All weekend
VALENTINE’S DAY EVENTS: As you’re probably well aware, Saturday is Valentine’s Day, with plenty of ways to mark the day of romance here in London. We’ve put together a guide to love-themed events happening throughout the week, which are open to everyone, whether you’re on a date, out with mates, or looking for something to get up to on your own.
ROMANTIC VALENTINE’S WEEKEND: If it is full-on romance you’re scheming, let us help you out by pointing you towards London’s best florists and chocolate shops. Consider booking one of London’s most romantic restaurants or hotels too.
FEBRUARY HALF TERM: With most London schools closed for a week from today, you’ll be needing our guide to things to do in London in half term. It’s packed with ways to entertain children and teenagers over the coming week, including special events, exhibitions and theatre shows — plus family-friendly activities and days out.
SIX NATIONS SCREENINGS: There are three Six Nations matches this weekend (Ireland Vs Italy, and Scotland Vs England on Saturday, and Wales Vs France on Sunday). Whoever you’re supporting, do so from one of these London pubs and venues which are screening the tournament.
TOOTING FOOD FESTIVAL: Tooting Market and Broadway Market come alive for two flavour-filled days, packed with live performances, informative tours and taster sessions celebrating food, culture and community. Entry to Tooting Food Festival is free, with a token system allowing you to sample dishes from local traders, who share the flavours and stories of their homelands. Get your tokens, and book your spot on a free Heritage Tour, via the festival website. 14-15 February (sponsor)
CLIMB ALLY PALLY: See London from a whole new perspective as Summit: Ally Pally Rooftop Adventure launches on Saturday. The highest roof-walk in the UK takes you 130 metres above sea level for panoramic views over the capital. From 14 February 2026
QUEEN’S HOUSE REOPENS: Be among the first to admire the new layout of the Queen’s House in Greenwich. The historic building closed in mid-January for a major rehang, and this weekend is the first opportunity to see the new displays. FREE, from 14 February
THE JOLLY POSTMAN: Get a dose of childhood nostalgia at the Postal Museum’s new exhibition dedicated to children’s book The Jolly Postman. Janet and Allan Ahlberg’s tale comes to life in an interactive and family-friendly exhibition in which you can follow his rounds, delivering letters to the Three Bears’ cottage and to Cinderella at the palace. 14 February 2026-January 2027
WWF WINTER WANDER: Conservation charity the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is encouraging people to organise their own sponsored walk this week, to raise money for its work. To get involved in the Big Winter Wander, complete a 5k or 10k walk in your local area, either on your own or with family and friends. 9-22 February 2026
LOST DAGGER: Twickenham’s Strawberry Hill House has an exhibition about a 16th century Ottoman dagger, believed to have once belonged to Henry VIII. On the death of Strawberry Hill’s original owner Horace Walpole, the dagger was sold to Shakespearean actor Charles Kean who used it as a prop on stage. But after his death in 1868, it disappeared without a trace… Until 15 February 2026
STREETHUNT GAMES: Gather your friends or family and work together solving clues while getting your steps in. StreetHunt Games offers two self-guided mysteries, each taking you through historical London. Unravel the truth about shady employees in The Case of Colombia’s Finest. Or prove you’re worthy of inheriting your uncle’s estate in Will Breaker. The games are designed for all skill levels, and can be played at your own pace, so are ideal for entertaining teenagers during half term, or for a unique Valentine’s date. Choose your own time and day (sponsor)
PRACTICALLY IMPERFECT: Author PL Travers and her fictional creation, Mary Poppins, are the subject of play Practically Imperfect, on at OSO Arts Centre in Barnes. Travers lives quietly in Chelsea until Poppins suddenly appears in her office, asking difficult questions and performing the kind of music Travers really wanted in the Mary Poppins film. 10-15 February 2026
SHARE YOUR HEART: Over 70 heart-themed artworks are on display at Saatchi Gallery until Sunday, for free exhibition Share Your Heart, in association with children’s charity Chain of Hope. Leading artists and public figures have created the artworks, including Youssef Nabil, Gordon Cheung, Philip Colbert, Gray Malin, Gillian Anderson, Olivia Colman, Alison Hammond and Mel B. All artworks are for sale in aid of the charity. FREE, 11-15 February 2026
IMAGINE FESTIVAL 2026: Southbank Centre’s Imagine Festival is back for February half term, celebrating all facets of kids’ literature, theatre, dance and music. The programme is packed, catering to all ages and budgets (plenty of events are FREE!), spanning performances and workshops. Highlights this weekend include CBBC stars Andy and the Odd Socks performing live on stage. 11-21 February 2026
SEEDS OF EXCHANGE: The exchange of botanical knowledge shared between Canton (now Guangzhou) and London between 1766-1773 is explored in the Seeds of Exchange exhibition at the Garden Museum. It’s a chance to view a collection of Chinese botanical art and research for the first time in Britain since it was commissioned over 250 years ago. 11 February-10 May 2026
EXTRA/ORDINARY WOMEN: The real lives of a whole range of women who supported and inspired author Charles Dickens are revealed in Extra/Ordinary Women at the Charles Dickens Museum. Find out about the clues left in Dickens’ work which helps us to connect his fictional characters to their real-life counterparts, and view a portrait of the Dickens daughters, Katey and Mamie, on display for the very first time. 11 February-5 September 2026
LUCIAN FREUD: Opening at the National Portrait Gallery on Thursday, Lucian Freud: Drawing into Painting is the UK’s first museum exhibition to focus on the artist’s works on paper, rather than his canvas paintings. 12 February-4 May 2026
WALLACE & GROMIT: One of the exhibitions we’re most looking forward to this year is Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit at the Young V&A. The 50th anniversary of the stop-motion studio is celebrated with models, sets and storyboards from Aardman’s archives, many of which have never been on public display before. Cracking! 12 February-15 November 2026
VOYAGE TO THE DEEP: Just in time for February half term, the Horniman Museum unveils new family-friendly experience Voyage to the Deep – Underwater Adventures. Board the Nautilus submarine, crawl through shipwrecks, decipher codes and collect deep-sea specimens. From 13 February 2026. Opening the same day is a free Octonauts trail at the museum.
LONDON BOOKSHOP CRAWL: London Bookshop Crawl encourages you to visit as many independent bookshops as possible over the course of one weekend — with events at various shops around the capital (as well as online) to foster a community of book lovers. The aim is to support London’s independent bookshops, while treating yourself to a few new reads. 13-15 February 2026
SEURAT AND THE SEA: Get a look at the seascapes of French artist Georges Seurat, at the Courtauld Gallery’s new exhibition Seurat and the Sea. 27 paintings, oil sketches and drawings made by Seurat during the five summers he spent on the northern coast of France feature. 13 February-17 May 2026
ARE YOU BETTER YET?: Fujifilm and Trekstock Cancer Support worked with photographer Michael Leckie to create exhibition Are You Better Yet? on show at the House of Photography in Covent Garden. View portraits of eight people in their 20s, 30s and 40s, and their lives alongside cancer, whether they are facing a diagnosis, undergoing treatment, or navigating recovery. FREE, until 29 March 2026
Sponsor message
Do Valentine’s differently with Sofar
An intimate live show, veiled in secrecy, taking place in one of London’s most interesting spaces, for one night only. It’s an undeniably romantic prospect, right?
But Sofar’s Valentine’s event programme isn’t just for couples. This multi-day, multi-venue affair spotlights many different kinds of love, community and nightlife, all over the capital. Choose between live music on a barge, a ballroom or a candlelit Inn of Court. Celebrate queer love with an LGBTQ+ line up in Bethnal Green. Or give Cupid the middle finger with a London Bridge comedy night.
These are just a few of the live shows taking place 13-15 February across London. In signature Sofar style, the fine details won’t be revealed until shortly before your booked show. In our humble opinion that only adds to their allure. Find the event that intrigues you the most and get your tickets while you can.
Saturday 14 February
TOGETHER THROUGH ART: Mall Galleries hosts the final day of Together Through Art, a charity exhibition supporting the Sick Children’s Trust. Among the artists taking part are Jonathan Yeo, Kate Morgan, and Matthew Rice, illustrator for Emma Bridgewater, whose work can be viewed from free, either in person at the gallery, or online. And it’s all for sale in aid of the charity. FREE, 10am-4pm
WRECKAGE AND REPAIR: Show your love — and hate — for certain parts of London, at the London Archives’ wreckage and repair workshop, led by artist/illustrator Agustin Coll. Choose familiar landmarks which you’re not too keen on, and give them a new lease of life through the power of collage illustration. 11am
DIY ART MARKET: Browse for art prints, ceramics, sculptures, jewellery and other art and craft items, as a Valentine’s edition of the DIY Art Market pops up at Copeland Park in Peckham. More than 80 artists take part. 11am-5pm
SHERLOCK HOLMES: Based on the work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes: The Hunt for Moriarty is on at Artsdepot in Finchley, set in 1901 as a series of mysterious events reveals a crack in the high corridors of power. Age 11+. 2pm/7.30pm
CHICOS MAMBO’S TUTU: Comedic dance show TUTU is a family-friendly, gender norm-defying performance at the Peacock Theatre, which lovingly mocks the classic tutu, traditionally only worn by women, by introducing the unique TUTU trousers. Age five+. 2.30pm/7.30pm (and until 21 February 2026)
ROCKY HORROR SHOW: It’s less like Valentine’s and more like Halloween down in Bromley, as the Rocky Horror Show comes to the Churchill Theatre. See the story of college kids Brad and Janet who break down outside a creepy mansion and meet the charismatic Dr Frank-N-Furter. Age 12+. 5pm/8.30pm
WUMMY: One-woman comedy Wummy, about a wannabe yummy mummy manifesting it all, comes to Soho Theatre Dean Street. Charis King stars as a broke woman craving the luxury of a Chelsea townhouse lifestyle, highlighting the thin line between manifestation and delusion. 8.30pm
HOT FUZZ: 19 years to the day since it was first released, the Prince Charles Cinema screens Hot Fuzz. Simon Pegg, Olivia Colman and Nick Frost star in the action comedy about an overachieving London police sergeant who is transferred to a easygoing village with a few unsavoury secrets up its sleeve. 9.15pm
Sunday 15 February
LONDON WINTER RUN: Places to take part in the London Winter Run have sold out, but if you’re in central London this morning, why not line the route and cheer the runners on. They’re running 10k on closed roads to raise money for Cancer Research UK. From 9.30am (roads closed earlier)
CLASSICAL COFFEE MORNING: Start your Sunday on a musical note, with a Classical Coffee Morning at the Royal Albert Hall. Guitarist and theorbo (a plucked instrument in the lute family) player Hope Cramsie performs live in the Elgar Room. A hot drink and pastry are included with your ticket. 10am
SOPHIES AND SOPHIAS: Quite niche, this one, but if you happen to be called Sophie or Sophia, you can get free entry to the Brunel Museum in Rotherhithe today only. It’s to mark the birthday of Sophia Kingdom, wife of Marc Brunel and mother of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and you can claim your ticket by using code SOPHIA1775 to book online. Remember to take ID along with you. 10.30am-3.30pm
INDEPENDENT CERAMICS MARKET: 90 ceramics artists, from students and recent graduates to established professionals, pitch up at the Independent Ceramics Market at Copeland Park in Peckham. Browse and buy kitchenware, vases, jugs, sculptures and other items, directly from the people who made them. 11am-5pm
PUPPETRY AND PERFORMANCE: 18-30 year olds are invited to take part in a puppetry and performance workshop at the Foundling Museum. Learn the skills to make a puppet with recycled materials, then animate it through movement, and design a scene. 1pm
BUILDERS CAFE: Walthamstow’s Big Penny Social launches new family event Builders Cafe, in which you can borrow a Lego set and spend the afternoon hanging out, sipping drinks, and building it, alongside other Lego fans. Aimed at children age five+ and their families. 1pm-3pm
WINTER COUPLE: Try your hand at recreating Gordon Bruce’s painting Winter Couple, which shows a couple embracing in a snowy park. The London Art Bar in Holborn is the venue for the Pop Up Painting session, in which all materials are provided, and a professional artist is on hand to offer guidance. 3pm-5.30pm
BRAZILIAN CARNIVAL: South London party venue the Clapham Grand goes big for Brazilian Carnaval 2026. Expect Brazilian live music, drummers, DJs, acrobats, face painters and food and drink, in one Samba-infused afternoon. 4pm-10pm
VALENTINE’S COMEDY SHINDIG: Six famous actors take to the stage at Theatre Royal Haymarket, hosted by Joe Lycett, to recall one of their dating stories that either went really well or very badly. Then, improv comedians take over, creating alternative ‘Sliding Doors’ versions of the stories, showing what could have happened. 6pm
