November 2023: We don’t want to alarm you, but somehow it’s November already. We know! We’re still frantically trying to scrub the Halloween fake blood stains off our hands à la Lady Macbeth, but Bonfire Night is already upon us.
Firework displays won’t be the only thing illuminating the city this month. In fact, it’s looking well and truly lit out there, thanks to all the Diwali celebrations and Christmas light switch-ons.
Things will get even more festive as the month continues, with the arrival of the city’s annual ice skating rinks, Christmas markets and winter pop-ups, not to mention all the carol services and Christmas theatre shows being staged in the run-up to the most wonderful time of the year.
Autumn is a great time of year for culture too. The city plays host to two big multi-venue music festivals in Pitchfork London and the EFG London Jazz Festival, while November is a bumper month when it comes to film festivals, with the London Korean Film Festival, Doc’n Roll, the UK Jewish Film Festival and more arriving over the next few weeks. And that’s before we get started on all the blockbuster art and theatre shows on right now.
So wrap up warm, make sure to pack a brolly and get out there.
No matter what your vibe, tastes or interests, there is always something to do in London. When the sun’s out, London’s parks turn into leafy social clubs, restaurants dust off their outdoor seating and fountains erupt from dusty concrete squares and suddenly the city air is filled with alfresco theatre.
Whether you want to see cutting-edge art exhibitions, iconic attractions, secret spots, world-beating theatre, stunning green spaces, it’s all here and you can probably fit all this in and more still barely feel like you’ve scratched the surface of the city. And that’s before you factor in all those historic London pubs, the latest must-visit restaurants and vibrant LGBTQ+ venues. And if you need somewhere to stay? Check out London’s best hotels or Airbnbs.
This London bucket list (curated by our editors and always hotly debated in the Time Out office) is a good place to start because exploring this city can be a little daunting. There’s something for everyone here, but you need to know where to look.
Plus, if you want to know what’s happening in London, like, right now, check out things to do in London this week and things to do in London this weekend. After a few days pottering about in the capital, you’ll be more than ready to reel off Dr Samuel Johnson’s famous quote: ‘When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.’
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