India Lawrence

The dance world leaps back into action in September after a much-needed summer holiday.  This back-to-school season will be no dissapointment, with Michael Keegan-Dolan, (La)Horde and Acosta Danza all hitting the London stage.  The popular free dance extravaganza that’s part of Greenwich and Docklands International Festival also returns this month, and there is some exciting experimental stuff to get stuck into over at the Coronet.  Here we’ve rounded up the best dance in London this September.  India is in charge of dance listings at Time Out. She was first shoved into a leotard and ballet shoes aged four, and has loved it ever since. Nowadays India prefers contemporary (or dancing in a sweaty club) to ballet, but still has a soft spot for the odd grand jeté every now and again. India has been reviewing dance in London since joining Time Out in 2022.  MORE STAGE: Dance classes in London Best theatre shows this yearBest theatre shows this monthBest comedy shows this month

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and luckily for London, the city caters to every possible 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.  September 2025: Our latest update includes everything from udon noodle bowls and South Indian platters to Hong Kong toasted buns, as well as morning mezze and classic croissants. Of course, it wouldn't be a list of the best breakfasts in London without an appearance from Dishoom's bacon naan, so that's here too, as is old school East End hangout E Pellicci - one of the best classic caffs in London.  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 tips, the spiciest reviews: we’re serving it all on our London restaurants WhatsApp channel. Follow us now to tuck in.

People are obsessed with Kent for a reason, and to be honest, the biggest reason is probably Margate. This humble seaside town blew up a few years ago (mostly with day-trippers), and since then its seen a string of fantastic restaurants, bars and more open on its seafront.  Put simply, Margate is the perfect day out, from its quaint vintage shops to its old-school arcades, as well as its thriving contemporary art scene (shout out to the Turner Contemporary, one of the best in the business). We’ve curated the perfect day in this delightful seaside town: here are the best things to do in Margate right now.  🚆 RECOMMENDED: The best day trips from London At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This article includes affiliate links. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines.

London music festivals have made plenty of headlines this year, with the future of some of the city’s most popular events looking a little uncertain at present. Nevertheless, Londoners are still exceptionally lucky to have an abundance of day-long musical extravanganzas to choose from. We Londoners love live music, so it’s no surprise that we’re absolutely spoilt for choice when summer rolls around. With something taking place almost every weekend throughout the warmer months, you can forget trekking across the country to live in a field for five days; simply hop on the tube and before you know it you’re listening to your favourite artists, tinny to hand, knowing that there’s a hot shower and a cosy bed waiting for you once the day is over.  We are right in the thick of festival season right now, which means you’ve either been to one of the early summer events already or you’ve secured tickets and started planning your outfit for something coming up in the next few weeks. If not, there’s still time to plan a fabulous weekend of dancing, drinking and mild sunstroke before the summer is out, with up-coming festivals devoted to hip-hop, jazz, leftfield electronic music, disco, afrobeats, heavy rock ‘n’ roll...the list goes on. Take it from us, whatever your taste may be, London has a day festival for you! Have a scroll through our comprehensive guide – which we keep meticulously updated with all the latest line-up announcements – and see what takes your fancy. RECOMMENDED: ⛺ The

Summer is officially here, and the current 30C heatwave has us excited about sweating it out on the streets of west London with Red Stripe pulsing through our veins, because Notting Hill Carnival is just around the corner. As you gear up for one of the capital’s most fun weekends of the year, it’s understandable if you might want to do a little more prep than simply stocking up on Red Stripe and paint powder.  Carnival is an incredible knees-up, but with all its sounds, sights and crowds, it can get a little overwhelming. An estimated 2.5 million punters head to west London for the celebration, so it’s totally normal that you might get turned around, lost or just need a handy reminder of where you're going after several rounds of Wray & Ting.  Never fear! We’ve created the interactive map below, soundsystems and all, to help you navigate your way around the famous west London parade. Check it out.  What is the schedule for Notting Hill Carnival 2025? Notting Hill Carnival 2025 starts on Sunday, August 24 and continues on Bank Holiday Monday, August 25.  What is the Notting Hill Carnival 2025 parade route?  NHC likes to keep attendees on their toes and is famous for releasing all the details, including stage headliners, at the last minute. In that ilk, the official route map for 2025 hasn’t been revealed yet. However, it’s pretty similar every year so we have a good idea of what it will look like.  Sunday is the day of the children’s parade and the adult’s parade takes place o

There’s nothing quite like a proper London pub. Maybe we’re old romantics, but old school boozers are the beating heart of this city. After many evenings of tipsy research, we’ve done the impossible and ranked the 50 best pubs in London.  The pubs on this list are heavy with the powerful whiff of history – though that just might be the sticky carpets – and throbbing with heart, soul and community charm.  How did we decide what made the final 50? With a scary amount of the UK’s pubs closing by the week, we wanted to highlight some of this city’s less well-known and independent inns. The pubs included here are places where you’ll not only get perfect pints, but pickled eggs, epic karaoke nights and intense darts sessions. There’s no gatekeeping here at Time Out and these spots are where old-school regulars rub shoulders with the new wave of pintspeople, from Clapton to Catford, via Walthamstow, Woolwich, Peckham and more. Want cosy and convivial? You’ve come to the right place.  Of course, in a city with well over 3,000 pubs, not everything can make the cut. If you’re looking for pubs with fancy food, you’ll find them in our list of the best gastropubs in London. Wondering where London’s most legendary drinking dens are? They’re all in this list of London’s most historic pubs. Cheers. RECOMMENDED: These are the best pubs in Soho. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor, and has spent an impressive amount of time drinking in London's many pubs. She even used to

Europe is not lacking in jaw-dropping beauty. Its home to seven Wonders of the World, for one thing, as well as 34 UNESCO World Heritage Sites – and even that doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of the incredible things you can find across the continent. But even if we can’t list every single beautiful place in Europe, we can list our favourites. To put together this list, we asked our editorial staff team and travel writers based all over Europe for the most beautiful things they’d ever seen on their travels. The result? Stories of taking boats out on Germany’s hidden lakes, climbing up to vast sand dunes in France, afternoons spent strolling Art Nouveau streets in Latvia and childhoods spent clambering over jagged stones in Ireland. From solitary islands to well-trodden walking routes, here are the most beautiful places in Europe, picked by us. 📍 RECOMMENDED: Our ultimate guide to destinations in Europe Ella Doyle is Time Out’s guides editor. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines. 

If you boil a sauna down to its nuts and bolts, it’s essentially just a really hot room and some water to create steam with. Wild, then, how much of a positive affect those two simple ingredients can have on our bodies, healing weary muscles, doing wonders for our skin, and helping all the horrible toxins we insist on putting in our insides get back out. Saunas originated back in Finland back in the Middle Ages, where almost every house had one – imagine! In modern London, we’re not all so lucky as to have our own personal spa, but there are a wealth of top saunas around the city. From plunge pools and infrared therapy rooms to Finnish-style homages and ones soundtracked by DJ sets, you’ll find the steam sesh for you in the capital. Check out our video of 10 of the best spas in London: RECOMMENDED:Sauna culture is heating up London’s nightlifeThe best spas 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. 

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

By August you might be feeling burnt out by the preceeding months of beer-garden-drinking, day-festivalling and sun-lounging. But we’re here to tell you to rally, because there are plenty of reasons to get excited about the final month of summer in London. The biggest thing happening? It’s Notting Hill Carnival – the biggest festival of its kind in Europe that takes over the streets of west London for the bank holiday weekend.  When you’re not having a riotous time dancing to tinnitus-inducing dance hall with a pocket full of Red Stripe, there are plenty of other ways to get your fill of live music this month. All Points East, Body Movements and Boiler Room Festival are just a few of the festivals pitching their tents and blasting music across various parks in London. UK Black Pride is also back for its 20th anniversary this year, with what promises to be its biggest and boldest event yet. It’s also your last chance to catch huge theatre shows and art exhibitions, including Evita starring Rachel Zegler, Inter Alia with Rosamund Pike and Leigh Bowery! at Tate Modern. Before September hits, let’s hope there’s enough sun for a London lido swim, lazy days in the city’s parks, outdoor-cinema sessions and all the other alfresco pleasures that summer in London has to offer.  Plan your whole year with our BIG London events calendar.

Amsterdam is one of the world’s best cities, no doubt about it. Every wander down a cobbled street will take you somewhere exciting, whether you're a foodie, curious about the Red Light District, or in the mood to party for 24 hours straight. And as a tourism capital, it’s no surpise that it’s overrun with exceptional places to stay, from 18th-century canalside mansions to converted bridge keepers’ houses and seriously high-grade establishments.  So if you’re looking for a tip-top place to bed down after a day of exploring the city’s best museums, attractions and coffee shops, you’ve come to the right place. From the city centre through to De Negen Straatjes, here are the best hotels in Amsterdam right now. Updated January 2025: We re-reviewed Amsterdam’s five-star Conservatorium Hotel to see if it’s up-to-scratch (spoiler: it is). See where we ranked it below! RECOMMENDED:🏠 The best Airbnbs in Amsterdam🌳 Where to stay in Amsterdam 📍 The best things to do in Amsterdam🍴 The best restaurants in Amsterdam🎀 The best boutique hotels in Amsterdam Ella Doyle and Grace Beard are Time Out’s travel editors. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by experts. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines. 

You could say that Marie Antoinette was the original celebrity. The last Queen of France worked with personal stylists, had her barnet done by celebrity hairdressers, and set the agenda for the fashion of the day. She had her own personal brand – an elegant ‘MA’ monogram – which she plastered all over her jewellery, furniture, belongings, and even most intimate toiletries. Like many celebs today, the queen’s dodgy reputation, founded on obscene rumours of debauchery, promiscuity and gorging on cake, was created by tabloid sensationalism. So it’s only fitting that a comprehensive exhibition dedicated to the style of the world’s most fashionable and infamous monarch should be just as fabulous, bold, sparkly and, at times, salacious. Featuring 250 objects, including loans from Versailles that have never been exhibited outside of France before now, Marie Antoinette Style takes visitors on a journey through the ill-fated queen’s forward-thinking wardrobe, dizzyingly elaborate jewellery, lavish interiors, huge hairstyles and enduring influence on fashion and art today. Alongside the myriad guffaw-inducing riches on display (a replica of the most expensive necklace ever made in France is particularly astonishing), mysteries surrounding the queen are confidently dispelled. Did she really say, ‘Let them eat cake’? (No.) Was the coupette glass actually modelled on her breast? (No, but a very realistic porcelain ‘breast bowl’ commissioned by Antoinette is on display.) What appears is a

What is it? The V&A East Storehouse is perhaps London’s best new museum, found in Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Inside, you will find rows and rows of steel shelves, filled with treasures that make up the V&A’s vast archive, that is now on display for all the see.  Purpose-built to house more than 1,000 archives from the museum’s collection, comprising more than 250,000 objects and 350,000 books, the storehouse promises to offer a peek behind the scenes to show how a working museum goes about cataloguing artefacts, from vintage footie kits and Glastonbury festival ephemera to a collection of samurai swords.  It is a ‘working museum’, meaning it doesn’t have permanent displays (it doesn’t really have proper displays at all, just shelves), and every one of its objects is free to be moved around by the people at work behind the scenes at any time. Why go? This is a genuinely radical new museum offering, and it could just change the way we think about viewing artefacts forever. There are no lengthy gallery texts, instead just library-like barcodes and the odd QR code, meaning it’s all down to your own interpretation. The randomness is part of the fun, and the objects get to speak for themselves.  What’s the deal with the David Bowie Centre? The David Bowie Centre, which opened in 2025, is a massive archive of more than 90,000 objects related to the music icon. It’s free but you need to book. In it there’s a small but high quality exhibition made up on objects from t

The radical work of Indian artist Mrinalini Mukherjee – known for her fantastical and overtly sexual sculptures made from woven fibres – is at the centre of the upcoming RA exhibtion that spans a century of South Asian art. Telling the story of Indian Modernism, more than 100 works comprising sculpture, painting, drawing, textiles, ceramics and printmaking, from a constellation of avant-garde artists, many whom were Mukherjee’s mentors, friends and family, will be on display. 

This new show by mixed media artist Tanoa Sasraku will examine the seductive and destructive nature of oil, and its ties to war and national identity. Through found objects, sculpture, works on paper, and textiles, Sasraku’s stark artworks – which include corporate paper weights infused with crude oil, and drawings of military symbols on paper that will gradually fade away – use emblems and mementos to shine a damning light on the oil industry.   

Vistors will be plunged into Candice Lin’s ghoulish, red hued world at Whitechapel Gallery this October, as the artist’s new commission inspired by the politcal and cultural upheaval in the USA goes on display. Created in Los Angeles during the the inauguration of Donald Trump’s second presidency, and the LA wildfires, Lin’s hellish and labrythine landscapes – where small creatures stand beneath towering monoliths, and human cadavers emerge from behind shrubberies – evoke the shock, grief and helplessness many Americans feel today in the face of genocide, police brutality and a climate catastrophe. 

Since the early ’80s, British artist Joy Gregory has been a pioneer in contemporary photography. Now, after four decades of work exploring identity, history, race, gender and societal ideals of beauty, her first major show arrives at Whitechapel Gallery. The landmark exhibition will bring together more than 250 works encompassing photography, film, installation and textiles, all of which showcase and celebrate Gregory’s inventive, culturally resonant and materially rich practice.  

The Curve gallery will be transformed with a kinetic light sculpture by Northern American video artist Lucy Raven. Ispired by rotating objects that use centrifugal force, Raven’s sculpture spins an electronic arm, sweeping light around an aluminium and concrete enclosure. Also on show will be her film Murderers Bar, which is the final part of her series The Drumfire. Through four moving images, Raven captures the the biggest dam removal and river restoration project in US history. A landscape in flux, videos show how the dam, the immense reservoir behind it, and the river now coursing through both, are transformed. Both works are a meditation on the cyclical violence, and unrelenting force, that were used in the formation of the Western United States.   

Everybody loves David Hockney. So it’s good news, because more colourful works from the fellow who can’t seem to stop making art will be going on display in London in 2026, this time at the Serpentine North, as the gallery welcomes its first ever Hockney exhibition. Featuring many of his iPad drawings created during lockdown, number of the artist’s recent works will be show, including ‘Moon Room’ which reflects his lifelong interest in the cycle of light and time passing, and ‘A Year in Normandy’, a ninety-metre-long frieze, inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry, showing the change of seasons at the artist’s former studio in Normandy.   

If you’ve seen a ballet at the Royal Opera House, there’s a high chance you will be familiar with the work of Wayne McGregor. The ROH’s resident choreographer since 2006, the dance polymath brought a sleeker, more minimal and modern style of ballet, rooted in contemporary, to the Covent Garden stage. He has worked with numerous companies, including his own Studio Wayne McGregor, and even choreographed ABBA Voyage. Now Somerset House is staging a huge exhibition dedicated to McGregor’s three-decade-long repertoire, which includes ballets inspired by Virginia Woolf, Margaret Attwood, and 1980s sci-fi. Through a series of multi-sensory choreographic installations, performances and experiments, Infinite Bodies will explore how technology is used in dance choreography, music, and lighting, with works that incorporate motion capture, machine learning, AI interactivity, and digital imaging, alongside hybrid realities and robotics. 

From Vivienne Westwood’s mud-inspired collection, to Acne Studio’s stained jeans, the autumn exhibition at the Barbican traces fashion’s obsession with all things dirty, grimy and messy. That’s right. Through the collections of more than 60 designers from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas, Dirty Looks: Desire and Decay in Fashion will take a look at everything from models wrestling in mud at New York fashion week, to Hussein Chalayan’s dresses buried underground, and the newish trend, hailing from Copenhagen, ‘bogcore’. Containing pieces from Paco Rabane, Dilara Findikoglu, Maison Margiela, Issey Miyake and Alexander McQueen, Dirt’s lineup promises to give a comprehensive look at the grubbier side of clothing design, with enough to impress any fashion lover. 

‘It’s Ibiza lite,’ says my trip guide about Amàre Beach Hotel Ibiza, as we whizz through the island’s lush hillsides in a taxi on our way to the hotel.  What she means is this: at the four-star resort Amàre you can be either a beachy hippy or a club rat (the dichotomy of ‘beefa, basically) – or for the most fulfilling stay, try a bit of both. So whether you’re going down the route of balearic poolside beats fuelled by unlimited breakfast mimosas, or rooftop yoga, heavenly massages, and serene swims, at Amàre you get to choose your own adventure, Ibiza style.  Why stay at Amàre Beach Hotel Ibiza? To put it simply, Amàre Ibiza is a non-pretetious place to kick back, lounge by the pool and enjoy the Island’s nighttime delights. It’s in a good location for getting to both the nightclubs and the more tranquil beaches, but there’s enough going on inside the resort that you could happily stay there for a week without leaving.  If luxe exclusivity is your motive, Amàre also gives guests the option to book access to ‘The One’, a VIP lounge offering unlimited free snacks and drinks all day long, and a private seafront terrace, as well as a 10 percent discount on the minibar and wellness treatments.  This adults-only resort did have quite a few hen parties (where in Ibiza doesn’t?) but it was nothing imposing, and it was quite fun playing ‘spot the bride’ when gaggles of women would arrive at reception in matching sparkly outfits.  What are the rooms like at Amàre Beach Hotel Ibiza? Bri

‘Instagram face’, CGI influencers and AI sex dolls are all going under the microscope in the new Somerset House exhibition, Virtual Beauty.   Through more than 20 works, this pay-what-you-feel show explores the impact of digital technologies on how we define beauty today. The exhibition traces the origin of the digital selfie from the first flip phone with a front-facing camera, to today’s minefield of deepfake pornography, augmented reality face filters and Instagram algorithms. It’s primarily concerned with the ‘Post-Internet’ art movement, a 21st-century body of work and criticism that examines the influence of the internet on art and culture. In the first room, we encounter early artworks that comment on society’s gruelling beauty standards, like ORLAN’s disturbing 1993 performance that saw her going under the knife live on camera, and taking recommendations by audience members over the phone. Famous celeb selfies like Ellen DeGeneres’ A-lister packed Oscars snap are shown on a grainy phone screen, then we’re taken on a whistlestop tour of digital artworks, each one providing some sort of comment on beauty, society and the online world.   There’s a lot in Virtual Beauty that is pretty on the nose. We are shown a Black Mirror-style satirical advert for a pharmaceutical company called ‘You’, that offers people the chance to alter their appearance without plastic surgery – simply have a chip inserted into your brain, and the technology makes you appear different, essentially

Can you feel the crisp in the air? After a hectic summer, we’re looking forward to cosy evenings in pubs with fireplaces, curling up at home in our PJs, and pretending we are far too sophisticated to sip on anything that comes in a pumpkin spice flavour. Winter also means the return of ice skating in London. And while the city has lost a few legends in recent years (RIP the Natural History Museum ice rink), it’s more than made up for it with new additions. And they keep on comin’. A brand new central London ice rink will enter the chat in 2025: Skate Leicester Square. The new outdoor rink, created by Underbelly, will open in London’s West End in time for cosy SZN, with the first skaters taking to the ice on November 1. It will remain open until Sunday, January 4 2026. Sessions will begin every 15 minutes and cost £14.50 for adults and £9.50 for children, with online bookings and availability for walk-ins.  The rink will encircle Leicester Square’s Shakespeare statue, which is at the centre of the plaza. Let’s hope they dress the Bard up in a Santa hat.  As well as the frozen rink, the attraction will have festive lights, music and activities for all ages. There will also be a Christmas pop-up market, selling various winter warmer food and drink options and seasonal gifts. Skate Leicester Square launch date The rink opens on November 1. Prices The venue is priced at £14.50 for adults and £9.50 for children – find out more on the official website here. The best places to go ice

London’s house prices are continuing to go up and up. Three more London neighbourhoods have just entered the £1 million bracket for the average house price.   According to research from Savills reported by the Standard, South Hampstead, Ravenscourt Park and West Putney have all just entered the million-pound club, as London’s most moneyed residents are starting to spread beyond the more traditional posho neighbourhoods of Kensington and Chelsea, Hampstead Village and Notting Hill.  Per the figures, the average house prices in the three micro-neighbourhoods have all risen over the past year, despite house prices falling across London by 2.4 percent since the summer of 2022. The average price of a house in South Hampstead, Ravenscourt Park and West Putney is now £1,007,872, £1,223,973 and £1,351,501, respectively.  Photograph: Peter_Fleming / Shutterstock.com Why did this come about? According the the Standard, there are a number of reasons. While sales in London’s most prime, central London locations have slowed down due to changes to non-dom tax regulation, the neighbouring Zone 2 spots are becoming increasingly popular with wealthy families looking for leafy, spacious neighbourhoods with large houses and good schools.  Meanwhile, there has been a reversal of the exodus we saw during the pandemic. Essentially, many deep-pocketed people that fled London during Covid are all making their return. It means that neighbourhoods with an average house price of £1 million outside th

Not many London venues are as enduring, or legendary, as Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club. So, we bring exciting news, because the jazz mecca has announced it will open a new 140-capacity music venue.  The intimate spot, Upstairs at Ronnie’s, will open on the first floor of Ronnie Scott’s in Soho. The space above the OG club has held many live events over the years, but it closed for refurbishment in 2024.  It will return in February 2026 as a brand-new club with a complete makeover. Rebuilt as a purpose-designed, intimate auditorium, the new venue will have a sophisticated interior with plush reds, greens, golds and dark wood, enhanced acoustics, high-spec Yamaha and D&B Audio sound and lighting systems, an upgraded stage, and a Yamaha S3X Grand Piano.  Photograph: Courtesy of Ronnie Scott’s Visitors won’t go hungry, as executive chef Steven Connolly will be in charge of the newly installed ‘state-of-the-art’ kitchen.  Upstairs at Ronnie’s promises to programme the ‘finest jazz and jazz-adjacent acts’, as well as genre-crossing performances in contemporary soul, acoustic R&B, gospel, hip-hop, global music and classical. It will also host its own version of Ronnie Scott’s Late Late Show, with grassroots talent and a range of accessible ticket prices.  Ronnie Scott’s also announced a new members’ club – The Greene Rooms – which will be a private lounge and artist space. It will be the first time the club’s backstage areas will be open to the public.  This is Ronnie Scott’s first maj

Picture the scene. It’s 8am and you are waiting on a packed tube platform for the Central line. It’s delayed, and the next one isn’t arriving for seven whole minutes. The train arrives, and you squeeze yourself into the carriage like a sardine. You can’t believe you are spending the first hour of your day with your nose pressed into another person’s armpit. The hellish journey will cost you £2.90, at the very least.  But what if we told you it didn’t have to be this way? There are other options. This month, TfL is offering half-price memberships for Santander Cycles, meaning that instead of being cramped in a metal tube underground, you could breeze to work aboveground, feeling the wind in your hair.  To mark World Car Free Day 2025, Santander Cycles are selling a half-price monthly subscription of £10 (instead of the usual £20) for unlimited 60-minute rides. The offer can be redeemed in the Santander Cycles app by using the code ‘CFD25’. The offer is available to redeem until 11.59pm on September 23.   David Eddington, Head of Cycle Hire at TfL, said: ‘We want to encourage more people to discover the joy of Santander Cycles and hope this new offer for World Car Free Day does this. There are many car free events happening across the capital this week, and we hope people leave their cars at home and choose Santander Cycles.’ The 3 safest (and most dangerous) places to live in London.  Plus: London’s Central line is celebrating its 125th birthday with a treasure hunt this weeke

Arianators, assemble. Ariana Grande is going on a huge tour in 2026, and it will culminate with a whopping 10 nights at London’s O2 arena.  The Eternal Sunshine tour will touch down in the UK in August next year, after travelling around the USA. The thank u, next singer first announced five nights in the UK capital, but swiftly doubled the number of London shows due to overwhelming demand.  And this is quite a big deal, because Ari hasn’t been on tour in six years, but boy has she been busy. In the time since her Sweetener tour in 2019, Ariana has released two albums (Positions in 2020 and Eternal Sunshine in 2024), launched a cosmetics brand and starred as Glinda in the two-part movie adaptation of Wicked, the first film of which earned her an Oscar nomination. Now, patient Ari stans will finally have the chance to see the triple-threat in action. Want to get tickets to the long-awaited tour? Here’s everything we know so far.  How much will Ariana Grande tickets cost? Ticketmaster has confirmed the official price of tickets for the tour. Ticketmaster wrote: ‘Tickets have been priced in advance by the tour, ranging from £76.35 to £405 (including fees) with per order handling fee of £3.45.’ Ariana Grande London tour dates After adding five new dates, Ariana will now perform a huge 10 shows in the Big Smoke in 2026. Here’s what they are: Saturday, August 15 Sunday, August 16 Wednesday, August 19 Thursday, August 20 Sunday, August 23 Monday, August 24 Thursday, August 27 Friday

It’s cuffing season, and for those of you already in long-term relationships, that means maybe you might be starting to think about locking it down for life. But you can’t just get down on one knee in any old place – after all, if romance is in the air, your partner is probably more likely to say yes.  That’s why a new ranking of the best locations to propose around the world has just dropped. Listing the planet’s 30 most romantic spots to pop the question, the Destination: Proposal Index looked at locations around the world to come up with the definitive ranking. The index considered things including the cost of entry, surprise factor, cultural and spiritual impact and Instagram-ability for each spot to give it an overall score out of 100.  Featuring in the list was one very atmospheric Scottish desination: Eilean Donan Castle. Situated in the Scottish Highlands, this thirteenth-century abode is marooned on an island where three lochs meet. The striking castle is surrounded by views of lakes and mountains that are sure to make for a memorable proposal indeed.  Photograph: Shutterstock With an overall score of 61, Eilean Donan Castle got an eight out of 10 for Instagram-ability and for noise level, meaning your romantic moment should go down without much interruption. At the other end of the scale, it scored only four for weather stability, and five for surprise factor and accessibility.  Other destinations on the list included the London Eye, Niagara Falls, and the Grand C

It’s September, which means that hopeful freshers will be arriving at London’s many universities all throughout the month. These youngsters will be getting settled in to halls, going out to student nights at XOYO and Ministry of Sound, and getting plenty of use out of the single recipe they learned before flying the nest.  But what about those students who aren’t quite freshers yet? If you’re thinking about attending uni in the capital, listen up. Because a new university ranking for 2026 has just dropped.  The Guardian University Guide for 2026 has been revealed, ranking every university in the UK. According to the Guardian, the newspaper’s rankings ‘will help you figure out which universities give their students the best experience, rather than just showing you which are strongest in academic research, like most other league tables’. Taking the cake for London’s best uni was the London School of Economics (LSE), coming in fourth place in the national ranking. LSE was scored 93.8 out of 100 overall by the Guardian. It scored 89.4 for teaching satisfaction, and 76.2 for feedback satisfaction. Ninety three percent of graduates were in full-time work within 15 months of graduating from LSE. The university was awarded a ‘value added’ score (that’s based on how much students’ academic performance improved after joining the uni) of 5.9 out of 10.  In the London rankings, LSE was followed by Imperial College and University of the Arts London (UAL) in second and third place, respect

Cubism, surrealism, the Blue Period. Pottery, great war scenes, and women with three breasts. Picasso really did do it all. And this autumn a major exhibition dedicated to one of the world’s most famous painters is being staged at Tate Modern.  Opening tomorrow (September 17) at the Bankside gallery, Theatre Picasso is centred all around the painter’s 1925 masterpiece ‘The Three Dancers’. Celebrating the painting’s 100th birthday, the exhibition is staged by celebrated contemporary artist Wu Tsang and writer and curator Enrique Fuenteblanca, and explores all things performance-related in Picasso’s work. Bringing together more than 50 pieces, ‘The Three Dancers’ is at the heart of the exhibition, alongside famous paintings including ‘Weeping Woman’ (1937) and ‘Nude Woman in a Red Armchair’ (1932). Also on display will be prints, drawings, sculptures, textile works and collages, interwoven with key loans from leading Picasso museums in France. It’s no secret that the modern art master had plenty of drama in his own life, so expect plenty of theatrics, death and sex, as well as depictions of figures like circus performers, bullfighters and flamenco dancers  Keeping the spirit of the performance alive, Tsang and Fuenteblanca will invite artists, dancers and choreographers to respond to Theatre Picasso in an accompanying performance programme of dance and flamenco. Tickets cost £15 are available to book online via the Tate website now.  Theatre Picasso. 17 Sept 2025 – 12 Apr 2026

Si ets d’aquelles persones que tenien un pòster de Pulp fiction penjat a la paret de l'habitació, que se saben de memòria cada línia de Jackie Brown i que tenen una fixació poc habitual amb els peus, tenim bones notícies per a tu. L'any vinent, Londres acollirà la primera obra de teatre de Quentin Tarantino. El director ha revelat els plans d’estrenar el seu debut teatral al West End, i fins i tot ha explicat que podria adaptar-la com la seva última pel·lícula. Tarantino ha dit que té previst traslladar-se a Anglaterra des d’Israel l’any vinent, on viu actualment amb la seva dona, la cantant Daniella Pick, i els seus dos fills, per treballar en l’obra, que calcula que li ocuparà dos anys de la seva vida. El director de Kill Bill i Once upon a time in Hollywood va explicar al pòdcast The church of Tarantino que l’obra –encara sense títol– serà una comèdia. També  va anunciar que estava obert a convertir el seu nou treball en el seu últim projecte cinematogràfic, però només si és un èxit o, en paraules de Tarantino, si no és “un fracàs”. Foto: ShutterstockQuentin Tarantino Una obra que “ja està escrita” Tarantino ha dirigit nou pel·lícules i en el passat va dir que només en volia fer deu, així que la possibilitat que l'obra sigui la desena no és esbojarrada. El diari The Times ha suggerit que la decisió de Tarantino de portar l’obra al West End en lloc de Broadway reflecteix els alts costos de produir espectacles als Estats Units en comparació amb el Regne Unit. Al pòdcast Th

Did you just turn 30? Are you having a quarter-life crisis? You’ve probably thought about running a marathon (or half). We’re only teasing, but the long running races are showing no sign of letting up their grip on the collective consciousness of millennials in London any time soon.  Coming up soon is the Big Half 2025, a half marathon that’s taking place in London this weekend. But after training for weeks, you probably don’t want to mess everything up by turning up at the wrong time, or to the wrong place. So, nipple tape and talcum powder at the ready, here’s all the information you need if you’re running the Big Half 2025.  Date The Big Half 2025 takes place on Sunday, September 7.  Start times The official start time of the race is 8.30am. In previous years starts were staggered every 10 minutes after.  Participants will have four hours to complete the race. If they haven’t finished by then they can continue, but must run on the pavement. The Big Half team will stay to support runners until they cross the finish line.   Route map The 13.1-mile race kicks off next to Tower Bridge – make sure to check which assembly area you are due to be at, as there are two: north and south. Runners will then run east to do a loop around Canary Wharf, turn back on themselves and pass through Wapping before crossing Tower Bridge in Bermondsey. Runners then pass through Rotherhithe, Surrey Quays and Deptford before crossing the finish line at the Cutty Sark in Greenwich.  Image: Big Half

Anyone who spent time raving at Motion in Bristol will be familiar with its ceiling that dripped with sweat, cavernous main room, and dirty floors. But these were all part of its grotty charm, and were things that made the mega warehouse in the southwest one of the UK’s most legendary nightclubs.  Starting as a skatepark near Temple Meads in 2003, by 2008 the club inside a Grade-II listed industrial warehouse was well on its way to changing Bristol’s nightlife scene forever. But in July 2025 the stalwart of the rave scene sadly shuttered, much to the dismay of DnB heads everywhere.  But, clubbers, we bring you good news. Motion’s bosses have announced plans to re-open the iconic club in a new venue.  Motion’s original venue closed after the landlord decided to sell the property instead of renewing the lease, despite pleas for protection from within the industry.  In a post shared on social media at the end of August, Motion announced a new event series called Momentum that will be held in a venue in Bristol’s Victoria Terrace. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Motion (@motionbristol) ‘Momentum, a new event series in our new home – championing local artists and independent brands,’ the post said. ‘This is our way of letting the new venue grow organically, just like the early days of Motion. A space for the city’s underground to connect, discover and shape its own future.’ The series’ first event will take place on Friday, October 17 with a headli

Post Malone’s two shows at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend have been postponed. The Big Ass World Tour (yes, that is its official name) was supposed to come to the Big Smoke on September 7 and 8, but tube strikes have forced the shows to be postponed to later in the month.  Got tickets to the tour? Congratulations. You’ll get to see the rapper blast out hits like ‘Better Now’, ‘Texas Tea’ and ‘Sunflower’ in the north London stadium, where he’ll be joined by special guest Jelly Roll. The singer is entering the final weeks of his world tour which kicked off in Salt Lake City in April this year.  Heading to see Posty? Here’s everything you need to know about the postponed shows. When is Post Malone playing Tottenham Hotspur Stadium? Post Malone was supposed to be playing the north London venue on Sunday, September 7 and Monday, September 8.  These shows have now been postponed to September 20 and 21. If you had a ticket for Sep 7, this is valid for Sep 20. Tickets for Sep 8 are valid for Sep 21.   What time do doors open? Doors open at 5pm on September 20, and 4.30pm on September 21.  When will Post Malone come on stage? Post is due on stage at 8.30pm on Saturday and 8pm on Sunday. Sunday’s curfew is 10pm, while Saturday’s is 10.30pm.  What’s the seating plan? Here is the seating plan for Posty in Tottenham.  Image: Ticketmaster Who is supporting Post Malone at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium? Post Malone will be supported by rapper and singer Jelly Roll.  Last-minut