India Lawrence

Not to be a downer, but you never truly know the song of the summer until it’s all over. When you look back on the tune that soundtracked long, balmy days. The one that dominated parties and the festival circuit. The track that you’ll hear decades later and remember exactly where you were and what you were doing when it had its moment.  In other words, we’re a bit early to crown a song of the summer for 2026. But that doesn’t mean we don’t already know the contenders. So far we have several era-defining tunes on repeat from the likes of Madonna, Olivia Rodrigo, Zara Larsson and Vince Staples. And no, Charli xcx, you cannot sneak your way into the list by naming your new single after the season. Below you’ll find a mix of tracks that are inescapable right now and tunes that the Time Out office has on repeat. Which one will officially be the song of the summer 2026? Well, check back in September and see which one you’ve overplayed the most.

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 and East Dulwich, 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.

June 2026: There's a brand new Number 1, with Maai by Nikita in Clapham taking the top spot. Other fresh additions include Auguste, Cafe Kowloon and Teal in London Fields, Jackson Boxer's Vesper in Clerkenwell, All Roads in Brixton, the latest branch of YeYe's Noodle & Dumpling in Soho, Bar Etna in Newington Green and the nearby Golden Tooth gastropub, Maza in Mayfair, Oudh 1722 in Borough, and the sensational supper club at Haggerston cafe, Logma. 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 June 2026. London's best new restaurants at a glance: 🍝 Central: Osteria Vibrato, Soho 🍷 North: The Golden Tooth, Newington Green 🦐 South: The Victory, East Dulwich 🍝 East: Holy Carrot, Spitalfields 🥗 West: Maai by Nikita, Fulham Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. RECOMMENDED: The 50 best restaurants in London. The hottest new openings,

As Londoners are sweating it out on the street this July, the capital’s best dancers will be sweating it out on the stage. This month, there are cracking performances at the Southbank Centre, Sadler’s Wells and Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre where you can catch some al fresco dance. Matthew Bourne’s sweaty motor thriller the Car Man returns to Sadler’s Wells, and hip hop legends Boy Blue are celebrating 25 years of the company. There’s also classical kathak and a new work by Hofesh Shechter coming to London.  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 July.  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  

The smog and stress of London can really take its toll on your skin. That’s why there’s nothing better than a regular facial (or a one-off treat) to give you that much-needed top-up, leaving you feeling glowing, fresh-faced and dewy.  Just thinking about what we put our skin through is enough to give you frown lines. 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. 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. 

We all know that London is full of worldclass, crowd-pulling museums, cultural attractions, green spaces, theatres, and music venues. Yawn. You can do better. Because delightful though this city's most famous spots are, there's way more fun to be had plunging off the beaten track and into London's hidden quirky side. Ever wanted to try the trapeze, eat dinner in a working denim factory or tour a Victorian sewer? London is full of unique things to do, ready to fulfil your wildest dreams, or to give you some new ones to aspire to. In my decade working as a London arts journalist, I've traipsed across this city hunting out unusual ways to spend my weekend. Here are the very best, most unusual ways to escape the mundane and try something fresh.  Unique things to do in London at a glance 🌮 Best for foodies: Slowburn 🎢 Best for thrill seekers: Gorilla Circus Flying Trapeze School 💆 Most relaxing: Sauna Social Club 🌑 Most unique dining experience: Dans le Noir 🎉 Best for parties: House Party RECOMMENDED:The best quirky bars and pubs in LondonOur favourite quirky restaurants in LondonThe 50 best things to do in London

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 UK’s wet-led boozers will always hold a special place in our hearts, but the country’s gastropubs are now a Great British tradition in their own right. Up and down the nation pubs have combined drinking with fine dining in extraordinary ways, going far beyond simply serving food that is ‘good for a pub’. Plenty of these hybrids are proper gastronomic destinations, the sort of Michelin-recognised establishments that go fork-to-fork with the country’s finest restaurants. Time Out’s 2026 guide to the UK’s top gastropubs ranges from rural inns in Pennine forests to elegant London taverns to former country houses packed with modern art. Not only have we ensured all current recommendations are up-to-date and up-to-snuff, we’ve added seven new entries. That’s right, you’ve got just over half a dozen more excellent institutions to add to your gastro bucket list. Ready to tuck in? Here are the 21 best gastropubs across the UK.  BTW, if you’re looking for London’s best gastropubs there’s a separate list here.

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

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. 

There has been all sorts of talk about the death of London’s nightlife, with the loss of legendary clubs like Corsica Studios and G-A-Y. However, London’s late-night scene is resilient. It will never die, only evolve. And lets not forget that the Big Smoke is still home to some absolute world-leading clubs where you can go for a proper dance. I’m talking smoke, strobe lights and an absolute stomper of a sound system. I promise you, it’s good for the soul. London’s best clubs at a glance: 🎸Best club for live music: Moth Club 🪩Best intimate club: The Carpet Shop 🏳️‍🌈Best LGBTQ+ club: Dalston Superstore   ⛓️Best techno club: FOLD  💅Best bougie club: The Box Since I moved to London, I’ve been making my way around the city’s many dancefloors, and I like to think that by now I know a thing or two about what separates an average club from a venue which will have you itching to come back week after week. From Sunday day raves at FOLD to secret line-ups at Venue MOT and no-nonsense pop nights at Moth Club, we are home to some absolutely banging nights out in this city. You just need to know where to look. That said, the best thing about going out in London is the sheer variety on offer. You can go to a huge daytime party at Drumsheds with international superstar DJs then head to an underground warehouse party in the Docklands the very same weekend. You can try your best to master Northern Soul footwork, sing your heart out to some serious cheese or dance the night away at one o

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

Lunch at Vesper begins how all good meals should: with crisps and dip. More restaurants should do this, I think, as I gleefully dunk golden salt and vinegar discs into creamy sweet smoked onion with day-glo trout roe.  Jackson Boxer’s menu delivers modern European bites with a wink Celebrated chef Jackson Boxer’s (Brunswick House, Dove, Henri and Below Stone Nest) newest restaurant is on an airy corner at the edge of Exmouth Market. He’s taken a leaf out of the St John book of interiors and gone for a chic all-white design with the odd flourish of silver. In the bathroom things get a bit more arty, with scribble-covered cubicles that look like a graffiti-laden club toilet had a baby with an Egon Schiele drawing.  In true laissez-faire style, a large part of the restaurant is reserved for walk-ins; an unexpected lunchtime rush means our mains are a bit slow to arrive, and it takes a while to flag down a glass of wine. But as for the food? Practically flawless.  Boxer’s menu delivers modern European bites with a wink. As well as my beloved chips-and-dip, starters include a revelatory spring onion pancake topped with velvety tuna and an adorable coil of anchovy inside an olive. Gilda, who? Also great is mackerel with a beautiful scattering of peas and raspberries.  Call me basic, but if there’s a burger, I’m ordering it. Vesper’s off-menu one is a beast – no flimsy smashed patties to be found here. Instead, a handsome, perfectly-charred hunk of beef in a brioche bun towers maje

Caia has been through various iterations since it opened in 2022. Back then, the Notting Hill restaurant was one of the first places to jump on the Japanese listening bar trend – since before smoking was back in and everyone was wearing Tabis. It’s had a few different head chefs, too. Now at the helm is one of London’s coolest cooks, Aussie firebrand John Javier, who has arrived at Caia after departing Fitzrovian celeb haunt The Tent (at the End of the Universe). Each bite is a perfect little party in my mouth With a brash menu that fuses Chinese and Italian flavours, Javier is all about putting fun – and decadence – into Caia’s sharing plates. Think; cheung fun noodle cacio e pepe, caviar and tuna cannolo and ube matcha tiramisu.  Here, the starters are the real stars. Each bite is a perfect little party in my mouth. Fat oysters are delivered with a sweet and tart sprinkling of calamansi citrus and chilli. Juicy baked scallops come coated in crispy pangrattato and a bright chervil sauce. Adorable savoury cannoli are stuffed with fresh bluefin and salty caviar. I wasn’t prepared for the flavour explosion of warm flatbread with bottarga taramasalata – the bread is soft and doughnutty with a dusting of za’atar, while the golden halo of dip, swimming in olive oil, is seriously umami.  Perhaps ordering a triplet of carbs and fried foods – carbonara, schnitzel and risotto – for our main course was a bit much, but when in Notting Hill… The off-menu cheung fun carbonara is so rich

In April this year a Yung Lean music video went viral. Depicting schoolboys in Leeds, the excellent video shows the rapper as a menacing bully, cigarette dangling from his mouth, as he flushes heads down toilets, gets high in classrooms and rides through corridors on wheely tables. It also features some mesmerising choreography by Damien Jalet. Now this video is on display as part of a film exhibition at 180 Studios.  Created by Gener8ion, a creative duo comprising film director Romain Gavras and producer Surkin (real name Benoit Heitz), Visions of 2034 is promoting an audiovisual album, Love & Tears, made by the pair. It’s also a way for Gavras to show off several of his highly acclaimed music videos, created for the likes of MIA, Jamie xx, Foals frontman Yannis Philippakis and 070 Shake.  So what is the exhibition about? Imagine that it is the year 2034. Gavras and Surkin have created a series of short films (or are they music videos?) that postulate all the terrible things that will be happening in the world: Athens is uninhabitable thanks to toxic algae blooms; volcanoes are erupting; schoolboys are getting high on lithium from 6G antennas and bullying each other from within an inch of their lives.   Gavras and Surkin appear to have predicted the future In some of these films Gavras and Surkin appear to have predicted the future. In videos shot in 2010, 2018 and 2019, respectively, ICE-style raids round up redheads for social cleansing; an AI-type machine creates a hyper

What do you get if you cross a Greek tragedy with stark British social realism? Effi O Blaenau. In this ferocious Welsh-language film, Marc Evans has adapted Gary Owen’s acclaimed one-woman play Iphigenia in Splott, which transforms the doomed Iphigenia into a working-class Welsh woman. Here, the battle ground is not Troy, but the underfunded NHS. Scrappy Effi (Leisa Gwenllian) spends her days in a pink fluffy dressing gown eating Pot Noodles on the sofa with her housemate and chugging vodka from a mug. Her nights are spent drinking herself into oblivion at the local clubs of Llandudno. A chance encounter with an injured soldier shows Effi a glimmer of a better future. But what starts off as a giddy romance becomes a brutal tale of ghosting, which soon turns into something even worse – a maternity care horror story that lays bare the ravages of austerity.    In Evans’s version of this story the Cardiff neighbourhood setting is transplanted for something far bleaker: Blaenau Ffestiniog, a former slate mining town in the heart of Eyri (Snowdonia), where there are no jobs and nothing for young people to do. Effi’s nan (Carys Gwilym) works nights at the fish and chip shop, while Effi’s neighbour (Mared Llywelyn), a mother of three, struggles to put food on the table. Blaenau looks impossibly desolate on screen, thanks to cinematographer Eira Wyn Jones’ endless shots of mountains shrouded by mist, rows of identical grey pebbledash houses, washed out hills, fields and lakes, and th

BST is back again this summer, bringing some of the world’s biggest pop stars to Hyde Park for its 13th edition. Headling for 2026 are Lewis Capaldi, Pit Bull, Depeche Mode, Garth Brooks, and more. Taking place across weekends in June and July, Hyde Park will host an upmarket festival vibe complete with food, drink and a posh VIP area. Here’s all you need to know about the BST Hyde Park’s 2026 edition.  When is BST Hyde Park 2026? As in previous years, BST Hyde Park takes place over several dates in late June and early July. This year the festival takes place on June 27, 28, July 3, 4, 5, 10, 11 and 12.   How much are tickets? Tickets typically range in price depending on who’s playing and what kind of access you want. The cheapest general admission tickets cost £99.95 plus booking fee, with VIP tickets costing up to £350.95 plus booking fee. Check the website for the full range of tickets and prices. There are also a number of free community events taking place throughout the weeks as part of the BST Open House series. These usually include things like Wimbledon screenings, an outdoor cinema, outdoor theatre shows, DJ sets and gigs. Who’s on the lineup? Country singer Garth Brooks will headline on June 27. This will be his only European performance in 2026. South Korean boyband Ateez headline on June 28, followed by Maroon 5 on July 3 and Mumford and Sons on July 4. Duran Duran headline on July 5, joined by Scissor Sisters and Nile Rodgers & Chic. Pitbull will play on July

Is it art, or is it maths? It’s a question even MC Escher himself couldn’t answer about his own work. While the Dutch printmaker known for his infinite staircases, metamorphosing tessellations and paradoxical buildings was rejected by the art world, he was revered by mathematicians, and is now one of the most famous optical illusionists of all time.  The OG creator of images that make you go ‘Huh?’ is going under the microscope in London with a blockbuster exhibition celebrating his life and work this summer. Created by Italian company Arthemisia and the immersive peeps at Fever, MC Escher: The Exhibition has arrived at Somerset House as part of its world tour.  The family-friendly display is surprisingly big. With more than 150 artworks on show, it tells the story of Escher’s life and work in chronological order, before it gets to the biggies – the ones that have been wheeled out in maths classrooms for decades – towards the end. You’ll see the originals of ‘Waterfall’, where water appears to run upwards, ‘Ascending and Descending’, the looping staircase that goes up and down simultaneously, and ‘Belvedere’ depicting an impossible tower. And you’ll learn about the techniques and mathematics that make these illusions possible along the way.  The meticulous craft that went into his totally baffling work is evident. On a personal level, I can see why Escher was rebuffed by the art world. Many of his works seem like something from a bad acid trip: giant, bulbous ants; monstrous

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

Cities can be beautiful in different ways. They might be replete with grand, historic architecture like Paris, surrounded by awesome nature, like Medellín, or simply have a quality that makes theme completely unique, like Lisbon with its azulejo tilework. But which urban landscapes can definitively say that they are more attractive than others? Time Out has just revealed a new ranking of most beautiful cities on the planet. We surveyed 24,000 urbanites, asking them if they would describe their city as ‘beautiful’, to come up with the list of 10. Luckily for us Brits, one city in the ranking was from the UK. According to the survey respondents, Edinburgh is the world’s second prettiest city. The Scottish capital was described as beautiful by 84 percent of its locals. And it’s not surprising, because it’s home to a real melange of architectural styles – from the New Town’s crescents of Georgian townhouses to the Old Town’s tight, higgledy-piggledy medieval streets and striking Gothic spires. The city is a delight to walk around, and has inspired countless books, films and TV shows, including David Nicholls’ One Day, Frankenstein and of course Harry Potter.  Photograph: Dmitry Naumov / ShutterstockPrinces Street Gardens, Edinburgh As well as being an absolute stunner, Edinburgh is a titan when it comes to culture, food and history, and provides easy access to some of Scotland’s most bonnie landscapes.  Photograph: ShutterstockVictoria Street, Edinburgh The Scottish metropoli

An exciting new dynamic duo is about to take London’s restaurant scene by storm. Andrew Wong, the chef behind the exceptional two Michelin-starred dim sum restaurant A Wong, is linking up with Dishoom’s co-founder Amar Radia to create a brand new gastropub in the capital. Talk about a dream team.  London’s gastronomic equivalent of Maverick and Goose are opening Kong in Shoreditch, which is what they’re calling a ‘Chinese public house’, AKA a boozer serving top notch Chinese food. They have been pretty tight-lipped about the menu so far, but hinted that there will be ‘dumplings at dawn, noodles at lunch, grills with a cold pint at dusk’. The concept will pay homage to the history of Chinese communities in the East End, which was home to the capital’s original Chinatown from the 18th to the mid-20th century.  Kong will open in the Nolton Folgate development in Spitalfields, taking over what was once the much-loved Water Poet. The former boozer closed down in 2019 due to redevelopment.   We don’t know exactly when Kong will open yet, but according to the developer’s website it will be arriving around autumn. You can follow the Kong Instagram for updates.  Andrew Wong said: ‘Kong is a Chinese kitchen reflecting our personality, shaped by London, the East End, China, and A Wong. Untraditional, instinctive, fearless, all-day cooking.’ Amar Radia said: ‘The grand east London pub and the Chinese kitchen have been part of London for over two hundred years. Kong honours that history w

It’s been eight months since Lily Allen dropped her searing and heartfelt album of the year West End Girl. After taking it to theatres across the UK and some festivals, due to unprecedented demand she’s now bringing her show to Britain’s biggest arenas.  In case you don’t know (where have you been?), West End Girl reflects on the breakdown of Allen’s marriage to Stranger Things actor David Harbour. It features hits like ‘Pussy Palace’, ‘4chan Stan’ and ‘Dallas Major’. Deeply existential and brutally honest, Allen received instant acclaim for the album. It was one of Time Out’s favourite albums of 2025. Now fans have the chance to hear every single song from the record live in a special theatrical show, which famously includes a dress showing all of Harbour’s receipts, and a cameo from a different celeb playing ‘Madeline’ each night.  Heading to the see West End Girl at the O2? Here’s what you need to know. When is Lily Allen playing London? Lily Allen has three nights at the O2 in London. She will be there on: Saturday June 27 2026 Sunday June 28 2026 Tuesday July 7 2026 What time do doors open at the O2? Doors differ slightly, depending on the date. Here’s the lowdown: Saturday June 27 2026 – doors 6.30pm, curfew 11pm Sunday June 28 2026 – doors 6pm, curfew 10.30pm Tuesday July 7 2026 – doors 6.30pm, curfew 11pm What time will Lily Allen come on stage? The whole show is scheduled to begin at 7.50pm, but Allen doesn’t tend to arrive on stage until around 9pm. What’s the s

Sweltering Bromley residents will be pleased to hear that a new swimming pool will open in the area as soon as next week.  Bromley Council has announced that the Walnuts Leisure Centre in Orpington will re-open on Thursday July 2 after a massive £17 million transformation.  Closed since the beginning of 2025 for refurbishment, Bromley Council called the reopening of the centre an ‘historic occasion for Orpington’. Inside there will be plenty of brand new facilities, including a competition-length swimming pool and training pool, a children’s splash wall and a spanking new sauna and steam room.  Photograph: Bromley CouncilWalnuts Leisure Centre For gym bunnies, making gains at the Walnuts will be easier than ever. There will be an expanded two-level gym, complete with a functional training area and brand-new fitness equipment, plus sate-of-the-art EGYM smart strength training equipment, allowing adjustable workouts and supporting rehabilitation.  The centre will also see a new reception and café alongside a refreshed and newly marked sports hall.  Councillor Yvonne Bear, Bromley’s Executive Councillor for Renewal, Recreation and Housing, said: ‘The stage is now set to reveal the incredible transformation of this much-loved leisure centre, funded and delivered by Bromley Council. Photograph: Bromley CouncilNew gym equipment at Walnuts Leisure Centre ‘We know how eager residents are to return and we have been doing all we can to complete this huge investment in the borough’s

The new Art’otel has finally opened in Battersea Power Station, and it’s got a rooftop swimming pool with an epic view.  For those who don’t know, Art’otel is a chain of luxury hotels created by artists and designers, meaning they’re aesthetic AF. And this new BPS one doesn’t disappoint. They’ve pulled out the big guns with this view, and the hotel has got a stunning infinity pool that lets swimmers get up close and personal with the famous chimneys of the former power station. The heated pool is situated on the top of the beautiful art-deco behemoth, looking out across the iconic smokestacks and the London skyline.  ➡️ READ MORE: Discover the best hotels in London with rooftop pools right now View this post on Instagram A post shared by Battersea Beat (@batterseabeat) The Spanish artist and designer Jaime Hayon, known for his colourful and contemporary designs, was selected to curate the interiors for the Battersea Art’otel. The 164-room artsy hotel also includes the Tozi Grand Café, serving Italian eats, and an exhibition space welcoming bi-monthly artists in residence. The space will open with a show from Battersea local Minna George who’ll be showing off her snowy mountain landscapes.  The swish new hotel is part of the mega £9 billion renovation of the grade II-listed building and the surrounding area, which reopened to the public in October. To book your stay, head here. Battersea Power Station, Circus Rd W, SW8 5BN. ➡️ READ MORE: Disc

This week London is hot. Like, really hot. Apocalyptically boiling, in fact. The Met Office reckons that the Big Smoke will reach the high 30Cs on June 23-25, potentially even hitting 40C.  Now, the Big Smoke in summer is a wonderful place – but this city, with all its concrete and un-air-conditioned tube carriages, is not made for extreme heat. Londoners love a good heatwave, using any excuse to slip on flip-flops and make a beeline for the nearest pub garden, but this is the kind of weather where cramming in somewhere with loads of other people has rarely seemed less appealing. Sure, there are great beer gardens, fancy rooftop bars and our dear old friend THE PARK, but are they actually cool? Not necessarily. Time to think laterally (without actually having to ask an assistant in Iceland if there’s a wifi password). Here’s our guide to the city’s best places to stay cool, from ice rinks to air-conditioned museums.  The best places in London to stay cool Ice skating Ice skating might be about staying on your feet, but you won’t mind slipping over too much at Queens Ice and Bowl in Bayswater, where the surface temperature is, of course, freezing all year round. Don’t be tempted to go bowling though, or you’ll immediately become a hot mess again.      Old London buildings While there’s no definitive answer to the question of which is London’s chilliest building, older generally means colder. Unlike your flimsy newbuilds, these babies have metre-thick walls and great insulation

London Mayor Sadiq Khan is pushing for the Home Counties to become part of the TfL network. And while some haughty Londoners might not like the idea of allowing that lot from Surrey and Berkshire to claim that they are part of the capital, this might actually be a good thing.  The Mayor and Transport for London are pushing for more rail links between Heathrow and the southeast of the capital in the run up to the airport’s £49 billion expansion. Transport bosses have warned that Heathrow’s planned third runway and terminal expansion could see passenger numbers surge by 80 percent, with a 150 percent increase in public transport trips, requiring extra rail links from from Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire, MyLondon reported. To stop a dramatic rise in air pollution around Heathrow, the Mayor wants the government to commit to a no-traffic increase on the M25, meaning the airport would need to be accessed via public transport.  Photograph: Ceri Breeze / Shutterstock.comHeathrow Airport, London TfL has said that the long-mooted Southern and Western rail links should be made a priority. They proposed that a new track should be laid from the existing Terminal 5 station to Staines where it can link with South Western Railway services to Waterloo and Clapham Junction via Richmond or Hounslow. A second branch to Virginia Water would unlock direct services to Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire. The Western rail link would require a new tunnel to be built between Heathrow and Langley. This

Toasty weather has officially returned to the UK. And while we pretend that we’re totally not concerned about the fact that it was practically snowing last week and it’s tropical this week, we will admit that we are happy to see the comeback of beach climes. So, how about a list of the best seaside towns in Britain to visit this year? We know you want it.  Per our ranking, the family-friendly Wells-next-to-the-Sea in Norfolk should absolutely be on your radar for summer 2026. Coming in 10th place on the list, Time Out’s editors love this town not just for its quaint name, but for its foodie chops and exceedingly mellow atmosphere.  ‘Tucked away on the north Norfolk shoreline like a jewel in the North Sea gloom is a 14th century port that’s surely amongst the UK’s most scenic seaside spots,’ said Time Out’s Phil de Semlyen.  Photograph: Multishooter / Shutterstock.comWells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk The historic port town is home to a still very much alive fishing trade, with trawlers bringing in mackerel, crabs and other crustacean delicacies daily (this is a place of pilgrimage if you love little brown shrimps). Fresh fish can be tasted at the Wells Crab House, where you can book in for a sit-down meal or grab a takeaway seafood platter for lunch on the beach.  Other top things to do in this town include taking a 1951 Leyland Tiger open-top bus along the seafront, and soaking up the sunshine on the beach lined with colourful huts.  The 16 best UK seaside towns to visit in 2026.

If there’s one thing we do well in Britain, it’s pubs. From the wet-led and flat-roofed to hipster joints serving crafties, British boozers come in all shapes and sizes. Today we’re here to talk about gastropubs – the drinking dens that also serve top-notch food.  Time Out has just released a new list of the best gastropubs in the UK. Our ranking names the best of the best when it comes to pubs that are culinary destinations in their own right – it includes everything from Michelin-guided eateries to elegant London taverns and former country houses packed with modern art.  Taking the crown for the UK’s best gastropub in 2026 was the Gunton Arms in Norfolk. With one of the UK’s best chefs, Stuart Tattersall, in the kitchen, this romantic countryside bolthole serves up local meat and fish cooked on an open fire. The best things to order at the Gunton include venison – bagged by the gamekeeper –, crab soup and pork belly served with bramley apple sauce. Diners tuck into English classics in a dining room that looks like a medieval banqueting hall.  Photograph: Polly RobinsonDining room at the Gunton Arms, Norfolk The pub is also home to a ‘world-beating’ and ‘awesome’ collection of modern art, including Damien Hirsts, Lucian Freuds and Tracey Emins, according to Time Out food and drink editor Leonie Cooper. This is down to the Gunton being owned by the art dealer Ivor Braka. But the pub is still ‘uniquely down to earth and a boozer for everyone’. The space caters to thirsty loc

Teenagers often get a bad rap. Since the ‘50s, they’ve been labelled everything from rebels without a cause to couch potatoes, yobs and feckless youths. In the 2020s, young people are branded as or anxious snowflakes, or entitled and workshy phone addicts. Finally, the Museum of Youth Culture (MOYC) has said: Enough! We have a lot to thank young people for, actually.  London’s newest museum will open it’s doors to the public on June 20. It celebrates teenagers and all their messy, hedonistic, hormonal, rebellious and naive edges. Opening just days after the government has announced a ban on social media for under-16s, it couldn’t have come at a better time.  Photograph: Debbie SearsRough Trade has curated a selection of vinyl that is for sale at the Museum of Youth Culture What is the Museum of Youth Culture? It’s the world’s first permanent archive of items relating to young people. Founded in 1997 by Jon Swinstead, a photographer who ran Sleazenation magazine in the late ’90s, the MOYC started as a grassroots effort to preserve photographs, flyers and stories. Later it became a digital archive, which opened to the public in 2015.  After almost 30 years, this is the museum’s first brick-and-mortar space. The collection spans more than a century of youth culture history from across the UK, Europe and beyond. Through photos and objects collected from and submitted by members of the public, it tells uplifting, funny and moving stories from real lives. What’s the Museum of You

Martinis are having a massive main character moment right now. Gone are the stuffy James Bond connotations; in London the martini is the tipple du jour, with icy coups stuffed with olives appearing in the Instagram photo dumps of all the city’s coolest people. Charli xcx just hosted her wedding afterparty in a Dalston bar known for serving £8 ones.  Many of London’s drinkers will claim to know the best place for sipping the timeless bevvy, but if it’s done wrong it can leave you trying to chug down a glass of tepid gin (or vodka) while wondering what all the fuss is about. So to find out where exactly is the best, Time Out asked seven bar experts, including Tayer + Elementary’s Monica Berg, Lyaness’ Mr Lyan, and Coral Anderson of Swift, to nominate the best martini in the city. Here’s what they said.  According to the bar experts, London’s very best martini can be found at the Connaught Hotel. This uber swish Mayfair hotel has several bars, two of which were nominated by our cocktail professionals for having the best martinis in town. First up was the hotel’s famous Connaught Bar, recommended by co-founder of Hackney bar Equal Parts, Carina Soto Velásquez. This bougie art deco haunt often tops world’s best bars lists, and has been known for slinging martinis served from a very posh trolley since it opened in 2008. ‘The Connaught Bar makes an incredible classic martini,’ said Soto Velásquez. ‘All the work they do around the martinis there is brilliant. The classic gin martini

Bad news for Soho’s brunching elite: the future of the beloved all-day café Balans is up in the air after an email allegedly said the group was ‘no longer trading’ and ‘all creditors will be contacted in due course’, the Sun reported. First opening in Soho in 1987, Balans currently has two sites: Balans No 60 in Soho and Balans in Kensington. At its peak the chain had eight outposts across the capital.  Balans East in Stratford and Balans No 34 on Old Compton Street have already shut down. Then at the end of May social media users reported that Balans No 60 was closed, and at the beginning of June both Balans No 60 and Balans Kensington appeared as ‘temporarily closed’ on Google. At the time of writing both restaurants are listed on Google as open and are taking online reservations, however the future of the group still appears uncertain.  The group has been through a number of struggles over the past few years. It put its restaurant estate up for auction in 2020 as it struggled with the Covid pandemic restrictions. It reopened five of its sites that summer after receiving a cash injection, however Balans Shepherds Bush shut down later in 2020 amid further restrictions. Since opening in the ’80s Balans has become famous for being a welcoming LGBTQ+ hangout. The late-night spot stays open until 4.30am on Fridays and Saturdays, and over the years the Soho institution has been frequented by the likes of Kate Moss, Lady Gaga, Amy Winehouse and Rowan Atkinson.  Balans was contacte