All weekend
ADVENTURE TRAVEL SHOW: Head to the Business Design Centre in Islington to satiate your wanderlust at the Adventure Travel Show. 125 travel organisations and specialists are there, offering you the chance to plan high-adrenaline and off-the-beaten-track adventures, and hear from high-profile names such as Simon Reeve. 10-11 January
BECOMING VICTORIA WOOD: Bloomsbury's Bertha DocHouse screens new-release film Becoming Victoria Wood, which uses the comedian's own voice — as well as those of the people who knew her best — to delve into the insecurity, anger and self-doubt behind the comic genius public persona. 10-11 January
HOLDING TIME: Highgate's Lauderdale House unveils its latest free exhibition, Holding Time, celebrating the quiet, often overlooked moments that root us in the natural world. Works by three artists, Ayse McGowan, Caroline Matthews and Michelle Weiner, feature — spanning painting, drawing and printmaking. FREE, 10 January-9 February
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: Regular as clockwork every January, Cirque du Soleil swings back into the Royal Albert Hall to wow audiences with its latest production. OVO brings the bug world to life, with acrobatics inspired by the abilities of creatures both real and imagined: crickets leap skyward, butterflies soar midair, ants juggle with precision, and spiders contort, bend and twist in this family-friendly show. From 9 January
CECIL BEATON: The photographer extraordinaire is in the spotlight at the National Portrait Gallery, where Cecil Beaton's Fashionable World becomes the first exhibition dedicated solely to Beaton's fashion and portrait photography. 200 items including photographs, letters, portrait sketches, fashion illustration and costume are displayed. Until 11 January
EAST LONDON WATERWAYS: Walthamstow Wetlands hosts East London Waterways, a free exhibition of work by local artist Rory Brooke. Head to the Engine House to view limited-edition screenprints, linocuts and giclée sketches inspired by the Thames Estuary, Lea Valley and local water infrastructure. The work looks at pipes, pumping stations and weirs and how these structures sit alongside wetlands and wildlife. FREE, until 11 January
SKATE AT SOMERSET HOUSE: This weekend is your last chance to take to the ice at Skate at Somerset House this winter. The temporary ice rink is located in the courtyard, making for a beautiful setting for a spot of skating. Until 11 January
PALLADIUM PANTO: If you didn't manage to squeeze in a trip before Christmas, this weekend is your last chance (oh no it isn't...) to see the legendary Palladium Panto. This year's tale is Sleeping Beauty, starring Catherine Tate, Palladium pantomime royalty Julian Clary, impressionist Jon Culshaw, panto favourites Paul Zerdin, Nigel Havers and Rob Madge — as well as West End stars Emily Lane and Amonik Melaco. We went last month and it was a hoot. Until 11 January
MUMBAI AND LONDON: See three sculptures from cultures rarely seen side by side, at the British Museum's current display, Mumbai + London: new perspectives on the ancient world. Works from ancient Egypt, the Mediterranean and India are brought together, in a display co-curated with one of India's leading museums, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya. FREE, until 11 January
Saturday 10 January
SNOW WHITE: Aimed at children under six and their families, Snow White and the Messy Dwarves is a panto-style show (minus the festive trimmings) featuring puppets and silly songs. See it at Lauderdale House. 11am
CRAFT & CHILL: Take the kids along to the London Museum Docklands for a free family activity session. Read books, play, draw or take part in craft activities inspired by identity and belonging, all in a space that's designed to be welcoming and inclusive for all families. FREE, 11am-3.30pm
IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST: The National Theatre's hit production of The Importance of Being Earnest comes to a close at the Noël Coward Theatre, telling Oscar Wilde's story about two young men who lead double lives, getting caught in a web of lies. Olly Alexander and Stephen Fry star. 2pm/7pm
COMEDY FINAL: The best acts from almost 40 heats compete in the New Comedian Of The Year Final at Leicester Square Theatre. The winner receives a cash prize as well as the coveted title, and past finalists have included Rob Beckett, Rachel Parris, Jessica Fostekew, Olga Koch and Sofie Hagen. 3pm
ART LAUGHS: Explore the weird and wonderful collections of Royal Museums Greenwich with comedian Verity Babbs and special guests. Art Laughs takes place at the Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre in Kidbrooke, and begins with a comedy tour of the venue, followed by improv comedy in the paintings store. 6pm-8pm
I PURITANI: Lisette Oropesa and Lawrence Brownlee star in Bellini's final opera, I Puritani, a passionate love story set during the English Civil War. This is the first new Met production of Bellini's final masterpiece in nearly 50 years, and is broadcast live into Barbican Cinema on opening day. 6pm
COOKING WITH KATHRYN: Kate Owens brings her Edinburgh Comedy Award‑nominated show, Cooking With Kathryn, to Soho Upstairs. It's a one‑hour comic theatre piece mixing live music, shadow puppetry and physical clowning as Owens plays Kathryn, a chaotic Southern cooking show host. 6.45pm
28 DAYS LATER: Danny Boyle's award-winning, post-apocalyptic 2002 horror film 28 Days Later is shown at the Eventim Apollo, accompanied by a live orchestra and rock band performing John Murphy's score. 7.30pm
OUR AMERICAN QUEEN: Kate Chase, apparently the most powerful American woman you've never heard of, is the subject of new play Our American Queen, at the St Bride's Foundation in Fleet Street. Set during the 1864 presidential campaign, the production examines ambition, reputation and the limits placed on women seeking power, through the story of Kate Chase and her father Salmon P. Chase. 7.30pm (and until 7 February)
SOPHIE'S SURPRISE PARTY: Party‑style circus show Sophie's Surprise Party ends its current run at Underbelly Boulevard Soho combining acrobatics, comedy and '90s nostalgia. Each night, one guest is chosen to become Sophie, joining the fun on stage — you've been warned! 7.30pm/9.30pm
SIMON & GARFUNKEL: The Simon and Garfunkel Story comes to Fairfield Halls in Croydon, pairing a full live band with large-scale projection and original film footage to tell the story behind Simon & Garfunkel and perform hits including Mrs Robinson, Cecilia and Bridge Over Troubled Water. 8pm
SCARED TO DANCE: Alternative club night Scared To Dance is back at the Victoria in Dalston, playing post-punk, indiepop and new wave rock tunes by the likes of David Bowie, Phoebe Bridgers, New Order, Manic Street Preachers and The Velvet Underground until the small hours. Singer-songwriter Billie Marten is the guest DJ this time round. 10pm
Sunday 11 January
GIANT LONDON FLEA: The Giant London Flea brings dozens of vintage, antiques and second‑hand stalls to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, with traders selling clothing, furniture, collectables and other reclaimed goods, all along the road outside the Velodrome. 10am-5pm
FLOW AND WRITE: Keats House hosts a two-hour session led by Calleen Everitt, combining a gentle vinyasa flow, a short meditation, and creative journalling prompts to help unlock ideas. Take a mat, notebook, pen and water. No previous yoga or writing experience is required. 10.30am-12.30pm
ROMAN LONDON: A Roman Wall, Roman baths, a military fort and the Temple of Mithras are just some of the sites you'll learn about on the Roman London guided walk through the City. Meet your guide in St Paul's Churchyard and spend two hours acquainting yourself with old Londinium. 11am-1pm
WONDERFUL WILDLIFE: The London Wildlife Trust holds a drop-in session at Sydenham Hill Wood, where you can learn about woodland wildlife such as mysterious mushrooms, mosses and mice— and create nature crafts. Aimed at children of all ages and their families. FREE (donations welcome), 1pm-3pm
BOTANY BAY: Hear about the 19th-century Islington youths who were convicted of theft and shipped to Australia, on a walk with Footprints of London guide Laura Agustín. Begin at Angel station and wander past the sites of several Clerkenwell prisons before reaching Newgate and eventually the river that leads to the sea. Hear about two Islington teenagers caught thieving from a shop, sent to Newgate Prison, tried at the Old Bailey, convicted and sentenced to death — but who were then sent to Botany Bay instead. 1pm-3.30pm
NO TROUSERS TUBE RIDE: The annual No Trousers Tube Ride returns to London's public transport network, with members of the public navigating the Tube minus their trousers. Anyone can take part; just make your way to the meeting point in Chinatown. Note that trousers should be kept on until you enter the Underground... and underwear is very much required at all times. From 2.45pm
CARDUCCI QUARTET: Conway Hall's first Sunday Concert of 2026 stars the award-winning Carducci Quartet, joined by pianist Simon Callaghan. Together they perform works by Beethoven and Schumann, as well as one of Rebecca Clarke's only two surviving works for string quartet, Poem. 6.30pm
NO FRILLS FOLK CLUB: The Windmill Brixton is the place to head for No Frills Folk Club, an informal round-the-table folk session led by The No Frills Band. Multiple genres are covered, including Irish, Welsh, English and Scottish, American old time, bluegrass and western swing, French, Yiddish, East European, Scandinavian, Greek, Turkish, Balkan... you name it. Take part, or turn up, get a drink, kick back and listen. 7pm
