All weekend
FRESH ART FAIR: 70+ galleries come together under one roof for Fresh: Art Fair at Alexandra Palace. Focus is on contemporary art, with pieces by both rising stars and world-renowned artists for sale, along with workshops, artists demos, and a licensed bar. 30 January-1 February 2026
PLANETARIUM: An immersive planetarium experience opens at Battersea Power Station, offering 360° high-resolution projections and a series of short films exploring galaxies, planets and cosmic phenomena. It's family friendly, suitable for all ages, and under-fours go free. 30 January-1 March 2026
ROSEBUDS COMEDY FESTIVAL: Head to Clapham for some 'ha-ha' at Bread & Roses Theatre, where the Rosebuds Comedy Festival comes to an end this weekend. Jamie Byrne and Will BF are among the acts performing on Saturday and Sunday. 26 January-1 February 2026
INDEPENDENT MUSIC WEEK: Flex your support for London's indie music venues at this tough time of the year, by going to a gig or two as part of Independent Music Venue Week. Bush Hall, Camden Assembly and the Sebright Arms are among the venues holding special gigs this weekend. 26 January-1 February 2026
VINTAGE SALE: The Big Go East Vintage Sale takes over Hackney Depot for a payday weekend of stalls offering vintage furniture, homewares, art and fashion. 31 January-1 February 2026
DAVID BOWIE AFTERNOON TEA: There's a starman, waiting... at the Hotel Cafe Royal. Or at least, a Starman-themed menu, in the guise of the new David Bowie themed afternoon tea at the Regent Street venue. On the menu: sandwiches with names like The Thin White Duke and The Berlin Years, and desserts such as Green Suit, Lemon Static and Midnight Orange. Until 13 February 2026
FEBRUARY IN LONDON: With a new month beginning on Sunday, you'll be needing our guide to things to do in London in February to plan the upcoming four weeks. Highlights include wassailing, a flower festival, Super Bowl screenings, Wallace & Gromit and a church service for clowns.
LONDON PARKS AND GARDENS: Lambeth's Garden Museum opens new exhibition Melissa Scott-Miller: London Parks and Gardens, showcasing the artist's magnificent paintings of green spaces around the capital. Both well-known parks and private gardens feature (including the Garden Museum's own) along with compositions from the wider city, including Hampstead, Battersea, the City and Hammersmith. 28 January-29 March 2026
A VIEW OF ONE'S OWN: Discover a new side to the Golden Age of British Landscape art in the Courtauld Gallery's new exhibition, A View Of One's Own: Landscapes By British Women Artists, 1760-1860. It brings together landscape drawings and watercolours by British women artists working between 1760 and 1860, from highly accomplished amateurs to those ambitious for more formal recognition. They have remained mostly unknown, and their works largely unpublished, until now. 28 January-20 May 2026
Saturday 31 January
SNOWDROP SALE: Snowdrop season is in full swing in London, with the petite white flowers appearing in pockets all over town. Like what you see? Enfield's Myddelton House holds a snowdrop sale with plant experts selling many varieties for you to take home. Plus, Dr John Grimshaw MBE, Editor-in-Chief of Curtis's Botanical Magazine based at Kew, and Trees and Shrubs Online, gives a talk. 10am-12.30pm
UNSUNG HEROES: Take a tour of the RAF Museum focusing on the unsung heroes of the Battle of Britain, who worked with quiet courage and determination to keep the nation safe. 11am/2pm
PIER PUPS: Fulham Pier holds a Pier Pups Wellness Day, with experiences designed to make both humans and dogs feel better. Take part in dog yoga, get a beautiful portrait taken by a professional pet photographer, and shop for a selection of pet goodies, including dog beer. 11.30am-5pm
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM: Step into candlelit winter woods and discover the shadowy underbelly of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, in the final shows of its run at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. Four young lovers flee to the forest beyond the city walls, unaware that the forest itself is locked in a fierce battle between the Fairy King and Queen, Oberon and Titania, over the ownership of a stolen child. 2pm/7.30pm
OLD SCHOOL INDIE: Regular party event Club de Fromage throws a daytime party for ages 30+, with an area dedicated to old school indie music. Head to Scala (King's Cross) to dance the afternoon away to tunes by The Clash, Pulp, Arctic Monkeys, Blondie, Nirvana, Oasis, Joy Division and more — or head downstairs for the usual Club de Fromage blend of cheesy pop. 3pm-7pm
FISH BOWL: As part of MimeLondon, "laugh-out-loud silent comedy" BIGRE / Fish Bowl comes to the Peacock Theatre, taking inspiration from the infamous Parisian theatre Grand Guignol. The work of French theatre company Le Fils du Grand Réseau, it tells the story of three unusual neighbours in apartments in Paris, through mime and physical comedy theatre. 5pm
GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA: The world-famous Glenn Miller Orchestra is at Bromley's Churchill Theatre for a musical celebration of the legendary big band leader, Glenn Miller. They're joined by the Moonlight Serenaders vocal group and the orchestra's own swinging jazz band The Uptown Hall Gang for a lively evening of big band tunes. 5pm
WINTER LIGHTS 2026: Tonight's your last chance to see Winter Lights, the free illuminations trail dotted around Canary Wharf. It offers glowing installations at locations including Crossrail Place, Westferry Circus and Jubilee Park, and it's expected to be very busy tonight, so brace for crowds and allow extra time to see everything. Download the map to plan your route. FREE, 5pm-10pm
CHARITY COMEDY: Dylan Moran, Ardal O’Hanlon, Grace Campbell, Christopher Hall, Elf Lyons and Anuvab Pal are on the bill at Comedy Sans Frontières. The comedy show, hosted by Shabaz Ali at Soho Theatre Walthamstow, raises money for the international humanitarian charity Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders. 7.30pm
LESSON FROM AUSCHWITZ: Powerful and harrowing theatre show A Lesson From Auschwitz comes to the White Bear Theatre in Kennington. It tells the horrific story of a 1941 meeting overseen by Rudolf Höss, Commandant of Auschwitz, in which he introduced his staff to a horrific new poison gas which would be used to exterminate Jews. Among them was a lone Jewish prisoner, forced to participate; the very prisoner upon which this gas would be demonstrated. 7.30pm
DARK TALES: Join skilled storytellers Amy Douglas and Jason Buck for an evening of ghost and horror stories for grown-ups, in recognition of National Storytelling Week. Begin your evening at the Hat and Feathers in Clerkenwell with a nerve-steeling drink, followed by tales of dark myths from the wilds of the British countryside, and eerie legends of what hides beneath the streets of old London town. Age 14+. 7.30pm
BAFTA GAMES IN CONCERT: The world premiere of a live concert celebrating two decades of BAFTA-nominated and award-winning games music takes place at Southbank Centre. BAFTA Games in Concert features the BBC Concert Orchestra with London Voices performing award-winning music synchronised live with dynamic visuals, gameplay and imagery. 7.30pm
SING THE MUSICALS: Belt your lungs out to songs from West End shows, as Sing The Musicals pitches up at Fairfield Halls in Croydon. You're encouraged to dress up as your favourite character to join in with tunes from Mamma Mia, The Greatest Showman, Dirty Dancing, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, The Rocky Horror Show, Mary Poppins, Oliver, We Will Rock You and others, accompanied by a live band, giant lyric screens, dancers and confetti blasters. 7.30pm
Sunday 1 February
WEST LONDON FLEA: A brand new flea market launches in Wembley today, taking place at Europe's largest indoor coach park at Wembley Stadium. The Giant West London Flea brings together 200 traders selling products sourced from across the UK and Europe. 10am-5pm
VINTAGE FAIR: 60 exhibitors take part in the Frock Me! vintage fair, at Chelsea Old Town Hall. Rummage through racks of clothing, and keep your eyes out for British designer labels such as Ossie Clark, Bill Gibb and Biba. Items date from the Victorian era onwards, with jewellery and accessories also up for grabs. 11am-5.30pm
ZOO HISTORY TOUR: Mark 200 years of ZSL, the conservation charity which runs London Zoo, 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
PALACE HISTORY TOUR: Fulham Palace also offers a history tour today, visiting parts of the building including a secret door, a Victorian chapel, the Tudor great hall and Georgian dining rooms. Hear about past residents, and fascinating titbits of history, as you go. 11.30am-12.45pm
WEST END UNITES: The West End theatre community joins forces for Love Life: West End Unites Against Cancer, a one-night-only concert at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in support of men's mental health charity One For The Boys. Expect an all-star line-up of West End performers, creatives, musicians and supporters, with exact line-up TBC at time of writing. 6pm
LONDON PIANO QUARTET: Hear works by Alwyn, Dvořák and Brahms as the London Piano Quartet takes to the stage for today's Sunday Concert at Conway Hall in Holborn. The quartet — Michael Trainor (violin), Zahra Benyounes (viola), Jessie Ann Richardson (cello) and Simon Callaghan (piano) — have earned a reputation for their fresh interpretations of under-performed works. 6.30pm
DAGMARR'S DIMANCHE: Acclaimed cabaret artist Hersh Dagmarr presents Dagmarr's Dimanche: Songs from the Cinema at Crazy Coqs. Pianist/arranger Frau Karen Newby joins him on stage for a musical celebration of vintage Hollywood: the glitz, the romance, the voice, the dramatic entrances, torch songs, champagne, swooning and more. 7.30pm
LAUGH FACTORY: Christopher Savage hosts Laugh Factory, an evening of comedy supporting diverse talent by the Black Comedy UK team. Funmbi Omotayo, Victor Daniels and Jay Handley are all scheduled to appear, with other participants TBC. Takes place at Backyard Comedy Club in Bethnal Green. 7.30pm-11pm
