Amy Houghton

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, 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 spicy southern Thai at the seco

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. 

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. 

Saving money is always a good idea. When you’re holidaying on the Italian coast or finally investing in that big purchase you’ve had your eye on for months, you’ll be thankful for all those weeks of sticking to a tight budget.  But saving up doesn’t mean resigning yourself to weekends full of nothing. Especially in London. Sure, there are countless things in the city that can very easily tempt you to part with your cash, but there are also plenty of art exhibitions, cultural festivals and annual gatherings happening this weekend that are completely free of charge. Even if you’re not trying to be money conscious right now, they’re worth your time.  From Lunar New Year celebrations to LGBTQ+ History Month events, these are all the best free things going on in London over the weekend.  The best free things on in London this weekend, February 20-22 2026 1. Usher in the Year of the Fire Horse London hosts the world’s largest Lunar New Year celebration outside of Asia, with dancing dragons, martial art masters and traditional music taking over Chinatown and the surrounding plazas. But those aren’t the only revelries to see in the city. You’ll also find big colourful Chinese New Year celebrations, with performances, workshops, food stalls and more at Camden Market, Greenwich Peninsula, the National Maritime Museum, London Museum Docklands, Duke of York Square and Old Spitalfields Market. Every single one of them is free to enjoy – simply turn up and get stuck in.   Various location

Croissants and cruffins, bread and beignets, cheese twists and cinnamon buns – London’s bakeries have every kind of baked good you could possibly wish for (and then some). You could take on the enormous task of trying them all out for yourself, or you take the safe route and simply stop by the places that have been given an expert’s seal of approval. And in a brand new ranking, there are two London bakeries that have risen above all the rest.  British Baker has revealed its Baker’s Dozen for 2026 – the 13 artisan bakeries that have been voted the best in Britain. In previous years, the Baker’s Dozen has been decided by a huge panel of industry experts, but for 2026, the winning places were revealed by reader votes.  Britain’s best artisan bakeries in 2026 August Bakery, a relative newcomer to the city’s baking scene, was the first London bakehouse included in this year’s batch. Run by husband and wife team Harry Robins and Florrie Beard, August opened on Battersea Rise at the end of 2024. British Baker said: ‘Substance over style is the ethos at [August Bakery], making simple delicious things that don’t need an audio guide to be understood – they also try not to waste anything.’ View this post on Instagram A post shared by August Bakery (@august.bakery_)   Its signature bakes include the miso sesame sourdough, the kouign amann (a Breton butter cake) and the Serrano ham, Oglesheild cheese and fennel seed swirl. Other creations from August have included quince c

This year the admin involved in travelling from the UK overseas is set to change quite a bit. More airports are due to scrap the 100ml liquid limit, and from April all Brits will need to provide fingerprints and mugshots, and apply and pay for a visa-waiver in order to enter any EU country.  There are changes lined up for people travelling to the UK too. And that includes for British dual citizens living abroad. Right now British dual nationals are allowed travel in and out of the country with their foreign passport. But that will change from next week. The government has announced that British dual citizens may have to pay more than £500 in order to come to the UK. Here’s everything you need to know.  What are the new rules? Under the new travel rules, British dual citizens will have to show a British or Irish passport in order to enter the UK. If they want to use the passport of the country where they hold dual citizenship, they’ll have to present it alongside a certificate of entitlement. And that will cost a pretty penny – more on that cost below.  Why are the new rules being introduced?  The new regulations follow the introduction of Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). ETA is a £16 document needed for travel to the UK by residents countries that don’t need a visa. It’ll be mandatory for residents of 85 countries, including the US, Canada, France and Australia.  British nationals can’t get an ETA, so it means that those who only have a foreign passport will need to obt

The Year of the Fire Horse has arrived. And there are few better ways to celebrate it than at the biggest Lunar New Year celebration outside of Asia, which just so happens to be right here in London.  This time every year, London’s Chinatown erupts with dramatic martial arts displays, opulent red and gold costumes, fireworks, dancing dragons and more to usher in the Chinese New Year.  On Saturday, there’ll be lion dance performances throughout Chinatown, but the main festivities will kick off on Sunday. At the centre of it all is the flamboyant parade that runs through the district, followed by dozens of performances, workshops and activities across Leicester Square and Trafalgar Square to get involved in. Here’s everything you need to know.  🐍 Time Out’s ultimate guide to the Chinese Lunar New Year in London.🧧 London’s best Lunar New Year events in 2025 (outside Chinatown). What date is Chinese New Year 2026? For 2026, Chinese New Year landed on Tuesday February 17.   When is London’s Chinese New Year parade?  London’s huge annual Chinese New Year parade is happening on Sunday February 22.  Chinese New Year parade start time The parade will set off at 10am and last until 12pm. Festivities will continue in the area until 5.30pm.   London Chinese New Year parade route  The procession will start to the east of Trafalgar Square, a few metres down from Charing Cross station. Spectacular Chinese lions and dragons will make their way up Charing Cross Road to Shaftesbury Avenue

The V&A is stuffed with a truly magnificent array of weird and wonderful things from centuries of human existence. Under one roof, you can find the sixteenth century Raphael Cartoons, Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks, an Iranian carpet thought to be the oldest in the world, a Storm Trooper suit from the Star Wars movies, a diamond butterfly ring worn by Beyonce and... a Labubu.  Yes, a Labubu. The freaky-looking plush toy that had Gen Z in a chokehold last year is one of the new exhibits at the V&A’s Design 1900-Now galleries, which are due to reopen to the public on Wednesday, February 18, following an upgrade.  The Design galleries are spread across two rooms on the museum’s upper floor. Packed with 250 artefacts (60 of which are new additions), they cover six different themes: housing and living, crisis and conflict, consumption and identity, automation and labour, sustainability and subversion, and data and communication.  All of the items on display invite visitors to interrogate ‘every element of the designed world’. There are very familiar everyday items like an iPhone, a tupperware from the 1960s, an office chair and an Ikea lamp, as well as more political and confronting designs such as a poster calling for ‘No More Racist Murders’ created after the death of the teenager Rohit Duggal in 1992, a ‘life medal’ given to people imprisoned for environmental action and fast fashion jeans like those made at the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh, which collapsed due to a structu

It’s not hard to find a David Hockney exhibition in London. Last year, the octogenarian had shows at the Royal Drawing School and Lightroom, the year before that you could find special displays of his work at the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery, and there’s another one coming to the Serpentine next month. However, Hockney exhibitions anywhere else in the UK are much fewer and farther between. So, it’s a pretty big deal that a Hockney piece will be landing at one of Britain’s best regional galleries later this year.  David Hockney has created a brand new window installation for Margate’s Turner Contemporary. The piece is based on an iPad painting the artist created in 2020, depicting a sunrise in Normandy as part of a huge body of work responding to the changing seasons, weather and light. It’ll be the first time that a major work by Hockney is on display in the seaside town and a rare opportunity to see a piece by the artist outside of London.  Photograph: Jean-Pierre Gonçalves de Lima Created for the gallery’s 15th anniversary, the piece titled ‘Sunley Window’ will take up the entirety of the 22-by-32-foot, floor-to-ceiling window in the building’s Sunley Gallery, which looks out towards the North Sea. The idea is that, at night, it’ll be illuminated and become ‘a point of light on the seafront’. You’ll be able to admire it whether inside the gallery or outside taking a stroll on the promenade.  The work has extra significance due to the fact that Hockne

If you’re in the high-end hospitality industry, February is possibly the most important month in your work calendar. It’s the month that the world’s most famous restaurant distinction is handed out to (and taken away from) a new set of fine dining establishments. We are, of course, talking about Michelin stars. But did you know those stars aren’t the only Michelin accolade a restaurant can get? There are also the Bib Gourmands awarded to more affordable eateries, and green stars given to places that are leading the way when it comes to sustainable gastronomy.  UK restaurants with new Michelin green stars These days, there are loads of restaurants advertising a ‘seasonal’ menu featuring foraged goods or responsibly sourced meats, so to get a green star, places have to really go above and beyond. Only a small handful of Green Star restaurants are in big cities – for instance, while London has far more Michelin stars and Bib Gourmands than any other place in the country, it’s home to just three green starred restaurants.  In total, seven British establishments were bestowed with a green star this year, bringing the grand total to 36. Here’s the lowdown.  Timberyard, which features on Time Out’s list of the best restaurants in Edinburgh, was among the 2026 green star recipients. The fine dining spot already has a Michelin star but had a green star added to its belt thanks to its prioritisation of Scottish produce, nose-to-tail approach to animal products and commitment to preser

Rarely a year goes by without a London gallery putting on some sort of David Hockney exhibition – everybody’s just mad for the guy. And 2026 is no different.  David Hockney: A Year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts About Painting will be on at the Serpentine this spring and summer. Here’s why, alongside a Frida Kahlo show at the Tate and a Renoir retrospective at the National Gallery, we reckon it’ll be one of the best exhibitions to see in London this year.  The 88-year-old artist’s A Year in Normandie is a 90m long piece that he produced on his iPad during the pandemic. Made up of 220 panels depicting the changing seasons in and around his French garden, it’s inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry – which fittingly will be on display in the UK for the first time in nearly a millennium later this year – and Chinese scrolls. A Year in Normandie will be on displat in the garden at Serpentine North and this will be the first time that the work is on show in London.  Image: David Hockney‘A Year in Normandie’ 2020-2021 (detail) Composite iPad painting© David Hockney At the time, Hockney said of his iPad paintings: ‘I began drawing the winter trees on a new iPad. Then this virus started… ‘I went on drawing the winter trees that eventually burst into blossom. Meanwhile the virus is going mad, and many people said my drawings were a great respite from what was going on.’ The exhibition will also feature five new still lifes by Hockney alongside five new portraits depicting members of

Coffee obsessives of the UK, put down your flat white – the 2026 edition of the World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops has landed.  There were 44 British coffee shops nominated for this year’s list, but just two made the final top 100, which was announced at a ceremony in Madrid on February 18. The final ranking, whittled down from a whopping 15,000 nominated coffeeshops across the globe, was based on a combination of public votes and scores from a jury of 800 coffee connoisseurs.   Both of the shops repping the UK are new entries to the list and, even more impressively, are among just 11 European coffeeshops in the top 50. They also both happen to be Scottish.  Ottoman Coffeehouse in Glasgow placed 38th. The shop was started by two brothers and, just as the name suggests, it’s inspired by the coffee shops of Istanbul. When Ottoman Coffeehouse opened in 2015 it claimed to be one of the UK’s first specialty Turkish coffeehouses.  Besides familiar milky classics like cappuccinos and lattes, Ottoman offers authentic Turkish coffee brewed in a traditional ibrik, which creates an unfiltered cup of incredibly thick and intense coffee. There are five other types of brews that visitors can sample, including Kyoto drip, which produces a smooth and delicate coffee, or siphon, which uses vacuum filtration to push hot water through a bed of freshly ground coffee.  In response to its inclusion on the list, Ottoman Coffeehouse said: ‘This was never the goal. We never set out to win prizes or get on

On a global stage, British beaches are criminally underrated. We may not have the gleaming white sands of the Mediterranean or Caribbean (or the blazing hot sun to match), but our coastline has more than enough beauty and drama to make up for it. Need a bit more convincing? Well, one of Britain’s beaches was just crowned one of the most impressive in the world.  Today (February 17), TripAdvisor unveiled the winners of its Travellers’ Choice Awards: Best of the Best Beaches for 2026. And a British bay scooped up bronze prize in a brand new category.  Bamburgh Beach in Northumberland landed in third place on TripAdvisor’s inaugural ‘One of a Kind’ list, which recognises the world’s most distinct coastal spots. It was beaten only Sicily’s Isola Bella (which was picked for the Ancient Theatre of Taormina) and South Africa’s Boulders Beach (which was crowned number one for its thriving penguin population).  The pristine three-mile-long beach sits under the shadow of the magnificent Bamburgh Castle, one of the oldest castles in the whole of the UK. It’s believed to be more than 1,400 years and has starred in several big blockbusters, including Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, The Last Kingdom TV series, The BFG and Transformers: The Last Knight.  Photograph: Shutterstock TripAdvisor called the sprawling bay, which came 19th in it’s overall best in Europe list, ‘wild, wide and unforgettable’. Visitors can chill out and set up camp on the beach to take in the views of Holy Is

It’s less than two months until we enter a brand new financial year. Unfortunately that means, from gas and electricity to council tax, everyone’s monthly bills will be going up. Oh, happy days.  The reassuring news is that you can start budgeting for those increases now, as London’s borough councils have revealed the exact percentage they’ll be putting their council tax up by in April.  Nearly all London boroughs are raising their council tax by the maximum 4.99 percent, meaning Londoners will see an average of nearly £100 added to their annual council tax in the next financial year. So, on a monthly basis most of us can expect to be paying an extra £8 or so.  None of the five boroughs that were granted special permission to raise their bills above the 4.99 percent cap have done so. In fact, two of the boroughs that were given the power to increase council tax more than anywhere else in the city have instead implemented the smallest increases this year. Photograph: Shutterstock Wandsworth and Westminster have both decided to freeze the main element of their council tax, only increasing the portion that’s spent on social care. That means residents will see a rise of just two percent and Wandsworth will have the lowest council tax in the entire country (£1,020 for the year).  Elsewhere, Kensington & Chelsea has proposed doubling council tax bills for second home owners in the area, following in the footsteps of Wandsworth, Westminster and Hackney. Whether or not that goes ah

Coffee really is an art form. There are so many components that can make or break a good cup of joe – the beans, the roast, the grind, the brew, the milk – but, lucky for us, London is blessed with hundreds of coffee shops that have all of those mastered. Now, 11 of the city’s coffee shops have been named among the best in the entire country.  The Best Coffee Shops UK has scoured the country for coffee joints that excel in nine different categories. Those categories include the quality of coffee (of course), barista expertise, customer service, ambience, quality of food, consistency and community. A jury of coffee connoisseurs chose their top spots, then those choices were combined with public votes to create the final list.  Of the 44 coffee shops across the UK on the list, a quarter are here in the capital. They include Holborn’s Scandi-style Catalyst as well as Prufrock Coffee, which is just around the corner and has its own barista training centre.  Photograph: Andy Parsons Photographer Carbon Kopi, which moved from New Zealand to Hammersmith in 2019 also made the cut alongside Hackney’s Specialty Cafetiere, which has a special water filtration system to ensure it serves the best brews possible. There’s also Curators in the City of London which is run by Send Coffee, a social enterprise providing coffee training to people with special needs and disabilities.  Every place that made it onto the list are now in the running for a spot on the World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops 20