Ed Cunningham

Want a drink? Well you've come to the right place. This is Time Out’s list of best bars in London, our curated guide to London’s drinking scene, featuring the buzziest booze dens in the capital right now. If it’s on this list, it’s excellent. These are the 50 places we'd recommend to a friend, because we love drinking in them and have done many times over. From classy cocktail joint to delightful dives, hotel bars, speakeasys, bottle shops, rooftops and wine bars, London's got them all. The latest additions to our list include Bar Lina, an Italian aperitivo spot underneath the famous Soho deli, Moko hi-fi listening bar in Tottenham, Oranj's vertitable wine warehouse in Shoreditch, and Helgi's, a suggestively Satanic rock bar in Hackney. Now go forth and booze. RECOMMENDED: Like bars? Then you'll love London's best pubs.  Leonie Cooper is Time Out London’s Food and Drink Editor. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

The most magical time of the year has a habit of transforming destinations around the world: cities get decked out in dazzling decorations, streets teem with local traditions and squares are taken over by pop-up festive markets. That said, some destinations are great to visit at Christmas for precisely the opposite reason: because you might not even realise it’s Christmas at all. Who hasn’t sometimes wanted to hibernate in the sun until the madness is over?  And so, when considering the best destinations to visit at Christmas, we haven’t just included places with quirky traditions or an unmissable festive atmosphere - there's plenty of Scrooge-appropriate destinations on here too. Dive into our festive travel list below and you’re guaranteed to find somewhere great to spend the season.  RECOMMENDED:💝The best Christmas markets to visit in Europe and worldwide❄️The best places to travel in December🎄The 50 best Christmas movies of all time🎊The 65 best Christmas songs of all time At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines.

Love them, hate them, or just accept them as a sort of immutable fact of life, it's officially Christmas song season in 2023. And although there’s been a fair amount of disposable novelty rubbish written over the years, the reality is that a lot of Christmas songs are bangers. There are plenty of keepers from the ‘40s-‘70s heyday of the Christmas record as an art form, for example, but even more cynical later generations of pop have produced plenty of gold. Festive cheer has found its way into pop, hip-hop, R&B, metal, punk, indie… you name it. So as a gift, we've rounded up the very best Christmas songs going. Ho ho ho.  RECOMMENDED:🎅 The best places to go at Christmas 🎉  The best party songs🎤  The best karaoke songs🕺  The best pop songs of all time Written by Andrzej Lukowski, Oliver Keens, James Manning, Alim Kheraj, Ed Cunningham, Liv Kelly and Ella Doyle.

New Year's Eve is a stressful one. There’s so much riding on it, and so much pressure to have a good time, you can often end up forgetting what’s really important: drinking too much and staying up past midnight! Here at Time Out, we thought we’d remind you exactly how you should be bringing the New Year in: by listening to songs about New Years, on New Years. In fact, we’ve got 30 of them. Here are the best songs about New Years to listen to on New Years. Cheers! Listen to these songs on Amazon Music RECOMMENDED:🎉 The best party songs ever made🎶 The best ’80s songs🎤 The best karaoke songs🕺 The best pop songs of all time🎅 The best Christmas songs Written by Andrzej Lukowski, Nick Levine, Christopher Tarantino, Liv Kelly, Ed Cunningham and Ella Doyle. 

The City of Light is a top pick for a dreamy escape. It's brimming with diverse neighborhoods and endless attractions, welcoming travelers from all over the world. Whether you're wandering along the Seine, savouring mouthwatering croissants at charming street cafes, or gazing in awe at iconic landmarks like the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral, and, of course, the Eiffel Tower, you'll never find yourself short of things to do in this epic location. But, let's face it, staying in a city as popular as Paris can be a bit of a budget buster, especially when it comes to booking a hotel. That's where Airbnb comes to the rescue. From snug apartments perfect for a romantic retreat to luxurious homes for larger groups, opting for an Airbnb is a great way to truly experience the city's vibrant culture. To make your trip planning a breeze, we've done the heavy lifting and handpicked some of the finest Airbnb options in Paris. So if you’re looking to experience Paris in all its glory, these awesome accommodations let you live like a real Parisian. Voilà! RECOMMENDED: 🇫🇷Where to stay in Paris🏨The best hotels in Paris💰The best cheap hotels in Paris🎂The best patisseries in Paris💵The best luxury hotels in Paris Who makes the cut? While we might not stay in every Airbnb featured, we've based our list on top reviews, hosts, and amenities to find you the best stays. This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our aff

Ahh, NYC. Street-style Mecah, famously known as the city that never sleeps. Hence the coffee. Truth is, there’s never a dull moment here and that’s why we love it. From every street corner to every block, you’ll witness the weird and wonderful happenings of this bagel-deli-lined concrete treasure. Travel upstate and it’s a completely different vibe (a bit like NYC’s introverted cousin) – we’re talking no neon lights, only the amber glow of a wood-burning stove. And when it’s time to escape the inner-city chaos, there’s no place quite like Hudson Valley. While New Yorkers can always catch their breath in one of NYC’s many (admittedly excellent) spas, a temporary escape from the traffic doesn’t always cut it. Sometimes what you really need – read: the only remedy – is a long weekend in a cozy cabin to help you fully decompress. Without further ado, we’ve rounded up the most idylic Airbnb rentals, many of which boast breathtaking views, cracking amenities, and scenic hiking trails – all within a few hours’ drive of Manhattan. Time to embrace the calm. RECOMMENDED:🏔See our list of the best Airbnbs in the Catskills🏨Check out the top hotels and B&Bs in Hudson, NY🌲Pay a visit to the best upstate New York resorts Who makes the cut? While we might not stay in and review every Airbnb featured, we've based our list on our expert knowledge of the destination covered, editorial reviews, user reviews, hotel amenities and in-depth research to find you the best stays. This article inclu

We'll always be NYC's biggest cheerleaders, why wouldn't we be? The city has it all! But everyone needs a breather from the bustle of city life every once in a while. Luckily, you don't need to travel very far for some well-deserved R&R. The Catskills are the place to be. Not too far from the city, but far enough to escape the center. So, pack your best knitwear, dig out those hiking boots, and book a weekend away. Okay so, you've got the destination down, but where to stay? That’s where we come in. We’ve scoured Airbnb to find some of the Catskills’ most unique, stylish, and memorable getaways, from group adventures near the mountains to romantic hideaways, we've ticked every box. Scroll on to discover your dream rental ...  RECOMMENDED: 🪵Check out the best Airbnbs in Hudson Valley🏊‍♀️See our list of best New York upstate resorts⛰Discover the best of upstate New York Who makes the cut? While we might not stay in and review every Airbnb featured, we've based our list on our expert knowledge of the destination covered, editorial reviews, user reviews, hotel amenities and in-depth research to find you the best stays. This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines.

While there are always more than enough festive things to do in London – light displays, ice rinks, Bavarian markets, endless department-store browsing – sometimes we all need to get out of the Christmas-infested capital. Away from the noise, smog and, yes, all that endless, crowded shopping. What’s needed is crisp country air, a stiff walk or a serene spa day. Here are our fave day trips from London to enjoy this winter, all under two hours from Zone 1. RECOMMENDED: The best day trips from London

With an impressive 300 days of sunshine annually and 29 miles of pristine sandy shoreline, it’s no surprise that Santa Cruz has earned its reputation as one of the USA’s finest surf destinations. But beyond the surfers riding those towering waves, Surf City holds a treasure trove of attractions, from its iconic boardwalk to the nearby redwood forests. When planning your Santa Cruz adventure, it’s important to find a comfortable place to call home during your stay. Luckily, the city has loads of fab hotels to choose from, from upscale resorts to beachfront inns. To simplify your search for the perfect digs, we've rounded up our top picks of the best hotels in Santa Cruz. Whether you're a solo traveler seeking the thrill of riding the area's famous waves or a young couple planning a romantic getaway in nature, we're sure you'll find something to suit your individual taste and budget in our extensive list. So, pack your bags, soak up the sun, and get ready to experience the unique blend of natural beauty and coastal culture that Santa Cruz has to offer.  RECOMMENDED: 🏠The best Airbnbs in Santa Cruz🏖️The best things to do in Santa Cruz🇺🇸The best things to do in California Who makes the cut? While we might not stay in every hotel featured below, we've based our list on top reviews and amenities to find you the best stays. This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines.

It only took about 70 years, but television is finally getting some respect. In the decades leading up to this point, TV was largely considered among the lowest forms of entertainment. It was smeared as ‘the idiot box’, ‘the boob tube’. Edward R Murrow referred to it as ‘the opiate of the masses’, and Bruce Springsteen even wrote a song about the malaise of fruitless channel surfing. Was its poor reputation deserved? Certainly, the ratio of garbage to gold was high, and though it’s hard to quantify if it was worse than any other artistic medium, the fact that it was all being beamed directly into your living room made the dreck much harder to avoid.  That’s all changed. Television is now the dominant medium in basically all of entertainment, to the degree that the only thing separating movies and TV is the screen you’re watching on. The shift in perception is widely credited to the arrival of The Sopranos, which completely reinvented the notion of what a TV show could do, and the advent of streaming has made it so that hundreds of new shows are now continually flipping the script every few years, if not months.  But that doesn’t mean everything before 1999 is pure dross. Far from it: television has been popular since World War II, after all. And while this list is dominated by 21st century programs, there are hundreds of shows that deserve credit for pushing TV forward into its current golden age. Chiselling them down to a neat hundred is tough, so we elected to leave off tal

Atlanta’s the largest city in the South, so of course it’s absolutely packed with things to do, see, eat, and drink. From exploring ATL’s phenomenal civil rights institutions to diving into the endless aquatic wonders of the Georgia Aquarium, this is a city primed for bustling tourists and brimming with some of the best cultural stuff in the entire US of A. If you're planning on taking a summer vacation to Atlanta, be warned, the summers can be sweltering and humid. Our hair is frizzing up as we speak. So of course, it's essential to find an Airbnb with a pool allowing you to cool down whenever you want, but also because it's fun to splash around. So whether you're coming for the city’s finest attractions, its unmissable bars, its enviable foodie culture, or its unbeatable nightlife, we’ve got you covered. For couples, families, friends, and the rest, here are the best Airbnbs with pools in Atlanta.  RECOMMENDED: The best hotels in AtlantaRECOMMENDED: The best luxury Airbnbs in Atlanta This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, click here.

It’s sometimes said that we in the UK don’t have much of a rep for romance. And while, sure, we can’t claim to have the finesse of the French or any of that effortless Italian charm, we’re still romantic. In fact, the UK is romantic AF – and we can prove it. From charming seaside towns packed with homely pubs and quaint rural villages populated by cute cottages to the UK’s historic and glamorous cities, this small country boasts countless destinations that are perfect for a romantic getaway (complete with all sorts of romantic restaurants too). And while, no, we aren’t all Hugh Grants, we’re still a pretty solid bunch, if we say do so ourselves. If you’re planning a loved-up weekend break with your special one, here are our essential spots: the best and most romantic getaway destinations in the UK. RECOMMENDED:🏰 Amazing UK castles you can actually stay in🤏 Tiny but perfectly formed UK hideaways🏠 Cabins and cottages to book now for autumn🌳 Amazing treehouses in the UK you can actually stay in⛰️ Outdoorsy UK getaways to help you reconnect with nature❄️ The cosiest places to stay in the UK this winter.

Looking to seriously broaden your musical horizons? Colour Green could well be just the ticket. Pitching an evening of tremendously diverse sounds and styles – with a focus on women and non-binary musicians – this brand-new night has a line-up teeming with music from the world over. Camden’s intimate Green Note (our very own ‘London’s Favourite Music Venue 2015’, no less) will be graced by the soaring Latin/jazz/R&B of XATIVA, marvellously textured electronica from Alice Boyd and the studious jazz and South American folkloric music of Delfina Cheb. Musical adventurers, don’t miss it.

On the hunt for the heights of convenience and cleanliness with a healthy helping of luxury and space? Look no further than the Henrietta. This sort-of boutique hotel (it’s a little bigger than most boutiques) sits steps away from the main Covent Garden piazza on Henrietta Street. It’s technically not one site but two; split between two townhouses that aren’t connected but aren’t more than a dozen feet or so from each other  As the townhouse location beckons glamour, so does the hotel’s inner chambers. Hidden behind an otherwise-unassuming door, you’ll find a place that reeks with design, from its loud wallpaper to the carefully placed Henry Moore, Man Ray and Roy Lichtenstein books in the lobby. The Henrietta was made with an eye for design and it wants you to know – but there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, it’s all an exhilarating change from the dime-a-dozen, copy-paste rooms of many of the West End’s ginormous multinational hotel brands. The rooms are also exceptionally design-y (this time taking from art-deco, from golden lamps to swishly round sofas, stools and coffee tables) but don’t skimp on the essentials. The beds are massive and plush, the windows and huge and airy, the lighting is controlled and tasteful. There’s a decent mini-bar and tea/coffee selection, effective air-con, plenty of cupboard space and a well-equipped bathroom. If you want the basics covered – and a little more – few do them better than the Henrietta. Neighbourhood When it comes to the West

London’s Latinx music scene has a lot going on at the mo – and there’s nowhere better to get a taste of it than Alturas, which returns to Stoke Newington’s Doña this January. From the Latin/folk/jazz fusion of singer-songwriter XATIVA and silky, dark pop of Sophie Castillo to the Andean-inflected dancefloor concoctions of ANTIK’ARA and classic bossa nova of Cláudia Marques, revel in a diverse blend of contemporary Latinx sounds. And better yet, the deliciously kitsch Bar Doña will be dishing up its usual array of tacos and mezcal all night.

Despite being tremendously popular in his time, artist and illustrator Louis Wain has been somewhat overlooked of late. Luckily enough, he’s soon to receive the Hollywood treatment, being played by Benedict Cumberbatch in an upcoming film, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain. And while that film is sure to invigorate Wain’s legacy with the respect it deserves, you can get ahead of the curve by heading over to the Bethlem Museum of the Mind. Wain is best known for capturing cats in all their various forms, and the Bethlem’s exhibition is a glorious display of some of his finest illustrations. Expect a vibrant, characterful world of felines, ranging from the anthropomorphic to absurd. Animal Therapy: The Cats of Louis Wain is free, but you can still support both the exhibition and the Bethlem Museum of the Mind by buying from their online shop or via direct donations. The Bethlem Museum of the Mind is open Wednesday to Friday and the first and last Saturdays of month, 10am to 5pm. See the museum’s visitor page for more details

Fun fact: Frock Me was the first vintage fair in London. Back in 1997, founder Matthew Adams started the fair at Kensington Town Hall, which prided itself on a mix of fashion and decorative arts. It then moved to Chelsea Old Hall, taking more of a focus on fashion – but remaining London’s original, most essential vintage fair. For one date in November, Frock Me will be returning to its original venue in Kensington Town Hall. Promising 70 exhibitors with an enormous range of fashion (ranging from the Victoria era through to slightly more modern designer outfits), there’ll also be watches, jewellery and a pop-up café. For the fashion fanatics, preview tickets (11am-12pm) are £10. General admission (12:00-17:30pm) is £5, reduced to £3 with an NUS card.

Would you ever imagine that a mere 33 metres below Clapham High Street, there lies one of the UK’s most cutting-edge urban farms? Us neither, yet that’s where you can find Growing Underground, a farm fashioned out of a former Second World War bomb shelter. Cultivating veggies using LED tech and hydroponic systems, the farm produces pesticide-free, carbon-neutral and nutrient-rich greens that taste delicious. Snoop around and discover more about the history of the tunnel and the farm’s sustainable credentials during a 75-minute tour, which includes a fresh micro herb salad to take home with you. Green in more ways than one. 

It’s a tough time to be working in the aviation industry. Faced with staff shortages and huge levels of disruption, many workers at airlines and airports are facing long, stressful hours and poor working conditions. And, thanks to the cost of living crisis and pandemic pay cuts, loads of them are doing it all for lower wages, too. Needless to say, it’s no wonder that so many staff at airports and airlines have been going on strike. From Italy and Belgium to Greece and France, airports across Europe have seen thousands of flights delayed and cancelled by industrial action. Strikes can, obvs, have a serious impact on your holiday, so it’s best to be as informed about them as possible. Read on for our guide to who’s going on strike in Europe right now, where and when those strikes will happen – and whether you need to worry about them. French air traffic control strikes Industrial action, which started at 6 pm on Sunday November 19, is set to continue all day throughout Monday November 20, and up to a quarter of trips at Paris-Orly, Toulouse-Blagnac, Bordeaux-Mérignac and Marseille-Provence airports might be cancelled.  Strikes in Spain Jet2 has issued a warning to all its customers who are planning a trip to Spain, specifically Alicante, sometime during the rest of the year. Ground handlers have announced a series of strikes from September to January, for one hour in the morning and the evening, on the following dates:  November — 21, 24-26, 28December — 1-10, 12, 15-17, 19, 22

If you’re a cyclist in London, every new cycleway is something of a godsend. Providing a safe haven from trucks, buses and angry drivers, each bit of bicycle-only road is another step towards making the capital a properly safe city to get around on two wheels. And London is becoming more bike-friendly all the time. Just the other month, four new routes were added to the city’s cycle network, while a brand-new Santander Cycles station opened in Clapham. Now another massive new cycleway is coming to the northwest of the city.    Transport for London has revealed plans for a protected two-way cycleway in the borough of Brent, connecting parts of Wembley and Harlesden. Then plans feature a new cycleway on Harrow Road and Brentfield, as well as improved cycling networks around Wembley Central and Harlesden stations. On top of that, TfL and Brent Council also want to install safer bike crossings over both the Harrow Road and the North Circular.  If you’re a non-cyclist in the area, there’ll be other benefits too. Pedestrians will also enjoy more (and better) road crossing points, while the project will also see improved street lighting and greater amounts of greenery. Which all sounds pretty decent, right? You can find out more and have your say about the plans on the official consultation page here, which is open until December 21. Did you see that this is the London neighbourhood people want to move to the most? Plus: Earls Court could soon be home to a massive new neighbourhood.

As a whole, London’s a pretty desirable place to live. And we’re reminded of that pretty much every day: not only do nearly ten million people choose to live and work here, but 30 million or so flock here just to visit every year. Within the city, however, Londoners are always eyeing up where they’d like to move, money no object. The grass is always greener, as they say – or at least that grass is next to gorgeous Georgian townhouses and/or surrounded by buzzy pubs and delightful independent businesses. To find out where in the city people want to move to the most, we consulted the results of our very own Time Out city-dwellers survey. Used to calculate our annual Coolest Neighbourhoods ranking (congrats King’s Cross for being cooler than the rest in 2023), it also asks the question: where would you like to move in your city?   Thousands of Londoners took our survey, and the most desirable place to move in the city was named as... Hampstead. Surprise, surprise. With its glorious Heath, picture-perfect high street and longstanding popularity with artists and celebs, Hampstead’s appeal is obvious.  Next up was Chelsea, another of London’s wealthiest areas, followed by Islington. Plenty of famously-luxe London postcodes made the cut, from Notting Hill and Kensington to Highgate and Richmond. Here’s the list of the London neighbourhoods people want to move to the most, according to our survey. Hampstead Chelsea Islington Richmond Hackney Notting Hill Greenwich Kensington Soho Hi

To several generations of Londoners, Earls Court was best known for its legendary venue. From 1937 all the way up to 2014, Earls Court Exhibition Centre played host to everything from expos and the Olympics to gigs by Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and David Bowie. Since the exhibition centre closed, Earls Court is now simply a Kensington district, an electoral ward and a tube stop. But it could soon see massive changes thanks to a vast development project. Plans have been revealed that could essentially see a new entire neighbourhood built in Earls Court. Currently, the area is apparently central London’s largest cleared development site. The Earls Court Development Company (ECDC) says that the plan is to build 4,000 new homes (35 percent will apparently be affordable), 200,000 square feet of retail and leisure space and 2.5 million sqft of workspace. Excitingly, the ECDC also proposes building three new venues, the largest of which will have space for at least 1,000 visitors. Sure, that might not be anywhere near the old Earls Court’s 20,000 capacity, but it’s something. Image: Earls Court Development Company The development will supposedly be quite green, too. According to developers, 60 percent of the land will remain free from buildings, while 1,000 trees will be planted across the site. As always, it’s better to wait and see how these sort of big construction projects turn out before deciding whether they’re actually ‘green’ or not. It’s worth noting that these most recent

Lovers of fashion, pop-ups and big, shiny things, here’s something for your Thursday. Designer Marc Jacobs has plonked a temporary shop in London’s Covent Garden – and it’s certainly eye-catching, to say the least. Marc Jacobs’ pop-up takes the form of a huge mirrored box and it sits on the Covent Garden Piazza. Envisioned by creative agency Backlash, it’s the brand’s first-ever UK pop-up and apparently serves to launch an all-new ‘Resort Collection’. Inside, the shop is similarly shimmery and ripe for yer ‘Gram. And that isn’t all: Marc Jacobs has also taken over Covent Garden’s tube platforms and installed a massive tote bag swing at Tottenham Court Road tube. Here are some pics of the pop-up and installations. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Covent Garden (@coventgardenldn) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Backlash (@backlashcreative) The Marc Jacobs Covent Garden pop-up is open until December 3 and you can find out more here. ICYMI: Here’s the full list of London Christmas market open dates for 2023. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

Whether it’s because they’re architecturally astounding or filled with tonnes of paintings and sculptures, plenty of hotels in London are pretty arty and creative. Within Time Out’s lists of the finest boutiques and most fabulous hotels in the city, there are countless places that certainly look like a work of art. If you’re looking for a supremely arty London stay, one option is an Art’otel. And while the city already has one in Battersea (with a truly incredible rooftop pool, no less), it’ll soon get another: Art’otel London Hoxton is set to open in March 2024. Art‘otels, for those not in-the-know, are a collection of hotels in which each one is inspired by a ‘signature artist’. The hotels are intended to be places you can both stay the night and discover art, often offering exhibitions, tours and the opportunity to create your own artworks.   The Hoxton edition’s ‘signature artist’ is D*Face and it’ll feature exclusive works by the street artist. Each of the 357 rooms will apparently be art-inspired, while the rest of the building will boast bars, restaurants and terraces, as well as an indoor pool, spa and skyline gym. Rooms will apparently start at about £400 per night. Here are a few preview renders of what the Art’otel London Hoxton will look like. Image: art'otel Image: art'otel Image: art'otel There are currently five Art’otels around Europe (in London, Berlin, Cologne, Amsterdam and Zagreb). Those are inspired by the likes of Jaime Hayon, Georg Baselitz, SEO a

When it comes to rankings of the best pizzas, you’ve got plenty of options. You’ve got global list like 50 Top Pizza (check out the 2023 edition here) and the world’s best pizza chef. Then, of course, there are Time Out’s very own (and, if you ask us, peerless) lists, like our best pizzerias, finest takeaway pizzas and legendary Clash of the Slices showdown.   Another pizza ranking comes from the Pizza, Pasta and Italian Food Association (PAPA), which revealed its ‘Independent Pizza Restaurant Award’ winner for 2023. The award was given out at a ceremony last week.  And this year’s prize went to... Taste of Italy in Chelmsford! It topped a shortlist that included Scott’s All Day in Cambridge, Pizza Metro in London, Pizzaland in Bristol and The Woodyard in Woodbridge. Any devoted followers of the PAPA awards will note that this is actually the second year in a row that the Essex pizzeria has scooped the prize. According to EssexLive, all of the pizzas at Taste of Italy are made using Italian DOP ingredients. The place is so authentic, in fact, that apparently it punishes anyone who wants pineapple on their pizza with a whopping £149 charge. Fancy visiting Taste of Italy? Check out the restaurant’s official website here. You can also find out more about this year’s PAPA awards here. Did you see that this is the UK’s best city for roast dinners? Plus: Boxpark is opening a massive new venue in Birmingham.

The UK already has a frankly ridiculous number of big-name tours lined-up for 2024. Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Bruce Springsteen, Green Day and Liam Gallagher are just a few of the megastars scheduled to be travelling up and down the land next year. And now we have another massive tour to add to that list from none other than the National Gallery. Yep, one of the country’s most beloved institutions is travelling around Britain so that more of the nation can see its gorgeous artworks. The project is part of the National Gallery’s 200th birthday celebrations and it’ll involve several different initiatives. The most notable for those around the UK are Art Road Trip and National Treasures. National Treasures will see 12 of the Gallery’s finest paintings loaned out to venues around the country. The likes of Constable’s ‘The Hay Wain’, Turner’s ‘Fighting Temeraire’ and Monet’s ‘The Water-Lily Pond’ are among those heading out on tour. Find out more about that here. Art Road Trip, meanwhile, will be a programme of activities and events by the NG that celebrate creativity and the arts. From May 2024 to May 2025, it’ll stop by 18 locations, work with 24 local arts organisations and host 200 events. Find out more about it here.  Exciting, eh? And on top of all that, the National Gallery has other 200th birthday celebrations planned like a huge Van Gogh show, a redisplay of the entire collection and a summer programme for Trafalgar Square. The National Gallery’s bicentenary events ki

Ikea stans, we’ve got downright thrilling news. The affordable furniture giant (or its parent company Ingka Group, to be exact) has just bought its second UK shopping centre, meaning that it’ll likely be opening a brand-new city-centre store in the near future. The shopping centre in question is Brighton’s Churchill Square and at least part of it is set to be turned into an Ikea City. Exactly what that means is currently a little unclear, but Ikea has said that Churchill Square will be its 23rd UK store and display 6,000 items over two floors. It’ll also have an all-important Swedish deli. Ikea’s first shopping centre purchase in the UK was the Kings Mall in Hammersmith, London, which it bought in 2020 and opened in 2022.  After installing an Ikea in an old Debenhams, the Swedish retailer brought in new tenants including a Lidl. Exactly when the Brighton city centre Ikea will open hasn’t been revealed. However, it isn’t the only shop of its kind in the works in the UK. Ikea is also opening a massive new store on London’s Oxford Street, which is supposed to open in autumn 2024 – you can read Time Out’s guide to what’s happening with that here. Did you see that KFC is opening ten branches across the UK? Plus: Avon is launching its first physical UK stores. Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country. 

Of all the fast-food giants, KFC has some of the most devoted fans around. And who can blame them? Not only is its signature ’11 herbs and spices’ recipe known around the world, but as society has transitioned towards less meat-heavy diets, KFC has stayed ahead of the curve with some delish veggie and vegan options. KFC fans in the house, we’ve got some exciting news. The chain has announced that it plans on opening ten new UK stores in the very near future, with five coming before the end of the year and the rest arriving in early 2024. The new branches are part of a long-term plan by the fried chicken giant to open another 500 UK branches. Currently, KFC has just over 1,000 outlets across the country, and the new branches will be a mixture of normal restaurants, drive thrus and airport editions.  Here are the locations getting new KFCs – and when they’re expected to open. Birch East (Greater Manchester) – December Hilton Park North (Staffordshire) – December Lancaster North (Lancashire)  – December Thurrock (Essex) – December Medway (Kent) – December Grantham (Lincolnshire) – New Year Southwaite North (Cumbria) – New Year Chieveley (Berkshire) – New Year Washington South (Northumbria) – New Year Frankley North (Worcestershire) – New Year Out with the old, in with the new While plenty of UK high-street brands have struggled recently (see our lowdown on all the high-street shops closing here), others are thriving. The likes of The Range, B&M, Asda, Aldi and M&S are just som

London’s Heathrow airport is one of the great global transport hubs. Routinely ranking among the biggest and most-used airports on the planet, in recent news on Time Out Heathrow has been named the best-connected airport in the world, the busiest air hub in Europe and its Terminal 5 was named the UK’s busiest terminal. LHR is no stranger to airport rankings – and now the airport says it has officially become the fourth-busiest airport in the world. A whopping seven million passengers passed through Heathrow in October 2023, which is based on data from OAG.  Heathrow apparently saw 5.9 million passengers in October 2022, when it was ranked the seventh-busiest air hub in the world. The same study also saw it ranked the busiest airport in Europe. So where’s busier than Heathrow at the mo? OAG’s busiest airport in Oct 2023 was apparently Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International in the USA, second came Dubai International and third came Tokyo Haneda. OAG’s busiest airports in the world Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson, USA Dubai, UAE Tokyo Haneda, Japan London Heathrow, UK Dallas/Fort Worth, USA Denver, USA Beijing, China Los Angeles, USA Istanbul, Turkey Guangzhou, China You can read OAG’s full ranking on the official website here. Did you see that this London airport is getting a £250 million makeover? Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

It’s been well over a year since Queen Elizabeth II passed away, but despite Her Maj’s widespread popularity in London and beyond, there are notably few statues of her – particularly in the capital. Until now, that is. A brand-new statue of Queen Liz has been unveiled at the Royal Albert Hall. Made out of bronze, the statue sits at the building’s South Porch alongside another brand-new sculpture of Liz’s husband Prince Philip. Both were made by sculptor Poppy Field and stand at over two metres tall, meaning they’re much taller than real-life. They sit at the opposite end of the building to statues of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert – who’re at the North Porch – and they were officially revealed on November 11 at a ceremony with King Charles III (who unveiled his mum’s statue) and Queen Camilla (who unveiled Philip).  The new statues of Liz and Phil were commissioned in 2020 to celebrate the RAH’s 150th anniversary. Here are some pics of the statues. Photograph: Poppy Field Photograph: Poppy Field Photograph: Poppy Field Check out more of Poppy Field’s work on her website or Instagram. Time Out and London’s statues London has countless statues, all of which mean something to someone (or mean something to a whole bunch of people). And we’re all for delving into statues’ stories and histories, from this recent deep-dive into six scandalous London statues to wondering why one random guy has seven separate memorials in the capital.   Did you see that a huge Tim Burton exhib