India Lawrence

You’re probably not even thinking about February right now. There’s still an entire Christmas party season, followed by the inevitable January hibernation to get through. But February will be coming on the horizon sooner than you think, so why not get ahead and start planning now? February’s social calendar is surprisingly busy, with a bunch of important dates packed into its short four weeks including Valentine’s Day, London Fashion Week and LGBTQ+ History Month. It’s also half-term, again. But fear not, there’s plenty to entertain the kids in London this Feb.  And there’s plenty more on besides all that. Seize your chance to have some fun this February, with our guide to the best things happening in London over the month. London’s best things to do in February at a glance: 🛏️Best for art lovers: Tracey Emin, Tate Modern 🎭Best for thespians: Dracula, Noel Coward Theatre  🪄Best for magicians: Abracadabra!, Somerset House 🏉Best for sports fans: Six Nations, various RECOMMENDED:🎨 The best art exhibitions opening in London this February 🎭 The best theatre shows opening in London this February🍽️ The best new London restaurants opening this February🎤 The best gigs happening in London in February😂 The best comedy show to see in London this February

January might seem like miles away right now – you’ve still got a full season of ice skating, festive markets, and panto-watching to get through. But what is ostensibly to most depressing month of the year will creep up on you before you know it.  However, it isn’t all bad. 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 settle in by an open fire at one of the city’s cosiest pubs instead, then there’s absolutely no judgement from us! Howeve

It’s December, and that can only mean one thing in the dance world: it’s Nutcracker season.  On top of not one, not two, but three productions featuring Clara, the Sugarplum Fairy and co, there’s a new hip hop take on A Christmas Carol by ZooNation, and Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes is back.   Here’s the best dance in London this December.  India is in charge of dance listings at Time Out. She was first shoved into a leotard and ballet shoes aged four, and has loved it ever since. Nowadays India prefers contemporary (or dancing in a sweaty club) to ballet, but still has a soft spot for the odd grand jeté every now and again. India has been reviewing dance in London since joining Time Out in 2022.  MORE STAGE: Dance classes in London Best theatre shows this yearBest theatre shows this monthBest comedy shows this month

Urgently in need of some cool pressie inspo for your nearest and dearest? Don’t worry about it! Our London gift guide is here, and it features loads of lovely pressies to suit just about any Londoner you can imagine.  From nifty gadgets to stylish accessories, covetable homeware to kids’ gifts, our editors have got every base covered, including plenty of sustainable options and handmade bits from some of London’s coolest indie brands and makers.  Need even more present inspiration? Check out our roundup of London’s best Christmas hampers for 2025. Time Out’s 2025 Christmas Gift Guide at a glance 🏰 Best for tech nerds: Nothing headphones 💷 Best for foodies: Allday Goods knife 🔬 Best for style queens: Peachy Den scarf and mitten set 🎡 Best for cool blokes: Percival martini cap 🎨 Best for youngsters: Ty Beanie Bouncers RECOMMENDED: More Christmas fun in London. 

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)

When it comes to art and exhibitions, London has it all. From the niche spaces, to the avant garde galleries, and the massive crowd-pleasing museums, our city is packed with shows that will perplex, challenge, inspire, educate and leave you feeling awestruck.  The problem is... there’s absolutely tons to see. Too much, you could say. Lucky for you, Time Out exists. For decades, our experts have been visiting and reviewing all the sculpture, painting, performance, photography, history, fashion and other types of exhibitions on offer. You name it, we’ve (probably, most likely) seen it. If you’re wondering what’s actually worth your time, start here. Check out the best museum exhibitions and art in London right now, and be sure to come back weekly for the latest picks. Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. RECOMMENDED: Best photography exhibitions in LondonBest free exhibitions in London

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.

There are an array of hotels in Dublin to suit all types of tastes and budgets. But Dublin is, quite simply, a very expensive city, up there with the likes of London and Paris, and staying here can cost a pretty penny. But don’t worry – if you know where to look, you’ll find plenty of digs for under €200 a night.  We’ve picked our favourite cheap hotels in Dublin which are on the lower end of the scale but a step up from budget hostels – and still within a short distance to the city’s top things to do, as well its best restaurants. From the oldest hotel in Dublin to modern city-centre spots, here are our favourite budget hotels in the city.  RECOMMENDED: 🏠 The best Airbnbs in Dublin🏨 The best hotels in Dublin How we curate our hotel lists Our team of writers and travel experts review hotels all over the world – new openings, old classics and everything in between – to bring you fresh, honest recommendations, all year round. We have reviewed some of the hotels featured below, but we may not have stayed at every single one. Any we haven’t stayed in have been selected by experts based on their amenities, features, pricing and more. By the way, this article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines. 📍 Find more places to stay at our ultimate guide to hotels in Dublin

It may only be the start of the festive period, but we are already thinking about festival season 2026. And we can’t wait.  By the time summer rolls around, Londoners will be absolutley spoilt for choice. With something taking place almost every weekend throughout the warmer months, you can forget trekking across the country to live in a field for five days; simply hop on the tube and before you know it you’re listening to your favourite artists, tinny to hand, knowing that there’s a hot shower and a cosy bed waiting for you once the day is over.  The line-up announcements for next year’s events are already coming in thick fast, with huge acts like Tyler, The Creator, Lewis Capaldi, Lorde, Lily Allen, Scissor Sisters and Deftones set to take to the London stage next summer. Plus, the future of events in Brockwell Park was thrown up in the air in 2025, however the south London park’s usual lineup of events – which includes Cross The Tracks, Wide Awake and Field Day – will all return in 2026.  Have a scroll through our comprehensive guide – which we keep meticulously updated with all the latest line-up announcements – and see what takes your fancy. RECOMMENDED: ⛺ The best UK music festivals🌍 The best festivals in Europe

The most important thing about Christmas is here: the festive sandwich. So pure. So dense. So carby. This year, the staff of Time Out London have taste-tested seasonal sarnies from 10 independent bakeries, delis and street food stalls across London in order to find the jolliest Christmas sandwich in town. From vegetarian cheese feasts to meaty marvels and vegan sourdough wedges, these are the very best Christmas sandwiches in London. RECOMMENDED: For more festive fun here’s our guide to the best Christmas markets in London.  And don’t miss the best Christmas events, either. 

As much as Christmas trees, turkey and a mildly overworked Santa have become staples of the festive season, so has the music that soundtracks this cheer-soaked time of year. Christmas songs don’t just endure – many end up becoming the crown jewels of an artist’s entire career. From golden oldies by Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Bing Crosby, to ‘80s icons like Wham! and The Pogues, to modern favourites from Ariana Grande and Leona Lewis, these tunes have embedded themselves into our seasonal rituals. What is the best-selling Christmas song of all time? That honour still belongs to Bing Crosby’s 1942 classic ‘White Christmas’. With over 50 million sales, it’s not only the biggest Christmas record in history – it’s the best-selling song of all time, full stop. Guinness World Records first crowned it back in 1955, and it’s held onto the title ever since. What is the most-streamed Christmas song of all time? Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ may trail Crosby in pure sales (a mere 16 million), but streaming has turned it into a seasonal juggernaut. It finally hit No.1 in both the UK and US decades after its release and became the first Christmas song to pass 2 billion Spotify streams. Hot on its heels: Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas’ (1.83 billion) and Brenda Lee’s ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’ (1.27 billion). Are there any new Christmas songs for 2025? The past decade has delivered plenty of modern holiday staples, from Ariana Grande to Sabrina Carpenter to Cher. As

Two acclaimed choreographers who you might expect to work together – the remarkable ballet creator Crystal Pite alongside commercial dancer and Taylor Swift collaborator Kameron N Saunders – have come together to create Body and Soul with ENB, which recieves its UK and world premiere at Sadlers Wells. Pite’s Body and Soul (Part 1) explores bereavement, featuring two dancers in funereal black suits and white shirts. Meanwhile Saunders presents a new work in three parts that looks at the quest to find our authentic self under crushing societal scrutiny, inspired by his own experiences.

You can’t swing a pair of pointe shoes in London at Christmas without hitting a production of The Nutcracker. So it’s nice to see that there’s finally a new festive dance show on the block (one that isn’t by Matthew Bourne, anyway).  Hip hop honchos ZooNation are taking on the Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol, this winter. However, at the beginning we are told that writer/director/choreographer Dannielle ‘Rhimes’ Lecointe’s version is absolutely not going to be the tale you recognise, with Tiny Tim et al. Instead, the recorded opening narration explains that Ebony Scrooge is about a ruthless fashion mogul (there’s certainly a bit of Miranda Priestly in there), hellbent on completing her monochrome fashion show in time for Christmas Day. It’s also spelled out that this is a story of belonging and finding your roots, which is perhaps a bit unnecessary – we all know the moral of A Christmas Carol.  Ebony Scrooge offers up a fun and inventive cast of characters, and I’m sure people will have their favourites. There are the mischievous content editors Tren and Dee (see what they did there?) with iPhones in hand; Scrooge’s sweet niece Freddie, always dressed in pink; and the kind natured Bob who just wants to put colour in Scrooge’s strictly black and white designs, played by a wonderfully fluid Malachi Welch. Leah Hill is a fabulous Scrooge, vogueing onto the stage in a pair of sparkling killer platforms over a house beat. Marley (that’s Janet Marley in this version) is quite te

Are you looking for something fuzzy to warm your heart this Christmastime? Then boy does the National Theatre have the show for you.  Katy Rudd’s seamless production is adapted by playwright Kendall Feaver from the Noel Streatfeild children’s novel of the same name. It follows the story of the three Fossil sisters: Pauline (Nina Cassells), Petrova (Sienna Arif-Knights) and Posy (Scarlett Monahan) who are adopted by the eccentric explorer and palaeontologist Great Uncle Matthew, aka Gum (Justin Salinger). After Gum goes missing on one of his many, many expeditions, the girls are looked after by his steadfastly loyal niece Sylvia, aka Garnie (Anoushka Lucas) and the matronly Miss Guthridge, aka Nana, played by the charming Lesley Nicol with a drawling West Country accent.  Set in the 1930s, the five women live in a tumbledown house filled with fossils on the Cromwell Road in Chelsea, until they realise they are desperately running out of money and assemble a motley crew of lodgers to take up rooms. There’s the stern but kind-hearted English professor Doctor Jakes (Pandora Colin), glamorous dance teacher Theo Dane (Nadine Higgin), and the bumbling car repair man Jai Saran (Raj Bajaj). After being booted out of every state school in the area, the girls are enrolled in the Children's Academy of Dancing and Stage Training, where luckily Dane is the teacher. Here they discover their passions for acting, ballet and er… being a mechanic. The whole plot is basically implausible – espec

It’s the location that clinched it for me at the Grafton, because staying here, you are quite literally right in the middle of the action. On the corner of Drury Street and Stephen Street, this modern hotel is in the perfect position to stumble straight home after a night on the Guinness (followed by the swift consumption of a spice bag) in town. I was still licking the salt and spices from my fingertips when I rolled into bed feeling sufficiently fed and watered. Fear not though, because despite its proximity to the hubbub, the room is well soundproofed. You can easily escape the hordes of stag dos, after work drinkers and tourists in the tranquility of your room. Plus, you can watch them all below while you sip a cup of tea, swaddled in a fluffy white robe. Regal stuff.  Why stay at the Grafton? First opening in 2019, the Grafton re-emerged from the chrysalis of lockdown in 2021 with a full makeover. The vibe they are going for is very much art deco glam, with a side of Studio 54. In the lobby, glittery pillars have been dressed up like disco balls, while gold accents can be found in furniture and fittings all over the digs. It has an aura of old-school glamour that occasionally verges on the gaudy (personally, I wasn’t a fan of the rooms’ blue and gold carpets). But overall the atmosphere is lively, welcoming and doesn’t take itself too seriously. The bright lobby could easily serve as an all-day hangout or decent place to get a bit of work done – there were often people l

Field Day tried to get back to its roots in 2025 when it up sticks from its more corporate-feeling Victoria Park set up and went to Brockwell Park. It will return to south London in May, so get it locked in the diary. On the line-up for 2026 is a dependable selection of DJs and producers, with the biggest names including Andy C, Floating Points, Honey Dijon and Joy Orbison. They’ll be joined by Anish Kumar, Interplanetary Criminal, KI/KI, sim0ne, Eliza Rose, Horse Meat Disco and others for a day of non-stop dancing.   

There was a time when being into Wes Anderson made you a proponent of quirky indie cinema. These days, liking his stuff doesn’t make you a cinephile with niche interests, or really even particularly cool. Now firmly in the mainstream, some of Anderson’s recent films are so stylised as to feel like parodies of his own work. And yet, the universe he has created is still just as wonderful as it has ever been. At the Design Museum’s massive exhibition dedicated to the director there is the chance to step into this ever-so-charming and colourful world – if you’re a fan of Anderson’s films, you are going to love it.  Through more than 700 costumes, props, handwritten notes, scripts, storyboards, behind-the-scenes photographs, and more, Wes Anderson: The Archives travels through each of the director’s 12 feature films in chronological order.  Entering the exhibition, the words ‘No Crying’ are stamped above the doorway of a crimson-painted room (all the paint swatches were approved by Anderson himself). Visitors are then greeted with a wall of BTS polaroids, which includes a shirtless Bill Murrary flexing his biceps on the set of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and close ups of a young Jason Schwartzmann. A series of Anderson’s notebooks are laid out showing his ridiculously neat and boxy handwriting. Of course he writes like that.  The Archives shows visitors just how much detail has been poured into each of Anderson’s films: this is the crux of the whole display. We learn about

Sadlers Wells launches its inaugural dance film festival, Dance Digital, in 2026. Held in the Lilian Baylis studio, the three day event will be packed with film screenings, talks, VR/XR installations, networking sessions and mentoring opportunities. The line-up of films is still TBA, but it promises to include the UK premiere of a dance feature film. Sadlers Wells is currently on the lookout for submissions to the festival, with awards to be given out for the following categories: best dance on screen; best documentary / behind the scenes; best film by young artists; best social first film; best cinematography; best dance (choreography, performance). Tickets go on sale in January 2026. 

I have always had a soft spot for hotel bars. To some they may seem stuffy, but not to me. With their polished  interiors, sleek seats and lo-fi music, drinking in them always feels classy and sexy. The cocktails are usually good, they’re not too noisy, or trendy, and you can almost  always get a seat. I have also always wanted to go to Los Angeles, but alas, have never managed to make the trip. At Chet’s Bar I got to fulfill my dream of drinking in a slinky LA hotel bar, without leaving London.  The Hoxton Shepherd’s Bush has been home to Chet’s, from Silverlake-hailing chef Kris Yenbamroong, since 2023. Now they’ve opened Chet’s Bar, an offshoot of the vibrant and addictive Thai eatery, in the same building.  The Thai Sour – fragrant and frothy with banana liqueur – is a beach holiday in a glass Sitting on a dusty pink bar stool, I found the room pleasantly dim-lit, with each table kitted out with its own spaceship-looking lamp. There are also marble and chrome accents and wood panelling. Very nice. As for the crowd, it’s sort of what you’d expect from a hotel in west London – fairly middle-aged, and a decent amount of people who look like they could be business travellers. But that doesn’t mean that Chet’s Bar is boring – the trendy people simply haven’t found it yet.  To sip, you can order Chet’s classics, like the Lychee Martini – sweet and girly with a pleasingly green lychee at the bottom; and the Thai Sour – fragrant and frothy, made with Dewars 12 scotch, Thai spiri

London’s biggest pop festival returns, and this is going to be a biggie. Like every year, next summer Mighty Hoopla is presenting all of London’s gays and theys with a mighty line-up of nostalgic pop acts, disco-leaning dance music and megastars. The 2026 edition will be headlined by the one and only Lily Allen, who will be performing her searing and brutal new album West End Girl on Saturday, May 30. Allen will be joined by Jessie J, JLS, Horse Meat Disco and Agnes. On Sunday, the Scissor Sisters will bring their legendary show to the Brockwell Park stage. They’re joined on the billing by Perrie, Five, Alexandra Burke and Cascada. 

I am staring at a machine that resembles a torture device from the future. A dozen spindly and black robot arms, each with a bright yellow light on its tip, are attached to two parallel black tracks. Suddenly, the machine starts zooming towards me, its arms squirming like a creepy spider.  It sounds like something out of Blade Runner, but the contraption is actually a kinetic robot sculpture, made as a collaboration between Wayne McGregor and art collective Random International. Separately, in a video, I see two dancers eloquently interacting with the apparatus. Simply put, the work explores the relationship between humans and machines, and you can see it for yourself now at Somerset House’s landmark dance exhibition.  Wayne McGregor: Infinite Bodies takes a look at the work of virtuoso choreographer Wayne McGregor – resident choreographer of The Royal Ballet, and the brains behind the ABBA Voyage avatar’s dance moves. Ever since the ’90s, when he created his first choreographic work inspired by robots (Cyborg, 1995), McGregor has been obsessed with the relationship between the body and technology. Over the years, he’s worked with cognitive neuroscientists at Cambridge, developed an AI choreography tool, and put a sci-fi ballet on the Royal Opera House stage. Now, an impressive display of his lofty work has been put on in London for all to see.  It’s a sensory delight; you can feel soundscapes vibrating in your body Walking through the dark space, visitors are taken through

What do an Enigma machine, an Apple AirTag and Lady Mountbatten’s silk underwear all have in common? Well, they’re all currently on display at the British Library’s riveting Secret Maps exhibition. Why are they all together? Because they all tell stories about how information is created, concealed, disseminated and controlled, via mapping. And that’s exactly what Secret Maps is all about.  Through more than 100 items, from hand-drawn naval charts gifted to Henry VIII, to Soviet Cold War-era cartographies, and modern-day satellite tracking technology (TL;DR: a whole lotta maps), the British Library illuminates how maps can be powerful political tools, create communities, and act as a form of protest.  It’s a dense, information-packed display with plenty of granular detail to get stuck into, so if you’re not, like, really into maps, then it may not be for you. But it’s sort of what you’d expect for an exhibition dedicated to maps hosted by the British Library. There are a few fun and interactive elements, too; visitors are invited to peer through secret spy holes, place their phones on a futuristic screen that tells them exactly how the tech overlords are mapping and harvesting their data (gulp), and find Wally in an original drawing from the children’s book.  For £20 you are guaranteed to see a lot of cool old shit The most compelling aspect of the exhibition is its anti-colonialist streak (other London museums could do with taking a leaf out of the British Library’s book). S

Known for her surreal and avante garde haute couture creations – often with striking silhouettes, gilded accents, and unusual appliqués – for the first time in the UK an exhibition will be dedicated to the work and legacy of the groundbreaking fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli. The show will trace the origins of the house, from its first, paradigmshifting garments, through to its present-day incarnation in the hands of its creative director Daniel Roseberry, whose contemporary designs worn by the likes of Kylie Jenner and Bella Hadid have seen gowns adorned with faux-taxidermy lion heads, and a lung dress fashioned from a delicate network of golden veins. 

A big makeover of St Paul’s Gyratory – that’s the complex and quite frankly perilous one-way traffic system outside the cathedral – has been in the works since 2023. In 2024 it was also announced that a huge new public square and play area would be built in front of the cathedral, called Greyfriars Square.  Work on the roads initially began in April 2025, though there’s now a new update on the project. The final designs for the new public square were officially approved in December 2025 (see pictures below). It’s expected that Greyfriars Square could be complete by mid-2027.  The detailed designs for Greyfriars Square have now been given planning permission by the City of London Streets and Walkways Sub-Committee, allowing works to begin on the final stages of the transformation project. Image: City of London Corporation Once finished, the 3,500-square-metre square will be the City of London’s largest public open space. In the plans, almost 1,500 square metres of existing roads will be converted into new pavement. There will also be 800 new metres of east-west and north-south cycle lanes, plus new and improved crossings for pedestrians and cyclists.  Image: City of London Corportation The three traffic lanes at the south end of King Edward Street will be closed to traffic and converted into a new 3,500 square-metre pedestrianised public square, equivalent to the size of 12 tennis courts. The square will be filled with trees, flower beds, public seating and a children’s pl

Tube fares might be about to skyrocket in the new year, but at least some positive TfL news is also coming our way. As well as not one, but two potential new Overground lines in the works for the future, TfL has announced that major improvements will be coming to the existing Overground lines in 2026, thanks to a contract with a new operator.  The transport bosses have announced that the £3 billion London Overground operator contract has been awarded to First Rail London Limited (FRLL), a subsidiary of FirstGroup PLC. FRLL will take over from the current operator, Arriva Rail London, on Sunday May 3 2026, and will work closely with TfL during its eight-year-long tenure.  The biggest improvements set to be introduced by FRLL include extra peak-time trains on the Mildmay line from May 2026, with shuttle services between Clapham Junction and Shepherd’s Bush during peak hours, as well as more frequent trains on the Windrush line from December 2026, with services through the core section (Highbury and Islington to Surrey Quays) of the line increasing to 18 trains per hour. The new operators also want to upgrade customer help points and CCTV, improve reliability, manage disruption, provide better customer information, and continue to improve the Overground’s accessibility.  David Thomas, head of concession for London Overground, said: ‘London Overground is one of the most popular parts of our transport network, and this new concession puts customers at its heart, helping make the s

Plans to transform the former home of BHS and the London College of Fashion (LCF) in Oxford Circus have been given the green light. First announced in August, the proposals to turn 33 Cavendish Square into a massive office block and shopping centre are officially going ahead. Westminster City Council has unanimously granted planning permission to developers Berkeley Estate Asset Management (BEAM) and architects Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) to renovate the historic building that is just round the corner for Oxford Circus tube station.  The building was occupied by the high street stalwart BHS from 1961 until 2016 when the company went bust. UAL’s London College of Fashion campus was also housed there until 2023 when it relocated to Stratford. Prior to the council’s decision a group of campaigners had launched a petition to save the building that opened in the early ‘60s, calling it ‘a key example of mid-20th-century modernist educational design’. The group, mainly made up of LCF alumni, said they were ‘calling on the developers to reconsider and preserve, restore or integrate this iconic West End site’. However, the full renovation will still go ahead.  Image: Kiasm Under the new proposals 33 Cavendish Square will become a mixed-use office, cultural and retail building, and have its façade remodelled. It will be home to 75,000 square metres of offices, with 3,500 square metres of retail and cultural space. It will also have an auditorium, that developers said could host TED talk

If you regularly use Barons Court tube station, it’s bad news. The Piccadilly line station in west London has been forced to partially close due to ongoing repair works.  The refurbishment of Baron’s Court station has uncovered more problems than expected. TfL began a two-year revamp of the station earlier this year, with works including repainting the canopies and repairing damaged sections. Worn platform edges were also replaced and cast iron columns on both platforms were strengthened.  Work was originally scheduled to take place at night. But now TfL has announced it will have to shut the station for almost all of 2026, after originally saying that it would remain open during the works. However, don’t panic, because it’s only going to be partially closed.  In a letter to Hammersmith and Fulham Council, TfL wrote: ‘After work started, it quickly became clear more extensive repairs were needed. These repairs can only be safely done by temporarily closing each platform.’ When will Baron’s Court station close? The eastbound platform for services into central London will be closed from January 19 2026 until early June. Both platforms will temporarily reopen between June 6 and 21 (excluding June 13 and 14) for the Queen’s Club tennis championships.  The westbound platforms for services to Ealing Broadway, Richmond, Heathrow Airport, Uxbridge and Rayners Lane will close from mid-July until the end of 2026. District and Piccadilly line trains will still run through the station, b

If you’re a parent, you want to send your child to the best school possible. That’s why every year the Times publishes its school league table, naming the top private and state schools in the country for well-meaning (and competitive) parents to pore and stress over. The Times analyses schools purely by looking at the GCSE and A-Level results of the past year.  The latest Times Parent Power Guide has just been released, and London schools dominated the pack again, taking eight of the top 10 spots. However, one British school not in London managed to come second in the list overall, bagging itself the title of best school in the UK outside of the capital.  Britain’s top school not in London is... Brighton College. In 2025 the mixed-gender private boarding school in Brighton saw 97.9 percent of A-levels graded A* to B, and 98 percent of GCSEs score a 7, 8 or 9, which is pretty impressive stuff. Nationwide it was only beaten by St Paul’s School in London, which saw 98.2 percent of A-levels graded A* to B, with 59.2 percent gaining A*.  The school in the south east of England charges between £8,000 and £19,140 a term excluding VAT. Some of Brighton College’s famous alumni include Oscar-winning film director Chloé Zhao (who most recently directed Hamnet, starring Paul Mescal) and England rugby player Marcus Smith. Out of the Times’ top 10 outside of London, only three were non fee-paying schools. The highest-ranking state-funded schools – Wilson’s School, St Olave’s Grammar School

One of the UK’s most popular holiday parks – Parkdean – is about to get even bigger and better.  If you’ve been on holiday at one of Parkdean’s 65 UK resorts, which are spread from Land’s End to Inverness, you’ll probably be familiar with their abundance of family-friendly activities – from bungee trampolining to arts and crafts. More than three million Brits have visited Parkdean holiday destinations in the past year.  Now Parkdean has announced an enormous £50 million upgrade which will be spread across many of its parks. Here are the locations that have been confirmed to receive glow-ups so far. Which Parkdean holiday parks that are being upgraded Both Vauxhall Holiday Park in Great Yarmouth and Highfield Grange Holiday Park in Essex will get a £5 million cash injection for improvements. These will include a new sports bar concept called Hat-Tricks, which will have darts, shuffle board and classic sports bar food and drinks. The parks will also see the addition of indoor adventure golf and Bear Grylls escape rooms, as well as expansions of the Tots Zones – to both the indoor and outdoor play zones, as well as the high rope courses.  The upgrades should be ready in time for the summer holidays, and hopefully even Easter half-term, as they will arrive in in the spring 2026.  More announcements about which other parks will receive upgrades are expected to come.  Parkdean’s chief executive Steve Richards said: ‘In 2026 we will be investing approximately £50m in our holiday par

Heathrow isn’t the only London airport that is increasing its drop-off charges in 2026. In another blow from the world of London airports. London City – recently named London’s best airport – will begin charging for drop-offs in 2026 for the first time. The last day that passengers will be able to be dropped off at London City Airport (LCY) by car for free will be December 31 2025, as the new charge will be introduced in the new year. Until now, London City was the last major UK airport to allow free drop-offs, but it said the change was part of a ‘wider sustainability goal to reduce the number of vehicles travelling to and from the airport’.  The new levy shouldn’t affect too many people, as currently seven out of 10 flyers use public transport to reach LCY. It can be most easily reached using the DLR, and has its own stop on the turquoise line. However, unlike airports such as Heathrow and Gatwick, London City will not offer a free Park and Ride shuttle to the terminal.  Ubers, Black Cabs and other car services will also have to pay the fee – two out of 10 passengers currently arrive at the airport via taxi.  LCY has not yet revealed exactly how much the charge will cost, but it’s expected to be in line with other airports. Gatwick currently charges £7 for a 10-minute stay, and from 2026 Heathrow’s fee will be the same.  A spokesperson for London City told the Independent: ‘The airport’s location and layout mean space is limited and managing vehicle movements safely and eff

By this point, Guinness has firmly cemented itself in the London drinking canon. And let’s not forget that the Irish stout was a delicious drink long before it was co-opted by Palace-wearing G-splitters. Now Guinness has published its first ever Harp Guide, telling thirsty drinkers where in Britain has mastered the art of the pour. Think of it as like the Michelin guide, but for the black stuff.  And it’s good news for the stout connoisseurs of the capital, because according to the guide nine of the UK’s best pints of Guinness are served right here in the capital.  The inaugural annual list has crowned the 35 top boozers for Guinness in Blighty, and almost a third of them are in the Big Smoke. Pubs were chosen not just for their flawless pours, but also for their service, atmosphere and dedication for learning the craft of the stout. Each pub selected will be given a brass harp plaque to be displayed proudly.  Making the Harp Guide in London were the trendy Soho gastropub The Devonshire, south London Irish haven Skehans Freehouse, and the legendary Carlisle Street joint the Toucan. Also on the list was Stoke Newington icon the Auld Shillelagh, Soho institution (and beloved Time Out watering hole) the Coach & Horses and south London Irish pub Mc & Sons.  Photograph: Shutterstock And remember, when tasting Guinness, do say: this one has strong notes of dark chocolate and coffee. Don’t say: I think I’d prefer a Murphy’s, actually.  Full list of London pubs in the Harp Guide He

Living in London is amazing – we’ve got many of the country’s best restaurants, museums, public parks, live music, theatre and more, all on our doorstep. But being surrounded by all that capital city concrete can also get a bit depressing, especially combined with the extremely high cost of living.  Property platform Rightmove has just unveiled its annual Happy at Home Index, revealing the locations in Britain where people are the most – and least – happy, at home. Rightmove surveyed thousands of Brits about where they live, taking into account not only how residents felt about their properties, but their thoughts on their community, local area and proximity to amenities.  The least happy borough in London, according to Rightmove’s data, was Barking and Dagenham. Coming in dead-last place out of the capital’s 33 boroughs, the east London area ranked 220th nationally.  To the residents of B&D, we say chin up, because we don’t actually agree. Not only is the postcode poised to receive a £200 million investment from the National Lottery Heritage Fund soon, but the area is home to a number of fascinating and beautiful historical attractions, including the Elizabethan Eastbury Manor House, and the Grade II*–listed manor with a medieval moat Valence House Museum.  Photograph: Abdul_Shakoor / Shutterstock.com B&D is also London’s most affordable location, where the average house price is just £335,500. This is much, much cheaper than London’s happiest borough, the affluent Richmon

Flying from Heathrow sometime soon? You’re going to want to be aware of changes to the major flight hub’s drop-off policy. In short, you’ll only be able to wait for a certain amount of time, and will have to fork out a bit more money.  In the New Year, the UK’s busiest airport will introduce a strict time limit on drop-offs for the first time ever. Bosses at the airport said this would be to ease congestion in the zones outside the terminals. They added that free drop-offs using the Park and Ride were still available to all terminals, should you not want to pay the fee.  Here’s everything you need to know about the changes.  When is Heathrow changing its drop-off rules? The new rules come into force on January 1 2026.  How much is Heathrow increasing the drop-off fee by? The fee to drop off a passenger at one of the Heathrow terminals in a car will increase by only £1, from £6 to £7.  How long will drivers have to drop-off passengers? People dropping off will only be allowed to wait for 10 minutes before they will be issued a Parking Charge Notice (PCN). This should still give you plenty of time – the Heathrow spokesperson said that 95 percent of drop-offs are currently under 10 minutes.  How to pay the drop-off charge Visitors to the drop-off zones can pre-pay online or by phone. Alternatively, if drivers are paying after using the drop-off areas they must do it before midnight the following day otherwise they could be charged an £80 fine. Did you see that London Heathrow is

The London Overground could be about to get a new route, as a north London train route running from Moorgate to Welwyn Garden City and Stevenage might soon be taken over by Transport for London (TfL).  According to the government’s New Towns Report published in autumn, TfL could take over part of the Great Northern route called the ‘Great Northern Inners’. The route runs from Moorgate to Alexandra Palace via Finsbury Park, before splitting towards Welwyn Garden City and Stevenage via Hertford North. If the proposal is accepted, the route may become part of the London Overground. According to a Freedom of Information request submitted by IanVisits, TfL’s business case says it could double the frequency of Welwyn off-peak services from two to four trains per hour. TfL also wants to increase the Hertford North service to six per hour, meaning there could be one train every 10 minutes.  The business case also mentioned a previous proposal that wanted to implement 12 trains per hour to Moorgate during peak hours, and 14 per hour during the busiest times. However, this suggestion feels more pie-in-the-sky at this stage, as there would need to be a lot of intricate timetable planning and station upgrades before it could come to fruition.  The upgrades could see the stations along the route get a TfL makeover, with new branding, roundels, seating, ticket machines and departure display screens. Transport honcho estimate the takeover could cost around £47 million, which could rise to £

Foodies, set your alarms, because a much-loved street food market in south London is about to make a huge comeback. Lewisham’s Model Market will reopen in the spring, having been closed for the past five years.  Landsec, the developer that owns the area, has announced it will bring back the market as ‘a hub for independent kitchens, local makers and creative spaces’. The market’s return comes amid Landsec’s wider plan to demolish the 1970s-built Lewisham town centre to build 1,700 new homes, alongside a new Lewisham shopping centre.  Operating as a street food market since 2014, the hugely popular market closed in 2021 when its operator, Street Feast, collapsed. Before becoming a street food hub, Model Market was a trading site for many small Black-owned businesses dating back to the 1950s.  Despite the nearby upcoming demolition, due to begin in 2027, Model Market will return to its original building, serving food as well as hosting live events including DJ sets, pop-ups and live music. Its new look will take inspiration from the original 1950s style, with retro shopfronts and string lights.  ‘The revived Model Market will serve more than food, it will be a social hub in the heart of Lewisham, delivering DJ sets and genre-spanning music, alongside a host of events, pop-ups and cultural programming that blends food, music and art,’ said Landsec. ‘By honouring the original architecture and preserving the site’s time-worn patina, the market will retain the character and charm t