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: Kruk, Peckham 🍝 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 veggie-friendly Thai at Kruk i

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.

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.

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.

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

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. 

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.

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. 

Fashion people of London, it’s time to make room in your wardrobe for some new (old) treasures. Next weekend, one of the biggest vintage markets in the US is coming across the pond for the very first time.  A Current Affair, dubbed a ‘cult shopping event’ by Vogue, has been hosting regular hosts vintage fairs in LA and New York for the past 15 years. It’s a carefully curated cornucopia of rare clothes and accessories that date from the Victorian era all the way through to the 2000s and, in recent years, has had the likes of Ariana Grande, Chappell Roan and celeb stylist Law Roach sifting through its rails. Apparently, it’s also where teams from fashion houses like Saint Laurent, Valentino and Dior go to get inspiration.   Photograph: A Current Affair   Soon, Londoners will finally get to see what all the fuss is about. From March 6-8, A Current Affair will bring a lineup of internationally recognised vintage dealers to vintage archive 18.01LONDON in Dalston. There’s a preview evening on Friday with cocktails if you’re willing to shell out £80 for a ticket. Otherwise you can wait until Saturday or Sunday when entry is free (but you’re best off booking in advance). If you see a piece that takes your fancy, be prepared to part with upwards of £100 – these are one-of-a-kind finds after all. And if you don’t have that kind of cash, you can have just as much fun admiring all the designer clothes of yesteryear.   For more vintage fashion, check out London’s best thrift stores.  IC

Pick a book, any book, and you’ll probably be able to find it in one of London’s hundreds of bookshops. We’ve got enormous cornucopias like Daunt Books Marylebone, cult specialist shops like Climax Books, historic secondhand purveyors like Foster Books and pioneering radical presses like Gay’s the Word. The city has so many brilliant indie bookshops that deciding on the best in a near impossible task. But, every year the Bookseller takes on the challenge at its British Book Awards. Now, it has announced its finalists for Independent Bookshop of the Year 2026.  Nine London stores are in the running to be named the capital’s indie bookshop of the year, and will compete with more than 60 other stores from across the UK to be crowned the best in the whole country.  Burley Fisher Books, an emporium of new and secondhand titles in Dalston, made the shortlist alongside queer intersectional bookseller The Common Press in Shoreditch and children’s bookshop The Paper Cat, which only opened in Herne Hill in September 2024. BookBar, which has outposts in Chelsea and Islington (on Blackstock Road, Time Out’s coolest street for 2025 no less) also featured.  Photograph: Cat Madden   Bàrd Books on Roman Road has been included in the shortlist for the second year in a row while Backstory in Balham is in the running for a third consecutive year. The 2025 London winner Queen’s Park Books didn’t make the cut this time round.  Tom Tivnan, editor of the Bookseller, said: ‘We all know the curren

Any store can sell good books. So to really stand out, bookshops have to go above and beyond through things like author panels, fundraising events, reading clubs and just generally being a pillar of the community. That’s something that all 66 of the British indie bookshops (plus six Irish stores) nominated for Independent Bookshop of the Year have in common.  The grand prize is handed out every spring by The Bookseller at its British Books Awards (aka The Nibbies), with winners for each region as well as an overall national winner.  Last year’s national champion, The Heath Bookshop in Birmingham, is in the running again. When it took top prize last May, judges called it ‘a microcosm of the vibrancy of modern independent bookselling’ and praised it in particular for its author events, community projects and ‘progressive and inclusive stock curation’. Tom Tivnan, deputy editor of the Bookseller, said: ‘We all know the current travails of the high street in general, but indies across the UK and Ireland are meeting the difficulties with grit, innovation and community spirit.What impresses is how these shops are nimbly and proactively moving into areas that tap into local needs. ‘All this on top of the core mission of spreading the joy of books, which indies arguably do better and with more passion than any other sector.’ The regional winners and overall national winner of Independent Bookshop of the Year will be announced in a ceremony on May 11. Here’s a list of every store in

After taking a fallow year, the mighty WOMAD (World of Music, Arts and Dance) festival is returning to Wiltshire this summer – albeit at a new venue. And it has just revealed its first wave of acts.  Since launching in the 1980s, WOMAD has been committed to platforming music and cultural innovators from across the globe. And when we say the lineup spans practically the whole planet, we mean it. This year, the festival will feature a drum and flute punk gang from Japan (Seppuku Pistols), a xylophone troupe from Uganda (Nakibembe Xylophone Troupe), a horn collective from Mexico (Mixanteña de Santa Cecilia), a rapper from Palestine (Tamer Nafar) and a Mercury Prize-nominated jazz experimentalist from Glasgow (corto.alto). Other acts hail from Senegal, Ireland, Iran, Colombia, the US and India. You’d be hard-pressed to find a festival lineup more eclectic than this one except, maybe, at the inaugural WOMAD Glasgow, which you can read more about here. But, back to Wiltshire, here’s everything you need to know about WOMAD 2026.  RECOMMENDED: The 50 best festivals in the UK to book in 2026.  When is WOMAD 2026? WOMAD will return from July 23-26.  Where is WOMAD 2026? For 2026, WOMAD has moved from its previous home of Charlton Park near Malmesbury to Neston Park Estate.  WOMAD 2026 headliners Topping the bill will be London-born neo soul star Greentea Peng, legendary Malian singer Oumou Sangaré, Jamaican reggae and dancehall icon Barrington Levy and Swedish indie-folk musician Jos

At this point, you shouldn’t need us to tell you that it’s easy to do London on a budget. There are as many affordable eats as there are high end restaurants, enough free art to keep you occupied for weeks and plenty of opportunities to get your hands on discounted tickets to some of the city’s best shows.  On top of all that, there are one-off free events going on all the time. Most weekends there’ll be brands hosting pop-ups and giving away free merch, museums and art galleries hosting brilliantly curated late night events, free to explore specialist markets or free cultural festivals, leaving you no excuse to be bored.  This weekend is no different. From one of Europe’s largest indie art fairs to a night with one of the biggest DJs around, read on for all the great free stuff going on in the city this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  The best free things on in London this weekend, February 27-March 1 2026 1. Party at one of London’s finest art institutions Club culture legend Honey Dijon is taking over Tate Lates for a celebration of queer culture and creativity this February. Check out the DJ sets that she's programmed in Tate's South Tanks (which will be decked out with her photos), Terrace Bar and Corner Bar, go on a LGBTQIA+ tour of Tate Modern or take part in a community zine-making session with Zoë Thompson, founder of sweet-thang zine (booking advised).   Across town, the V&A is hosting its own late exploring of gender expression, belonging and change in East and So

Brighter days are finally in sight! In a little over a month, we’ll be swapping Greenwich Mean Time for British Summer Time (AKA daylight saving time) and putting all our clocks forward by an hour. The sun will set later in the evening and the season of beer gardens, festivals and al fresco dinners will finally be upon us. No more leaving the office in the pitch black, no more vitamin D deficiency and no more being in pyjamas by 6pm.  From the exact date clocks go forward to why we have it in the first place, here’s everything you should know about British Summer Time this year. What date do the clocks go forward? The clocks will go forward by an hour to mark the start of British Summer Time on Sunday March 29. That’s a little over a week after spring officially begins on March 20.  What time do the clocks go forward? The clocks will spring forward one hour at 1am.  What is British Summer Time? Also known as daylight saving time, British Summer Time is is simply the name for the practice of turning clocks forward in the summer so that darkness falls at a later time. Why do the clocks go forward? Winding the clocks forward in spring started in the UK in 1916 as a way of making better use daylight hours and getting maximum sun. Back then, it meant people could work for longer and save fuel during the war.   When do clocks go back again?  British Summer Time will last until October 25 2026, when we’ll put the clocks back again.  Do I need to change the clocks myself? Clocks

Ferries are a great, fuss-free mode of transport and a far more eco-friendly way to get to the other side of the English Channel than taking a flight. But do you know what’s even better for the planet? A boat powered by wind alone. And now, members of the public can get to France via exactly that.  SailLink launched ran its very first public trips across the Channel last year, with 70 percent of its journeys powered by sail only. Now, it’s gearing up for a second season.  The company’s 17 metre sailing catamaran (named Echoes) takes up to 12 passengers across the Channel from Dover to Boulogne-ser-de-Mer and vice versa. Each way, the trip takes around for to five hours – not much longer than if you were to get the ferry to Calais then take public transport down to Boulogne.  For its second season, SailLink will run between six and eight trips per week. It’s particularly aimed towards cyclists, hikers and foot passengers or micro-freight service for the climate-neutral transport of small quantities of goods. Obviously, if you want to bring your car on holiday, you’ll have to stick to a standard ferry.  Passengers are invited to get involved in the sailing themselves, taking the helm or helping to trim a sail. Alternatively you can stay nice and relaxed spread out on the forward trampoline or in the saloon below deck. On TripAdvisor, the journey has five-star ratings across the board. Travellers said that they were kept warm and hydrated with cups of tea and supplied with sea s

Celentano’s, one of Time Out’s favourite restaurants in Glasgow, is on a sort of hiatus right now. After four years, the Michelin-decorated, Italian-style spot was forced to leave its former home at Cathedral House back in December due to the sale of the building. But it won’t be gone for long.   Celentano’s will relaunch at the brand new Arthouse Hotel Glasgow in the spring, though a specific opening date is still TBA. With 60 covers, it’ll have double the capacity of its previous home.  The restaurant launched in Glasgow back in 2021 and within six months was handed a Michelin Bib Gourmand (a more budget friendly version of a Michelin star). Husband and wife team Dean (the head chef) and Anna Parker (the managing director) were inspired by their honeymoon trip to Italy and set out to use the finest, most sustainable Scottish produce to create Italian-esque dishes like linguine with cod cheeks or coffee glazed panela cake.  Photograph: Vance StudiosCelentano’s former home at Cathedral House An announcement of the restaurant’s new incarnation says that it’ll maintain its ‘warm, relaxed atmosphere and Italian-influenced dishes’ but with a new look and an updated but ‘reassuringly familiar’ menu. Beloved signatures like the vegetable agnolotti and malted barley affogato will still be there.  Celentano’s at Arthouse will still cook much of its produce over embers and ensure minimal food waste by prioritising fermentation and preservation methods and nose-to-tail cooking.  Co-o

Spring is finally around the corner. Soon, Brits will once again be flocking to the coast to make the most of warmer weather. We’ll be frolicking in the sea, laying out a spread of picky bits and lukewarm beers on the sand and lathering on the factor 50 – life will be good.  In the UK, you’re never more than a couple of hours drive from the sea, so it would be easy to simply head to your nearest sandy stretch and be content. But at Time Out, we’re only happy with the absolute best. And for one of the best bays in not just the UK, but all of Europe, you need to take a trip to Wales.  In Time Out’s roundup of the best beaches across Europe, we crowned Barafundle Bay in Pembrokeshire the fifth best beach on the continent. It ranked above beaches in the likes of Italy, Croatia and Greece.  Part of what makes the Welsh bay so special is that it’s well hidden. It’s only reachable via a half-mile walk through woodland, along the Wales Coastal Path and down a steep set of steps. From the top of those steps you get a magnificent view of Barafundle’s golden, unspoiled curve of sand and its gleaming clear blue water.  RECOMMENDED: Two British beaches are the best in Europe, according to TripAdvisor. Photograph: Shutterstock What’s more, the beach faces east and is wrapped by cliffs on either side, meaning that it’s largely protected from the wind, and the water stays pretty calm and safe for bathing (which is particularly ideal for younger families).  The only other British beach to m

Finally, Stansted Airport is catching up with the rest of London’s airports and introducing contactless ticketing at its rail station.  The arrival of pay-as-you-go contactless payments at Stansted is a big deal because thousands of Stansted Express passengers travelling from Liverpool Street have wrongly assumed that they would be able to tap in and tap out, then fined up to £100. In 2019, watchdog London TravelWatch estimated that 16,000 travellers per year were being fined for not buying their ticket ahead of time. The airport was supposed to launch its tap-in tap-out tech back in December but that was delayed because of software issues. Now, that problem has been fixed and the machines are ready to be rolled out. Here’s everything you need to know about the contactless ticketing coming to Stansted Airport.  When is Stansted Airport getting contactless ticketing? Passengers on the Stansted Express from London will be able to use contactless payments from Sunday March 8.   Nineteen other stations in Hertfordshire and Essex, including Southend Airport, will also get contactless machines on the same day.  How much will contactless tickets cost?   The journey will still cost the same as a ticket bought on the day – around £21.90. While it’ll certainly be the most convenient option, contactless tickets won’t be the cheapest option. If you book well in advance, you can get a Stansted Express ticket from just £9.90 and, if you have a railcard discount or concession rates, it wil

There’s something about the gentle landscape of the Cotswolds that makes you feel instantly calm. There are no dramatic mountain ranges, no waves aggressively crashing against the shore, no deep dark lochs – just lovely rolling hills and adorable cobbled villages. So what better place to open a luxury holiday resort? There are plenty of luxury escapes in the Cotswolds already, from Estelle Manor to Soho Farmhouse. But now, there’s a new one on the way. A derelict old radio transmission site in Langley is being transformed into a £24 million new resort named Cabü in the Cotswolds. And it’s due to open in 2027.  Image: Cabü   The resort will be made up of more than 50 Scandi-style self-catered cabins ranging from one to three beds alongside a shop, two bars and an events studio. Designs show the cabins made out of timber panels with green window details. The company says that they’ll be as eco-friendly as possible, created using modern methods of timber engineering and zero water in manufacture.  There’ll be lots of wellness offerings and ‘low adrenaline activities’ too, including an indoor pool and a nature spa with saunas, hot tubs and plunge buckets. Once open, the resort will offer two, three and four night stays throughout the year.   Cabü already runs luxury resorts on St Mary’s Bay in Kent and in Killykeen Forest Park in Ireland. Both feature a central Cabü House which acts as reception, a nature spa and a sitooterie (Scottish for ‘sit out’) for socialising, dining an

There are few things that’ll stop Britain’s most determined wild swimmers from going for a dip. Rain? Embrace it. Water close to freezing? Just put a bobble hat and some gloves on. But one thing that will stop them in their tracks is filthy, pollution-ridden water.  In recent years, the government has been taking measures to clean up England’s waterways and create safe environments for people to swim in. Now, it has identified 13 sites that are in the running to become new designated bathing spots.  The selection is a mix of rivers and coastal waters, many of which are already popular among wild swimmers. But becoming a designated bathing spot will simply give swimmers extra reassurance that the water they’re paddling in is clean.  The designated areas will have to go through regular water testing during bathing season (May to September), which campaigners hope will increase pressure to clean up water across England. If they all get approved, the new sites will bring the country’s total number of designated bathing sites up to 464.  Photograph: Shutterstock The proposed new sites include the first ever designated bathing spot in the River Thames in London which, 70 years ago, was declared ‘biologically dead’ but has undergone a huge transformation since then. Its designated bathing area would be at Ham and Kingston in the southwest of the city, which once upon a time was a popular Victorian swimming location.  Other places set to benefit include East Beach at West Bay in Do