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!
What's on all week
LUNAR NEW YEAR: Chinese New Year/ Lunar New Year officially falls on Tuesday 17 February, welcoming in the Year of the Horse. Take a look at the events going on around London to celebrate, including family festivals, special menus, and a parade at the weekend.
FEBRUARY HALF TERM: Octonauts, Wallace & Gromit, Florence Nightingale... just some of your options for keeping kids and teenagers amused in London during half term. Our guide spans special events, exhibitions and theatre shows for all ages, including some free ideas.
IMAGINE FESTIVAL: Alternatively, see what's on at Imagine at Southbank Centre, a children's festival celebrating fun and creativity through all manner of events, including performances and workshops. Catch Horrible Histories in Concert, spend an afternoon with illustrator Liz Pichon, or have a go at parkour. Until 21 February 2026
SPANISH ORANGES: Set over a single turbulent morning, Alba Arikha's play Spanish Oranges explores the married relationship of a novelist on the brink of fame, and a freshly-cancelled actor who suspects the novel is based on his downfall. It's on at Playground Theatre in Latimer Road. Until 7 March
THE BODYGUARD: Award-winning musical The Bodyguard takes over the New Wimbledon Theatre for the week, starring Sidonie Smith as Rachel Marron and Adam Garcia as Frank Farmer, using the songs of Whitney Houston to tell the story of a former Secret Service agent turned bodyguard who is hired to protect a superstar from an unknown stalker. 16-21 February 2026
MARGARITA MILE: El Tequileño’s Margarita Mile is a month-long celebration of the Mexican cocktail, with bars and restaurants all over London and beyond offering exclusive menus and house pour features, and special events around National Margarita Day on 22 February. As well as returning to East London, the first ever Margarita Mile in central London debuts this year. Check the map for participating bars and events. 16 February-16 March 2026
BALLET SHOES: Noel Streatfeild's children's book Ballet Shoes comes to life on stage at the National Theatre, telling the story of three adopted sisters who fight to pursue their individual passions. This week is your last chance to see it. Age seven+. Until 21 February 2026
SPACE AT NHM: Could life exist beyond Earth? That's the topic of the current space-themed exhibition at the Natural History Museum, which showcases some of the evidence that life could exist elsewhere in the universe. It closes this weekend. Highlights include a chance to touch a piece of the Moon, smell the moons of Jupiter (a simulation, presumably), or to drive a mini Mars rover. Until 22 February 2026
BACK OF THE CLASS: Onjali Q. Raúf's novel The Boy At The Back Of The Class has been adapted for the stage, and is performed at the Rose Theatre Kingston throughout this week, suitable for age seven+. When a new boy arrives at school from a war-torn country, his new classmates come up with a magnificent plan to reunite Ahmet with his family. Until 22 February 2026. If you miss it, catch it at Southbank Centre in April instead.
SUBLIME SPACE: The Heath Robinson Museum's exhibition, Sublime Space, showcases work by William Heath Robinson alongside nine contemporary artists, David Inshaw, Ray Richardson, Jemma Powell, Jonathan McCree, Sue Arrowsmith, Daniel Sturgis, Peter Coyte, Ralph Steadman and Barnaby Barford — to explore our relationship with nature and landscape. Until 22 February 2026
WAYNE MCGREGOR: Celebrated choreographer Wayne McGregor is the subject of Infinite Bodies at Somerset House, offering an insight into his three-decade career through multi-sensory choreographic installations, performances and experiments. Until 22 February 2026
EXHIBITION OF THE WEEK: Inside Aardman is Young V&A's new show which delves into the Oscar-winning animation studio's ineffably loveable back catalogue — with sets, props and hands-on activities aplenty. It is quite simply cracking, as our ★★★★★ review attests. Until 15 November
EAT OF THE WEEK: Au fait with Mr Bao and Daddy Bao? The same team has just opened Cafe Kowloon, a modern Cantonese restaurant taking its cue from Hong Kong's dai pai dongs, street food stalls, cha chaan tengs and dim sum houses, by plating up grilled curry fish ball skewers; chargrilled char siu, and Hong Kong French toast. Yes please!
Today's events: Monday 16 February
LDN WRESTLING: Jaw-dropping moves, larger-than-life characters, and unforgettable showdowns are promised as LDN Wrestling barrels into Enfield's Dugdale Arts Centre. The adrenaline-packed family-friendly show offers two hours of cheering on heroes and booing villains. 7pm
FULL OF HAM: Comedian and ventriloquist Max Fulham brings his sold-out Edinburgh show Full of Ham to Soho Theatre Dean Street. Expect talking ham, malfunctioning self-service checkouts, and an inner monologue that just can’t be kept inside. 7.15pm
LUCIE JONES: West End singer Lucie Jones takes over the London Palladium for an evening of live music spanning hits from the shows. 7.30pm
MIGUEL GIRAO: Camden music venue The Green Note hosts acclaimed Portuguese-born, Scotland-based guitarist Miguel Girão for an intimate concert. Expect to hear a blend of classical, jazz, and contemporary music. 8.30pm
PUSHING 30: Comedian Abby Govindan is at Islington's Pleasance Theatre for a work-in-progress performance of her show, Pushing 30. Watch as she fine tunes an hour of jokes about dating, getting older, and breaking generational curses. 9pm
Today's events: Tuesday 17 February
PANCAKE DAY: Today is Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day, and flipping heck, does London know how to celebrate! Check out our Pancake Day guide for details of special menus, as well as Pancake Day races at venues all over town.
SPACE BY LUXMURALIS: Trafalgar Square church St Martin-in-the-Fields gets a glow-up as light show wizards Luxmuralis take over the building. Space uses sound and light both inside and outside the building to explore humanity's relationship with space, including footage of 'the first' rocket launch. 17-21 February 2026
MARY SEACOLE: A free performance of The Marvellous Adventures of Mary Seacole is offered for young people at the Rosemary Branch Theatre. 12-18 year olds (and guardians) are welcome at the performance, which recounts the life of the Jamaican nurse and businesswoman who paved her own way and defied the dominant narrative. FREE, 11.30am
CORNERS OF THE BARBICAN: Get to know the lesser-known corners of the Barbican Estate through a free talk at Guildhall Library. City Guide Colin Davey takes you beyond the public areas of the arts centre, offering vision, controversy, and an account of being a 1973 resident. FREE, 2pm
THE PRICE OF PIXELS: Gresham College dives into the environmental effects of our love of technology, in a free lecture by Visiting Professor of Environmental Health, Dr Ian Mudway. He talks about the destructive rare earth mineral mining powering our devices, the vast energy consumption of data centres, and the toxic e-waste contaminating our environment and harming human health. FREE, 6pm
MAPPING MIGRATION: Understand the patterns, causes, and impacts of global migration through a panel discussion at the Royal Geographical Society in South Kensington. Hear from experts Professor Johanna Waters, Professor Giorgia Doná adnd Professor Nando Sigona, chaired by BBC News presenter Martine Croxall, discussing human mobility, border dynamics, urban pressures, and how geography informs policies for population movement. 7pm-8.30pm
Today's events: Wednesday 18 February
LONDON HANDEL FESTIVAL: From Heavenly Harmony is the theme of the 2026 London Handel Festival, which celebrates the composer's music through a series of concerts and events at venues including the Foundling Museum, the Charterhouse and Handel Hendrix House. 18 February-28 March 2026
HEALTH CARTOONS: Head to the Royal College of Nursing for a talk on the history of nursing cartoons, from documenting nursing training in 1900 to political campaigns of the 1980s. Historian Dr Sue Hawkins, cartoonist Cath Jackson, literary agent Corinne Pearlman, and Holly Burrows of the Cartoon Museum discuss what we can learn about healthcare, politics and history from the design and style of nursing cartoons. FREE, 5.30pm-7pm
BRAZILIAN CARNIVAL: Celebrate Brazilian Carnival at Camden's Jazz Cafe, which offers a night of Latin music genres including bossa nova, samba, and Música popular brasileira. Performers include a parade of live drummers, Brazilian dancers and DJs, as well as Quintal do Samba and London School of Samba. Sounds like a lively one! 7pm
COMEDY FOR CRISIS: Sean Mcloughlin headlines fundraiser night Comedy For Crisis, with support from Sunil Patel and musical comedian Kate Lucas. Takes place at Corner Corner in Canada Water, with Steve Bugeja as compere for the night. 7pm-9pm
THE RETURN OF RUSSIA: James Rodgers, journalist and author of The Return of Russia, is at Paddington's Frontline Club to talk about the book's contents. Hear about Russia's relationship with the West since the end of the Cold War, and its renewed military ambitions. 7pm
PALACE OPERA: It doesn't get much fancier than an opera performance at an actual palace. Don your best togs and head to Fulham Palace for National Opera Studio's evening of operatic highlights presented by talented young musicians. Takes place in Bishop Sherlock's Room. Age 18+. 7.30pm-9.15pm
Today's events: Thursday 19 February
CHARLES DICKENS PARTY: The Charles Dickens Museum throws A Party For Charles: a birthday party for the author aimed at families with children aged five to eight. The Victorian-inspired shindig includes party games, and a chance to use a real feather quill pen. 19-20 February 2026
SERPENTINE CURRENTS: Swing by the courtyard at Somerset House to get a glimpse of new installation Serpentine Currents by Dana-Fiona Armour. The illuminated sculpture is in three parts, taking the form of an endangered sea snake species with an LED surface animated using ocean data from the British coastline. FREE, 19 February-26 April 2026
LOO TOUR: The toilet tours run by Rachel 'The Loo Lady' — which run every Thursday and on selected Sundays — are not your bog standard London experience, immersing you (metaphorically) in a history of the city's public toilets, asking such questions as: "Did Romans wipe their bottoms?" and "Was there really a man named Thomas Crapper?". 11am
BIG BUG SHOW: Join poet Simon Mole and musician Gecko for a family show full of poems, raps and songs all about insects, as the Big Bug Show comes to Artsdepot. Created for 4-11 year olds, the show introduces little ones to the world beneath our feet, and encourages them to appreciate the smallest creatures. 11am/2pm
COMEDY SHOWCASE: Recent graduates of a Stand Up Comedy for Beginners course try out everything they've learned at a showcase night at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley. Carly Smallman comperes an evening of fresh and original material. 7pm
WORKING CLASS LIVES: Art historian Dr Jacqueline Riding is in conversation with historian and presenter Lucy Worsley at Southwark Cathedral. They discuss Riding's upcoming book, Hard Streets: Working-Class Lives in Charlie Chaplin’s London, looking at how the actor's life and work were shaped by his roots on the hard streets of Victorian and Edwardian London. 7.15pm
Today's events: Friday 20 February
RYOJI IKEDA WEEKEND: Today and tomorrow, Barbican hosts a Ryoji Ikeda Weekend celebrating the Japanese electronic composer and visual artist. It begins tonight with a concert of music for strings, followed by several more shows tomorrow. 20-21 February 2026
NUCLEAR NIGHTMARE: Bloomsbury's Bertha DocHouse screens newly-released film Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare, which chronicles the 2011 earthquake and tsunami which breached the Fukushima nuclear plant’s 10-metre-high seawalls, paving the way for a potentially huge disaster. 20-26 February 2026
KENSINGTON GARDENS TOUR: Hear the hidden stories of Kensington Gardens, on a walking tour by the Royal Parks. Go behind the railings of the Albert Memorial, hear little-known histories of its famous statues, and learn why it was separated from neighbouring Hyde Park. 11am
PRIMROSE HILL: Primrose Hill, Chalk Farm and Camden Town are replete with historic transport infrastructure, but who built it all? Join tour guide Laura Agustin to explore the lives and works of the navvies who dug out the tunnels and built other railway features of the area. 1pm
LIVE AT LUNCH: The Royal Opera House offers a regular series of free concerts and performances. Live At Lunch takes place on alternate Fridays, with performers from either the Royal Ballet, the Royal Opera, or guest artists giving a show in the Paul Hamlyn Hall. The performers aren't revealed until the event. FREE, 1pm
BITCHES IN STITCHES: All-femme comedy night Bitches in Stitches takes over Hoxton Cabin for a belated Valentine's event for girls, gays, theys and allies, featuring a diverse, 10-woman line-up. 8.30pm
Today's events: Saturday 21 February
SIX NATIONS: With fixtures on both Saturday and Sunday this week, take a look at our guide to pubs, bars and other venues screening the Six Nations in London, and book your seat, pronto.
BROKEN GLASS: Arthur Miller's Broken Glass returns to the stage at the Young Vic. Set in 1938 New York, it's the story of a woman called Sylvia Gellburg who experiences a mysterious paralysis when she hears about Kristallnacht and other worrying events happening in Germany. 21 February-18 April
GO EAST VINTAGE: Over 40 vintage and independent traders have stalls at the Go East Vintage market, which pops up at Tanner Street in Bermondsey for the weekend. Browse and buy vintage and antique furniture, lighting, homeware, art, vinyl, fashion and jewellery, inside an historic warehouse. 21-22 February 2026
BANQUETING HOUSE: Fresh from an extensive refurbishment, Banqueting House — the only sizeable remaining part of the old Whitehall Palace — hosts an open day, in which you can get a stiff neck admiring the cherub-heavy ceiling by Peter Paul Rubens. For the time being, these are just a monthly thing, and you'll want to book. 10am-3pm
VETERINARY MARVELS: ZSL's 200th anniversary celebrations continue with a history tour themed on the marvels of veterinary medicine. Meet at the main entrance and hear about pioneering technology over the past two centuries, including how the zoo created prosthetics for a one-legged raven. 11.30am
ART WALK-THROUGH: Londonist's own art critic Tabish Khan leads a guided walk-through of the FLOW exhibition at SEAGER Gallery in Deptford. Khan is in conversation with the four participating artists, Melitta Nemeth, Lucy Cade, Alex Fox and Georgia Peskett, offering an intimate insight into the artworks on view. 4pm-5.30pm
BONFIRE NIGHT?: Bexley is hosting a bonfire party tonight, the last event in the borough's winter light-art festival. Drawing inspiration from historic local traditions of bonfire building, ‘The Firewatchers’, is a ceremonial bonfire night with outdoor fire performances, an interactive fire fayre, live music and hot food and drinks. 5.30pm-7.30pm
GALLERY LATE: Dulwich Picture Gallery stays open for an Out Of Frame Late, a special after-hours event celebrating LGBTQI+ stories and histories in art at the Gallery. The programme includes tours, performances and art workshops, including a look at androgyny, cross-dressing, kings that were queens, and saucy saints in the artworks around you. FREE, 6pm-10pm
PIANO RECITAL: Argentine pianist Alberto Portugheis offers an evening of live music at the David Josefowitz Concert Hall in the Royal Academy of Music. 7.30pm
Today's events: Sunday 22 February
ANTIQUES FAIR: The monthly Adams Antiques Fair rolls back into the Royal Horticultural Halls in Westminster with over 120 exhibitors selling antique jewellery, silver, decorative pieces and collectables. The event was first established in the 1970s, so it's fair to say they know what they're doing. Queues tend to build before the doors open, so arrive early if you want to be one of the first inside. 10am-4.30pm
BOROUGH AND BANKSIDE: Footprints of London guide Trevor Mayhew leads a walking tour through Borough and Bankside, focusing on the area's history, as shaped by its proximity to the City of London. Begin at St George the Martyr in Southwark and end at Borough Market, hearing tales of Shakespeare, brothels and bear-baiting as you go. 10.30am
SPENCER HOUSE: Let a Blue Badge guide show you around the opulent State Rooms of Spencer House. One of the finest examples of an 18th century aristocratic townhouse still kicking around in London, it was reopened by Lady Diana in 1991, following a 10-year restoration. 10.30am-4pm
BRAVE BETTIE: Woodland adventure Brave Bettie comes to the stage at Stanley Arts in Norwood, telling the story of a young girl who loves the forest, and must fight for what she believes in when the council threatens to chop it down. The show features poetry, songs, live music and stories from writer Tatenda Naomi Matsvai's home heritage in Zimbabwe, and is most suitable for ages three-eight. 11am/2pm
MONTY OXYMORON: The Damned's own maestro of the keys, Monty Oxymoron is at the Camden Club for an afternoon in which he performs songs from The Piano Plays Til Midnight, his collection of atmospheric piano renditions of classic Damned songs. 1pm-4.30pm
AISLING BEA: Comedian Aisling Bea shapes her latest show in a work-in-progress performance at the Pleasance Theatre. Notes in hand, she performs for about 90 minutes, honing the piece ahead of her UK and Ireland tour. 3pm
ONLINE WAR TALK: Join Black History Walks for a virtual talk about the importance of the Caribbean during the Second World War. Colin Douglas, author of a book on the topic, highlights the Caribbean contribution to the war effort in the form of raw materials and personnel, without which Britain may have struggled to avoid German invasion. 5.30pm
