Holborn is one of the oldest parts of London and slap bang in the city centre. No wonder then that it’s a melting pot of cultural influences and is dripping with history. 

Did you know that Magna Carta was negotiated in a church in Holborn? 

The history still rings on to this day with a collection of the city’s, and the world’s, finest museums.

Spend a bit of time walking around and you’re likely to find plenty of things to do.

You’re also never shy of a good spot to eat. Being centrally located and a stone’s throw from the theatre district means that there are plenty of fancy restaurants… But there are also heaps of down-to-earth family-owned spots and cafes to boot. 

Let’s explore!

Things to do in Holborn

See the Unmissable Temple Church

When it comes to what to do near Holborn, you can’t do much better for that step-back-in-time escapism than Temple Church. It’s got history up to its eyeballs, or should we say spires? 

It was built by the Knights Templar in 1185, with the aim of being London’s Jerusalem, and has since been the site of some of history’s biggest moments. 

The Magna Carta was negotiated there, American law was basically born there, and it’s featured in Shakespeare’s plays. And survived for nearly a millennia. 

Today it’s still in use. You can gaze upon the near-thousand-year-old structure while you listen to choirs sing or priests deliver sermons. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon. 

Take a Walk Down Sicilian Avenue 

You might have spotted that little cut-through linking Southampton Row and Bloomsbury Way. That’s Sicilian Avenue. 

It was designed by Robert Worley in 1906 and completed four years later and remains much the same as it was then. Apart from the shops, we’re guessing they have changed hands. 

You’ll find cafe’s sandwich places and an Italian restaurant or two. The latter must feel right at home…

Or not, no one knows much about Worley. For all we know he never even went to Italy. And on closer inspection, Sicilian Ave. doesn’t actually look all that Italian. 

It’s not a bad spot for lunch though. 

Wander Round Charles Dickens’ House

Yep, arguably Britain’s most famous writer lived in Holborn. His house is now a museum, kept much the way it was when he lived there. 

You can see the desk where he wrote some of his most famous works, as well as the reading stand he used to conduct his famous public readings. You can even see his commode, if you fancy it.

The stewards are clearly all massive Dickens fans and are happy to tell you anything you can’t glean from the placards.

Oh and they do some great Dickens-related tours and events.

Find out more here

Grab a Pint at one of the Oldest Pubs in Ye Olde Land

OK so pretty much every other pub in London claims to be the oldest around. The Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese might just be. 

A pub has stood on its location since 1538, and although it was burnt down and rebuilt after the Great Fire, the basement remains intact, and that dates back to the 1300s. So even if your local reckons it’s got a claim to the title, it’s probably got nothing on The Cheshire Cheese. 

The aforementioned Charles Dickens was one of its former regulars – it’s mentioned in A Tale of Two Cities – as were fellow authors GK Chesterton, Arthur Conan-Doyle, PG Wodehouse and Mark Twain.

And if you don’t really care about how old the effing pub is, the gloomy nooks and crannies and its long and literary history still make a very atmospheric spot for a drink. 

Go Shopping for Diamonds

How about getting your bling on? 

Hatton Gardens is one of the top destinations for diamond shopping in the world. They’ve got over 70 shops dedicated to a girl’s best friend. 

But sorry to disappoint, these ones might leave in the night. With such a valuable hoard of diamonds, Hatton Garden has been the site of some major diamond heists. 

You can hear all about one of them on this tour of the area

It also drops past a couple other spots on this list. 

Get Curious at Sir John Soane’s Museum 

Sir John Soane was an architect back in his day, and quite a renowned one at that. He lived just off Kingsway and filled his house with all sorts of interesting stuff. 

It’s been kept just as it was at the time of his death and turned into a museum that’s highly worth checking out. 

They’ve got thousands of architectural drawings, trinkets, models of famous buildings, excellent examples of classical sculpture, and paintings by Hogarth and Canaletto. 

That’s not all, the place is chokka with curiosities, but we’ll leave the rest up to your exploration. 

And we promise you won’t be disappointed – it’s easily one of the best museums in Holborn.

Check Out the Leafy Lincoln’s Inn Fields

Back in the day lawyers were banned from teaching civil law inside the City of London, and so the lawyers had to move out. 

And so, to accommodate the needs of hungry and sleepy law practitioners, there emerged four Inns of Court. Lincoln’s Inn, in Holborn, is one of these. 

It’s changed a lot since its construction in the 1600s, but what’s there now is rather pretty. Tasteful buildings aching with history surround a garden (or field) that’s quite a hidden gem. 

Apart from being a little oasis of peace in the heart of the city, the fields have some frankly enormous trees, including a cherry tree that you’ll want to see in blossom come spring. 

See More Famous Artefacts Than You Can Handle at The British Museum

How could we not include the British Museum. Not only does it belong on this list, but on every list of top things to do in London. You all know what’s there already. Just one of the finest collections of artefacts amassed in the world. 

The Rosetta Stone. Got it. Parthenon Marbles. Tick. The treasures from Sutton Hoo. Yep.

Whether or not you think it belongs there, you can’t deny that this is by far one of the best free things to do in Holborn.

See Moon Jars at the Han Collection

A street away from the British Museum is one of the best hidden gems in Holborn. Enter the Han Collection, a small gallery that specialises in Korean art. 

Our favourite things there: Moon jars, exquisitely beautiful ceramic works shaped to evoke the full moon. 

Those moony whites are often adorned with restrained flares of ink so tasteful it hurts. 

And apart from one or two in various museums, the Han Collection is likely the only other place you can see these magical things in London. 

The jars’ history stretches back 700 years but the Han Collection’s are more contemporary. 

Laugh out Loud at the Museum of Comedy

Yes, the Museum of Comedy, you read right. Opened on April Fool’s Day by Leicester Square Theatre director Martin Witts in 2014, the Museum of Comedy is located in the crypt of the Grade I listed St George’s Church.

This collection of all things comic combines historical artefacts with a cool, intimate performance space that plays home to a regular Monday Club.

Among the interesting pieces on display are portraits of some of Britain’s finest comedians, Bill Bailey’s famous guitar with six necks, the back door of Del-Boy’s Reliant Regent van from Only Fool’s & Horses, some of the original cast of Spitting Image puppet heads, and even Little Tich’s shoes.

Head here for the exhibition and stay for the Lols, with a well-stocked bar to help whet your whistle.

Browse Leather Lane Market

Leather Lane Market is one of London’s oldest, dating back more than 400 years. The lane itself was originally named in honour of the leather goods made in the area, and sold at the market, but today has become one of the city’s best street food markets. 

Spanning the entire length of Leather Lane, the market today doesn’t host a vast array of street food vendors, but continues to sell homeware, fruit and veg, arts, crafts, fashionware, accessories, and pretty much everything else you’d come to expect from a London market.

It is the food vendors that has us coming back over and over again, though, as it plays home to one of the biggest array of different cuisines in town. It’s open weekdays between 10am and 2pm making it the perfect spot for elevenses, lunch, or a very early afternoon snack.

Visit the Hunterian Museum

If you find the likes of Casualty and Holby City too much to handle, this may not be the museum for you. Yet, for those with strong constitutions, the Hunterian Museum is a fascinating collection of anatomical wonders and surgical equipment.

Started by John Hunter, an 18th-century surgeon, the Scottish government bought the collection in 1799 and has been added to over the following two centuries. Now held at the Royal College of Surgeons, the museum now covers more than 400 years of medicine, natural history, and surgery.

The collection of more than 3,500 items still contains many of Hunter’s original specimens and is a wonderful testament to one man’s passion for charting the course of medical and natural history.

If you have an interest in anatomy and the progress of surgery over the years, keep an eye out for one of their regular talks or workshops.

Eating & Drinking 

Noble Rot

As far as wine bars come you don’t get much better than Noble Rot. The owners are also behind the wine magazine of the same name and seriously know what they’re up to. 

That knowledge doesn’t just stick to the wine list. Their menu of French classics hits all the right notes too. 

The vibe is relaxed and unpretentious, or at least as unpretentious as can be for a wine bar doing French bistro dishes. 

Need somewhere to take a date after a day of trekking between museums? Here’s your place. 

ROKA Aldwych

This Japanese BBQ can be hard to get into with its large queues, but don’t let that put you off. ROKA makes for a highly-memorable dining experience. 

Straight away, smells of meat grilled robatayaki style hit you as you walk in. 

The next thing you’ll be confronted with is their incredibly sleek centrepiece bar and the way the chefs quietly work away behind it. 

The final big moment comes as that expertly-grilled bit of meat hits your palette, and you realise that all the trouble you had trying to get a table was well worth putting up with. 

Read Next: Best Restaurants in Holborn

All Star Lanes

Must-hit spot for dinner and a blast of a night all rolled into one, All Star Lanes is a big draw for the kind of occasions that call for lots of booze, food to line the stomach, and games to test your competitive edge. 

Grab a portion of Nashville Fried Chicken and some popcorn squid, a drink to wash it down and head to the bowling alleys. 

After you’ve whipped your opponents into shape – and had a few more drinks – you can get on the karaoke and show everyone why your true calling in life is as a Vegas showgirl. 

Hiba

Don’t let the down-to-earth Lebanese/Palestinian fare at Hiba fool you. It’s about as good as it gets. 

The restaurant’s name means ‘lovely surprise’ and it’s not far off what you get, coming here in the form of deliciously succulent kebabs. 

Our fave is the mixed shawarma. It’s made with prime lamb and chicken and drizzled with a helping of sesame sauce that’ll have you licking your fingers clean. 

The meze selection isn’t bad either. 

Kintan Japanese BBQ

If it’s a taste of the East you’re after, we thoroughly recommend Kintan Japanese BBQ on High Holborn.

This isn’t your average sushi joint, this is Japanese BBQ cooking at its absolute finest. Tables come with their own smokeless grills meaning that you can watch the food cooking in front of your eyes, while your nostrils fill with the gorgeous aromas of the softly cooking food.

Taking the old Japanese saying “people who share rice from the same pot will also share a lifelong friendship” Kintan’s speciality is their Yakiniku – literally translated as “grill meat”. Choose from one of their BBQ set courses for 2 or more people and come at the right time to take advantage of serious happy hour savings.

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New Year in London. It can be a nightmare or a daydream (depending on how hungover you are). Transportation is all over the place, or to be more precise – not. Your favourite restaurants are shut but you’ve got to show your out-of-towners a good time in the big smoke. 

So what do you do? Well fear not. We’ve put together a guide to some of the best things to do in London on New Year’s Day 2024. 

From the fine restaurants that are open to catching the Proms at The Barbican, and not to forget the grand New Year’s Day Parade, here’s what you want on your radar. 

Things to do on New Year’s Day in London 

Hit Winter Wonderland

If you’ve not already found yourself burnt out by all the festive fun, maybe you’ll want to roll the dice and get stuck right back in. Good news for you, Winter Wonderland is open on January 1st. 

Could there be a better place to carry on the antics? With all the rides, fairground food and copious bars, we think not. 

We’re also betting that the crowds will be slightly smaller on New Year’s Day, which means less queueing for the rides and a little less shoulder barging to ruin your magical day out. 

Attend the Barbican’s New Year’s Day Proms 

You don your finest clothes and swagger to your seat, champagne in hand, the conductor lifts his arms, the band begins to play. It’s 2024. You’re doing it big. 

That’s how we imagine it anyway. The New Year’s Day Proms at the Barbican Centre run through some of the finest pieces of classical music for an afternoon concert that might be hard to top even if you’ve got 365 days to do it. 

This year they’re got the London Concert Orchestra playing Felix Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture,  Jean Sibelius’s Finlandia and Edward Elgar’s ‘Nimrod’ from Enigma Variations, finishing with a crashing crescendo of Edvard Grieg’s Morning’ and ‘In the Hall of the Mountain King. If you’re looking for one to remember, this is probably the ticket. 

Book tickets here

Take a Wintery Walk 

It’s a bit of a tradition of ours to take a blustery winter walk on New Year’s Day, breathing life into some resolutions you doubt you’ll stick to past January. 

London might be a concrete jungle but there are plenty of places you can grab a bit of nature and some green space for a stroll. Hampstead Heath is always a popular spot with our families and there are plenty of great pubs nearby to warm up in after. 

South Londoners you can (and probably should) take advantage of the great Green Chain Walk to explore London south of the river. 

And if you have a car, maybe you fancy getting a little further afield. If so we’ve got a whole guide on the best place for a good stomp right here. 

We should also remember that spotting the deer in Richmond park is always a lovely way to get your fresh air. 

Catch The Christmas Lights One Last Time

We love London’s Christmas lights. They’re probably one of our favourite things about the capital at this time of year. Unfortunately they’ll all be gone soon, so if you want to get out and about on New Year’s Day soaking them in one last time might be a good shout. 

There’s also the added bonus that at this time of year in London is that there aren’t as many people on the streets. That gives you the perfect opportunity to enjoy the wonderful Christmas lights without the chaos of the crowds. 

Our favourites are the ones along Carnaby Street, and from there you can make a lap of Oxford Street and Regent Street to see the best of the rest. 

Read More: Totally Magical Christmas Lights in London: The 2023 Guide

Find a Cosy Pub

Assuming you’ve not begun the year with a dry January, or you’re not nursing one of those I’ll-never-drink-again hangovers, planning the year ahead and talking resolutions can be just as delightful in front of a roaring pub fire as it is on top of a windy hill somewhere. 

Obviously your local might be the go-to option for the first few pints of the year, but there are also heaps of age-old pubs in London that would certainly add to the atmosphere. 

Maybe you’d prefer a bit more of a gastro vibe, preparing your stomach for another year of good eating. If so, it’d be worth checking out a few of these spots. We can confirm that The Tamil Prince and The Culpeper (two of our faves) are taking reservations. 

Go to Candlelight’s New Year’s Extravaganza

Candlelight are a great option at this time of year. They’ve really pushed the boat out with the scale and drama of their performances while the season’s in full swing. It’s all coming to a big head with their New Year’s Extravaganza. 

For this grand concert they’re taking over the beautiful St Martin-in-the-Fields Church on Trafalgar Square lighting it using thousands of candles and playing classical pieces as famous as Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Handel’s Arrival of the Queen of Sheba and plenty of Mozart and Bach to go along with it.  

If you’ve not been to one of these before, they’re really quite something. We defy you not to feel moved by the sights and sounds before you.

Book tickets here

Watch The New Year’s Day Parade

Watching The London New Year’s Day Parade is a brilliant way to start the year. On top of that, it’s for sure one of those things you should see at least once in your London life. 

The parade features floats of the best bits the city has to offer, from giant inflatable beefeaters to massive red telephone boxes with brass bands, cheerleaders (so American, we know) and no end of flag waving in accompaniment. 

It’s really a sight to behold. Full of the kind of pomp and circumstance that Britain in general, and London in particular, does so well. 

London’s New Year’s Day Parade starts in Piccadilly at noon, and makes its way through central, finishing up in Westminster. If you want to secure some prime seating you can book a ticket here. 

Party the Day Away at London Rocks

We’re going to assume that if you’re anything like we were way back when, the chance to party all night, and then all of the next day would seem quite appealing.

Now we’re more of the pint at your local and an early night end of the spectrum but we still know where a good time’s at. 

This year it’s London Rocks, a mega party at the famed King’s Cross music venue Scala. They’re breaking the venue into three arenas, The Throwback Arena where they’re dropping classics, The Carnival Party Arena with Dancehall vs Soca sets and the London Rocks Arena playing the best of the rest. 

During all this there will be money drops, dance comps, photobooths and plenty of wildness to make the first day of the year a special one.  

More info and tickets here

Visit a Museum 

A lot of places shut down on New Year’s Day, but if you’re looking for a bit of culture to kick off 2024 there are a couple of museums you can visit. 

The Tate Modern and the Natural History Museum are the spots that traditionally keep their doors open on New Year’s Day and that doesn’t change for 2024.

The latter is surprising as they’ve got a big New Year’s Eve party planned for the night before. We guess the cleaners will be working round the clock picking up champagne corks, red plastic cups, and removing party hats from the exhibition’s animals. 

The British Museum is also opening its doors, as will the Horniman if you fancy seeing some ancient artefacts (no we’re not talking about hanging out with granny).  

Go Ice Skating at a Palace

How about kicking off the year by gliding across the ice using all the grace you plan to attack 2024 with? If this is your plan, you should probably do it in style. In front of a palace perhaps…

There are few places to do it as opulent as Henry VIII’s former home, Hampton Court Palace. Their rink is pretty spacious and is right in front of the grand building, giving you a backdrop to remember. 

Somerset House (yes, it was once a palace) is also opening their rink for New Year’s Day. You’ll be skating in the grand courtyard at the centre of the building. 

Then last but not least, perhaps the coolest palace of them all, The Alexandra Palace, will also be open for a good festive skate session. 

Splash Out On a Meal to Remember

There’s no better way to kick off the new year than to dine in style, stumbling home half-cut on fine French wines and passing out from a fortnight of overeating. 

Some restaurants in London will be open on the big day. If you need a hangover cure, The Breakfast Club will be open at its Liverpool Street location. Another new(ish) spot, Bocconcino Mayfair, is doing their high-end Italian fare as well. 

If you want a NYD meal with no end of class, the new L’Atelier Robuchon is taking bookings. We ate there when it first opened earlier this year and have nothing but good things to say. 

What a way to start the year. 

Cosy Up and Catch the New Studio Ghibli Film at the BFI

It’s a family tradition in many of this team’s homes to snuggle up and watch a heart-warming film on New Year’s Day and we think we might have just the option for you. 

Somewhere in amongst all the fun of the festive season, Studio Ghibli’s new film The Boy and the Heron will be getting its UK release. It’s showing at what might be London’s greatest cinema, the BFI, on New Year’s Day. 

The film is something of a surprise release as it wasn’t even advertised in Japan and director Hayao Miyazaki came out of retirement for the project. We’re very, very excited. 

Book tickets here

Frequently Asked Questions

London on New Year’s Day: Map 

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Here at London x London we love a good supper club. You can’t beat getting together with a bunch of fellow foodies and tucking into a menu that may never be put together again. It’s truly special. 

If you’re of the same mind, you’ll be interested to hear about this new community dinner happening in Hammersmith. It’s been organised by a local co-working space called Kindred and best of all, it’s totally free – yes, really. 

They’ve teamed up with this charity called Nourish Hub who like to look at the sociable nature of food and set up events to bring communities together.

The line of thinking goes something like this: With the cost of living what it is, meeting new people can be a bit difficult so we’ll organise a free dinner where people can get together and socialise without worrying about money. 

The dinners will be happening on the first Monday of every month from 7pm – 9pm. They kicked it off in December and by all accounts it was a roaring success and a hell of a feast. 

What to Expect 

Now don’t get the wrong impression. This isn’t some kind of soup kitchen. It’s a pretty classy affair. Wait till you see the grandeur of Kindred’s Bradmore House location and you’ll see what we mean. 

What you’ll be eating on any given supper club will change so we can’t offer too much info on what’s coming up. We will say though, that December’s lamb tagine or the veggie option of zingy miso and mango-glazed aubergine has got us feeling hungry. 

There’s also a fully stocked bar, actually part of Kindred’s workspace setup (that’s a work ethic we can get behind) and you’ll be getting a complimentary drink from behind it as part of your meal.

And, as this is all meant as a chance to socialise, they’re going to be setting up optional games to get stuck into as a way to ease that awkward icebreaker moment. 

We look forward to toppling a few post-dinner Jenga towers there in the new year. 

Practical Info

When: The first Monday of every month from 7pm – 9pm

Where: Kindred, Bradmore House, Queen Caroline St, London W6 9BW

Website

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Ready for a bold claim? London is the best place to celebrate New Year’s Eve. There’s just so much to choose from. You can rave until the early hours of New Year’s Day. You can dine at the city’s many fancy restaurants, you can sneak peaks at the fireworks from vantage points around the city. 

But with all that choice it’s not easy to know which plan to make your own – you can’t do everything remember…

So we’ve put together this guide with some of the best options. It includes spectacular sky-high dining, parties on boats, raves at the city’s best clubs, ABBA discos and special New Year’s Eve restaurant offerings that have got our mouths watering, chances to win a thousand pounds and more.

Let’s jump right in.

Things to do on New Year’s Eve in London 

Play Bingo on Steriods for Cash Prizes 

No, that doesn’t mean you have to take steroids at this night, we’re talking about playing your granny’s favourite game at Hijingo – a place where number guessing is accompanied by more, boozing, techno or flashing lights than you’d get from a nightclub. 

Their NYE celebrations involve free-flow nibbles, a spread of house drinks and welcome cocktails, drinks at midnight and a game with some prizes that might have us rethinking our New Year’s plans. 

You could win an actual European holiday. If you don’t, you’ll still be in the runnings for two cash prize of £1,000 each…

The party runs until 2am and make no mistake about it – this place will be wild. 

More info and tickets here

Party at an ABBA Disco 

Know your Waterloo from your Mama Mia? Can’t get enough of the Swedish superstars? Well there’s a giant ABBA disco kicking off in the capital for New Year’s Eve. It’s being held at Pizza East in Shoreditch. 

They’re going to be running through all the big hits, plus a few other 70s classics the ring in 2024. Dress code: groovy 70s disco. Tickets are £55 per head but you can get them for £25 if you act fast. 

Book your tickets here

Take Part in a Bit of Sky-High Dining

Dinner – how should you eat the last meal of the year? With a wildly good view wouldn’t be a bad shout for this occasion. At Bokan 37 they’ve got just that. It sweeps from the top floor of a Canary Wharf skyscraper and feels like it belongs more in New York or Hong Kong than it does in London. 

They’re offering a couple of different packages, including one that guarantees you a window seat for the duration of the night. That’s on top of a six-course tasting menu, obviously. We’ve eaten here before and were pretty impressed. Let us tell you the creative modern-European fare they turn out would make fitting fodder for NYE. 

From 9pm onwards they’ve got a DJ too, and they’ll be opening the upstairs bar and turning it into a full-on party space. Just to confirm, that bar also has killer views. 

Party with Grammy Award-Winning Musicians at Decimo 

Perched atop the Standard Hotel in King’s Cross is Decimo, a swanky lounge and restaurant that boasts, among other things, a Michelin Star and some pretty amazing views. 

To say hello to 2024 in style they’ve got in Grammy Award-winning band Soul II Soul and a few other secret special guests. Tables will be pushed aside, chairs cleared and a dancefloor introduced for you to cut your finest shapes. 

If you’re looking to party in style, you’d be hard pressed to find a better place than this. 

Book tickets here

Hit Lio London For Ibiza Levels of Madness

Hot new club opening of 2023, Lio London, are maintaining their reputation for throwing mega parties Ibiza style to see their inaugural year off. 

If you hadn’t heard, this spot is the sister location to the ultra-popular club of the same name in Ibiza. The parties they throw reflect the scene of the Spanish party island to the fullest – and they tend to get wild. 

For this fiesta they’ve DJ Fat Tony manning the decks and the dresscode is ‘sportlich elegant’ (is that German for sporty?).

More info and bookings here

Celebrate in a Georgian Mansion 

The ever-elegant Brunswick House has been on our radar a lot this year. They serve up some great food in a one-of-a-kind dining room – it’s sort of a throwback to a bygone age with old decor and vintage furniture abound. 

For NYE this year they’re opening up that restaurant and the many bar spaces they’ve got in the mansion to throw a multi-room party that has really got us rethinking our plans. The night begins with a four-course meal (£90) that boasts steaks, freshly caught fish and something listed as a Boozy Prune Tart that’s pretty much made our decision for us.

See you there…

More information and bookings here

See Woody Cock DJ at a Swanky Battersea Power Station Venue

All right you filthy animals, we know what you’re chuckling at. Woody Cock is a real DJ! He also happens to be the son of Fat Boy Slim. He’s been making quite a name for himself in recent years and he’ll be spinning the tracks at a location fitting for the biggest night of the year. 

That spot is the bar at JOIA in Battersea Power Station. The place opened this year to much fanfare – the chef of the adjacent restaurant is popular in the Michelin guide – and the drinks are on point – delightful cocktails that are paired on this occasion with canapes throughout the night.  

The place has one of the best views from that part of the river. We’re guessing you’ll have killer views of the fireworks while Woody does his thing. 

More info and booking here 

Rave All Night at This Top London Club

Since Printworks is sadly now a thing of the past, we’ll have to direct you elsewhere if you’re looking for a wild night that stretches right into New Year’s Day. Luckily we’ve got just the spot.

It’s Phonox. Brixton’s biggest nightclub venue and a mecca for clubbers across the city. They know how to party and so we’re going to go out on a limb and say that this wouldn’t be a bad dance floor to be on when the clock strikes midnight. 

Their lineup isn’t fully released yet but Moxie has been confirmed as a headline act – with a special guest…

More info and bookings here

Hit the Engineers Ball 

Not ready for 2024? How about stepping back in time and celebrating New Year’s Eve 1956 instead. That’s what they’re celebrating at The Engineer’s Ball – NYE party spectacular at Control Room B. 

Of course, folks in that day dressed to the nines for such and occasion and you’ll be expected to match. Black tie for the gents, glamorous dresses for the ladies. You’ll be partying the night away to the sound of the fifties and letting the champagne flow. 

The other great aspect of partying in Battersea is that you’ll have an excellent view of the new year’s fireworks from your position on the river…

More info and booking here

Get Groovy at a Silent Disco 

Who needs to blow their eardrums out listening to music on an enormous soundsystem? Why not save your capacity to hear things for 2024? There’s a silent disco bringing in the new year and that could be one way to do it…

The party runs until 2am slap bang in the middle of the City of London in Banking Hall – not a bad location for it either. Three different DJs will be on hand to curate stations you flick between to pick the right vibe for you. 

Expect everything from garage bangers to party anthems. 

Book tickets here

Groove at Somerset House 

We hope you’re ready, because Somerset House has partnered up with The Cocoa Butter Club to throw a New Year’s Eve party like no other.

If you don’t know, The Cocoa Butter Club are one of London’s grooviest gang of burlesque dancers. They’ll be strutting their stuff around the stunning venue while you party the night away at food stalls and pop-up bars. 

There will of course be the option to bring the new year in on the ice. Skate at Somerset House is one of the most popular places to put your skates on and that’s no exception for the last night of the year. 

More info and tickets here

Blend Great Food and Great Music for the Best of Both Worlds 

Do you want to party the night away or do you want to eat a meal to remember? A conundrum indeed. You could always do both. A restaurant we really get behind is getting in some top musicians to serenade your dinner and kick up a vibe as the year comes to an end. 

It’s Acme Fire Cult – home of some truly expert grill work that we’ve enjoyed on many an occasion. 

While you enjoy that BBQ (and the special lamb mennu they’re running) DJs Arveene and Pam Hogg will be spinning their stuff, then to see you up to the finish line, Primal Scream’s very own Simone Butler will get behind the decks for a two-hour set that will no doubt be an absolute banger. 

More info and tickets here

Get Wild at Sushisamba

Every New Year’s Eve the ever-glamorous SushiSamba throw a wild party at their Covent Garden location. This year is no different. The young and the hip will be gathered en masse to bring in the new year with what they’re calling ‘a disco celebration like no other’. 

That means DJs laying down tracks right into the wee hours of the night, but because this is SushiSamba it also means over-the-top live performers and entertainment of the extravagant kind throughout. 

Book tickets here

Attend a Soiree with Phileas Fogg

Mr. Fogg’s House of Botanicals at throwing a two-floor soiree to bring in the new year, and you’re invited. 

Each floor of the over-the-top botanical bar will have a very different feel. On the ground floor it seems like things will be a little more civilised (for the beginning of the night at least). Alice Keys – a pianist and cabaret musician will be filling the room with the sounds of twinkling keys before a DJ comes in to take over nearer the midnight hour. 

Upstairs, and it’s worth mentioning you need a separate ticket to get into this part, there’s a special cocktail party fueled by bespoke botanical creations and hosted under the very impressive wisteria-canopied space that is Mr Fogg’s Treehouse.

More info here

Party with Burlesque Dancers at Courtesan Musical Extravaganza

In our books, New Year’s Eve should be a night of uproar, and extremes – few things say that better than burlesque. 

In that style then, we’re pretty excited about The Courtesan and their NYE offerings. It’s a venue we seriously rate, imperial Chinese-themed and classy as you like with a killer menu of dim sum and (most importantly for this guide) cocktails. 

Last year their New Year’s celebrations kicked off and this year they’re back at it a prohibition themed night where entertainment includes being serenaded by a West End star. 

Book tickets here

Get Magical at The Savoy

If you want to party in true style and sophistication you’ll have a hard time finding a better place for it than The Savoy. The hotel is one of the most iconic and revered in the city, and this year they’re pushing the boat out for New Year’s Eve. 

They’re decking out the Lancaster Ballroom in the style of an enchanted forest and laying on a four-course dinner to kick off an evening that will see more than enough Champagne flow. 

Their riverside location also means The Savoy is a great place to watch the NYE fireworks. 

More information and tickets here

Rock Out at a Brewery 

Walthamstow Brewery are bringing the new year in with a big gig (and heaps of beer). The night will be hosted by established London rockers Jamie Lenman and InMe and, as the night grows late, some up-and-coming DJs dropping music in a plethora of styles. 

We like the sound of this because, well, could you think of anywhere better to spend New Year’s Eve than a brewery. 

We also like it because they’re doing a special burger on the night called Prince Charles is Overrated – a bacon and cheese number that might even rival the American-style burger offering, the Donnie J Trump. Sounds like there’ll be no end of humour here too… 

Party at the Natural History Museum 

With the year now becoming part of the history books it’s time to get planning. This event at The Natural History Museum could be the one for you. It’s a party, yes, a genuine party in the museum after dark. 

You’ll be treated to performers and plenty of drinks while DJs turn that grand central hall into a dance floor and bring in 2024. Fancy dress is highly encouraged and we’re guessing people will be taking inspiration from the stuff on display – which is stuff you can go and look at on the night by the way.

Just don’t get too drunk and spill a drink on a priceless fossil. 

Booking and more info here

Let Loose on the Rooftop at Skylight Tobacco Dock

Like its sister bar in Peckham, Skylight Tobacco Dock offers panoramic views of the capital – and so is a great place to scope out any potential fireworks. 

They’ve got a regular thing going with New Year’s Eve parties and let us tell you it’s a bit of a banger. They lay on some great packages where you can be VIP for a night and take over one of those igloo huts with your pals (and fill it with Champers of course. 

Even if you don’t want to splurge on the igloo package (it is £999 for ten people) a regular ticket is just £45 and comes with a complimentary glass of Moet & Chandon, and let us tell you again, the views here are on point. 

Celebrate in the Sky(Garden) at Midnight

Sky Garden are pretty notorious for throwing good parties on big occasions like New Year’s Eve. As you can imagine from such a bouji location, the night promises no end of excess. 

Naturally that comes with a price tag. Tickets range from £195 – £3,600 depending on just how much you want to push the boats out. The more expensive end of the spectrum comes with dinner at one of the building’s three restaurants, champagne throughout, window side seating at the party and heaps more. 

That’s all alongside live entertainment from Dee Supreme and her band, DJs and of course, stunning views of London.  

More info and tickets here

Catch Comedy Carnival’s New Year’s Eve Special 

Sometimes we think so much about stuffing ourselves and partying till the early hours that we forget that NYE can also be about having a laugh. If that seems to ring home for you too, check this out…

Comedy Carnival are putting together a night of stand-up comedy at both their Covent Garden and Clapham locations. Headline acts include names like Nathan Caton who you might have seen on Live at the Apollo, and hilarious Irish comic Mary Bourke. 

The party doesn’t run past midnight but once you’ve stocked up on laughs you’ll be right in the mood to keep the party going, and if you’re in Covent Garden you’ll be swamped for choice. 

More info and tickets here

Begin the Night with a Classical Concert

New year’s is also a time of reflection. How did 2023 go? What can you do better next year? Where better to pause for thought than while listening to some classical music in a beautiful church. 

This annual concert is exactly that, and one we love to recommend. The very talented Piccadilly Sinfonietta are playing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and the headline piece, supported by Piano Concerto in A Major from Bach with Warren Mailley-Smith on the piano.

The setting is the beautiful St. Mary Le Strand church. Not a bad location for a night like this if you ask us. 

Shows are at 5pm, 7pm, and 8.45pm so you’ll still have plenty of time after to hit that fancy restaurant or sip champagne while watching the fireworks. 

Book a ticket here

Hit a Boat Party 

There are few better ways to make a big night than to party on a boat. In London, where a cruise down the river adds to the vibes with great views of the city all lit up, and on New Year’s Eve where fireworks will be popping overhead. 

There’s one boat party in this city you don’t want to miss. That’s the ones put on by Skyline. They throw them for all occasions and have been getting the thing down to a fine art in the process. 

For this oh-so-special day of the year they’re even throwing in an after party, location hidden until the night. On the boat there will be two decks with DJs on both. Deck one: club and house tunes. Deck two: more club, but with some Ibiza party bangers thrown in for good measure. 

More info and tickets here

Dine in Style at No. Fifty Cheyne

If you fancy feasting like royalty to see out the year, No. Fifty Cheyne do a feast that seems to get bigger and better each year. There are choices of menu throughout the evening – you can even dine at sunset to make the evening all that more special.  

If you’d rather wait till a bit later you’ll have options of a four-course tasting menu or a la carte that’s laden with sumptuous dishes like Dexter beef chateaubriand, glazed citrus and vanilla duck breast and Pistachio and dark chocolate fondant. 

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Check their website here for the full menus and reservations. 

Drink Dirt Cheap Pints at Brewdog 

Not content with the price of beer in 2023, Brewdog have decided that they’re going to turn the clocks back to 1999 and sell their beer at the price it would have been in the last year of the last millennium. 

That means about £2 a pint in case you’re wondering – a hell of a steal. To get your pints this cheap all you have to do is buy a NYE ticket and find the pubs that are offering it. 

There are a bunch around London so you’ve got heaps of options, including the classic spot at Seven Dials, which will put you right in the heart of the action once you’ve drunk the bar dry. 

More info and tickets here

Go Gatsby for a Night 

Nobody parties like Gatsby. The man really knows how to celebrate. No surprise that the folks at Bar Des Prés are tuning into his way of doing things for their celebrations. 

That means towers of champagne, no end of glamorous people and a party that begins with a luxurious menu of dishes Crispy Tarama & Caviar or Grilled Scallops with yuzu and Lapsang tea sauce, and runs late into the night with live jazz and DJs until 2am. 

Let us tell you, with owner Cyril Lignac’s luxury cooking and Bar Des Prés’ natural charm, we think Gatsby would approve. 

More info here

Party with a Stunning View at Oblix at The Shard

If you want to be truly on top of the world for NYE then you couldn’t do much better than being at the top of the Shard with a glass of fizz in your hand really. 

Oblix offers precisely that location – looking out over London with a view to die for. You’ll be able to see all the fireworks from here, that’s for sure. 

You’ll have to put down a pretty penny for the privilege though. Dinner and the after party will set you back £470. To be fair you will be dining on a full three course with wagyu steak as a choice for mains. It’s one to think about at least…

More information and booking here

New Year’s Eve Fireworks in London 

Alternatives to London’s usual firework show that you shouldn’t miss… 

Primrose Hill

Whenever there are fireworks displays in London, folks love to gather on top of Primrose Hill and watch the drama. It comes with some rather stunning panoramic views of the city. But listen up…

This year gates were added to Primrose Hill so that people couldn’t stay up there being noisy late into the night. Royal Parks did have a record of keeping the hill open until past midnight in recent years but they haven’t announced if they will for 2023/24 yet. 

Check back on their website for more information closer to the time. We don’t recommend chancing it. 

Skylight Peckham

We’ve mentioned a couple of times in this guide locations that will be ideal for catching the display and getting down at a good party. Just to recap for those at the back, those were Oblix at the Shard, The Savoy, JOIA and Skylight Tobacco docks. 

Skylight has another branch in Peckham that’s also got some great views of the city, though from a bit further back. You’ll be able to see fireworks well from there too. 

Then again, most of London’s rooftop bars would be a good shout. Here’s a guide to the best of them.  

At the Official Viewing Locations 

The fireworks on NYE are an organised affair. So far we’ve just told you where you can catch them out and about, but actually there are some dedicated, ticketed areas along the river where you can get up close and personal. 

The fireworks launch near the London Eye and the areas along the river and bridges east and west of there are all cordoned off for designated viewing spaces. Tickets at £20 each and you can book up to four per person. 

More information and booking here

Alexandra Palace 

Another popular spot for people to gather is Alexandra Palace. The vibe is much the same as it is at Primrose Hill, people bring their own bottles and line up on the lawns to watch the displays – in fact, we recon if the gates stay shut this year, much of that crowd will be moving up here. 

The view from up here is pretty fabulous. It’s a wide shot of most of London from a high vantage point. The only drawback worth mentioning is that you are pretty far back from the action. You could argue that allows you to see more though…

New Year London Celebrations: Map

The post New Year’s Eve in London – Ideas for How to Celebrate in Style appeared first on London x London.

Whoever you are, this weekend is a biggun. It’s the blowout before Christmas. Naturally London is offering you more wonderful ways to get into the Christmas spirit than you could feasibly attend. In order to make things easy for you in this oh-so-busy time, we’ve curated the best of them right here. 

That’s everything from festive sip and paint sessions to haunting walking tours around Ebeneezer Scrooge’s real-life hangouts. 

Saturday is the shortest day of the year and there are chances to bring a little colour to the gloom with wreath-making classes or at the wild strobe-lit interior of a classic London venue hosting none other than Korean superstar DJ Hunee. 

It’s not all go though. If you need a chance to chill out, you’ll find a festive meditation session that should do the trick (as well as our tips for how best to spend the big day). Let’s make this weekend count…

And most importantly, happy Christmas everybody!

The Best Things to Do in London This Weekend 

Explore the Natural History Museum with Mulled Wine and Mince Pie in Hand 

Kensington 

Friday 22nd 

If you want to combine a little mental stimulation with a good bit of festive fun, The Natural History Museum will be open late this Friday night. 

The night is going to see the museum packed out with festive activities and games suitable for people of all ages. There’s also going to be a special prize (what that is remains a closely guarded secret) for the best Christmas outfit. 

Not only that, they’ll be serving up mulled wine and mince pies to really ease you into the evening. Trust us when we say you’ll need that wine. The famous T-rex has been decked out in Christmas gear and if you thought that was a scary sight before, wait till you see it now. 

More information here

See Christmas Hits Sung by Candlelight 

London Bridge 

Friday 22nd 

Candlelight have been busy in the build-up to Christmas. Last week they were holding carol service in stunning churches, this week they’re taking things modern with all your favourite festive pop hits. 

The numbers they’re covering have got some serious vibes to them, think Mariah Carey and Wham! Covers, faithful renditions of Santa Tell Me by Ariana Grande, Beiber’s Mistletoe and heaps more, all performed by an orchestra in a setting that will likely leave your jaw on the floor. 

More info and tickets here

Do a Festive Sip and Paint

Holborn 

Friday 22nd 

The creativity (and boozin’) don’t stop for Christmas folks. If you want to carry on a bit of both over the Xmas weekend you can with Pop Up Painting. 

They’ve been running classes all over the country for years now so they really know what they’re up to, delivering fun-filled (and prosecco-fuelled) events that provide no end of laughs as well as a good chance to socialise with some fellow arty types. 

For this event they’re laying on a playlist of festive classics and Christmas-themed treats with all the art supplies you need to get going. All you have to do is show up. 

More info and tickets here

Celebrate a Decade of RnB at Village Underground 

Shoreditch 

Friday 22nd 

It’s not just the birth of Christ we’ll be celebrating this weekend. RnB crew So Fresh So Clean are also turning ten. 

If you’ve not been to any of their parties in the past decade you’re missing out. They kicked things off in Ladbroke Grove looking to spice up the RnB scene and went on to collaborate on nights with stars from The Wu-Tang Clan, Pete Rock, Eve, and Ms Dynamite. 

This Friday they’re taking over Village Underground with Children of Zeus, Shola Ama and US DJ/producer/legend Harry Love behind the decks. Fans of the genre or people after a big night out don’t want to miss this, trust us. 

Book tickets here

Make a Festive Wreath 

Shepherd’s Bush 

Saturday 23rd 

The 22nd of December is the shortest day of the year, traditionally this gloomy period is kept at bay by the introduction of a little greenery into the household in the form of a festive wreath. 

This weekend Malina’s Plants and Terrariums are holding a wreath-making class where you can design and construct a wreath of your own. 

They’ve got some experts on hand to show you how to do it and provide all the greenery, ribbons and decorations you need to run wild. 

More information and booking here

See a Killer Korean DJ at Koko 

Camden 

Saturday 23rd

It looks like Christmas has come early for electronic music fans. Korean DJ (and one of our faves in the biz) Hunnee is coming to London. He’s going to be playing at one of the city’s coolest venues too…

That would be Koko Electronic, the new(ish) nightclub section of the venue that’s staged legends from Charlie Chaplin to The Rolling Stones. He’s going back-to-back with Amsterdam-based DJ Antal, also a bit of a legend in his own right. 

It’s going to be a biggun – but if ever there was an occasion for it, the last Saturday before Xmas might just be the one. 

Tickets here

Get Boozed up on a Festive Pub Crawl 

Covent Garden 

Saturday 23rd

Christmas (for us at least) often becomes a time of wild boozing. Rarely though, does it get as wild as this: a fully organised and solidly planned pub crawl around central London. 

These guys have a route through five of the most popular bars and pubs in the area and you get free shots and drinks at each. On top of that, when you’ve drunk your free booze dry there are discounts on whatever else you want. 

They also lay on a photographer to document the madness (queue the embarrassing photos the morning after), and as it’s Christmas they’ve promised to dish out plenty of festive freebies along the route. 

Don your Santa hats and let’s get going!

More info and tickets here

See Handel’s Messiah Performed at a Famous London Church

Temple 

Saturday 23rd 

Until the advent of Mariah Carey and Nat King Cole, Handel’s Messiah was probably one of the most famous bits of Christmas music there was. 

It’s a three-movement piece that conveys through music the story of the life of Christ from his birth to his death, and finally his resurrection. You might recognise it from the sound of a choir singing hallelujah at the top of their voices. 

For Christmas, you’ve got a special chance to see it performed at the grand St Mary Le Strand Church – probably one of the finest places for it. If you want to be wowed, you’ll want to be here.  

More info and bookings here

Get Festive with a Christmas Cabaret

Soho 

Until Saturday 30th (except Christmas Day) 

Any regular readers of this London x London will know we love a good bit of over-the-top theatre. If you’re the same, the Phoenix Arts Club will probably already be on your radar. They’re pretty much the go-to spot for a bit of cabaret in London

For a couple of weeks over the festive season, they’re running a festive cabaret special. It’s a mix of comedy, burlesque and drag shows strung together to make an evening of serious fun. 

Their shows are a hoot at the best of times, but with the added energy of this magic time of the year, we’re expecting them to be going into overdrive. 

More info and bookings here

Hear Christmas Carols at What Might be the Most Impressive Venue Possible 

Westminster 

Saturday 23rd + Sunday 24th 

If you want to sink into the Xmas holidays in a big way, you can’t do better than Christmas carols. And as carols go you can’t do much better than this: the annual festive service at Westminster Abbey. 

They’re running service throughout the weekend but we’ve got our eye on the 23rd and 24th as (at the time of writing) there were still tickets available. We doubt that will last long though so hop on this ASAP if you want to go. 

You’ll be a party to the abbey’s choir doing all the anthems and the priest reading passages from the bible. It’s about as traditional as it gets. We love it. 

More info and booking here

Pick Up your Christmas Meat at the Return of this Great Xmas Tradition

Farringdon  

Saturday 23rd 

Have you heard about the return of the Smithfield Market Christmas meat auction? It’s one of our favourite things that happens in London at this time of year, a tradition that dates back to a time before fridges when meat needed to be bought as close to the date of consumption as possible. 

It’s also a spectacle. Butchers yell prices and cuts over a manic crowd of cash-waving bargain hunters. Your purchase is then (no joke) linged to you over the top of the crowd. We assure you, you’ve never seen anything like it.  

More info here

See The Snowman Performed Live 

Holborn 

Until December 30th 

Since we were children The Snowman has been an integral part of our Christmas festivities. This year it’s going to be holding the very same place in our hearts in a special run of shows at The Peacock Theatre. 

They’ve reproduced the beloved book (and animation) in what’s always a beautiful performance (we aren’t ashamed to admit we will probably shed a tear) under the direction of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s highly talented Bill Alexander. 

The performance is a staple of the Xmas period, now in its 26th year. If you’ve not seen it yet and you love The Snowman as much as us, you should go. 

Book tickets here

Take a Dickensian Christmas Carol Walking Tour

The City of London 

Sunday 24th 

For generations, A Christmas Carol has been impressed on the imagination of children at Christmas time. Dickens’ tale of ghostly Christmas happenings is nothing but a classic. 

This Christmas Eve you can follow in the footsteps of the man himself and the characters that populate his pages on a special A Christmas Carol walking tour. 

It’ll take you through The City of London visiting the real-life places where Ebeneezer Scrooge lived and worked with an expert on the history of the time, and Dickens’ work as your guide.

More info and tickets here

Do Some Meditation 

Walthamstow 

Sunday 24th 

As much as we love it, the Christmas period can become pretty stressful. There are always so many people to see and last-minute presents to pick up, the turkey to get in the fridge and visiting relatives to welcome. 

It’s a wonder you ever find a moment to breathe. If you need a good excuse to take a couple of hours of downtime, Lees Spiritual Healing are running a special Christmas Eve meditation class to help you get zen before Christmas. 

It’s only £5 and it promised to blast any Xmas stress right away. 

More info and booking here

Attend Midnight Mass at St Paul’s

St Paul’s

Sunday 24th 

If you want something to really put the magic into your Christmas, don’t miss the Midnight Eucharist at St Pauls – it’s about as magical as it gets, but for a church service in the UK’s most famous Cathedral we suppose magic isn’t exactly hard to come by. 

The service begins at 11:30pm and brings Christmas day in with readings from the story of the nativity and choir singing. It’s a very traditional affair, they even offer out communion to the congregation in the form of bread and wine. 

In the true spirit of Christmas, it’s also free to attend.

More info here

And If You’re Looking for Something to Do on Christmas Day…

Citywide 

Monday 25th 

So there you have it, heaps of events to keep you busy for the build-up to the big day. The fun doesn’t entirely stop there though. 

While many venues will shut their doors for the day, some places keep open and in full swing, offering sumptuous Christmas feasts for those who don’t want to cook and plenty of festive drinks to get the day’s spirit in full swing. 

We’ve written a guide to all the best places open on Christmas Day 2023, and a few tips of our own for making it a magical one in London. You can read that below. 

Read More: Christmas Day In London 2023 Guide: Fabulous Restaurants and Things to Do

What’s Hot in London Right Now? 

• TodayTix are offering a £10,000 annual theatre passes to ten people rich enough to afford them. The tickets get you premium Band-A seats at any West End show you want to see for the whole of 2024. Theatre lovers, get gathering your pennies. 
• The National Theatre has announced its new Artistic Director. Filling the fabled role will be Indhu Rubasingham, previous AD of the Kiln Theatre. She’s a big name in the business and has previously directed plays at the National Theatre. We’re excited to see what she’d got up her sleeve going forward. 

The post 15 Best Things to Do in London This Weekend (22nd – 24th December) appeared first on London x London.

Good news theatre lovers. It’s curtains up for the return of a much-loved north London venue. Yep, the famous King’s Head Theatre is making its grand return in January 2024 with a new 200-capacity venue. 

It’s a move that’s been rumoured for some time now, but was confirmed with the venue’s closure in August. As well as the improved capacity, the new theatre boasts space to seat 50 for cabaret and drag shows, a stage for comedy and extra rehearsal space for the actors. 

Where’s all this going to be? Just behind the theatre’s original pub location, not that you’ll need that pub – the new theatre also boasts two swanky new bars. 

What’s All the Fuss About?  

The King’s Head Theatre was a bit of a mainstay of London’s fringe theatre scene. Many great actors, now household names, cut their teeth on the stage here… 

Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, you’ve heard of them, right? How about Jennifer Saunders and Victoria Wood? They’ve all come through this venue in the off-beat productions that make it famous (and have even won it an Olivier Award). 

There’s also a bit of speculation about who will be the creative vision behind the theatre as the original (and much revered) creative directors Hannah Price and Mark Ravenhill have left the company during this interim period. 

The Opening Show 

Opening night for the new venue will be the 5th of January 2024 with a new play called Exhibitionists. It’s a new comedy written by Olivier Award-nominee Shaun McKenna. 

It’s a play about a comic crisis that unfolds when two ex-lovers run into each other at an exhibition and culminates with no end of backlash from their current partners and a road trip that leads to mysterious places. 

If you want to book tickets to that, you can find them here.

The King’s Head Theatre: Practical Information 

Where: 116 Upper St, London N1 1AB

When: Opening show is on the 5th January 2024

Website

The post The King’s Head Theatre is Back and Bigger than Ever! appeared first on London x London.

You’re probably painfully aware that London is in the midst of a housing crisis. Your rent is too expensive, if you want to move it’s a Sisyphean struggle. At the same time, homelessness is on the rise and there’s not much being done about it. 

Architect-provocateur Russell Curtis thinks he might have the answer to alleviating some of the city’s housing woes: he wants to build social housing (among other things) on parts of London’s many golf courses. 

His plan, known as Holes to Homes, has environmental concerns and equitable use of land at its core and has very much grabbed our attention. Here’s what he had to say. 

First of all, would you just be able to introduce yourself and RCKA in your own words?

Sure. Well, my name’s Russell Curtis. I’m the founding director of RCKA, which is a small architectural practice of 25 people based in central London. 

Our work covers a wide range of sectors, but it’s worth saying all of our work has a sort of social focus. So delivery of social value and that sort of thing is fundamental to most things we do. It’s something that underpins our practice.

Okay. And can you just tell me a little bit about Holes to Homes as well?

Sure. Well, this all started out a couple of years ago when, under lockdown, I was walking around, you know, when you were allowed to go out for a half-hour walk each day, and found it frustrating that a lot of the routes that I wanted to take were blocked by golf courses.

I happened to live in an area that’s sort of peppered with them. And so I began to wonder about the number and extent of golf courses in London. I took it upon myself to map them all and work out how big they are and who owns them. 

There’s something like over 90, and together they take up a space bigger than the whole of Brent – so it sort of occurred to me that perhaps was not the most equitable use of land. 

So it’s basically a lockdown project that grew legs and started running? 

Yep, I published the research and then the practice decided to do a bit of speculative (and deliberately provocative work) on looking at what might happen if you were to take one of those courses and turn it into something that served a better use to society. 

We focused on Enfield Golf Course partly because we know the area reasonably well. But also Enfield is a borough that’s facing profound housing challenges, particularly around homelessness and temporary accommodation.

I put it out on Twitter and I was amazed at how interested people were in it. It’s partly because it can be rather an emotive subject, can’t it? As soon as you talk about building on green space, people get very excited.

So should we be building on these green spaces? 

I think [the decision] really has more to do with the proximity to things like tube stations and high streets, there’s no point building on a golf course that’s miles from anywhere, but if it’s within walking distance of a tube station, then it’s probably worth considering.  

You could say the same about the Green Belt. It’s really just about using our green spaces effectively. 

I think one of the important things is that what I’m not advocating is just building across the entirety of every golf course. I’m interested in how golf courses can serve more people. The proposal we’ve done in Holes to Homes is not just about housing. 

It’s also creating diverse wetlands and nature reserve social infrastructure, cycling or walking routes, all of that sort of stuff, and keeping nine holes. I think we can balance all of these things.

How realistic an ambition do you think it is to actually get this done?

Actually, it would be ludicrous to suggest such a thing. Planning policy, particularly in London, is very much against the idea of building on any kind of open space 

Without getting too planning geeky, almost every course in London, with only one or two exceptions, is either green belt or something that’s called metropolitan open land, which is a planning designation which effectively gives you the same level of protection.

But as it happens we have had some very interesting inquiries from several courses about the potential for some element of development. 

I think a lot of the courses would actually welcome some degree of development because it might generate some additional income for them to be able to upgrade their facilities and perhaps give their club a little bit more of a life, but keep a part of the course. 

Amid the housing crisis, there are almost shades of should we even be having this kind of conversation, right? Shouldn’t the government be doing something about it? 

The problem is that any discussion like this very quickly becomes ideological. I think there are practical solutions to all of this. Nobody can deny that we have a profound housing crisis and we particularly have a crisis in affordability. 

The levels of families in temporary accommodation and unstable house situations have rocketed so something has to give. 

Now I’m not suggesting for one minute that building on golf courses on the green belt or anything is going to be the silver bullet. The core of all of this but we have to take a pragmatic approach to housing.  

What are the issues holding up this kind of forward-thinking development?

The planning system is just not working at the moment. It’s way too unpredictable and it’s subject to political interference. It also takes way too long and it’s way too expensive. All this just generates risk and where there’s risk there’s uncertainty and that’s where developers profit. 

If you really want to build lots of new homes, you need to make the planning system much more predictable. Some degree of Green Belt reform would probably sense.

Thanks for speaking to us, Russell. Anything you’d like to add? 

I think it seems almost inevitable that Sadiq Khan is going to have a third and final term. So in that case I would advocate that his new London Plan, which sets out his vision for London over the next decade, should be much bolder. 

I think that he can start to perhaps lower some of the barriers to building on the open space in the right places and strengthen it up in others. 

It’s about time we took a look at, or at least did some investigations into whether [this legislation] is achieving the things that we needed to achieve.

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Good news meat lovers and bargain hunters, Smithfield Market’s famed Christmas auction is making a triumphant return for 2023. 

Visiting the market is one of our favourite activities around the Christmas period and something of a tradition among the families of some of the folk on our team. 

It’s sadly been missing from our calendars over the last few years (thanks Covid) and to be honest, we were starting to worry if we’d ever see it again since it was announced that Smithfield Market would be shutting up shop and relocating to the city’s fringes. 

That’s not happening until 2028 though, so it looks like we might still have a few more years at this classic location ahead of us yet. 

If you want to catch the auction it’s happening this year on Saturday 23rd December at 10am. 

So What Goes Down? 

To put it simply: a spectacle of meat salesmanship like no other. People genuinely come here just to watch the scene unfold. 

Butchers from the market flog their stock in an auction that has people waving their cash in the air and hollering for legs of lamb, turkeys and steaks – much of which is then flung over the crowd to the highest bidder. 

It’s a tradition that goes back to the days before the fridge was a common household item and meat would need to be bought as close to the day you wanted to eat it as possible. 

If you’re willing to risk looking a fool by dropping a set of rack of ribs, and if you’ve got a voice loud enough you can actually pick up quite the bargain. 

The meat is also good-quality stuff, fresh off the butcher’s table. Be warned though – that does mean it’s not always the picturesque cut you’d get from the supermarket. The squeamish need not apply. 

Practical Information

Where: Smithfield Market, Grand Ave, London EC1A 9PS

When: Saturday 23rd December at 10am

Website

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When you think of Shakespeare in London your mind probably jumps straight to The Globe. Fair enough, it is a pretty iconic site (even if the site has moved since The Bard’s day). But did you know that before Old Bill took to the stage there, he cut his teeth in the theatres of Shoreditch? 

As it happens one of these fabled theatres is being turned into a new permanent museum dedicated to Shakespeare’s pre-Globe work, set to open sometime in spring 2024.  

When’s that? They’re saying pre-1598 which would mean The Bard and his theatre company would be at pretty astronomical heights of fame already, with Romeo and Juliet and Henry V already successful productions.

What’s the Lowdown?

Queue everyone’s favourite buzzword: the exhibitions at The Museum of Shakespeare are going to be fully, yes, you guessed it, immersive!

As hackneyed as the word is these days, what they’ve got lined up does sound pretty cool. They’re going to be using AI technology to recreate parts of Shakespearean plays and project them onto a stage for us all to watch. 

Given that this will be happening on the site of The Curtain Theatre, and the actual stage where these plays would have been performed for the first time way back when, we’re genuinely very excited.  

They’ll also be working in other exhibits to invoke the sounds and smells of The Bard’s London, not such a charming feature as the whole stage thing but still cool nonetheless. 

The Curtain Theatre

The Curtain Theatre was Shakespeare’s Shoreditch playhouse, though for much of the time he worked its stage it was known simply as The Theatre. The place had been lost for hundreds of years but was rediscovered in an archaeological dig in 2012. 

Many of his great plays debuted here, including Every Man in His Humour which starred Shakespeare himself. That means when you’re looking at the stage in the Museum of Shakespeare, you’ll be seeing the very place he once walked – a pretty cool thought to say the least. 

Though we can’t quite get over the fact Old Bill might have been a Shoreditch hipster back in his day…

Museum of Shakespeare: Practical Information

When: Spring 2024 – exact date still TBA

Where: The Stage, 22 Hewett St, London EC2A 3NL

Website

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The city is coming alive with winter fun, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up going al fresco. In fact, so long as you’ve got a blanket, maybe a nice sheepskin over your seat and a heat lamp pointed at you, being outside on a winter’s evening can be a lovely experience. 

Many of London’s venues have cottoned on to this and are decking out their terraces to suit the festive mood of the city. They’re putting on special menus of cocktails and new dishes that you shouldn’t miss. 

We’re very impressed with the effort this year. At PocketSquare they’ve created some of the most outrageous drinks we’ve seen in a long time, all inspired by the famous markets of the east end, and another fave spot of ours, Acme Fire Cult are firing up their famous outdoor grill. 

Grab your coat and let’s get to it… 

Best Winter Terraces in London

Smith & Whistle Winter Vineyard 

Mayfair 

A favourite among the locals of Mayfair, and one that’s worth visiting even if your address doesn’t boast Green Park as a neighbourhood attraction, Smith & Whistle always turn out a good winter terrace. 

This year they’ve teamed up with Pommery Champagne and will be going with a vineyard theme complete with hanging vines and (you guessed it) plenty of bubbly. 

The place is dripping in gold and looks super luxurious, which makes it the ideal setting to tuck into a magnum or two if you ask us. 

The Winter Bar at St Martin in the Fields

St Martin in the Fields

The Winter Bar is one we always try to visit when the winter draws in. It’s basically a giant marquee put up in a private courtyard in the city centre, that then gets filled with good vibes and plenty of Christmas cheer. 

They do some great cocktails, including a marg’ with a festive twist of chilli and hot sauce to warm you through and a Blood Orange Negroni which never fails to hit the spot. 

On top of that, they run some really wholesome workshops like gingerbread decorating workshops to help get you in the mood and bring the community together.

Number One Park Lane 

Mayfair 

If you fancy a really ritzy experience from your winter terrace, Number One Park Lane should be an address to remember. 

The terrace is part of the InterContinental London Park Lane, one of the most glamorous hotels in London. Being as intercontinental as they are, they look across to the Swiss Alps for inspiration, turning their spot into an apres-ski hotspot serving everything from fondue to schnitzel. 

As for drinks, the cocktails here are especially good. We especially like the look of the White Snow – a concoction of cinnamon-infused vodka, cocoa curaçao and among other things, pistachio syrup. See you there with a few of those on our table. 

PocketSquare 

Whitechapel 

There’s nothing like relaxing on a winter terrace with a good view and PocketSquare has views for days. They’re a popular rooftop bar as things go, but come winter they decorate in style, bringing in specialist designers to really make the place shine. 

This year they’ve got florist Elizabeth Marsh on hand. She’s taken inspiration from Columbia Road Flower Market and filled the terrace with vibrant greenery and festive flowers to bring a little life to the dark winter months. 

The cocktail menu also pops off. Expect extravagant, original creations made especially for the season. This year they pay homage to famous east London Markets like nearby Whitechapel and Spitalfields, with each drink inspired by the things you’ll find on the stalls there and telling a story of London’s history. 

Look out for the Masalas, inspired by Whitechapel Market’s produce and loaded with mango liqueur and ginger syrup, orange and pineapple, oh and lots of gin for good measure. 

Dalloway Terrace

Holborn

Dalloway Terrace is a spot we like to hit for a relaxing drink all year round but the place really comes into its own during winter. The place looks stunning already with the deep reds of Virginia Creeper along the walls, but with the added sparkle it’s something else. 

Each year they choose a new theme for their winter terrace and run wild with it. This year they’ve gone for the Maison Belle Époque, home of the legendary Perrier-Jouët Champagne.

Expect splashes of the Art Nouveau and glugs of high-end champers as well as an almond panna cotta that’s got its roots in the Maison Belle Époque’s famed kitchen.

Sicilian Winter Terrace at Fiume

Battersea 

With gorgeous views of the River Thames on one side and impressive views of Battersea Power Station on the other, the Fiume Sicilian Winter Terrace is always one worth hitting for a bit of visual drama. 

They get things nice and toasty with heat lamps and blankets and do their best to bring the warmth of Sicily to freezing-cold London. 

That means a range of cocktails that draw on Italian flavours and hearty dishes that do the same. It also means an entire menu of food given over to the truffle. Need we say more? 

Market Halls Winter Rooftop Terrace

Victoria 

Market Halls have thrown their hat in the ring by decoration and (maybe most importantly) weatherproofing the rooftop garden at their Victoria location. You’ll find the place kitted out with cosy blankets and heat lamps to keep the cold at bay, as well as a rooftop bar with some pretty top-notch views. 

Now, there is one more pretty obvious perk: you’ll have run of a wide range of food to choose from. We recommend hitting Black Bear Burger. It’s one of our favourite burgers in the city – in fact, we love it so much that even just typing out these words is making our stomachs growl. 

Acme Fire Cult 

Dalston 

A favourite restaurant of ours all year round, Acme Fire Cult know how things ought to be done during winter too. 

They kit their outdoor terrace out with shaggy blankets and sheepskin rugs and get to work on an outdoor grill to do what they do best: pushing the boundaries of live-fire cooking. 

Chef Andrew Clarke works magic on the grill and if you haven’t eaten his food already, sipping on a winter beer they’ve made in partnership with St John (yes, that St John) wouldn’t be a bad place to start if you ask us. 

GNH Bar and Terrace at the Great Northern Hotel

King’s Cross 

The Great Northern Hotel seem to have really hit the nail on the head this year. They’ve knocked up a whole menu of warm, boozy drinks for you to sip on while you relax on their winter terrace. 

To do so they’ve teamed up with Rabbit Hole Whisky and turned the fruits of that partnership into a rather delicious-sounding Hot Toddy, and an even more delicious-sounding take on the espresso Martini. 

As for the terrace itself, we saw it the other day and it’s decked out with no end of evergreen garlands and Christmas decorations. We had to rush past, but on a cold December night it was more than tempting to nip in for a drink. 

Skylight Peckham 

Peckham 

Whether it’s for a boozy brunch or a slap-up dinner, we love a trip to Skylight Peckham, and it looks like we’ll be making a return trip very soon for their winter terrace. They’ve really pushed the boat out this year… 

Yes they’ve decked the place out with a festive glow-up, yes they’ve got one of the best views of London you can find, but they’ve also got a snow machine. They’ll be making it snow daily at 7pm in the run up to Christmas with extra sessions at 2pm on weekends. How’s that for magic? 

Just make sure none of it lands in one of the candy-cane cocktails we’re sure you’ll be sipping on. 

London’s Winter Terraces: Map 

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