In Pictures: London's 2024

Last Updated 31 December 2024

In Pictures: London's 2024

A look back on London in 2024. How many of these things did you see/go to?

January

A model of a rhino
An endangered rhino at Barbican. Image: Matt Brown/Londonist
Martin Church painting of people on the Metropolitan line, on show at Barbican Library
Martin Church's mixed media images of people on the Tube, at an exhibition at the Barbican in January 2024. Image: Martin Church
Cinema inside a ship
A couple watch a film together on new floating venue, Theatreship. Image: Theatreship
Two people in ice baths
Two people brave ice baths at a pop-up sauna in King's Cross
Sooty, Sweep and Soo puppets
Sooty, Sweep and Soo at Pollock's Toy Museum, which opened a pop-up in Croydon in January (the pop-up is still there). Image: Londonist
A young boy and mum on the font seat
DLR trains added stick on control panels for kids (and let's face it, adults) to heighten to whole 'driving the DLR' experience. Image: TfL
Animal sculptures in front of London Bridge
The animals march on London. Image: Matt Brown/Londonist

February

King Charles III bank notes
New King Charles bank notes went on display to the public for the first time in February. Image: Bank of England
Main staircase with glass art
Two Temple Place hosted a smashing exhibition about glass. Image: Matt Brown/Londonist
Two men - one dragged up and in flamboyant jumpsuit - in a construction zone
John Sizzle (left) and Jonny Woo laying the floor at new LGBTQ+ venue, The Divine
A lamp lighter up a ladder in Covent Garden lighting a gas lamp
Four Westminster gas street lamps won protected status. Image: Historic England

March

A bunch of floating unicorns
Unicorns in Barking Park. Image: Londonist
Cheesegrater bubbles
Iridescent rainbows appeared beneath the Cheesegrater.
A woman in a sleeping bag lying on the Tower Bridge walkway
Artist Anahita Harding laid on one of the glass walkways of Tower Bridge for eight and a half hours straight. Image: Tower Bridge
A wide, long set of apartment blocks
Winchfield House, Alton West Estate, taken from London Estates: Modernist Council Housing 1946-1981, by Thaddeus Zupancic, which was published in March
A jogger running past a huge Kong
King Kong (literally) popped up on the South Bank, to promote a new movie.
A multicoloured dog sculpture
Did you go and see the Guide Dog sculptures around Canary Wharf and Tower Hamlets? Image: Matt Crossick/PA wire.

April

a woman dishing up pasta bake while doing a peace sign
Yaba serves up pasta bake for Londonist, on a visit to SNCK in South Norwood. Image: Londonist
The Barbican covered in pink fabric
The Barbican went through a brief purple phase. Image: Pete Cadman/Barbican Centre
A sign: 'this is a sign to protect your balls', with penis shaped light underneath
Westminster Bridge told men to check their testicles
A sculpture at Liverpool Street of balls on string
Yayoi Kusama's Infinite Accumulation sculpture was unveiled outside Liverpool Street station. Image: Matt Brown
A runner dressed as a Christmas tree
An unseasonably dressed runner in the London Marathon. Image: Londonist

May

A semi ruined red brick church
The ruined redbrick church of Stanmore, which we visited in May. Image: Matt Brown/Londonist
A load of bunting in Greenwich
Bunting galore in Greenwich. Image: Matt Brown/Londonist
A double yellow bench
A double yellow bench in Gordon Square. Image: Matt Brown/Londonist

June

A woman in Tube themed dress holding a cup cake
Momtaz Begum-Hossain joins in with Londonist's 20th birthday celebrations
Two young women sitting on a doorstep - one with a newspaper
Chakira Alin and Rachel Andrews as Withnail and Without Nail, part of the Camden Roar festival.
A render of the 2024 Serpentine Pavilion from above
2024's Sepentine Pavilion was designed by Seoul-based Korean architect Minsuk Cho. © Mass Studios
All the ice creams together, being hugged.
Anya Hindmarch released another series of brand name ice creams at her Belgravia boutique.
Closeup of the Taylor Swift tube map
We designed a Taylor Swift Tube map to mark the singer's London tour dates
Men in high vis fixing a clock face to a platform roof
Chadwell Heath station installed a new roundel clock. Image: CHSRA

July

An Evening Standard front cover showing Keir Starmer's victory
Image: Londonist
A beach on a Croydon rooftop
The Costa del Croydon landed on a Cronx rooftop
People diving into the docks
Swimmers jumping into the docks at Canary Wharf
A hand in blue gloves holding the hilt of a sword on a barch
Mudlarker Lara Maiklem discovering a 16th century sword on a London beach, as recounted in her diary, published in July.
Sculpture of a phone box bent at a right angle
This right-angled phone box appeared in Old Street as part of an ad campaign for a folding phone.
Sadiq Khan taking a selfie with his waxwork likeness
Sadiq Khan poses with his wax doppelganger on the London Eye
Clouds hanging from the ceiling of Covent Garden Market
The outlook was cloudy in Covent Garden. Photo: David Parry
Part of the dinosaur cast in front of the museum
The Natural History Museum opened its new 'Dinosaur Garden', complete with Diplodocus cast. © The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London

August

Circular tube map
Max Roberts revisited and revamped his circular Tube map.
A statue of a reclining nude in a fish pond
We visited the winter garden at Avery Hill Park... on the hottest day of the year.
A DeLorean and afternoon tea
The Cumberland Hotel launched a Back to The Future The Musical Afternoon Tea.
A sculpted head with facemask
We called in at the new Moco Museum. Image: Matt Brown Londonist
Worst. Hot tub. Ever. A woman inspect a Roman kiln, as two workmen attempt to slither underneath
An ancient Roman kiln went on display in Highgate Woods
Knitted Paralympics figures
The Paralympics celebrated in crocheted form in Beckenham. Image: Londonist
Banksy monkeys on Brick Lane
Banksy is back in the news with a series of animal-themed stencils across town, including these monkeys on Brick Lane, on a spot once known as Banksy Bridge

September

Crystal Palace subway
The restored courtyard Crystal Palace Subway was unveiled. Image: Historic England
Battersea Power Station at night
Photographer Jason Hawkes shared his aerial images of London over the summer. Image: Jason Hawkes
City of London with no cranes
We captured the rare phenomenon of no cranes in the City of London
An Open House festival sign on a cinema marquee
What did you get up to for Open House this year?
A strange sculpture in a park
Frieze Sculpture Festival turned heads yet again. Image: Londonist
A colourful Camden Market mural
We went in search of the perfect day out in Camden. Image: Londonist

October

Hijinks at a Panda and Sons takeover at Archive and Myth. Image: Londonist
A giant fox scooters through central Croydon
A giant fox scooters through central Croydon, as part of its harvest celebrations. Image: Londonist
A busy bar
Staff at the Marquis in Covent Garden deal with busy crowds. Image: Londonist
A Paddington statue on a bench
Two Paddington sculptures, including this one in Westfield, showed up in London to promote Paddington in Peru
Cows in a wood
A bucolic scene in Burnham Beeches, which is actually owned by the City of London
A Double Diamond being poured
Double Diamond found itself back behind the bar in London after disappearing in the 1990s. Image: Londonist
A Chelsea Pensioners red uniform and hat
A new Chelsea Pensioners museum opened. Image: Matt Brown/Londonist
Dr.Strangelove, Steve Coogan as Dr Strangelove
Steve Coogan took on the role of Dr Strangelove (and three other characters) on the West End. Image: Manuel Harlan
Teresa Margolles's fourth plinth commission with rainbow behind
Teresa Margolles's new Fourth Plinth commission pays tribute to the Trans community. We walked past just as a rainbow formed. Image: Matt Brown/Londonist

November

Signs for the Suffragette and Mildmay lines
The Overground finally had its long-awaited rebrand. Image: Matt Brown/Londonist
Southern trains heading towards Battersea Power Station
Ebury Bridge: The best place to watch trains in London?
A snow globe on top of the O2
A snow globe opened on top of The O2.
An empty Silvertown Tunnel
Images of the almost complete Silvertown Tunnel were released in November... along with the toll charges. mage: TfL
Wallace and Gromit projected onto Battersea Power Station
Wallace and Gromit were beamed onto the side of Battersea Power Station

December

A penguin sculpture
A colony of penguin sculptures waddled into central London. Image: Matt Brown/Londonist
Fortnum's as an advent calendar
Fortnum and Mason puts on its usual advent calendar costume. Image: Londonist
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