Kensington & Hyde Park
This splendid Victorian concert hall hosts classical music, rock and other performances, but is famously the venue for the BBC-sponsored Proms. Booking is…
Must-see entertainment in London
Notting Hill & West London
This utterly charming marionette (aka puppet) theatre can be found in a converted barge moored in Little Venice – an area as pretty as it sounds. The…
Notting Hill & West London
Located in the former Passmore Edwards Public Library building, this West London theatre is renowned for encouraging new writing. Its success since 1972…
Kensington & Hyde Park
Named after its old address on the King's Rd, which cast a spell over London's jazz lovers back in the ’80s, this choice, tucked-away basement jazz club…
The West End
Wigmore Hall, built in 1901 as a piano showroom, is one of the best and most active classical-music venues in town, with more than 460 concerts a year…
North London
Camden may be the home of punk, but it also has the Green Note: one of the best places in London to see live folk and world music, with gigs every night…
The West End
The last independent theatre in the West End, Prince Charles Cinema is universally loved for its show-anything attitude. Singalongs and quote-a-longs …
Kensington & Hyde Park
Currently run by PizzaExpress, the Pheasantry on King's Rd is a 19th-century building that has been a ballet academy, a boho bar and a nightclub (where…
North London
This stalwart pub theatre hosts new plays and musicals, along with revivals of classics. Classical music and opera are part of the mix, too. It's always…
North London
‘London’s Number 1 Jukebox’ is how Boogaloo flaunts itself: its celebrity-musician-selected jukebox playlists feature the favourite 10 songs of the likes…
North London
Home to the English Folk Dance and Song Society, this institute keeps all manner of folk traditions alive. Performances and classes range from traditional…
North London
Once the legendary Camden Palace, where Charlie Chaplin, the Goons and the Sex Pistols performed, and where Prince played surprise gigs, KOKO is…
The West End
Ronnie Scott's jazz club opened in 1959 and became widely known as Britain’s best, hosting such luminaries as Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald…
North London
Opened in 1920 as a cutting-edge golden-age cinema, Scala slipped into porn-movie hell in the 1970s, only to be reborn as a club and live-music venue in…
The West End
Opera and ballet have a fantastic setting on Covent Garden Piazza, and a night here is a sumptuous affair. Although the programme has modern influences,…
Notting Hill & West London
Having notched up its centenary in 2011, the Electric is one of the UK’s oldest cinemas, now updated. Avail yourself of the luxurious leather armchairs,…
Richmond, Kew & Hampton Court
For a few weeks each June and July, the sporting world’s attention is fixed on the quiet southern suburb of Wimbledon, as it has been since 1877. Most…
Notting Hill & West London
Opened in 1911, the single-screen Gate has one of London’s most charming art-deco cinema interiors, with director Q&As and a wealth of cinema clubs,…
North London
The name would have you think jazz is the main staple, but it's only a small slice of what's on offer here. The intimate club-like space also serves up…
London
One of the world’s best companies, the English National Ballet is a touring ballet company. You may be fortunate enough to catch it at one of its various…
The West End
The 250-seat Donmar Warehouse is London's ‘thinking person’s theatre’. With new artistic director Michael Longhurst, works in progress are more…
North London
Housed in a Grade II–listed Victorian building, this plush 325-seat theatre can be relied on for imaginative programming. Its emphasis is on new, up-and…
The West End
This eccentric home-made arcade is full of coin-operated satirical machines that combine vintage seaside charm with the trials and tribulations of modern…
London
This unique small theatre started in 1994 in an old Victorian swimming pool. It's run by the St Bride Foundation, which was founded in 1891 to promote the…
The West End
In the heart of Westminster, this eye-catching church was built by Thomas Archer in 1728 under Queen Anne's New Churches in London and Westminster Act …
Kensington & Hyde Park
Equally renowned for staging innovative new plays and old classics, the Royal Court is among London’s most-progressive theatres and has continued to…
Richmond, Kew & Hampton Court
This wonderful, almost churchlike place with stone walls and an open fire is a great pub facing Richmond Park’s Petersham entrance. Best of all are the…
The West End
The English National Opera is celebrated for making opera modern and more accessible, as all productions are sung in English. It's based at the impressive…
London
You'll get as lost in the astounding programme as you will in the labyrinthine brutalist building. Home to the London Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony…
Notting Hill & West London
Located in the former home of the BBC, this very dishy deco-style cinema offers mohair armchairs, chair-side tables with lamps, and footstools. Descend…
North London
Built as a railway repair shed in 1847, this unusual Grade II–listed round building became an arts centre in the 1960s and hosted legendary bands before…
North London
For cricket devotees a trip to Lord’s is often as much a pilgrimage as anything else. As well as being home to Marylebone Cricket Club, the ground hosts…
North London
One of Camden’s historic venues, the Electric Ballroom has been entertaining North Londoners since 1938. Many great bands and musicians have played here,…
Notting Hill & West London
Reopened after a five-year refit, the new Riverside has two theatres, two cinema screens, a state-of-the-art TV studio, brasserie, cafe and bar. The…
The West End
A beautifully designed, multi-screen cinema in the buzzing heart of Piccadilly Circus, Picturehouse Central is pure style from the moment you walk in and…
North London
The Blues Kitchen's recipe for success is simple: select brilliant blues bands, host them in a fabulous bar, make it (mostly) free and offer some…
The West End
This heritage London venue at the same address since 1942 started off as a jazz club but now leans towards rock. Back in the day it showcased Chris Barber…
Notting Hill & West London
This famous midsized venue (standing capacity is 2000) attracts all manner of top acts and back-catalogue giants. Built as a music hall in 1903, the floor…
North London
One of London’s most atmospheric and individual music venues, the Union Chapel is an 1877 design by James Cubitt that still holds services as well as…
Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields
Founded in 2006 in a converted garment factory, this nonprofit cultural centre has a three-screen cinema, a bar and a theatre. Films shown run the gamut…
