Looking for something fun to do today? Something eye-opening to watch tonight? Something delicious to eat tomorrow? Our guide to things to do this week in London is personally curated, ensuring there's always a diverse range of events for you to choose from. Get stuck in!
All week
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS: A few of London's Christmas lights were switched on last week, but London really ups its festive game this week. Covent Garden, Marylebone, Bond Street and Old Spitalfields Market illuminate theirs this Wednesday, followed by Leadenhall Market on Thursday and Chelsea and Belgravia at the weekend. Read London's complete light switch-on schedule to make sure you don't miss any of the glittering action.
GET DOWN TONIGHT: The hits of KC and the Sunshine Band are used in West End musical Get Down Tonight at Charing Cross Theatre, inspired by the early years of singer, songwriter, producer and musician Harry Wayne Casey (KC). You've only got until Saturday to, erm, get down there. Until 15 November
WYLD WOMAN: Following a smash-hit run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2024, one woman-show Wyld Woman: The Legend Of Shy Girl is at Southwark Playhouse Borough, following Shy Girl's ambitious attempt to open up and extend her social life beyond her imaginary friends Until 15 November
FANNY: Fanny Mendelssohn, composer, pianist and lesser-known sister of Felix (also a composer and pianist), is the subject of comedy play Fanny at King's Head Theatre. It sees her intercepting a letter inviting Felix to go back to England and premiere a new orchestral work for the Queen, plotting to take his place. Until 15 November
UK JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL: Various cinemas around London and beyond host screenings as part of the UK Jewish Film Festival spanning genres including drama, comedy and documentary. On Monday, catch the world premiere of Pears Short Film Fund 2025 winners Beshert and To Fly or Float, and there's a gala screening of A Private Life starring Jodie Foster as a psychiatrist on Thursday, among other screenings all week. Until 16 November
THEATRE FESTIVAL: International theatre festival Voila! continues across several venues this week, with an extensive programme spanning multiple genres. Facility 111: A Government Experiment is a surreal new audio play told entirely in darkness, while Plastic and Chicken Bones promises a dystopian sci-fi social commentary, and If I Were To Say It In English looks at what it's like to have a complicated relationship with your home country. Until 23 November
UROOJ ASHFAQ: Indian comedian and Edinburgh Best Newcomer Urooj Ashfaq is here to say she's no longer a good, sweet girl. Instead, How To Be A Baddie delves into how she's become a bona fide bad girl and edgelord. It's on at Soho Theatre. Until 29 November
EAT OF THE WEEK: You won't be wantin' for wantons at new London Fields Hong Kong-inspired Wanton Charlie's. The 18-seat, walk-in-only eatery is dedicated to slinging Cantonese wonton noodle soup with hand-wrapped wontons, house-made noodles, and daily-prepped slow-cooked broths. Bowls start from £12 a pop.
Today's events: Monday 10 November
DARK COMEDY: New play The Absence of Aunt Greta at Camden's Theatro Technis has a promising set-up: "A year after the funeral of their founder, nine members of a high society club gather for their annual dinner in her grand mansion... as past discretions come back to haunt them, witness the downfall of the most abhorrent people humanity has to offer." The play from Entity Ensemble has been described as 'The Rocky Horror Show meets the Addams Family". 10-11 November
YOUTH PROMS: Young musicians from across the UK showcase their talents in the Music for Youth Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. Hear everything from orchestral classics to traditional folk and roots and from big band jazz to big sound rock and pop as more than 1,000 performers take to the stage each night. 10-11 November
MIRACLE CHRISTMAS BAR: If you like Christmas like your aunt used to do it in the eighties (i.e. by the absolute bucketload) Miracle is the place for you. The blindingly kitsch festive pop-up bar is back from today with as many decorations as they can possibly squeeze in, and a themed Christmas cocktail menu which we've rather enjoyed drinking our way through in years gone by. Note, it has a new location this year, but still on Henrietta Street in Covent Garden. 10 November-23 December. For more like this, see our guide to London's best winter and Christmas pop-up bars.
TRANSPORT MEDALS: London Transport Museum curator Henry Flynn is at the Goldsmiths' Centre in Farringdon to talk about some of the medals within the museum's collection and the stories behind them, including how significant events and anniversaries have been commemorated by medals, coins and badges. 6pm-8pm
HISTORY IN THE PUB: A few tickets are left for this month's History in the Pub, arranged by London Historians and hosted by Londonist's Matt Brown. Tonight's quick-fire format sees eight speakers each speak for eight minutes about a notable Londoner from history. It's at the Christopher Hatton Pub, but you need to book. 6.30pm
CURATING: Last chance to see Curating, a dark comedy play about the afterlife and the eternal purgatory of admin, at Old Red Lion Theatre in Angel. Freya scrambles to make sense of her unfinished life before the final deadline, when she has an unexpected encounter with a taxidermist from 1898. 7pm
BEST DAY EVER: Theatremaker Frankie Thompson is the special guest at a live recording of podcast Best Day Ever at the Pleasance Theatre in Islington. Regular host Hannah Maxwell guides her through the who, what and when of her perfect day, based on suggestions from the players and the audience. 7.30pm
Today's events: Tuesday 11 November
SOPHIE'S SURPRISE PARTY: Part circus spectacle, part comedy mayhem — and packed with '90s nostalgia — Sophie’s Surprise Party comes to Underbelly Boulevard Soho following a sold-out Edinburgh Fringe run. Performers from Cirque du Soleil, La Clique and The 7 Fingers take part in breathtaking acrobatics with outrageous surprises, and a lively soundtrack. Oh, and be warned, each night one audience member is chosen to become Sophie, live on stage. 11 November-10 January
PLANT MATHS: Find out why plants love mathematics, and why mathematicians love plants at tonight's free Gresham College lecture. Gresham Professor of Geometry Alain Goriely talks about Fibonacci spirals and other mathematical patterns found in the leaves, stems, and roots of plants. Watch in person at Barnard's Inn Hall (Holborn) or online. FREE, 6pm
SECRET MAPS: Tying in with its new Secret Maps exhibition, the British Library hosts The Map and the Echo, an interactive experience which is part performance, part game. A man stands on stage and describes a version of the British Library that may or may not exist, and the audience works together to navigate there... without leaving your seat. Ticket includes access to the Secret Maps exhibition before the show. 6pm
GARDEN HISTORIES: Historian and keen gardener Dr Laura Premack is at the Garden Museum in Lambeth to talk about the difficult histories of gardens, such as those which were funded by slavery and exploitation, or those which acquired plants through theft. She asks: If we acknowledge the difficult histories of our gardens, are we still allowed to love them? 7pm-8pm
PINTS OF KNOWLEDGE: Event series Pints of Knowledge brings experts in all manner of topics into the pub, to give a talk about their subject in a relaxed setting over a drink or two. Tonight writer and broadcaster Nichi Hodgson offers an insight into the reality of living with psychosis, something that she personally experienced in such an extreme that she ended up saying she had a bomb in her bag at an airport. Takes place at Big Penny Social. 7pm-8.30pm
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A fantastic festive day out to get your Christmas started - plus get 20% off!
Clear your calendar this week, as the festive season arrives in town in the form of the Good Housekeeping Live With Country Living Christmas Market.
The much-loved annual event is a highlight of the festive calendar, jam-packed with unique gift ideas, fantastic food and drink and top-notch entertainment. Browse gifts made by hundreds of different artisans, pick up tips for whipping up the perfect Christmas feast at the Good Housekeeping Kitchen Stage, and stock up at the festive food market, which is new for 2025.
There's much more to it than shopping, too. Multiple stages host famous faces, giving expert advice, including fashion expert Mary Portas OBE, chef Raymond Blanc OBE, and stylist and author Paula Sutton, among many others. Don't forget to swing by the L’Oréal Paris Beauty Studio to relax, be pampered and get glammed up with the help of their make-up and skincare experts.
Get 20% off tickets this week only with code LON20. Subject to availability.
Good Housekeeping Live With Country Living Christmas Market is at the Business Design Centre in Islington, Wednesday 12- Saturday 15 November. Last few tickets available now.
Today's events: Wednesday 12 November
IRISH FILM FESTIVAL: The Irish Film Festival London holds screenings at Vue West End, Vue Piccadilly and the ICA, showcasing 15 feature films and documentaries from the Emerald Isle which might not otherwise reach UK cinemas. They include Trad, about a gifted teenage fiddle player, and Solitary, about a widowed cattle farmer living out his quiet life on the edge of a village, coming to terms with the fact he might need some extra support. 12-16 November
LONDON PHOTO SHOW: Following a run in Hoxton last month, the London Photo Show comes to OXO Gallery on South Bank. It's an open group exhibition giving photographers from all over the world a chance to flaunt their work to the public. A wide range of photographic styles are on show, and you can buy work direct from the creators. 12-16 November
TIME: One of two light shows coming to Greenwich this autumn, Time by Luxmuralis illuminates the Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College from today. It's a journey through history and science, exploring humanity's relationship with the concept of time. Traverse wormholes and step inside the intricate workings of clocks. 12-16 November
FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL: 'Tis the season for film festivals as Ciné Lumière in South Kensington hosts the French Film Festival London. It begins today with a screening of The Great Arch, about the 1982 architectural competition to design the Great Arch of La Défense in Paris, followed by a Q&A with director Stéphane Demoustier and actor Claes Bang. 12-23 November
LONDON'S MULTIRACIAL PAST: The Switching the Lens project from London Metropolitan Archives brings together over 3,300 baptism, marriage and burial records of people of African, Caribbean, Asian and Indigenous heritage in London. Today, Fulham Palace hosts a talk using digital mapping tools to share the stories of individuals recorded in the archive. Find out how they lived, and how they ended up living in London. 12pm-1pm
LAUGHTER: Why do we laugh? That's the simple question with the complicated answer behind tonight's Gresham College lecture, by Professor Robin May. FREE, 6pm
BUDGIE: Travis Elborough is in conversation with Budgie, legendary drummer with Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Slits, and the Creaturesat, at Waterstones Gower Street tonight. The event marks the publication of Budgie's memoirs. 6.30pm-8.30pm
MONTEVERDI CHOIR: The newly-restored Great Hall of the North Wing of St Bartholomew’s Hospital hosts a concert by the Monteverdi Choir & Orchestra. Joined by the English Baroque Soloists, they perform works by JS Bach, Purcell and Handel, pairing music and architecture from the Baroque period. 7pm-8.15pm
SHANTY SINGERS: The Colliers Wood Shanty Singers step on board the Golden Hinde in Bankside for an evening of traditional acoustic shanty songs. Explore the 16th-century vessel with a drink in hand, and pick up a song sheet to join in with the group's seven singers, accordionist and violinist. 7pm-10.30pm
Today's events: Thursday 13 November
TEDDINGTON BEER FESTIVAL: If you've just about recovered from London's Oktoberfest celebrations, head to the Landmark Arts Centre for Teddington Beer Festival. Sample more than 75 cask ales and 18 ciders, with proceeds supporting the Landmark Arts Centre, where the event is held. New for 2025 is a 45-minute beer tasting masterclass, available in both the Friday afternoon and Saturday afternoon sessions. 13-16 November
ALICE AND THE QUEEN BEASTS: Hall Place and Gardens in Bexley offers an immersive lantern light show experience based on the Alice in Wonderland stories. Parts of the house and gardens, including its famous topiary bushes, take you down the rabbit hole through a blend of light projections and sound recordings, with costumed actors bringing the stories to life. 13-16 November
EVER AFTER GARDEN: Illuminated by the light of more than 30,000 glowing roses, the Ever After Garden returns — and it has a new home for 2025: Chelsea's Duke of York Square. Anyone can visit, and though there's no admission fee, the installation raises money for The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, so consider donating if you can. Alternatively, dedicate a rose to a loved one (minimum suggested donation £15). 13 November-16 December
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM: For the first time, Shakespeare's Globe puts on an indoor production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, within the candlelit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. To escape a society ruled by tyrannical law, four young lovers flee to the forest, where they become embroiled in a fierce battle between the Fairy King and Queen, Oberon and Titania, over the ownership of a stolen child. 13 November-31 January
TAYLOR WESSING PHOTO PRIZE: An annual staple in the London arts calendar, the Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize showcases the work of talented young photographers, gifted amateurs and established professionals. Informal captures and more formal posed portraits feature in the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. 13 November-8 February
LATE NIGHT KEATS: Keats House in Hampstead stays open late for an evening of ghost stories. Hear readings of chilling poetry and ghost stories, and learn about some of the more macabre objects in the museum's collection. It's also a chance to explore the house after hours. 6pm-8pm
JANE AUSTEN: As the 250th anniversary of author Jane Austen's birth approaches, the British Library brings together a group of experts to discuss the woman behind the books. Get to know her as an ambitious writer, with interests in the abolitionist movement and women's suffrage. 7pm
MANIC STREET PREACHERS: Head to Picturehouse Central for a rather special film night, with special guests the Manic Street Preachers. Watch documentary Escape From History, about how their 1996 album Everything Must Go was created, following the disappearance of bandmate and lyricist Richey Edwards. James Dean Bradfield and director Kieran Evans are in conversation with host Robin Turner at this screening. 7pm
SOWETO KINCH: Saxophonist, rapper and composer Soweto Kinch is at Barbican, performing the final instalment of a trilogy of works in collaboration with the LSO. Soundtrack to the Apocalypse features Kinch’s first use of the aerophone (electronic saxophone) and a hip hop-inspired sequence of short, high-impact tracks, mirroring the fractured, scroll-speed rhythm of contemporary life. 8pm
Today's events: Friday 14 November
GUN SALUTES: Listen out for big bangs on Friday as both Royal Parks and the Tower of London mark the King's birthday with gun salutes. Expect 41 rounds in Green Park at 12pm, followed by 62 rounds next to the Tower at 1pm. FREE.
EFG LONDON JAZZ FESTIVAL: Get down with the trumpets at the EFG London Jazz Festival, which offers 10 days of live performances at venues including Barbican, Southbank Centre and the Royal Albert Hall, beginning today. Bilal, Stella Cole and Nubya Garcia are among the names on this year's programme. 14-23 November
HYDE PARK WINTER WONDERLAND: London's giant festive funfair returns to Hyde Park from today, with all the usual attractions; ice rink, giant wheel, funfair rides, ice kingdom, circus, Christmas market, and food and drink stalls. Like last year, you'll need to book your entry slot in advance, and prices vary depending on peak and off-peak timings. 14 November-1 January
CHRISTMAS AT KEW: We know we shouldn't have favourites, but we have a real soft spot for Christmas at Kew, the spectacular light and illuminations festival that glows in the gardens each winter. Over a million lights and thousands of laser beams go into creating the event, which also features a fire garden, light tunnel and illuminated trees. It's selling out fast. 14 November-4 January. Find other light festivals in London this winter.
LAST DAYS OF POMPEII: London's latest immersive experience transports visitors back to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius which famously wiped out the town of Pompeii. VR technology and video-mapping allow you to witness what the area's monuments looked like before the eruption, and get up close to a gladiator battle, before witnessing the eruption itself. 14 November-March 2026
ALL MY SONS: Arthur Miller’s first play All My Sons is back on the London stage, opening at Wyndham's Theatre. Bryan Cranston, Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Paapa Essiedu star in the play about the dishonest promise of the American Dream, told through a self-made businessman who prides himself on being able to provide for his family. From 14 November
GIGGLE FILM FESTIVAL: Laugh your way into the weekend at London’s biggest comedy short film festival, back tonight in Walthamstow for a second year. Head to Big Penny Social on the Black Horse Beer Mile and discover an array of rib-tickling shorts at Giggle Film Festival. Tickets cost £10, with dancefloor and afterparty access included. 7pm (sponsor)
PATRICK SWAYZE PARTY: Legendary bar Little Nan's in Deptford hosts an evening dedicated to actor and singer Patrick Swayze. Dance the night away to songs from films including Dirty Dancing, Donnie Darko, Point Break, Road House and Ghost. 7pm
SPIDER-MAN IN CONCERT: Attend the world premiere of Spider-Man: No Way Home in Concert at the Royal Albert Hall, and hear the soundtrack performed live alongside the film for the first time ever. The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, conducted by David Mahoney, performs. 7.30pm
Today's events: Saturday 15 November
HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE: A new, immersive version of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy opens at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith. The night begins in a rather unusual pub as you settle in, drink in hand, for an evening of storytelling and spectacle. From there, the story lifts off — quite literally — as you hitch a ride on a passing spaceship, discover the meaning of life, and join a quest to persuade a group of inter-dimensional mice to give the Earth a second chance. From 15 November
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS TRAIN: Choo choo! All aboard the Epping Ongar Railway for Lights Express, a special ride on a train illuminated with fairy lights. Once on board, admire specially-installed illuminations through the windows. 15 November-4 January
JOHN LE CARRE: For the first time ever, a novel by John le Carré is brought to life on stage. The Spy Who Came In From The Cold at Soho Place offers a journey through the fog-shrouded terrain of Cold War espionage, deception, and moral compromise. 15 November-21 February
CEILDH BAND WORKOUT: Head to 80 Eastway in Hackney Wick for an HIIT workout with a twist: it's soundtracked by a live trad ceilidh band. The 45-minute session is set to a pace of blazing jigs, reels and polkas, and is followed by an optional trip to the sauna (booked separately). 11am
HACKNEY MOSAICS: Join acclaimed mosaicist Tessa Hunkin at 6 Queen Square for a talk about the various and wonderful installations of the Hackney Mosaic Project. Part of the Bloomsbury Jamboree, running over the weekend. 12.15pm
QUEER LITERARY SALON: Dr Hannah Roche from the University of York is at Queer Britain (King's Cross) for an in-depth discussion of houses and homes in queer fiction and poetry of the 20th century. The queer literary salon uses examples including the domestic disorder of Gertrude Stein’s Tender Buttons (1914) and the precarity of butch and trans spaces in Leslie Feinberg’s Stone Butch Blues (1993) to investigate how the places we live shape who we are. 2pm
GEORGE GADD: Nottingham singer-songwriter George Gadd plays tracks from his new album Too Many Ghosts at the Cav in Stockwell this afternoon. He's supported by folk-punk artist Mexican Dave and Heartwork, who's on his farewell tour. 2.30pm
CHELSEA BALLET: Amateur ballet company Chelsea Ballet takes over Artsdepot for a production featuring the final acts of three classical ballet favourites: Coppelia, Paquira and the Nutcracker. 2.30pm/7.30pm
KEYS AND TEASE: A pianist, a jazz singer and a burlesque dancer walk into a bar... Cabaret Volt-Air's Keys and Tease saunters into Piano Smithfield for 90 minutes of ivory tickling from George Webster, plus burlesque from Scarlett Whispers and vocals from Miss PetTIT (her caps, not ours). 8pm-9.30pm
Today's events: Sunday 16 November
CHEESE MARKET: The monthly Chiswick Cheese Market is back, and this time there's a focus on smoked cheese, with London Smoked & Cure on hand to offer tastings. Beyond that, browse and buy artisan cheeses from across the UK and beyond, along with everything else you need to enjoy them to their full potential, including chutneys and crackers. 9.30am-3pm
MIDCENTURY MODERN: 85 vintage dealers and designers pitch up at Dulwich College for Midcentury Modern, an interiors fair where all manner of furniture, lighting, rugs, textiles, posters and artworks and other homewares are available to buy. 10am-4pm
VINTAGE FAIR: More interested in refreshing the contents of your wardrobe rather than the wardrobe itself? Frock Me! vintage fair is back at its newest venue, the Royal Horticultural Halls in Victoria, offering vintage clothing, jewellery and accessories, in a beautiful setting to boot. 11am-5.30pm
WEST HAM WOMEN: West Ham United Women take on Everton Women in the Barclays Women's Super League. The match takes place at West Ham United Women's home ground, Dagenham & Redbridge FC, with kids' tickets just a fiver. 12pm
100 METERS: Barbican Cinema screens Kenji Iwaisawa’s Japanese sports anime film 100 Meters, following gifted runner Togashi through middle school, high school, and adulthood. It's adapted from Uoto’s five-volume manga, and makes use of a variety of different animation techniques to bring the story to life. 4.30pm
FOC AROUND: The Femmes of Colo(u)r Comedy Club's new night FOC Around and Find Out lands at the Queer Comedy Club in Elephant and Castle. Expect quick-fire stand-up, with seven performers (inc. Sikisa,
Aisha Amanduri and Jen Nolan) plus MC Kate Cheka. 5.30pm-7.30pm
NASTEE CHAPEL: Epic lyrical tales, clog dancing, flute playing, cajon stomping and guitar shredding are on the cards, as Nastee Chapel — aka acoustic duo, NatalieGrace Kelsey and Steve van Niekerk — play at the Harrison in King's Cross. 7.30pm
