Amy Houghton

Manchester’s well-known for its belting nightlife, brilliant cultural venues and of course, its offering of football. But heading to the pub in the afternoon isn’t everyone’s cup of tea – sometimes you want something a little classier, a little more genteel.  Thankfully, Manchester has a splendid pick of afternoon teas, from pan-asian inspired nibbles and seats with dazzling city views to your classic jam and cream (or cream and jam) scones. Whatever your preference, you’ll most definitely be catered for, so here are the very best afternoon teas in Manchester.  📍 Discover Time Out's ultimate guide to Manchester At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

July 2026: If you’ve had the pleasure of strolling down Exmouth Market recently, you’ll know the historic Clerkenwell strip is the buzziest pedestrianised street in London, full of al-fresco fun, convivial pintspeople and sidewalk tapas as far as the eye can see. Which is pretty much all down to the new Number 1 in our list of the best bars in London. Congratulations are due to Cafe Kick, the breezy Euro-chic sports bar about to celebrate 30 years of tricking your brain into thinking you’re on holiday. The rest of our Top 50 features bars old and new, posh and divey, and cheap and pricey, but all of them with great drinks and an unparalleled vibe. Fancy a drink? You’ve come to the right place. This is Time Out’s list of best bars in London, our curated guide to London’s drinking scene, which features the greatest bars in the capital right now. These are the places we’d recommend to a friend, because we love drinking in them and have done many times over. From classy cocktail counters to delightful dives, sleek hotel bars, rooftop bars and places to sip wine, London’s got them all. You’ll find historic drinking holes here as well as brand new openings. But what makes a truly good bar? Our critieria is simple; a menu of great drinks is important, but so is the overall energy of the place – there’s no point having the perfect paloma if you have to drink it in a bar that smells of bin juice. To make it into our Top 50, a bar has to be fun, friendly, convivial and inclusive, as we

As the August sun sets on the river in front of us, heavy bass is reverberating off the 330-year-old limestone walls of the Old Royal Naval College in southeast London. Formerly Greenwich Palace, this UNESCO Heritage Site witnessed the births of King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I, Lord Nelson’s lying-in-state and William Shakespeare’s theatrical performances. Today, tens of thousands of revellers have swarmed the grounds to see it-girl DJ Peggy Gou headline the second annual edition of Labyrinth on the Thames. RECOMMENDED: Europe’s best music festivals Photography by Sienna Lorraine Gray | Labyrinth EventsPeggy Gou at the Old Royal Naval College, London The Naval College is one of the latest (and youngest) in an ever-growing lineup of heritage and protected sites around the world hosting dance music festivals. The concept isn’t entirely new, but there has been a notable surge over the past five years. This summer, Italian party organisers Aura launched a festival at the Parco Archeologico di Segesta, a protected archaeological park near Castellammare del Golfo in Sicily. There’s also been Stone Techno Festival at the nineteenth-century Zollverein coal mine industrial complex in Essen, Germany; the BSH Festival inside the 2,000-year-old Pula Arena in Croatia; Black Coffee at the 700-year-old Buda Castle, Hungary; Fort X Festival at the fifteenth-century Mokrice Castle and Qixi festival inside the 466-year-old Yu Garden.  In many cases, these historic venues in all their

There's something so deeply joyful about shopping at a market. When you're buying from people who're passionate about their wares, the familiar business of picking up supplies becomes a treat, not a chore. Why chain yourself to a supermarket trolley when you could be strolling past stalls piled high with lovingly-sourced cheeses, gleaming fruit and homemade cakes? Why hunt for an unimaginative chain store gift for your bestie when you could give them painstakingly crafted trinket they won't see anywhere else? As a lifelong Londoner, I've never been able to resist the lure of this city's markets. If I'm in London Bridge, I'll stop into Borough Market for a quick chai and pastry. If I want a dose of Paddington Bear nostalgia I'll head to storied Portobello Road. If I want to feel bad about my fashion choices, I'll wander down Broadway Market alongside this city's fittest and trendiest denizens. And if I want to take my life into my own hands, I'll make for Camden Market on a Saturday afternoon in search of whatever viral snack the teens are obsessing over this week. London's best markets are full of local flavour, and each will have its own specialities. Pick up muddy, delicious veg at a farmers’ market, try out new looks at a fashion market, consume the latest trends in street food or rifle through crates of antique gems. Whichever you opt for, you'll be supporting the little guy by buying from small businesses that really care about what they're selling.  London’s best market

There are few things that we’d willingly brave the chill for during winter in London. But ice skating is one of them. From early November each year, ice rinks decked out with towering Christmas trees and twinkly fairy lights start to fill London’s squares and courtyards, hosting everything from DJ takeovers and kids’ skating lessons to date nights and family outings over the festive period. Pretty soon you’ll get to pretend you’re in a festive London rom-com, as you romantically glide (or awkwardly stumble) with your loved ones under the gaze of landmarks like Somerset House, Battersea Power Station and Hampton Court Palace.  Keen to flaunt your best ice moves? Determined to skate at least one lap without clinging onto the wall for dear life? We recommend you book a spot at your chosen rink as early as you can. Here are the best rinks in London for the 2026/27 season. We’ll be adding more as they’re announced.  How much does it cost to go ice skating? The cost to skate at London’s various permanent and pop-up ice rinks varies quite significantly. Last year’s cheapest option is Queens Skate Dine and Bowl, where adult tickets are available from £8 (during off-peak hours). But some skating sessions can be as much as £25-£37. For cheaper tickets, consider visiting at less popular times.  London’s best places to go ice skating this winter: ⛸️ Best for the biggest rink in town: Winter Wonderland, Hyde Park 💃 Best for ice dance parties: Somerset House, Aldwych 🏛️ Best for south

From Arts and Crafts and the pre-Raphaelites through to pop art and the YBAs, the UK has borne several of the planet’s most important visual movements. Fitting, therefore, that we’ve also got a world-leading roster of galleries. But these institutions don’t just show off British art: between them they boast a truly formidable collection of global art. You name a major artist – yep, any artist – it’s pretty much a dead cert that a UK gallery exhibits their work. Better yet, the UK’s finest art galleries are diverse in purpose and spread evenly across the land. You’ll find all sorts of exhibition spaces in major cities, sure, but there are also arty gems in smaller towns, alongside attractions ranging from blustery seaside enclaves in Scotland to dazzling sculpture gardens in Cornwall. To top it all off, plenty are free to visit.  When putting together Time Out’s guide to the best art galleries in the UK, we didn’t just take into account which places have the biggest names. We also wanted to spotlight the boldest programming and our favourite curators, as well as pick out galleries that feel like a spectacle. After all, art is even more special when you’re viewing it within another piece of art. Art-ception, if you like.  The vast majority of the list below features art galleries outside London (for the capital’s top art destinations, see this list). And if you’re looking for non-art attractions, you can find Time Out’s guide to the best museums in the UK here. RECOMMENDED: 📍

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

We’re firmly past 2026’s halfway point and it’s already been a stacked year for excellent new music. The race for song of the summer is a packed field, big-name pop titans – Olivia Rodrigo, Madonna – have delivered lauded albums and there’s been a formidable number of breakout bands. 2026’s end-of-year round-ups are already looking like contentious business indeed.  Looking to inject something new into your mid-year listening habits? Time Out’s music geeks have got together to put together a list of the albums we’ve loved so far in 2026. Raving dance-pop, grotty death metal, stratospheric jazz-funk, paranoid techno, the year’s biggest pop records… whatever’s your jam, you’ll find it here.  Read on for the best albums of 2026 as of July, according to Time Out editors and contributors (they’re in alphabetical order – you’ll have to wait until the end of the year for the definitive ranking). RECOMMENDED: The 10 songs of the summer for 2026.

We never thought we’d say it, but this summer’s never-ending heatwave has got us dreaming of cooler days and chilly nights cosied up with a hot bev and wool blanket. There are still a few months to go before autumn hits, but that doesn’t mean it’s too soon to start planning how we’ll spend it.    For some, it’s is all about spooky season, for others it’s about candle-lit evenings in front of the telly with a steaming mug of hot chocolate. For others, it’s about pumpkins galore – a golden excuse to get picking, carving and cooking. If you fall into that final category, you’re in the right place.  As the weather drops, farms in and around London become gourd wonderlands, littered with bright yellow and flaming orange pumpkins. Often there’ll be photo opportunities, craft workshops and spooky goings on thrown in so you can make a real outing of it. Just make sure you book in advance to make sure you get a decent pick of the crop. So, whether you want to stock up on pumpkins to carve into Halloween lanterns or to make masses of soup and pies, here are our favourite places near London for pumpkin picking in 2026.  London’s best places for pumpkin picking at a glance: 🎃 Pumpkin smashing fun: Rogate Pumpkin Patch, Petersfield 🪄 Magical village vibes: Marsh Farm, Chelmsford 🧙🏻‍♀️ Best for witches on a budget: Cobbs Farm, Essex ⚡️ Best for little adventure-seekers: Hobbledown Heath, Hounslow   

The UK is a glorious place to eat, drink and generally be merry. Sure, there are loads of great restaurants in London, but there are hundreds more across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; ones where you’ll make napkin-stained memories that you’ll carry with you for the rest of your life. Especially if you head to Cumbria, which is home to the most Michelin stars in the UK outside of the capital. But as well as the diner’s paradise that is the Lake District, here is where else you need to head in order to sample some of the finest food and downright transcendent restaurant experiences the UK has to offer.  The best restaurants in the UK at a glance: 💸 The best for a big budget blow-out: Ynyshir, Ceredigion. 🧆 The best for vegetarians: Queen of Cups, Glastonbury. 🐚 The best for a seaside getaway: The Sportsman, Whitstable. 🥧 The best for experimental foodies: Osip, Somerset. RECOMMENDED: The best things to do in the UK. Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

The final stretch of 2026 is upon us, and London is looking mighty festive in the run-up to Christmas. The skies are be sparkling with Christmas lights, the capital’s venues are filling up with Christmas pantos and carol services, and the streets are lined with colourful Christmas markets and twinkling trees. Plus, there are the ice-skating rinks, the winter pop-ups and the chilly winter walks followed by cosy pub hangouts. And that’s before we even get on to New Year’s Eve!  Here’s our guide to the finest events, parties, cultural happenings and things to do in London over December 2026.  RECOMMENDED: Time Out’s definitive London events calendar.

Our feet are sore, our lungs are full of dust, and our noses are well and truly sunburnt. But festival season isn’t quite over yet. This summer Londoners have been absolutely spoilt for choice when it came to fezzies. The August bank holiday closed the summer holidays with a bang, with festivals in London headlined by Blood Orange, Tyler, The Creator and Maribou State. But if you missed all that, fear not, you’ve still got a chance to catch some big names this September as well as at a smattering of indoor events taking us through to next year.  Have a scroll through our comprehensive guide – which we keep meticulously updated with all the latest line-up announcements – and see what takes your fancy. RECOMMENDED: ⛺ The best UK music festivals🌍 The best festivals in Europe

You can spot Past Trash by the intense red vinyl benches parked on the pavement outside. This boutique was born on Depop in 2015 and after stints in Covent Garden and Peckham, it launched on Dray Walk in Shoreditch in 2025. Bright and spacious, the space is a dream to navigate. Find a beautifully arranged assortment of whimsical glasses, vases, bottle openers and bookends alongside a masterful curation of vintage jewellery and men and women’s garms. Comb through the colour-coded rails on the right day and you may come across preloved Vivienne Westwood, Robert Cavalli or John Galliano.

Shepherd’s Bush feels like an unlikely home for the British entertainment industry. But sure enough, it’s where Charlie Chaplin performed in the early stages of his career, where The Who used to regularly rehearse and where major film and TV studios have lived, most notably, of course, the BBC.  Hotel Indigo K West sits inside one of those former studios. BBC’s Kensington House was where major stars would go for recording sessions – we’re talking the likes of David Bowie, Bob Marley, Amy Winehouse and Jimi Hendrix. Those days are long gone now, and the building has been a hotel since 2001. It closed in 2023 in order to undergo a multimillion pound transformation by IHG and reopened earlier this year as Hotel Indigo London K West.  The previous hotel here was loudly done out in garish metallics, fringed chandeliers and swish furnishings. Its new look is, thankfully, much less aggressive.  To deck out the new and improved abode, IHG enlisted the help of art consultancy Art Story (whose other recent credentials include 1 Hotel Copenhagen, Great Scotland Yard Hotel and Treehouse Hotel Manchester). The result is a far more tasteful look and a reassuring sense that this place, though immaculate, doesn’t take itself too seriously.  You’ll find K West down a residential street,  a stone’s throw from Shepherd’s Bush Station, but far away enough that you’re wholly undisturbed by the hub’s notorious chaos.  What are the rooms like?  Hotel Indigo’s seven floors (floor three is at ground

Step onto the pebbles of Folkestone Beach and it won’t be long before your eyes catch the gleaming white, wave-like behemoth that stands on its western side. That’s Shoreline, a fancy new block of 84 apartments, duplexes and penthouses, completed back in 2024. Most of those apartments are on sale right now for upwards of £375k, but there are two reserved for anyone staying in Folkestone for a short foray.  The View at Shoreline is an incredibly sleek, tastefully furnished self-catered townhouse, ideal for a foursome of friends or two couples. If you’re after somewhere conveniently located with splendid vistas, you won’t get much better.  What’s it like inside The View at Shoreline?  You’ve got five storeys at your disposal. On the ground floor, which has a front door opening directly onto the beach, you’ll find the smaller of the two double bedrooms (facing directly out onto the beach) and a separate little bathroom. Skip the basement – it’s empty save for some deckchairs and beachy bits. Upstairs is where things get a bit more exciting. The spacious kitchen with its wooden finishings has every bit of equipment you could ask for (including a Nespresso coffee machine) and more storage than I imagine four people could possibly need (case in point: a wine fridge that could fit at least 12 bottles). The palatial high-ceilinged living room is on the next floor. This is where you can enjoy the best view in the house – I could have quite easily spent the entire morning people-watchi

You don’t have to venture all the way up to Edinburgh for a cracking dose of comedy in August. The Roundhouse has been hosting its comedy fest since 2023 and every year curates a line-up full of the biggest stars on the circuit. Across 18 days this year, you can expect gigs from the likes of Joe Lycett, Ed Gamble, Katherine Ryan, Sam Campbell, Ed Gamble, Sara Pascoe and Vittorio Angelone. Beyond the stand-ups, there’ll be live podcast recordings, theatrical comedy and interactive shows to watch too. Cult US comedy streaming platform Dropout will bring live editions of its hit shows Dirty Laundry, Um, Actually and Crowd Control, Jack Rooke (writer of Bad Boys) will present his first solo show and Adam Buxton and Alexei Sayle will host podcast recordings with special guests Ayoade Bamgboye of SNL UK and last year’s Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Sam Nicoresti. If you’re under 30, you can get your hands on tickets for just five quid. 

A month after the long-awaited ‘Frida: The Making of an Icon’ opened at the Tate Modern, it was only a matter of time before the gallery hosted one of its Friday Lates in dedication to the Mexican visionary. Publishing studio Calaca Press will have an archive of books, magazines, images and music from Mexico City produced during Frida Kahlo’s lifetime for visitors to explore and to inspire zinemaking. Elsewhere, writer and curator Hettie Judah will be in the Starr Cinema to talk about the relationship between Kahlo and photographer Nickolas Muray. Up on the rooftop, DJ Tiffany Calver will play an exclusive set inspired by Frida’s legacy (with the promise of a ‘very special guest’). And down in the gallery’s Corner Bar, there’ll be an energetic mix of Cumbia Sonidera, Cumbia with electronic, African and Balkan influences brought to you by Mexican DJ Ritmos Cholulteka. 

Nothing inside Fulham Pier Hotel indicates that you are, technically, at a football stadium. Then again, said football stadium is often considered the poshest in the country, so perhaps it tracks that it’s now home to one of the glossiest boutique hotels in the city.  Fulham Pier Hotel backs onto Craven Cottage (London’s oldest football grounds) and is part of a major redevelopment of the whole venue by Fulham FC’s billionaire owner Shahid Khan. But there are no framed football shirts given pride of place on the walls, no photos of iconic Fulham FC moments, no echo of cheers from fans and the pitch isn’t visible unless you’re peeking over from the sprawling terrace of the penthouse. To boot, the hotel’s discreet entrance (a gold door to the side of the building that can only be opened with your key), limited number of rooms, and private access to the swanky member’s club next door makes the place feel incredibly exclusive.  What are the rooms like at Fulham Pier Hotel?  Each of the 13 rooms are – thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows facing the waterfront – gloriously flooded with natural light. From the wide private balcony of our Junior Suite (which spans the whole length of the room), we sit and watch countless rowers glide down the river while a collage of runners and dog-walkers make use of the leafy Thames Path on the other side. The space directly opposite the pier is a designated conservation area, so those pretty vistas and the mesmering, unobstructed view of the su

A star-studded roster of London’s funniest people will be taking to the roof of the Bill Murray Comedy Club for the annual Angel Comedy Street Party on sunday. So far, the lineup features Barry Ferns, Paddy Young (of Saturday Night Live UK), Spencer Jones and star of Time Out’s Love Thy Neighbourhood podcast Helen Bauer. The day will be rounded off with special musical chaos from Chloe Petts alongside duo Flo & Joan. We don’t know exactly what that chaos will involve, but we do know that the trio have been dubbed themselves The Spooky Richards. Tickets are free of charge but donations are encouraged. All the money collected will go towards Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants, which helps people seeking sanctuary, providing English classes, expert advice, and a welcoming community. 

Peckham’s finest will be out in full force at a free festival on bank holiday Monday. The second annual On the Rye festival will take over the south London park with non-stop sets spanning lovers rock, soulful house, Afro-Cuban rhythms and more from the likes of the Handson Family, Buena Vista Social Club, Donut, Rebel Clash, Carroll Thompson, Born n Bread and Marcia Carr. Local vendors will line the green selling street food, drinks and artisan crafts and there’ll be loads of family-friendly goings on from a bouncy castles and face-painting to a kids’ festival rave and chess classes with local club Say It With Your Chess. 

London Rivers Week has been committed to celebrating and restoring London’s rivers for 10 years now. In that decade, the need to appreciate our city’s waterways has only grown. The theme of the charity event this year is ‘Know Your Local River’, encouraging Londoners to connect with and take pride in the river nearest to them. To help you do that, there’ll be guided walks, exhibitions, volunteer sessions, lectures, workshops, clean-ups and talks going on in every corner of the capital. See the full programme here. 

Large, blocky and wrapped in sage green, 1 Hotel Copenhagen is, frankly, unimpressive from the street outside. But any doubts about the place evaporate the moment you push through its revolving doors. Within seconds, the divinely soft scent of pine that ripples through the building has you sighing into a state of bliss. Straight ahead is a cascading set of wooden stairs that look like a flora adorned version of the Met steps, beckoning you up to the palatial, plant-filled atrium and lobby above.  Hotel 1 Copenhagen flung its doors open in August 2025 and is the brand’s second European outpost (after London). The place fits the city like a glove – it’s hard to imagine somewhere better suited to 1 Hotel's simple glamour, laid-back luxury and eco-conscious ethos than the Danish capital.  What are the rooms like at 1 Hotel Copenhagen?  All of the 282 rooms at 1 Hotel are all appropriately Scandi – bright, airy and done out in soft, organic tones. We’re set up in the Junior Suite, which was soaked with natural light and filled with plush cream, reclaimed wood and canvas furnishings. Wherever there’s space for a plant, there is one – on every coffee table, peaking out of  the middle of the sofa or perched next to the bathroom sink.  A lot of thought has gone into making the rooms ultra sustainable, and encouraging the guests to live mindfully. There’s a sand-timer opposite the rainfall shower that keeps you conscious of how much water you’re consuming (in a gentle, non-pass-agg way

Bar Flor is laden with loveliness. You’d expect little else from Aaron Potter and Laura Hart, the chef and interior stylist duo who gave us the ever-so-elegant Wildflowers. One floor above that restaurant is Bar Flor, which comes complete with whimsically hand-painted walls, reminiscent of the interiors of Charleston House, pale wood finishes, cosy velvet-clad pews and gentle, romantic light.  Bar Flor bills itself as a more playful, more spontaneous sister (the Type-B sibling, if you will) to the pristine Type-A restaurant below. The menu is Basque-country inspired – a copious lineup of European wines, vermouths and sherries alongside lager, Basque ciders and cocktails, complemented by a snappy selection of pintxos.  I was pulled towards the cocktails, which range from the house Adonis, made up of Cocchi Torino vermouth, Manzanilla sherry and a dash of orange bitters, to the luxuriously smoky Flor Margarita. Plates of dangerously moreish bar snacks filled the table throughout the evening, arranged on pretty floral plates that look like they’ve been pulled from a Spanish abuela’s kitchen cupboards. Dishes change on a weekly basis, but standouts on the night we visited included the delicate triangles of cave-aged manchego doused in honey, as well as shudderingly salty, briny gildas and (the showstopper) a fried calamari sandwich with garlic aioli oozing over the edges of the crusty bun.  Order this I couldn’t keep my hands off Bar Flor’s Peschiole Martini – a sugary, tangy co

Cameron House is nearly every Scottish stereotype wrapped up in a pristine package.  As we glide down its long drive, the enormous Loch Lomond stretches to the left while baronial towers stand proud to the right, and when we step through its grand front doors, golfers hang about the lobby and bespoke tartan pops up everywhere from the staff uniform to headboards. See? Scottish as hell. Spanning 400-acres, the hotel's high-end touches and abundance of facilities might seem intimidating at first. But, in true Scot fashion, as vast and luxurious as it is, Cameron House somehow still feels homely and down to earth.  Why stay at Cameron House? The bonny vistas over Scotland’s largest loch and the Trossachs National Park are enough reason to stay at Cameron House on their own. But add to that its grand architecture, its endless grounds, its impeccable dining, its proximity to Glasgow, and a night here becomes near irresistible. And if big names mean anything to you, you may be interested to know that it has earned nods of approval from the likes of Barack Obama, Sir Alex Ferguson, Leonardo Dicaprio, Cameron Diaz and Robbie Williams.  It has a compelling history, too. The site was originally home to a castle in the 14th century, which was remodelled in the 17th century. Then, for three centuries, it was home to esteemed Scottish family the Smollets (owner and famous novelist Tobias Smollett famously wrote ‘I have seen Lake Garda, Albana, de Visco, Bolsetta and Geneva. Upon my honour

One of Liverpool’s best loved parks is set to get quite the makeover. The city council is being handed £2 million to spruce up the 550-acre Croxteth Park and create more ways for the local community to make the most of it.  The country park in the north of Liverpool will be the first place to receive funding from the Queen Elizabeth Trust, which is a memorial project that was set up to honour the late monarch’s legacy. The trust is inspired by Queen Lizzie’s stated belief that ‘everyone is our neighbour’. It was introduced in April 2026 but is expected to be launched formally by King Charles in spring 2027.  Subject to final agreement, the £2m will go towards the restoration of Croxteth’s community garden and installing a new natural amphitheatre and bike track for children and young people. The council also hopes to develop a ‘masterplan’ for the future of the space and figure out the ‘mix of investment needed to unlock more of the park’s potential’.  Photograph: Atchara Wittek/ ShutterstockCroxteth Park, Liverpool Councillor Liam Robinson, leader of Liverpool City Council, said: ‘We have long had ambitious plans for the estate, but realising its full potential requires us to think at a different scale. The Queen Elizabeth Trust’s support, investment and expertise has galvanised our ambition and means we can go further than we could have achieved alone. ‘Together, we can breathe new life into parts of this much-loved estate, create more opportunities for the communities ar

One of London’s greatest music festivals has just revealed its first artists for next summer. All Points East 2027 will be headlined by none other than Phoebe Bridgers.  It’s been more than three years since the ‘Motion Sickness’ singer played a major show in London. But that was alongside her Boygenuis bandmates Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker. Her All Points East performance will be her biggest ever solo headline show in the UK. The news comes just ahead of the UK leg of Phoebe’s The Lost Tour, for which she’ll play phone-free shows in four different British cities. Reviews of the tour so far have called it ‘dazzling and cathartic’ and serene. Phones will be allowed at All Points East, but here’s hoping fans will get a similarly brilliant show. Read on for all the info you need ahead of tickets going on sale.   When is Phoebe Bridgers playing All Points East 2027?  The ‘Kyoto’ singer will headline All Points East at Victoria Park on Friday August 27.  When do tickets go on sale? General sale goes live at 10am on Thursday October 29.  Is there a presale?  Yep! You can get your hands on tickets before anyone else by signing up to presale here. It will go live at 10am on Wednesday October 28.  Who else is on Phoebe Bridgers’ All Points East lineup? So far, four other artists are confirmed to be joining Phoebe at Victoria Park, and it’s an all-female bill. She’ll have support from Caroline Polachek, Kelsey Lu, Danielle Ponder and Jasmine.4.t. Organisers have promised that there are

Last week, we reported that the dysfunctional escalators at Angel Underground station meant the hub could have to close for a whole year. TfL was weighing up its options – would it shut the station completely to allow for work to take place or close it in stages? Now, a decision has been made. Transport for London has announced that, from early 2027, Angel station will be exit-only at weekends and bank holidays.  So, it’s a relief for commuters. The escalators will run as normal on weekdays to minimise disruption. But for anyone who enjoys a foray to Angel on their weekends off, it’s not ideal. You’ll be able to alight at the station, but will need to find another way to leave the area. TfL recommends taking a bus to either King’s Cross St Pancras tube station, Old Street station or Highbury & Islington station, then continuing your journey from there.  Like we said, the part-closure is down to Angel’s failing escalators. There are four in total: two going in each direction between the ticket hall and the mid-concourse level (which are the longest escalators across the entire tube network), and another pair from the mid-concourse to platform level. Some are nearly 35 years old and according to Richard Jones, director of asset performance delivery for London Underground, they are ‘becoming less reliable and increasingly difficult to maintain’. So, closures have to happen for repairs to take place.  Jones added: ‘Making the station exit-only during specific periods will allow u

It’s not Christmas in London until the city’s festive illuminations come to life. Every November, the city turns into a glorious winter wonderland, with hundreds of thousands of twinkling lights bringing a magical touch to our streets, parks, piazzas and arcades.  The city’s first light switch-ons for 2026 are just around the corner. The switch-ons are well worth travelling for, not just to be the first to see the lights in all their glory but also to enjoy the special performances, food stalls and family activities that accompany them.  From Carnaby Street to Kew Gardens, Fleet Street to St Katharine Docks, here are all the switch-on dates for London’s biggest festive light displays, in chronological order.   When are London Christmas lights being turned on this year?  St Martin’s Lane In the lead up to the lights being switched on at St Martin’s Lane, there’ll be loads of festive food samples to tuck into and a live performed from the cast of a mystery West End production. The street will be officially lit up for Christmas at 4.45pm.  Switch-on date: Tuesday November 3.  Oxford Street Oxford Street’s beloved Christmas lights are being given a Harry Potter twist this year. Alongside the classic star illuminations that we know and love, there’ll be a series of designs inspired by ‘The Boy Who Lived’ to celebrate the release of the new Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone TV show, scheduled to premiere on HBO on Christmas Day. Exact details are still tightly under wraps f

There’s a distinct chill in London’s air right now. We’re not talking about the drop in temperature. The veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead is thinning and ghosts are roaming the streets – All Hallow’s Eve is just around the corner.  Whether you believe in the supernatural or not, Halloween is just a great excuse to have terrifyingly good time. You get to carve faces into pumpkins, scare yourself silly watching horror movies and spend a night out pretending to be a zombie, vampire or one of the odd-looking Norman guys from the Bayeux Tapestry. Often, the cost of Halloween plans alone is enough to send a chill down your spine. But there are in fact a whole heap of spooky events that you can attend for free this year.  Kids, film fanatics, party people, creative types, there’s something for everyone. Here’s all the best stuff you can do in London this Halloween without parting with a single penny.   The best free Halloween events in London 2026 1. Mystery Film Screening at Theatreship Every week, Canary Wharf’s non-profit cinema Theatreship (which is on board a literal ship) hosts a free mystery screening. And on October 31, it’s putting on a Halloween special. Normally, attendees know absolutely nothing about the movie before it begins. This time, at least, you know that it’ll have a spooky edge. When you order drinks ahead of curtains up, you will get a chance to guess the film you’re about to see. The first person to guess correctly gets their ro

London makes it tricky to have a whole weekend free of plans. From art exhibitions to theatre shows to all sorts of weird and wonderful free events, Saturdays and Sundays can get filled up like that, even in October. But as ever, there will be some delays and closures across London’s transport network this weekend that could disrupt your plans. People with tickets to see Dua Lipa talk books at the London Literature Festival might need to watch out for closures on the Circle line. And with most of the District line down, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur supporters heading to Stamford Bridge have been told to take the Piccadilly line to Earls Court instead and walk to the stadium from there. Here are all the other closures across London’s tube and train network you should know about this weekend.  RECOMMENDED: All of the best things to do in London this weekend.  London tube and train disruption, October 24-25 2026 Circle line On Saturday and Sunday there’ll be no trains between Edgware Road and Aldgate or Edgware Road and Tower Hill.  District line  All weekend, no service between Edgware Road and Ealing Broadway, Richmond or Wimbledon.  Also, no trains between Embankment and Ealing Broadway, Kensington (Olympia), Richmond or Wimbledon DLR No service between Shadwell and Tower Gateway on Sunday October 25.  Elizabeth line On Sunday, reduced service between Hayes & Harlington and Maidenhead. From 11am until 7pm, westbound trains will not call at Burnham or Taplow After 7

The Norfolk town of Gorleston could be getting a huge new waterfront attraction. Its historic nightclub, which once-upon-a-time hosted bands like Pink Floyd and Blur, is now set to be turned into a more family-friendly venue.  After 85 years in business, hosting dinner dances, boxing events, club nights and concerts, Ocean Room went bust and shut its doors in March 2024. The art deco building has sat empty and crumbling ever since. But last month Great Yarmouth Borough Council finally sold the site to Ocean Pavilion, a subsidiary of Bespoke Construction Group, for £500,000. The developer plans to transform the site into a year-round leisure hub with a soft play area, an indoor games space, a coffee shop and a wellness centre with a spa and pool. The existing building could be demolished as part of the plans.    Photograph: Great Yarmouth Borough CouncilThe current Ocean Room building in Gorleston Some locals voiced concerns over the potential knocking down of the original building.One Gorleston resident said: ‘It's a lovely old building and it's a shame to see it go, most of us have probably spent more than a few evenings at the club, but if what is to replace it goes ahead it sounds like a big boost to Gorleston.’ Another asked: ‘Considering that the reason so many people love Gorleston is because of its unspoilt Edwardian charm, wouldn't it completely do the entirety of its surroundings a disservice.’ But they were able to give direct feedback on the plans at a public co

Just one year after winning the Mercury Prize for his third studio album People Watching, Sam Fender has announced that he’s got a fourth record on the way. And he clearly reckons it’s a great one, because before even the name of his new album has been revealed (it’s SF4 for now), the singer has announced an enormous stadium tour. You just can’t rein him in, can you?  The appropriately named Proper Massive Stadium Tour is happening next summer. Of course, the Geordie will stop by his spiritual home of St James’ Park for two shows. He’ll also be playing to crowds in Manchester, London, Cardiff and Edinburgh.  Tickets for Fender’s shows historically sell out very quickly, so it’s worth having a solid plan for when they go live. Here are all the details you need if you’re hoping to see Sam Fender on tour in 2027.  When is Sam Fender going on tour?  He’ll kick off his tour in Newcastle on June 3, 2027 and finish in Manchester on July 17.  What UK tour dates have been announced so far?  At the moment, there are eight UK dates to choose from. They are:  June 3: St. James’ Park, Newcastle June 5: St. James’ Park, Newcastle June 10: Principality Stadium, Cardiff June 18: Wembley Stadium, London June 20: Wembley Stadium, London July 8: Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh July 15:  Etihad Stadium, Manchester July 17:  Etihad Stadium, Manchester View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sam Fender (@sam_fender)   When do Sam Fender tickets go on sale?  Gen

It safely made the journey across the English Channel, it’s been carefully unfurled over 18 painstaking hours, it’s been placed inside its enormous custom-made case and now thousands of people have already laid their eyes on the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum.  The 70-metre-long medieval artwork, which depicts the 1066 Battle of Hastings, is on loan to the museum while its permanent home (the Bayeux Museum in France) undergoes renovations. After several failed attempts to bring it over during the 20th century, this is the first time the artefact has been on British soil in 900 years.  Suffice to say, the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition at the British Museum is a major deal. Nicholas Cullinan, the director of the British Museum called the piece ‘one of the most important and unique cultural artefacts in the world’. Its residency in London could well be a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Here’s how you can see the exhibition for yourself.  When is the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition at the British Museum? The Bayeux Tapestry went on display at the British Museum from September 10. It’ll stay there until July 11 2027.  What to expect at the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition The centrepiece of the exhibition is, obviously, the Bayeux Tapestry. Rather than being hung up like it is at the Bayeux Museum in France, the piece will be displayed flat in a specially made showcase in one continuous length for the first time in its history.  Photograph: ShutterstockSection of the Bayeux Tapestry Items f

With mega performances from the likes Tyler, the Creator, Lorde, Zara Larsson, Blood Orange, Lily Allen and more, 2026 gave us a stunning festival season in London. Now that we’ve had a couple months to cool down from all that, it’s about time we got some news for London’s 2027 fests. And here it is: the very first headliner to be announced for next summer’s BST Hyde Park is Bon Jovi.  This isn’t the first time the band have headlined BST. In fact, they helmed the very first edition back in 2013 alongside the Rolling Stones, Elton John, Lionel Richie and J Lo. In the announcement, Jon Bon Jovi called this a ‘full circle moment’. He added: ‘There’s nothing quite like the energy of a UK crowd, and the joy and excitement we shared with our fans this summer was something truly special. To bring that energy back to Hyde Park means a lot to us.’ If you missed Bon Jovi’s triumphant return to London back in September, or were there and want to experience it all over again, here’s all the information you need to get tickets for BST Hyde Park 2027.  When is Bon Jovi playing BST Hyde Park? The band will take to the stage at BST Hyde Park on June 24, 2027.  Image: Live NationBon Jovi at BST Hyde Park 2027 poster When do tickets go on sale? General sale will go live at 10am on Friday October 23. You can access tickets here.  Is there a presale? There are three. First, there’s an presale for Amex customers starting at 1pm on Monday October 19, an artist presale going live at 10am on Wed

Halley’s Comet is the most famous rock in the Milky Way. Rock’s the wrong word. To be more accurate, it’s a mixture of rocky fragments, ice and dust. With an orbital period of around 75 years, its first recorded sighting was in ancient Greece. A few thousand years later it was stitched onto the Bayeux Tapestry as a symbol of doom for King Harold II. It got its name from astronomer Edward Halley in the 1700s, and the very first photos of it were taken in 1910.  The last time the comet passed Earth was in 1986, and humankind won’t get to see it in the sky again until 2061. This week, however, we will get to witness the next best thing as ‘shooting stars’ created by debris from Halley’s Comet will soar through the night sky.  The spectacle is known at the Orionid meteor shower. Here’s what you need to know if you want to see it for yourself.  What is the Orionids meteor shower? The Orionids is one of the most reliable and well-known meteor showers in our solar system. It comes around every year and consists of pieces left behind by famous Halley’s Comet.  That debris burns up to create bright streaks of light when they pass through the Earth’s upper atmosphere. According to Royal Museums Greenwich, there will be around 15 meteors that are ‘fast with fine trains’ per hour when this shower peaks.  When will the Orionids meteor shower be visible in the UK? The shower has actually been active since October 2, so eagle-eyed skywatchers might have spotted a shooting star here or the

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 chock-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’.  Now, there are only a matter of days until pedestrians have free reign of the street. From what it’ll look like to what will happen to the buses, here’s everything you need to know about Oxford Street becoming traffic-free.  When will Oxford Street be pedestrianised?  Nearly 1km of the street to be traffic-free from October 26. 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 Oxf