India Lawrence

Make no mistake, the UK has some of the planet’s finest stretches of coastline. Sure, Britain isn’t always outlined by beaming vast stretches of white à la Caribbean, but there’s extraordinary variety in our coast. Dramatic dunes, towering chalk cliffs and secret coves. Beaches fashioned out of pebbles, shingle and rock pools. Some attached to busy seaside towns, others blissfully remote. That diversity is all part of Britain’s seaside charm. The UK’s coast stretches thousands of miles, within which are around 1,500 beaches. How do you choose which ones are most worth visiting? Well, that’s where Time Out’s recommendations come in. Our latest guide to Britain’s top beaches has something for every kind of beach fanatic: sun-lounging spots in legendary seaside towns, creamy sands on far-off islands, newly-revived destinations, old favourites and much more. Our 2026 guide to the greatest beaches in Britain features 40 coastlines, five of which are new entries. From Cornwall’s world-famous sandy destinations all the way up to Scotland’s West Isles, here’s where to lay down a towel and go for a dip. RECOMMENDED: 🏖️ The best seaside towns in the UK to visit in 2026. 📍 The best places to visit in Britain in 2026. 🇬🇧 The best new things to do in the UK in 2026. The UK’s 20 best beaches, mapped Image: Time OutA map of the UK’s 20 best beaches, according to Time Out

June in London is pretty much as good as it gets. It’s hot but not too hot. Festival season is in full swing. And there’s the blissful anticipation of months more gorgeous weather ahead, perfect for picnicking, spilling out onto pavements outside pubs, exploring parks, or partying all day long.  There’s plenty of fun in store during the early days of summer, including the second edition of Lido festival (featuring CMAT and Maribou State), the return of SXSW London, and blockbuster exhibitions on Anish Kapoor and Frida Kahlo.  Plus, the capital truly comes into its own this month: beer gardens are at their prime, the city parks are at their prettiest, the open-air theatre season gets going and eating alfresco is on the cards at some of London’s best restaurants. Plus, expect to see long queues in south west London as tennis fans line up to bag a place at the epic Wimbledon championships.  RECOMMENDED: Plan a great summer with our guide to London’s best music fests Get ahead of the pack and start planning your perfect July in London. 

Whether you’re in one of the UK’s diverse, underrated cities, our picture-perfect seaside towns or anywhere in between, there’s always a museum to educate, explain, enlighten. Far from just places to hide from grim weather, Britain’s greatest museums tell stories, explore histories and get you fascinated by stuff you’d never previously spared a thought for. Here at Time Out, we are, obviously, huge museum nerds. You’ll find countless of the cultural institutions peppered throughout our UK city guides, whether that’s a mighty, storeyed national behemoth or an adorably niche local exhibition space. Even better, plenty of those museums are totally free to visit (and they remain so, despite suggestions of change). But which British museums are most essential to visit this year? Which ones are having a moment, basking in a refurb, putting on the most tantalising exhibitions? We’ve rounded up the most unmissable, all chosen by Time Out UK editors who’ve recently visited them. Before we get stuck in, a quick note. The vast majority of the list below is outside London, and that’s intentional. If you’re looking for stuff in the capital, we have an excellent guide to the city’s museums here. We’ve also steered clear of conventional art galleries – watch out for a dedicated upcoming guide. RECOMMENDED: 📍 The UK’s top places to visit in 2026.🎨 The UK’s best new things to do in 2026.🎵 The best music festivals in the UK. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by writers who k

We know, the UK is losing independent music venues at alarming rates. The V&A is even about to open an exhibition dedicated to all the fallen soldiers of the scene. But don’t despair, because it really is not all doom and gloom. Despite the losses of recent years, London’s music landscape won’t die, but will evolve. This is the city that birthed countless genres, including punk rock, grime, Britpop and dubstep, remember? Our city can also be thanked for the creation of seminal artists like Amy Winehouse, David Bowie, Skepta and the Rolling Stones.  So we’re proud to say that the Big Smoke is still absolutely chocka with fantastic settings to pogo to punk bands, nod serenely to classical ensembles and ponder experimental jazz arrangements. And if you want glitzy concerts headlined by megastars, we’ve got plenty of excellent places to experience that kind of thing too. Here, we’ve come up with the definitive list of the capital’s very best spots to catch live music – from old dames of the scene, DIY jazz bars, enormous, shiny arenas and grimy metal dens. These are London’s best live music venues, updated for 2026. RECOMMENDED:🪩 London’s best nigthclubs.🎸 The 42 greatest independent music venues in the UK.

July is the month where London really lets its collective hair down and has some fun. It’s just too hot to stay cooped up indoors so everyone descends on lidos en masse, or assembles in fun-seeking hordes at rooftop bars, beer gardens and alfresco restaurants. We can already taste the sweet, sweet golden hour spritzes. And as ever, this year's July line-up of massive festivals and other prospects that are exciting enough tempt you away from yet another tinny in the park. Some massive music names are descending on central London for BST Hyde Park, ravers will be heading west for Junction 2, electronic music artists from around the world are playing Labyrinth by the Thames. Or, if you like your outdoor entertainment to be deeply weird and feline-inspired, spring for the long-awaited revival of Cats at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre.  Other London music festivals are popping off throughout the month, and it’s also a chance to take in the city’s lavender and sunflower fields, which are going to be at their blooming loveliest. Here’s our guide to the best exhibitions, shows and things to do this July 2026 in London.  RECOMMENDED: The definitive London events calendar

As Londoners are sweating it out on the street this June, the capital’s best dancers will be putting their bodies to the limit in a different way on the London stage. Here, we’ve listed the finest performances from the Royal Opera House, Sadler’s Wells and Sadler’s Wells East that aren’t to be missed.  The Royal Ballet’s happiest production ever, La fille mal gardée, continues its run at ROH, while English National Ballet is taking on the ultimate fairytale, Kenneth MacMillan’s The Sleeping Beauty at the Royal Albert Hall.  Sadler’s Wells launches its inaugural film festival Dance Digital this June, and will be showing 45 shorts and feature length movies from around the world.  Whether you’re looking for a last-minute night out, or have been planning an evening at the theatre for months (they have air-con!), these are the dance shows in London you should be booking this June.  India Lawrence is Time Out’s resident dance expert. Formally trained, she’s been dancing since the age of four and currently performs in a contemporary dance company outside of work. She has been reviewing contemporary dance and ballet in London since 2022.  RECOMMENDED:🎭 The best theatre shows in London for 2026🎤 The top London comedy shows to see in June💃 Dance classes in London  

Summer’s on its way, and that means only one thing for footie fans: another hotly anticipated FIFA World Cup and all the thrills, spills, soaring highs and beer-soaked disappointments it brings.  This year, 16 stadiums across Canada, Mexico and the United States will host this epic tournament, which plays out from Thursday June 11 - Sunday July 19 2026. And of course, Engand fans will be glued to the screen, praying that it'll finally come home this summer. In 2022, England once again failed to end its ‘58 years of hurt’, crashing out of the tournament at the quarterfinals after being defeated by France. Could things be better this time round? Getting to the final of the Euros two years ago will give fans hopes a boost, with the bookies’ odds hovering around 6/1. Practically every pub and bar in London will be getting in on the action and vying for your attendance during the World Cup’s biggest games. However, we’ve whittled it down to the places that offer the best atmosphere and the best view of the screen, wherever you station yourself. Last year, England's manager Thomas Tuchel complained that fans were too ‘silent’: fingers crossed this summer's celebrations will prove him wrong.  RECOMMENDED: The best football pubs in London. When are the England World Cup matches? At the moment we only know the dates for England’s first three group stage matches. The Three Lions’ first fixture of the tournament is on Wednesday June 17 at 9pm BST against Crotia. Then, they’ll take on Gh

May 2026: There's a brand new Number 1, with Holy Carrot in Spitalfields taking the top spot thanks to some seriously creative vegetarian cookery. Other fresh additions include Guirong Wei’s The Wei in Fulham, Auguste and Cafe Kowloon in London Fields, the third Forza Wine, super fun Osteria Vibrato and latest branch of YeYe's Noodle & Dumpling (all three in Soho), perfect pasta at Burro in Covent Garden, pizza and Lambrusco at Bar Etna in Newington Green (and the nearby Golden Tooth gastropub), and Logma, a sensational supper club at a Haggerston cafe. Hungry yet? Every week, a frankly silly amount of brilliant new restaurants, cafés and street food joints arrive in London. Which makes whittling down a shortlist of the best newbies a serious challenge. But here it is. The 20 very best new restaurants in the capital, ranked in order of greatness and deliciousness. All of them have opened over the past 12 months and been visited by our hungry critics. So go forth and take inspo from this list, which is updated regularly. Check in often to find out what we really rate on the London restaurant scene. And look here for all the info about the best new openings in May 2026. London's best new restaurants at a glance: 🍝 Central: Osteria Vibrato, Soho 🍠 North: The Golden Tooth, Newington Green 🇹🇭 South: Kruk, Peckham 🍝 East: Holy Carrot, Spitalfields 🥗 West: The Wei, Fulham Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editoria

Cooking outdoors is one of life’s great joys. It’s how our ancestors did it, and just because we live in the city, why should we miss out on the primitive pleasures on chargrilling a chunk of meat over an open flame? So, as summer rolls around, it’s time to head to the park and fire up the barbie. Just bare in mind, local councils are known to issue temporary bans on BBQs in parks where they are usually permitted, becuase of warm weather leading to fire hazards. Please check local council websites before firing up the grill. Most of London’s lush green spaces are reserved for picnics only, but there are some major parks and local gardens where you’re officially allowed to fire up the BBQ. Unfortunately, iconic grill spot London Fields, which used to get packed and smoky on a balmy day, is no longer an option for barbecuing after the council banned BBQs there. Other councils including Islington have followed suit since, but you can still heat 'em and eat 'em elsewhere in the capital. Here are the spots in London where it’s totally chill to grill.  RECOMMENDED: The best things to do outside in London

What makes a hotel ‘cool’? Well, a lot of it is entirely subjective, of course. But there are a few things we look out for in a cool hotel here at Time Out. Perhaps it’s design-led and perfectly aesthetic, or it’s situated in one of its city’s coolest neighbourhoods. It might have a hotel bar we actually want to spend time in, a proper sustainability focus, or a food and drink offering that’s second-to-none.  But sometimes, it’s just a vibe. A hotel that you love as soon as you walk in the door. A hotel where the staff feel like your best friends. A hotel that makes you feel like you’re ready to pack up and move to this brand-new city for good. Are you catching our drift? A hotel can be cool just because it was. So if you’re after a bit of inspo, these are some very cool hotels our writers and editors have stayed at recently, in some of our favourite cities ever. From Copenhagen to Berlin, here are the coolest hotels in Europe right now.  ➡️ Check out our ultimate guide to Europe’s best hotels Ella Doyle is Time Out’s Europe editor. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by experts across Europe. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, click here.

May 2026: Our latest update includes everything from an early morning Michelin-starred tasting menu to udon noodle bowls, South Indian platters and Hong Kong-style toasted buns. Of course, it wouldn't be a list of the best breakfasts in London without an appearance from Dishoom and their iconic-for-a-reason bacon naan, so that's here too, as is old school East End hangout E Pellicci - one of the best classic caffs in London.  The best breakfasts in London at a glance: 😎 Best for celeb-spotting: The Wolseley, Mayfair 🥓 Best for a fry-up: E Pellicci, Bethnal Green 🍛 Best for a South Indian feast: The Tamil Prince, Islington 🍞 Best for Hong Kong French toast: Hoko Cafe, Brick Lane 🍱 Best for Japanese brekkie: Ikoi, Kings Cross Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and luckily for London, the city caters to every possible morning whim. These days, London isn’t just home to the fry-up, but the ubiquitous smashed avocado on toast, bowls of shakshuka and many more besides. In fact, London genuinely might be the best place to eat breakfast in the world. Whether you’re the kind of person who favours a posh restaurant over a greasy spoon, or who champions a caff over a swanky hotel, we’ve rounded up the ultimate list.  RECOMMENDED: Breakfast’s a little too early for you? Try one of London’s best brunches instead. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. The hottest new openings, the tastiest

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

The sign from the London Astoria, the sound monitor from the Haçienda and the hefty metal doors from The End are just some of the relics you can see at the V&A’s new display that shines a light on some of the UK’s closed-down music venues. Compiled from an open call-out, the museum has curated a free exhibition that spotlights 50 former independent venues through more than 150 objects, including photographs, band merch, clothing, flyers and posters.   You don’t have to be an ageing rocker or former clubber to get something out of this display, as there’s something for all ages. People who came of age at any time between the ‘70s and the 2010s might be hit with a Proustian rush when confronted with a collage of gig tickets from the Rainbow Theatre (a pass for Blondie was just £2.50), or noughties flyers from Plastic People. And nostalgia-loving Gen Zs will get to see what living through indie sleaze was really like – there are spotlights on the ‘toilet circuit’ (the network of small, grubby venues where up-and-coming bands would cut their teeth), amazing, sweaty photos from indie discos at Madame Jojo’s, and oral histories explain that in the pre-smartphone era, you would just turn up at the party and hope your mates were there. What a concept! Nostalgia-loving Gen Zs will see what living through indie sleaze was really like. But the most winning aspect of Lost Music Venues is the fabulous immersive design by Misty Buckley. Buckley’s recreation of a grassroots venue will have

They grow up so fast! One of London’s best grassroots clubs, The Cause, is turning eight this summer, and to celebrate they will be going hard for a full day at the Docklands venue. First opening in Tottenham Hale in 2018, now the club – known for having some of the best house and techno programming in the city – is now firmly situated in its brilliantly DIY venue at 60 Dock Road in Silvertown. For the big day, world-class DJs like Prosumer, Sweely, Chez Damier and Planetary Assault Systems will be stepping into the booth. Pace yourself: this party, spread over eight different rooms, will go non-stop for 24 hours. 

Could this be one of the best value cafés in London? Angel Dabang is a gloriously diddy and retro Korean caff and bakery, serving coffee, tea and bunsik. Inside, it feels like a nostalgic nod to Seoul and its dabang – traditional Korean coffee and tea houses. There are grannyish floral curtains, ceramic pots, dark wood walls and najeonchilgi panelling (a traditional Korean lacquer that uses iridescent mother-of-pearl to create motifs of cranes and flowers).Here, a tenner could get you a long way. The food menu spans kimbap, corndogs, tteokbokki, croquettes and Korean fried chicken. For drinks, it’s got coffee, matcha and a panoply of Korean teas (including barley, buckwheat and balloonflower). The specialities are the kkwabaegi, twisted doughnuts with cinnamon sugar, and the sweet Dabang Coffee (only £2.90!). Bites are made on-site in limited numbers, so it’s worth getting down here sharpish lest you miss out.The egg sandwich (£4.50) is served cold and comes with a generous portion of scrambled egg, cabbage slaw and cucumber. The bread – which can only be described as doughnut-adjacent – is sweet and soft in the centre, with a golden, crispy fried crust. One of the more expensive drinks on the menu (although still only a modest £3.40) is the refreshing and sweet mango iced tea, replete with half a fruit’s worth of massive mango chunks. Time Out tip Inside this corner shop there’s not much seating, but stroll 10 minutes up to Highbury Fields and you will have yourself the perf

Papo’s Bagels may be gone from the little alleyway behind the Shacklewell Arms, but something excellent has popped up in its place. Edami is a bright and friendly new Lebanese bakery serving coffee and Middle Eastern bites daily from 9am to 3pm (apart from Mondays). The star of the show here is the mankoushe, a traditional Lebanese flatbread stuffed with fillings like labneh, jibneh (a stretchy white cheese, not too distant from a mozzarella), minced beef, or sweet variants like carob and tahini. The most popular, ‘the cocktail’, combines jibneh with za’atar. It’s tangy, unctuous and has a cheese pull that is surely destined to end up on the Instagram grids of London’s foodie elite.

I am sitting on a rhinestone-encrusted pew, my feet resting on a furry leopard print rug. I’m looking at an altar that’s decorated with bedazzled condoms, votive candles and a photograph of a tree in Hampstead Heath emblazoned with the words ‘Take me to the f*ck tree’. I haven’t joined some strange new sect of Catholicism – I’m actually looking at a shrine dedicated to the late George Michael.  Reliquaries devoted to Prince, Dolly Parton and the Spice Girls; home videos of pilgrimages to Andy Warhol’s grave; and a piece of gum chewed by Nina Simone are just some of the things you can see at Somerset House’s new exhibition Holy Pop!, which explores the excesses of fan culture through photos, artworks, videos and memorabilia.  The free exhibition interrogates what it means to be a fan in our modern, secular world, and makes the case that a steadfast devotion to artists, musicians and celebrities is a contemporary type of spirituality. The show is an ode to anyone who has run a Tumblr dedicated to Lana Del Rey, has a room full of Marvel memorabilia at home, or harbours an immoderate obsession with anime. An installation that could easily be construed as creepy has a profound effect. This melange of objects and artworks under an umbrella theme is typical of Somerset House exhibitions, which have previously explored the grand themes of soil and cuteness. As well as the various real fan shrines, highlights include a number of vibrant and camp artworks. There’s an original commissio

It’s happened to us all. You meet someone on a night out and you just click right away. They’re wearing the perfect leather jacket and tell you your hair is cute. You listen to all the same bands and watch the same films. It’s fate. Only, you never hear from them again. You’re haunted by the idea of the missed connection, by the ‘what ifs?’. Alicia MacDonald’s Finding Emily is a charming and heartfelt romcom that explores what happens when the ‘what if?’ goes too far.  Twenty-two-year-old Owen (Spike Fearn from Alien: Romulus) is a hopeless romantic who works as a sound engineer in the student union at Manchester City University. One night he meets the enigmatic Emily, dressed as a fairy, and sparks fly. But when goes to text her the next day, he’s got the wrong number. Owen then embarks on a maniacal, and often cringeworthy, quest to find his real-life manic pixie dream girl. On the way he gains the help of another Emily (The Nice Guys’ Angourie Rice), a determined psychology student writing her dissertation on romantic love. She’s looking for a case study to prove her thesis that love is an unnecessary ‘evolutionary hangover’ that can only lead to self-sabotage and madness. It’s a romcom match made in heaven. It has all the things a good romcom should have Fearn is painfully adorable as Owen. He’s got the face of Mick Jagger with a Liam Gallagher haircut (and monobrow), and has the energy of the sweet boy-next-door crossed with a swaggering front man. As well as being a pr

Stepping inside Oula is like being given a warm hug. The pink-hued Tunisian café in Fitzrovia is owned by French-Tunisian chef Boutheina Ben Salem; she created Oula to celebrate matriarchal culinary traditions, hence the womblike interior and extremely amiable service. I arrive before lunch service (which takes place 12-3pm), but Ben Salem kindly offers to make me a brik – a delicious half-moon parcel of golden filo pastry stuffed with tuna, potatoes, tangy capers and an egg. It’s fried to perfection and finished with a generous squeeze of lemon juice; I think I’ve discovered my new favourite brunch. The rest of Oula’s menu ranges from kastrout – a beloved Tunisian street food in the form of stuffed baguette sandwiches, with bread from Quince bakery – to drô gourmand – a sorghum porridge topped with pumpkin seeds, coconut chips and pomegranate. The coffee is good, or you can try a traditional mint tea, served with pine nuts.

If you want to show someone some proper British pride (without all that St George’s flag stuff), take them to this winningly atmospheric restaurant on the fringes of Spitalfields Market. Inside it’s all dark wood-panelled walls, weathered wooden tables and walls peppered with old photos of Brick Lane. Or pop yourself in one of the red leather booths for a more intimate experience.For food it’s a traditional fare. The breakfast menu offers fry-ups, kedgeree and crumpets, while lunch and dinner give the chance to munch on oysters, pork chops with mash, roast lamb and spotted dick. For the time being Sunday roasts are off the menu. Service is warm without being cloying in this all-day eating and drinking nook, making Market House a convivial place that offers a slice of old school hospitality. They even host fortnightly jazz nights and beginner ballet classes upstairs.

Skate boarders, roller skaters and BMXers have been hanging out at the Southbank’s Undercroft since the ‘70s. Back then, the area had no chain restaurants, no street vendors and certainly no tourists. The Southbank was a barren stretch of pavement along the Thames that was home to ‘two pubs and a sweet shop’. Here, London’s first generation of skateboarders, borrowing from a culture that was growing in California, fell in love with the area’s abundance of make-shift concrete ramps (which they called ‘pigeon-shit banks’), open paved surfaces, blocks and railings. The Southbank Centre itself was an impenetrable office building, and the haughty people inside were not happy about the growing community of skaters that was gathering beneath it. Things are looking quite different these days.  In a new pay-what-you-can (and free for skaters) exhibition celebrating 50 years of the Southbank Skate Space (AKA the Undercroft), the Southbank Centre is telling the story of the iconic graffitied, low-ceilinged skate haven through oral histories, photographs, films and sound art.  As well as giving a granular timeline of the skate park, accompanied by vibrant photographs (although I would have liked a few more photos), Skate 50 is all about the Southbank’s resilient and pioneering skate community. There are recorded interviews with some of the park’s OG boarders – like Lorraine Rossdale, one of the first British female skaters in the 1970s. She recalls earning her stripes as the first woman,

If streetwear is a religion, Nigo is one of its deities. The man behind A Bathing Ape (Bape, for short) is worshipped by hypebeasts the world over, not only for his pioneering approach to streetwear but also for his cultural footprint. Inextricably linked to hip hop – Nigo is besties with Pharell, and everyone from Biggie Smalls to Drake and Lil Wayne have donned his designs – the Japanese designer’s work is characterised by bold camo prints, Warholian pop-culture references and brash graphics.  For the first time, the man behind Bape and Human Made, and the creative director of Kenzo since 2021, has his own London retrospective. The Design Museum’s exhibition features 700 objects – 600 of which come from Nigo’s personal archive – including records, toys, magazines, music videos and a whole lotta clothes, spanning the ‘80s to the present day.  Nigo: From Japan With Love starts with a joyful recreation of the designer’s teenage bedroom – a dream of an ‘80s boudoir displaying Nigo’s own teenage relics: a lava lamp, a Kangol hat, stacks of hip hop records and his very first vintage piece – a shredded Levi’s type II denim jacket. It then moves through a selection of his most treasured objects, which range from Star Wars figurines to a Mr Peanut canvas jacket, and an absolutely amazing 1970s McDonald’s uniform from Hawaii, where the traditional flowers of the Hawaiian shirt are replaced by illustrations of burgers, fries and shakes. His obsession with Americana and vintage workwea

If you haven’t heard of Bullyache yet, get these two on your radar. The choreographic duo was the breakout star of the Biennale Danza 2025, and now they are bringing their searing work inspired by the 2008 financial crash to Sadler’s Wells East.  A Good Man is Hard to Find draws on the supposedly secret Cremation of Care ceremony, an annual ritual invented by San Francisco private members club Bohemian Grove (which has included members like Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon), designed to purge members of the global elite from their guilt. Dark and twisted, the piece featuring five dancers explores masculinity, humiliation and heirarchies.     

It’s been 25 years since BalletBoyz premiered their critically aclaimed debut Pointless. Since then, the decorated choreographers have gone on to work with Royal Ballet’s Artistic Associate Christopher Wheeldon, composer Max Richter and legendary choreographer Akram Khan.    To celebrate the past quarter-century, the mesmeric and boundary-pushing company is bringing back some of its greatest hits. Founders Michael Nunn and William Trevitt will return to perform an excerpt of Russell Maliphant’s seminal work Critical Mass*, which was the stimulus for their first Roundhouse performance in 2001. But it’s not just old work – the mixed bill, which will incorporate live dance and film excerpts from the company’s repertoire, will also include a world-premiere of a brand-new commission by Seirian Griffiths. 

The Bull and Gate, London Astoria, Rainbow Theatre, the End, Turnmills and Plastic People. For Londoners of a certain age, hearing the names of these now-closed music venues will conjure memories of early Blur gigs where a young Damon Albarn swung from the rafters of the Kentish Town pub, of hearing dubstep for the first time, and sweaty club nights where megastars like Prince might just show up. For anyone younger, they might feel a pang of loss that they never got to experience this messy, unbridled version of London nightlife.  In a new exhibition, opening on May 30, the V&A is spotlighting some of these legendary lost music venues.  ‘I was concerned about the reports during the pandemic and post-pandemic that a lot of venues were struggling and closing. It was an unprecedented situation which was affecting the whole creative sector,’ says Harriet Read, lead curator of Lost Music Venues, which was created in collaboration with the Music Venue Trust. RECOMMENDED: An oral history of Madame Jojo’s Photograph: Virginia MazzocatoAde Fakile fixing projector in Plastic People, 1991 ‘Because of that there’s been this increased awareness of music venues and their importance in the creative economy and the music industry. ‘[The V&A wanted to] highlight these spaces not just for their musical significance but as a place for design and art and performance, from poster design, to architecture and sound design.’ After an open call-out for music memorabilia, the V&A has pieced togethe

Have you heard? Arsenal have won the Premier League after 22 long years. To celebrate the historic win for the Gunners, people all over north London have been going mad for their team. For days the streets have been filled with Arsenal flags, flares and shirts, and there was a huge impromptu gathering outside the Emirates stadium on Tuesday (May 19) night.  Now, one pasta restaurant wants in on the action. Trullo, an Italian eatery in Highbury, the heart of Arsenal territory, has painted its façade Arsenal red as a tribute to the footy team.  Trullo has been painted navy since it opened in 2010 on St Paul’s Road. The beloved Islington joint is known for its excellent fresh handmade pastas. It also serves Italian mains from the grill, like turbot, squab pigeon and stuffed courgette flower. It’s apparently a popular matchday eating spot, possibly making Trullo the most middle-class football fuel in the country.  RECOMMENDED: Date, route and what you need to know about Arsenal’s Premier League title parade. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Time Out London (@timeoutlondon) Trullo’s red exterior was revealed earlier today. The restaurant hasn’t confirmed for how long it will be sporting the colour of the Gooners.   ICYMI: Arsenal Premier League trophy parade – confirmed date, route, start time and what you need to know.  Plus: The 7 best Arsenal pubs in London to watch the Champions League final.  Get the latest and greatest from the Big Sm

If you live in Liverpool, heading off on a summer getaway is about to get a heck of a lot easier. A brand new rail route connecting the northern city and a seaside town in north Wales launched this week.  A direct train route now runs between Liverpool and Llandudno thanks to a new timetable introduced by Transport for Wales (TfW) on May 17. Passengers no longer have to change trains at Chester, instead they can hop on in Liverpool and hop off in Wales after an hour and 45 minutes. The service will run about once an hour from 7am to 7pm and cost around £20 for a single.  Visitors will find plenty to do in the seaside town. Legend has it that Llandudno was where was where Alice Liddel – the real-life person who inspired the character of Alice in the Lewis Carroll books – spent her summer holidays. The legitimacy of the connection is continually up for debate, but that didn’t stop the town from making the most of it, devising a White Rabbit trail that traverses the many sights in the centre of Llandudno. The Victorian resort is also home to a pier with shops and an arcade, and some glorious coastal walks.  The new train route comes as part of a major overhaul of services by TfW, which hopes to increase all services by around 50 percent in time for the summer. Other changes will see direct trains from Manchester Airport to Llandudno serving Holyhead instead, and the separate Wrexham to Chester and Chester to Crewe hourly services are now combined into one through service. It wil

You’ve probably heard of Nobu. The bougie sushi restaurant and hotel chain is known for its celebrities, glamourous setting, and sky high prices. It was also co-founded by Robert de Niro, alongside chef Nobu Matsuhisa and businessman Meir Teper.  Now Nobu is coming the the East Midlands. The swanky chain has announced plans to open a ‘first-of-its-kind concept’ in Rutland, the smallest county in England which borders Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire. Hollywood who? The new Nobu is being developed on an 185-acre plot English land in collaboration with Woolfox Members Club – a luxury lifestyle club that already exists on the site. It’s going to be transformed into Nobu Woolfox, and could give Soho Farmhouse a run for its money.  The nature-led retreat will have lake view rooms and suites, a spa, bar and signature Nobu restaurant. It hopes to offer guests ‘a slower, more restorative pace’. It will be Nobu’s second hotel in the UK, with the only other in London.  ‘This is a truly special location in the heart of England, surrounded by rolling historic landscapes and quintessential English countryside,’ Trevor Horwell, chief executive of Nobu Hospitality told Euronews.  Photograph: DenisShumov / Shutterstock.comMatsuhisa and Robert De Niro visited opening of Nobu restaurant in November 2015   ‘For the first time within our portfolio, we have the opportunity at Nobu Woolfox to create a special countryside retreat experience – one that offers all the hallmarks of

This article concerns the strikes in April. Find out about the Elizabeth line’s status during the May 2026 strikes here. More tube strikes are underway. RMT drivers are walking out for six 24-hour periods across April, May and June. The first two of those strikes have been this week, with one walk-out having already taken place. Another strike straddles Thursday April 23 and Friday April 24.  Before you panic and sign up to a Lime bike subscription, you do have options. Here’s everything you need to know about using the Elizabeth line during the strike period.  RECOMMENDED:🚇 How to get around London during April’s RMT industrial action.⛔️ The full list of dates and train services impacted by RMT train strikes in April, May and June 2026✈️ How to get to London airports during next week’s RMT industrial action❌ London travel disruption to watch out for this weekend: tube and train closures on April 25-26. RMT union members voted in favour of action back in February, with strikes called for the London Underground. Walk-outs that were supposed to take place in March were suspended, but for now further action will still be going ahead. The action is only affecting services on the Underground, meaning that the DLR, Overground and Elizabeth lines are all still operating. London buses will be affected by separate strikes in April and May.  RMT drivers are striking over a proposal to condense the working week into four days, resulting in changing shift patterns.  A representative fro

The process to renationalise British railways is well underway. Next up to be taken under public ownership are Chiltern and Great Western Railways, with the government having revealed the dates that each operator will be nationalised.  The last operator to be nationalised was West Midlands Trains (on February 1 2026) and next up is Govia Thameslink Railway. GTR will come into public ownership later this month on May 31.  When Labour was elected back in 2024, one of the party’s big manifesto pledges was to renationalise Britain’s railways. Keir Starmer and co promised to bring all of England’s major railway lines back into public ownership by 2027, and we are starting to see this come into effect. At the end of last year the UK government also revealed the branding for Great British Railways. Several of England’s train companies have already been brought into public ownership, as their private contracts with the Department for Transport expired. Going forward, all lines are on course to be nationalised by the end of 2027.  Here’s everything we know about the renationalisation of the railways so far.  Which train companies have already been nationalised? Here is a list of nationalised train companies and the date they were renationalised: South Western Railway (SWR), May 25 2025 c2c, July 20 2025 Greater Anglia, October 12 2025 West Midlands Trains (includes West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway), February 1 2026 Already in the public sector: LNER Northern So

Craving a bit of fresh air? Luckily, London is literally surrounded by fabulous seaside towns where you can go to clear your head and your lungs.  As we enter summer, Time Out has just published its list of the best seaside towns to visit in the UK this year, with seven of them being within easy reach of the capital. The towns range from old-school resorts to quaint fishing villages and up-and-coming arty spots. Can’t decide which one to visit? Here we’ve mapped them all out for you. The best seaside towns near London mapped Image: Time Out Sister towns Hastings and St Leonards came in second place in our annual ranking. We love the duo for their art galleries, restaurants and jam-packed calendar of local events which includes pagan festivals and the UK’s biggest Mardi Gras. The East Sussex town to the southeast of London is sandwiched between Brighton and Folkestone along England’s south coast. All three towns can be reached from the capital in under two hours by train.  Slightly north from Folkestone you’ll find the glorious Whitstable, known for its oysters and shingle beaches, which ranked 14th on our list. This Kent town to London’s east can be reached in just over an hour on the train.  If you’re looking to try something slightly further afield, and perhaps less obvious than the Sussex or Kent coast, to the southwest of London you’ll find Hampshire’s quaint Lymington (number 15) which is an entry point to the pony-filled New Forest, and Southsea (3), an old-school tow

Every year, travel mag Condé Nast Traveller publishes a list of the world’s best new hotels. This prestigious ranking names the cream of the crop when it comes to new places to stay around the world. We’re talking boutique city boltholes, luxe seaside resorts, ultra-premium safaris and some very bougie spa hotels.  CNT’s list was curated by the publication’s global editors and contributors, who spent the past 12 months staying at the top hotel openings around the world. For 2026, two hotels in the long list were in London. The world’s best new hotels in London in 2026 Photograph: Six Senses London Six Senses The new Six Senses hotel London made the cut for 2026. The wellness behemoth with 27 hotels and resorts around the world opened its first UK outpost this year. Housed in the former Whiteleys department store in west London, the building underwent an eye-watering £1.5 billion redevelopment to create the glamorous 109-room hotel, as well as shops, restaurants and a cinema.  When Time Out reviewed the Bayswater hotel in April this year we rated it five stars. We thought the second-to-none spa was the main draw of a stay at Six Senses London. It offers a luxury but surprisingly laid back experience, where guests can try everything from a Finnish sauna, quartz crystal bed, and 20-metre swimming pool to a magnesium plunge pool and cryochamber. The cost of a stay here starts at £825 per night – see options on Booking.com here. Photograph: Booking.com Chancery Rosewood Also m

Sometimes you can only take so many weekends eating at small plates restaurants, drinking mini martinis and sweating it all out at a run club the next morning. Now and then, what you need is a few days away from London and its relentless pull of activities (and their ability to drain your bank account). That’s what weekend trips were invented for!  Time Out has revealed the best weekend trips from the capital for 2026, with a list featuring seaside sojourns, Scottish castles and cultural city breaks. Coming in third place in this year’s ranking was the Costwolds. This charming and quintessentially English spot is no stranger to weekend visitors. The area’s 750 green and pleasant square miles straddle Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Warwickshire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire, with attractions spanning beautiful walks, chocolate box villages and Roman history.  Photograph: Kirk Fisher / Shutterstock.com Time Out says: ‘Each county has its own unique charm, but for a textbook weekend stick to Gloucestershire, land of Jilly Cooper, honey-coloured stone cottages and retired rock stars. Bibury and Bourton-on-the-Water are two of the most picturesque places but are very often overwhelmed with visitors. ‘Instead, spend time in the slightly more under-the-radar town of Cirencester (named one of Time Out’s best places to visit in the world in 2026). There, you can take a dip in the beautiful Cirencester Open Air Swimming Pool (it’s heated!), delve into Roman history at Corin

You have probably heard by now that Hastings and St Leonards are the places to be along the Sussex coastline.  Only 20 minutes apart on foot, the sister towns are home to art galleries showing exciting contemporary works, antique stores, trendy boutiques and up-and-coming restaurants. And that’s why Time Out has named Hastings and St Leonards as the second best seaside destination to visit in Britain in 2026, and the number one coastal spot to visit in England, in our new list of the UK’s top seaside towns. Along the towns’ long stretch of shingle beach you will find a panoply of things to eat, drink, sea and do. If you’re craving culture, independent art gallery Hastings Contemporary is a must-see. While St Leonards is home to a number of commercial galleries, like Lucy Bell and Stella Dore. Kino-Teatr, an independent cinema, restaurant and art gallery, should also be on your radar. Retail therapy can be found at Shop, Stereo Retro and Sunless or the plethora of antiques shops in the Old Town.  Photograph: Ella Doyle for Time Out For food, try Coquina (inside Hastings Contemporary gallery) for small plates with a view, Sonny’s of Rock a Nore for fresh fish, or Selkie Seafood Bar for beachside oysters. For drinks, head to the Crown for indie beers, Fika@44 for a cup of Scandi-inspired coffee or Heist Market for your fill of cocktails and natty wines.  The Hastings calendar is also packed full of local festivals and happenings. The town celebrates May Day every year with the

What constitutes a luxurious train station? In Britain, most travellers would probably be happy with a café that serves a decent flat white, clean toilets (that you don’t have to pay for) and an M&S for train snacks, if you’re lucky. Apparently, some are even better than that.  A new study has revealed the most premium train stations around the globe – these are opulent hubs that boast swanky passenger lounges, high end shops and fine dining restaurants, in locations like Zürich, Tokyo and Florence. Somewhat surprisingly, one British train station made the top 10.  London Paddington was named the world’s ninth most luxurious train station in the study, which was conducted by travel insurance specialists at AllClear. To create the ranking, AllClear analysed stations around the world for premium waiting lounges, retail density, fine dining options, premium hotels and overall reviews.  Photograph: Shutterstock Paddington came after New York’s Grand Central Station in eighth and Amsterdam Centraal in seventh. It had an overall ‘Premium Score’ of 65 out of 100. Paddington ranked highly for its lounge access, nearby hotels and review rating – with the latter mostly thanks to the glowing reviews praising the statue of Paddington Bear found inside the station. It scored poorly on dining and retail, with respective scores of six out of 25 and seven out of 20.  Maybe the British rail service isn’t so bad after all. Do you agree that Paddington is one of the world’s top 10 premium tra

This week (April 29) London Zoo (ZSL) celebrated its 200th birthday. To commemorate the big 200, ZSL unveiled plans for an ambitious new attraction that will let visitors get a new view into how the zoo works, experiencing first-hand the hard work of ZSL’s vets.  ZSL announced plans to build a new world-class wildlife health centre, made possible by a recent £20 million donation. To be built at the zoo’s HQ in Regent’s Park, the new centre will deliver expert care to the zoo’s animals while also supporting the Zoological Society’s research and conservation efforts – from monitoring emerging diseases in the wild, to strengthening early warning systems that could prevent the next pandemic. Excitingly, the centre will bring veterinary science to the public, with visitors to the centre able to watch live procedures, which could include everything from penguin health checks, to frog x-rays and dolphin autopsies. A perfect day out for any wannabe vets.  Photograph: ©ZSL ZSL’s Head of Wildlife Health Services, Dr Amanda Guthrie told indy100 that it will be a ‘state-of-the-art facility’ providing more space and new equipment for ZSL’s veterinary team and trainees. It will have audio-visual equipment to allow teaching for wildlife vets and conservationists remotely around the world and potentially a new CT-scanner and post-mortem area.  With plans still in their early stages, the exact location of the site is still to be decided.  Kathryn England, chief executive of ZSL said: ‘For 2