https://www.timeout.com/london Your up-to-the-minute guide to London life, news, culture, pop-ups, and openings 900 Tue, 15 Sep 2026 10:31:19 GMT Primary Author: Leonie Cooper Tue, 15 Sep 2026 10:31:19 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/one-of-londons-best-french-restaurants-is-taking-over-a-shoreditch-gastropub-091526 Content-Post-202900 Bistro Sablé will pop up at The Princess of Shoreditch for three months from October

If you enjoy a spot of creamy cassoulet, then we have the east London pub pop-up for you. 

is one of the newest additions to Time Out’s list of 20 best French restaurants in London. It opened last year in Canonbury and the team behind it are now about to launch Bistro Sablé 2:0, with a three-month takeover of gastropub The Princess of Shoreditch.

From October 1, Bistro Sablé will be in residence at the pub’s first floor dining room until the end of the year. The 32-cover pop-up will see a full makeover of the space, with the room splashed with vintage posters from French flea markets and a full menu of Parisian bistro classics, from rotisserie chicken to pâté en croûte. The ground floor of the pub will also see Sablé in residence, but with a shorter blackboard menu of small plates on offer. 

Our recent review of the original Bistro Sablé praised the restaurant, calling it ‘concerned solely with presenting a menu of Gallic classics, served in an unpretentious yet perfectly charming environment.’ 

Time Out London editor Joe Mackertich added: ‘This isn’t one of those new-fangled ‘spots’ you’ve been hearing about, with monoverbal dish descriptions, disaffected stick-and-poked servers and NTS-approved soundbeds. It’s a French restaurant, of the kind you’d be delighted to encounter while holidaying in provincial Occitania.’ 

Find the Princess of Shoreditch at 76-78 Paul Street, EC2A 4NE and the OG Bistro Sablé at 63-69 Canonbury Road, N1 2DG. 

Did you see that 7 London pizzerias are in the final of the 2026 National Pizza Awards?

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

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]]> Primary Author: Leonie Cooper Tue, 15 Sep 2026 10:14:05 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/the-uks-biggest-italian-restaurant-is-opening-in-london-091526 Content-Post-202804 Juno is set to open at the revived Olympia exhibition centre, which also has a new live music venue and several rooftop eating and drinking destinations

How do you like to choose an Italian restaurant for dinner? Quality of the pasta? Strength of the negronis? Or simply… the size of the dining room?

If you’re on Team Huge Room, then you’re in luck, because a place purporting to be Britain’s largest Italian restaurant is set to open later this year.

Juno, named in honour of the Roman queen of the gods, is the next dining space to open over at the revamped Olympia exhibition centre. The iconic structure’s lavish £1.3 billion relaunch has come complete with a 3,800 capacity live music venue. 

These are the 20 best Italian restaurants in London.

With space for 265 diners (as well as 500 overall, presumably with the rest loitering at the bar?), it’ll launch on October 16, so we’ll be able to see then just what Juno has in store. There’ll be live music at the weekends and when it comes to food, the menu includes crab linguine, osso buco alla milanese and tiramisu. There will also be a special pizza counter where you can watch the chefs in action, with space for 10 diners. They promise: ‘this is a house of celebration. Big tables. Flowing wine. Food made for sharing’.

As well as Juno, Olympia has recently launched Mexican-styled Bar Arriba, Japanese cocktail bar Wolves of Tokyo and an English small plates restaurant called Lillie’s. Their rooftop is also home to a food court called Arbour, with Fry Baby, which will serve gourmet fried chicken, a ‘farm-to-fork’ diner called The Rambler, Whammy Burger for smash burgers and coffee and pastry spot Café Modo.

Olympia’s flagship restaurant is Idalia, which opened in Olympia’s Grade-II*-listed Victorian Pillar Hall earlier this year. Inspired by an English country house, Idalia is draped with greenery and flanked by Corinthian columns. It’s next to the speakeasy-style Pepperbird cocktail bar. 

Juno, 50 Hammersmith Road, Olympia, W14 8UD. Opens Oct 16.

London’s best restaurants for group dining.

Did you see that 7 London pizzerias are in the final of the 2026 National Pizza Awards?

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

]]> Primary Author: Amy Houghton Tue, 15 Sep 2026 09:52:26 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/harry-styles-wembley-2027-ticket-prices-091526 Content-Post-202892 The singer has hinted that these will be his final shows for some time – how much are you willing to spend?

Over the summer, Harry Styles earned the Guinness World Record for longest residency by a musician at Wembley Stadium, during a single run. Styles performed a historic 12 shows at Wembley as part of this Together, Together tour. But that clearly was just not enough for the singer. He’s back next summer for another round. 

Harry announced a 2027 run of the tour last week. In a statement to fans, he said: ‘I love playing music, I love being with all of you and being a part of the love and joy you all create together every night. That’s why I wanted you to be the first to know we will be adding 2027 dates, which, honestly, at first I found daunting.

‘Being an artist is the only life I've ever known really. I have been doing this since I was 16 years old, and I feel like the luckiest person in the world to still be sharing these moments with you.’

We get the vibe that these could be Harry’s final shows for several years, so how much are you willing to spend? The ticket prices for Together Together 2027 were revealed today – here’s everything you need to know. 

How much will Harry Styles tickets cost?

Seated tickets for Harry Styles at Wembley next year start from £45.95. The most expensive will be standing in the GA Pit, which costs £281.45 per ticket. 

• Seated: £45.95-£255.20
• GA Rear: £146.80
• GA Front: £201.45
• GA Pit: £281.45

Harry Styles London tour dates 

The singer will be in London for just three dates next summer. They will be: 

Presale information

There will be a couple of opportunities to get your hands on tickets ahead of everyone else: 

• Amex presale – 11am on Tuesday September 15
• Artist presale – 11am on Wednesday September 16

Sign up for presales here by 11.59pm on Sunday September 13. 

When do tickets go on general sale? 

General sale for the 2027 edition of the Together, Together Tour will kick off at 11am on Thursday September 17 on . 

How to get £20 Harry Styles tickets 

Taking a leaf out of Olivia Rodrigo’s book, Harry Styles is offering a limited number of £20 tickets to next summer’s tour. 

Details on how to get the ‘Unpredictable Fun’ tickets haven’t been revealed yet, but watch this space. You could assume that, like Olivia Rodrigo’s cheaper tickets, holders won’t know where they’re sat until the day of the show. 

Seating plan

Based on this summer’s Together, Together shows at Wembley, the seating plan will look something like this. 

As ever, Harry superfans will be able to purchase one of several VIP packages. Next year’s VIP prices aren’t confirmed yet but previous packages for the Together, Together tour have started at £333 and included early entry, merchandise and photo opportunities. 

How to get Harry Styles tickets after they sell out

Once tickets have sold out, you’ll be able to get resale options on sites like .

Oasis UK Tour 2027: dates, ticket prices and registration information. 

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

]]> Primary Author: Amy Houghton Mon, 14 Sep 2026 15:04:13 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/london-transport-museum-hosting-piccadilly-line-takeover-091426 Content-Post-202823 The Covent Garden museum is putting on a series of kid-friendly activities to mark 120 years of the dark blue line

Can you believe that the Piccadilly line has been around for 120 years? The dark blue line launched in 1906 and has served generations upon generations of Londoners. Today it’s the second-longest line in the city (after the Central) but back then, it was the longest underground railway in the entire world. Not only does the Picc link up some of London’s greatest sights: in its lifetime its stations have been used as war shelters, secret HQs and Hollywood movie sets. 

Suffice to say, the Piccadilly line is worthy of big anniversary celebrations. And next month, the London Transport Museum is going to mark its 120th birthday with a week-long series of family-friendly activities. 

The Piccadilly line takeover will happen over the upcoming half term (October 24 to November 1). There will be sensory storytelling sessions for kids five and under, taking them on a journey across the line’s most famous landmarks. Older kids can take part in ‘design a station’ arts and crafts workshops, as well as a ‘fly the tube’ tinkering activity, which invites families to create their own flying tube trains with various materials and test how long they can stay in the air.  

For families with children with special educational needs or disabilities, there’ll be an ‘early explorer morning’ on October 28 to let them enjoy all the Transport Museum has to offer without the crowds. 

If you have children over the age of 10 in your brood, you can take them on one of the Transport Museum’s Hidden London guided tours, included a tour of the disused Aldwych station. The museum will run special family editions of that tour during half term, with child-focused riddles, clues, quizzes and team activities that’ll help unlock the station’s different stories. 

You can book advance tickets to the London Transport Museum online. Kids go free and adult tickets give you free daytime entry for the rest of the year. 

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

]]> Primary Author: Leonie Cooper Mon, 14 Sep 2026 14:52:20 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/food-and-drink/londons-best-sunday-lunches Content-Page-43271 Whether you’re after a trad pub roast or a restaurant serving Sunday lunch in style, you've come to the right place

 Sunday roast season has finally returned to London. A boozey, end-of-the-weekend lunch is what we're all about in this city, and as well as more unique takes on the roast from the likes of the Macbeth in Hoxton,masterful takes on the roast at The Golden Tooth on Green Lanes, The Duke Organic in Islington, and The Camberwell Arms in south London. And watch out for later in the month, when two of our favourite roasts return to London; the all-vegan slap-up roast at LD's Kitchen at the Imperial Palace of Big Red in Camden and Ling Ling's Chinese-inspired roast at Godet in Islington. 

London’s best Sunday roasts at a glance:

Sunday lunch. There’s nothing quite like it. An elemental meal, one that Londoners take incredibly seriously. Debates about what constitutes the ‘perfect’ Sunday roast have been known to last for hours.

There is no shortage of top roasts and Sunday lunch options in London. We’ve rounded up the city’s best Sunday meals from a host of pubs, restaurants and breweries all around town. What makes a good roast? For us, its simple; a welcoming room is a good start, in a pub with an open fire during the winter months. Then it comes to the plate – we need perfect roast potatoes, well-cooked lamb, beef or pork and a decent plant-based option too. A Sunday roast is more than just lunch - s self-care. From snug neighbourhood staples to more bijou gastropubs, we’ve got something for every taste (if that taste is for comforting mounds of roast meat/plant based goodness, lashings of gravy and carbs for days). 

A lot of these places get quite busy, so you’re always advised to book ahead to avoid disappointment. 

RECOMMENDED: London's 50 best pubs.

Read more]]> Primary Author: Leonie Cooper Mon, 14 Sep 2026 13:39:10 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/afternoon-tea-in-london Content-Page-99832 Tiny sandwiches, cakes, cups of tea and Champagne. These London restaurants and hotels all offer luxe afternoon teas

 This list highlights some of London's latest and most intriguing afternoon sarnie sessions. Indulge at a themed tea, such as Fortnum & Mason's current Winnie The Pooh-inspired offering to celebrate a century of the beloved bear or a Monet-inspired tea at Rosewood London in Holborn. You could also channel some English country cottage energy at Petersham Nurseries over in Richmond.

Londons best afternoon teas at a glance:

Afternoon tea is what makes a trip to London truly iconic – even if you already live here. Youll find some of the best at Londons chicest hotels and restaurants, and even art galleries and theatres.

Weve worked out what makes an afternoon tea a truly memorable (and delicious) experience. Its not just perfect pastries, the most elegant of teeny tiny cakes and chic little sarnies with the crusts cut off, but swish service, the option to have something boozy and bubbly and a characterful room in which to enjoy it all. From The Ritz to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, theres truly something for every cake-munching tea-drinker in this round-up of Londons best afternoon tea spreads. 

Expect to pay in the region of £30 to £100 for the pleasure per person, but youll be in for a treat if you go with one of our recommendations. Many of these teas have set times for seatings, so booking in advance is always a good idea.

RECOMMENDED: The best hotels in London.

is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor and knows all about tiny little cucumber sandwiches and drinking Champagne at 3pm. For more about how we curate, see our .

The hottest new openings, the tastiest tips, the spiciest reviews: we’re serving it all on our London restaurants WhatsApp channel. Follow us now.

Read more]]> Primary Author: Andrzej Lukowski Mon, 14 Sep 2026 12:56:34 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/neko-case-thelma-louise-interview-091426 Content-Post-202822 The alt-country superstar has written the songs for this season’s hippest musical, the Young Vic’s adaptation of Ridley Scott’s 1991 smash

Alt-country legend Neko Case has been a force in North American music for 30 years now, via her noirish solo records and her collaborations with others, most notably Canadian power poppers the New Pornographers. In her most unexpected move to date, she’s now written a major musical, penning the songs and lyrics for at the Young Vic. It is, of course, a stage adaptation of the 1991 Ridley Scott film about two female friends whose road trip vacation spirals drastically out of control thanks to the various men that cross their path. The project is driven and written by Callie Khouri, the film’s original screenwriter who has subsequently found enormous success with the TV show , among other projects.

You’d have been around 20 when came out at the cinema – did you see it? What did you think?

It really meant a lot to me. One of the things that made it such a huge deal was the mixed reactions to it, as though there was some sort of witch hunt for men going on when it wasn’t about hating men at all. So it was polarising, which is so odd because it was about sexual assault.’

If you made it about men taking revenge on men, then no-one would have blinked, but women taking revenge on men is still quite an outlier…

‘Yeah dark justice is like a whole movie genre: every Clint Eastwood movie, every Billy Jack movie, every Chuck Norris movie. [The film] came off the tail end of so much of that, but those films were men on men all the time: women weren’t allowed to defend themselves, and a woman saving another woman was out of the question.’

How on earth did you get involved in a musical? It’s obviously not your background.

‘I had worked with Callie's husband a bunch, T Bone Burnett, and so I had become friends with Callie and she just called me up one day and said, would you be willing to do this? And I made sure that I was very, very, very clear: I don’t know how to read music, I’ve never been trained in any way, like, are you sure you want me? And they said: yes, your outsiderness will give us a different flavour. It’s very surreal to me, but man, it’s really fun.’

Presumably it’s more collaborative than making your own work, as you’re in service of somebody else’s vision? 

‘It’s intensely collaborative, yeah, and what I'm trying to do is give Callie Khouri what she wants insofar as the sound of the moment of the story you’re trying to tell. Making my own records is kind of like I put on the plough, I’m like digging up the field by myself, you know, trudging along, not by myself but I have all the decision making to do. And that’s a lot. And then here it’s like you get into a limousine that floats above the ground and you make the decisions in there.’

I feel like I have a PhD in  at this point

Is it set in the early ’90s still? Has much changed apart from the advent of mobile phones?

‘It was very different to travel around the United States at that time. I toured around then and you had to go to phone booths to do everything. It was a very different ball game.’

I suppose that’s why people saw the American road as romantic, like you can’t just lose yourself on the roads of Surrey can you? 

‘If you take a road trip across the United States, there’s still that feeling of romance, but it’s less and less that the towns are unique. It’s big box stores, everything’s a chain. But the landscape and, you know, just losing yourself driving is still a very real thing you can do.’

Musicals are a massive commitment: how long have you been working on this one? 

‘Well, it probably seems longer to me because has been with me since I was 20 years old.  It was very validating and very galvanising, that film. And then, when we started it, however long ago, it just felt like a continuation of that. I do feel like I have a PhD in at this point.’

The film is very heavily remembered for its dramatic last few seconds. How do you address that image on stage? It’s a difficult shot to recreate in a theatre.

‘I can’t really speak of it because I would give away what happens. It is a very weighty thing, but it is no more weighty than some of the other things that we explore in the show. We go deeper into things in the past than they do in the movie.’

You talked about the film being divisive at the time: do you think it would be even more so today, given the general state of the culture wars?

‘Well, I mean, if you think about things like Game of Thrones: incredibly mainstream, right? And there were a lot of women defending other women or women defending themselves. I think the culture around our awareness of and the way we deal with sexual violence has gotten much worse. Much, much worse.’

How have you found living in London for the last few months?

‘I love living in Brixton! I live in a very rural place at home, where we don’t really have any food variety or anything, so it’s so much fun for my partner and I to just kind of say ”I would love Caribbean food tonight”, and you can find some of the best Caribbean food you’ve ever had right down the street. We’ve really been enjoying it.’

Thelma & Louise is at the Young Vic, until Oct 24. Buy tickets here.

The best new London theatre shows to book for in 2026 and 2027.

Plus: The National Theatre has announced all of its 2027 programming.

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

]]> Joe Bishop Mon, 14 Sep 2026 12:55:11 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/celeste-1 Content-Venue-947982 A Notting Hill private members club with a public restaurant

Sometimes you just walk around Notting Hill and think ‘what crime against humanity would I have to commit to live in one of these unbelievably opulent houses?’ The intensely wealthy streets of this beautiful corner of west London is where you’ll find Celeste, a members club set in one of those townhouses that also has a publicly accessible restaurant on the ground floor. From the same group as Maison Estelle private members club on Grafton Street and exclusive Cotswolds hotel, Estelle Manor, if you’re willing to part with £2,400 a year you may also enjoy an izakaya style restaurant on the building’s second floor.

The dining room of Celeste is split between a sultry gilded bar space and an airy conservatory. The food at Celeste is ‘Italian American with a Californian twist’, and so the menu veers between mamma-used-to-make classics like meatballs and ragu bolognese, and several types of raw fish crudo. The staff at Celeste are extremely on it, as befits at venue where most of it is locked away to the proletariat. 

A good one for a bit of ‘how the other half life’ if you’re in the area. Try not to squat in a hedge fund manager’s ill-gotten palace while you’re in the vicinity. 

]]> Primary Author: Andrzej Lukowski Mon, 14 Sep 2026 12:13:00 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/sunday-in-the-park-with-george-barbican-cancelled-091426 Content-Post-202274 The troubled production has lost its stars Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey – what’s going to happen next?

UPDATE: despite my sunny suggestion that all would be well in the end, the Barbican’s 2027 production of Sunday in the Park with George has been postponed indefinitely following the withdrawal of both Jonathan Bailey and Ariana Grande. Although fundamentally there is no reason why a production with only modestly famous names couldn’t have been a success at the Barbican, it’s clear that equally big names could not be found, with the issue perhaps that investors in the production would rather wait for more bankable stars and higher ticket prices. Whether it ever emerges again is impossible to say at this stage: Empire Productions (who were going to make it) say they are ’exploring the possibility’ of staging it in 2028, although this won’t be at the Barbican as it’s closed all that year. It seems likely enough that Marianne Elliott will get to direct it one day, although to do that she will have to break the Sunday in the Park with George curse, which would appear to be a real thing at this stage.

The Barbican’s revival of Sunday in the Park with George was set to be the biggest London theatre show of 2027. Then the problems started. Time Out’s theatre editor looks at what’s next for the troubled production.

RECOMMENDED: The best new London theatre shows to book for in 2026 and 2027. 

Sorry what the hell are you talking about I’ve missed all this?

Sunday in the Park with George is a classic Stephen Sondheim musical, set across two timelines that focus on the painter George Seurat and his cynical great-grandson, also named George. We were supposed to get a production in 2020 starring Jake Gyllenhaal, but the pandemic put paid to that. Then earlier this year it was announced that leads Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey would star in a summer 2027 revival at the Barbican, an absurdly hot ticket.

But in early August pop star Grande pulled out of all public events following the conclusion of her current world tour, amid speculation about her health. Then a month later Bailey quit via a vague Instagram statement implying he was leaving in solidarity with his friend Grande or something (but whatever the case he was definitely leaving).

Oh no! Have ticket holders been refunded?

Fortunately tickets never actually went on sale, which has saved some headaches as clearly Grande/Bailey stans would have snapped up the vast majority of the tickets.

Is the production still going ahead? 

Fundamentally, it’s going to be fine. The Barbican stages a big musical every summer – in fact it was two this year – and doesn‘t need gargantuan names to do it. The play is directed by Marianne Elliott and designed by Tom Scutt, two of the biggest and most prestigious names in British theatre and while it might not be the phenomenon it would have been if Grande and Bailey had stayed the course, there is no reason it shouldn’t go ahead and do well, plus it’ll be considerably easier to get a ticket now. 

So who is going to replace them?

The short answer is: we don’t know. The odds of it being two actors of equal fame, who also have history together from a major contemporary film franchise, are very low. Indeed speculation abounds that rather than casting major screen celebrities, we’re more likely to get a couple of big Broadway names, who’d be easier to get hold of at a year’s notice and would be adept at tackling Sondheim’s complex music and themes. After all, Sutton Foster – a Broadway star but hardly a UK household name – did a sensational job of leading 2021’s .

Rising star Micaela Diamond has been mentioned a lot as a Grande replacement, though it’s hard to say whether this constitutes actual grounded rumours or dream casting. It would of course be very funny if Jake Gyllenhaal and his co-star Annaleigh Ashford took the parts, though this does seem very implausible.

When will replacements be announced? 

The tickets are currently due to go on sale in the autumn. It’s worth saying that no guarantee has officially been made that leads will be announced by then, and that tickets had previously been due to go on sale in May and then in the summer. However, it does at this stage seem overwhelmingly likely that both new leads and a ticket onsale date will be announced at some point in the next coupe of months.

What if the new leads back out, what then?

Sunday in the Park with George is coming to the Barbican Centre next summer. Probably. You can sign up to be the first to be notified of any development here.

Check out: The 10 best new theatre openings this September. 

Plus: Emma Thompson’s new musical ‘Nanny McPhee’ will open in London next year. 

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

]]> Primary Author: Amy Houghton Mon, 14 Sep 2026 11:51:17 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/west-reservoir-walking-path-091426 Content-Post-202817 The path on the east bank is the last in a series of upgrades to Stoke Newington’s West Reservoir

in Stoke Newington has been a beloved north London swimming spot for the last 20 years. And Hackney Council has been hard at work this year giving the area around it a much-needed refresh.

The council has introduced a new cafe and reception area, a grassy patch for relaxing and ‘expanded open water swimming opportunities’ to the reservoir. Those improvements were all finished three months ago, but another part of the plans was a new pedestrian path around the water. After delays, the path around the east bank of the reservoir opened to the public for the first time on Wednesday September 9. 

The opening of the path had to be pushed back in order to allow the new landscaping time to establish. To do that it needed rain which, as we all know, was sparse for most of June, July and August. 

A council spokesperson said: ‘We are pleased that the new pathway and bridge at the West Reservoir opened on 9 September, increasing access to more of the reservoir. West Reservoir is one of the most significant leisure and natural resources in inner London and we are proud to have upgraded this much-loved facility to be more inclusive, accessible and environmentally friendly.’

There is some controversy around the new path, though, as reported in . Local residents in Woodberry Down have complained that a solid fence erected as part of the path now blocks the view from the public side of the café. They also take issue with the fact that the beach where paying swimmers sit is now closed to everyone else. Non-swimmers previously had free access to the area, and the fence wasn’t mentioned in the public consultation for the planning application. 

In a letter to the council, residents wrote: ‘Before the development of the West Reservoir Improvement Project, everybody was free to sit in the café, relax and observe the reservoir, boats and swimmers. Now, it is a place of segregation where non-swimmers are treated as “outsiders” who are excluded from sharing what should be common spaces. The café is now segregated and non-swimmers have to sit away from their friends.’ 

Ian Holland, the council’s assistant director of parks, leisure and green spaces, responded by stating: ‘For safety reasons, we’re significantly increasing footfall to that site. We need to restrict access to the activity area. We just can’t have hundreds of members of the public walking into the activity space.

‘The swimmers particularly are concerned about people looking at them and watching them as they get in the water, which I can understand, which is us trying to come up with a way of obstructing the view slightly, whilst giving members of the public access to the water as well.’

The fencing may not stick around. The council said it has met with members of the Woodberry Down Community Organisation, taken their feedback on board and hopes to ‘make changes to these concerns soon’. The change would be subject to planning approval. 

ICYMI: The Tower of London is launching special new early morning tours.

Plus: Royal Greenwich Observatory will soon close for a £77 million makeover. 

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

]]> India Lawrence Mon, 14 Sep 2026 11:25:17 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/thingy-cafe Content-Venue-947981 A bucolic cafe in Hackney Wick

I hate the phrase ‘hidden gem’, but if there was ever a reason to use it, it would be to describe Thingy Cafe. Sat opposite a busy road and a railway line frequented by freight trains, this gorgeous little Hackney Wick oasis comprises a sweet garden, spacious cafe, co-working space and even a podcasting studio. It’s got a community vibe and inside the building filled with mismatched furniture, disco balls and Pride flags, you’ll find a dependable café serving a ‘normal’ menu (you’ll find no matcha strawberry french toast here) – bacon buns, seasonal soups and hearty sandwiches – all well made with high-quality ingredients. For coffee, it’s the classics done well.

]]> Primary Author: Leonie Cooper Mon, 14 Sep 2026 10:59:31 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/londons-best-coffee-shops Content-Page-134580 Come and get your caffeine fix – and more – at these perfect coffee parlours and great cafés across the capital

Londoners love coffee. In the summer, the city’s coffee shops are swarming with queues of thirsty commuters hankering for an iced latte. During the rest of the year, hot coffee pumps through our veins. Whether it’s a flat white or a chai latte, the capitals cafés coffee shops are here churning out caffeine-laden cups to keep you buzzing. 

Londons best coffee shops at a glance:

• 🔥 Best in central London: Catalyst, Holborn
• 🏗️ Best in north London: Rua, Holloway Road
• 👶 Best in east London: Batch Baby, Haggerston
• ♨️ Best in south London: Nola, Peckham 
• ⛏️ Best in west London: Workshop, Belgravia 

There are plenty of spots for speciality drinks too, like pumpkin, turmeric or matcha lattes. Read on for our top picks of London’s best coffee shops, stands and stalls. Many of these super spots are also great for all the freelancers out there, acting as de facto offices – as long as you keep the rounds of cake coming. 

RECOMMENDED: Best breakfasts in London. 

is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our .

Read more]]> India Lawrence Mon, 14 Sep 2026 10:57:11 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/bad-coffee Content-Venue-947979 Fun - and good - coffee shop in Hackney Wick

There’s nothing bad about Bad Coffee. This yellow-hued roastery and espresso bar in what feels like a storage unit is imbued with the impish spirit of Bart Simpson: its sunshine-coloured bags of coffee beans available to buy on-site have names like ‘Nat Has Her Beans’ (after ) and ‘Hi Babes!’. Its canary coffee cups are decorated with Simpson-like cartoon eyes and its interior is plastered with stickers and graffiti. The folk working here really know their beans and whatever you order – be it a cold brew with Oatly vanilla foam, or a cortado – it’s sure to be made to perfection. Also, if you buy a bag of beans you get a free drink – pretty good value if you ask us. 

]]> Primary Author: Amy Houghton Mon, 14 Sep 2026 10:44:00 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/2026-national-pizza-awards-london-pizzerias-091426 Content-Post-202807 Bad Boy Pizza Society, Yard Sale and Five Feet are all in the running for top prize

London has an abundance of pizza. There are hundreds of pizzerias across the city, with more and more arriving every year. And between them they serve up an immense variety of ’zas. There are classic NYC-style margheritas, deep-dish pies stacked with pepperoni and a tonne of more out-there pizzas topped with curry, spaghetti and banana slices. Now, seven of those London-born pizzas are in the running for the grand prize at the 2026 National Pizza Awards. 

could win the title for a historic third time (after victories in 2022 and 2024) with its Vodka Sausage ‘za.  is on the shortlist again for its carbonara-inspired pizza, and is gunning for the crown once more with ‘The Gaeng Pizza Gang’, which features spicy, aromatic pork, Thai shallots and basil, mozzarella and pickled mustard greens.

Not even one month after launching, is in the running for its Hot Sausage Pie, which combines vodka sauce, fennel sausage, pecorino, ricotta, picked chillies and Calabrian chilli honey. , which creates pies inspired by Indian flavours is among the finalists for its ‘Silence of the Lambs’ offering while in Spitalfields Market is hoping for a win with its ‘Dom’ pizza. 

, which you can find in the far northwest of the city, made the cut with its ‘Bella & Buona’ pizza, which has a base of roasted yellow pepper cream topped with stracciatella, confit tomatoes, anchovies and black garlic emulsion. 

There’ll all up against nine other independent and chain pizzerias from across the UK, including Pizza Pilgrims, Franco Manca and Zizzi. The finalists will compete in a live cooking showdown at Big Penny Social in Walthamstow on November 3 before the ultimate winner is announced. 

London finalists in the 2026 National Pizza Awards

Did you see that two of London’s best Sunday roasts are returning this month?

Plus: This North African grill is the best restaurant in Soho right now. 

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

]]> Primary Author: Roisin Teeling Mon, 14 Sep 2026 10:11:00 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/hilary-duff-o2-2026-start-time-tickets-setlist-guide-091426 Content-Post-202636 London is getting a dose of Lizzie McGuire nostalgia as the The Lucky Me Tour hits the O2 this week. It’s Duff’s first tour in nearly two decades

is finally back on the road and London is getting two nights with her this month. is Duff's first global headline run in almost two decades, and its first date at the O2 Arena in Greenwich was last Thursday (September 10). The second show is this week, on Tuesday September 15. 

The tour is in support of Duff's sixth studio album, luck... or something, released back in February. Hardcore fans will know this is a bit of a big deal coming from Lizzie McGuire herself, as it’s her first new record since 2015’s Breathe In. Breathe Out. It follows a run of comeback singles like ‘Mature’ and ‘Roommates’. 

Going to see Hilary Duff at the O2 this week – or hoping to grab last-minute tickets? Here’s everything you need to know, from start time and setlist to available tickets and travel.

⏱️

When is Hilary Duff playing London’s O2?

Duff is at the O2 on the following dates:

What time do doors open?

Doors open at 6.30pm. However, the venue’s shops, restaurants and bars are open earlier.

What time will Hilary Duff come on stage?

TBased on other dates on the Lucky Me Tour (including the first date in London), expect Duff to start her main set at 9pm (or just before). 

What time does the show finish?

The tour’s average set has run for around one hour 40 minutes, with shows elsewhere wrapping up by roughly 10.50pm. This aligns with the O2’s curfew of 11pm.

What’s the seating plan?

You can find the seating map for Duff’s O2 dates below, according to Ticketmaster.

Who is the support act for Hilary Duff in London?

is the Grammy-winning electropop artist that will be supporting Duff across her 2026 international dates, including the UK shows.

Hilary Duff Lucky Me Tour setlist

Duff has been tweaking the setlist slightly from night to night, but songs performed so far on the tour include (according to Setlist.fm

1. Wake up 
2. So yesterday 
3. Weather for tennis 
4. Play with fire 
5. Breathe in. Breathe out 
6. Future tripping 
7. With love 
8. Beat of my heart
9. You, from the honeymoon 
10. Anywhere but here 
11. Growing up 
12. Holiday party 
13. We don’t talk 
14. Why not? 
15. Come clean 

The tour has also seen Duff pull out deeper cuts and surprises, including ‘What Dreams Are Made Of’ from The Lizzie McGuire Movie, so expect a fair bit of nostalgia alongside the new material.

Last-minute Hilary Duff tickets for the O2

At the time of writing, there are still seating tickets available to purchase via Ticketmaster. There are further resale options via StubHub. 

How to get to the O2: tube lines and travel advice

London’s biggest indoor music venue is best accessed via tube at , on the Jubilee line. It’s a short walk from there to the O2.

Gig-goers are permitted to bring in bags smaller than A4 size to the O2. Backpacks, travel cases, laptop bags, camera bags and large tote bags are not permitted. There’s large bag storage for £10.  

The best London gigs in September 2026.

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

]]> Tim Bano Mon, 14 Sep 2026 08:06:51 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/tartuffe-remixed-review Content-Event_master-2036687 This spin on the Molière classic only really comes to life when Mark Rylance takes the stage

Comedies that are 400 years old and French don’t always age that well. Adding a comedy vicar with false teeth helps a bit, but doesn’t entirely save this Moliere remix.

Director and adapter Darren Raymond has put a decent spin on the 1664 comedy about faith, following in the vein of his similar remixes of Shakespeare plays in order to open classics up to new audiences. 

Here, a priest pretending piety one again inveigles his way into a devout family whose young scions are about to marry — and fleeces them. But Raymond adds a thick extra layer which deals with the culture clash of a Jamaican and a Nigerian family coming together in marriage. 

Raymond has fun with the idea, especially with two comedy crotchety grandmas whose disdain for the young and their wayward ways raises a few laughs, and he gets at some interesting stuff about faith. But it’s a slow trudge through two and a half hours of enervating rhyming couplets (as in the original) which seem frequently to trip up a few of the cast members. 

Craig Blake as Delroy and Nakeba Buchanan as Elmire the wronged wife hold the stage enjoyably, while Morenike Onajobi as the bride’s best friend Kemi brings bolshiness and adds touches of humour beyond just the gags in her lines. 

Then, sticking out like a seventies variety act is Mark Rylance as the rooking priest Pastor Blake. His performance is false teeth forward, all salivary, with comically raised eyebrows directed at the audience. He pulls on all the tricks that made him great at the Globe: full acknowledgement of the crowd, playing up to us entirely. It’s wonderful to watch, but seems plucked from a different production. 

The play’s caution about blind faith and how it justifies weird things without the possibility of challenge still holds very well. Problem is, it’s one of those plays where you have to endure the long drawn out and easily solvable consequences of miscommunication, and where characters do things that make no sense in order to keep the plot going a bit longer. 

In Raymond’s take you can see Pastor Blake as a vestige of a parochial and rapacious white England which swindles and steals from black communities. You can also just enjoy the false teeth. Whichever, the stage comes alive with Rylance on it – who wouldn’t want to watch him try to seduce a baffled woman while waddling around the stage with his trousers down? – and without him diminishes into shouty arguments about belief which are too constrained by the simple rhyme scheme to really find any power. 

]]> Primary Author: Amy Houghton Sun, 13 Sep 2026 07:48:00 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/tower-of-london-morning-raven-tours-091326 Content-Post-202743 Say hello to the Tower’s famous ravens as part of its brand new experience

If we’re to believe the legend, the Tower of London is only still standing because of its six resident ravens. For the last few centuries, it’s been said that if the birds ever leave, the Tower and the British kingdom would fall to ruin. That was made up by King Charles II in the 1600s, but six ravens plus a few backups are still kept in the Tower today, looked after by the Ravenmaster, to be on the safe side. And from this month, the public is being given the chance to meet them up close. 

The Tower of London has launched a brand-new early morning tour dedicated to the guardians of the Tower. The tour commences at 8.15am sharp from the Tower’s middle drawbridge and starts off with a 45-minute talk from a Yeoman Warder member of the Ravenmaster’s team (imagine putting that on your CV). Then, guests will be taken to the South Lawn to meet and greet the birds. 

There are eight ravens at the Tower right now, named Harris, Jubilee, Poppy, Edgar, Georgie, Chaos, Henry and Poe. This experience will introduce you to their unique personalities, show you their daily feeding and care routine and divulge behind-the-scenes stories. There’s also a chance to take some exclusive photos of the conspiracy and see them being released into the Tower for the day. 

And you don’t have to leave once the experience is over – you can wander the grounds before other tourists arrive and be first in line to see the Crown Jewels exhibition when it opens for the day.

The new Ravens Experience at the Tower of London costs £90 for adults, £50 for children aged five to 17, £70 for concessions and is free for under-fives. You can book here. 

ICYMI: The Monument could get a visitor centre for the first time. 

Plus: The Tower of London is getting a £70 million revamp. 

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

]]> Primary Author: Grace Clift Sun, 13 Sep 2026 07:00:00 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/london-borough-most-street-art-091326 Content-Post-202729 A new report has totted up which parts of the capital have the most pieces of street art

Vibrant, punchy and (often) political, London’s street art scene turns a rainy city into a bright one. In fact, the city was named the World Street Art Capital last year for its massive range of free art. Whether it’s dinky doodles or large-scale murals, there’s plenty to see across the city – and a new list by property company has narrowed down the best boroughs for a street art stroll.

With a whopping 197 pieces, was revealed as having the most street art in London. As the canvas for some of Banksy’s earliest works, the East End borough (which also contains Shoreditch’s artist spots) is a hub of internationally celebrated street works. There are still some Banksy pieces remaining – like the weathered pink car in the Truman Brewery complex and the Designated Graffiti Area on Rivington Street – but many have been removed over time. 

Still, there’s a lot of art to admire in TH, much of which is in the Truman Brewery. There’s a three-storey-tall crane painting by Belgian street artist ROA, a leftover sculpture from the 2018 Festival Iminente exhibition by Portuguese artist Vhils, and Crunchy the Credit Crunch Monster – a sculpted pink creature – which has been staring down at visitors from the roof since 2011. 

The 10 London art exhibitions we’re most excited about in autumn 2026

has the second most street art. With 106 artworks, the east London borough is the city’s creative hub and boasts outdoor art to match – like the 40-year-old Hackney Peace Mural by Ray Walker. has been increasing this number since it launched in 2025, with temporary street art exhibits being installed for free viewings. This year saw an installation of sandwich-slash-shoe sculptures by Jeanne Gourlaouen and a living collage made up of QR codes. 

Third place went to , which has seen a burst of colour across the last decade thanks to efforts by the Real Art of Street Art and the Camden Markets Group. Walking tours across Camden highlight some of the top works – one being Stephen Gonzalez’s interactive mural of a sofa, which you can ‘sit on’ by perching on the painted electrical box. For many, this vibrant borough comes to mind first when looking for London street art. In fact, in Barratt’s study it beat out Tower Hamlets for street art-related Google searches by more than 13,000. 

There are a couple of areas on the full list which you may not have expected – namely . As a tourist hotspot, Westminster’s streets tend to receive lots of regular cleaning, removing lots of the art, but the area still has 19 notable artworks. 

 was another highlight. Leake Street Arches under Waterloo Station are the borough’s standout spot with 300 metres of graffiti along an abandoned rail underpass. The project was started in 2008 by Banksy, and has since grown into a cultural hub with food, drinks and entertainment.

The top 10 London boroughs with the most street art

Check out the full list for London’s street-artiest areas:

The great thing about street art, of course, is that it’s free. But London has no shortage of free art galleries, which you can find a .

Check out the 35 best art galleries in London, according to us.

The Design Museum is hosting a major new animation exhibition from the makers of ‘Coraline’.

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

]]> Primary Author: Andrzej Lukowski Sat, 12 Sep 2026 11:17:13 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/review-man-to-man-starring-tilda-swinton-at-the-royal-court-theatre-091226 Content-Post-202763 The legendary actor returns to the stage after almost 40 years with her mind-bending ’80s monologue

Last summer I was at an arts festival in Poland and so was Tilda Swinton, performing a show of her own devising called . Performance art rather than theatre, it was definitely , and very much in keeping with a post-fame live career that has seen her eschew conventional stage acting: in the ‘90s she famously slept in a glass box for a week at the Serpentine gallery, a signature piece she revived a couple of decades later in New York.

Which is very cool and very Tilda Swinton but also kind of a shame because Swinton by all accounts tore up the stage in her twenties before settling on film as her medium. You don’t begrudge Derek Jarman for luring her away to the world of arthouse celluloid. But it would be nice if she still did normal plays!

What’s shocking about Man to Man, the wholesale rival of the Swinton-starring 1987 version of German playwright Manfred Karge’s monologue, is that it a normal play. Maybe not a one. But as the curtain lifts to reveal Swinton leering away at us in whiteface, house coat, Y-fronts and a shock of punky blonde hair – a sort of incongruously elegant hybrid of Johnny Rotten and Rab C Nesbit – there’s something reassuringly actorly about the sarf London growl she adopts, so far from her own fluting tones. Obviously we’re all here to see Tilda Swinton the icon. But this isn’t one of her arch performance projects, it’s a proper play, in which she loses herself in a proper character. It’s a show that predates her celebrity, the Stephen Unwin-directed project dusted off by a creative team who are considerably older but still very much with us.

In impressionistic style we’re led through the life of Ella, a German woman who takes on the identity of her dead husband Max so that she might keep earning in the interwar era. Standing on Bunny Christie’s wonderfully evocative set – a stark white room bisected by a red line and strewn with consumerist junk (a black and white hire TV, a dilapidated Smeg fridge, a Marshall amp) – she take us on her journey of feral, almost rat like survival through the 20th century. 

I say ‘she’ – do we ever really meet Ella? I’m not so sure: it becomes apparent early on that she has become hopelessly separated from her original identity and has, to a large degree, become Max. Perhaps not the original Max but a new Max, originally crafted as a disguise – so she could take his job as a crane operator – but eventually a mode of living that she’s more comfortable with than her old one. Certainly there’s little sense that the role Swinton is playing is that of a woman, with her slobby male togs, growly, blokey voice and constant beer chugging. Her old identity is referred to in the third person, usually as ‘Snow White’. At one pivotal point she gives away the last legal proof of who she was. 

Man to Man about? Working class survival and the lives of ordinary people continuing in spite of great events, for starters. It’s an attempt to parse Germany’s 20th century from a ground level, a story of endurance that – via Anthony Vivis’s translation of Karge’s capriciously poetic prose – plays out in pungent, half-dreamlike episodes (the text has been revised, accounting now for the fall of the Berlin Wall). It also feels more universal than purely German, in part because the chaos Ella/Max lived through feels of a piece with the chaos repeated throughout Europe in the ’30s and ’40s, in part because of the pointed Britishness of Swinton’s mad-geezer-down-the-pub performance. 

Is it a trans narrative? I mean yes and no. It certainly speaks of the constructed nature of gender. But I don’t think Karge’s intent is to tell a representative story of the trans experience. Max freely acknowledges that he’s also a woman, it’s just that he’s disassociated from her personality. It’s quite possible you could tell a different version of this story from the point of view of Ella, who arguably we never truly meet. 

And much as it’s a fine and fascinating play, with a great set and spiky, punky direction from Unwin, it does, of course, all come back to Tilda Swinton. She’s pretty much been the poster girl for otherworldly androgyny for 40 years now, and it’s genuinely astonishing how ageless she looks - you’d never put her at 65. But it feels like that’s not simply because she doesn’t look it, but because she really really is a great and incredibly vigorous actor who can to channel the energy and voice and posture of a younger woman. Slash man. Slash woman pretending to be a woman pretending to be a man.

When Gary Oldman called in at the Royal Court earlier this year with his take on I didn’t necessarily think ‘oh we desperately need to see that guy in more stage stuff’ (I mean I wouldn’t say no, he just feels like a screen bloke now). Swinton has so much energy and presence, the sense she probably has a colossal amount to give and could become a theatre  artist of real significance again if only she had any interest in doing that. There is, however, absolutely zero question: Tilda Swinton has still got it.

Royal Court Theatre, until October 24.

How to get tickets to see Man to Man.

The show is sold out. However, tickets to see shows on Mondays at the Royal Court do not go on sale until 9am on the day of performance, from the Royal Court website. You can also queue in person at the theatre before a performance to try and snag either a return or one of the legendary 10p standing tickets (which are actually £1 if you don't have a 10p piece).

The National Theatre has announced its programming for 2027.

The best new London theatre shows to book for in 2026 and 2027.

]]> Primary Author: Roisin Teeling Sat, 12 Sep 2026 06:30:00 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/william-morris-gallery-walthamstow-gallery-rehang-091226 Content-Post-202645 The museum is back after a summer rehang, unpacking everything from radical activism to unseen grand pianos

The William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow is glowing-up. The east London institution has been closed all summer for light renovations a rehang of its collection – the first shake-up the space since its 2012 redevelopment. Timed to mark 130 years since the designer’s death, the new layout has been dreamt up in collaboration with Sam Jacob Studio. 

The gallery is housed in Water House, a Grade II-listed Georgian villa where a teenage Morris lived between 1848 and 1856. Today, it holds the world’s most comprehensive collection of his work. The space has been a Time Out favourite since its 2012 redevelopment and won the Art Fund Museum of the Year in 2013. 

The newly restored galleries will keep much-loved staples, including Morris’ original textile and wallpaper designs. Early examples of his furniture will sit alongside new discoveries and recent acquisitions – all of which offer a new perspective on his life and legacy.

Designed in consultation with local residents and community groups, the reimagined spaces are intended to feel more welcoming, accessible and homely, while placing greater emphasis on previously overlooked stories. Expect a spotlight on the women who drove the Arts & Crafts movement, like May Morris, his designer daughter who ran the firm’s embroidery empire. The rehang also unpacks the influence of South Asian and Islamic art on Morris’ signature repeat patterns, and the continuing relevance of his ideas across design, politics and environmental thought. 

You’ll also get the chance to check out items that have been kept under wraps until now. Keep an eye out for Morris’s original Hammersmith Socialist League banner on loan from Manchester, alongside his personal copy of , which heavily inspired his writing and love for Asian decorative arts.

The gallery is also planning ahead with a brand-new space called ‘Morris Today’, set to open in 2027s a dedicated hub for contemporary artists to riff on his ideas. Local wood-turners, glass blowers, and furniture makers have even been tapped to build the new spaces, keeping Morris’s obsession with sustainable craft alive. The big reveal comes right alongside a major new exhibition, Earthly Paradise: Radical Living in the UK, tracking 200 years of British art and activism.

William Morris Gallery will reopen with a newly rehung collection on October 3 2026.

Did you know a major new Katsushika Hokusai exhibition is opening in London next month?

Plus: John Lewis has unveiled a first-of-its-kind restaurant in London

et the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox

]]> Primary Author: Amy Houghton Fri, 11 Sep 2026 14:40:50 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/vauxhall-three-massive-2-billion-pound-towers-091126 Content-Post-202720 A huge new development at Vauxhall will also have a cinema, a hotel and a public swimming pool

A plot of undeveloped land next to Vauxhall station is about to get one hell of a makeover. 

Plans for a £2 billion regeneration of Vauxhall Square have officially been given the green light by Lambeth Council. They include three soaring skyscrapers, one of which will reach 230.5 metres (69 storeys) and be the second-tallest residential building in the UK, after the Landmark Pinnacle at Canary Wharf.

The largest of the towers will provide 1,097 new homes that will go up for private sale or rent. A quarter of them will be ‘affordable’ homes: 122 will be social rent and 120 will be Discount Market Rent. There will also be 1,164 co-living studios in a smaller 61-storey building and 699 rooms for students in a 45-storey building.

On the project’s website, developers say that Vauxhall Square will be ‘a genuinely mixed and inclusive community where people at every stage of life can thrive’. 

Besides the towers, the newly-approved proposals feature offices, a 250-room hotel, a cinema, flexible retail, and community facilities like a gym, a swimming pool and a play area. 

Prior to planning permission being granted, Historic England said that the development would cause ‘incremental harm’ to the Westminster World Heritage Site. It argued that the height of the towers would have an impact on several protected London sightlines. Lambeth planning officers disagreed. 

Now that the scheme has been given the go-ahead, construction is expected to start in January 2027 and be complete by February 2032. 

ICYMI: 14 years after the Olympics, Stratford’s regeneration is finally near completion. 

Plus: This major London borough is about to drop its speed limit to 20mph almost everywhere.

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

]]> Primary Author: India Lawrence Fri, 11 Sep 2026 14:27:14 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/guinness-afternoon-tea-homeboy-091126 Content-Post-202724 People can book to split the T from October 10 at Homeboy in Islington

Thought we were firmly past the Guinness craze? Think again. Because in what we’re calling the biggest crossover between straight male DJs and middle-aged mums since, well... ever, one bar in north London has decided to launch a Guinness afternoon tea. 

Homeboy on Essex Road is launching the Guinness-themed tea from October this year. It makes sense, given that Homeboy is an Irish cocktail bar. 

For this afternoon treat Homeboy going both sweet savoury. Guests will be able to munch on Irish smoked salmon on Guinness soda bread, a beef and Guinness stew and an Irish beef slider with Guinness gravy. For sweet, the menu includes Guinness cake and a black velvet blancmange.

Bookings include a welcome drink, and guests can choose from a pint of the black stuff, frozen Irish coffee with Guinness infusion, or a pot of Barry’s tea. There’s also an option for a drinks pairing, which allows diners to order a black velvet (Guinness and champagne) or a baby Guinness. 

Guinness afternoon tea at Homeboy begins on October 10 and can be booked online. The normal afternoon tea is £45 and with the drinks pairing it’s £65. With Homeboy’s expertly made cocktails and convivial Irish pub atmosphere, we expect this stout-y afternoon tea could be a real winner. 

London’s best afternoon teas and London’s best Irish pubs.

Did you see that a massive new bar will open inside London’s iconic Admiralty Arch?

Plus: A controversial new bar is set to open on the site of the Hatton Garden jewellery heist. 

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

]]> Andrzej Lukowski Fri, 11 Sep 2026 11:39:09 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/jane-eyre-a-musical-review Content-Event_master-2038689 This slick musical romance doesn’t capture the gothic darkness of Charlotte Brontë’s masterpiece

Heavyweight director John Caird - most famous for the original production of - has been trying and in many ways succeeding in getting his musical version of Charlotte Brontë’s off the ground for something like 30 years now. has had numerous productions over the years, including a six-month stint on Broadway from 2000-2001.

But Caird has been pretty clear that it’s never been the hit he’d hoped, and the West End remains elusive. So here it is, making its London debut in a relatively intimate fringe production that ditches fancy sets – instead we get lots of dry ice and misty projections – in order to free up some budget for a chunky 13-strong ensemble and more black lace than a 1984 episode of Top of the Pops. 

Co-directed by Caird and , it’s a slick, melodious production that rapidly reveals the essential ‘problem’ with the whole endeavour. is one of the greatest books ever written. is an elegant, tuneful but essentially bang-average affair that boils the source material’s unsettling gothic vision into a boilerplate period love story between Charlie Burn’s straitlaced Jane and Ashley Gilmour’s overly kooky Rochester. The story slips down too easily, with Paul Gordon’s warm, stately music far too pretty and uplifting. And while the ensemble is nominally colourblind, the decision to have a white actor playing the first Mrs Rochester feels utterly bizarre – surely not a naïve blunder but rather an effort to make Rochester himself a less problematic figure by smoothing over the most controversial element of the entire story. 

It’s a pleasant couple of hours of period romance – but it’s not .

]]> Primary Author: Amy Houghton Fri, 11 Sep 2026 10:40:19 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/admiralty-arch-bar-admirals-mess-091126 Content-Post-202715 The Admiral’s Mess will be run by the same people behind Mr Fogg’s and Bunga90

The Waldorf Astoria London is arguably the capital’s most hotly anticipated hotel opening of the past few years. Mostly because it will be the first hotel inside the magnificent Grade I-listed Admiralty Arch, but also because it’s set to be an incredible fine dining and drinking destination with restaurants from Michelin-starred chefs Clare Smyth and Daniel Boulud, plus whisky and cocktail bars. Now, a third venue has been added to the lineup. 

Inception Group, the same people behind bars like Mr Fogg’s and Cahoots, will open The Admiral’s Mess at the venue. Spanning 2,400 square feet, the new ‘immersive’ bar will have a 60-seat capacity. It’ll offer guests the opportunity to ‘discover something distinctive and unexpected’. And that’s about all we know so far.

The group has a history of creating quirky drinking dens. Cahoots in Soho, for example, is themed all around our beloved London Underground with a ‘train guard’ actor on the door. And Bunga90, one of its newest openings, is a 1990s-themed adult playground with karaoke in the toilet lobby. If those are anything to go by, we’re sure that The Admiral’s Mess won’t take itself too seriously, either. 

Charlie Gilkes, co-founder of Inception Group, said: ‘We are honoured to have the opportunity to open within such an iconic London location and are excited to have created a totally unique concept fitting for such a historic site.’

The Waldorf Astoria London Admiralty Arch is billed to open in autumn 2026. 

ICYMI: John Lewis has unveiled a first-of-its-kind restaurant in London. 

Plus: A controversial new bar is set to open on the site of the Hatton Garden jewellery heist. 

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

]]> Primary Author: Grace Clift Fri, 11 Sep 2026 10:28:36 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/sheep-hampstead-heath-091126 Content-Post-202653 A wool-y exciting project follows a centuries-old tradition of a sheep-populated Heath

Ewe won’t believe what can be spotted on Hampstead Heath this month: five rare sheep, grazing on one of London’s most popular green spaces. 

So what exactly makes a sheep ? Well, the Norfolk Horn and Oxford Down are particularly uncommon breeds, and will be making a wool-y short appearance on the Heath for 13 days only.

No more puns – we don’t want to bleat around the bush (okay, last one). The introduction of five rare sheep to Hampstead Heath brings back a historic tradition. The grazing animals used to be a familiar sight at the Heath, munching their way through its pastures from the 18th century right through to the 1950s. 

The five sheep heading to Hampstead Heath this September are on loan from east London’s Mudchute City Farm as part of a. The City of London Corporation hopes the sheep will have a positive impact on the land. Not only do sheep selectively eat dominant plants, which means more plant diversity in the area, but they also provide an alternative to land machinery, managing the grass without impacting the underground wildlife. 

A previously successful 2023 project had more than 60 volunteers keeping an eye out for the wooly creatures, as they chowed down on grass near particularly uneven ground. This meant sections of the Heath that are by machinery were able get the care they needed from the natural stomping and chewing of the sheep.

Commenting on the new grazing project, Alderman Gregory Jones KC, chair of the City’s Hampstead Heath committee, said: ‘Grazing sheep were a familiar part of Heath life for generations, and archive discoveries have helped us better understand that history.

‘By bringing sheep back to the Heath, we’re reconnecting with that heritage while learning how to care for this special landscape in the future.’

With hundreds of thousands of people passing through the Heath every month, these five sheep are likely to receive a fair bit of love and attention. Just make sure to keep an eye on your dog – the sheep are not interested in a chase!  

Royal Observatory Greenwich will soon close for a £77 million makeover.

London’s controversial Chinese embassy will feature a surprising new tourist attraction.

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

]]> Primary Author: Amy Houghton Fri, 11 Sep 2026 10:14:49 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/bread-ahead-borough-market-lease-closure-091126 Content-Post-202704 The business has apparently become ‘too successful’ for its original home

 started its life in Borough Market in 2013. The Southwark market is where the now-beloved business made its name, where those famous crème brûlée doughnuts were first served, where the brand launched its very first baking school. In the years since, Bread Ahead grew so popular that it was able to open additional branches in King’s Cross, South Kensington and Wembley, as well as overseas. But now, the future of Bread Ahead’s original home is at risk.

Bread Ahead says it is being forced to move out of Borough Market. On Thursday September 10, founder Matthew Jones shared that the business was told that it’s ‘become too successful’ to stay in the market and that its international growth means that its lease will not be renewed. He added in a video posted to Instagram that the closure would lead to the loss of 83 jobs. 

Jones said: ‘In 2013, I started Bread Ahead at Borough Market with a small market stall, three products and a lot of hard work. There was no big investment behind me. No corporate backing. Just an idea I believed in, a love of baking and a determination to make it work. Borough Market gave us our start. It became our home. It is where Bread Ahead grew up.

‘I honestly never imagined that being successful could put our home at risk. We haven’t been bought by a multinational. We haven’t become a faceless chain. We are still founder-led. We still bake, we still teach, we still employ people and we still have our roots firmly planted in Borough Market. Yes, we have grown. But surely that should be something to celebrate, not a reason to ask us to leave.’

The news comes shortly after it was revealed that Bread Ahead will be opening a bakery in Harpenden, its first UK branch outside of London. It also has bakeries in Dubai, the US, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and the Philippines and is preparing to make its US debut in New York in November. 

And Bread Ahead isn’t the only Borough Market resident that could be evicted. In July, the owners of Maria’s Market Cafe, which has been there for 65 years, were told that their lease would not be renewed. Its future is still up in the air. 

A spokesperson for Borough Market said: ‘Our relationships with traders are really important to us, whether they’re actively trading or as part of our alumni of success stories.

‘We continue to be in contact with the Bread Ahead team about their future at the market, but as discussions relating to individual tenancies are confidential it would not be appropriate to comment on the specific details of this case.’

ICYMI: Dishoom has revealed the opening date of its next London restaurant in Borough.

Plus: Two of London’s best Sunday roasts are returning this month. 

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

]]> Andrzej Lukowski Fri, 11 Sep 2026 09:55:11 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/bloodsport-after-helen-of-troy-review Content-Event_master-2038625 Ava Pickett’s superb new play is a rip-roaring dark comedy set in the aftermath of a British Trojan War

in this breezily provocative fourth play from rising star playwright Ava Pickett. is both fresh but also pleasingly of a piece with Pickett’s other work, insofar as like her previous plays – even breakthrough Tudor smash 1536 – it’s set in Essex. In fact it’s not even her first play set in a slightly vulgar Essex living room (although the decor here is a lot whiter than in her very funny adaptation of Jane Austen’s ).

 takes place in the aftermath of a Trojan War of sorts, although there’s no Greece or Troy but rather some kind of civil unrest that’s gripped the UK. Smartly, Pickett never defines precisely what this is or exactly what has happened: it may have been a gang war, it may have been closer to the recent nationalist protests (it’s clear the Trojan equivalents were deemed to be ‘foreign’ on some level), it may have been a full-scale civil war. When Gerard Monaco’s terrifyingly toxic Agamemnon-proxy Mario comes back into the home he shares with his wife Cee (Laura Aikman), he talks about ‘New England’, as if the country has been remade wholesale.

He’s joined by his malleable younger brother Marcus (Jay Taylor, in the Menelaus role) and a traumatised, blood-spattered Helen (Michelle Dockery), shivering in her nightwear, who everyone seems to be trying to ignore. 

After an awkward homecoming defined by Mario’s triumphal belligerence, all signs - including the intro from Ethan Moorhouse’s poetic Essex-bloke chorus – point to this being about the attempted reconciliation between Dockery’s Helen and Aikman’s Cee. As the chorus tells us, they were inseparable best friends until 10 years ago, when Helen abruptly absconded with Paris, a charming man she met down the pub. Now, reunited after a decade, it’s awkward: dutiful blonde Essex wife Cee blames the freespirited Helen for abandioning her, but also for the conflict, which claimed the life of her daughter. 

It’s about the pervasive effect of toxic masculinity on British society

about two old friends attempting to reconnect. But after the men have gone down the pub, events spiral dizzyingly out of control: without wishing to give too much away, let’s say that Dockery’s Helen is not the broken shell of a woman that she initially appears to be.

At its heart it’s about the pervasive effect of toxic masculinity on British society. In 1536, Pickett pondered how the distant Henry VIII’s treatment of Anne Boleyn might have rippled out into how women were treated in society more generally. Here, she considers how the nationalism, gang culture and ‘honour’ that Mario represents all ultimately stem from his attitude towards women and his inability to get over town beauty Helen repeatedly rejecting him as a teenager, and how many lives that has ruined.

It’s also a consideration of women’s responsibility too, and whether the liberated Helen really does have the world better figured out than the dutiful Cee, who was a far better mother to her dead daughter than Helen ever was to her living one,

Again I don’t want to get too into how all this plays out, but nobody does foul-mouthed feminist subversion with an Essex drawl anything like Pickett. I mean, I don’t even think there’s any obvious competition, but the parade of Hollywood A-listers spotted at 1536 is very telling indeed, and certainly you have to think notable attendee Quentin Tarantino would dug this one too. 

I have mixed feelings about the ending, a sardonic comment on white feminism that’s momentarily satisfying but also feels more like an arch observation than a proper end to the various character arcs. But this is a minor quibble. New-ish Stratford East boss Lisa Spirling has left it a while to helm a play on her own stage, but her pacey, emphatic direction is spot on. And there are some tremendous performances: in what is virtually her professional stage debut, TV veteran Aikman is particularly great as Cee, a woman who has tried to outsource her worldview to her husband, but who is undergoing a painfully perceptive awakening. And rising star Maimuna Memon is a great get as Dani, the cheerily incompetent cleaner who may be a lot more than she appears. 

Really, though, the playwright is the star. With 1536 set to be adapted for TV and Pickett also working on a Joan of Arc film with Baz Luhrman (it would be funny if that was set in Essex too) you can’t help but wonder if her furious burst of theatrical energy – four plays in two years – is going to last. She’s on the fast track to national treasure status: let’s enjoy the theatre bit for as long as it lasts.

]]> Tom Wicker Fri, 11 Sep 2026 09:32:06 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/the-children-1-review Content-Event_master-2038825 Lucy Kirkwood’s ominous drama about a decaying British future has only grown in relevance with this tenth anniversary revival

As the world around us has burned or flooded this summer, the environmental themes of Lucy Kirkwood’s pointedly allegorical drama have only grown more relevant in the decade since it debuted – as Lyric Hammersmith artistic director Rachel O’Riordan’s anniversary revival production makes clear.

Ex-nuclear physicists and long-married couple Hazel (Meera Syal) and Robin (Declan Conlon) are living on a remote part of the British coast, trying to eke out a life in the radioactive aftermath of a disaster at a nuclear facility they originally helped set up. When ex-colleague Rose (Kerry Fox) suddenly reappears, the fallout from their past has ramifications for the future.

The actors conjure an effectively brittle and on-edge atmosphere as the nuclear plant looms – literally and symbolically – over them in the form of the enormous reactor tunnel of Gary McCann’s set. It acts as the backdrop and frame for Hazel and Robin’s darkly post-apocalyptic -style organic lifestyle. Ever-present and impossible to ignore, the aesthetic neatly evokes the situation’s blunt urgency.

Syal’s Hazel, dressed in muted, earthy tones, is prickly and defensive, wielding a tight smile, yoga and healthy living as her defence against Rose’s incursion. Fox is nervy, frustration fuelling her too-loud laughter and as out of place in the couple’s tautly beige domesticity as her blue jacket. As Robin, Conlon rolls in with a forced jollity that deflates like a punctured balloon. O’Riordan often has them speaking over each other, nicely heightening the sense of conversation as evasion.   

Kirkwood’s set-up here is specific but the questions are far-reaching: what legacy are our actions leaving to our children as the next custodians of the planet? Do we have a responsibility to clean up the messes we have made, even if doing so costs us? The mortal threat to Hazel and Robin’s lives posed by the nuclear plant, when Rose finally reveals why she’s there, makes the answers to these questions powerfully real and urgent.

Along the way, the play unearths past romantic entanglements and jealousies that are ultimately less interesting than the central dilemma. More intriguing are the thorny – and satisfyingly incomplete – debates about the value and purpose of a prolonged old age in the modern world, even if the introduction of a strand about letting kids grow up feels a little narratively convenient as the play manoeuvres towards sacrifice.

]]> Primary Author: Phil de Semlyen Fri, 11 Sep 2026 08:33:20 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/the-design-museum-is-hosting-a-major-new-animation-exhibition-from-the-makers-of-coraline-091126 Content-Post-202697 Laika Studios is opening the doors of its handmade epic ‘Wildwood’

is hosting a major new animation exhibition from the makers of Kubo and the Two Strings.

Opening on October 15, ‘Laika presents Wildwood: The Exhibition’ will offer an access-all-areas pass to the epic world of the Portland stop-motion animators’ new movie .

Anyone who loved the exhibitions at The Design Museum should find lots to love in a making-of story told with props, costumes, models, puppets and miniature sets.

The exhibition will take visitors through the painstaking process of creating a stop-motion movie on the scale of , with audiovisual content and interactive installations revealing the work of the visual development artists, model makers, scenic painters and more. 

Featuring the voices of Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan and Mahershala Ali, follows a young girl who heads into a mysterious forest when her baby brother is kidnapped by crows. It’s the stop-motion animation house’s biggest movie yet.

The exhibition also features a free-to-visit area in the museum’s mezzanine that will share Laika’s back story across two decades of filmmaking, taking in Coraline, The Boxtrolls, ParaNorman, Kubo and the Two Strings and. 

‘We are delighted that Laika has chosen the Design Museum to host this exhibition, following in the footsteps of our previous exhibitions on the craft of film-making dedicated to Stanley Kubrick, Tim Burton and Wes Anderson,’ says Tim Marlow, director and CEO of the Design Museum. ‘ is a compelling case study in contemporary design, demonstrating how creative vision, craft, engineering and technology come together through a highly collaborative process.’

Laika presents Wildwood: The Exhibition runs from October 15 to January 10, 2027. Head to the to book tickets.

gets its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 11, before heading for cinemas in the UK and Ireland on October 23.

The 10 London art exhibitions we’re most excited about this autumn.

Legendary filmmaker Steven Soderbergh is curating a London movie season – with a twist.

]]> Primary Author: Rosie Hewitson Fri, 11 Sep 2026 07:42:59 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/art-exhibitions-preview-autumn-2026-091126 Content-Post-201450 From pioneering portraitists to fantastical fashion photography, here’s what we’re looking forward to seeing in the coming season

London summer may be drawing to a close, but if you’re already dreading the day when you have to retrieve your chunky knits from that old suitcase under your bed, then allow us to give you something – or, in fact, 10 things – to look forward to as the nights get darker. 

London’s parks are looking a little lifeless after a season of back-to-back heatwaves and non-stop festivals, but the capital’s art scene is bursting into life. Autumn is unquestionably the best season of the year for art-lovers, with loads of art fairs in town – including major industry fixtures Frieze and Frieze Masters – and blockbuster exhibitions opening at the city’s biggest galleries.

From renaissance portraiture to contemporary fashion photography, major impressionists to minimalist pioneers, there are so many great shows on the horizon that it’ll require some deft planning to pack them all in. So grab your diary and read on for our pick of the best exhibitions coming to London this autumn. 

10 London art exhibitions we’re most excited about in autumn 2026

Named one of s young London artists to watch a few years back, Jenkin Van Zyl asks pertinent questions about the systems we create for ourselves and the human need for self-preservation. His immersive installations cast visitors in a variety of unsettling scenarios: his upcoming show at Somerset House Studios is a large-scale work where visitors move through ‘facility’, past fairground signage, holograms, inflatable cocoons and decaying ephemera. 

Somerset House. Sept 24-Nov 29. Free.

Tate’s 2026 programming has been big on the 90s! Following on Tate Modern’s fabulous retrospective on YBA Tracey Emin, Tate Britain’s blockbuster autumn show examines the British art, fashion, photography and pop culture in the final decade of the last millennium. Curated by former editor Edward Enninful, it will feature photography from the likes of Juergen Teller, Nick Knight and Corinne Day, iconic Westwood and McQueen looks, and era-defining art by Damien Hirst, Gillian Wearing, and Yinka Shonibare.

Tate Britain. Oct 8-Feb 14 2027. £22.

The Courtauld hosts a first solo European exhibition for Pakistan-born, New York-based artist Salman Toor from October. Toor explores the struggle and desire for belonging, both culturally and emotionally through this collection of 19 paintings, which are inspired by both his personal experiences as a South Asian queer man and his admiration for baroque and 18th-century masters. 

Courtauld Gallery. Oct 2-Jan 10 2027. £18.

His reputation might not be up there with Monet and Degas, but London’s art lovers go mad for a bit of French impressionism. It’s a little surprising that the capital hasn’t hosted an exhibition on one of its leading figures, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, since the National Gallery’s 2007 show on his landscapes nearly 20 years ago. The gallery’s new exhibition is doubly timely, what with the high-profile heist that recently took place at the Musée Renoir in the south of France, and will feature several of Renoir’s most iconic works, including the 1876 painting ‘Bal au Moulin de la Galette’, exhibited for the first time ever in the UK. Here’s hoping security is a little less lax at the Trafalgar Square institution. 

National Gallery. Oct 3-Jan 31 2027. From £20.

The late American painter Robert Ryman was a master of minimalism, even if he was reluctant to apply the term to his own work. His signature white-on-white paintings urge the viewer to look closely at his brushstrokes, in all their tactile glory, and to enjoy the subtlety and nuance of the varied effects he achieved. He’s not often shown in the UK, with this Barbican exhibition constituting a first major airing here in over 30 years. There’ll be 60 paintings on display, spanning his six-decade career. 

Barbican Gallery Oct 8-Feb 28 2027. Price TBC. 

Best known for his eye-popping, fantastical fashion photography for titles including  andBritish photographer Tim Walker has spent the past five years photographing the nation’s LGBTQ+ trailblazers in preparation for this major exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, his first show in London since the V&A’s acclaimed exhibition in 2019. 

The National Portrait Gallery. Oct 9-Feb 7 2027. Price TBC.

Even if you know absolutely nothing about Japanese printmaker  there’s a good chance you know ‘The Great Wave’. Depicting Mount Fuji dwarfed by a huge wave, it’s the most iconic work of his 1831 series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, which is widely regarded as one of the greatest achievements in the history of printmaking thanks to its embrace of vivid pigments and ukiyo-e woodblock techniques. It’s rarely seen outside of Japan in its entirety, and this exhibition marks the first time in the UK that the complete set of 46 prints (the original 36, plus the 10 expanded works) have been brought together. 

Dulwich Picture Gallery. Oct 20-Jan 17 2027. From £21.50.

London’s photography fans might have been dismayed that the major Nan Goldin retrospective that has been touring around Europe over the last few years never made it across the channel, but this brand new show at the Hayward Gallery should soften the blow. The American photographer and activist’s first institutional exhibition in the UK since 2022, its main focus is You Never Did Anything Wrong Part I (2024) and Part II (2026), a pair of abstract films scored by the composer Mica Levi and screened in bespoke spaces designed with architect Hala Wardé. 

Hayward Gallery. Nov 24-Mar 14 2027. From £19.

Before Jan Van Eyck came along in the 1430s, depictions of people were mostly (but not always) rigid, flat and unrealistic, representing general religious archetypes rather than real-life figures. The early renaissance painter basically invented portraiture as we know it today, capturing all the intimate details of craftsmen, merchants and members of his family, from subtle stubble to flushed cheeks to bloodshot eyes. This landmark exhibition will mark the first time that all nine of the artist’s surviving portraits are on display together – the pieces are so fragile that they very rarely travel – so consider this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. 

National Gallery. Nov 21-Apr 11 2027. Price TBC.

Take a break from rainy autumnal London and pretend you’re taking in the sea air on the Côte d’Azur at this Royal Academy exhibition. Spanning impressionists, post-umpressionists and modernists, it brings together artworks a whole bunch of greats, including Monet, Braque, Picasso, Matisse, Cézanne, Renoir and Klein, to explore how the  of the riviera was inextricably linked to the rise of modern art. 

Royal Academy. Oct 2-Jan 31 2027. From £24.

Plus, the Courtauld Gallery just announced its 2027 exhibition programme – featuring Paula Rego, JMW Turner, Georgia O’Keeffe and Rubens

And Andy Burnham reveals which major artwork he wants to come to the UK

et the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

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]]> Primary Author: Ed Cunningham Fri, 11 Sep 2026 07:02:52 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/tfl-tube-train-closures-september-12-13-2026-091126 Content-Post-202644 The Circle, District and Suffragette lines will be hit by closures, while Mildmay and Windrush line services are also limited. Here’s how to get around the city

West Londoners and Suffragette line users in particular, watch out. This weekend (September 12-13) planned disruption on Transport for London services will hit tubes and trains across the city. Three major services – the District, Circle and Suffragette lines – will be impacted by closures, with several other lines set for minor service changes.

Heading to see the Bayeux Tapestry? Snooping around Open House Festival? Wising up at London Podcast Fest? Whatever you’re up to in London on Sep 12-13, you’ll want to be in-the-know about tube closures.

Worried about navigating the city? Time Out’s definitive weekly travel guide is here to help. Read on for all the TfL train and tube closures on September 12-13 2026.

Circle line

• On Saturday September 12 and Sunday September 13, no trains between Edgware Road and Aldgate (via Victoria).

District line

• On Sat Sep 12 and Sun Sep 13, no trains between Tower Hill/Edgware Road and Ealing Broadway/Kensington (Olympia)/Richmond/Wimbledon
• Westbound trains will not call at until late 2026. If travelling west, go one stop east to West Kensington and then change trains for westbound services.

Suffragette line (Overground)

• On Sun Sep 13, no service on the entire line.

Mildmay line (Overground)

• On Sun Sep 13, no trains between Willesden Junction and Richmond.

Windrush line

• On Sun Sep 13, until 9am.

• 

Central line

• is closed all weekend (from 12.30am on Saturday until Monday), including night tube.

Piccadilly line

• Westbound trains won’t call at until the end of the year. If travelling west, go one stop east to Earl’s Court and change trains for westbound services.

Waterloo and City line

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel. 

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

]]> Primary Author: Grace Clift Thu, 10 Sep 2026 14:10:29 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/harry-styles-together-together-tour-summer-2027-dates-presale-prices-091026 Content-Post-202639 Styles’ Together, Together Tour will take over Wembley for three more nights in August 2027. Here’s everything you need to know about the dates, from the on-sale date to potential ticket prices

The London dates on ’ mammoth  were one of the top cultural moments of summer 2026. But if you missed out this time (or fancy seeing it again), here’s just the thing: the popstar has just announced three more dates for next summer at Wembley. 

The Together, Together tour follows the release of Styles’ latest album Kiss All The Time. Disco Occasionally which came out earlier this year and topped the Billboard charts. Harry‘s 12-date run at Wembley this past summer set a record for the most shows at the venue by a single artist in a calendar year. He’s currently in the middle of a 30-night run at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

This new announcement promises 25 shows across 12 cities in 2027, kicking off in Arizona next April. Here’s what you need to know about the London dates.

When is Harry Styles playing in London in summer 2027? 

The ‘American Girls’ singer will be performing at Wembley Stadium on the following dates:

Looking for tickets to the rest of Europe? Here’s how to get Together, Together Tour tickets for EU tour stops.

When do Harry Styles Wembley tickets go on sale?

General sale for the Together, Together Tour will kick off at 11am on Thursday September 17 over on Ticketmaster here. 

Presale details

There will be a couple of opportunities to get your hands on tickets ahead of everyone else: 

• Amex presale – 11am on Tuesday September 15
• Artist presale – 11am on Wednesday September 16

Sign up for presales here by 11.59pm on Sunday September 13. 

How much are Harry Styles tickets for London 2027?

Here’s how much tickets will cost for the Together, Together tour in London next summer: 

• Seated: £45.95-£255.20
• GA Rear: £146.80
• GA Front: £201.45
• GA Pit: £281.45

Find the full lowdown on ticket prices here.

How to get £20 Unpredictable Fun Tickets for London

There will also be new ‘Unpredictable Fun Tickets’ launching for only £20, with more info to come soon. 

Harry superfans will be able to purchase one of several VIP packages. Previous packages for the Together, Together tour have included early entry, merchandise and photo opportunities,  and started at £333.

Once tickets have sold out, you’ll be able to get resale options on sites like .

Who is supporting Harry Styles in London next summer?

On all three dates Harry will have support from legendary New Romantics Tears for Fears.

If you click through to buy tickets in this article, Time Out may receive commission from the booking partner. This comes at absolutely no extra cost to you and helps fund our journalism. Thanks for supporting what we do!

🎤 Find out more about Harry Styles’ Together Together setlist here. 

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

]]> Primary Author: India Lawrence Thu, 10 Sep 2026 12:32:50 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/andy-burnham-reveals-which-major-artwork-he-wants-to-come-to-the-uk-091026 Content-Post-202565 The Prime Minister wants to see a priceless slab of cubism on display in Britain

It’s a historic day for Britain today, as the Bayeux Tapestry has gone on view to the public for the first time in almost 1,000 years. Displayed at the British Museum, tickets to see the medieval embroidery at this once-in-a-lifetime exhibition are already sold out until 2027. 

But, with the help of our country’s democratically elected leader, we’re looking ahead. Which world-famous, mind-melting masterpiece should be displayed in Old Blighty next? 

In an exclusive interview with Time Out, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he would next like to see Picasso’s displayed in the UK. 

Speaking at the unveiling of the Bayeux Tapestry, Burnham said: ‘I would love to see come to London. I love it as a piece of social history. It’s an incredibly powerful work of art.’

I might try and pull a string or two

The 1937 Picasso oil painting depicts a horrifying scene inspired by the Spanish civil war and is one of the most famous works of art in the world – it’s been displayed at the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid since 1992. But the painting travelling to the UK is not a total impossibility. 

‘I do know the people at the Reina Sofía, so who knows? I might try and pull a string or two out there,’ Burnham said. 

Looking closer to home, the King of the North added that he’d also love to see a painting by LS Lowry on show in the capital. 

‘It’s called Going to the Match, which is at the Lowry arts centre in Manchester. I may have enough powers of persuasion to ask them to loan it. They may be worried that London wouldn’t send it back, but I’ll give them the assurance that it will come back.’

Andy Burnham reveals the three London pubs he’ll always love. 

ICYMI: A major new Katsushika Hokusai exhibition is opening in London next month. 

et the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

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]]> Primary Author: Grace Clift Thu, 10 Sep 2026 11:57:28 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/south-london-borough-introducing-20mph-speed-limit-091026 Content-Post-202559 The proposal follows similar moves by Kensington and Chelsea and the City of Westminster

Following in Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster’s footsteps,  is the latest London local authority to propose a blanket speed limit of 20mph across almost all of its roads. If approved, the rule would come into effect later this year.

With 72 percent of Greenwich roads already having 20mph speed limits, the council is aiming to simplify its road network for drivers, while also reducing risk. More than three-quarters of serious injuries and deaths on Greenwich’s roads over the last 10 years were on roads of more than 20mph, according to Transport for London (TfL) data.

There will be some exceptions across Greenwich – namely the A2, A206 and A102, as they’re managed by TfL and not Greenwich Council. The approach is similar to Haringey Council’s, where only main roads run above a 20mph limit. 

Greenwich’s cabinet member Calum O’Byrne Mulligan said the move would ‘save lives and create safer, more welcoming streets’ while ‘mak[ing] it easier for drivers to understand and follow’ road rules. 

A 20mph limit is just one of many factors working towards achieving Vision Zero, which is the Mayor of London’s aim to have no deaths or serious injuries on London’s roads by 2041. TfL’s aim is for all of Central and Inner London to have a default speed limit of 20mph by 2035, making driving in London safer and more cohesive. 

No final decisions have been made, and Greenwich residents can still make their voices heard by emailing the council’s Traffic Team. 

14 years after the Olympics, Stratford’s regeneration is finally near completion

The DLR’s new trains are finally back in service

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

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]]> Primary Author: Roisin Teeling Thu, 10 Sep 2026 10:50:41 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/when-do-the-clocks-go-back-2026-british-summer-time-091026 Content-Post-202627 In a few weeks’ time, the sun will set before 5pm – here’s what you need to know about the end of BST

Well, the sun was fun while it lasted. In just a few weeks, the UK will be swapping British Summer Time for Greenwich Mean Time, putting all our clocks back by an hour and plunging our evenings back into darkness.

While we might have to get used to the sun setting well before most of us have even left the office, it does mean an extra hour in bed and the season of cosy pubs. Before we know it, the countdown to Christmas will be well and truly on. Time flies.

From the exact date the clocks go back to why we do it in the first place, here’s everything you should know about the end of British Summer Time this year.

What date do the clocks go back in 2026?

The clocks will go back by an hour to mark the end of British Summer Time (BST) on .

What time do the clocks go back?

The clocks will fall back one hour at 2am. So, it'll become 1am again.

What is Greenwich Mean Time?

Greenwich Mean Time or GMT is the UK's standard time zone during the winter months, once the clocks have gone back and we've dropped British Summer Time (AKA daylight saving time).

Why do the clocks go back?

The UK first started changing its clocks back in 1916, as a way of making better use of daylight hours and saving fuel during the war. Once we hit the point in autumn where sticking with British Summer Time would mean unnecessarily dark mornings, we put the clocks back to stop the sun from rising too late, moving the daylight to where it’s needed most.

When do the clocks go forward again?

British Summer Time will return on , when we’ll put the clocks forward again.

Do I need to change the clocks myself?

Clocks on things like phones, computers, smart TVs and modern cars will change on their own. But you will have to adjust the time yourself on older or more manual timekeeping devices like traditional clocks, some cars and kitchen appliances.

Sunset times after the clocks go back

Here’s where the sun will set in major UK cities on Sunday October 25, once the clocks have gone back.

Will the UK stop doing daylight savings?

Some scientists argue that changing the clocks twice a year disrupts our natural circadian rhythms and harms overall wellbeing, leading to calls for the daylight savings to be abolished completely.

The European Union actually voted to end mandatory daylight saving time back in 2019, though the change has not yet taken effect. Meanwhile, the UK has no current plans to abandon the tradition. Public opinion remains highly divided, as a 2024 YouGov survey showed that British citizens are closely split on the matter, with 46 per cent in favour of maintaining the clock changes and 42 per cent supporting their removal.

Where else in the world do clocks change?

There are around 70 countries that adopt daylight saving time in some form. Here’s the full list of those territories that do (outside the UK).

• Akrotiri and Dhekelia
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Isle of Man
• Turks and Caicos

Make the most of the darker evenings - these are the best things to do in the UK this autumn.

Plus: here are the UK’s best pubs for 2026 if you fancy somewhere cosy to hide from the dark.

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.

]]> Primary Author: Amy Houghton Thu, 10 Sep 2026 10:30:45 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/alexandra-palace-fireworks-drone-show-2026-details-revealed-091026 Content-Post-202563 London’s longest-running fireworks show is back, complete with funfair rides, ice skating and a beer festival

It’s nearly the time of year for hot cuppas on the sofa and weekends spent stomping through piles of autumn leaves. The clocks will go back, Halloween will roll around and then it’ll be Bonfire Night.

The Great British tradition of celebrating Guy Fawkes’ foiled plot to blow up parliament is, strangely, one of the cosiest nights in the calendar. We throw on our warmest coats, crunch on toffee apples and gather in huge crowds to gaze in awe at the fireworks. As ever, London’s skies will explode with sparkling colour for Bonfire Night 2026, and one of the biggest fireworks displays of them all will be at . 

Ally Pally will host dazzling pyrotechnic and drone shows across two days this year. Here’s everything you need to know about how to get tickets and exactly what to expect. 

RECOMMENDED: The best fireworks displays in London.

When is the Alexandra Palace Fireworks and Drone Festival 2026? 

For the first time, the event is taking place across a full Saturday and Sunday weekend, rather than Friday and Saturday. It’s happening on . 

When do tickets go on sale?

Tickets went on sale on . You can purchase them here. 

How much are tickets? 

Now that early bird tickets are sold out, prices for each day . Final release will go up to £19.50. Kids under 10 can get in for £5. 

What’s the lineup for the Alexandra Palace Fireworks Festival 2026?

Obviously, the enormous firework display is the main attraction at the festival, but there will be all sorts of supplementary things going on across the weekend. On both days, there will be funfair rides, ice skating and street food, plus loads of musical entertainment. Here’s a closer look at what to expect. 

The Saturday focuses on bringing ‘big festival energy’ and will be headlined by Eats Everything, plus drone specialists and runners-up Celestial. They’ll send hundreds of choreographed drones into the sky, which will move to a specially curated soundtrack ahead of the . 

Inside the Palace’s Great Hall, there’ll be a German Bier Festival with oompah bands, live music and a Queen tribute act.

Sunday is the event’s all-new ‘Family Fun Day’. It’ll show the drones and fireworks at an earlier time of 6pm. Before that, there will be a firepit where you can toast marshmallows, a Junior Jungle Kids Rave, a street food with kids’ menus and sweet treats and BARRIOKE, with  and star Shaun Williamson.  

Did you see that Blackheath Fireworks tickets have been released for Bonfire Night 2026?

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

]]> Primary Author: Leonie Cooper Thu, 10 Sep 2026 10:19:34 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/lds-kitchen-ling-lings-best-roasts-return-september-2026-091026 Content-Post-202624 Ling Ling’s and LD’s Kitchen will both relaunch on the same day later in September

The return of roast season brings with it the reappearance of two of Time Out’s favourite Sunday lunches. 

On Sunday September 27 – evidently the first official day of Roastmas 2026 – not only will vegan roast be served once more, but so will Chinese-inspired Sunday lunch, which was previously our number one roast in London. 

which was previously available at The Black Heart in Camden) will now be served around the corner at the Imperial Palace of Big Red on Chalk Farm Road. Their ‘new improved roast menu that’s gonna blow your mind’ is fully plant-based.

The previous menu included ‘pork’ tofu belly, beef-style steak and a chicken-ish main served either classic or Southern corn fried alongside roasted sweet potato, swede and basil puree, creamy mustard leeks and spinach, maple and fennel glazed carrots and collard greens with garlic, a crispy yorkshire pud and garlic and rosemary roasties.

in Islington since last October, but have only just announced the return of their roast.

Chef duo Jenny Phung and James Shepherd’s Chinese-inspired take on Sunday lunch features beef short rib and five spiced pork belly as well as five spiced seabass, glass skin chicken with ginger and spring onions, and miso aubergine for the vegetarians. All of these come festooned with roast potatoes, seasonal veg, a sesame yorkshire pudding, nori mustard and miso gravy.

Welcome back, both! Autumn is lucky to have you. Roll on September 27. 

Imperial Palace of Big Red is at 40-42 Chalk Farm Road, London, NW1 8BG

Godet is at 382 Essex Road, Islington, N1 3PF 

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

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]]> Primary Author: Eloise Feilden Thu, 10 Sep 2026 10:10:00 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/dishoom-new-restaurant-borough-opening-date-091026 Content-Post-199437 The iconic Hop Exchange building on Southwark Street will soon be home to the Bombay café group's eighth London outpost

It’s official: black daal, gunpowder potatoes and bacon naan rolls are coming to . In July  confirmed its latest London site will be popping up opposite Borough Market, and this week the chain has revealed the opening date. 

The Bombay café group submitted plans for the new restaurant to Southwark Council last year, saying it wanted to build a brand new space in the Hop Exchange building. Its proposal for the space included building a brand new venue over two floors in the building’s West Wing, as well as a covered verandah. 

Located at 24 Southwark Street, The Hop Exchange is a Grade II-listed building that dates back to 1867. Originally designed as a centre for the beer industry to trade hops, it’s currently used predominantly as office space. The glass-ceilinged building was previously home to Bavarian beer hall Katzenjammers, but the basement drinks venue closed in August 2025 after 16 years of trading.

Dishoom Borough will open in , with a soft launch on  offering 50 percent off food. Dish-wise, exclusive to Borough will be the Keralan pepper chicken – a spicy, slow-roasted chicken with a pepper and curry-leaf sauce, paratha and crisp onion salad.

Dishoom’s London Bridge outpost will be its eighth in the capital and 11th overall following the launch of its first Leeds venue next month. Its first Mumbai-inspired café opened in Covent Garden in 2010, and the business has since expanded into Carnaby, Shoreditch, Canary Wharf, Kensington, Battersea and King’s Cross, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Brighton. Its first international venture, heading to New York, is slated to open in 2027.

🥘 Time Out’s favourite Indian and South Asian restaurants in London.

Did you see that the new London Museum in Smithfield has revealed its food and drink options? It'll have cocktails from one of the city’s greatest bartenders.

Plus: a new west London food festival has great deals at these excellent restaurants.

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

]]> Andrzej Lukowski Thu, 10 Sep 2026 09:48:57 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/kimberly-akimbo-review Content-Event_master-2028892 Maria Friedman is sensational in this sweetly existential Broadway musical about a teen aging at four times the usual speed

has the sort of outlandish premise that makes you wonder if it’s going to be another entry in the annals of ‘mad things that only Americans are interested in’. But any  musical that wins five Tony awards and tempts the legendary Maria Friedman out of unofficial retirement is probably going to be alright, isn’t it?

Well yes.

In David Lindsay-Abaire’s adaptation of his own, more obscure 2001 play, Friedman stars as Kimberly LeVaco, a 15-year-old New Jersey schoolgirl who suffers from an unnamed condition which makes her age at four times the usual speed. This is obviously not a real thing that could really happen (or not in such a neat way). But this inverted suburban allows itself the one wild metaphysical flourish and plays it with a beautifully straight bat.

And of course, it’s a metaphor. Kimberly laconically notes early on that not many kids with the condition live beyond the age of 16. It have been a musical about a teen with cancer or other more tangible terminal condition. But making it weird stops it feeling like a mawkish weepie about a dying girl and opens it up – Kimberly’s condition feels as much a metaphor for the transience of childhood and the fleetingness of life in general than a story to view literally.

It’s also a rare gift of a role to a sixtysomething actor and – like Victoria Clark, who won a Tony for the Broadway production - Friedman absolutely seizes it in Michael Longhurst’s UK premiere. She is sensational as Kimberly, who we first meet hovering around her town’s ice rink, a shy, lonely teenager who operates on the social fringes of her school’s four biggest nerds (Sara Hajizadeh, Ronav Jain, Robin Simōes da Silva, Aviva Tulley). Dressed for the most part in a grungey outfit topped off by a vintage t-shirt (the story is set in 1999), Friedman channels the frustrations, insecurities and gaucheness of being a teenage girl without ever seeming like she’s miking the idea for laughs. In this she is considerably aided by Lindsay-Abaire’s text, which avoids the temptation to have Kimberly spout reams of teenage girl slang. Moreover, Kimberly is, with pointed irony, an old soul, a classic teenager forced to grow up early thanks to her out of control family: irresponsible alcoholic dad Buddy (Peter Hannah), livewire, pregnant mum Pattie (Niamh Perry), and her borderline lunatic aunt Debra (Alice Fearn), a chaos agent of formidable standing.

Maria Friedman is sensational as Kimberly

It’s the feral Debra’s arrival that drives the plot of the musical, which doesn’t wallow in misery at Kimberly’s condition but rather revels in a goofy small town caper storyline. The golden era of the outsider high school movie - from chucked in for good measure - is recalled as Debra sells the gang on an allegedly low-stakes, high-winnings con job.

But the beauty of Kimberly Akimbo is what a rich texture it is: existential questions rubbing up against quirky John Hughes-isms, borderline magical realism, and poignant, earnest stuff on the difficulty of family. Plus romance! There is a very sweet, slow-burning relationship between Kimberly and her classmate Seth (Gilli Jones), who plays the tuba, speaks elvish, and is obsessed with anagrams. It’s sweet and low key and handled sensitively - Kimberly has bigger fish to fry than getting laid, but first and foremost she goes from being an outsider to having a best friend.

And there are songs! Indie musical queen Jeanine Tesori delivers a wondrous small orchestra score that’s surging and melodic and powered by ravishing Beatles-y harmonies that are accomplished via having the four sexually confused nerds that Kimberly and Seth kind of hang around with operate as a vocal quartet. Longhurst’s production sounds terrific, and while Lindsay-Abaire’s lyrics are more narrative than pop song, there are some tremendous earworms nonetheless: ‘Our Disease’ starts off cute and funny and ends in sublime misery; ‘The Inevitable Turn’ is a gloriously bittersweet climax - with a killer chorus - that ruthlessly dissects the family’s hard-won semblance of happiness. 

There’s also a very neat set from Soutra Gilmour, a quirky three-story affair that combines the ice rink with the school library with Kimberly’s house: it has a cartoon unrealness that chimes well with a story that often has a sort of graphic novelish, not-quite-real quality.

Director Longhurst has made a name for himself lately as the patron saint of quirky American musical smashes looking for their UK debut, notably Next to Normal The Band’s Visit. I’d say those shows were both lightly lost in translation: not flops, but never the hits here that they were back home. Maybe that will be the same for but I hope it transfers beyond Hampstead and that Friedman is game to stay on – it’s easily my favourite musical of the year, and deserves a long life.

]]> Nina Culley Thu, 10 Sep 2026 09:34:21 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/when-the-rainbow-is-enuf-review Content-Event_master-2038826 Starkly moving first UK revival of Ntozake Shange's landmark ‘choreopoem’ exploring Black womanhood

Fifty years on, still hits. Ntozake Shange’s 1976 choreopoem arrives at the Yard Theatre with all the love, rage, grief, humour and sisterhood that made it a landmark — and thematically, not nearly as dated as you’d expect.

Upon arrival, the first thing you’ll notice is that there’s nothing on stage. No elaborate set or props to hide behind. Instead, director Diane Page has the women watch one another from the edges, gather, separate and occasionally become silhouettes against the light. When one woman speaks, the others are there to witness her, responding with hums and snaps of assent and giving the individual poems a sense of continuity and collective experience.

It’s a smart choice, particularly given that some previous productions have allowed the individual poems to feel disconnected: a series of turns, not a cohesive work. The 2022 Broadway revival, for example, was praised for its exuberance but also criticised for throwing in so much spectacle and movement that the text occasionally got lost.

Shange coined the term ‘choreopoem’ for this thrilling collision of poetry, music and movement. Her longtime collaborator Dianne McIntyre the process as responding to the and meaning of Shange’s words: everybody thinking in motion, with the boundaries between dancer, actor and singer deliberately blurred.

There are moments at the Yard’s first UK revival in when the movement feels a little too conscious of itself as choreography rather than an instinctive response to the words. But when it clicks, it really clicks. Music (by Jammz), colourful lighting and bold, patterned costumes infuse the stage with a kind of euphoric, almost celebratory energy, although it can still feel stark at times, putting a lot of pressure on the performers to fill the space themselves.

These fix performers take on Shange’s seven Ladies: Tatenda Matsvai plays Green and Yellow; Nadine Higgin is Blue; Cherrelle Skeete is Red; Alex Thomas-Smith is Purple and Orange; and Ibilola Rossi is Brown. (Ryan Calais-Cameron’s recent West End hit … was crafted as a Black British male companion piece).

Rossi is captivating, especially in the poem ‘toussaint’, where she gives Lady in Brown a distinctive coolness and control. ‘positive’ is another highlight — it brings the women together, moving from playfulness into something darker and more complex. Then comes ‘a nite with beau willie brown’ which is devastating, with Skeete’s Lady in Red — who also plays Beau Willie — bringing a rawness to the violence that is as beautiful as it is hard to watch.

It’s these moments of beauty and joy that stop the production from becoming defined by trauma. Violent, visceral and stylish, is still a necessary piece of theatre.

]]> Primary Author: Alice Saville Thu, 10 Sep 2026 09:14:47 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/the-6-best-free-things-to-do-in-london-this-weekend-september-11-13-2026-091026 Content-Post-202457 See eccentric boats bob along the Thames, party at a mini-Carnival, or explore architectural marvels with our packed line-up of free fun

This week, a minor miracle has been taking place in London’s parks, which have been transformed from dusty deserts to lush, emerald-carpeted oases after just a few days of heavy rain. It just goes to show that redemption is possible for all of us. Even you, with your empty bank account, tragically drained by a whole summer of carousing in the great outdoors. Read on for a glorious downpour of free things to do this weekend, ready to help you bring your finances back into blooming health.

Snoop into the dwellings of other (richer) people at Open House London, where interesting buildings all over the city throw open their doors. Don’t let the clouds hold you back from exploring the outdoors at an eccentric boat festival, hidden away in the city’s most exclusive dock. Get better acquainted with Icelandic culture, meet unusual dogs, or join a great big carnival: whatever you pick, you’re guaranteed a weekend that it’s actually worth telling your workmates about once Monday rolls round. And best of all, everything on this list is totally free. Assemble your pals, padlock your wallet, and get ready for a bargainous few days of fun.

The best free things on in London this weekend, September 11-13 2026

Who doesn’t fantasise about a better (if damper) life on a houseboat, bobbing on the Thames? Pick out your dream pad at St Katharine Docks's annual Classic Boat Festival, which brings together more than 70 classic vessels. Would you cosy up on a humble 1930s narrowboat, or live it up on the late Queen Elizabeth’s spectacularly shiny Diamond Jubilee barge Gloriana? As well as exploring the boats, you can also listen to talks hosted by yachting journalist Tom Cunliffe and other maritime experts, and chill out by the water, enjoying live music with a retro flavour. And if that whets your appetite for more boat fun, head to The Great River Race, where you can see Chinese dragon boats, Hawaiian war canoes, Viking longboats and Irish curraghs powering their way down the Thames in an off-the-wall celebration of life on the water.

Various locations. Sat Sep 12-Sun Sep 13. Free

This is the weekend that architecture fans wait for all year: the one where the city's most intriguing buildings throw open their doors for special tours and free range wandering. Here's our pick of some of the most famous landmarks and most beautiful private homes you can explore this year. But be sure to check the festival's website for availability before you make the trip, as some spots can only be accessed if you've booked a free spot months in advance, while other places are easily accessible to anyone ambling up on the day.

Various locations. Sat Sep 12-Sep 26. Free.

If you’ve been on holiday to Iceland, the chances are high that you’ve been faintly horrified by the price of food and drink, and have ended up subsisting on bread rolls smuggled from the breakfast buffet. It’s a pricey place! But it’s also an amazing one, full of natural wonders and a whimsical, blackly humorous approach to living in an environment that’s dark for months on end. Sample its wonders at free festival Taste of Iceland and you can giggle at the entries in the World's Worst Photographer exhibit, listen to a literary talk on Iceland Noir with crime authors Ragnar Jónasson & Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, or learn about the science of the Northern Lights from an Icelandic astronomy expert. There’s also a menu of Icelandic delicacies, but unlike the other events, it’s not free, so your taste of Iceland will have to remain strictly metaphorical. 

Various locations. Sep 10-12. Free (food events paid).

If you’re fed up with AI slop taking over everything from gig posters to wedding speeches, then get a more nuanced view on our future at Creative Intelligence. This weekend-long festival at Southbank Centre is full of smart perspectives on where we’re heading, with voices including author Jeanette Winterson, performer Love Ssega, and leading scholar of artificial intelligence Kate Crawford all weighing in on the conversation.

Southbank Centre. Fri Sep 11-Sun Sep 13. Free (some events require advance booking).

If you're the kinda person who finds the sight of a pup in a pram ‘adorable’ rather than ‘a sign of the decline of decadent Western civilisation as we know it’, then you're bound to have fun at this weekend’s Big Woof. It’s full of delightful diversions available for any pets who are mentally depleted from exhausting lives spent eating, snoozing, and pooping on pavements - including tarot readings, painting sessions, and doggie ice creams. Don’t have a dog? No problem, you can join the Cuddle Club and stroke someone else’s pet, for free.

Kings Cross. Sat Sep 12-Sun Sep 13. Free (some events require advance booking).

A fortnight after Notting Hill laid on a massive party for millions of revellers, here's a more chill way to get into the Carnival spirit. The pretty courtyard of Woolwich Works will host a day of live music, dance and community parades celebrating the different cultures which make up the local area. Expect spectacular costumes, street food stalls, and lots of opportunities to dance the afternoon away. 

Woolwich Works. Sat Sep 12. Free.

Fill up your autumn diary with our guide to the best things to do in London this month.

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

]]> Primary Author: Andrzej Lukowski Wed, 09 Sep 2026 19:00:00 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/national-theatre-2027-west-side-story-paul-mescal-090926 Content-Post-202537 NT boss Indhu Rubasingham has laid out pretty much all her plans for 2027, and there’s some thrilling stuff

Today the National Theatre held its annual press conference, at which artistic director Indhu Rubasingham laid out all (or most of) her 2027 programming, and as usual there’s some pretty exciting stuff. 

It’s hard to know where to begin exactly, but let’s start with probably the splashiest news: next winter the NT will revive Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim’s (winter 2027), the first major London production of their all time classic New York gangland take on Romeo & Juliet. It will be directed by Marianne Elliott - hopefully fresh off eventual triumph for her troubled revival of Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George - alongside Miranda Cromwell, who partnered with Elliott on the Young Vic’s superb Death of a Salesman a few years back. 

Speaking of Death of a Salesman: as flagged up last year, the Arthur Miller classic will be revived next autumn, with Paul Mescal starring as the troubled Biff. We’ve got some more information now, notably that in a pretty remarkable coup, the legendary US actor and playwright Tracy Letts (most famous for his soon-to-be-revived ) will make his UK stage debut in Rebecca Frecknall’s production, playing the title role of Willy Loman. The show will play in rep with a production of Tom Murphy’s epic crime drama A Whistle in the Dark, also starring Mescal. Rep, for those unfamiliar with the term, is the system whereby several plays are in a theatre’s repertoire at the same time, playing different days across the week. Pre-pandemic it used to be the way the National Theatre programmed all of its plays but it was abandoned to save money: Rubasingham indicated that the hope is Death of a Salesman/A Whistle in the Dark will be a precursor to bringing it back properly.

Lots of shows were newly announced today. On the NT’s biggest stage the Olivier, will be joined by a rare revival of Tennessee Williams’ (Feb 19-Apr 24 2027), starring Emma Corrin, Arty Froushan and Harriet Walter, directed by the great Michael Grandage. After that… a drama about John Major! Don’t worry, though: you’re in safe hands with superstar playwright James Graham who reunites with Jeremy Herrin – the director of Graham’s breakthrough smash – for (spring/summer 2027), a drama about Major’s rise from whip to PM and his pivotal role in Britain’s relationship with Europe. That’ll be followed by (autumn 2027), Moira Buffini’s new drama about how the Good Friday Agreement took shape at an extraordinary meeting in South Africa between Nelson Mandela’s new National Unity Government and the bitter political rivals in Northern Ireland.

In the middle-sized Lyttelton, playwright Natasha Gordon will adapt Bernadine Evaristo’s novel (Feb 25-Apr 17 2027), starring Danny Sapiani as Barry, a charming pillar of the Black Hackney community who has been in a clandestine relationship with his best friend Morris (Gary Beadle) for the last 60 years. The great Paulette Randall will direct. That’ll be followed by a major fiftieth anniversary revival of David Hare’s classic drama of post-World War 2 disillusionment (spring 2027), which will star Game of Thrones icon Emilia Clarke. It’ll be followed by the Death of a Salesman/A Whistle in the Dark rep season (summer/autumn 2027) and then the year ends with a major revival of the late Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (winter 2027) that’ll star Mawaan Rizwan and George Fouracres in the title roles.

The small Dorfman will kick off its year with Carmen Nasr’s previously-announced (Feb 4-Mar 13 2027), a provocative play about the Arab Spring led by Marvel star May El Calamawy in the title role. Next up, and following the enormous success of this summer’s , another big musical will debut in the smallest theatre: (spring 2027) is a new show that tells an original love story based on the songs of Joan Armatrading. It’s written by Iman Qureshi and directed by heavyweight Phyllida Lloyd, who did the honours for West End smashes and . The last show to be staged is The Adeyemis – A Family Saga (winter 2027), a new play by British Nigerian writer Oladipo Agboluaje, a drama set it a turbulent phase in Nigeria’s history adapted from Agboluaje’s 1997 play . It’ll be directed by the great actor Lucian Msamati in his directorial debut, and will star Orange Is the New Black’s Uzo Aduba.

Finally, immersive theatre legends Punchdrunk will stage a new show called (summer/autumn 2027). We don’t know a huge amount about it other than it’ll be ‘curated’ by playwright Lucy Kirkwood. Intriguingly last year when announced as an untitled project it was billed as being staged at the Dorfman, whereas now it doesn’t officially have a venue – Rubasingham was coy about what this meant at the launch, but one assumes it’ll be staged throughout the NT building.

And that’s that for the National Theatre 2027 – you can expect some big name casting and perhaps the odd extra show to come, but it’s pretty much laid out for us.

Suddenly Last Summer, Mr Loverman will go on sale at noon on Sep 24. The rest will be announced later, probably in early 2027.

The best new London theatre shows to book for in 2026 and 2027.

Teri Hatcher will star as Miranda Priestley in the musical.

]]> Primary Author: Anya Ryan Wed, 09 Sep 2026 15:59:06 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/hotels/best-hotels-for-christmas Content-Page-96575 Planning a getaway this holiday season? Here’s where to stay for dazzling lights, Christmas markets, festive menus and more

We can't believe it either, but it might be time to start thinking about the festive season. Yes, really. But, nowhere does Christmas quite like London. Come December, this city comes alive with dazzling festive lights, Christmas markets, theatre and endless shopping. Whether you’re venturing in from a nearby city or travelling from across the pond, there are endless reasons why a stay in the UK’s capital should be at the top of your list this festive season.

Ready for some serious Christmas spirit? Look no further – e’ve handpicked the best hotels to stay in at Christmas in the Capital. And we’ve covered all the bases: hotels with Christmas markets on your doorstep, hotels that look out over ice skating rinks, and hotels that go all out for their very own festive offerings, with everything from bespoke Christmas packages to mega trees and blowout festive menus. And yes, you can stay on Christmas Day too. Ready to get festive? Us too. Read on for the best Christmas hotels in London this year. 

📍 RECOMMENDED: Ultimate guide to the best hotels and Airbnbs in London 

Who makes the cut?

Headed up by editor Joe Mackertich, our team at Time Out London spend their time reviewing hotels all over the Capital – new openings, old classics and everything in between – to bring you fresh, honest recommendations, all year round. Along with our pool of trusted hotel experts, every hotel on this list has been individually reviewed and selected for a reason: we’ve been there, we think it’s great and we’d genuinely recommend it. By the way, this article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines.

Read more]]> Primary Author: Andrzej Lukowski Wed, 09 Sep 2026 15:37:13 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/kids/activities/santas-grottos-in-london Content-Page-46409 Old Saint Nick is taking time out of his hectic festive schedule to greet the kids of London – here’s where to find him.

The great thing about having kids at Christmas is that you can vicariously relive the joy that comes with believing in Santa Claus. You may be a boring grown-up now, but it’s just as magical to watch your own little ones’ eyes light up as they see big man IRL. From a traditional Victorian hut to a gingerbread-themed alcove and the city’s only immersive black Santa experience at Noir Kringle, London has an assortment of grottos suited to every family. With help from Santa’s elves, each leaves kids with a special gift and a photo with the main man. Many also boast bonus Christmas activities from crafts and wintry trails, to film screenings and story time sessions.

Be organised, though. Santa is a popular guy and often there isn’t enough of him to go round aren’t enough to meet the demand, particularly at peak times on weekends. So you’ll need to act fast to secure your slot and avoid tears and tantrums. Here are some great grottos in London to try for a holly jolly good time this year. 

RECOMMENDED: Find more festive fun with our guide to Christmas in London.

Read more]]> Primary Author: Grace Clift Wed, 09 Sep 2026 15:07:48 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/extraordinary-family-home-southwest-london-being-turned-into-visitor-attraction-090926 Content-Post-202557 The house that inspired the Pompidou Centre and Lloyd’s of London has been gifted to the National Trust

The twenty-first century version of Elizabeth Bennett snooping around Pemberley has come to London, as modern masterpiece 22 Parkside will be open to public visits for the first time. 

World-renowned architect Richard Rogers and designer Su Rogers’ Wimbledon home –  featuring bright yellow and green walls, floor-to-ceiling glass windows and minimal furniture – has been given to the National Trust, and soon, anyone will be able to wander through its lime green interior. 

The Grade-II modernist house (also known as Wimbledon House or Rogers House) will open up to the public for the first time on  as part of London’s Open House festival. The National Trust plans to host guided visits, educational partnerships and interactive digital content at the site in the future. 

After designing 22 Parkside in 1967, Richard Rogers went on to design major landmarks like Paris’ Centre Pompidou, Lloyds of London (both of which were inspired by the house) and the Millennium Dome in Greenwich. The trust has described the abode as a ‘landmark example of twentieth century design’ and ‘one of the most significant homes in British architectural history’. 

Rogers is known for creating a number of other iconic London builds, from the Channel 4 building to Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport, but this is perhaps his wackiest. The single-story house embraces modernism and minimalism throughout its design, and certainly stands out with its bright colouring. 

Ben Rogers, the son of Richard and Su Rogers, said: ‘22 Parkside is much more than a family home. It is one of the most important buildings my father and mother created – a place where many of the ideas that would go on to influence my father’s work and some of the world’s most celebrated architecture were first tested and explored.’

National Trust director-general Hilary McGrady added: ‘We are profoundly grateful to the Rogers family for placing this extraordinary house in our care. Their generosity means that 22 Parkside will now become part of our shared inheritance, belonging not to a single family but to the people of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

‘This extraordinary gift will ensure that a building where world-changing ideas were born continues to inspire new generations of thinkers, makers and creators.’

Whether you’re an architecture aficionado, or just want to snoop around a fancy house, the newest addition to the National Trust is a bright, bold and briefly free way to spend a day out in Wimbledon. 

The Courtauld Gallery just announced its 2027 exhibition programme, and it features some huge names

A major new Katsushika Hokusai exhibition is opening in London next month

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

]]> Primary Author: Roisin Teeling Wed, 09 Sep 2026 13:17:38 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/royal-greenwhich-observatory-closure-77-million-pound-makeover-090926 Content-Post-202549 Want to stand in two hemispheres at once? You’d better move fast, because Greenwich’s landmark is closing its doors until 2027

If straddling the Prime Meridian with one foot in each hemisphere is on your London bucket list, you’ve only got until early November to tick it off. The Royal Observatory Greenwich has confirmed that the site will close from as part of its £77 million transformation. Make sure you get your visits in before then, as it won’t reopen until summer 2027.

The Observatory’s Peter Harrison Planetarium already shut its doors back in September, but the Prime Meridian line, Meridian Observatory and Flamstead House galleries have all remained open. That’s all about to change, and there will also be some shorter term closures in the run up too, mostly affecting early evening opening hours. 

So, what exactly does £77 million worth of work look like? The Observatory is a complex of historic buildings that have grown organically over more than three centuries. The result, while undeniably atmospheric, is full of narrow routes and steep gradients that make navigating the site a bit of a logistical nightmare.

The project is titled The First Light and is timed to coincide with the Observatory’s 350th birthday. It will introduce a new elevated walkway across the garden linking the north and south sections, with landscaped, step-free paths and a new access tower with a lift, finally allowing visitors to reach the Great Equatorial Telescope. There are also plans for an exhibition space for new heritage displays and a more obvious main entrance, courtesy of an entrance pavilion designed by Jamie Fobert Architects. 

‘The Royal Observatory has long been a place of curiosity, meticulous observation and creative thinking. This encapsulates the spirit of the project,’ said Paddy Rodgers, chief executive of Royal Museums Greenwich when the wider plans were first announced. 

If you’re after a Greenwich fix whilst the Observatory is closed, the museum group’s other sites nearby like the Cutty Sark, National Maritime Museum and Queen’s House, will all remain open as usual.

Did you know that the Courtauld Gallery just announced its 2027 exhibition programme, and it features some huge names?

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

]]> Primary Author: Roisin Teeling Wed, 09 Sep 2026 12:17:51 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/stratford-international-trains-from-london-to-europe-090926 Content-Post-202543 With a new Eurostar rival on the horizon, east London’s most deceptively named station might finally get its first international train

Stratford International has never actually served an international train in its life, no matter what its name leads you to believe. It’s the rail network equivalent of claiming to be fluent in Spanish on your CV, despite only ever uttering ‘ to a waiter after ordering everything else in English. As it turns out, those international trains might actually be on their way, meaning Stratford International is finally about to live up to its name.

Virgin Trains is gearing up to launch a direct rival to Eurostar, and has confirmed it is exploring the idea of stopping its new cross-Channel services at the east London hub. If the plans get green-lit, St Pancras will no longer be the sole gatekeeper of our cheeky continental escapes. 

The push has come from East Ham MP Sir Stephen Timms, who’s been banging this drum since the late 1990’s when he chaired Newham’s planning committee. Timms has argued that for east London, ‘it's a big and fast growing commercial opportunity’ and has said how a Stratford spot would ease pressure on an increasingly stretched St Pancras whilst giving the area’s regeneration a boost. The idea has also picked up backing from Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, which runs the enormous Westfield shopping centres on either side of the city.

A Virgin Group spokesperson said the company is ‘looking forward to exploring additional stops, including Stratford International’ after securing approval from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to run up to 20 new daily return services through the Channel Tunnel, connecting London to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam from 2030. 

It follows a separate dispute over depot space at Temple Mills in east London, which Eurostar had argued was already at capacity before the ORR ruled that two of its eight underused maintenance lanes could be freed up for Virgin lanes and other new entrants.

Virgin isn’t the only name eyeing up a slice of the cross-Channel market, either. Italy’s state-owned railway Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS Group) is gearing up to launch a service in 2029 while Spanish-backed operator Evolyn and Gemini Trains led by Labour peer Tony Berekely are also both circling the route, so Eurostar’s 30 year monopoly on the Channel Tunnel might not last too much longer either way.

Fancy more on London’s growing rail ambitions? Here’s everything you need to know about London’s potential new direct trains to France.

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

]]> Primary Author: Grace Clift Wed, 09 Sep 2026 11:45:23 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/controversial-chinese-embassy-features-surprise-new-tourist-attraction-090926 Content-Post-202545 The embassy has one big secret – a hidden medieval ruin

China’s planned ‘mega-embassy’ in London has faced heavy opposition for years, but it harbours one big secret. A medieval ruin, right under the footsteps of the diplomats. 

The remains of St Mary Grace Abbey, a fourteenth century abbey founded by King Edward III in 1350, were uncovered way back in the 1980s, and will soon be publicly available to view in a cultural centre at the embassy. 

The Heritage Interpretation Centre will tell the story of the abbey, which was once a Royal Navy victualling yard, and later a tobacco warehouse. It stands on the site of a Black Death cemetery, and was once the third richest Cistercian Abbey in Britain – so there’s more than enough history to fill a museum with. 

The centre will sit opposite one of the most controversial embassies in London, which have called a security threat. It was approved earlier this year after being bought for £225m by Beijing. At 20,000 square metres, it’ll be the biggest embassy of its kind in Europe – now complete with its own history exhibit. 

Located right by the Tower of London, the museum will let visitors escape the chaos of the city centre and explore British medieval history up-close. In just a few years, the public will be able to discover the Chinese embassy’s underground mysteries.

The Courtauld Gallery just announced its 2027 exhibition programme, and it features some huge names. 

The Monument could get a visitor centre for the first time. 

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

]]> Primary Author: Andrzej Lukowski Wed, 09 Sep 2026 11:00:26 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/one-of-londons-most-beloved-off-west-end-theatres-closed-090926 Content-Post-202471 The Gate had struggled on without a building or an artistic director in the post-Covid era

Sad news today as the Gate Theatre announces that it is closing all operations, the end to an almost 50-year-history.

Founded in 1979 above the Prince Albert Pub in Notting Hill, the Gate was a dynamic, international work-focussed theatre that served as a peer of other major off-West End venues like the Bush and Hampstead theatres. Some heavyweight British stage directors have run it on their way to the top, notably Stephen Daldry, Thea Sharrock, Carrie Cracknell and Ellen McDougall.

Unfortunately it’s now over. It’s sad but not a surprise. Unlike the Bush and Hampstead, the Gate never made it to a more modern new venue: it hung on it at Prince Albert for over 40 years, but closed during the pandemic. In 2023, citing the poor accessibility of its original venue, it took up residence in the larger Theatro Technis venue in Camden, but this was a complicated building share arrangement that greatly reduced the amount of shows it could stage. It also lost its Arts Council funding in 2022, and McDougall – its final permanent artistic director – departed in 2021.

It did produce a series of acclaimed shows in the post-Notting Hill era, including 2024’s , staged at Theatro Technis, and last year’s Scenes from the Climate Era, staged at the Playground Theatre. 

The official press release announcing its closure states that ‘after several years of short-term success it has become apparent that this is not sustainable in the long-term’. That’s a bit vague but it’s fairly apparent that despite the team’s heroic efforts, the Gate no longer has the means to stage the sort of year-round programme it once did and that successful individual shows weren’t enough to keep the organisation afloat.

Speaking personally as Time Out’s theatre editor, I’ll really miss the weird and provocative work the Gate used to stage, and I’ll miss its eccentric, cramped old venue, which accounted for about 90 percent of the times I have ever been to Notting Hill. But it’s obvious why an attempt was made to move somewhere bigger and move accessible and it is, unfortunately, rotten luck that it was looking to move house in the aftermath of a pandemic and a round of Arts Council funding that was famously harsh on London companies. That the Gate continued to stage good work against the odds afterwards is really impressive, but you can of course see why its creative and management team called it quits – but they didn’t go down quietly.

The best new London theatre openings in 2026 and 2027.

What the hell is going on with the Barbican’s Sunday in the Park with George?

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel. 

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

]]> Primary Author: India Lawrence Wed, 09 Sep 2026 10:53:37 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/london-stadium-plans-more-music-concerts-090926 Content-Post-202534 The West Ham ground will have to cut sporting events to make space

We have some good news for music fans and bad news for sports fans. Plans have been revealed for London Stadium in Stratford to host fewer sporting events to make way for more music concerts. 

In a proposal submitted to Newham Council, bosses at the West Ham stadium said they want to reduce the number of days per year it hosts sports events from 87 to 70 to accommodate an increase in other events. They said sports needed to be cut ‘to balance the increase in the number of concerts and other leisure events the stadium can stage’.

Hammers, fear not, because this will have no impact on West Ham fixtures at the stadium. 

The stadium, which is owned by the Greater London Authority, told City Hall last month that it loses £19 million every year as the rent it gets from West Ham United doesn’t cover the running costs.

Currently, the venue is only allowed to host 10 non-sports events each year, but bosses want to increase this to 24. In the past, the 80,000-capacity stadium has hosted gigs by Foo Fighters, Burna Boy, Muse and Green Day. 

A spokesperson for the stadium said: ‘There is no impact on West Ham matches or their capacity (62,500). West Ham are entitled to play matches at the stadium as per the concession agreement, under which there is no circumstance they could play 70 matches a year.’

They added: ‘The stadium can use the balance of sports events after West Ham matches for international friendlies, baseball, athletics etc. There have been typically two to three such events in a year.

‘If a major athletics championships was held it could increase to 20 in a year. This remains all well within the 70 sport event cap, allowing for West Ham matches.’

The 15 best London concerts and gigs in September 2026 you can still get tickets for.  

Plus: This London nightclub is one of the best in Europe, according to Time Out. 

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel. 

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

]]> India Lawrence Wed, 09 Sep 2026 10:06:37 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/bars-and-pubs/village-underground-rooftop Content-Venue-947917 Winning cocktails and pizza in rootop tube carriages

If you’ve spent any time in Shoreditch, you’ll be well acquainted with the two graffitied tube carriages that sit on the roof of gig venue Village Underground. Once emblematic of the ‘ditch’s heyday, in all its graffitied and hipster glory, these carriages always looked cool, but were elusive to Londoners. How did they get there? What were they used for? Well, they were the offices for the Village Underground team until they decided to turn them into a cocktail bar. 

This skyward spot makes good use of its quirky location without turning it into a gimmick. Inside, the locomotives are minimally decorated with mid-century style seating. Laid out like the Bakerloo line, seating is either a long banquette or a booth with a tiny table. You can even step inside the driver’s cab and go to town on the buttons and levers. On the spacious lower level there are bigger tables, the bar and a kitchen courtesy of Bad Boy Pizza Society. 

All of this makes for a winning evening in the iconic east London tube carriages. My only complaint: if you are sitting in the trains you have to order drinks at the bar below and carry them up the stairs yourself – no easy feat a few bevvys in. 

Order this

Cocktails are the thing to get – they aren’t pretentious or overly complicated, and with most coming in at £12 it's not bad value. The Trade Winds is a delightful short concoction of pineapple-infused rum, mezcal and lemon – it’s delicately smoky, with a subtle pineapple zing. The mai tai is an expertly made memory of your most recent tropical holiday, and has a charming retro garnish of maraschino cherry, orange slice and mint. Everything comes in a crisp frosted glass. 

Don’t skip the pizza. We soak up the booze with Bad Boy Pizza’s signature ‘vodka-roni’ – a crisp NYC-style pie loaded with pepperoni, rich vodka sauce and a luxurious quantity of mozzarella – and the ‘funghi town’, a rich white pie laced with truffle, fresh thyme and lemon. 

]]> Primary Author: Rosie Hewitson Wed, 09 Sep 2026 09:31:35 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/the-courtauld-gallery-just-announced-its-2027-exhibition-programme-and-it-features-some-huge-names-090926 Content-Post-202448 Paula Rego, JMW Turner, Georgia O’Keeffe and Rubens will be on view at the Somerset House gallery next year

Housed in the North Wing of Somerset House, the Courtauld Gallery might be relatively small compared to some of London’s other major art institutions, but gosh does it punch above its weight. Founded in 1932 by art collector Samuel Courtauld, the gallery boasts a genuinely jaw-dropping collection of paintings and drawings dating from the Middle Ages through to the modern day, with a particularly impressive collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art.

And alongside its stellar permanent collection, the gallery has an excellent reputation when it comes to its programme of temporary exhibitions; recent hits have included Monet and London and Seurat and the Sea, while the coming months promise hotly anticipated exhibitions on Pakistani painter Salman Toor and Bloomsbury group artist Winifred Gill. 

And next year’s schedule looks equally exciting, featuring the mother of American Modernist painting, one of the twenty-first century’s best-loved female artists, and a Flemish Baroque master. 

The 2027 season kicks off with  (Feb 5-May 23), exhibition focused on a series of sensual and unsettling pastel works exploring ‘the animal in the human’ created by the late British-Portuguese artist in the mid-nineties. The exhibition constitutes the most comprehensive display of these groundbreaking works since their creation, and will feature alongside a small display of etchings and aquatint prints from the artist’s series, on view simultaneously in the gallery’s Project Space. 

Over the summer months, the Courtauld will host Turner and the Landscape Generation. Journeys in Watercolour (June 18-Sep 5), an exploration of the shared experiences, friendships and rivalries among British landscape artists JMW Turner, John Constable, Thomas Girtin and John Sell Cotman, four pioneering artists that formed the core of the the so-called ‘Landscape Generation’, who together revolutionised British art in the late eighteenth century. 

Landscape paintings will also be the focus of the Courtauld’s autumn exhibition on Georgia O’Keeffe, the celebrated twentieth century American artist best known for her flower paintings. (Oct 1-Jan 30 2028) gathers together a variety of landscapes painted around the artist’s home and studio at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico across two decades from the mid 1930s to the mid 1950s. This will be complimented by a display of photographs of the artist working at Ghost Ranch, originally commissioned by in the Drawings Gallery. 

Alongside these major exhibitions, the gallery will host a series of smaller displays across its Project Space and Drawings Gallery. These include a pair of exhibitions themed around Flemish masters; Drawing in the Age of Bruegel: New Discoveries (Feb 5-May 16) explores the creativity and technical skill of Pieter Bruegel the Elder and his contemporaries in sixteenth and seventeenth century Flanders, while (May 26-Sep 12) delves into the draughtsmanship of Baroque master Peter Paul Rubens and the artists he taught and inspired. 

Finally, visitors to the gallery will be able to get up close to a newly acquired work  by one of the key figures of the Bloomsbury Set in (Oct-Feb 2028), with the Courtauld Project Space playing host to the significant new acquisition, a pair of painted wooden panels made at the Omega Workshops in the 1910s. 

More details on all of the newly announced exhibitions can be found here, with tickets on sale in due course. If you’ve been thinking of getting a membership, now is certainly the time; that’s a lot of brilliant art to get through. 

Check out our brand new guide to the 35 best art galleries in London. 

Plus: You can get £10 tickets to Kew Gardens every Tuesday this autumn.

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

]]> Rosie Hewitson Tue, 08 Sep 2026 16:37:46 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/hyde-park-winter-wonderland Content-Event_master-655443 Have plenty of Christmas family fun with an ice rink, rides, a giant observation wheel and the Magical Ice Kingdom, plus themed bars for the grown-ups

Once again, Hyde Park has had its annual transformation into a dazzling, snow-covered, Alpine-themed, 350-acre festive funscape. One of the largest Christmas events in the UK, Winter Wonderland returns for its nineteeth year in 2026, and is expected to welcome around 2.5 million visitors over six magical weeks. 

As you make your way around the space, you’ll find fairground rides, a child-friendly Santa Land (including a Santa’s Grotto, where presents lie in wait) and traditional Christmas markets where you’ll be able to buy gifts for all your loved one.

Other highlights include voguish new circus show Gandeys K-Pop Dragon Circus, which takes place three to five times every day, and does indeed feature K-Pop, (puppet) dragons, and circus. Surrounding the park’s Victorian bandstand, the 1,795 square foot rink is lit up by a canopy of more than 100,000 lights. The theme of this year’s Magical Ice Kingdom indoor ice scupture park is Neverland, with the various stunning scuptures - including a slide made of ice – based on JM Barrie’s Peter Pan.  'Mystical, Mythical Fantasy World', a Real Ice Slide and ice sculpting workshops, after which you can warm yourself up later with frothing steins and steaming cups of mulled wine at the endless drinking options.

The usualA good alternative for those who prefer to stay on solid ground is the selection of themed bars with real fires, except for the Bar Ice (for obvious structural reasons), where even the glasses you drink from are made of ice. Last year’s après-ski themed Bavarian village returns, complete with live DJs to complete the line-up.

If you’re skating, be aware that while there’s no minimum age for skaters, under-12s must be accompanied by someone 16 or over and the smallest skates for hire are children's size 9 (adult skates go up to size 13). You can use your own skates as long as they’re not speed skates. Wheelchair users are welcome on the ice. There are also ice guides who can look after groups of up to 15 skaters at a time (for an additional charge).

Is Winter Wonderland free entry?

Entry during November costs a princely £1, while in December adult tickets for Winter Wonderland will cost £5.50 during standard times and £8.50 during peak times.

Visitors should also be aware that many of the attractions inside also carry separate entry fees, which also vary depending on whether you’re visiting at peak or off-peak hours. Entrance to Bar Ice and Magical Ice Kingdom cost £17.05-£19.80 and £10.20-£14.60 respectively, tickets to Gandeys K-Pop Dragon Circus are £13.75-£22, and the ice rink costs £12.65-£19.25. 

How to do Winter Wonderland on a budget

With free entry during off-peak times and cheaper tickets for many of the main attractions inside, the easiest way to save money on your trip to Winter Wonderland is by planning your visit during one of the off-peak times, either earlier in the day if you’re visiting in December, or by visiting in November or the New Year.

There are other ways of saving money as well. Visitors can save 20% on tickets to the Magical Ice Kingdom and ice skating rink if they book at the same time as reserving off-peak tickets, while entry is free when you pre-book £25-worth of attractions, rides, food or drinks.

A full guide to prices can be found on the Winter Wonderland website here.

What dates is Winter Wonderland in London?

Winter Wonderland will open for the 2025 season until Thursday January 1. 

How to get tickets for Winter Wonderland

Easy! If you’re looking to visit at a popular time (such as weekends, or once the school holidays start), then pre-book your tickets via Winter Wonderland's website to make sure you get in with no fuss. You'll be asked to select a two-hour timeslot to arrive within. There's also the option to snag a ticket on the door, although these spots are subject to availability and you may end up missing out if it's a busy time.

How to get there

There are four different entry points to Winter Wonderland, so choose the one that best fits your route, and the attractions you're most interested in. Red Gate is closest to Marble Arch and Bond Street: it's closest to Santa Land and Thrillville, so head there if you're after family attractions or funfair rides. Blue Gate is closest to Hyde Park Corner, Green Park and Victoria: it's closest to Skater’s Corner & Show Town, so head there for ice skating or circus. Green Gate is closest to Knightsbridge and High Street Kensington: it's closest to Bavarian Village and Market Square, so go for shopping or meeting friends. Finally, Gold Gate is closest to Marble Arch and Paddington: it's closest to Arctic Circle and Luminarie Lane, so head there for ice sculptures and spectacular lights.

Tips for visiting Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park

This winter spectacle is super popular every year, but there are a couple of things that are good to know before you go.

The queues can get pretty long, so we recommend booking your tickets in advance. Plus, there's so much to explore that you need to leave a fair bit of time; it tends to take about three hours to make it round the whole site. Make sure you wrap up warm, too!

RECOMMENDED: In photos: Christmas chaos in London as Winter Wonderland lights up Hyde Park

]]> Primary Author: Leonie Cooper Tue, 08 Sep 2026 15:00:31 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/londons-best-french-restaurants Content-Page-42181 From haute cuisine institutions to neighbourhood bistros, these French restaurants in London are seriously délicieux

For centuries, French cuisine has been considered the worlds very best. Although that golden crown might have slipped somewhat, French-accented cuisine is having a real resurgance in popularity.

Londons best french restaurants at a glance:

• 🐽 Best for experimental offal: Camille, Borough
• 🍷 Best for cosy vibes: Casse-Croûte, Bermondsey
• 💕 Best for romance: Bouchon Racine, Farringdon 
• 🇫🇷 Best for Lyonnaise cuisine: Josephine, Chelsea
• 🥐 Best for cool Parisian energy: Bistro Freddie, Shoreditch

Its emphasis on technique and ingredients-first approach make it hard to beat when you fancy feasting on something rich, complex, and unimpeachably lavish. So whether you want an old-school onion soup or an elaborate, immaculately conceived dish served with undeniable , weve got you covered. Here’s our pick of the best bistros, brasseries and fine-dining spots in London spanning every budget, with everything from Michelin-star restaurants to petit back-alley bistros and chic cafes.

s 50 Best Restaurants.

is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our .

Read more]]> Primary Author: Alice Saville Tue, 08 Sep 2026 14:53:01 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/this-london-nightclub-is-one-of-the-best-in-europe-according-to-time-out-090826 Content-Post-202463 On a south Bermondsey industrial estate, you’ll find a club that’s up there with the Ibiza and Berlin greats

We’re forever being told that London's nightlife is in trouble - gentrification, noise complaints and redevelopments are making clubs close down at worrying rates, and we’re definitely not a 24 hour party city like our neighbours on the continent. But it’s not all doom and gloom. Time Out recently asked clubbers to pick the very best spots from all over Europe, and south London's  ranked in the top 10.

Unsurprisingly, partying haven Berlin topped the list with Sisyphos, an outdoor club that serves up festival vibes all summer long. Amsterdam’s brutalist dancing den Shelter came in at number two, followed by Ibiza’s UNVRS, Paris’s Essaim, and Athens’ Island Club. But at number six, London enters the chat, with south Bermondsey's underground electronic music haven Venue MOT.

With a capacity of just 250, it’s a lot smaller than most venues on the list, and you’ll have to weave your way through an industrial estate after dark to find it. But make the trek and you'll be well rewarded with rare-in-London late license that lets you dance ‘til 7am at the weekend. Its programming spans big names, like Jamie XX and Batu, to more underground and local acts, the sound systems is earth-quakingly powerful, and its no frills approach makes it an unpretentious place to dance ‘til dawn.

On Google reviews, visitors praised Venue MOT for having ‘hints of the old illegal Warehouse party vibes’ and have warned clubbers to ‘dress to sweat’ as the small space gets seriously hot. ‘Some of the most beautifully depressed people walk around the place wearing a mixture of Victorian-era clothing and surf brands from the 2000s. Had the best and worst discussions of my entire life in the courtyard, felt like I found a family I was not looking for. I do not know where my car is anymore. 5 stars,’ wrote another reviewer, wittily summing up the vibe.

In short, it's not going to be the one for you if you’re looking for a glam Ibiza mega-club experience, but for serious ravers, it’s up there at the top. 

🪩 Read Time Out's full rankings of Europe's best nightclubs.

📍 These are the best clubs in London, according to us. 

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel. 

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

]]> Primary Author: Caitlin Barr Tue, 08 Sep 2026 14:12:41 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/a-posh-london-hotel-has-been-named-in-the-100-best-in-the-world-right-now-090826 Content-Post-202458 It boasts a whopping 264 rooms, personalised embroidered pillowcases and excellent pies

If you’re planning a stay in the capital, you’ve got a lot of choice when it comes to luxury. From Claridges to The Standard, 1 Hotel Mayfair to The Berkeley, there are frankly loads of five-star hotels and we’ve written about the best of them here.

But one posh place has made this year’s World's 50 Best longlist, coming in at number 56. l on High Holborn made the ranking and landed in 56th place next to legendary spots like LA’s  (aka The Hotel California, from the song), La Réserve Paris and HoshinoyaTokyo, which made it to our worldwide list of excellent hotels. Gleneagles in Scotland was the only other UK hotel to get a mention on the longlist.

The Rosewood London is really quite fancy indeed, and it’s also the biggest five-star hotel in central London, with 264 rooms and 44 suites and houses (one with seven bedrooms and its own postcode).  

It’s got several dining spots, including The Pie Room, which our London local expert Sonya Barber raved about when she visited: hese beautiful creations arrive like shiny pastry crowns, stuffed with braised beef steak, chicken and wild mushroom or Lincolnshire poacher cheese and potato. So comforting, elevated and totally delicious.

And it might even embroider your initials into your pillowcase, as Sonya discovered. Either way, it's a prime spot if you want friendly doormen, a bamboo spa and an afternoon tea menu inspired by the works of Claude Monet. Check out the full longlist here.

Did you know? The Tower of London could be stripped of its UNESCO World Heritage status.

Plus: This ‘swish eco-hotel’ in London is one of the most beautiful hotels in the world. 

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

]]> Primary Author: Caitlin Barr Tue, 08 Sep 2026 11:21:22 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/john-lewis-unveiled-first-of-its-kind-restaurant-090826 Content-Post-202447 Head to Oxford Street for homeware, fashion, electricals and hand-stretched pizza

Shopping can be an exhausting experience, especially when you find yourself on Oxford Street, navigating through hoards of tourists. Collapsing with a coffee and cake as post-retail therapy is often needed, and John Lewis has always done us nicely with its cafe and restaurant offerings. But if you’re after something a little more special post-shop, you’re in luck.

John Lewis is stepping up its game with its brand new in-store restaurant concept, and the first site has just launched at its Oxford Street store. Known as Platter, it will replace restaurants at 32 of the brand’s locations by the end of 2027, including Bluewater, Chichester and Reading where the new eateries have also just opened to the public. 

Platter on Oxford Street is now one of the largest restaurants in the area, with space for 300 guests. It boasts an open kitchen serving hand-stretched pizza, a deli, a dessert parlour, a bar overlooking the shop’s foyer, as well as fifty outdoor covers on its fifth-floor terrace. Basically, you can now buy an airfryer and then eat a margherita with panoramic views without leaving the building, which sounds like my idea of a very nice day out. 

The new spot also has its own roastery, where customers can drink fancy coffee and buy bags of exclusive single-origin Arabica beans, and a pop-up site called The Residency, which will rotate different offerings. At the moment, it’s hosting London patisserie The Eclectic Collection.

Each of the new restaurants will vary according to store location, and John Lewis says it has made the changes in response to how differently people shop now. 

It’s all part of a massive long-term £800m investment into John Lewis Partnerships’ shops and digital presence. £50m has already been spent across five of its shops this summer, including a £20m refurbishment of John Lewis Glasgow. 

So, next time you’re in hell on Oxford Street, pop into John Lewis for a restorative house white and smugly stare at at the crowds below. You’ve earned it. 

ICYMI: Oxford Street will be pedestrianised next month.

Plus: this North African grill is the best restaurant in Soho right now.

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

]]> Grace Clift Tue, 08 Sep 2026 11:03:27 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/gunpowder-3 Content-Venue-947904 Sleek Indian small plates in Soho

Gunpowder’s first restaurant opened in 2015 in Spitalfields, and was promptly awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand. A decade on, and the Soho branch holds all the gravitas of its original location. With attention paid to the tiniest of details, this classy small plates restaurant - which takes inspiration from all across India - is well worth ditching Dishoom for.

The elegance of the moody, marble-accented restaurant establishes it immediately as a cut above. If you’re not impressed by the extensive wine selection, then how about the live pianist or charming service from white-jacketed wait staff? Warning: the ultra low-lighting may have your grandad taking out his phone torch to read the menu.

French bean pakora is the first of many fried, but somehow still light, starters. Paired with a selection of tangy chutneys, these frites could easily be eaten by the bucketful, alongside Indo-Chinese prawn toast, souped up with fermented Bengali Kasundi mustard. We also tried the kale and buna aubergine with goat cheese. Kale may not sound like the most obvious treat food, but this crispy salad will have you craving more. While the spicy goat cheese dressing is difficult to access underneath piles of leaves, it’s worth the mess for a creamy, crunchy bite. My lemon cardamom gimlet was the perfect reprieve from the heat of the salad, though the ginger and cucumber spritz makes for a suitable non-alcoholic alternative. 

French bean pakora is the first of many fried, but somehow still light, starters

Next, comes aloo chaat, kawari soft shell crab and miso cabbage skewer. All were outstanding, but the aloo chaat was the clear winner. Soft and light, the softness of the spuds contrasted neatly with the crunch of pomegranate seeds.

Dessert options are limited, but the two on offer are so good that you don’t need more. I thought that the molten chocolate cake with masala chai custard would be my favourite, but the rum pudding’s soft, sweet cake drenched in custard took an unexpected lead. The chocolate cake was simply an elite version of a classic, but the rum pudding is truly distinct. 

Over a decade on from opening, Gunpowder runs the risk of being forgotten in lieu of flashy new spots. But from its mastery of fried food, to its luxe, cordial atmosphere, the Soho location demonstrates why the restaurant has stayed buzzing for so long. 

The vibe Low lit, high-end luxury in Soho.  

The food Indian small plates, with a few mains. 

The drink Delicate cocktails and an extensive wine collection. 

Keep the dip from the prawn toast for your French bean pakora – it’s too good to waste.

]]> Primary Author: Caitlin Barr Tue, 08 Sep 2026 10:35:21 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/hampstead-heath-fancy-new-saunas-plunge-pool-plans-090826 Content-Post-202432 You’ll soon be able to steam to your heart’s content in one of the capital‘s most gorgeous green spaces

Hampstead Heath has some serious standing as a wellbeing haven, with three separate ponds open for pretty chilly dips. In the summer, queues regularly snake around the water’s edge as Londoners desperate for a bracing swim flock to the north London spot.

Now, that hype might just be about to balloon as a prospective new sauna and plunge pool complex is in discussion. Planning applications have been submitted by Sauna and Soul for two timber saunas and three cold plunge baths near the car park at Kenwood House, the seventeenth century stately home near the Heath’s North Wood. 

The plans would involve making temporary alterations to the Grade II-listed former dairy buildings, which were built in 1794, so that an electrical current can be routed through them. Working with English Heritage, who own Kenwood House and keep it open for free for the public, Sauna and Soul is seeking to establish the site for an initial period of 12 months.

The complex, which would include two bell tents for changing, a willow screening, a reception hut and an outdoor shower, would be run on a bookings basis with a maximum capacity of 16 people. It’ll operate during the same hours as Kenwood House, and Sauna and Soul has stated that it will be electrically heated and no music or alcohol will be allowed. It’s hoped that these considerations will limit the impact to the Heath, Kenwood House, and local residents and visitors. 

If approved, the new hotspot is slated to open by the end of January 2027. 

It’s a big week for steamheads: Another new sauna is opening at a ‘castle’ in Hackney

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

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]]> Primary Author: Caitlin Barr Tue, 08 Sep 2026 10:05:51 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/16-years-after-olympics-stratford-regeneration-nearly-finished-090826 Content-Post-202376 Plans have been submitted for the final phase of Stratford Cross, which would bring around 2,000 new homes, a new public park and more shops to east London.

Nearly two decades after the Olympic crowds descended on Stratford, the area’s enormous post-games transformation is finally edging towards the finish line. Plans have been submitted for the last phase of development at Stratford Cross, with around 2,000 new homes, a new public park and more shops proposed for the east London neighbourhood.

The proposals, submitted to the London Borough of Newham, would mark the final phase of Stratford Cross, the large-scale development between Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and Westfield Stratford City. If approved, the new neighbourhood would also bring improved walking and cycling routes connecting Stratford station with the Olympic Park and surrounding areas.

The 2,000 homes would include a mix of affordable and market-rate housing, alongside student accommodation and co-living homes. The proposals also include ground-floor retail space and new public areas.

It’s another major milestone for an area that has changed dramatically since 2012. Stratford Cross has developed into a hub for business, education and culture, with the Turing Building sitting alongside the East Bank cultural quarter. 

The plans are part of the wider Impact Partnership Joint Venture between Lendlease and The Crown Estate, which is aiming to deliver a range of developments across the UK, including up to 9,000 homes in its first phase.

If the latest plans get the green light, construction is expected to begin in 2028, with the final phase taking around three years to complete.

ICYMI: A new sauna is opening at a ‘castle’ in east London. 

Plus: A controversial new bar is set to open on the site of the Hatton Garden jewellery heist. 

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

 

]]> Primary Author: Leonie Cooper Tue, 08 Sep 2026 09:56:17 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/this-massive-us-sandwich-chain-is-finally-launching-in-london-090826 Content-Post-202426 Jersey Mike’s will make its UK debut in Soho later this year

Everything is bigger in the US; including their sandwiches. And you’ll now get to see for yourself as much-loved American chain Jersey Mike’s is about to launch its debut UK outlet.

After slinging subs for 70 years, Jersey Mike’s will be coming to Soho later this year (they’re saying late autumn), setting up shop on Argyll Street before three other branches launch in central London. Could this be what becomes of the old Angus Steakhouse building by Oxford Street station? They’ve already got over 3,000 branches in the US, so this sub takeover has been a long time coming.

Jersey Mike’s are known for their Italian-leaning submarine rolls which come filled with sliced meats and cheeses such as provolone, ham, swiss cheese, turkey and cappacuolo, then sloshed with ‘the juice’: an in-house dressing of  red wine vinegar and oil. You can also choose to have your sub ‘Mike’s Way’ - with onions, lettuce and tomatoes. Subway, who?

The first branch of Jersey Mike’s was called Mike’s Subs and opened in 1956 in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. Current chairman Peter Cancro started working there when he was 14 years old, and in 1975 when he was 17, he bought the business for $125,000 after borrowing the cash from his high school football coach. He changed the name to Jersey Mike’s in the 1980s.

Speaking about the London openings Peter Cancro has commented: ‘Jersey Mike’s has always been about making a great sub, taking care of our customers and giving back to the communities we’re part of. I’m incredibly excited to bring that same spirit to the UK. We’ve spent decades building this brand in America, and now we’re ready to introduce a whole new audience to what we mean when we say “a Sub Above”.’

Jersey Mike’s opens on Argyll Street in Soho in late autumn

ICYMI: A legendary American hot chicken brand is opening its first restaurant in London. 

Plus: One of London’s best burger restaurants is opening its first standalone location. 

et the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

]]> Primary Author: Andrzej Lukowski Tue, 08 Sep 2026 09:39:00 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/london-theatre-week-2026-best-cheap-tickets-last-chance-090826 Content-Post-200956 London Theatre Week offers smart bargains on most of the West End’s most beloved long-runners

The four-week-long London Theatre Week is oddly named, but now it really is into its last week: it ends on Sunday 13, and is probably the last big London theatre tickets sale until Christmas.

In case you’re confused: London Theatre Week is a great big theatre tickets sale and that’s really all you need to know about it. Indeed, it’s up there as one of the biggest sales of the year, perfectly timed to set you up for the West End’s busier autumn, or to let you snap up a bargain for the final furlong of the still endless-feeling summer holiday.

In terms of big hitting, famous West End shows it’s got plenty to offer: you can get a decent discount on the likes of Cabaret, The Lion King, Les Mis, Matilda, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, My Neighbour Totoro, The Phantom of the Opera and , with tickets starting from £15 for some shows, £25 for most of the West End long-runners, and the odd £35 bottom price to fancier fare like . Basically almost every London musical that’s not or is in. 

It’s also a particularly good time to snap up a cheaper ticket to shows coming to London in the autumn that may well sell out when they open and get reviewed, but are currently happy to get bums on seats at a slightly nicer price than usual. Some great-looking stuff coming up that’s in the sale includes the UK premiere of acclaimed US musical , the Old Vic’s ultra-rare limited run revival of (from the writers of and ) and a starry new production of led by Kristin Scott Thomas and Stephen Mangan.

Accessing the offers couldn’t be simpler: head over London Theatre Week’s landing page (NB Time Out is a partner), and you can book discount tickets for participating shows during the four weeks of LTW. You don’t have to book to see shows before September 13 – that’s just the booking window. Not every offer will be available for every performance (ie if the tickets sell out), but go in with a bit of flexibility and you’ll be laughing.

London Theatre Week runs until Sep 13. Buy tickets here.

The best new London theatre shows to book for in 2026.

The Greatest Showman: The Musical is coming to London.

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

]]> Primary Author: Alex Sims Tue, 08 Sep 2026 09:33:56 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/a-major-new-katsushika-hokusai-exhibition-is-opening-in-london-next-month-090826 Content-Post-202390 It’s the first time the complete set of 46 prints from the renowned Iuchi Collection have been brought together in the UK

Name the most famous Japanese print of all time, and chances are you’d pick The Great Wave. Also known as Under the Wave, off Kanagawa (Kanagawa oki name-ura), the print designed by Katsushika Hokusai in about 1831 depicts Mount Fuji dwarfed by a huge wave. The iconic image is part of the series, Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest achievements in the history of printmaking, embracing vivid pigments and ukiyo-e woodblock techniques, all centred around one of Japan’s most sacred mountains. It inspired artists around the world, most notably Impressionist painters like Claude Monet, and remains one of the most recognisable scenes in art history. 

This winter, Dulwich Picture Gallery is giving Londoners a chance to see the images in all their glory, in its new blockbuster exhibition: Hokusai: Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. Rarely seen outside of Japan in its entirety, the exhibition marks the first time in the UK that the complete set of 46 prints (the original 36, plus the 10 expanded works) from the renowned Iuchi Collection have been brought together. 

Created between 1830 and 1833 when Hokusai was in his seventies, the unprecedented collection of prints will be an awe-inspiring look at one of history’s most influential series of works, spotlighting their incredible use of colour, humorous storytelling and unconventional perspectives. 

The exhibition highlights include an exceptionally rare blue impression of the normally full-colour work, Clear Day with a Southern Breeze, known as , of which only seven comparable impressions are known to survive today, as well as three well-preserved prints of . Displayed in their entirety, they will give visitors a chance to compare subtle variations in printing in these early impressions.

Professor Higuchi Kazutaka of Jumonji University, in collaboration with exhibition partner The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, said: ‘This exhibition presents an exceptionally rare opportunity outside Japan to view together a complete set of Katsushika Hokusai's masterwork, Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, of well-preserved early impressions. We are delighted to offer visitors the chance to experience Hokusai’s extraordinary creative genius firsthand and the remarkable technical excellence of ukiyo-e woodblock printing.’

Hokusai: Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji from the Iuchi Collection will be on display at Dulwich Picture Gallery between October 20, 2026 and January 17, 2027. Tickets are available to buy from the gallery’s website. 

Plus, why the Royal Academy is Time Out’s favourite London art gallery right now.

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel. 

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

]]> Primary Author: Andrzej Lukowski Tue, 08 Sep 2026 09:08:44 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/kids/activities/top-half-term-activities Content-Page-47031 Keep the kids busy and entertained this October 2026 half-term with some fantastic things to do around London

The epic slog of the summer holidays is over but look! Here comes a new challenger as the October half term comes barrelling into view. And even though we’re just a few weeks away from the hottest summer on record, plummetting termperatures and shorter days will mean you have to find more to do than ‘go to the park’. Fortunately: this is London, there’s always loads to do, with Halloween giving the darkening evenings a spooky shot in the arm.

My name is Andrzej and I’m ’s lead kids’ writer and also parent to two London-based children. As ever, the idea with this list is to highlight the best new, returning or last chance to see shows; London also has plenty of evergreen fun for children of all ages, quite a lot of which you can find in out list of the 50 best things to do with kids in London.

When is October half-term this year? 

This year, London’s May half-term officially falls between Monday October 26 and Friday October 30 (ie children will be off continuously between Saturday October 24 and Sunday). For whatever reason, certain boroughs (including mine) inflict a double half-term upon their students, in which case your holiday will run Monday October 19 to Friday October 30 (or in total Saturday October 17 to Sunday November 1).

Here’s our roundup of all the best things to do with your children this October half-term.

Read more]]> Primary Author: Amy Houghton Tue, 08 Sep 2026 09:08:38 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/blackheath-fireworks-tickets-have-been-released-for-bonfire-night-2026-090826 Content-Post-202380 From dates to the entertainment lineup, here’s everything you need to know about one of London’s largest firework shows

Last November, after a six year hiatus, Blackheath Fireworks made an almighty return. Prior to its break, the display was the largest free fireworks show in London. Sadly, the new version of the event wasn’t free, but it was just as spectacular. And it was so successful that it’s coming back for Bonfire Night 2026. 

Alongside Lewisham council, Blackheath is now run by Slammin’ Events, which also looks after the fireworks at Alexandra Palace. And this year, it’s turning things up a notch. The event will be spread across a larger site, meaning more food stalls, more bars, more entertainment and a capacity of 40,000 (that’s 10,000 more than last year). 

RECOMMENDED: The best fireworks in London for Bonfire Night 2026. 

When is Blackheath Fireworks 2026? 

The fireworks will take place on . 

Where are Blackheath Fireworks? 

There’ll be back at Blackheath Common in south east London. 

Ticket prices 

Here’s the pricing for Blackheath Fireworks 2026.

• Adult 16+: £17.60
• Child (0-10): £5.50
• Family with youths (11-15): £51.36
• Single parent family with youths (11-15): £36.72
• Family with children (0-10): £43.20
• Single parent family with children (0-10): £28.08

You can purchase them here.

Garage stars DJ Luck and MC Neat will be in the Big Top tent alongside club legend Brandon Block. Massaoke (that’s mass karaoke) is back for a second year, as is the electrifying Lords of Lightning illuminations. There’ll also be a lineup of comedians bringing the laughs inside the Big Belly Comedy Club. And new for 2026, the event is launching the ‘People’s Stage’, which will host performances from local talent. 

And if that’s not enough, there’ll be various fairground rides to keep you entertained, too. Food and drinks will be courtesy of local food vendors stationed at the event’s Street Food Village. 

RECOMMENDED: How to get tickets to see fireworks at Alexandra Palace.

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

]]> Primary Author: Andrzej Lukowski Tue, 08 Sep 2026 08:56:04 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/london-theatre-for-2022-shows-not-to-miss Content-Page-131810 Our pick of the best new plays, shows and musicals to book for in London’s theatres in 2026

This rolling list is constantly updated to share the best of what’s coming up and currently booking: these choices aren’t the be-all and end-all of great London theatre in 2026, but they are, as a rule, the biggest and splashiest shows coming up, alongside intriguing looking smaller projects.  

London's best shows to book for at a glance:

London’s theatre scene is the most exciting in the world: perfectly balanced between the glossy musical theatre of Broadway and the experimentalism of Europe, it’s flavoured by the British preference for new writing and love of William Shakespeare, but there really is something for everyone. It’s also beweilderingly big: between the showtune-centric West End and the constant pipeline of new writing from the subsidised sector – plus the Wild West of the fringe – there’s well over 100 theatres and over venues playing host to everything from classic revivals to cutting-edge immersive work.

This is my attempt to make sense of all that for you. These are shows worth booking for, pronto, both to avoid sellouts but to get the cheaper tickets that initially go on sale for most shows but tend to be snapped up months before they actually open. Please note that the prices quoted are the ‘official’ prices when the shows go on sale – with West End shows in particular it can unfortunately be the case that if they sell well, expensive dynamic prices can be triggered.

Want to see if these shows live up to the hype? Check out our theatre reviews.

Check out our complete guide to musicals in London.  

And head over here for a guide to every show in the West End at the moment.

Read more]]> Primary Author: Caitlin Barr Tue, 08 Sep 2026 08:07:06 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/the-dlrs-new-trains-are-finally-back-in-service-090826 Content-Post-202388 Roll on aircon, charging ports and a 50 percent boost in capacity

After a false start last October, the DLR’s new and improved trains are now back in service in east London.

The long-awaited trains were supposed to finally enter service in autumn 2025, but, after one of the three introduced in the rollout failed to stop correctly in the rain at Canning Town station, all new stock was removed from the tracks for more testing after just a month. 

Now, after rigorous braking trials, the first of the DLR’s new trains reappeared on the Woolwich Arsenal to Stratford International branch on Monday September 7. There are a total of 54 trains in the new fleet, and they’re going to be rolled out gradually. Once all of them are in operation, they’ll increase capacity on the line by 50 percent. They feature air conditioning, power points for charging phones, and a walk-through design rather than having doors between carriages. 

Apart from October's mishap delaying proceedings, new stock was held up by a contractor entering administration, halting the building of new sidings in Beckton. Trains had to be stored in Spain where they were built. In the meantime, DLR service has been affected by weekend and evening cuts which have tanked Transport for London's revenue, but the shiny new locomotives are now ready to go. 

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: ‘This is an exciting day for east and south London, as the first new state-of-the-art DLR train enters service.

‘These modern new trains are fantastic and will transform travel for millions of Londoners, significantly improving comfort, accessibility and reliability. The additional capacity will also support further growth, particularly in parts of the Royal Docks and the Isle of Dogs where the DLR is the most-used mode of transport, supporting new jobs and homes.’

There's just one downside to the improvements though - each new train will now feature just one of the popular forward facing transverse seats (the ones where you can pretend you're driving). Perhaps get on a stop earlier if you want to clock in for your DLR operator shift. 

A new self-driving bombshell has entered the capital: You can now order an unmanned robotaxi

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

]]> Primary Author: Andrzej Lukowski Mon, 07 Sep 2026 16:43:44 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/christmas-pantomimes-in-london Content-Page-45617 Pantomime season has finally returned to London – oh yes it has!

Oh yes it is! London panto season is back for 2026, and here’s Time Out’s complete rundown of every major pantomime in the city.

London's best pantomimes at a glance:

For some Londoners the only time of year they'll visit a theatre, panto season is a bizarre, joyful, quintessentially British time to come together and watch some light-hearted spoof fairytales that revolve around men dressing up as women and/or farm animals.

Within that, though, there’s huge variation, from the megascale London Palladium show with its filthy figurehead Julian Clary, to Clive Rowe’s brilliant panto purism at the Hackney Empire and JW3’s amusing Jewish spin that runs on Christmas Day itself.

I’m Andrzej Łukowski, ’s theatre editor, and while this page is simply intended as a round-up of London pantomimes, then it’s an *informed* round up – I have seen approximately four billion pantos over the last 15 years or so, and know what they’re all like, plus we’ll update this page with star ratings when our reviews of this year’s crop start rolling in in late November.

London is a city that takes pantomime seriously, and even if the idea of seasonal frivolity fills you with dread, there’s a panto out there for you.

RECOMMENDED: The best London theatre shows to see in 2025.

The best Christmas theatre shows in London.

Read more]]> Primary Author: Caitlin Barr Mon, 07 Sep 2026 15:03:46 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/tower-of-london-could-lose-unesco-world-heritage-status-090726 Content-Post-202378 The riverside icon faces being added to the list of World Heritage in Danger due to skyscraper concerns

The Tower of London could be placed on UNESCO’s list of world heritage sites in danger unless plans for new skyscrapers in the City of London are changed.

Historic England has warned of ‘serious concerns’ about the impact of potential high-rise developments on the famous fortress, as a long-running battle over the City’s plans for new offices continues. The Tower is already a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but the World Heritage Committee has warned that it could be added to its ‘in danger’ list. The UK Government has been asked to report back on the site by February 2027.

At the centre of the row is the City of London Corporation’s draft City Plan 2040, which sets out where new development could take place across the Square Mile. Historic England wants the plan amended to create more space between the Tower and the cluster of skyscrapers to the east of the City.

The heritage body says its alternative boundaries would better protect the Tower’s Outstanding Universal Value (in layman’s terms, the qualities that make it worthy of World Heritage status) while still allowing the City to meet its target for additional office space.

The City Corporation disagrees, arguing that Historic England’s proposals would limit new office space, jobs and investment while making little meaningful difference to the Tower’s protection.

The dispute has already delayed the City Plan 2040. The plan had been expected to be adopted this summer, but housing minister Matthew Pennycook intervened in June, instructing inspectors to consider Historic England’s proposals and hold further hearings on the impact on the Tower.

Historic England’s barrister Ben Du Feu said it would be ‘hard to resist’ future developments that fall within the City Corporation’s proposed boundaries, while e, the organisation’s international advisor, told inspectors that UNESCO had ‘clearly said’ the current proposals were not enough to protect the site.

The Tower’s problem, basically, is that it’s no longer the tallest thing on the horizon. UNESCO has previously raised concerns that high-rise buildings in the eastern City could damage the Tower’s historic setting and visual relationship with the surrounding landscape.

The Tower was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1988, recognised for its Norman architecture, its role in English history and its landmark position beside the Thames.

It wouldn’t be the first time a World Heritage Site has lost its status. Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City was removed from UNESCO’s list in 2021 following concerns over new development and the loss of its historic character.

The City Corporation, meanwhile, says the planning changes could harm economic growth. Deputy Chris Hayward, its policy chairman, told inspectors that the government’s intervention had already led to stalled schemes and damaged investor confidence. ‘Uncertainty in the planning system is a drag on economic growth, investment and infrastructure delivery,’ he said.

Historic Royal Palaces, the charity responsible for the Tower, has backed Historic England’s position, saying the revised boundaries would demonstrate to UNESCO that concerns about the site were being taken seriously.

Tower Hamlets Council has said Historic England’s proposals would reduce potential harm to the World Heritage Site, but believes the Corporation’s plans are sufficient alongside other protections in the draft plan.

The inspectors will now prepare a letter to the City Corporation, signed by the Housing Minister, triggering the next stage of proceedings.

To be clear, the Tower of London has not lost its UNESCO status (yet). But with UNESCO warning about the possibility of an ‘in danger’ designation, the row over how many skyscrapers London can squeeze around one of its oldest landmarks has become rather more serious.

In other historical landmark news: The Monument could get a visitor centre for the first time. 

Plus: The Tower of London is getting a £70 million revamp. 

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

]]> Primary Author: Leonie Cooper Secondary Author: Lisa Wright Mon, 07 Sep 2026 12:54:07 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/food-drink/londons-best-cafes Content-Page-46709 Coffee, cake and a spot of lunch - these are the capital caffs that we actually rate

London has a great many cafés, but how to choose where to go? We’re here to help, from lowkey local ones to posh ones, and massive ones to tiny ones. There are ones with loads of cake, and ones with loads of sandwiches. All of them, thankfully, with coffee and tea. Maybe even a little matcha. This list is our attempt to show off the very best ones. Want to know the difference between this list and our ranking of London’s best coffee shops? At the spots here you can get eggs (fried, poached or scrambled) or a sit-down meal with your Americano.

Londons best cafes at a glance: 

• 🌳 Best for al fresco eats: Pavilion Cafe, Victoria Park
• Rons, Peckham
•  Cafe Jikoni, Stratford 
• 🛵 Best for vintage biker energy: Ace Cafe, Wembley
• Bolland & Crust, Wood Green
• 🇮🇹 Best for old school Italian charm: Scotti's Snack Bar, Clerkenwell

RECOMMENDED: London's best breakfasts.

is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our .

Read more]]> Primary Author: Amy Houghton Mon, 07 Sep 2026 12:03:13 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/legendary-american-hot-chicken-brand-first-restaurant-london-090726 Content-Post-202356 Want to try Houston TX’s spiciest flavour? You’ll need to sign a waiver first

Houston TX Hot Chicken is venturing out of the United States for the very first time. For the last six years, hardcore Americans have been taking on the chicken chain’s ultra,  spicy offerings. Now, it’s our turn. 

Two weeks ago, the brand revealed that it would be making its UK debut with a restaurant in Stevenage. But don’t worry, a London restaurant won’t be far behind. The capital’s very first Houston Hot Chicken will open at the Brunswick Centre in Bloomsbury this winter, just a few weeks after its branch in Stevenage opens.

Houston TX serves up hot chicken tenders, nuggets, waffles or chicken sandwiches at various spice levels. Finally, brave Londoners will have a chance to take on the infamous ‘Houston, We Have A Problem Sauce’ which is made from a blend of Carolina Reaper and Scorpion pepper powders and reaches two million on the Scoville scale. Not sure what that measurement means? Well, let’s just say that before you try the sauce, you’re legally required to sign a waiver to acknowledge the extreme physical risk and intense heat. 

Thankfully, you don’t to set your tastebuds on fire in order to enjoy Houston TX Hot Chicken. The brand has several other flavours that range from the spice-less honey butter to the mild buffalo sauce to the more fiery ‘Lift-Off’ (which at 600,000 on the Scoville scale is the second spiciest on offer). Sides on the menu include mac and cheese, chicken tortilla soup, pickles and fries. And you can cool your mouth down with house milkshakes (waffle, vanilla, strawberry or chocolate flavoured) or house lemonades (strawberry hibiscus, blueberry lavender or cucumber watermelon). 

Since the brand’s European franchise was acquired by Pizza Express, it has revealed ambitions to open a total of 50 restaurants in the UK over the next three years. A third British branch is earmarked for 2026, but its location is still under wraps. 

ICYMI: This North African grill is the best restaurant in Soho right now. 

Plus: One of London’s best burger restaurants is opening its first standalone location. 

et the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

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]]> Leonie Cooper Mon, 07 Sep 2026 11:59:51 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/finks-at-clissold-house Content-Venue-947896 A playful park cafe in a Grade II listed house in Stoke Newington

Serving stately home realness in the middle of Stoke Newington, Clissold House is one of the few London cafes where you might accidentally run into a wedding party while you’re ordering your oat milk flat white. Built in 1793, the Grade II-listed grand building has been home to various public cafes over the years (as well as being a popular wedding venue), but none have spruced the place up like the playful Fink’s. On the move? Swing by the lower level hatch in Clissold Park’s rose garden for coffee and soft serve, or settle down in the spacious boldly-painted rooms in the main house, or take a table on the outdoor terrace.

Fink’s - who run a host of other cafes in the local area - serve an all-day breakfast from 8am, which includes a California-style breakfast burrito fully-loaded with crispy bacon, fries, eggs and avocado as well as cute and spongy house-made crumpets and sausage baps. On the lighter end of the spectrum you’ll find yogurt with granola and poached fruit. The lunch-adjacent likes of frittata, salads, sandwiches and stuffed pitas arrive at 11am, and the counter serves up deli bits and bold bakes such as blackcurrant, almond and polenta cakes, banana bread, cinnamon brioche buns and jalapeno cheese scones. 

Fink’s dont mind you using the cafe as a workspace, but there’s a no laptops after 11am rule.

]]> Primary Author: Caitlin Barr Mon, 07 Sep 2026 11:21:17 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/a-new-sauna-is-opening-at-a-castle-in-east-london-090726 Content-Post-202363 Hackney locals might soon be able to sweat at a former pumping station

You’re far from hard-pressed to find a sauna in east London. There are 48 confirmed sweat-cabins in the region according to SaunaMap's database. Hackney alone boasts three options, including the popular Rooftop Saunas.  But there could soon be a fourth place to relax if plans to build a new sauna at the Grade II-listed Stoke Newington Pumping Station are approved. 

The site, commonly known as ‘the Castle’ due to its gothic vibes, was built in the 1850s as a solution to London’s growing need for clean water for its rising population, and fell out of use in the late twentieth century. It was rescued from total disrepair in 1995 by being converted into an indoor climbing centre, and it’s now been earmarked by Community Sauna CIC (which runs the nearby Hackney Wick Sauna) to host a new sauna facility suitable for up to 16 people. 

According to proposals, there’ll be a dry heated timber sauna structure and two cold showers towards the southern boundary of the climbing centre, but there are no plans for a cold plunge pool at this stage. 

Don’t get too excited yet though – there have already been 12 formal objections from residents who claim that noise, glare from LED-lighting, over-development of land set aside for community gardening, and potential crowding of pavements, could all be major issues. The council has stated that adjacent land will not be disturbed, so the gardens will be safe, and that it doesn't predict footfall will rise significantly. 

At a planning meeting, Stephen Moorhouse, representing the non-profit, said: ‘Our vision is quite simple: to bring communities together around an activity that improves wellbeing and to make that experience accessible to as many people as possible.’

Town hall planners have recommended that the new sauna site is approved for an initial period of five years, and a final decision is expected in the coming days. 

ICYMI: A controversial new bar is set to open on the site of the Hatton Garden jewellery heist. 

Plus: This ‘swish eco-hotel’ in London is one of the most beautiful hotels in the world. 

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

]]> Erin Niimi Longhurst Mon, 07 Sep 2026 10:47:11 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/miokuru Content-Venue-947894 A sleek and modern hand roll sushi bar in Soho

Miokuru is the latest addition to London’s burgeoning roster of hand roll restaurants. Though its Soho location and sleek, moody interiors seem to promise a more grown-up take on the traditional experience, where sushi rolls are prepared for customers on demand, there seemed to be a sense that there was still a bit of maturing to do. 

The preparation of the rice - the  test of any good sushi establishment - was on point

The 20-seat counter restaurant is undoubtedly atmospheric, with modern and contemporary backdrop, weaving in Japanese design elements such as latticework ceilings. Staff are friendly, kind and knowledgeable - and, as evidenced by the excellent knifework demonstrated directly in front of you, clearly skilled and talented. But the experience begins to feel a little off-kilter with some of the more trend-led gambles with flavour. A starter of pressed and dressed hand-dived British scallops is drowned out by heavy-handed use of chilli oil which overpowers the delicate flesh which has been reduced to a pulp. It might have worked better if the scallops were left whole, or if there was less chilli oil. It feels like a misstep, especially when compared to the excellently prepared (tuna with caviar). 

While the starters are made for sharing, is a much more personal experience. Once ordered, they arrive thick and fast. But rolls served were often presented with a different name from the one on the menu, resulting in a to-ing and fro-ing reminiscent of a teenager crashing around at a family ceilidh, rather than the intricately choreographed service expected from a place at this location and price point. The (otoro tuna tartare) was great, but some of the creative choices on some of the hand rolls felt a bit too try-hard; seared beef and bone marrow maki had the addition of furikake (a seaweed condiment that is also increasingly finding its way into various recipes and restaurants currently) that felt distracting from the subtle flavour of the bone marrow. The preparation of the temaki itself was also a hit-or-miss - perhaps in an attempt to appeal to customers who might want to photograph the maki, it was often overfilled as to spill out from the other side. Although that might only be off-putting to the purists, and not the ‘camera eats first’ crowd. That being said, the quality of the nori and the preparation of the rice - the test of any good sushi establishment - was on point. 

Only time will tell whether these are teething pains for Miokuru. Some of the choices feel self-conscious and disparate. Their slogan of ‘British born, Japanese inspired’ and the focus on ingredients sourced from British producers was a big draw - but (despite the list of British producers printed on the menu), upon further questioning a lot of the ingredients were sourced from Spain, even as far away as Hokkaido. 

Which is a shame because there is a lot to like about Miokuru - the ingredients are excellent, the chefs are skilled, and the drinks fantastic. A wide range of sakes and natural wines - the inclusion of several Kanpai sakes, which are brewed in London, felt like a solidly aligned brand choice.

A real highlight were the desserts - seasonal sorbets with meringue, and a divine matcha mousse with granola. 

In Japanese, is a verb that is often employed with departures or a farewell. It’s bittersweet, but also filled with hope. There is still greatness to be found at Miokuru, and I left with anticipation for it to come into its own.

The vibe Sleek and modern hand rolls with a bit of an edge.

The food Japanese inspired handrolls, seafood starters and desserts.

The drink Locally sourced sake, natural wines and fun cocktails.

There is an intimate ten-seat cocktail bar, perfect for private events.

]]> Andrzej Lukowski Mon, 07 Sep 2026 10:04:55 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/a-month-in-the-country-review Content-Event_master-2038533 Sophie Okonedo is superb as a jaded aristocrat slowly ripping her own world apart in Lyndsey Turner’s take on the Russian classic

If it looks like a Chekhov play and it pines wistfully in the pre-revolution Russian countryside like a Chekhov play… that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a Chekhov play.

Sure, Lyndsey Turner’s deft revival of Ivan Turgenev’s A Month in the Country uses a not un-Chekhovian 1992 translation from Brian Friel; okay the bulrushes on Leslie Travers’ set could have been recycled from last year’s Barbican ; yes it’s a story about a sprawling cast of dysfunctional aristocrats and their hangers-on falling apart on a country estate. But even in spite of all that, a little time with the play reveals it to in fact be very much .

At the heart of this particular country estate is Sophie Okonedo’s jaded aristo Natalya Petrova. Legally, even wealthy women lacked real power in 19th century Russia. And yet even if Natalya doesn’t have any particularly grand ambitions, her flinty force of will, elegant looks and scorched-earth approach to anyone who annoys her means the teeming denizens of the house bend to her whim and hang on her mood. She is a much more forceful presence than her technology-obsessed husband Arkady (Thomas Arnold), who spends his days cheerily prattling around with his unreliable new winnowing machine, oblivious to the fact his pal Michel (Alistair Petrie) is in love with his wife, and that she has designs on their daughter’s tutor Aleksey (Patrick Gibson)

Although there is a moment where Daniel Rigby’s sublimely annoying doctor Ignaty drops his loser facade and hisses molten thoughts of revolution, A Month in the County feels less like an elegy for the passing of an age, and more like the age at its zenith. Which is what you’d expect: it was written in the mid-1800s, before Chekhov was even born. Yes, it's a delicately bittersweet drama about a group of disaffected eccentrics incapable of finding love with the right person. But it’s also about the power of the upper class – the blinding, disorienting power Natalya is afforded by her social status and implacable self-belief. Nobody in the house is safe from her whims. Aleksey describes her in reverential, religious terms. It’s not healthy. 

But she’s not a monster. Okonedo is too versatile and subtle an actor for that: her Natalya is vulnerable and human and constantly apologising for the mess she makes of everyone else’s life. It’s not really her fault she is who she is, but she can’t - or won’t - change. 

Away from Turgenev’s observations on the aristocracy is a broader, sometimes out-and-out goofy comedy with some very daft minor characters, most notably Mark Hadfield’s German tutor Herr Schaaf whose constant stream of filthy malapropisms leave you somewhat confused as to whether he’s a massive perve or not. And then there’s the afore-mentioned Ignaty, who spends much of the play acting as a sublimely cringey clown - but who also possesses a piercing  self awareness everyone else lacks. 

Despite the superfluous minor characters (and the fact it takes a little while to get going), A Month in the Country comes good before long, a play of stature with a towering female lead role that’s a gift to an actor of Okonedo’s powers.

]]> Primary Author: Andrzej Lukowski Mon, 07 Sep 2026 09:24:31 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/teri-hatcher-will-star-as-miranda-priestley-in-the-west-ends-the-devil-wears-prada-musical-090726 Content-Post-202349 She’ll replace her old ‘Desperate Housewives’ co-star Vanessa Williams in Elton John’s mega-hit musical

Although Elton John’s musical adaptation of had a slightly fraught birth – its original incarnation was scrapped after a messy Chicago run – it’s really made its mark in London, and has been packing them in at the gigantic Dominion Theatre for almost two years now with no signs of slowing down. 

The entire time, the iconic role of venomous fashion mag editor Miranda Priestley has been played by US singing and acting star Vanessa Williams, who has presumably loved her time here and in the show as that’s a really very long stint for a lead actor, especially a famous American star.

Still, even the great editors move on eventually and Williams’ final performance is September 19, with Brit stage veteran Debbie Kurup holding down the role for the following month.

And then another big name, and indeed another Desperate Housewife, as Williams’ former co-star Teri Hatcher takes over the stage role that was made legendary on screen by Meryl Streep. While Hatcher is best known for her small screen roles – and The New Adventures of Superman being the biggies – she’s done a couple of musicals in the US in the shape of and , but this will certainly be her biggest stage gig to date.

Quoth Hatcher: ‘I’ve been fortunate enough to play some pretty formidable women throughout my career, but very few can compare to THE Miranda Priestly. I'm absolutely delighted to be joining in the West End. Miranda is intelligent, commanding, and has a glorious way of putting you in your place while being funny at the same time. Her dialogue is unforgettable, her confidence is contagious.

‘These are the kinds of roles one loves to play. I can't wait to embrace Miranda's sharp wit, fierce ambition, and iconic style, and share her story on a stage with a new audience every night.’

She’s scheduled to appear until February 6 next year – it’s possible she’ll end up extending and putting in a two-year shift, but it’s probably safest to assume this will be it from her.

The Devil Wears Prada is booking until Sep 25 2027.  Buy tickets here.

The best new London theatre shows to book for in 2026 and 2027.

What the hell is going on with Sunday in the Park with George at the Barbican?

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

]]> Primary Author: India Lawrence Fri, 04 Sep 2026 13:53:21 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/a-controversial-new-bar-is-set-to-open-on-the-site-of-the-hatton-garden-jewellery-heist-090426 Content-Post-202278 Diamond dealers called the plans ‘ghoulish’

We know people love a good heist. There’s a reason why so many popular films are based on robberies: the silver screen has brought us bangers like , , and  to name but a few. 

But when does our love of a good burglary go too far? Diamond dealers in London’s Hatton Garden are up in arms about plans to open a heist-themed wine bar in the district inspired by a real robbery that took place in 2015. Jewelers in the area called the proposals ’ghoulish’ and said it would make a mockery of the event that caused many dealers to lose their livelihoods. 

The council is currently considering a proposal to transform the safe deposit box building that was the scene of the infamous hole-in-the-wall robbery into a wine bar. In 2015, the elaborate heist was carried out by six experienced thieves who had spent years planning their crime in pubs and cafés in nearby Islington and Clerkenwell. The crooks stole goods with an estimated value of £14 million, with only £4.3 million worth of items recovered to date. During the investigation the robbery was called the ‘largest burglary in English legal history’. 

Hatton Garden jewelers have said the bar would force the longest-serving jewellery retailer in the area out of his shop. George Katz, owner of the threatened E Katz and Co, told the : ‘To my mind [the themed bar] is like when you have a car crash and there are people slowing down to look at it and see if there are any bodies there.

‘It is ghoulish and completely inappropriate.

‘A lot of people lost their livelihoods in the 2015 robbery. Most people didn’t have insurance as safe deposits are supposed to be rock solid, they are nearly impossible to get into. People had such a setback. I believe one person actually took their own life because his whole business was ruined.’

The application, submitted to Camden council in July by landlord Pearl & Coutts, argues the new bar would ‘celebrate and enhance the heritage significance of the building’. More than 100 objections have already been submitted against the plans. 

Camden council said: ‘The council will always seek to protect Camden’s existing businesses. Hatton Garden has been an established centre for the jewellery industry since the 19th century, and we will seek to secure new premises suitable for jewellery workshops and related uses and protect them through planning obligations.

‘The consultation for the application closed on the 30 August 2026. Our officers will assess this against the policies of our development plan, while also taking into account public feedback and comments.’

ICYMI: Andy Burnham reveals the three London pubs he’ll always love. 

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

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]]> Primary Author: Andrzej Lukowski Fri, 04 Sep 2026 13:38:32 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/the-rscs-hit-game-of-thrones-play-the-mad-king-is-coming-to-londons-west-end-090426 Content-Post-202280 The George RR Martin-endorsed stage prequel is heading our way in 2027

Sometimes London theatre news is truly momentous and surprising and sometimes it’s simply relaying something you could have guessed anyway, and this news falls fairly squarely into the latter category.

The RSC’s Game of Thrones prequel – written by Duncan MacMillan – debuted in Stratford-upon-Avon last month and scored generally strong reviews. And if you were expecting a London transfer to follow you’d be absolutely correct: it has today been announced that it’s coming to London in 2027.

Helpfully we know absolutely nothing more than that: no date (beyond 2027), no venue, and no casting details. Given we already knew the show existed and was liable to be heading to London, you sort of wonder why they couldn’t just hold off until they had something more for us, but hey ho.

To speculate some more: the fully George RR Martin-endorsed show is likely to need a big theatre, which are generally in short supply in London. The Gillian Lynne Theatre – aka the current home of the RSC’s – is a decent shout, but it is staging that weird-looking play all summer. could replace it in the autumn but one would assume the idea is to extend its run. The hulking Prince Edward Theatre has just become free from January as  has curtailed its run by four months. But is moving there in June: considering the popularity of Game of Thrones it would be surprising if was restricted to a limited run. Also it’s worth pointing out that the play’s director Dominic Cooke is taking over at the Almeida in Islington at the start of 2027: it would seem to be quite bad for for him to immediately bugger off to work on an RSC show.

All will no doubt be revealed: to be the first the first to hear actual news on The Mad King’s London run, sign up for updates here.

Check out the best new London theatre shows to book for in 2026.

And what the hell is going on with the Barbican’s Sunday in the Park with George?

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

]]> Primary Author: Grace Clift Fri, 04 Sep 2026 11:25:33 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/you-can-get-10-tickets-to-kew-gardens-every-tuesday-this-autumn-090426 Content-Post-202268 Entry to the UK’s largest botanical gardens will be more than half price on Tuesdays for the next four months

It’s a staple of the London experience. It’s beloved by locals and tourists. No, we’re not talking about getting an overpriced sandwich from Pret – it’s the iconic Kew Gardens. 

From the September 8 to the December 29, adult ticket prices to the gardens are being slashed by more than half on Tuesdays to a very reasonable £10. 

As London’s largest UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kew Gardens is an unmissable horticultural experience that brings in more than 2.5 million visitors a year. Adult tickets are usually £25, but this new discount aims to broaden accessibility to the famous spot. 

The changing seasons means the leaves will be turning red across the Arboretum, which houses more than 11,000 trees. For an aerial autumnal view, take the Treetop Walkway, and keep an eye out for the largest tree at Kew, the chestnut-leaved oak.

The scheme coincides with the Henry Moore: Monumental Nature exhibition, which is the largest-ever outdoor exhibition of Moore’s work. From massive sculptures to smaller works, there are over 30 pieces on display. 

And for families with young children, the Hey Duggee trail during October makes for a very cheap half-term activity. Including interactive challenges and a stamp trail, there’s enough to keep the kids busy while you take in the garden views. 

Richard Deverell, Director of RBG Kew said: ‘I’m delighted that we’re able to offer £10 entry to Kew Gardens every Tuesday throughout this autumn, and I hope that this new concession will allow visitors to benefit from being out in nature and having access to our wonderful Gardens.’

The £10 tickets can be booked online or bought at the gate. At such a whopping discount, this deal makes a day out in London a whole lot cheaper. 

Check it out: 10 of the greatest National Trust sites near London (as chosen by the National Trust)

Time Out’s review of The Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

]]> Primary Author: India Lawrence Fri, 04 Sep 2026 11:12:12 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/swish-eco-hotel-london-most-beautiful-hotels-world-090426 Content-Post-202265 The sustainable stay is decorated with living moss walls and more than 1,000 plants

Staying at a good hotel can be absolute heaven. For a few days you get to escape the humdrum of the every day and enter a blissful world of turn down service, watching Netflix from bed and pillow mints. This becomes even better if your surroundings are exceptionally good-looking. 

Time Out has just released a new ranking of the world’s most beautiful hotels – these are the planet’s biggest stunners, spanning cool boutiques, grand castles and eclectic inner city stays. 

In the ranking, one hotel in London made the cut. Flying the flag for the capital was 1 Hotel Mayfair, a lush eco-friendly stay replete with green plants, natural textures and recycled materials. 

‘Serenity is a concept you’re unlikely to associate with central London, but that’s precisely the aura that’s been meticulously crafted at 1 Hotel Mayfair,’ said Time Out contributor Nicola Brady, who gave this hotel five stars. 

‘The swish eco-hotel franchise is a champion of elegantly folding sustainable design into its properties, and this one, which opened in 2023, is a prime example. An enormous dome of dripping moss looms over the entrance, which feels more like a natural spa than a hotel lobby, and there are plants in virtually every direction — 1,300 of them, to be exact.’

1 Hotel Mayfair is also home to a gorgeous restaurant lit with lanterns, fully kitted out gym, peaceful spa and 181 stylish rooms decorated with living moss walls, calming, muted colours and bedside plants. More than just a pretty face, it’s the place that Time Out named the greatest five-star hotel in the capital. 

The world’s most beautiful hotels, according to Time Out editors.

ICYMI: Andy Burnham reveals the three London pubs he’ll always love. 

et the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

]]> Andrzej Lukowski Fri, 04 Sep 2026 10:01:11 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/the-story-review Content-Event_master-2031342 Letitia Wright heads up the cast of this gripping but overwrought journalistic thriller

Tracey Scott Wilson’s US newspaper drama is definitely more red top than broadsheet in tone. But there’s always a place for some thrills in the theatre. Making its UK debut almost a quarter century after its 2003 US one, its roots stretch even further back in time: it’s inspired by the story of Janet Cooke, a promising young Black reporter for the who was forced to return her Pulitzer Prize after her 1980 story about child heroin addicts on the streets of DC turned out to be largely fabricated. 

Wilson has her mind on more ambitious stuff than that, however, as she takes us into the ‘Vanguard’ section of a Post-alike newspaper in an unspecified American city. Manned by a somewhat eccentric team of three reporters, all Black, Vanguard is nominally an ‘around town’ style gossip section that has been repurposed as a African American community news by Pat (Lorraine Toussaint), the steely Civil Rights veteran who rules over the section with an iron fist. 

She is supported by Neil (Ashley Thomas), her chief underling and longterm mentee, who knows his place. And she enjoys a somewhat frosty relationship with newbie Yvonne (Letitia Wright), an impressive young reporter who has a less easy relationship with the Black community than her co-workers. Bullied by her Black peers as a child, stints in boarding school and Harvard have left her feeling like an outsider, and she is engaged in a clandestine relationship with the paper’s white head of news, nepo baby Jeff (Wilf Scolding).

A big, brash thriller with some solid performances

As Yvonne joins the team, a juicy case is gripping the city. A saintly young white couple got lost in a deprived area and the man was shot dead by an assailant the woman identified as Black. Some time later, Yvonne is approached by a young woman at a community centre, who suggests that she’s part of an all-female gang responsible for the killing. It’s dynamite stuff: all three members of Vanguard – plus Jeff – are desperate to to get to the bottom of the story.

Wilson’s play is unabashedly populist, bordering on trashy at times, and while there may be some real-life precedent for Pat separately commissioning both Yvonne and Neil to get to the bottom of the gang story – so they are overtly in competition – it does feel like a clunking plot device to up the excitement. And it works: Clint Dyer’s production is totally gripping, especially in the first half as the dialogue rapidly intercuts between the two rival journalists bitching about each other. Yes, it has the air of a well-made Channel 5 true-crime drama. But not all theatre need to be highbrow all the time, plus it makes a lot of incisive points about the fragility of the African-American community, especially as Pam’s hardassed facade melts (or at least, becomes more explicable).

The second half, though, is a headlong dive into melodrama that is just too much, and probably doesn’t benefit from the Olivier’s huge stage and abundance of resources - it would have almost certainly worked better as a more intimate drama that focussed on Pam and Yvonne more closely. Instead, after a first half that moves at a pretty even pace, the second is a chaotic minefield of plot twists and revelations that left me too shell shocked to really have a firm opinion on the ending. 

I also don’t think it works as a play about journalism, partly because it aggressively sexes up the incident that inspired it, partly because Wilson is simply more interested in her characters’ inner lives than the nitty gritty of the newsroom, partly because with all that’s happened to American newspapers over the last two decades (they’re all screwed apart from the ) it’s left feeling a little quaint. 

Still, it’s a big, brash thriller with some solid performances - particularly Toussaint’s Pat, though big-name Wright is good as the driven but awkward Yvonne. You may not find it plausible, but you won’t be bored.

]]> Primary Author: Amy Houghton Fri, 04 Sep 2026 09:06:05 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/tfl-tube-train-closures-september-4-6-2026-090426 Content-Post-202247 The District, Elizabeth, Suffragette and Windrush lines all face closures of the next two days

September is upon us and, after a full-on summer, you might want to take things a bit slower this weekend. That doesn’t necessarily mean staying in. London certainly won’t be as busy as it has been across previous weeks, but there’s still lots going on. 

You might want to go to Greenwich to see all the free outdoor theatre going on, venture to Forest Hill to pick up a new plant baby at the Horniman Museum, travel to Richmond for the Totally Thames Festival or journey to Hackney Wick for a day-to-night jazz fest. 

However you decide to spend this weekend, there’s a high chance you’ll need to take the tube at some point. So, you don’t want to be caught out by any of the planned closures. Here’s our guide to the disruptions to watch out for on the Underground and Overground this weekend.

RECOMMENDED: The best free things to do this weekend

London travel disruption and tube closures this weekend, September 4-6 2026

District line

• On Saturday September 5 and Sunday September 6, no service between Edgware Road and Wimbledon. Rail replacement buses will be in operation. 

Elizabeth line

• On Sunday September 6, .

Suffragette line

• On Sunday 6 September, . 
• Reduced services on Sunday between . Trains will run every 30 minutes. 

Windrush line 

• All day Saturday and until 7.15pm on Sunday, there’ll be no service between Surrey Quays and Clapham Junction / Battersea Park.
• On Sunday, . Change at Crystal Palace for trains to/from Norwood Junction and connections to/from West Croydon. 

Waterloo and City line

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel. 

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

]]> Primary Author: Eloise Feilden Fri, 04 Sep 2026 08:20:25 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/impala-best-restaurant-in-soho-time-out-090426 Content-Post-202187 Impala, Super 8's ode to North African cuisine, topped Time Out's list of the 50 best restaurants in Soho

Ah, Soho. The tangle of streets which make up the beating heart of the West End are truly like nowhere else. A melting pot of cultures, walks of life and social strata, the central London neighbourhood is as eclectic as they come, and its diversity is reflected in its restaurants.

Traversing the streets between Chinatown and Mayfair, you’ll find an eatery to satisfy pretty much any and every craving. And for any self-proclaimed gourmand, there are few neighbourhoods better equipped to cater to even the most unconventional taste. 

Just like any other culinary community, though, not all of its bistros are created equal, which is why, each year, Time Out’s pool of hungry editors and food experts head out in search of the finest.

So which of Soho’s restaurants was handed the ultimate accolade in 2026? Well, topping our list of the 50 best eateries in the area this year was . 

Here, executive chef Meedu Saad blends influences from his Egyptian heritage with French and Thai techniques, and you need only consider his seven years running the kitchen at nearby Kiln to see why.

‘He wouldn’t be the first to filter a cuisine through Gallic techniques, but the latter, after seven years spent running nearby Kiln’s kitchen, is where it gets interesting. Mastering it is about controlling intensity, integrating funk and heat without pushing it over the edge, balancing smoke and freshness, and using bitterness to counteract umami,’ said Joel Hart in his five star review of the resto for Time Out. 

‘It’s Saad’s judicious control of heat and bitterness, and his willingness to push balance to its limits, that gives Impala’s fare its distinctive flavour profile.’

Impala’s ambitious menu spans everything from a pounded white bean dip topped with herbs and bottarga and a summer fruit salad with chilli salt to meatier dishes like confit pollock and aubergine or grilled short rib with rosemary and pepper. Mouth watering yet? Yeah, us too.

As for the drinks, the French-focused list has around 40 wines by-the-glass, plus a smattering of cocktails for those more inclined to sip spirits.

Did you see that Oxford Street will be pedestrianised next month?

Plus: one of London’s best burger restaurants is opening its first standalone location.

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel. 

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

]]> Primary Author: Andrzej Lukowski Thu, 03 Sep 2026 14:04:46 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/bayeux-tapestry-british-museum-review-090326 Content-Post-202177 Of course the world’s most famous tapestry lives up to a millennium of hype

the actual Bayeux Tapestry feels like an undertaking of hysterical hubris: why not just review the Norman Conquest while you’re at it? The tapestry isn’t just a work of art: it is literal history, a near-1,000-year-old artefact that is also the primary source for our understanding of the most momentous year in the story of our own country.

I feel like I don’t really need to offer a lot of background for why the tapestry – woven in England, displayed in Bayeux, Normandy – has made it to the British Museum. Blah blah blah landmark Anglo-French deal, blah blah blah insanely popular: probably the most popular museum exhibition of our lifetimes. Now here it is. 

Are we not so familiar with the tapestry already that seeing it in situ is a bit underwhelming? Honestly, not a bit of it. Photos of a few key moments in your school textbooks – Edward the Confessor on his throne, the appearance of Hailey’s Comet, Harold getting shot in the eye – maybe encompass its highlights in terms of the major historical talking points. But they scarcely touch on it as . Laid out flat in one continuous 70 metre strip, the Bayeux Tapestry is astonishing, a heady mix of the familiar and the unfamiliar that teeters somewhere between outsider art, medieval illumination, action cartoon, historical document and blithe propaganda (it’s widely thought to have been commissioned by William the Conqueror’s half-brother Odo, who certainly pops up in it in a flattering light a suspicious number of times). 

It tells a story, but it’s not a solemn or complicated one. In 1065, Edward sends Harold to France, for reasons that aren’t explained and therefore we genuinely don’t know. Harold is blown off course and captured. William rescues him, and together they team up and take down a guy called Conan, with Harold rescuing some of William’s men from quicksand along the way. Harold swears he’ll support William’s claim to the throne of England (he was Edward’s first cousin). Edward dies in January 1066, and Harold bagsies the kingship for himself. William is ticked off, the Normans invade, eventually battling Harold and the English army; Harold gets an arrow in the eye and that’s it: there was more to the tapestry but it’s been lost, though probably only a relatively small amount perhaps covering William’s coronation. 

It’s extravagantly otherworldly

It is simple, even crude storytelling: metres on metres are taken up by boats and war horses – it’s boyishly excitable about the details of conflict, an action comic realised in millennium-old cloth. 

It’s accessible by dint of its simplicity. But it’s also extravagantly otherworldly, the story at the centre of the long, narrow tapestry topped and tailed by joyously random images of fantastical beasts and the odd weird naked guy – I counted at least two penises, which is definitely two more penises than I expected in the Bayeux Tapestry. 

I mean really what the hell is this thing? I throw around comics and illuminations as reference points but I’m not really aware there’s much to compare the tapestry to – it both brings events that every English person has drilled into them since birth startlingly to life, but also confirms what a long time in the history of humanity a thousand years is. It is mad having it so tangibly , being able to see the texture of the weaving. And yet the art is sometimes hilariously unrealistic: they can’t do horses; at one point a man dressed like a tower stands next to a tower that seems to be the same height as him; it is kind of like something my 11-year-old might draw but it is also an undertaking so enormous it’s hard to believe it exists. It is simply mind-blowing to have this ravening, unfiltered blast of Norman triumphalism right here in the room. Of course I was awed, but I chuckled, puzzled, tried to imagine the 11th century mind, failed.

So yeah it’s basically incredible and you should see it and let me flag up here that new tickets are being released on October 21 at 10am. 

That’s me arrogantly reviewing the actual tapestry, which you could have seen in France anyway. In terms of exhibition: we enter via a mezzanine floor in which screens offer some elegant animated preamble. Then we descend to the start of the tapestry, which is laid flat in one straight line. The lighting is dim but not suffocatingly so (I took plenty of photos). There is gentle mood music occasionally enlivened by sound effects (wood being chopped for instance). Another series of screens stretch the length of the tapestry and offer colloquial translations of its Latin captions, which move along its length in a way intended to keep crowds moving in tandem – you could get lost for days looking at every weird little animal on the tapestry, but the whole experience is supposed to be about 40 minutes. 

I had some quibbles! It is really very light on context for a British Museum show. It could have dug far deeper into the historical background of England and Normandy in the 11th century. And I’d have liked some more nuts and bolts stuff about the tapestry itself: I don’t exactly understand how it has come to be preserved so remarkably. But I suspect that it’s intentionally quite a slick, frictionless experience to stop audiences getting bogged down. And keeping the focus on the tapestry itself makes sense: it’s one of the most famous objects ever and it’s bloody enormous – let’s unapologetically drink the whole thing in and do the reading after. 

Of course it’s ultimately above criticism. But it’s also extraordinary: sacred, profane, childish, profound, defining of our world but utterly unworldly. Odo, you did alright.

The Bayeux Tapestry opens at the British Museum from September 10 2026 until Jul 11 2027. The next batch of tickets is released Oct 21.

The top 10 art exhibitions in London.

Andy Burnham reveals the three London pubs he’ll always love.

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

]]> Primary Author: Amy Houghton Thu, 03 Sep 2026 13:42:04 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/oxford-street-pedestrianisation-october-2026-exact-date-090326 Content-Post-202168 Nearly 1km of London’s busiest shopping street will be car-free

Oxford Street is hectic at the best of times. But as Christmas approaches, it’s a whole other beast. Hundreds of thousands of shoppers pack the narrow pavements while the road is chocked full of buses, cabs, bikes and cars. But this festive season, there’s going to be much more room for pedestrians. Oxford Street is going car-free. 

The street has been pedestrianised for brief periods before, but this time around will be the start of it becoming pedestrianised permanently. Sadiq Khan envisages it becoming a ‘pedestrian plaza’ and wants it to be a space that can ‘host world-class events, from sport to culture and fashion, as well as exciting new retail and leisure experiences’. 

From what it’ll look like to what will happen to the buses, here’s everything you need to know about Oxford Street becoming car-free. 

Will Oxford Street be pedestrianised?

Yes, work is officially underway for a large section of the street to become permanently car-free. The Mayor of London established an organisation called the Oxford Street Development Corporation (OSDC) in August to make it happen. 

When will Oxford Street be pedestrianised? 

At the moment, the plan is for nearly 1km of the street to be traffic-free from the when temporary seating, planters, areas of raised carriageway and security bollards have been installed. It’ll be a ‘live testing phase’ (also known as the ‘transition scheme’). 

Further testing and review of the scheme will take place through spring 2027 and work will start on making it permanent later on in the year. No specific dates have been laid out yet. 

Which parts of Oxford Street will be pedestrianised?

To begin with, the 0.9km stretch between Orchard Street (by Selfridges) and Great Portland Street will be the only part where vehicles are banned. That includes the busy Oxford Circus junction where Oxford Street and Regent Street cross.

Vehicles will still be able to cross at Duke Street (northbound only), Davies Street, Stratford place, Vere Street and New Bond Street (southbound only) and Holles Street and Harewood Place (northbound only). 

There will still be access for emergency vehicles, and for street cleaning and refuse collection at specified times of the day. 

What will happen to buses?  

Buses won’t be allowed to drive down the pedestrianised area and will have to be diverted. The bus routes that’ll be affected by the closure will be the 7, 94, 98, 139 and 390 and the N7, N98, N113, N137 and N207. Below are maps of the proposed reroutes. 

Will bikes be banned? 

Yes. Cycling won’t be allowed on the pedestrianised section of Oxford Street. Bikes will be rerouted down neighbouring streets like Wigmore Street, Henrietta Place or Margaret Street. 

 

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel. 

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

]]> Primary Author: Leonie Cooper Thu, 03 Sep 2026 13:35:18 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/borough-restaurants Content-Page-46865 Looking for a bite near Borough Market? Here’s a list of our favourite places to eat by London Bridge

Borough is known for having one of the best food markets in the world, but its also home to some seriously good restaurants as well as the brilliant market. The Borough Yards development – just next to this historic, edible wonderland – is where youll find some of the latest and greatest spots to have a sit-down feast, including west African restaurant Akara and southern Thai sensation, Plaza Khao Gaeng. If youre off to SE1 and your stomach is rumbling, then consult this list so you can hunt down our favourite spots for a fabulous feed, from contemporary Greek classics at Oma and Pyro, to pasta at Padella, classy French cuisine at Camille (our favourite London restaurant for 2026), and seafood at Applebees. 

RECOMMENDED: The best restaurants in London Bridge.

 is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our .

Read more]]> Primary Author: Eloise Feilden Thu, 03 Sep 2026 13:31:53 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/you-can-now-order-a-self-driving-taxi-in-london-090326 Content-Post-202174 Your next Uber could be driving itself, because tech company Wayve’s autonomous robotaxis are now licensed in London

So it looks like we’re officially living in the future, because self driving taxis are a thing now. Yep, you read that right, autonomous vehicles are no longer confined to movies like . And they’re coming to London’s streets.

On Thursday (September 3), tech company Wayve’s robotaxis were added to the Uber app, meaning Londoners can officially hire self-driving cabs for the first time. 

The news comes after the two companies officially got the green light from TfL last month to allow their modified Ford Mustangs (aka the futuristic whips in question) to be hired as private vehicles. 

You’ll be able to book rides and unlock the car doors through the Uber app. Taxis still come with a licensed human driver, whose job is to sit in the front seat and take the reins if required. As reported by the , the driver will introduce themselves before explaining that they won’t speak for the rest of the trip, although the passengers can ask them to take control of the vehicle if they prefer.

So far, only 15 driverless cars have been licensed in the capital, meaning the chance of you nabbing one of these futuristic rides is a long shot. But that number could increase in the long run, particularly considering that Google-owned Waymo and the Chinese company Baidu are also testing out robotaxis in the Big Smoke.

Fully driverless cabs are already in operation in other parts of the world including the US, China and the UAE. Still, it’ll likely be a while before fully autonomous taxis – ones without a safety driver – are on our roads. Approval needs to be granted by a separate process run by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, which is unlikely to happen in 2026. 

Did you see that HS2 has completed construction on the first six platforms of its Old Oak Common station?

Plus: London is set to get direct trains to Europe every 15 minutes.

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

]]> Leonie Cooper Thu, 03 Sep 2026 12:26:32 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/kismet Content-Venue-947869 A tasty Turkish-Cypriot takeover with impeccable dip game

There are many wonderful Turkish restaurants in London. There’s FM Mangal holding down the juicy meat-bread scene in Camberwell, Gokyuzu doing serious mixed grill business on Green Lanes and Durak Tantuni shifting heroic beef wraps on West Green Road. And that’s just the tip of the pide.

Tarama is whipped into a fluffy frenzy

Styled as a ‘meyhane’ - the raki-soaked Turkish equivalent of a provincial British gastropub with good food, good drinks, and the strong likelihood of banter - Kismet is the latest in a long line of impressive residencies upstairs at Borough Market’s Globe pub. Deftly, it bridges the gap between London’s old school Turkish institutions and the chichi Euro small-plates scene. Which makes sense, as it’s run by Dom Hamdy of the , the UK's first Michelin-starred Greek restaurant. If you want, you can gaze directly into Oma through the first floor balconies of Kismet, extremely handy if you’re plotting a tarama-slathered remake of .

So what does Kismet do differently from the rest of the London Turkish cohort? Well, not much, but that’s a good thing. If anything, the menu leans more Cypriot than most mangals (Mustafa’s family moved here from Cyprus in 1964 and the year is imprinted on neat branded plates) with fresh and herby, Levantine flavours and a little less bready stuff (the brimming basket of fluffy and oil-brushed ekmek aside). The room, which was previously home to Cambodian concept Barang and fiery Thai takeover Khao Bird, feels more like a proper restaurant than ever before. Its bare brick walls now covered with sepia family photos while vintage lace cafe curtains bring a proper nanna’s living room energy to the place. 

The set menu (£48 a head) seems to be the best and easiest way to go. It does however come with constant warnings not to fill up too early, and tonot add anything extra. It’s the opposite of upselling and we’re here for it. 

First, a bonanza of dips, and much like at Oma, this is where the place really impresses. Tarama is whipped into a light and fluffy frenzy, cacık is tangy and fresh, and strained yogurt atom is slit down the middle with a slasher flick worthy slit of chilli oil. Then a quirky little veg plate arrives, staged like a meal for someone in a Swiss detox camp; melon, radish, crisp cucumber wedges and olives. On its own? Nightmare fuel. As a counter to the creamy dips? Bliss. There are oily sliced runner beans too. And, of course, bouncy bread to mop it all up with. Resist the temptation to order more, even if the dip to bread ratio seems insane.  

Meanwhile, plates have been stacking up on the tables like complaints against Thames Water. ’This is where it gets difficult,’ says our server, against the odds a master of table Tetris. He lowers down a flawless wedge of honey and thyme-soaked hellim, that’s soft in the middle but crisp on the edges and, presumably, the first dish given to you as you enter Valhalla. Then comes some just-garlicky-enough and just-wet-enough wilted chard, dolloped with yogurt and chilli butter. Then, if you weren't already fit to bursting, it’s time for the main event of mangal-cooked meats. The lamb and beef kofte and chicken sis are good, but no better (or worse) than your average Green Lanes grillhouse. But what slap are fried Cypriot potatoes; chip-shaped roasties so darkly golden they must have been cooked at least four times (take that, Heston).

Turkish tea and a cube of flaky pistachio baklava hit the spot for pudding. We’ll be back, but we have to finish our bulging doggy bag first. 

The vibe A classy top-floor pub takeover. 

The food Turkish-Cypriot classics including serious dips and honey-drenched cheese.

The drink Off the booze? Score an Uludağ Gazoz fruit soda. If not, there’s good Turkish wine by the glass or bottle. 

The £48 set menu is an epic offering. Make sure you bag up and take the leftovers home - you won’t be the only ones. 

]]> Primary Author: India Lawrence Thu, 03 Sep 2026 11:22:57 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/andy-burnham-reveals-the-three-london-pubs-hell-always-love-090326 Content-Post-202163 The Prime Minister tells Time Out where he likes to booze in the capital

Prime Ministers: they’re just like us. 

In an interview with Time Out, Andy Burnham revealed his favourite watering holes in the capital. And it turns out that even the leader of the country can’t deny the pull of the affordable pint, as two of his chosen spots were a Wetherspoons and a Samuel Smith’s. 

‘I know London well and it’s a myth that I’m anti-London. I don’t think there’s a pub in London I’ve not been in,’ Burnham told Time Out. 

Want to know where the PM drinks? Here are three pubs in the capital he can’t live without. 

The Chandos, St Martin’s Lane 

‘The Chandos I always used to like because that was our meeting point whenever there was an [Everton FC] away game,’ Burnham said. 

Time Out’s food and drink editor Leonie Cooper weighed in: ‘Far be it from me to call the Prime Minister basic, but The Chandos isn’t exactly a leftfield pub choice. It’s not a terrible pub by any means (I was actually there last week, but sadly failed to score one of the prized window booths), but its Trafalgar Square adjacent location means it’s usually stacked with tourists endlessly umming and ahhing at the bar.

‘It’s also a Sam Smith’s pub. Is Andy Burnham subtly suggesting that he agrees with the chain’s (often ignored) phone ban? Or maybe he just likes the extremely convenient placement to an evening spent with the English National Opera at the London Coliseum next door.’

The Barking Dog, Barking  

This humble ‘Spoons next to Barking station closed down in 2022 to make way for a housing development, but not before the PM had a rager in there. 

‘I have a memory of a night out at the Barking Dog after an Everton West Ham match. That was memorable I can say for sure. I’ll probably get myself in trouble if I explain any more than that.’

In 2024 Wetherspoons said it was committed to reopening the pub, although no opening date has been revealed since then. 

The Dog House, Kennington

Andy Burnham named the Dog House as his number one drinking spot in the Big Smoke. The Victorian pub on Kennington Road is a famous former haunt of Morrissey, which is fitting for the PM who is a Smiths superfan. 

‘This place has been a bit of a go-to over the years. Me and my wife had our 30th birthday in the upstairs room there. 

‘It just has a relaxed middle of the week sort of feeling. It’s a bit homely and not too pretentious.’

The 50 best pubs in London, according to Time Out. 

et the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

]]> Primary Author: Eloise Feilden Thu, 03 Sep 2026 11:00:07 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/manna-standalone-burger-restaurant-marylebone-london-090326 Content-Post-202170 Arcade Food Hall smash burger stall Manna is opening its first standalone restaurant in Marylebone this month

Consider yourself a quarter pounder connoisseur? Are you a self-professed cheeseburger cognoscente? Then chances are you’ve heard of . Nestled within the bustling Arcade Food Hall on the ground floor of London’s Centre Point building, this spot has been cooking up hot smash, double patty and vegan versions of the classic meat-between-buns concept since 2022. 

And it’s earned a rep as a master of sloppy smash patties, claiming a place on Time Out’s list of London’s best burgers in 2026. Not bad for a humble food court stall, huh?

Now, Manna is moving up in the world, because the burger joint has just announced its first standalone restaurant in the Big Smoke. 

Opening at 54 James Street, the new Marylebone outpost will serve up Manna's full menu of burgers including the Double Manna and the Classic Smash, and signature sides including waffle fries. Plus, we can expect two new exclusive items to feature on the Marylebone menu. The first is a Manna-shaped twist on a classic English trifle with layers of strawberry milk-soaked sponge, fruit jelly, custard, whipped cream, sprinkles and a cherry on top. Next up? A classic American cola float, which will come in three flavours: vanilla, chocolate and cherry.

As for the decor, think 80s and 90s diner-style digs with space for alfresco seating out front. The new eatery will cater exclusively to walk-ins, so you might have to be speedy if you’re planning to nab a seat. 

The new standalone site opens on . It’ll join Arcade Food Hall’s three London locations in Tottenham Court Road, Covent Garden and Battersea Power Station, all of which serve up Manna’s famed meats, as well as another standalone site in Dubai which opened last year.

Did you see that these are the 15 best new London restaurants opening in September 2026?

Plus: one of London’s top gastropub kitchens is closing.

et the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

]]> Primary Author: Grace Clift Thu, 03 Sep 2026 10:51:38 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/denmark-street-is-getting-a-new-music-themed-hotel-by-universal-music-090326 Content-Post-202162 British music culture will be celebrated across the building, set to open this year

London’s iconic music street is set to become a whole lot more lively with a new themed hotel. 

For more than a century, Denmark Street has been a beacon for musicians, songwriters, artists and music fans. Known as Britain’s ‘Tin Pan Alley’, the tiny avenue became packed with recording studios, rehearsal rooms and guitar shops after a slew of headline names made it their regular haunt. 

Now, Universal Music Group and entertainment brand Outernet are opening a hotel in celebration of the area’s deep connection to British music culture – where acts like the Rolling Stones, David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix have written and recorded hits. 

There’s not long to wait – is set to open near the end of 2026 as the brand’s first hotel in the UK. It launches alongside a number of music-focused experiences across the district, including food and beverage ‘concepts’, lounge spaces and more Universal-signed acts at Outernet’s grassroots live music venue, The Lower Third. 

Jordi Solé, the president of UMusic Hospitality & Lifestyle (UMHL), said: ‘We are incredibly proud to be part of its next chapter. Together with Outernet, we have the opportunity to honor that legacy by creating hospitality and cultural experiences that inspire discovery, support emerging artists, and ensure this remarkable destination continues to shape the future of music for generations to come.’

UMHL has created one other music-themed hotel in Europe: the UMusic Hotel Madrid. Based on that hotel’s facilities, Londoners can expect deco and pop art depicting iconic musicians, Bluetooth speakers in the rooms and perhaps even a piano bar. Rooms there start at around £160 per night, not including breakfast. 

The UMusic Hotel Madrid also has a rooftop bar – though Spain’s weather may be better suited for that particular amenity. An onsite theatre is a standout feature of Madrid’s music hotel, but was already a recognised historic building of cultural interest on the site. Even so, UK visitors can expect entertainment to be central to the UMusic hotel experience. 

Solé added: ‘Denmark Street holds a special place in music history. For decades, it has been a place where artists found their voice, creativity flourished, and music culture took shape.’

The Rolling Stones recorded at Regent Sound Studios at 4 Denmark Street (which will soon reopen after decades of silence) while Elton John and Bernie Taupin wrote ‘Your Song’ on the rooftop of No. 20 Denmark Street. David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, The Kinks, Donovan, the Sex Pistols: all of them frequented the area. 

Now, this rich musical legacy will be immortalised by one of the UK’s leading music companies, in a hotel to remember. Perhaps it might even draw in a famous guest or two. 

ICYMI: Time Out’s ultimate guide to Bon Jovi at Wembley Stadium this weekend.

London is getting a two-day Dolly Parton music festival.

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

]]> Primary Author: Eloise Feilden Thu, 03 Sep 2026 10:00:44 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/bon-jovi-london-wembley-2026-seating-map-090326 Content-Post-202157 Jon Bon Jovi and co have one more show at London’s biggest stadium. Here’s everything you need to know about Wembley

New Jersey-born rock band Bon Jovi have a long history with north London’s Wembley Stadium. The hitmakers behind bangers like ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ were the last act to headline the original Wembley Stadium, in 2000, before its demolition. 

Jon Bon Jovi and co graced its new digs once more in 2019 for the This House Is Not For Sale Tour, but, before last Friday, it had been seven years since we heard the words to ‘It's My Life’ booming from the speakers. 

Luckily, the band are now back, and returned to Wembley this month for the London leg of the Forever Tour. Now they’ve got just one more show here to go. Off to see Bon Jovi on the final night at the stadium? Here’s your ultimate guide to the venue, from Wembley’s seating plan for the tour to total capacity information.

Bon Jovi at London Wembley Stadium 2026: stage times, last-minute tickets and ultimate guide.

Wembley Stadium seating plan for Bon Jovi

According to Ticketmaster, the seating map for the Forever Tour in London is as follows:

Pitch standing is split into ‘gold circle’, which wraps around the stage, offering the closest possible view of the performances, and general admission. 

The rest of Wembley’s tiers are split as they usually are for concerts, with three levels. Level 1 is the lower level of seating and pitch. Level 2 is for the middle hospitality tickets (also known as ‘Club Wembley’). Level 5 is all seating above that middle tier.

What’s Wembley Stadium’s capacity?

Wembley Stadium’s concert capacity varies depending on how the stage is set up, but the maximum generally ranges from 75,000 to 90,000 people seated and up to 25,000 people standing. That’s a lot of fans belting the chorus to ‘You Give Love a Bad Name’. 

The most famous concerts at Wembley Stadium

It’s safe to say that a fair few music legends have taken to the stage at both the OG Wembley Stadium and the current one, which opened back in 2007. This summer’s line-up has included icons like Harry Styles and Bruno Mars, with other music stars like Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and Oasis packing the stands in recent years too. 

Here’s a list of just some of the legendary former headliners that have graced the boards at Wembley:

Last-minute tickets for Bon Jovi at Wembley

Haven’t snagged your tickets to the Forever Tour in London? Don’t fret, because you can still cop some on Ticketmaster for £61. Plus, resale sites like Stubhub and Viagogo are offering options for just £50.

If you click through to buy tickets in this article, Time Out may receive commission from the booking partner. This comes at absolutely no extra cost to you and helps fund our journalism. Thanks for supporting what we do!

Did you see that Olivia Rodrigo’s The Unraveled Tour is coming to London in 2027? Here's how to get £20 ‘Silver Star’ tickets.

Plus: the 15 best London concerts and gigs in September 2026 you can still get tickets to?

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel. 

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

]]> Primary Author: Amy Houghton Thu, 03 Sep 2026 09:56:00 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/wimbledon-2027-ticket-ballot-now-open-how-to-enter-090326 Content-Post-202150 Here’s how you can be in with a chance of getting tickets for Wimbledon 2027

Wimbledon needs no introduction. The prestigious tennis tournament will be 150 years old next summer and will see the likes of Jannik Sinner, Naomi Osaka, Linda Noskova and Carlos Alcaraz battling it out on the iconic grass courts. 

More than 40,000 tennis fans flood into the Wimbledon grounds on each day of the competition. Many of them are running on about three hours of sleep after spending all night in the infamous Wimbledon queue, but a handful are lucky enough to get their tickets months in advance thanks to the Wimbledon public ballot.  

Now is your chance to be among the latter next year. The public ballot for the Wimbledon Champions 2027 is now open. Here’s what you need to know if you want to get advance tickets for the tournament next summer.  

The next edition of the Championships is taking place from.

When does the ballot open? 

The public ballot for Wimbledon is open right now. It went live on Tuesday September 1. 

How to register for Wimbledon tickets

First, you’ve got to create a myWimbledon account on the Wimbledon website. Then you can enter the ballot for a maximum of two tickets per household (it won’t let two people at the same address apply for four tickets between them). 

It’s not possible to request tickets for specific dates. Once the ballot is closed, ticket winners will be chosen at random. It doesn’t make a difference how early you apply. Enter the ballot here.

When does the Wimbledon ballot close?

The Wimbledon Public Ballot for 2027 will close on . 

How much will tickets cost?

The price of tickets depends on the court, the day of the tournament and where your seats are. The cheapest are grounds passes which are £35 during the first week then gradually drop to £22 in the second week. 

Centre Court seats range from £85 to £130 on the opening day of the tournament and then rise incrementally throughout the fortnight to between £255 and £400 for seats in the finals.

Tickets for No.1 Court begin at £75 on the first day, increasing to a peak of £270 on days nine and ten, and then dropping back down to a starting price of £40 by the last day.For No.2 Court and No.3 Court, tickets start at £60 on day one and rise up to £95 on day six.

What is the likelihood of getting a ticket? 

The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) doesn’t disclose the number of applications it receives annually but it’s estimated that around one in 10 people who enter the ballot manage to get tickets. 

How to get a Wimbledon 2027 ticket on the day

If you don’t get lucky in the ballot, there is another opportunity to get tickets. You’ll just have to wake up really, really early on your preferred day of the tournament and join the queue in Wimbledon Park. 

If you want to get a show court ticket, you’re looking at spending 12-24 hours in the queue, even in the first week of the tournament. But if you’re not prepared to wait that long, you can join a little later and grab yourself a cheaper ground pass; it gets you access to all courts except the show courts.

We advise getting to Southfields or Wimbledon Park tube station on the first train to be in the queue by 5.30am. That should get you inside by 10.30am. Read all of our top tips here. 

ICYMI: How to get tickets to see the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum. 

Plus: London is getting a two-day Dolly Parton music festival. 

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox. 

]]> Primary Author: Leonie Cooper Thu, 03 Sep 2026 09:43:12 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/restaurants-in-soho-london Content-Page-40457 Soho is the glorious epicentre of London’s incredible culinary scene - here are its 50 best places to eat

We're constantly keeping an eye on this Top 50 list to make sure it's up to scratch, and with so many new restaurant openings in and around Soho, that means regularly adding new places and removing those that might have failed to deliver on our last visit. Recent additions include gastropub The Shaston Arms, the exceptional Impala, rowdy Osteria Vibrato, plush Japanese joint Moi, northern Spanish grill Alta, and the third outing for Peckham-born small plates spot Forza Wine, as well as a new branch of YeYe's Noodle & Dumpling in what was once legendary goth pub The Intrepid Fox, London's third branch of Padella and handroll bar Kumori.  

The best restaurants in Soho at a glance:

There’s honestly nowhere in the world like Soho. The haunt of poets, gangsters, trendsetters and many a louche genius, the seedy, sleazy and impossibly romantic heart of London’s West End is also home to loads of great independent shops, cafés, bars and, most importantly, restaurants. Its culinary diversity has been fuelled by centuries of immigration and cultural cross-pollination. From rustic French fare to iconic Italian dishes and tasty tapas, here is Time Out’s list of our absolute favourite Soho restaurants. Whether you fancy a slap-up meal or are just in the market for a mid-town pitstop, we have you covered. 

RECOMMENDED: Here are London’s best restaurants.

 is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor and spends so much time eating in Soho that she basically lives on Greek Street. For more about how we curate, see our .

The hottest new openings, the tastiest tips, the spiciest reviews: we’re serving it all on our London restaurants WhatsApp channel. Follow us now.

Read more]]> India Lawrence Thu, 03 Sep 2026 09:32:05 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/rua Content-Venue-947868 A creative coffee bar in Holloway

Rua is the kind of place that will give the high-tech coffee houses of Melbourne a run for their money, which is to say if you’re someone who likes your pours concocted as precisely as they would be in a chemist’s lab, then head here.

Their expert brewers tinker behind the counter with speciality roasts (there’s a wide selection of beans to choose from) and Aeropresses, but they also have fun with it. As well as the classics, Rua operates a seasonal menu and pours cold brew slushies, cold brew tonics and mont blancs (cold brew with orange, vanilla and cold foam) in the summer. Their iced latte is frothy and fruity, while the weighty kimchi and cheese toasty comes with a generous, gooey filling stuffed inside fresh sourdough.

Set under some spacious railway arches behind Holloway Road station, there’s plenty of space for both workers and the computer-averse as Rua sets up laptop-free tables littered with magazines and books.

Visit on weekends for their legendary breakfast burritos. 

]]> Primary Author: Amy Houghton Thu, 03 Sep 2026 08:05:43 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/best-free-things-to-do-september-4-6-2026-090326 Content-Post-202057 Head to the southeast of the city for an abundance of free films, theatre, live music shows and markets

Whether you’ve been out of education for two years or 20, it’s hard to grow out of the idea that September is the start of a new year, a perfect opportunity for a reset. Post-summer, you’re probably thinking about getting back into a regimented routine, drinking a bit less and saving some cash. We can help with that last part. 

Saving money doesn’t have to mean staying in. Even now that the weather has started to turn, it’s really not difficult to find free stuff to do in London. Beyond the incredible free museums and galleries that our city is famous for, most weekends bring an array of cultural events that won’t cost a thing. Case in point: the next three days. 

The start of September is a particularly packed one for southeast London. Southwark and Greenwich will both be brimming with free theatre, dance performances, film screenings and live music. There’s also a fair at a magnificent cemetery in southwest and an exciting bike race in the east. Read on for a closer look at all the best free things going in London from Friday to Sunday. 

The best free things to do in London this weekend [September 4-6 2026]

The final weekend of Greenwich and Docklands International Festival is also the most stacked. At Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park catch five male dancers doing breakdance, capoeira and contemporary moves across benches in or a troupe of dancers performing a fusion of Gujarati folk dance and modern choreography in Garbh. In Thamesmead, enter a two-part immersive storytelling experience that guides you through a woodland glade, and in East Ham see puppetry and performance inspired by South Asian street markets with Kismat Wallah. The festival will reach its climax with a magnificent finale event in General Gordon Square on Sunday in which local dance groups will come together for a huge 90-minute flashmob (practise your moves, the audience may be roped in, too). 

Various locations. Until Sun Sept 6. Free. 

Though it’s the final resting place of more than 200,000 people (including the revolutionary Emmeline Pankhurst and the pioneering Dr John Snow, who proved cholera spread through water), the 186-year-old Brompton Cemetery is bursting with life. It’s home to over 135 species of plants, making for a gorgeous afternoon walk on any given weekend. But this Sunday, the site will burst with even more life for the Friends of Brompton Cemetery Open Day. Visitors will also be able to browse craft stalls, listen to storytelling and beat poetry performances, greet birds of prey and admire the hive of Brompton bees. If you have £10 to spare, take the rare opportunity to tour around the cemetery’s atmospheric catacombs, which only open to the public three times a year. 

Brompton Cemetery, Fulham Road, SW10 9UG. Sun Sept 6. Free. 

Forget how fast someone can pedal, what’s missing from normal cycling events is a test of how quickly athletes are able to unfold a collapsible bike. But not at the Brompton World Championships. Over 750 people will compete in this one-day competition in east London, starting the race by running to their bike and unfolding it with (they hope) effortless ease, then zipping around Lee Valley's velodrome for five laps. There's also a relay race in which participants are strongly encouraged to don fancy dress. Entering the championships costs £17.50 but you don’t fancy riding, spectating is free and will be a blast too. Beyond the races, guests can check out demos and test rides, merch, bike folding competitions, workshops and entertainment throughout the day.

Lee Valley Velopark, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, E20 3EL. Sat Sept 5. Free. 

From marching bands and Balkan beats to jazz, funk, Afrobeat and everything in between, Brassworks is a celebration of brass music at a venue which has the instruments in its DNA: Woolwich was home to the legendary Arsenal artillery bands and now to the National Youth Jazz Orchestra (NYJO). Expect live performances throughout the day and workshops, all of which will change your perception of what brass music can be. This year, look out for the Kongo Dia Ntotila, Balkan brass group Balkanatics, and a performance by the National Youth Jazz Orchestra paying homage to Miles Davis, DJ BobaFatt, as well as a community kazoo parade. 

11 No 1 St, Royal Arsenal, SE18 6HD. Sat Sept 5. Free.

 

This community festival is back, taking over unusual local indoor and outdoor venues across south east London to screen feature films for kids and adults, artists' film and video and archive footage. This weekend’s highlights include a spooky screening of  in Nunhead Cemetery (Sep 5) and a short film night at PeckhamPlex (Sep 5). Look out also for showings of  at weird and wonderful venues. 

Various venues. Until Sun Sept 13. Free. 

Between the Bridges on Southbank will be taken over by more than 60 independent brands. You can get your Christmas shopping done early or simply enjoy browsing the jewellery, art, homeware on display. Got a phone case, a lighter or a pair of sunglasses that could benefit from a bit of sparkle? Bring them along – there’ll be a free bedazzling workshop between 12pm and 3pm in which you can cover them with multicoloured gems. There’s also a treasure hunt with a small prize up for grabs – just pick up a clue sheet and solve them as you meander through the market. 

Between the Bridges, The Queen's Walk, SE1 8XX. Sat Sept 5. Free. 

et the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

]]> Primary Author: Andrzej Lukowski Wed, 02 Sep 2026 17:07:00 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/jonathan-bailey-ariana-grande-will-not-star-in-sunday-in-the-park-with-george-at-the-barbican-090226 Content-Post-186946 The prestige Sondheim musical will go ahead but without either of its originally advertised leads

UPDATE: Ariana Grande has withdrawn from the production and all other public appearances following the conclusion of her current world tour, which probably partly explains why the May onsale date for Sunday in the Park with George never materialised. Jonathan Bailey will remain in what is, after all, the lead role, with further casting TBA: expect it to stay a hot ticket but probably not as crazily as it would have been, which is probably no bad thing from from POV of a Londoner trying to get tickets. It’s now due to go on sale in the autumn.

FURTHER UPDATE: Jonathan Bailey has now also quit Sunday in the Park with George, following a vague Instagram post in which he affirmed his love for both Arianna Grande and the show’s director Marianne Elliott. This is certainly a plot twist and no mistake, and leaves a production that was once hinged on its superstar Wicked leads now having no superstar Wicked leads. Fortunately no tickets had been sold and dates had only been vaguely set so there’s plenty of time to pull it back with new casting. Is Jake Gyllenhaal busy, we wonder?

Hardcore musical theatre nerds may remember that in 2020 we were due to get a transfer of the Jake Gyllenhaal-starring Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim’s 1984 classic Sunday in the Park with George. If you’re unfamiliar, it’s a typically virtuosic work by the late genius that was inspired by the pointillist painter Georges Seurat's work A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, and follows a fictionalised version of the artist plus – years later – his cynical great grandson. 

Long story short, if the Gyllenhaal version hadn’t got gazumped by the pandemic it’s unlikely that Sunday in the Park with George would come back around so soon. But it did, and so the coast is clear for lovers Jonathan Bailey and Ariana Grande to reunite as leads of a fresh production directed by Marianne Elliott, with design by Tom Scutt, that’ll run at the Barbican… next summer.

That’s pretty much all we know for now, though it’s worth flagging up the fact that Elliott directed Bailey in an absolutely tremendous production of Sondheim’s back in 2018, so the omens are extremely good. His stage CV is rather longer than hers, but she did do a couple of shows in the US pre-popstardom and it’s actually quite thrilling to get her stage debut as a massive star. 

As possibly the most musical theatre thing to have ever happened it’s clearly going to be enormously popular – one can imagine Americans might try and get involved – so while there’s a long time until it runs, you can mark May in your diaries is the time tickets go on sale (and they probably won’t stick around long).

Sunday in the Park with George will run at the Barbican Centre summer 2027. Tickets go on sale in May 2026. You can sign up for more information about the on sale here. 

The best new London theatre shows to book for in 2026.

I went to the new Punchdrunk show and here’s what I’m allowed to tell you.

]]> Primary Author: Beril Naz Hassan Secondary Author: Time Out London Food & Drink Wed, 02 Sep 2026 14:46:12 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/londons-best-turkish-restaurants Content-Page-107079 From flavour-packed mezes and sizzling kebabs to dreamy pastries, this is the finest of the capital's Turkish food scene

The first Turkish settlers in the UK arrived in the 16th century, after Queen Elizabeth I built an allyship with the Ottoman Empire. Since then, London has embraced Turkish cuisine with open arms. From elegant restaurants and Michelin-recommended eateries to humbler grill spots, the essence of Türkiye’s culinary heritage thrives in the capital. Our favourites stand out thanks to their thoughtful sourcing of fresh ingredients, dedication to constructing dishes from scratch, and commitment to what sits at the very heart of Turkish culture: generous hospitality. The history of modern-day Türkiye is a captivating saga that has witnessed the rise and fall of many civilisations, including the Byzantines, Seljuks, and Ottomans. Given the centuries of culinary exchange it witnessed, it’s no surprise that Turkish cuisine mirrors the nation’s diverse heritage. As a foodie who has spent half of her life in Türkiye and the other in London, here are the very best Turkish restaurants in the capital, ranging from Green Lanes heroes and Soho gems to east London powerhouses.

RECOMMENDED: The 50 Best Restaurants in London. 

Beril Naz Hassan is a British journalist with Turkish and Cypriot heritage. After living in Türkiye for over a decade, Beril returned to London, where she writes about food, travel and lifestyle.

Read more]]> Primary Author: Grace Clift Wed, 02 Sep 2026 13:52:44 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/monument-visitor-centre-090226 Content-Post-202085 An exhibition about the Great Fire of London could make the City of London landmark even more of a must-visit attraction

  – you know, that tall, climbable stone column in the City made to commemorate the Great Fire of – could soon get its first ever proper visitor centre. The memorial currently only has a small entrance and a ticket desk, but that all might be about to change.

As revealed by , the demolition of a nearby office block will make space for a potential visitor centre at the ground floor of the Monument. Inside the centre is set to be an exhibition about the Great Fire and its aftermath, as well as a cafe. 

The Great Fire of London started 202 feet from the current base of the Monument in 1666. Sparked by a baker, the fire quickly spread and destroyed 86 percent of the City. The rebuild, which was led by Sir Christopher Wren, took nearly 50 years. Wren created the Monument alongside Dr Robert Hooke in the 1670s. 

A whopping 200,000 people climb the Monument’s 311 spiral steps each year for one of the most iconic aerial views in the Square Mile. Dame Mary Beard it ‘one of the most lasting memorials to a disaster ever.’

A new visitor centre could draw in even more human traffic to the staircase. If plans are approved, construction is set to start next year. 

50 best attractions in London for 2026.

Two dazzling London buildings are in Time Out’s 2026 list of the most beautiful places in the UK

The Bayeux Tapestry exhibition opens in London next week 

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

]]> Primary Author: Grace Clift Wed, 02 Sep 2026 13:32:54 GMT

https://www.timeout.com/london/news/london-dungeon-halloween-2026-mummy-show-090226 Content-Post-202077 Follow the ‘Curse of the Mummy’ in the Dungeon’s 2026 Halloween show – which is based on a terrifyingly true story

Are you brave enough to come face-to-face with a vengeful mummy? This year’s Halloween show will bring you under the deadly curse of a loo roll-wrapped fiend – if you can stomach it. 

From October 17 to November 1, visitors will be transported into the spooky tale of the. Based on a terrifying true story, guests will become immersed in 1880s London across three theatrical shows. Actors playing real historical figures, including the Victorian clairvoyant Madame Helena Blavatsky, will help guests uncover the chilling truth behind the tale – and find out why some tombs are best left undisturbed. 

Why is the Dungeon doing a thing about mummies? Well, during the Victorian era, the city’s elite was throwing its money into Egyptomania and started importing Egyptian mummies to the capital. According to myth, trouble began when four young English travellers took home the ‘Unlucky Mummy’ after visiting the mummy pits of Deir el-Bahri in Egypt.

Halloween in London 2026.

The travellers’ fates were sealed after crossing paths with the cursed corpse, and disaster followed. One was accidentally shot and lost his arm, another suffered financial ruin, while others died in poverty or mysteriously disappeared. As each owner rid themselves of the body, the next was doomed to a treacherous fate. 

Last year, the London Dungeon brought in Dracula for a blood-curdling Halloween adventure. Eerie soundscapes and decaying graveyards made for the backdrop of a thrilling gothic tale, complete with Dracula himself. The year before was centred around a séance, with levitations and live actors giving visitors a taste of the occult. 

Catherine Pritchard, general manager for the London Dungeon said about ‘Curse of the Mummy’: ‘This Halloween, it’s a curse we're up against. The Curse of the Mummy has been blamed for ruination and death so naturally, we thought let's bring it to the London Dungeon this Halloween. 

‘Guests will come face to face with Victorian London's darkest obsession – ancient Egypt, the occult, and a mummy that really doesn’t like being disturbed. You’ll be so scared you’ll want your mummy!’

The ‘Curse of the Mummy’ show is included within London Dungeon tickets between October 17 and November 1 2026. Advance booking tickets start from £29 for adults and £23.50 for children. Book tickets . 

30 ways to feel like a big kid in London

The Bayeux Tapestry exhibition opens in London next week 

Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.

Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

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