Amy Houghton

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

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 February 2026. London's best new restaurants at a glance: 🍛 Central: DakaDaka, Mayfair 🍠 North: Ling Ling’s, Islington 🥟 South: Doma, Sydenham 🍝 East: Tiella, Bethnal Green 🥗 West: Martino’s, Chelsea February 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, 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 spicy southern Thai at the second branch of Plaza Khao Gaeng by Borough Marke

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. 

Whatever your vibe (and whatever your budget), London’s got it all – and anyone will find something they love here. Historic pubs, leafy parks and gardens and an unmatched restaurant scene make this city worth visiting year-round, but before you’ve booked anything in London, you kind of have to know where you’re going to be based. To get you started, we’ve rounded up the city’s best Airbnbs available to book right now, with expert tips from our local editors.  Should I choose an Airbnb or a hotel in London? London is not short on lovely hotels, ranging from budget to luxury and just about everything in between. But it’s fair to say that even the cheaper options cost a pretty penny – and you’ll often find them in more central, touristy areas in the city. If you want to live like a Londoner, an Airbnb can allow you to properly immerse yourself in a more residential area of London – and all the locally-loved bars, pubs and restaurants that come with it. You’ll find lots of our local tips below, but for a detailed breakdown of the best neighbourhoods to stay in London, check out our ultimate area guide. More of a hotels guy? No problem. Here’s our list of the best hotels in London.  📍 RECOMMENDED: Ultimate guide to the best hotels and Airbnbs in London Who makes the cut? While we might not stay in and review every Airbnb featured, our writers have based our list on expert knowledge of the destination covered, editorial reviews, user reviews, amenities and in-depth research to

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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. 

There's a real sense of fun to this deliberately rough-around-the-edges course. Party tunes blare from speakers, graffiti jazzes up the walls and it's made from ‘twisted junk, car booty and charity shop shizzle’. Junkyard Golf Club has four courses – Gary, Pablo, Dirk and Bozo – that are all fabulously chaotic and mildly freaky. Depending on which challenge you take on, you’ll be putting past pirate pigs, dishevelled nightclub urinals, terrifying giant clown heads and a UV rave room. There's also a second location in Camden for more of the same.  Prices start at £12 for nine holes at off-peak times (Sunday to Thursday) and go up to £21 for 18 holes on busier days (Fridays and Saturdays). And as any good crazy golf should, Junkyard has a menu of themed cocktails to keep lubed up before, during and after your game. 

A Valentine’s date doesn’t have to be anything extravagant. Sure, a fancy meal is nice and all, but St Valentine’s Day is really about giving quality time to your favourite people, whether that be a partner, pals or a situationship that you’re trying to turn into something a bit deeper.  This year V Day falls on a Saturday, which means there’s an awful lot of time to fill. But, like we said, that doesn’t have to involve big spending. There are all sorts of romantic experiences going on in London that won’t burn a gaping hole in your wallet and have you resenting your other half for the next six months.  For artsy couples, there are free events to get your creative juices flowing or for food-obsessed lovers, there are loads of affordable meals to bond over. However you want to impress your hot date, we’ve got you covered. Here are all of London’s best cheap and free things to do with your Valentine. RECOMMENDED: The best alternative things to do in London for Valentine’s Day.  The best free and cheap things to do for Valentines Day in London 2026 1. Celebrate love at a mid-week Museum of the Home Late A few days before the main event, the Museum of the Home is keeping its doors open after hours for a lovely wholesome night of music and making. A zine workshop with Tummy Ache Magazine will invite you to create a zine that pays homage to your personal love story, a pop-up market will offer up a selection of artisan chocolate, original art, perfume, cards, accessories and flower

Si vous ne l’aviez pas encore noté, 2026 sera une année majeure pour l’art à Londres. La ville accueillera notamment sa première grande exposition consacrée à Frida Kahlo depuis huit ans, la présentation au Royaume-Uni d’un chef-d’œuvre de Renoir, la première exposition d’envergure jamais dédiée en Grande-Bretagne à Ana Mendieta, la plus grande rétrospective de Tracey Emin à ce jour ainsi qu’une exposition importante consacrée à David Hockney. La plupart de ces expositions n’ouvriront que dans plusieurs semaines ou mois. Mais une autre exposition très attendue ouvrira beaucoup plus tôt à Londres, dans quelques jours seulement. *]:pointer-events-auto scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" tabindex="-1" data-turn-id="request-WEB:536ada58-0dfc-421d-a004-3ff3923da2a5-4" data-testid="conversation-turn-10" data-scroll-anchor="true" data-turn="assistant"> Seurat and the Sea, présentée au Courtauld, sera la première exposition consacrée au grand postimpressionniste français et inventeur du pointillisme Georges Seurat au Royaume-Uni depuis près de trente ans. Ce sera également la toute première exposition entièrement dédiée à ses marines, moins connues du grand public. Entre 1885 et 1890, Seurat, alors âgé d’une vingtaine d’années, passe chaque été à observer les ports de la côte nord de la France et à peindre leurs paysages marins, régates et scènes liées à la mer. L’exposition réunira 26 peintures, esquisses à l’huile et dessins réalisé

Monday February 9 was a day of major celebration for dozens of fine dining restaurants across the UK and Ireland. It was the long-awaited day that Michelin handed out a brand new batch of its coveted stars. But Michelin giveth and it taketh away.  Every year, there are a small number of restaurants that have their stars removed. Most of the time, the loss of a star is down to somewhere closing down, relocating or being refurbished rather than its quality going downhill.  Of the 10 places that lost their stars last night, there are two that are still in operation. One of them is Humo in London, which switched leadership last year from chef Miller Prada to Scottish chef Robbie Jameson. The other is Canterbury gastropub The Bridge Arms, which changed hands in the summer with a new, more casual concept.  Photograph: Courtesy of Club Gascon The rest of the spots that no longer have a star were all places that permanently closed last year. There was Pascal Aussignac’s Club Gascon in London, which has been around since 1998 and earned its first Michelin star in 2002. But just last week, it announced that it would be closing its doors in March. The restaurant’s owners Aussignac and Vincent Labeyrie said in a social media post: ‘With both gratitude and a heavy heart, we share that Club Gascon will be closing its doors following dinner service on 28 March’.  Shoreditch fine dining spot Lyle’s also said farewell last year and was removed from the Michelin star roster. Crocadon in St M

It’s no secret that Edinburgh’s food scene is utterly fantastic. The city has easy access to some of the finest produce in the country, like the wild salmon of the Atlantic and the game in the Scottish glens, and it boasts a far more laid back, down-to-earth approach to dining than the likes of London.  From a swish seafood specialist to a cool, classy food hall, last year saw loads of exciting new additions to Edinburgh’s culinary portfolio. So we’ve given our own list of the city’s best a big refresh, and crowned a brand new restaurant Edinburgh’s number one. The best restaurant in the Scottish capital right now is Moss.  Moss launched in Edinburgh’s Stockbridge neighbourhood last January. It’s owned by chef Henry Dobson, who cut his teeth at Copenhagen’s (now closed) three Michelin starred restaurant Noma and the kitchen is led by head chef Dylan Pinder, who has previously cooked at Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons and The Ledbury in London.  Photograph: Moss The rotating menu offers farm-to-table plates comprising entirely of Scottish produce, much of which comes from the owner’s family farm in Angus. Its drinks menu is also exclusively British, featuring lager from East Lothian, sparkling wine from Kent and rare Scottish grown tea.  There’s a ‘Tour of Scotland’ menu for £85 a head (a veggie option is available) or a ‘Whistle Stop’ menu for £65 per person. The dishes on offer are constantly changing, but diners can expect things like tempura oyster from the

Yes, the rumours are true – Taylor Swift rented out a random London shopping centre for her latest music video.  The pop superstar’s ‘Opalite’ video, which was released last week, is set in the ’90s and features cameos from Graham Norton, Lewis Capaldi, Domhnall Gleeson, Cillian Murphy and Greta Lee. Part of the video sees Taylor and Domhnall Gleeson wandering around a colourful, sparkling shopping mall. That shopping mall, ladies and gents, is Croydon’s own Whitgift Centre.    Not every day Taylor Swift films a video in Croydon’s Whitgift Centre! ✨ pic.twitter.com/ALPef2rmJW — Sarah Jones MP (@LabourSJ) February 6, 2026   In the video, the Whitgift Centre is decked out with pastel frontages, green plants and neon signs. But if Taylor Swift fans want to visit the set in person, they’ll be bitterly disappointed. In reality, the Whitgift is grey and deteriorating with around 70 empty units. One recent Google review says it’s ‘run down with hardly any shops left’ while another calls it an ‘absolutely dreadful place’ The mall looks so barren in real life that some Americans looked at photos and assumed it was abandoned. But Londoners were quick to correct them and point out that, while it could do with a heavy dose of TLC, the Whitgift Centre is in fact fully operational.  Taylor hun, could you not have left your decorations up? Made the Whitgift Centre much more pretty and looks like it would actually entice customers…#croydon https://t.co/0Da0xt8Tc4 — Sophie Taylor-Denton (

As one of the UK’s original ‘Big Four’ supermarkets, it feels as though there’s a Tesco Express, Metro, Superstore or Extra pretty much around every corner. There are in fact nearly 3,000 Tescos dotted around the UK, making it the most prolific supermarket of the lot. But that’s not enough, apparently. Tesco has announced plans to open even more UK stores across the next two years.  Tesco cut the ribbon for 60 new Express stores in 2025 and says thats it’s on track to open 70 more before 2027. Now, it’s revealed the 11 locations that are next in line.  The supermarket acquired five old Amazon Fresh stores in London and plans to reopen them as Tesco Express locations before the summer. Those will be in Kensington High Street, Hounslow, Moorgate, Aldgate East and Wembley.  New Express supermarkets are also coming to Bickington in Devon, Pontrhydyrun in Torfaen, Strabane in County Tyrone and Wallyford in East Lothian. Their exact launch dates haven’t been confirmed yet.  Photograph: Shutterstock On top of those openings, there’ll be two new large Tesco stores in Scotland, though it’s not clear whether they’ll be Tesco Extras or the slightly smaller Tesco Superstores. One will be in Pitlochry in Perth and Kinross and the other will be in Heartlands.  Nick Johnson, property director at Tesco Group, said of the brand’s new branches: ‘As one of the UK’s leading retailers, we support jobs and local economies up and down the UK, and as we grow our store network we’re delighted to ha

Baz Luhrmann’s films ooze luxury. And from the over-the-top glamour of the Gatsby mansion to the rich red Moulin Rouge ballroom, much of the characteristic opulence of his movies is down to his longtime collaborator (and wife) costume and production designer Catherine Martin.  Now, the power couple have put their creative minds together to conjure up something else entirely – a train carriage. Luhrmann and Martin have designed Celia, a new carriage on the UK’s most luxurious train, the Belmond British Pullman.  Inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream, London’s 1930s West End theatre scene and vintage cinema, the carriage has its own cocktail bar, lounge, dining area and entertainment space for up to 12 people. It’ll be adorned with thick velvet, British floral motifs, oak wood marquetry, rich green, yellow, purple and red furnishings and heavy theatre-style curtains.  Photograph: Hugh Stewart Belmond says that the carriage can be booked for exclusive lunches, grand banquets, cocktail hours or intimate celebrations with customised menus. Once the feasting is over, it can be turned into a dancefloor or theatrical space for performances.  Luhrmann said: ‘For Catherine and I, creating Celia was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, allowing us to push the boundaries of creativity, luxury, and uniqueness. Stepping inside the carriage is like being transported into another world, andone in which guests are invited to become part of the story. ‘Celia, at its heart, is a magical mystery t

If you were worried about a Block9-shaped hole in your life this summer, worry no more. London’s cult queer rave Adonis is filling that hole with a brand new queer festival, taking place on what would normally be Glastonbury weekend. Happening from June 26-28, Runway Festival will be the UK’s first LGBTQ+ camping festival. And just like Adonis’s famed club nights, it’s set to be a gloriously hedonistic affair fuelled by techno, house, acid and everything in between.  The three-day, 5,000-capacity party is taking place on a disused runway at a (so far undisclosed) working airport in the south of England. At the centre will be a fantasy street named ‘Runway Boulevard’, which has been inspired by the ‘gay neighbourhoods’ of every major world city. Organisers say that it will be a ‘deliberately disorienting’ space, with punters feeling like they could be anywhere from 1970s Castro to 1980s Soho to a futuristic vision of Tokyo’s Ni-chōme.  The event’s main arena, a ‘modern, techno-futurist utopia’ will be at the end of the boulevard. This is where you’ll find all the live music and performance art.  The first wave of acts for the festival has already been announced. It includes the likes of Roza Terenzi, Aurora Halal, BASHKKA, Cormac and Clarisa Kimskii, as well as Adonis residents Seb Odyssey, Marie Malarie, Byron Yeates, Hannah Holland, Gideön and Grace Sands.  Photograph: Runway / Adonis Shay Malt, founder of Adonis and Runway, said: ‘The idea of doing a festival appeals to m

Festival season is on the horizon. And while Glasto is taking a break this year, there are more than enough stellar music events going on to make up for it. In fact, we’re spoiled for choice – according to the Association of Independent Festivals, the UK hosted more than 592 music festivals last year, and there’s likely to be a similar number in 2026.  With so many hundreds of to choose from, Time Out is here to separate the good from the great. We’ve sifted through the UK’s packed festival calendar and whittled it down to a list of 50 of the absolute best. Whether you’re after a crowd-pleasing multi-genre event or a hardcore cult favourite, there’ll be a music festival on this list for you.  The first of the UK’s best festivals this year are both happening in Edinburgh in two months’ time. There’s Terminal V at the Royal Highland Centre on April 18-19, Now one of Europe’s top electronic music festivals, it’s got a line-up of more than 100 artists across six stages, including big names like Adrián Mills, Eternalism and Biianco. On the same weekend, there’s the new Cowgate Block Party happening across three of Scottish capital’s top small-capacity indie venues – Sneaky Pete’s, Legends and Bongo Club.  Photograph: The Hype Factory May is when the UK’s festival season really kicks into gear, though. Some of the best fests happening that month include London’s GALA, which offers a programme of electronic tunes, soul, jazz and afrobeats; Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Sunderland, whic

In case you weren’t already aware, 2026 is going to be a blockbuster year for art in London. There’s the city’s first major Frida Kahlo exhibition in eight years, a Renoir masterpiece making its UK debut, the first ever major British display of Ana Mendieta’s work, the largest Tracey Emin retrospective to date and a landmark Hockney show.  We’ll have to wait a several weeks or months for most of those shows, but there is one other hotly-anticipated exhibition that will open in London a lot sooner – in a matter of days, in fact. Seurat and the Sea at the Courtauld will be the first UK exhibition on the great French post-impressionist and the inventor of pointillism Georges Seurat in almost 30 years. It’ll also be the first ever show entirely dedicated to his lesser-known seascapes. Between 1885 and 1890, a twenty-something Seurat spent each summer observing the port towns along the northern coast of France and putting paint to canvas to capture their seascapes, regattas and other oceanic activities. This exhibition will bring together 26 paintings, oil sketches and drawings produced by Seurat during that period, including The Beach at Gravelines (1890) and Seascape at Port-en-Bessin, Normandy (1888).   Seurat is most famous for his Parisian studies, but he said that he created these seascapes ‘to wash his eyes of the days spent in the studio [in Paris] and to translate in the most faithful manner the bright clarity, in all its nuances’. The artist died in 1891 aged just 31, s

A major new neighbourhood with homes reserved specifically for NHS workers could be coming to east London.  Last month, plans were submitted for Whitechapel Healthcare and Research Campus, a £750m development that would provide homes for key workers and supposedly address needs for more green spaces and community facilities. The proposal for the campus comes from investment firm BGO in collaboration with PLP Architecture and Barts Health NHS Trust. It’s part of the newly announced Barts Life Science Cluster and planners say that the development could ease pressure on Royal Hospital London, which is one of the capital’s busiest and most overstretched hospitals. So, what exactly would the project look like? Well, spanning a whopping 1 million sq. ft, the development would include public sector services as well as flexible workspaces reserved for health-tech, diagnostics, AI and robotics companies. The ground floor of its main building would be publicly accessible with a foyer, a cafe and a 500-capacity event space designed for exhibitions, community use and for demonstrations of MedTech innovation and research.  Image: PLP Architecture The plans also propose providing amenity spaces for NHS staff and a new home for the Royal London Hospital Museum. On the roof, there would be a 100m running track, sports pitch and panoramic views across London for NHS staff and others working in the building.  There will also be five new residential buildings and refurbished terrace housing.

An EU Entry/ Exit System (EES) has been in the works for a nearly a decade. It was first proposed by European leaders in 2016 and it was thought that the tech would be up and running across the EU by 2022.  Needless to say, it’s all taken a little longer than that. The system finally started landing in airports at the end of last year. That means that soon, Brits will have to start paying for something called a visa-waiver in order to enter 29 different European countries.  The EES has been having some teething problems since it began official roll out a few months ago, mostly in the form of long queues at passport control desks. Waits at Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Paris Charles de Gaulle airports were reportedly particularly painful when the tech was first implemented. For now, though, Brits don’t have to pay anything extra. Here’s everything you need to know the EES, ETIAS and when UK citizens will have to start paying for their visa-waiver.  What is EES?  EES, which stands for Entry/Exit System, has already started being introduced in European airports. It digitally registers travellers from non-EU countries every time they cross a border into or out of the EU, meaning that their travel history is stored digitally and they no longer need passport stamps. The aim is to make travelling through airports more efficient and to ‘improve border security’.  It requires travellers to register four of their fingerprints and their facial biometrics at the border (kids under 12 won’t ha