changing new transport options or unmissable cultural events.  From trendy seaside towns to revived industries cities, medieval forts to ‘the new Berlin’: here are the UK’s 14 top places to visit in 2026. RECOMMENDED: 🇬🇧 The best new things to do in the UK in 2026.📍 The 26 best stuff to see and do in London in 2026. 

Gather your brood and join Hackney’s ceilidh band Cut A Shine for its afternoon of family friendly St Patrick’s barn dancing. The bandmembers will teach you and the little’uns all of the crucial ceili moves and ensure that everyone is kept fueled with traditional Irish stew and champ (vegan option available). Things will round off at 3.30pm with a disco where the kids can show off all their newly-learned Celtic choreography. Oh, and there’s a fully stocked bar of Guinness and whiskey for the grown ups. 

Prepare to have your senses thrown into chaos. Anish Kapoor’s first major UK exhibition in the UK took place at the Southbank Centre’s Hayward Gallery in 1998. Nearly 30 years later, the internationally acclaimed sculptor’s work is coming back to the gallery for his largest UK show to date. The exhibition displays recent pieces by Kapoor made with futuristic light-absorbing nanotechnology, as well as works that defined the early part of his career.  There will be huge disorientating mirror sculptures, a colossal PVC installation, a foreboding mass of red and black wax drooping from the ceiling, and a striking collection of carnal paintings made using silicone, resin and pigment.  

Homely isn’t quite the word that comes to mind when you pull back the heavy velvet curtain separating Casa Felicia from the dozy Queen’s Park street outside. Chic, for sure. Elegant, certainly. A parade of two-cover tables are packed close together in the main whitewashed dining room, and over in a far corner, there’s a booth for larger groups which is painted entirely in an intense sultry red. But the deeper into the evening we go, the more we’re taken in by this place’s unexpected down-to-earth charm.   Fettuccine porcini and paccheri with mussels and squid are simple but impeccable Casa Felicia is helmed by chef Francesco Sarvonio, formerly of Manteca and currently of Elephant. The menu switches up daily, but always promises southern Italian ‘soul food’. A pleasing heap of puntarelle salad embellished with pear and hazelnuts, and a faultless seabass crudo speckled with crispy red pepper starts us off. We’re then presented with the most intriguing take on parmigiana I’ve ever seen. It doesn’t come in the traditional form of layered aubergine coins, but as the whole vegetable roasted, skinned and fried in a tempura batter, then cocooned in cheese fondue with a pool of marinara on the side. It’s fantastic – the batter lightly encases the vegetable like a chiffon blanket and the aubergine manages to be both firm and completely melt-in-the-mouth.   Don’t get carried away with the antipasti, as the bowls of pasta (handmade with just semolina and water, no egg) are truly generou

Adoh! (Sri-Lankan for ‘oi!’) is loud.  Sat on Maiden Lane in frenetic, tourist-packed Covent Garden, this Sri Lankan spot from Kolamba duo Eroshan and Aushi Meewella fits right in. While Kolamba and its sister restaurant on Liverpool Street are sleek, sophisticated haunts, this is a maximalist whirlwind. Chopped roti gets more heavenly with each chewy bite Adoh’s goal is to emulate the rapid, chaotic energy of Colombo and its street food culture. The decor is raucous – the tables a striking shade of red and the walls busy with storybook murals depicting hand-painted trucks of South Asia. As for service, it’s full speed ahead. You can very easily be in and out within an hour, and fully satisfied. In the throbbing heart of the theatreland that’s no bad thing.  The menu features a blend of authentic bits (isoo vadai, mutton rolls or roti and curry) and some milder hybrid dishes (fried chicken and curry leaf waffles are best suited to less adventurous members of your party). Shiny squares of prawn toast dolloped with tamarind sauce start us off, swiftly followed by a supple dosa spread with smoky masala, alongside a rather dry coconut roti with eye-wateringly hot lunu miris chilli paste.  The must-order main (which at £17 is the priciest item on the menu) is crab kothu, a late-night classic in Sri Lanka. The bronze mountain of chopped roti, egg and stir fried crab meat (mutton, chicken or jackfruit kothu are available too) isn’t particularly pretty, but drenched in curry sauce (p

The UK’s first major retrospective of acclaimed Ukrainian artist Boris Mikhailov is coming to the Photographers’ Gallery. A ‘kind of proto-punk’, Mikhailov has been capturing and commenting on life in Ukraine since the 1960s – from the everyday consequences of the collapse of the Soviet Union to the realities of people living on the edges of society – through photography, conceptual work, painting and performance art. Ukrainian Diary brings much of that work together to illustrate the tumultuous social and political changes that have shaken Eastern Europe over the past fifty years.

One hundred years ago, a strange curtained box appeared on Broadway in New York City. If you went inside and slotted in 25 cents, you’d emerge with eight sepia tinged photos of yourself in a matter of minutes. It was the Photomaton – the world’s first fully automated photobooth. Fast forward to the 21st century and photobooths are in bars, train stations, cinemas, record shops and on streets all over the world. The Photographer’s Gallery is marking a century of the machines with Click!, an archival exhibition exploring their imperfections, their quirks and their most famous fans. Naturally, there’ll be a working photobooth for visitors to take their own snap.

In 1978, Zofia Rydet decided that was going to photograph the inside of every Polish household. Aged 67, she began knocking on doors and asking occupants if they’d be willing to partake in her project. She continued to knock on doors for the next three decades, collecting everyday stories and creating ‘one of the most important achievements in 20th century Polish photography’. More than 100 of Rydet’s prints will be on display at the Photographers’ Gallery alongside books and personal letters offering extra insight into her sociological mission.

When a place rates itself as assuredly (in huge bold letters, no less) as Good Hotel does, it’s natural to feel a little sus. But it’s true: Good Hotel really does make you feel good. Service is cheery and laid-back without being overly casual, the food leaves nothing to complain about and – maybe it’s the luxurious silence of the area or perhaps the proximity to gently lapping water – I visited in 2024, and I don’t know if I’ve ever had a better night’s sleep in the city. Aside from all that, guests can walk out of Good Hotel feeling extra gratified by virtue of its ‘do good’ DNA. Why stay at Good Hotel? As you walk along Royal Victoria Docks, this huge black shipping container is impossible to miss. Originally built as a Danish prison, this floating hotel docked in London in 2016 after sailing across from Amsterdam. Its founder, Marten Dresden, had come up with the Good Hotel concept four years prior while travelling in Guatemala. Now, each night you spend there pays for a week of school for a child in South America, with profits also going towards hospitality training for long-term unemployed locals (lots of whom become Good Hotel employees).  The hotel also hosts regular community workshops and events that guests can attend. There are comedy nights, yoga classes, salsa classes, kids art clubs and, if you’re in the mood to be extra good, litter-picking around the local area. What are the rooms like at Good Hotel? Throughout the hotel, the interiors are slick, earthy-toned

Crack Comedy Club brings pre-party laughs to Tunnel 267 – Wimbledon’s only nightclub – every Saturday night from 8pm to 10pm. For standup sets from four or five comics, tickets are £25 for general admission on the door or £21.50 if you book online in advance. You can also buy tickets that include dinner from a local restaurant beforehand, and if you stick around afterwards you’ll get free entry to Tunnel’s clubnight. Three in one. 

One of the more recent additions to Wimbledon Village, Good Fortune Club is bright and buzzy with a sprawling menu of Cantonese dishes, the best known of which is its handmade dim sum. Stop by with a large, hungry posse to pack your table with bamboo steamers and sample har gau (shrimp-filled dumplings,) xiao long bao (pork soup dumplings), cuttlefish cake and more.

Of its four south-west London outposts, DropShot’s Leopold Road location serves up hefty brunches on the daily. The portions here are breathtakingly generous, and the tennis-themed menu goes well beyond the standard eggs benny or avocado on toast; think mozzarella and chilli jam-filled potato pancakes andbig fat slices of French toast laden with monterey jack cheese and fresh pesto, or loaded with tiramisu cream and berries. The coffee is fantastic, too.

This quirky, tiki-themed minigolf course first popped up in Dalston's Efes in April 2015. A decade later, that debut site is no more, but you can now find Plonks outdoors in London Fields and under the arches at Borough Market. The Hackney course, which recently got a big ol’ refurb, takes you through a ‘Polynesian themed putt paradise’ complete with a tiki forest, a volcano canyon and octupuses. There are plenty of satisfying holes that fire your ball onto tricksy little mechanisms, a loop the loop, and a lot of impossibly steep ramps. All in all: it’s a great place for a plonking party. Prices start from £9.35 per person per play. 

‘Blood rain’ might sounds like a horrifying apocalyptic event, but don’t worry, it’s nothing of the sort.  A wave of red dust is being blown over from the Sahara to the UK this week. The dust gets its colour from its high levels of iron oxides and when it mixes with the rain that’s forecast over the next two days, it’ll leave a red layer on surfaces like cars or windows, hence the name ‘blood rain’.  The plume is predicted to arrive in the UK today (Thursday March 5) and Friday. Keep an eye on the sky in the mornings and evenings – the dust also means that sunrises and sunsets will look particularly fiery, with deeper shades of gold, amber, and burnt orange than normal.  The Met Office says: ‘This week, Saharan dust is once again being transported northwards across parts of Europe and towards the UK. Current assessments suggest that concentrations will pass close to or just south of the UK, but a brush of dust‑influenced air is likely, particularly affecting southern parts of the country. ‘At this stage, concentrations are expected to remain relatively low, meaning rainfall itself is unlikely to appear noticeably red. Instead, where dust mixes in, the impact is more likely to be seen after showers have passed, with a light film of yellowish or brownish residue on surfaces.’ It adds that the dust isn’t anything to worry about health-wise. At most, the forecaster says, people with respiratory sensitivities may ‘notice a slight increase in airborne particulates before rainfall c

These days, there’s an enormous bank of movies that we can stream from the comfort of our own homes at the touch of a button. But there’s still nothing like sitting back in a soft red chair, grabbing a cardboard tub of warm popcorn and watching a great film in a cinema. So, to celebrate those movie meccas, Time Out’s global film editor Phil de Semlyen, with the help of some of some other kino lovers from from around the world, has put together a list of the greatest cinemas on the planet right now.  Our roundup features a Berlin cinema with its own nuclear bunker, a Canadian theatre with just 12 seats, an open-air screen in Greece and a huge art-deco palace in India. Naturally, there are plenty of London cinemas on the list too. The capital’s top ranked kino was BFI Southbank, which landed in fourth place. Photograph: BFI / Luke Hayes Formerly the National Film Theatre, the cinema nestled beneath Waterloo Bridge became the BFI in 2007 and is a paradise for every serious film lover. It’s four screens are open seven days a week, showing hyped new releases alongside restored classics and slept-on gems from every corner of the globe and every year it hosts a range of niche and blockbuster festivals, from Woman With A Movie Camera and the Short Film Festival to BFI Flare (the largest LGBQ+ film festival in the UK), and of course the biggest of them all, the London Film Festival.  There’s also the library of film publications and the ‘Mediatheque’, a room full of crescent-shaped

Long live the cinema! Even with the infinite number of movies that are at our fingertips on streaming, Brits still love going to the movies. Cinema attendance among Gen Z is, in fact, on the rise and young people are reportedly flocking to their local picturehouses to watch cult classics and rereleases. We want to make sure it stays that way.  Time Out’s global network of experts have collaborated to create a blockbuster list of the 100 greatest cinemas on the planet right now, with advice on how you can support them to ensure they stick around for future generations. The ranking features theatres in Canada, Japan, India and Argentina, as well as 23 cinemas that are here in the UK.  The top ranked British cinema was BFI Southbank in London, followed by Prince Charles Cinema and Picturehouse Central, both also in London. You can read more about all the capital’s kinos in the list here. The highest ranked cinema outside of the capital was Queen’s Film Theatre in Belfast, which placed 22nd.  The picturehouse has been around since 1968 and is widely regarded as Northern Ireland’s leading independent cinema.  It can be easy to miss, inconspicuously located inside a Georgian terrace next to Queen’s University, but the inside is expansive. The venue houses two screens (converted from old lecture theatres) with a combined capacity of roughly 300. Like many other cinemas on the list, you can go there to watch new releases alongside old classics and forgotten deep cuts. It also runs se

Finally, London has been blessed with a heavy dose of vitamin D. The sun’s out, the trees are blossoming, payday has given our bank accounts a boost, life is good.  But don’t let London’s first taste of spring sunshine tempt you into splashing all your cash at once. There are still months of sitting in beer gardens, dancing in fields and taking trips to the seaside ahead of us that you’ll want to save your pennies for.   We’re here to make that easy for you. This weekend, the city is brimming with excellent budget-friendly things to do. National Lottery Open Week is offering free entry to a bunch of London landmarks, people of all faiths are invited to join Iftars in some of the city’s most famous venues and there’s a bunch of events happening in honour of International Women’s Day 2026.  Like the sound of those? Read on for the full lowdown on all the best things you can do in London without spending a thing this weekend.  RECOMMENDED: All the best things to do in London this weekend.  The best free things on in London this weekend, March 6-8 2026  1. Get free entry to some of London’s top attractions for National Lottery Open Week Every year, National Lottery Open Week gives  National Lottery-funded venues across a chance to say thank you to participants for their part in raising £32 million each week to support charitable causes. This weekend, simply buying a lottery ticket will get you into loads of top London attractions for free. You can explore the totally gorgeous

When it first launched in 2007, Brewdog set out to be a ‘punk’, rebel outsider sort of brand. Over the years, founders threw toy cats out of helicopters, projected naked images of themselves onto the Houses of Parliament, drove tanks down the street and sold bottles in taxidermied squirrels.  But the craft beer brand has had a pretty significant fall from grace since all of that. After failing to make a profit in recent years, Brewdog went into administrators and now, it’s been sold off. The brand, its brewing operations, intellectual property and 11 of its pubs have been bought by American beverage and medical cannabis company Tilray in a £33m deal.  Tilray will take over Brewdog’s brewery in Aberdeenshire and its national distribution centre in Motherwell as well as flagship pubs in Manchester, Edinburgh, London and Birmingham.  But Brewdog’s 38 other pubs across the UK are closing with immediate effect (including eight in the capital – find out more here). The move has made 484 members of staff redundant in what Unite union has called ‘nothing short of a national disgrace’. General secretary Sharon Graham said: ‘BrewDog workers built this brand. They deserved respect. Instead, they were treated as disposable pawns.’ Tilray boss Irwin D Simon said that the company will ‘refocus BrewDog on the craft beer excellence that made it beloved in the first place and strategically invest to return the operations to profitable growth’.  Which Brewdog pubs are shutting? The following B

East Londoners got a very brief taste of the DLR’s long-awaited new trains at the end of last year. Three of the shiny new walk-through locomotives, featuring air con and USB ports, were introduced to the line back in October in what should have been the start of a full roll out. However, all three of those new trains were withdrawn from the line just a month later. TfL took them off the line as a precautionary measure after one of them travelled past its intended stopping point at Canning Town station while it was raining.  Since then, TfL has been working closely with the manufacturer of the trains to figure out and fix the root cause of the fault. The whole fleet has had updates to its braking software to improve performance in wet weather and ensure the incident doesn’t happen again. Now, TfL has announced when it’ll start rolling the trains out.  Following testing, TfL will start reintroducing the DLR’s shiny new fleet this summer. Once all 54 trains are in business, they’ll boost the DLR’s overall capacity by 50 percent. There will be some network closures in the coming months in order for the trains to be tested on the line.  Stuart Harvey, TfL’s chief capital officer, said: ‘We know customers are looking forward to travelling on these new trains, and we will provide a further update in the spring, with the trains being reintroduced by summer. Our engineers, together with CAF and our franchisee KeolisAmey Docklands, have worked tirelessly to ensure they return safely

From Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped to Muriel Spark’s The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, many a great novel has been come out of Edinburgh. One one the greatest of them all, of course, is Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting.  Depicting the life of young heroin addicts in brutal, darkly comic detail, the book was quickly considered a crucial piece of Scottish literature and its film adaptation (which turned 30 years old just last week) remains a cult classic. And yet, there are no places in Edinburgh dedicated to the novel and its legacy. Until now.  Last week, a secondhand bookshop paying homage to Welsh’s novel and the 1996 film opened in the very same area it was set. Choose Books opened at 126 Newham Road in Leith. The shop’s frontage sports the same shade of orange and font that featured on the Trainspotting promo material three decades ago.  It was launched by Shaun Baskind, who previously owned Ballard Books in South Africa, a tribute to English author JG Ballard. Baskind told Time Out: ‘The idea was to open a bookshop near where we live and create our own vibe in our community – not to try and get into already established cool areas, as there are loads of awesome places in Edinburgh. The community has responded very well and been very supportive.’ Photograph: Choose Books Contrary to its name, books are just one of the things you can choose at the store. And it’s not completely Trainspotting themed. Besides pre-loved titles spanning every genre from horror to romance to ki

The Egyptian Halls on Glasgow’s Union Street is considered to be one of the city’s finest pieces of architecture. Built in 1872 as a department store, bazaar and exhibition space, it was designed by the great Scottish architect Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson who, you might have guessed, was inspired by Greek architecture. It’s got ornate stone columns and is decked out with beautiful Assyrian and Egyptian inspired detailing (hence the name).  The thing is, Glaswegians haven’t had the chance to appreciate the Grade A-listed building’s full beauty for a long time. While the ground floor is currently being used for shops, the rest of the building has sat empty and crumbling for the past 30 years. It’s been on the national Buildings at Risk Register since 1990 and encased in scaffolding since 2011. It was even flagged as one of Europe’s most endangered buildings in 2019.  Photograph: Glasgow City Council However, that could soon all change – the Egyptian Halls could be fully brought back to life and transformed into a grand new hotel.  Last year, Glasgow City Council launched a compulsory purchase order (CPO) process to take over the site. The CPO allows the local authority to save a building by purchasing it for its own use or use by other parties and as part of that, it had to invite proposals from other interested developers. Three bids were submitted and now, the council has chosen its favourite.  The preferred bid comes from property firm Ediston. Its proposal involves converti

In recent days London has been teased with a glimpse of what life will look like in the city in just a few months’ time. The sun’s been out, the weather warm and outdoor seating areas full. We reckon everyone was around 70 percent merrier than normal.  When spring finally kicks in, you can count on Londoners to immediately beeline for a beer garden of rooftop bar. And soon, there’ll be a new rooftop bar to add to your list. St Paul’s bar Sabine is launching its second rooftop venue in April, taking over the terrace at the NYX Hotel in Holborn.  The hotel’s old rooftop bar, named the Glasshouse, had a rather dark interior with a few pops of hot pink or purple here and there. Sabine has transformed it into a much brighter space, focusing on coral and terracotta tones and funky patterned upholstery.  Image: Sabine Like its St Paul’s bar, Sabine’s newest spot will mostly focus on cocktails and small plates. While we don’t know exactly what those will be yet, the menu at the OG bar includes things like tacos, mac ’n’ cheese croquettes and arancini. And if the Holborn branch is anything like the first Sabine, we could expect bottomless brunches and DJ nights too.  What’s more, it won’t have to be sunny for you to pay Sabine Holborn a visit. There will also be a generously sized indoor space from which you’ll still be able to admire the city views.  Nigel Tindall, venue director, said: ‘Building on the success of St Paul’s, this new rooftop reflects our continued commitment to cre

This year will mark a major moment for Manchester Airport. After a decade in the making, its huge £1.3bn revamp of Terminal 2 will finally be complete. Last year, the terminal revealed its expanded security hall, a huge new departures lounge with a sparkling ‘boutique mall’ and it’s now undergoing the very final touches.  It’s hoped that the massive transformation of T2 will allow Manchester Airport to serve 40 million passengers per year by 2030, compared to the 32 million it serves right now. Now, plans are being discussed for new public transport infrastructure that’ll help the hub accomodate eight million more flyers.  A new Metrolink stop and tram line could be added to the Terminal 2 building. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is considering adding a stop along the new ‘Western leg’ of the existing tram line. If the idea goes ahead, the tram would stop at Manchester Airport rail and tram station as it normally does, then continue on to the new terminal. It would travel across the M56 and connect to the existing line at Roundthorn. Photograph: Shutterstock The plan is laid out in TfGM’s Greater Manchester Transport Strategy 2050, which says that ‘with the completion of the Manchester Airport Transformation Programme in 2025, most flights will arrive and depart from this terminal’. No decision has been made yet on whether the new tram stop will become a reality.  A spokesperson for Manchester Airport said: ‘As we

It’s strange to think that just four years ago, Superloop buses weren’t a thing. Now there are 11 different rapid bus services offering Londoners speedy travel around the outer edges in the city. And there are even more on the way. The SL12 is set to launch later this year, and now TfL has confirmed that a Superloop service for northeast London been given the green light. The SL14 has been officially approved and will be up and running in 2027. The route will travel between Stratford and Chingford via Leyton and Walthamstow. Londoners will be able to make use of it seven days a week from around 5am until 12.30am –it’ll run every 12 minutes during the day from Monday to Saturday and every 15 minutes during evenings, Sundays, and early weekday mornings. Just like every other Superloop route, it’ll use double-decker buses decked out with USB ports.  The approval follows a public consultation that ran at the end of last year. According to TfL, 83 percent of respondents said that the SL14 would be more convenient for them that existing routes and 81 percent agreed that it would speed up journey times.  When the new route launches, there’ll be changes to the current D8 service that runs between Crossharbour and Stratford Bus Station. It will be be diverted to terminate at Stratford City Bus Station, closer to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and Westfield Stratford City. If all goes according to plan, TfL will also launch the SL13 between Ealing Broadway and the SL15 between Clapham Ju

Supermarkets have really been upping their clothes game lately. Go to the George section at Asda these days and you can pick up jackets, jeans, boots and belts that could just as easily have come from the likes of Zara or H&M. So, bargain fashion fiends will be excited to find out that the supermarket is launching a whole load of standalone George stores this year.  Last year, the brand began converting its Asda Living branches into George stores. The very first standalone George store opened at Crown Point in Leeds last May and a second one launched in October in Hull’s Anlaby Retail Park.  Now, the brand is getting ready to rebrand 10 more Asda Living into George stores. The first of those will be at Peterborough’s Brotherhood Shopping Park, which will open to the public at 9am on March 12.  As a George store, it’ll have a larger offering of womenswear, menswear, childrenswear and homeware. Shoppers can expect to see a more contemporary layout that’ll ‘enhance the shopping experience’ and more streamlined self-scan checkouts. They’ll also be among the first that’ll be able to get their hands on Asda’s newest fashion and home launches.  RECOMMENDED: Full list of UK high street closures confirmed in 2026, including Lloyds Bank, Poundland, River Island and Revolution bars. Liz Evans, George managing director, said: ‘Peterborough marks a key milestone in our roll-out of stand-alone George stores across the UK. The success of our first concept stores shows the huge potential to