Things to do in London today and this weekend

Start at Tower Bridge and walk west along the South Bank: Borough Market, then Tate Modern and the Millennium Bridge across to St Paul's, and on along the river to the London Eye and Big Ben at Westminster. Add the British Museum if it rains. In the evening there is theatre, a concert at the Barbican or the Royal Festival Hall, or jazz in Soho.

Go indoors: the British Museum and Tate Modern are free (only some special exhibitions need a ticket), St Paul's Cathedral and the Tower Bridge Exhibition sell tickets. The rainy-day page lists what is indoors, with what is on there next.

The British Museum's permanent collection and Tate Modern's collection displays cost nothing, and the Turbine Hall's commission is free to see. Borough Market is free to walk through, and so are the walks along the Thames. The free page lists the events of the next 30 days that cost nothing.

Hyde Park Winter Wonderland opens on 19 November 2026 and runs until 3 January 2027, every day except Christmas Day. Entry is ticketed, and the cheapest slots are off-peak. Our guide to Christmas markets in the UK has the opening hours of the other cities' markets too.

On Thursday 31 December 2026, and only with a ticket. Our guide to London's New Year's Eve fireworks 2026 has the prices, the viewing areas, the gates and the transport.

The year starts with the Chinese New Year celebrations around Chinatown, then the London Marathon in the spring. In summer come Wimbledon, Pride, the BBC Proms and Notting Hill Carnival, in September the London Design Festival and in October the BFI London Film Festival. Winter has the Lord Mayor's Show, Winter Wonderland and the New Year's Eve fireworks. The year page has the dates.

Soho for jazz at Ronnie Scott's, bars and late-night restaurants; Shoreditch and Hackney for clubs and live music; Camden for gigs at the Roundhouse and smaller rooms; Brixton for club nights and gigs. The going-out page lists each night of the week.

Look at the Roundhouse, the O2 and the Royal Albert Hall for gigs and the big concerts. The Barbican, the Royal Festival Hall and Cadogan Hall are for classical music, and Ronnie Scott's for jazz. The this-weekend page lists the weekend's events, day by day.