India Lawrence

Amsterdam is one of the world’s best cities, no doubt about it. And as a tourism capital, it’s no surpise that it’s stuffed full of beautiful hotels, from 18th century canal houses to converted bridge keepers’ houses and seriously high-grade hotels.  So if you’re looking for a tip-top place to bed down after a day out exploring the city’s best museums, attractions and coffee shops, you’ve come to the right place. From the city centre through to De Negen Straatjes, here are the best hotels in Amsterdam right now. Updated June 2024: We’ve just added three hotels to this list, in time for summer, including the Hoxton’s second outpost in the city. See our brand-new reviews below... RECOMMENDED:🏠 The best Airbnbs in Amsterdam📍 Where to stay in Amsterdam 📍 The best things to do in Amsterdam🍴 The best restaurants in Amsterdam🎀 The best boutique hotels in Amsterdam 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. 

We all want to be absolutely glowing and super fresh-faced. Alas, living in London can really get in the way of having dewy, delicious skin. That’s thanks to the combined efforts of pollution and air-conditioned offices, as well as the added bonuses of harsh weather, booze, sun exposure, dehydration and – our least favourite – the inevitable passing of time. Just thinking about what we put our skin through is enough to give you frown lines. Happily, there are loads of great spas, treatment rooms and estheticians in London who can give your face a break and a much-needed zhuzh. Whether you’re after a relaxing, soothing facial massage, some instant radiance, a total skincare overhaul or something a little more intense such as microneedling or laser treatment, read our pick of facials in London.  RECOMMENDED: The best spas in London. 

Popular with travellers from the UK and from overseas, Cornwall is hands down one of the country’s most visited destinations. It’s enormous and contains a huge variety, from some of the UK’s most impressive beaches nestled between dramatic headlands to ‘gram-worthy seaside villages and even the odd castle or two.  It’d be impossible to pick the most beautiful spot – you’d be better off exploring them all for yourself as there’s just so much worth seeing. We recommend doing so by car: aside from a few trains, its public transport system is famously shoddy, and the hard-to-reach, remote spots and winding country lanes are easiest to access on four wheels (just watch out for locals speeding around those bends). So, whether you’re heading here for the first time or the twentieth time, fire up the engine and fasten your seatbelt – here are the best places to visit in Cornwall. RECOMMENDED:🎭 The best things to do in Cornwall🏕️ The best campsites in Cornwall🥧 The best attractions in Cornwall🏖️ The best beaches in Cornwall🏩 The best Airbnbs in Cornwall🏨 The best hotels in Cornwall This guide was updated by Time Out writer India Lawrence, who is originally from Cornwall. 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.

Peckham locals have always been proud of the area’s brand: a melting pot of cultural vibrancy, eccentric individuals, and an artsy, young DIY crowd thanks to nearby Goldsmiths University and Camberwell College of Arts. It rivals Dalston and all those other East End upstarts as the place to hang out, and it’s the perfect spot for new restaurants to find their feet. Here are some of the best in the area, as well as a host of notable places to eat just down the road in Camberwell, too.  RECOMMENDED: The best 50 restaurants in London. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

Want a drink? You've come to the right place. This is Time Out’s list of best bars in London, our curated guide to London’s drinking scene, featuring the buzziest booze dens in the capital right now. If it’s on this list, it’s excellent. These are the 50 places we'd recommend to a friend, because we love drinking in them and have done many times over. From classy cocktail joints to delightful dives, hotel bars, speakeasys, bottle shops, rooftops and wine bars, London's got them all. But what makes a truly good bar? Well, our critieria for inclusion on this list is simple; a menu of genius drinks is important, but so is overall vibe – there’s no point having the perfect paloma if you have to drink it in a bar that smells of bins. To make the Top 50 a bar has to be fun, full of lovely folk, be inclusive and also look the part.  The latest additions to our list include Below Stone Nest in Chinatown, Rasputin’s by London Fields, Bar Lina, an Italian aperitivo spot underneath the famous Soho deli, Jumbi hifi bar in Peckham, Oranj's vertitable wine warehouse in Shoreditch, and Helgi’s, a suggestively Satanic rock bar in Hackney. Now go forth and booze. RECOMMENDED: Like bars? Then you'll love London's best pubs.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor, and she'll have a dirty gin martini if you're buying. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

Is there anything more wonderfully wintry than wrapping up warm, pulling on some ice skates and gliding around a frosty slab of ice with your loved ones? Each winter, London fills up with pop-up rinks, from legendary venues like Somerset House to exciting new ones like Glide at Battersea Power Station. At all, you’ll find festive vibes ramped up to the max, especially come December – and a lot of fellow Londoners vying for a spot on the ice. Book in advance to guarantee you can show off your best ice moves (or your ability to stay upright, at the very least). Here are some of the best rinks to soar across this winter. How much does it cost to go ice skating? The cost to skate at London’s various permanent and pop-up ice rinks varies quite significantly. This year’s cheapest option is Queens Skate Dine and Bowl, where adult tickets are available from £8 (during off-peak hours). The most expensive adult ticket we found is £26, for peak hours at Skate at Somerset House. For cheaper tickets, consider visiting at less popular times.  RECOMMENDED: our ultimate guide to Christmas in London.

It’s been a fantastic year for new music. We’ve had long-running artists finally break through (hello, Chappell Roan), what felt like the longest and most carefully calculated album roll-out of all time (Charli, we’re looking at you), as well as niche new finds and epic comebacks from old faves (The Cure).  As the year draws to a close, it’s time to share our favourite albums of 2024. From intergalactic post-punk to gritty, lyrical hip hop, dance floor-ready pop and everything in between, grab your best headphones or line up the speakers: these are the albums Time Out had on repeat this year. RECOMMENDED:The best movies of 2024The best TV shows of 2024 you need to streamThe best songs of 2024

Like ’em, hate ’em or blast ’em 24 hours a day as soon as September starts, there’s no getting away from Christmas songs. And we’re not just talking about the classics – Christmas songs are an exhaustive genre, from weird ’40s jingles to brand-new bangers (yes, Sabrina Carpenter’s got one). Whatever gets you feeling festive, you’ll find it on this list.  What is the number one Christmas song ever? We are so glad you asked. And you’ve probably guessed it. You’re probably not even mad about it in the slightest. But yes, it’s Mariah Carey’s fabulous festive track, ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’. And hey, she’s pretty high up on our list too. It’s a classic, and she competes with Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas’ and The Pogues’s ‘Fairytale Of New York’ for the grand title every year. In our humble opinion, Pogues come out on top. But they’re both bangers.  RECOMMENDED:🔔 The worst Christmas songs of all time🎅 The best Christmas songs for kids🎄 The best Christmas movies of all time🎵 When is it too early to listen to Christmas music?🎤 The best karaoke songs

Don’t panic, but the clock is most certainly a-tickin’ towards the big day this year. And what’s that we hear? You haven’t even thought about your Christmas presents yet? We get it, we get it. But don’t bother with Oxford Circus. Say ‘no sir’ to Bezos. Instead, what you need is an all-encompassing, perfectly curated gift from an independent business. A gift all made up for you, with all the trimmings. What you need, dear friends, is a hamper. And we’ve scoured through all that London and the surrounding areas has to offer to find the best hampers around, whether you’re counting your pennies or you’re going all out. Here are the absolute best hampers you should be buying in London right now. Thank us later.  RECOMMENDED:🎄 Our essential guide to Christmas in London🛍️ The best Christmas shops in the UK🎅 The best Christmas movies ever made🎤 The best Christmas songs of all time

Okay, okay: we know it’s not even Christmas yet. But while you’ve been stressing out about buying presents and decorating the tree, we’ve been looking ahead. Because it turns out that 2025 is going to be a bit of a vintage year for the UK, filled with new theatre openings, massive international festivals making their British debut as well as glowed up art galleries and much, much more.  From the highlands of Scotland to the English channel, we’ve rounded up all of the best new things planned for 2025 – plus any really great openings from the end of this year which you’ve probably not got round to checking out yet. We have the great outdoors, we have sport, we have dancefloors, we have booze, we even have sumo wrestling. Use this as an opportunity to get excited for the year ahead: these are Time Out’s best new things to do in the UK in 2025.  RECOMMENDED: 📍 The 25 best new things to do in the world in 2025🏖️ The most underrated city breaks in the UK🏘️ The best Airbnbs in the UK

It’s officially Christmas song season, and that means it’s time for some of the worst songs ever written to crawl out of the woodwork once again. Kelly Clarkson is doing her warm ups, Michael Bublé is slowly defrosting, and everyone involved in Band Aid 20 probably wants to go and hide under a rock.  But hey, it’s Christmas. It’s all overly loud and chaotic, and you’re likely going to be forced into listening to one of these festive tunes the next time you step foot in a department store anyway. So why not take a look at what the music world has blessed us with over the years? (We’ll let you in on a little secret: a lot of these we secretly kind of love anyway.) Here are the worst Christmas songs we’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to, ranked for your pleasure. Happy holidays, folks! RECOMMENDED:🎵 When is it too early to listen to Christmas music?🎅 The best Christmas songs of all time🎄 The best Christmas movies of all time🎤 The best karaoke songs

London’s big, beautiful arts centre along the Thames is about to make its annual winter transformation. Winter at the Southbank Centre will once again be sprinkling some added sparkle along the riverside, with its charming Christmas market that sees a line of German-style wooden chalets line the riverside, twinkling with fairy lights and full of traders selling treats, gifts and decorations.  There will also be an annual helping of light installations which fill the trees and pavements along the South Bank, along with pop-up tycoon Jimmy Garcia’s cosy winter lodge, where you can sip on decadent hot chocolates, toast marshmallows around the fire pit and gorge on unlimited raclette. Competitive souls can also go head to head against their mates by flinging stones across ice at the Curling Club.  There’s plenty of fun inside as well with a brilliant season of music, theatre and art across the centre’s various stages and galleries. Look out for South Korean artist Haegue Yang’s Haywood Gallery show Leap Year which has filled the gallery with multisensory installations inspired by East Asian traditions and folklore, Carlos Acosta’s Nutcracker in Havana which adds some Latin American spice to the traditional Christmas tale, Circa’s Duck Pond that will be turning the ballet Swan Lake into an inventive circus show and Tom Fletcher’s The Creakers for musical, pantomime-style fun for families.  No matter what you decide to go to, stick around till sundown so you can walk along the Sout

The Bell in Ticehurst is the manic pixie dream girl of boutique hotels. In Ticehurst, a sweet East Sussex village, the 16th century pub and hotel is a local legend. Its beautiful upstairs room, kitted out with bespoke baroque-style wallpaper and grandiose chandeliers, still hosts the town hall meetings. On a Sunday evening in October, the downstairs pub has a merry, community feel, with seasoned locals propping themselves up at the bar alongside the trendy down-from-Londoners who inhabit the inn’s seven rooms for weekends away.  For décor, the Bell’s interior designer, Richard Brett, has taken a whimsical page straight out of Lewis Caroll’s Alice in Wonderland. There are riddles written on the walls and pillars made entirely out of dog-eared books. The room I stayed in, one of four outside lodges, had the word ‘pretty’ written on its concave ceiling over and over again, in a hypnotic spiral (a bit weird, but also kind of fun). The place also has a mad art collection belonging to the Bell’s owner, which includes a Tracey Emin, Graham Sutherland and a Banksy.  As arty as it is, The Bell also has a quaint English charm about it, with its communal areas populated by squidgy arm chairs, low ceilings showing off exposed tudor beams, taxidermied critters and abundance of fireplaces. Inside the room was just as cosy: the bed was immense and plush, with crisp, white sheets. I was more than happy to spend an hour soaking myself in the pristine bathroom, which had a roomy bathtub and p

  Who said ballet had to be boring? MADDADDAM, inspired by Margerat Attwood’s post-apocalyptic sci-fi trilogy of the same name, has a plot to rival a blockbuster movie. Sure, capturing three complicated dystopian novels, and all the world building within them, is a lot to take on for a 2.5 hour ballet. Somehow, Wayne McGregor pulls it off.  Now stay with me here; in Act One we meet Snowman, a dishevelled survivor of a major pandemic, dressed in rags and a battered red baseball cap. Snowman, AKA Jimmy, lives among the mysterious blue humanoid ‘Crakers’, who move about the stage like organisms in a harmonious ecosystem. Snowman believes himself to be the last human alive. We encounter other survivors too; the rifle-wielding Toby, who battles the hideous pig-human hybrid monsters (pigoons); Ren, a former stripper; and the thuggish Painballers, a gang of violent criminals.  The most important part though is a nostalgic dream sequence, where we are introduced to Crake, Jimmy’s childhood best-friend-turned-creepy-Steve-Jobs-super-scientist, and the love of Jimmy’s life, Oryx, a mysterious but pure-hearted former sex worker hired as an assistant to Crake, played by a buoyant and beautiful Fumi Kaneko. When Kaneko is on stage, dressed in a silky blue dressing gown, all eyes are drawn to her. Her deft movements give off an ethereality that others simply cannot. Joseph Sissen’s Snowman/Jimmy is a fantastic counterpart. His effortless performance is packed with strength and heart, and t

We enter to a room set up like the backstage area of a fashion show. A row of light-up mirrors, and dressing tables littered with makeup, lines the wall. Strips of tape map the floor marking the standing spots for the models: Naomie, Kate, Cindy. ‘Models, be yourself!’ a hand drawn poster tells us before we enter the Lightroom’s main space, a massive box in that has projections on all four walls and the floor. It’s a fun touch, but this is all the physical stuff you get to see at Vogue: Inventing the Runway.  A collaboration between Vogue magazine itself and the Lightroom, the ‘exhibition’ is essentially a 50-minute documentary film, which covers a lot of ground, taking us on a whistlestop tour of fashion’s greatest hits. It’s not entirely clear whether the film is meant to be a history of the clothes, the designers, the runway, or of Vogue and fashion reporting. The non-chronological piece, split into chapters under themes like ‘The Audience’ and ‘Disruptors’, plays on a loop – it’s designed so you can walk in at any moment and the film will still make sense. Covering the first couture house in the 1850s (Charles Frederick Worth), going all the way up to Pharell Williams’s first Louis Vuitton collection in 2023, and Maison Margiela’s Spring Summer ‘24 glazed doughnut models, it makes a lot of ground. All of this is atmospherically narrated by Cate Blanchett’s soft drawl.   If you want to look at massive images beautiful clothing, alongside cinematic music, this is a fun exp

If you don’t like tuna, this one’s not for you. But if you do, listen up. Los Mochis City has pinched Juno head chef Leonard Tanyag to come up with an omakase experience centred complelety around a massive Bluefin (which he chops up in front of you). The 10-course menu takes you on a tuna odyssey of sushi big hitters including sashimi, nigiri and maki, all with a nod to Mexico. Stand outs include the sticky rice and the tostadito. Admittedly, the vibe of Los Mochis City is a bit City Boy, but if you can look past all the gilets and briefcases, there’s much to be enjoyed. At £195 per person (plus an extra £110 for wine or sake pairings), this is one for a very special occasion. If you don’t fany the tuna ceremony, Los Mochis has a huge à la carte menu of sushi, tacos, crudos and more, plus multiple tasting menus including a vegan option. 

Krumping, freestyle hip-hop and contemporary will merge in the UK premiere of ‘4/4’ by acclaimed aussie dance company Chunky Move. Going since the mid 1990s, Chunky Move is known for innovative, genre blending and intensely physical choreographies. Prepare to work up a sweat just watching these dancers. 

The Olivier Award–winning dance company for dancers of Black and Asian descent will bring it’s double-bill to the Royal Opera House this November, following its May run at the Barbican. Acclaimed choreographer Mthuthuzeli November explores the purpose of life in The Waiting Game, while If At First, by Sophie Laplane, the Choreographer in Residence at Scottish Ballet, contemplates the complexity of humanity, heroism and self-acceptance.  

London’s best club according to Time Out is throwing a third birthday bash this August. Colour Factory is putting on day-to-night party to celebrate turning three in style. On the decks will be takeovers from queer Latinx collective 2CPerrea, afro-portuguese label Prícipe and nigerian-colombian collective Baile Ijó. Expect 12 hours of eclectic and global beats, from techno, to amapiano. Oh, and there’s going to be a bucking bronco and bouncy castle, only right for a birthday party. Buy tickets online here. 

Everyone’s got an opinion of Barbie. Whether you adored playing with her growing up, loathed her for her wildly unrealistic body measurements, or came to appreciate her for her cultural impact, there’s no denying the 11.5inch leggy blonde is one of the most famous toys – if not women – on the planet. Now one year after Barbie-mania had London in a chokehold, Barbara Millicent Roberts has once again tottered back into the capital’s collective conscience, this time via a Design Museum exhibition celebrating 65 years of the iconic doll.  The clothes, the handbags, the mansion, the seemingly perfect boyfriend. Barbie has it all. And so does this exhibition. It provides an extensive look into how the toy was designed, how she has evolved over the years, and how she has influenced fashion, design and wider culture. Created in partnership with Mattel, Barbie’s parent company, the show looks at the toy not just as a kicky blonde doll, but as a brand, and from a design angle it can be considered a real success.  In a dark room filled with rainbow-coloured windows we are taken on an odyssey of all of Barbie’s different head and body shapes. I died a little inside learning about the 1968 Stacey, Barbie’s British friend who had stubby eyelashes, a pasty complexion and a funny shaped head who, in a cruel joke, is lined up next to the bronzed original Malibu Barbie.  In a section dedicated entirely to Barbie pink, we discover that Barb wasn’t always obsessed with the colour, and that it wa

When you think of a Shoreditch restaurant, TT is the kind of place that comes to mind; all stark wood and exposed brick, with a roof terrace featuring decor that isn’t a far cry from nearby Shoreditch House (think hanging bamboo lampshades, loadsa plants and rattan furniture). The ‘ditch might not be as cool as it once was, with tech bros and finance workers encroaching on its graffitied streets, but it’s still packed full of creative directors, plucky advertising interns and streetwear designers. TT is the kind of place where execs and hipsters can exist in harmony, and both have a nice time doing it. On a midweek evening in spring the place was packed with fashionable couples, after-work friends and preppy young professionals. Formerly known as TT Liquor, a bar with regular guest chef residencies, they’ve recently upped the food offering to become a full-blown restaurant. In the kitchen is ex-Oren head chef Sam Lone – he’s curated a menu of small and big woodfired dishes. Given that TT used to be a straight up cocktail bar, drinks were fabulous. The Violet Tendencies was floral, delicate and a mystical shade of blue. Its polar opposite, but equally delicious, was the sultry Lucifer; a rich concoction of bourbon and chocolate bitters. A mature drink.  Chargrilled aubergine was sweet, smokey and wonderfully gooey On the food front, things were a bit hit and miss. Let’s start with the good. An impressively big and pillowy focaccia was a serious statement dish, thanks to its l

Walking through the lime green doors to St Martin’s Lane feels a bit like entering a quirky modern art gallery. The decor isn’t for everyone, but it is unique. Everything smells really good too, with the hotel’s expensive-feeling signature lemongrass scent pumping through all the corridors. In the lobby, a row of giant gold teeth double up as stools. They’re lined up next to a trio of giant chess pieces and a seven-foot vase of flowers. Across the floor, a giant black and white photo of a ballerina leans against the wall. I’m sure when St Martin’s Lane opened in 1999, Philippe Starck’s ‘surrealist wonderland’ interiors made it the coolest hotel in town. Now, it all feels a bit random.   In the rooms, thankfully the decor is more understated, with white walls, crisp white bedding and plush beige leopard-print carpets. My suite was bright with an incredible vista of the London Eye, and panoramic windows covering two walls of the room. The best thing about staying in any hotel is taking a bath, and this had a tub big enough for a swim. The luxurious bed was incredibly comfortable and soft – a midday check-out made it the perfect excuse for a cheeky hurkle-durkle – and colour-changing neon lights in an alcove above the headboard were a fun addition. It could have all done with a little spruce up though, with visible age showing in the bathroom tiles and fixtures.  Neighbourhood Slap bang in the middle of ‘theatreland’, the location of St Martin’s Lane couldn’t be better. It’s a f

Hip hop festival Breakin’ Convention is back at Sadler’s Wells for its 21st anniversary. Its guiding light and curator Jonzi D creates a forum for the best hip hop dance theatre from the around the UK and the rest of the world. The event attracts a diverse and lively young crowd. This year’s global line-up features dancers and crews including Boy Blue, Jinjo Crew from South Korea,  LA-based Femme Fatale, UK-baed ShaolinOrShao and Olivier Award winners TRAPLORD. 

Everyone knows the story of ‘Swan Lake’. A princess turned into a swan, a wicked sorcerer, a chiselled prince coming to save her. It’s a wonder that the ancient story, and ancient 1877 choreography by Marius Petipa, is still beguiling audiences. But just like the most classic of fairy tales, the tale of the cursed princess remains a gesamtkunstwerk that will definitely pull on your heartstrings.  In a production first staged in 2018, ‘Swan Lake’ at the Royal Opera House is very much a trad ballet. It’s got all the things you’d expect – beautiful, featherlight swans moving in mesmerising unison, grand sets (designed by John Macfarlane), lavish costumes (a personal favourite was the Queen’s glittering black Victorian ball gown with an enormous bustle), and a bombastic Tchaikovsky score. Apart from an altered ending, there’s not much about this production by Liam Scarlett that shocks or surprises. Everything is neatly shaped to fit into the package that is ‘the ballet’. It’s still beautiful and satisfying to watch, but not particularly mind blowing.  In Act I the corps moves with military precision, with formations creating wonderful symmetry as the ballerinas swung their legs like pendulums. Then in the enchanted forest we meet Mayara Magri as Odette, who portrayed her with both a treacly sadness and light skittishness – not an easy combination to nail. Marcelino Sambé’s Prince Siegfried was a dependable partner, while also performing some seriously impressive jetés and pirouet

2024 was a big year for London transport. We saw the continued launch of the Superloop, brand-new ‘tram-buses’ were introduced, and the Overground went through a grand renaming. But what’s in store for 2025? We might be dreading tube fares going up in March, but that extra money is (hopefully) going to go towards some new and improved Transport for London services. Here are all the new travel options Londoners can look forward to in 2025.  New eco buses  London’s biggest bus company, Go-Ahead, has already ordered 1,000 more electric buses for the capital, and a load of those are set to come into service from Orpington Garage from early 2025. The R1, R3, R4 and R8 routes, as well as route 233 between Eltham and Swanley, will all be getting an environmentally friendly makeover.  The return of direct Eurostar trains from St Pancras to Amsterdam The London-Amsterdam Eurostar was paused for nearly a year in 2024, with passengers having to change in Brussels to get to the Netherlands, but this direct service will be making a comeback from February 10. The service will be paused again briefly from March 30, but it will resume as normal from the end of April.  The Silvertown Tunnel The long-awaited, and controversial, new tunnel between Silvertown (in Newham) and Greenwich is finally opening in spring 2025. The £2.2 billion tunnel for motorists and cyclists will charge vehicles a toll of £4 each way during peak hours. The final Superloop bus route After the Silvertown Tunnel opens, t

A lot happened in London in 2024. The northern lights were spotted from Hampstead Heath, mega pop stars like Chappell Roan, Taylor Swift and Charli XCX all brought their tours to town, and there were train strikes galore. Plus, we can’t forget about all the fabulous art exhibitions, theatre shows, and amazing new restaurants that opened in the city. And *cough cough* we published a few fantastic cover stories too.  But what did Londoners read about the most? Here we’ve rounded up our most-read articles of the year: these are the biggest Time Out London stories of 2024.  1. Train strikes Page views: more than 1,000,000 It’s been well over two years since London’s rail workers first started striking over issues like pay, working conditions and job security, and the industrial action went on throughout 2024. It’s looking like the train strikes are going to continue into the New Year too, with the next action planned for New Year’s Eve.  Find out more and read the full article here. Photograph: Ceri Breeze / Shutterstock.com 2. World Naked Bike Ride Page views: more than 700,000 Every year, hundreds of cyclists strip down to their birthday suits and ride through London in the nude, and Time Out readers absolutely love goggling at the photos. In 2024 a record 1,200 naked cyclists took part in the ride which doubles up as a peaceful protest against global oil dependency.  Find out more and read the full article here. 3. The Northern Lights in London Page views: more than 500,000

You’ve probably heard of The Slab by now. As ominous as it sounds, it’s an enormous new building on the South Bank set to be the latest addition to the London skyline.  The plans for the building (officially called 72 Upper Ground) haven’t been without controversy. Set to redevelop the former ITV offices, the 79,000-square-metre office block will house 4,000 office workers. But locals, green campaigners and architecture enthusiasts have been campaigning against it for months, saying that the building, designed by architecture firm Make and backed by Mitsubishi Estate and CO–RE property developers, will threaten beloved landmarks, bring environmental concerns and jeopardise London’s architectural integrity.  Now, The Slab has been given the green light after the high court upheld a decision by the former communities secretary Michael Gove to approve the development. The legal challenge by Save Our South Bank was dismissed by the judge Justice Mould.  The 2.5 acre site promises to be a mixed use work and community space that ‘prioritises well-being and sustainability’, but the anti-Slab campaigners are concerned about high levels of carbon that will be generated by demolishing the old buildings and erecting a new one. They also argue the development is unsuitable as it doesn’t have any provision for housing. Plus, the campaign is concerned that landmarks like the National Theatre, Royal Festival Hall and Waterloo Bridge will be spoiled.  Michael Gove himself had reservations ab

First we had the American candy shops, then came the wizarding merch. You might have noticed there are a lot of wizard and witch-themed shops around central London these days; there are currently at least seven knock-off Harry Potter shops in London’s most touristy areas, selling everything from chocolate frogs for £7.99 a pop, Hedwig toys and Hogwarts-themed pens. Nobody knew quite where they came from, but suddenly over the past few years, unofficial Harry Potter stores have appeared all over Covent Garden, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus.   Now, an investigation by London Centric has revealed the shocking truth behind these Harry Potter shops.  Similar to what happened with the American candy stores, and in some cases taking over the exact same retail units, the report by Jim Waterson alleged that one of these businesses could owe Westminster council as much as £400,000 in unpaid taxes. The report also alleged that many of the shops aren’t charging the standard 20 percent VAT sales tax, meaning legitimate shops in the area are unable to keep up with these rogue traders, being driven out.  In short, all of this dodgy dealing is driving down the quality of shops on Oxford Street and surrounding areas, which are supposed to be prime shopping locations.  Leader of Westminster council Adam Hug told London Centric: ‘The council worked hard to turn the tide against candy stores which have in many cases been selling unsafe and illegal goods. We want Oxford Street and the We

London’s late night industry might be in dire straits, but sometimes we get flickers of hope – like the news that beloved grassroots gig venue Matchstick Piehouse is reopening in 2025 after being closed for a year.  The Deptford gig venue shut down at the end of 2023 after the Covid pandemic left it with £36,000 of rent arrears. But it seems that the day has been saved. Campaigners to save the pie house, called the The Piehouse Co-op, joined forces with charity Music Venue Trust to save the venue. They’ve drawn up a deal with the landlords to re-open the venue in spring 2025.  Oluremi Falowo, a Co-op member, told MyLondon: ‘It’s really important that a venue like this survives. The place really cared about the community that it was serving as opposed to trying to profit from people. ‘The special thing is that the programming for events and themed nights always prioritised people from local communities, especially those that don’t always get the chance to have their voice heard. Having a space like that is essential, especially as access to those kinds of things has really, really decreased.’ First opened in 2018, the community-led and self-proclaimed ‘anti-capitalist’ music venue has hosted gigs by Mercury prize winners Ezra Collective, Nubya Garcia, Moses Boyd and Kamasi Washington over the years.  The venue isn’t totally out of the woods yet though, and is hoping to raise £15,000 to replace the furniture and equipment taken by debt collectors during the initial closure. If

Pillow Talk princesses, ‘no makeup’ makeup girls and glazed donut beauty queens: get ready. Charlotte Tilbury is opening its biggest ever flagship in central London, and it will be here in less than a month. The ‘significantly upsized’ Charlotte Tilbury flagship will open its doors in Covent Garden on January 9 2025. The cult beauty brand is moving down the road from its first ever store which opened on James Street in 2015. The new 4,300 square foot space will be triple the size of the original one, and be located on the corner of the Royal Opera House and James Street. It promises a ‘fully immersive Charlotte Tilbury experience like never before’. Inside the new and improved C-Tilbury flagship, which will be the brand’s biggest Beauty Wonderland globally, you’ll be able to cop the brand’s full range of makeup, skincare and fragrance. It’s also going to have a ‘Skin Spa’ for facials and a brand new ‘Pillow Talk Bar’ where shoppers will be able to try on all the Pillow Talk products. It will also have spaces for private events, masterclasses and private parties.  Founder Charlotte Tilbury said: ‘This really is the beauty store of the future – it has education, futuristic tech, instagrammable moments, themed worlds and bookable areas. Everyone will walk out of this beauty universe feeling like the most beautiful and confident version of themselves!’ It’s official: two of the world’s best new luxury hotels are in London.  Plus: British Airways is cancelling all flights from Lon

The UK’s biggest club, Drumsheds, could have its licence revoked in the new year.  The superclub in north London, which has a 15,000-person capacity, had an emergency licensing review triggered two weeks ago (December 12). The Metropolitan Police asked Enfield Council to review the licence following an investigation into a stabbing at the venue and two deaths believed to be drug-related.  Drumsheds was in the headlines last week following a crowd management fiasco at the UKF15 event on December 13, which was headlined by Pendulum. Now, an investigation by London Centric has revealed why.  The UKF event took place the day after the emergency licensing review was requested by the Met, meaning the venue had to put on additional security and much stricter searches. Attendees complained of waiting two hours just to enter the club, and that overcrowding inside felt ‘unsafe’. There was even an online petition started demanding refunds for the event, which currently has more than 2,200 signatures.  The Met and Enfield Council confirmed to London Centric that there will be a licensing review on January 7.  The police are investigating Drumsheds after two people died after attending events at the venue. A 27-year-old man died in hospital after attending an event on October 12, while a 29-year-old woman died in hospital after attending an event at the venue on December 7. Both deaths are believed to be drug-related. On November 16 police were also called to Drumsheds after a man require

What the hell is going on with HS2? First, they announced a £2.25 billion makeover of Euston station (this was all the way back in 2015). Then, after years of building works, closing down nearby businesses and amid skyrocketing costs, the Tories said the high speed rail wasn’t coming to central London after all. We thought that was the end of it, but no. After a decision by the newly elected Labour government in October 2024, ministers said HS2 would be coming to Euston after all. So what’s the latest? After all this, the government has just announced the new Euston station will only have six platforms. If you’re feeling a bit baffled by this, you’re not the only one: Euston has already been dubbed London’s ‘worst station’, and suffers from severe overcrowding. We wouldn’t wish the infamous ‘Euston rush’ on our worst enemies.  Now a written parliamentary answer from rail minister Lord Hendy has revealed the station won’t have the 10 or 11 platforms as originally planned. Answering a question from Lord Berkeley, Hendy wrote: ‘The new HS2 station will consist of six platforms, which can support up to 10 HS2 trains per hour. ‘No decisions have been made on the train services that will run when HS2 opens, and this will be subject to future consultation.’ Lord Hendy didn’t reveal the exact reason for this decision. One rail consultant told the Standard that having only six platforms was ‘lunacy’. And Gareth Dennis, a rail engineer and commentator, told the Standard: ‘Unless there

If you see a boxing machine – one that looks like it’s come from an arcade – or a 360-degree photo booth on the street in London, avoid it. Because these machines aren’t a harmless bit of fun for tourists, but in fact scams, looking to cheat innocent people out of their hard-earned cash.  Westminister City Council has issued a warning to illegal street traders, and has already handed out £70,000 in fines as part of a pre-Christmas crackdown on street scammers. The council said that during the festive period it is working to keep Londoners and tourists safe, and had sent out inspectors to secure fines and victim surcharges against illegal street traders. Deputy Leader of the Council Aicha Less said she hopes the latest round of prosecutions ‘will serve as a warning to rogue traders trying to rip people off this Christmas.’ She added: ‘Westminster City Council has a zero-tolerance approach to breaking the law or trying to make a quick buck – we will catch you and we will prosecute you. ‘These results are a testament to the hard work of the City Inspectors, Environmental Health officers and others who work throughout the year to keep Westminster safe.’ So far, the council has brought five prosecutions against illegal street traders using 360-degree photobooths and boxing games, with fines totalling £6,187. All the photobooths and boxing machines have been seized.  Westminster Council’s inspectors have also been cracking down on rickshaw drivers that have been ripping off tourist

We regret to inform you that London has officially become boring. It’s been revealed that Londoners are now more obsessed with working out at all hours of the day than they are interested in having a night out, as the city has more 24-hour gyms than it does 24-hour night clubs and bars.  Analysis by BBC London found that only 58 bars and nightclubs in the capital have 24 hour licences, down from 183 in 2021, meaning late venues have fallen by two thirds in the past three years. Meanwhile, London could have as many as 300 gyms with 24-hour licences.  The BBC spoke to Deonne Andrews, group general manager at 1Rebel, a high-end gym chain that has popular spin classes that replicate a nightclub – think lights, pumping music and even a smoke machine. ‘The lighting, the vibe, the music... it's like you're having a whole party on a bike,’ Andrews said.  ‘We're busy throughout the year,’ she added.  London may be a 24-hour-city to gym bunnies, but for nightlife it’s a different story.  Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), told the BBC that it’s becoming harder for London venues to attain 24-hour licences. ‘Not being able to get home post-midnight midweek has been a real challenge,’ he said. ‘There are 24-hour licences that don’t operate within those hours, and that's based on the fact that if the infrastructure's not there to keep people safe and get people home, then they're not going to be supported by the market. ‘Becoming a 24-hour city i

We love a good makeover here in London, from the newly announced Highgate Cemetery glow-up to the magnificent renovation of the Crystal Palace subway. Now, TfL uniforms will be getting their own makeover, with staff to be kitted out in brand-new ‘brighter’ outfits. TfL is doing away with their navy blue ensembles, and replacing them with a much brighter blue get-up. The original uniform, designed by HemingwayDesign and introduced in 2015, has been refreshed using new sustainable fabrics, and made more inclusive, with brighter colours and increased functionality for frontline staff. The transport bosses hope the new eye-catching colours will make staff more easily identifiable to the public, especially in busy stations. The refreshed uniforms includes new overcoats, fleeces and accessories like hats, scarves and ties. The clothes will feature bigger, more contrasting roundels, making staff easier to spot. Plus, the new ‘fits are made of softer, more durable fabrics, with improved functionality to help those experiencing common symptoms of menopause, like hot flushes and dry, itchy skin. TfL is also moving towards more sustainable materials, with new jackets made of 51 percent recycled materials. With the first uniforms rolling out from December 2024, staff will have a 12-month transition period to make the switch, and old uniforms will be recycled where possible. Claire Mann, TfL’s Chief Operating Officer, said: ‘This new uniform brings all our TfL teams together, showing we a

It’s a big weekend for travel in the run up to Christmas, with statistically the most people heading home on Friday December 20 or Saturday December 21. If you are staying in the capital, there are going to be a few tube and train closures before things start to properly wind down from December 23 (here’s the full list of London tube, train and bus closures over Christmas). But until then, this is all the disruption to know about this weekend.  RECOMMENDED: Public transport in London over Christmas and New Year. Piccadilly line There’s currently no service between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge due a shortage of Piccadilly line trains while TfL fixes damage caused by a leaf fall. The line is operating a reduced service between Rayners Lane and Acton Town – find out more here. DLR On Saturday 21, Sunday 22 and Monday, December 23, there’s no service between Prince Regent and Beckton. Replacement buses will operate. From Saturday 21 until Monday, December 30, there’s no service between Shadwell and Bank. Elizabeth line  On Sunday December 22, a reduced service will operate between Paddington and Heathrow / Maidenhead. Six trains an hour will serve Ealing Broadway, Southall and Hayes & Harlington in each direction, four trains an hour will serve West Ealing and Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3, and two trains an hour will serve Acton Main Line, Hanwell, Heathrow Terminal 4, West Drayton, Langley, Slough, Burnham and Maidenhead. Overground Mildmay From 7.30pm on Saturday December 21 until mi