Annie McNamee

Even after a couple of vintage years for new music, 2025 has been special. Sure, we didn’t get a clear-cut ‘song of the summer’, but artists have been instead putting out defining works in a longer format. The past 12 (well, 11) months have featured all manner of extraordinary album releases.  Belted-to-the-rafters country pop, plunderphonic majesty, ecstatic dance music, intimate electronic world-building, history-collapsing art rock, triumphant hip-hop… these are just a few of the sounds and styles that have been executed marvellously in 2025. Here are the year’s finest 25 albums, chosen by Time Out editors and contributors.

Planning your travels for the new year? You should absolutely factor in those long-standing bucket list entries, but if you’re looking for some fresh inspiration, 2026 promises a world of brand-new travel experiences.  From sleeping over in an open-air museum to journeying through ancient landscapes on e-bikes, ziplining over glorious wildlife reserves and partying through a solar eclipse – yes, really – there’s a shedload of off-the-beaten-track, out-of-the-box stuff happening over the next 12 months. Scroll on for our handpicked selection of the 26 coolest, weirdest and most exciting things to do in 2026.  RECOMMENDED:🎶 The biggest and best music festivals in 2026🛍️ The coolest streets in the world🏘️ The coolest neighbourhoods in the world🌃 The best cities in the world right now Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out Travel newsletter for all the latest travel news and best stuff happening across the world.

Reminiscing on festival season 2025? Well, the good times ain’t over yet, and if you ask us, it’s never too early to start planning which festivals to book in next year. Loads of great music festivals have already announced their headliners, and some of them kick off as early as January.  It’s worth noting that, in 2026, one of the planet’s biggest and best music festivals is not happening. That’s right – after an electric 2025, good old Glastonbury is on a fallow year to allow the land a bit of TLC. Not to worry, mind. No matter your music taste, who you’re going with, your weather preference or your capacity for camping, the world will have a festival that’s right for you, from Europe to the USA, Canada to Japan and Australia to India.  The best festivals in the world at a glance: ☮️ Best for hedonists and hippies: Boomtown 🔈 Best for beat freaks: Outlook 💡 Best for discovering something new: Tremor 🎵 Best for R&B and afrobeats: Afro Nation 🗽 Best city festival: Governors Ball 🎸 Best rock festival: Fuji Rock 🤩 Best for big names: Primavera Sound 🌠 Best for escaping reality: Big Red Bash Overwhelmed? Don’t sweat – here’s our comprehensive roundup of the best festivals in the world taking place in 2026. RECOMMENDED:🌍 The 26 best new things to do in the world in 2026🌤️ The best festivals in Europe in 2026🎭 The world’s coolest neighbourhoods to explore🌃 The best cities in the world right now

It’s been another stellar year for music in 2025, packed full of belters, breakouts and hook-laden earworms.  Lorde returned to her angsty roots, Pulp dropped their first album since, and Bad Bunny reigned supreme on the streamers. We were blessed with new music from pop heavyweights Lady Gaga, Lily Allen and Robyn. In a plot twist, Rosalía dropped a classical album packed with religious references, and Turnstile made hardcore mainstream. Breakout stars CMAT, Addison Rae and Jim Legxacy proved that they are here to stay. Here Time Out editors and contributors have hand-picked the tracks they’ve had on repeat this year. These are the 40 best songs of 2025.  RECOMMENDED: The 25 best albums of 2025. 

This year of music has started with a bang. We’ve seen Chappell Roan go country, Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco smothering audiences with gushy love songs and Playboi Carti’s rapturous return from the underground. We've even been blessed with the return of Lorde! Alongside these pop heavyweights, we’re witnessing rap superstar Doechii continue her chart domination and the breakthrough of Gen Z artists like 2hollis, Tate McRae and Kai Bosch. What songs are defining 2025? Well, we’ve searched through our playlists and extracted the best songs of the year so far, to give you a mid-year vibe check of where we are currently at. But it doesn’t stop there. Keep your eyes peeled for updates to this list throughout the year as we’re still awaiting albums from Turnstile, Miley Cyrus, Pulp, A$AP Rocky and many more. RECOMMENDED: 🎧 The best albums of 2025 (so far)🎥 The best movies of 2025 (so far)📺 The best TV of 2025 (so far)

Sure, winter has its perks. Cosying up by the fire with a cup of hot chocolate in hand is lovely. Big woolen jumpers are ever-chic. But there’s no warm, fuzzy feeling that comes close to feeling actual warmth. In our eyes, you just can’t beat the sunshine: sitting on a rooftop terrace, ice-cold cocktail in hand… bonus points if everyone back home is stuck with endless grey drizzle. There are plenty of places across the world still basking in glorious sunshine from October to February. Our list of the best winter sun destinations this year spans six continents and five months, giving you 20 recommendations for the very best places you can visit during the winter months. Whether it’s Thai beaches, African safaris or sunny city breaks in Europe, we’ve got you covered. The best winter sun destinations at a glance: 🏖️ Best for beaches: Thailand 🏙️ Best for a city break: Cape Town, South Africa 🌡️ Warmest in Europe: Tenerife, Spain 🐘 Best for wildlife: Namibia 🎭 Best for an arty break: Cartagena, Colombia 🍜 Best for food: Vietnam At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines and check out our latest travel guides written by local experts. RECOMMENDED:☀️ Europe’s 10 best winter sun destinations

This list is from 2024. Our latest ranking for 2025 is live here. In 2024, what exactly makes a neighbourhood cool? Craft breweries, natty wine bars and street art are well and good, but the world’s best, most exciting and downright fun neighbourhoods are much more than identikit ‘hipster hubs’. They’re places that reflect the very best of their cities – its culture, community spirit, nightlife, food and drink – all condensed in one vibey, walkable district. To create our annual ranking, we went straight to the experts – our global team of on-the-ground writers and editors – and asked them what the coolest neighbourhood in their city is right now, and why. Then we narrowed down the selection and ranked the list using the insight and expertise of Time Out’s global editors, who vetted each neighbourhood against criteria including food, drink, arts, culture, street life, community and one-of-a-kind local flavour. The result? A list that celebrates the most unique and exciting pockets of our cities – and all their quirks. Yes, you’ll find some of those international hallmarks of ‘cool’. But in every neighbourhood on this list there’s something you won’t find anywhere else. Ever been to a photography museum that moonlights as a jazz club? Or a brewery with a library of Russian literature? How about a festival dedicated to fluff? When communities fiercely support and rally around their local businesses, even the most eccentric ideas can become a reality. And that, in our eyes, is

On March 25, 1925, at London’s Selfridges department store in central London, Scottish inventor John Logie Baird made the first public demo of his latest creation: a way to broadcast visual information from a camera to a screen. A full century later, Baird’s discovery has led to perhaps the most vital, creative and popular mode of artistic expression in the entire world. But it’s only in the past 25 years that television has really fulfilled its artistic potential.  The result has been the so-called ‘Golden Age of Television’, a boom kickstarted roughly around the turn of the century with the rise of shows like The Sopranos and later Breaking Bad, and continuing with awards-winners from Succession to Shōgun to Slow Horses. So while our list of the 100 greatest TV shows may pay tribute to the unmissable programs of yesteryear, you’ll find that the majority hail from our own century – meaning there’s no excuse not to watch every single one. Paring the list down to only 100 was a painful process, so we decided to omit sketch shows, talk shows, news and non-fiction in order to focus on scripted drama and classic comedy. Time to go goggle-eyed. Recommended: 🔥 The best TV and streaming shows of 2025 (so far)🍎 The best shows to watch on Apple TV+ right now📺 The best Netflix original series to binge🎮 The best ‘90s TV shows

This bustling coastal city is absolutely steeped in history, maritime heritage, and of course, there's loads to see. It’s roots date back as far as the Stone Age, and its first ever museum (the Tudor House) remains a top attraction, with gorgeous gardens and guided tours on offer.  There’s plenty of modern-day action too, with a treasured football team, The Saints, and their fans bringing life to the city on match day. Southampton is also only a 20-minute drive away from the New Forest, or a ferry-ride away from the Isle of Wight, there's plenty going on that makes this city worth a visit. Check out our list of top picks for all the best things to do in Southampton.  RECOMMENDED:  🚆The best day trips from London⛰️ The best things to in the New Forest🏖️ The best seaside towns in the UK💕 The best things to do in the UK Annie McNamee is a writer at Time Out UK. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. 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. 

This is about the time when the January blues start to hit pretty hard. It’s dark at 4pm, you’ve got no money left after Christmas and winter feels like it’s dragging on forever. But we’re here to tell you that things are looking up, because 2025 is going to be a corker of a year for the UK.  It turns out that 2025 is going to be a bit of a big one, with a number of landmark occasions being celebrated across Britain. There’s Jane Austen’s 250th birthday in Southampton, as well as the art-packed Folkestone Triennial, a celebration of 200 years of the British railway in York and Bradford’s 2025 City of Culture festivities. Then, there are up-and-coming foodie towns in Cornwall, music scenes that are popping off in Cardiff and Belfast, and the reopening of grand cultural insitutions like the Tate Liverpool.  If there’s ever been a good time to book a trip, it’s now (it might even help keep some SAD at bay). There is so much fantastic stuff happening across the country this year, so read our list curated by local experts of the best places to visit in the UK in 2025, and get stuck in.  RECOMMENDED: 🇬🇧 The 25 best new things to do in the UK in 2025📍The 12 most underrated city breaks in the UK 🏨 The UK’s 13 best new hotels opening in 2025👨‍👩‍👧 6 amazing places to stay with Kids in the UK

If people make Glasgow, music is what fuels it. The city's music scene was thriving long before the rest of it had caught up, with places like the Barrowlands and the Old Fruit Market offering locals good, cheap live music when general attitudes of Glasgow were, let's just say, less than favourable.  But those days are behind us, and Scotland's biggest city is now known across the UK for its vibrant cultural heritage, nightlife, and, of course, its music scene. Whether you're looking for an arena of people to scream along your favourite songs with, or a small makeshift stage at the back of a bar to find your new favourite band, Glasgow's got you sorted. Fair warning though: crowds here are famously rowdy. They're a lot of fun, but don't be surprised if you end up beer-soaked. Oh, and brush up on our local chants. You don't want to be the only person not shouting along with 'here we, here we, here we f'ing go!'. 

History has it that Pollokshaws Road was once home to a merry band of Flemish weavers – known as the ‘Queer Folk’ – who were brought over to work in the city during the 19th century by local landowners. These days it’s still a thriving creative hub, threading down Glasgow’s Southside and linking up the districts of Govanhill, Strathbungo and Shawlands. Rows of sandstone tenements loom over traffic separated by wide pavements, behind which stand ornate townhouses designed by Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson. There’s a juicy chunk of Pollokshaws Road where bars, cafés and boutiques jostle for space; pick it up from Allison Street and wander down past Queen’s Park. Since it’s a largely residential area, there’s a distinct feel of community – something that’s enhanced by the indie businesses that have popped up over the past few years. In particular it’s a brunch haven, with queues leaking out of living-room-sized cafés come rain or shine. You can also expect to find organic fruit and veg at Stalks & Stems, a fresh produce emporium with a florist next door, and (almost) a different coffee shop for every day of the week. It’s not all hipster territory, though. Punters tired of mustachioed baristas and bar staff will be cheered by the decent selection of old man pubs complete with smoked-glass windows. Recommended: Full guide to the best things to do in Glasgow

Inn Deep is like spending the evening at your mate’s house, only with ten times the energy and fresh pizza available without a delivery fee. The low-lighting and stripped-back interiors create a space you can relax in, but it’s the staff that really make you feel at home.  The prime location – underneath a railway bridge 30 seconds from Kelvinbridge tube station – helps to make this a prime meet-up spot, and provides glorious river views to anyone sitting outside. Add to that a huge (and we mean huge) selection of beers and spirits, and this could become your new West End go-to for ‘a chill one’. Having originally opened more than a decade ago, in recent years the Great Western Road pub has been on a mission to keep things fresh by welcoming new pop-ups to its kitchen every so often. The latest guest is Sub Rosa, a local pizzeria with two permanent locations in the southside, and a delicious marinara sauce.  What should I order? The menu is small for all the right reasons. Sub Rosa knows what it’s good at, and each of the six pizzas on offer play to those strengths. Our favourite was the pepperoni & pickled chili, as the tang and bite of the chilis cuts through the sweetness of the tomato sauce perfectly. Any pizza can be made vegan or gluten free upon request. Sides include chicken tenders in a gochujang honey butter glaze, and a range of chips. If you’re hungry opt for the Mexican loaded fries, but if you just want a snack the regular portions are crispy, salty, and definit

You’ve been here before. Almost.  With a clientele which would be perfect for a Love Island spin-off featuring exclusively people with ‘entrepreneur’ in their bios and a healthy amount of exposed pipework, The Counter is what those in the know would probably call ‘trendy’. Its dim lights, small plate selection, and strategically chipped brick feature wall put it on the verge of parodically hip, but a glance at its menu and a quick chat with any member of its team reveal it to be much more down to Earth than some of its equally Instagrammable peers. If you close your eyes you can almost feel the Istanbuli breeze flowing through your hair The sense of deja-vu you feel may not be coming solely from its open-plan bar though. Chef Kemal Demirasal’s first UK venture, opened up two years ago in Notting Hill to much success. Originally from Turkey, he’s taken much of the charm of the original joint (as well as its most popular recipes and excellent cocktails) and transported it to Kingly Street – and combined it with a series of fresh ideas and a lot of seafood. Fresh is definitely the operative word. The cocktails are infused with real fruit. The tomatoes have been imported from Turkey. There’s sort-of-caviar sprinkled on avocado-topped fish. If you close your eyes and just bite, you can almost feel the Istanbuli breeze flowing through your hair. A series of enthusiastic staff members recommended a variety of dishes to us. Some, like the tomato salad or prawns, were familiar classi

London has a thriving food market scene. The city is jam-packed full of indoor and outdoor stalls featuring dedicated local stalls selling delicious nosh – find Time Out’s guide to the best ones here. If you’re looking for a place that will come with all the great bites, drinks, and atmosphere, but without the constant throng of tourists, a new night market in Leyton, east London could be the place for you. Currently operating as a Christmastime pop-up, organisers Leyton Calling just got permission from the council to reopen permanently in February. The market is located in an old car park near Leyton Midland Station. When Danny Saunders, the owner of Leyton Calling, launched the market this December with rotating food vendors and weekly DJ sets. He said that he wanted to combine the energy of ‘vibrant night markets around the world’ with the east London nightlife that he loves. As it has done throughout the Christmas period, the market will be open on weekends between 5pm and 11pm. It is hoped that this will keep noise and disruption for nearby homes minimal, although one local did object to music being played, saying that it would ‘disturb any peace we as residents have’. Can’t please everyone, eh? Expect a range of cuisine: so far the food has ranged from tacos to steaks to pizza, and much more. There will also be plenty of drinks, games, and live music from both bands and DJs to enjoy. You’ll also be able to shop from the goods stalls, which will change week by week. As p

We usually think of natural and urban landscapes as polar opposites, but in the centre of Liverpool the two will soon coexist. Plans to construct a new ‘nature park’ on the site of the former Royal University Liverpool Hospital have just been revealed by the University Hospitals of Liverpool Group (UHLG).  This isn’t going to be just any old patch of grass. The UHLG has paired up with the green fingered Eden Project to design the space in order to ensure that ‘nature and connectivity’ are put front and centre. Construction company Bam has also signed on to do much of the literal heavy lifting and construction once planning permission is received. Image: BAM UK & Ireland / University Hospitals of Liverpool The goal is to create a park which ‘promotes wellbeing and nature at the heart of the city’. In practice, that means a diverse range of plant-life, space for native animal and insect species to thrive, places to sit, safe routes for cyclists, and quiet spaces for ‘relaxation and reflection’.  The new university hospital is right next to the site of its now-demolished predecessor, so it is hoped that the park will benefit both staff and patient wellbeing by giving everyone a place to unwind. It’s part of a wider NHS scheme to provide easy access to nature to more of its properties, both for the good of the planet and the community. Image: BAM UK & Ireland / University Hospitals of Liverpool The Eden Project is best known for its legendary biomes in Cornwall, but it is als

What’s the fanciest hotel you’ve ever stayed in? Perhaps it had a swimming pool or a spa. Maybe even a minor royal had stayed there at one point. Whatever it was, quadruple the price (at least) and add on a couple of butlers, and you might start to have an idea of the sort of place that makes it onto the Gold List of travel magazine Condé Nast Traveller. The luxury mag has published its 2026 round-up of the fanciest hotels and resorts in Europe. The publication says its choices were ‘an edit of what our editors consider to be the very best hotels in the world’.  Of the 21 hotels named for 2026, three are in the UK – and surprisingly, only one of those was in London.  Beaverbrook, Surrey Beaverbrook, in Surrey, was the first British venue to make the list. CNT described the 470-acre estate as ‘iconic’, thanks to the ‘elements of its history [that] are woven into the interiors of the main house’. The house is named after its most famous owner, Lord Beaverbrook (no relation to the watch company), who lived there until his death in the 1960s. The house was converted into a hotel in 2011. Outside the windows you’ll see miles of green English countryside, and a ‘marvel’ of a spa is a must-visit during your stay. Rooms start at £490, but extras like food, spa access, and treatments, mean the cost of your stay will rack up quickly. Claridge’s Claridge’s, one of the most legendary hotels in Mayfair, was the next to secure a spot. The city centre hotel has been welcoming high-profile g

It’s a tough time to be working in the aviation industry. Faced with staff shortages and huge levels of disruption, many workers at airlines and airports are facing long, stressful hours and poor working conditions. And, thanks to the cost of living crisis, loads of them are doing it all for lower wages, too. Needless to say, it’s no wonder that so many staff at airports and airlines have been going on strike. From Italy and Belgium to Greece and France, airports across Europe have seen thousands of flights delayed and cancelled by industrial action. Strikes can, of course, have a serious impact on your holiday, so it’s best to be as informed about them as possible. Read on for our guide to who’s going on strike in Europe right now, where and when those strikes will happen – and whether you need to worry about them.   Strikes in Italy December ITA Airways will hold a four-hour walkout on December 17, between 1pm and 5pm, which will see ground and air crews down tools. This could cause disruption to flights arriving or departing from major Italian airports.  January Additionally, a strike has been called by trade union CUB Transporti between 1pm and 5pm on January 9, which would see ground staff in Italian airports down tools. At Milan Linate airport, staff are planning a 24-hour walkout on the same day. Delays and cancellations are expected. On January 31, flights landing and departing from Verona airport are set to be impacted by an air traffic controller strike.  You can

Flying can be a pretty stressful affair. Airport security lines are unpredictable, planes are very loud, and to top it all off there’s always the chance that you’ll end up waiting hours at a grey, miserable terminal if your flight is delayed. Although you might not be able to control those first two stresses, your chances of being on time vary dramatically depending on which airline you go for. The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) keeps track of all things going on in the sky, including how punctual airlines are. AirAdvisor has sifted through the latest CAA data, from January to September 2025, to reveal the most unreliable carriers in Britain.  AirAdvisor revealed that TUI has been the UK’s least on-time airline, with only 57 percent of its flights taking off and arriving as intended. The CAA considers a flight ‘on-time’ if it takes off or lands within 15 minutes of the time on your boarding pass. AirAdvisor explained that TUI’s punctuality had actually increased from previous years, when some months saw less than half of the airline’s flights arrive on time. Despite that, it remains the least reliable provider in the UK. A spokesperson for the consumer advice website noted that, ‘Many factors contribute to an airline’s on-time performance, not all of them within an airline’s control, but past performance remains a key indicator of a carrier’s future ability to keep flights on schedule’. Blue Islands, which primarily operated flights between the Channel Islands and mainland

Do you feel safe in your hometown? The answer will depend on things like local crime rates and how close you are to a full-scale conflict – both of which form part of the Global Peace Index’s (GPI) annual research. For the past 19 years, the GPI has produced a yearly report on safety in 163 different nations, which account for 99.7 percent of the world’s population. It measures each country on 23 criteria including levels of terrorism, national security, areas of conflict and more, then puts it all together into one conclusive ranking. The UK has never reached the top, but we generally come somewhere in the top 25 percent. This year, we even climbed up the rankings. Although things have improved here in Britain, the GPI reckons the world as a whole is becoming less stable. Of the past 17 index editions, 13 have seen an overall year-on-year deterioration to peace in the world. Increasing conflicts and militarisation are amongst the reasons the GPI believes things are getting worse. So how did the UK fare? We came 30th overall in the 2025 GPI, and 20th in Europe. We apparently have the second strongest military in the continent, which helped the high placement. The lowest that the UK has ranked in the GPI was 60th, in 2008 when the index was founded.  The ‘safest’ country this year was Iceland, which has retained the top spot since the index began. It was followed by Ireland and New Zealand. Each of these nations had a high score in the ‘positive peace’ category which rates the

It’s official: Stansted airport is about to get a whole lot busier. The northeast-of-London aviation hub – which is currently the capital’s third-biggest airport – has been gearing up for huge change for a few years. Back in 2023, it received the go-ahead to crack on with a massive extension, and then revealed the details of its £1.1 billion upgrade plan in October 2024. But even with all of its extensions and renovations, there has remained a limit on the number of passengers Stansted is allowed to service. According to its agreement with Uttlesford District Council, the maximum passengers that can pass through the airport in a year is 41 million. That’s about to change, as STN has just received permission from the council to up that number to 51 million. Unlike more controversial airport expansion plans at Gatwick and Heathrow, Stansted says that it doesn’t need to add a new runway or terminal to welcome 10 million more people each year. Instead, it plans to use existing, underutilised resources, and ‘maximise the full potential of our existing runway’. The hub currently gets around 30 million yearly passengers. Although the council has given provisional approval, it won’t fully sign off on the passenger increase until Stansted has held up its end of the bargain and signed onto the ‘S106 agreement’; a commitment to funding community improvements. This includes an upgrade to the nearby M11 in advance of the extra congestion that comes with increased numbers of people driving

Glasgow’s public transport is having a renaissance. Its subway system may be the third oldest in the world, but after a host of brand new trains last year it’s firmly in the modern era. And it’s only about to get swankier, as driverless trains are expected to land in the city next year. The Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT), AKA the people in charge of Glasgow’s public transport, announced the move in a recent report. It said that the wider modernisation project is in its ‘final stages’ and that it expects the driverless subway cars to be operational in the latter half of 2026. So far, the scheme has seen swish new carriages designed to minimise the underground’s famous ‘shoogle’ (it’s historically been a very wobbly service) and maximise space for passengers. Glass screens have also been added to several stations for safety, and most stations on the circular line have had minor refurbs. All that’s left now is to upgrade some infrastructure, which includes introducing new signalling that should make way for self-driving trains. The report stated that ‘detailed planning work has been carried out’ to ensure that the shift is smooth. The new trains will be phased in slowly. Officials noted in their report that ‘whilst our new system will be capable of Unattended Train Operation, there may be a requirement for some staff presence within the system beyond this point’. The hard bit is getting all of the new tech to work together. The SPT said that ‘this stage was always e

You’ve probably seen the headlines about how much the nightlife industry in the UK is struggling. Pubs are closing, not even students go out that much anymore – it all paints a pretty bleak picture. But, according to the International Nightlife Association (INA), it might not all be as bad as it seems. The association has just revealed its annual roundup of the 100 best nightclubs in the world. The goal of the list is to give kudos to ‘the venues that continue to elevate global nightlife with innovation, quality, and unforgettable experiences’, and this year seven of them are in the UK, with four in the capital. All of the UK venues named also made the cut last year, but almost all of them have climbed up the rankings in the past 12 months. For example the highest placed UK spot, Fabric in London, moved from 26 to 24, and Manchester’s Warehouse Project jumped an impressive 12 places from 39 to 27.  The top three clubs were UNVRS, Hï Ibiza, and Ushuaïa – all in Ibiza. No surprises there. You can read more about the top 10 here.  The best nightclubs in Britain in 2025 Warehouse Project, Manchester Three of the seven clubs that made it into the INA’s list were outside of London. The highest ranking, Warehouse Project, has been one of the most popular venues in the UK for nearly two decades. This year it made the move to ban phones from certain areas –maybe that policy is part of what helped it make such a leap in the ratings this year. Motion, Bristol Motion came in at 33rd ove

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. We’re of course talking about the mad-dash week before Christmas where work needs to be finished, turkeys need buying, and presents need sorting. But no matter how busy you keep yourself, there’s one thing that isn’t under anyone’s control: the weather. If you’re dreaming of the traditional Dickensian Christmas in London this year, don’t get your hopes up. The capital hasn’t had a white Christmas – formally defined as a single flake of snow falling in a given place on December 25 – since 2001, and this year isn’t looking any different. In general, it looks like the Christmas/Twixmas period will be a bit soggy and not too cold in the capital. From December 27 onwards we only have long-range forecasts at the moment, which are less accurate. The Met Office always encourages you to check up-to-date weather forecasts before travelling/planning any New Year’s BBQs. Here’s London’s current weather forecast for December 24 to January 1. RECOMMENDED: Will Britain get a white Christmas? Full UK Christmas weather forecast revealed. London weather forecast over Christmas 2025 and New Year Christmas Eve The BBC currently predicts that Wednesday December 24 will be fairly wet, with mild temperatures ranging from 5-7C. Accuweather is slightly more optimistic, expecting highs of 8C and much less rain. Depressingly, the sun will set at 3.55pm. Christmas Day Both Accuweather and the BBC expect December 25 to be pretty similar to Christmas Eve: highs of

Not much unites the world, but this year one thing can be said for most people in most places: things are less affordable than they used to be. For a whole host of complex, overlapping geopolitical reasons, costs have gone up across the board, but it’s not all bad – value for money does still exist in a few precious places. Every year at Time Out, we survey thousands of city-dwellers about their hometowns. This year, more than 18,000 people from more than 100 major cities responded, telling us everything from how highly they rate their local nightlife to how affordable life is. RECOMMENDED: The world’s best cities for culture in 2025 We asked residents about the priciness of a range of everyday aspects of going out and enjoying the city, including: eating out at a restaurant, going to see a movie, grabbing a coffee, going to see art, going to see theatre or comedy, going to see live music, getting a drink in a bar and going on a night out. We then took the average percentage of respondents who described each of those activities as ‘affordable’ or ‘free’ and crunched the numbers to figure out the world’s most expensive (and affordable) places to live, all according to locals themselves.  The results? Medellin in Colombia is the world’s most affordable city, and Bogotá, the nation’s capital, came second. Medellin got high affordability scores across the board: 89 percent of people reported that eating out was reasonably priced, 83 percent said the same for grabbing a drink in

For all our many, many flaws, us humans are pretty cool. From the beginning of time, we’ve formed communities and developed traditions that separate us from the rest of the animal kingdom – art, music, dances, religions, holidays, communal celebrations – all of the things that make life interesting came straight from the brains of human beings who wanted to connect with the people around them. Pretty special, right? UNESCO, the United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, certainly thinks so. It was founded in 1945 with the goal of ‘strengthening our shared humanity’ by preserving and sharing heritage across the world. Since 2008, part of that mission has involved the curation of the Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage (LICH), an inventory of things like dances, art styles, music and craftwork, which have been passed down through generations but can’t be physically protected as UNESCO World Heritage sites are. Local governments are encouraged to support awareness of the practices on the list and to help ensure that they don’t die out with time. Almost any tradition that holds cultural significance within a country or region can be nominated for inscription on the list. For instance, this year Italian cooking is a newcomer, as is the religious celebration of Diwali, and a South American dance style called Joropo. Diwali is now officially inscribed | Photograph: Shutterstock The list is packed full of fascinating, niche cultural curios and practices, m