All weekend
HALLOWEEN: London's going to be a scream this week, with Halloween on Friday, and tons of terrifyingly good parties continuing into this weekend. Here's our guide to the best Halloween events for both kids and adults, as well as scary film screenings around town. In the meantime, why not start planning a trip to one of these charming pumpkin patches near London.
FIREWORKS: Bonfire Night doesn't officially fall until next week (5 November — remember?), but several London venues and neighbourhoods hold their big firework displays this weekend. Our complete Bonfire Night 2025 guide has details of every London firework display we know about, to help you plan your fill of whizzbangs. All you need to bring are the 'oohs' and ahhs'.
NOVEMBER: With November under way this weekend, get planning with our guide to 75+ fantastic things to do over the month, spanning new exhibitions and theatre shows, festivals, Bonfire night and — yup — Christmas events cranking into gear in the capital.
HALF TERM: Keep the kids entertained during the school holidays with our guide to things to do in London in October half term. We've got ideas for events and activities for all ages, spanning exhibitions, theatre shows, one-off events — and some completely free things to do too.
FREUD'S HOUSEKEEPER: Hampstead's Freud Museum opens new exhibition, Housekeeper by artist Cathie Pilkington. Through various forms, she channels Paula Fichtl, the Freud family's housekeeper, to show what goes into caring for the museum's collection. 29 October-1 March
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. On selected dates, Company Wayne McGregor, McGregor’s company of dancers in residence, activate the artworks and reveal their creative process. 30 October-22 February
VAAK FESTIVAL: Rich Mix in Shoreditch hosts a celebration of contemporary Persian-speaking arts in the form of Vaak Festival 2025. Film screenings, live music and workshops from Iran, Afghanistan and the diaspora are all on the weekend's schedule. 31 October-2 November
CONNECTION AND IDENTITY: One of two light shows happening in Greenwich this autumn, Connection and Identity opens in the Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College on Friday. Two large-scale light and sound installations by Peter Walker invite us to "contemplate what it means to be human". Connection is inspired by Michelangelo's hands from the Creation of Adam, while Identity features eight illuminated columns suspended within the Painted Hall, evoking DNA structures. 31 October-5 January
BATTERSEA PARK FIREWORKS: Get your fireworks fix at one of London’s biggest and brightest displays this weekend. Battersea Park Fireworks will light up the skies for two days on the trot — enjoy a dazzling Saturday night out or opt for Sunday’s chiller, family-friendly affair. Whichever you choose, you’ll get live entertainment, an excellent selection of street food and drink, and a ton of fairground fun. 1-2 November (sponsor)
SKATE LEICESTER SQUARE: 'Tis the season when many pop-up ice rinks appear across the capital, and a brand new skating rink opens on Saturday, right in the centre of London. Skate Leicester Square encircles the statue of William Shakespeare, alongside a pop-up bar and Christmas market. 1 November-4 January
SUBLIME SPACE: Our relationship with nature and landscape as a space for creative reflection is the subject of Sublime Space, a new exhibition at the Heath Robinson Museum in Pinner. Works by quirky draftsman William Heath Robinson are on display alongside pieces by 10 contemporary artists including Jemma Powell, Jonathan McCree, Sue Arrowsmith, Ralph Steadman and Barnaby Barford. Included in museum admission. 1 November-22 February
LONDON LITERATURE FESTIVAL: This is the final weekend of this year's London Literature Festival at Southbank Centre. Enjoy talks, performances, workshops and other events led by big names including political campaigner Malala Yousafzai and bestselling author Zadie Smith. Until 2 November
FRIEZE SCULPTURE: If you can squeeze in an autumn stroll this weekend, we suggest heading to the south-east corner of Regent's Park (near Regent's Park and Great Portland Street stations) to explore this year's free Frieze Sculpture Trail before it ends. This year's crop, in our opinion, is the most diverse and playful in a long time — something that adults and children can enjoy together, with plenty of space for little ones to run around and let off steam. FREE, until 2 November
UNSILENCED: Last chance to see Imperial War Museum's hard-hitting but important exhibition Unsilenced: Sexual Violence in Conflict, exploring the contexts in which sexual violence occurs in conflict, and how people around the world are fighting for justice. Stories of child evacuees, victims of trafficking, prisoners of war, and survivors from the First World War to present-day conflicts are told. Age 16+. FREE, until 2 November
ROBOT ZOO: Half term is the final week of family-friendly exhibition The Robot Zoo at Forest Hill's Horniman Museum. A robotic rhino, a squid with 18-foot tentacles and a huge housefly with a vacuum cleaner for a mouth are among the oversized, mechanical animals on display. The creatures are made from familiar machine parts and gadgets, and show how animals are adapted to live their lives, such as how a chameleon changes colour, what makes grasshoppers leap so high and why a platypus looks so strange. Until 2 November
MATERIAL WORLD: Also coming to a close this weekend is Material World, Kew Gardens' exhibition about plants, textiles and sustainability. The centrepiece is Nnenna Okore's Between Earth and Sky, a sculptural artwork in the Temperate House. Until 2 November
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Celebrate spooky season after hours at Kempton Steam Museum
Ominous hissing. Ghostly wisps of steam. An 800 ton behemoth awakening from a long slumber… Halloween parties don’t get more authentically atmospheric than this. On Saturday 1 November, the hidden gem that is Kempton Steam Museum becomes Kempton Scream Museum, inviting visitors to discover a monstrous feat of engineering in suitably spooky style.
This one-night-only celebration is your chance to let loose within a Grade II Listed Scheduled Monument — a very fetching one at that, with floor-to-ceiling glazed bricks — which is home to the world's largest working, triple-expansion steam engine. This near-century old, 62ft tall invention will be fired up several times during the evening, offering visitors a hair-raising glimpse at its power.
This museum late isn't just for engineering enthusiasts, though — there's a live DJ, a cash bar, and dressing up is highly encouraged. If you're after an off-beat way to mark Halloween, this should be right up your street.
Kempton Lates: Steam & SCREAM! takes place 6pm-10pm on Saturday 1 November. Tickets cost £19 and can be bought here. Kempton Steam Museum is located in Hanworth (Hounslow).
Saturday 1 November
THE ART OF MOTORING: Claiming to be "Europe's leading motor art exhibition", The Art of Motoring roars into town, parking up at Iconic Images Gallery on Waterloo Place (Pall Mall). Works by 32 British artists are available to view for free, spanning photo-realism to abstract, using materials including oils, watercolours, laser cut aluminium sheet and carbon fibre — and all are for sale. Today's your last chance to view the exhibition. FREE, 10am-5pm
IWM PODCAST FESTIVAL: Imperial War Museum hosts a history podcast festival, with 10 history podcasters across two stages joined by a programme of special guests, historians and curators. Classic war films, Cold War spies and prisoner of war escapes are among the topics covered. 10am-9pm
THE LONDON TACO EXPERIENCE: Try tacos from eight different traders at the London Taco Experience at Riverside East (Stratford), timed to coincide with Mexico's Day of the Dead. The foodie festival includes a live mariachi band, DJs, a hot sauce showcase and, of course, tasty tacos. 11am-4pm/5pm-10pm
HALLOWEEN DOG PARADE: Head to Chelsea this morning to see dogs dressed up in their finest Halloween costumes for a special parade. It's free to watch (note: places for dogs to take part have now sold out), beginning at Chelsea Theatre and making its way to Sloane Square. FREE, from 11.30am
FAMILY DISCO: Celebrate Halloween as a family at the Sharky & George Halloween mini disco at Sea Containers on South Bank. Head up to 12th Knot bar for two hours of Halloween fun in the form of spooky tunes, dance-offs and games. Scary costumes very much encouraged. 12pm-2pm
STATE OF STATELESSNESS: As part of the Tibet Film Festival London, catch the UK premiere of State of Statelessness, the first-ever Tibetan-language anthology feature film, telling the stories of four Tibetans living in exile. This screening at Holborn's Garden Cinema is introduced by cultural anthropologist Dr Dawa Lokyitsang. 2pm
FAMILY ENGINEERING SHOW: Engineering meets creativity in the Royal Institution's family engineering show, where you're challenged to build an oversized obstacle course, learning what it takes to design, build and test large-scale machines as you go. Mechanical engineer and broadcaster Shini Somara leads you in bringing your obstacle course to life. 2pm-3.15pm
ELF THE MUSICAL: London's first Christmas show is here! The ever-popular Elf The Musical dances its way into the Aldwych Theatre, starring Joel Montague, Carrie Hope Fletcher and Aled Jones (yes, that Aled Jones) in the tale of a human baby who is raised as an elf at the North Pole, then sets out to find his real father. 2pm/7pm (until 3 January)
BORN WITH TEETH: Last chance to see Born With Teeth, the West End premiere of the Royal Shakespeare Company's production, at Wyndham's Theatre. Ncuti Gatwa stars at Kit Marlowe, while Edward Bluemel plays William Shakespeare in a story of two writing rivals forced to collaborate. Age 14+. 2.30pm/7.30pm
HALLOWEEN CONCERT: The Kew Wind Orchestra gives a special Halloween concert at Landmark Arts Centre in Teddington. Expect haunting melodies, dramatic flourishes and a few surprises along the way, in a performance suitable for the whole family. 5pm
DEAD MAN WALKING: The English National Opera premieres an exciting new production of Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally’s powerful operatic drama, Dead Man Walking. See the story of a man facing the death penalty for the murder of two teenagers, and the religious Sister who offers him spiritual guidance, on stage at the London Coliseum. 7pm
DAY OF THE DEAD: It's adults only at Horniman Museum's Day of the Dead Evening Fiesta. Visit the Conservatory after dark for live Mexican music performances, a tequila bar, Mexican street food, sugar skull face painting and other ghoulish entertainment. 7pm-10.30pm
THOMAS TALLIS: St Alfege Church in Greenwich invites the Thomas Tallis Society Choir to celebrate its 60th anniversary with a selection of Tallis' choral works with instrumental accompaniment. There's also music by Bach, Mozart and premieres from contemporary composers. A party follows the concert. 7.30pm
RORY MARSHALL: Character comedian Rory Marshall is at Soho Theatre Dean Street with his current show, Pathetic Little Characters. Expect an hour of extremely sad and pathetic characters (his words!), hot off a sell-out Edinburgh Fringe run. 8.45pm
Sunday 2 November
VETERAN CAR RUN: The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run sees some 400 pre-1905 vehicles setting off from London to Brighton. You'll have to be up early to cheer them on — they begin leaving Hyde Park around 7am, heading through Lambeth towards Croydon, and on towards the coast. FREE, from 7am
ANTIQUES FAIR: The monthly Adams Antiques Fair pitches up at the Royal Horticultural Halls in Westminster, bringing together 130+ expert exhibitors selling antique jewellery, silver, decorative pieces and collectables. Though doors open at 10am, a queue always forms prior to this, so arrive early for first dibs. 10am-4.30pm
CEYLON CRAB TABLE: Sri Lankan restaurant Kolamba East hosts a monthly Sunday dining experience, the Ceylon Crab Table, a family-style meal centred around the venue's renowned whole crab curry. Begin with grilled prawns and mango papaya salad, followed by the crab curry, slow-simmered with moringa, coconut milk, fresh tamarind and Kolamba's spice blend, accompanied by dhal, kos, morning glory, roast paan and saffron rice. Finish up with a sweet mango trifle. From 12pm
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: Two chances to watch animated film How To Train Your Dragon on a large screen at the Royal Albert Hall, accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and the Crouch End Festival Chorus performing the score, live. 1.30pm/5.30pm
WALLACE AND GROMIT: Cracking music Gromit! Soundtracks from Wallace and Gromit films The Wrong Trousers (2pm) and A Grand Day Out (4pm) are performed live by the Fairey Band at Woolwich Works. Note: these are two separate concerts. 2pm and 4pm
CLIMATE CHANGE: Author and activist Andreas Malm is at Barbican to lead a conversation about how we can come together and act to slow/prevent climate change. He talks to environmental justice advocate and human rights lawyer Steven Donziger about technology currently being developed to this end. Chaired by political economist and author Adrienne Buller. 3pm
DOMESTIC POWER IMBALANCE: Science journalist Melissa Hogenboom is at Conway Hall to discuss how traditional gender power balances in the home are being challenged and disrupted. Why do women who out-earn their male partners still tend to do more housework? Why are unemployed men generally happier if their female partners are also unemployed? Hear her conclusions after interviewing dozens of female breadwinners. 3pm-4.30pm
JAKE PATRICK: Liverpudlian comedian Jake Patrick is trying out new material at the Bill Murray this afternoon. Get a feel for his gags from clips on his Instagram. 4pm-5pm
CLASSIC PENGUINS: Cult comedian Garry Starr waddles into Arts Theatre West End, on a mission to save books from extinction by performing every Penguin Classic novel ever written — think The Little Prince to Moby Dick and everything in between. Warning: he'll mostly be naked (but with flippers). 7.30pm
