The best things to do in London this November

While London layers up for winter, a thrilling mix of new openings and immersive events are happening across the British capital. Food and drink need-to-knows include King’s Road’s hottest Mediterranean restaurant and a spice-packed Thai pop-up making waves in Borough Market. There’s plenty of cultural highlights going on, from EFG London Jazz Festival taking over the city to Pitchfork Festival and a cast of winter markets that are guaranteed to get you in the festive mood. Read on to get the lowdown on the best things to do in London this month.

Seasonal things to do in London

Winter Festivities

When: Until January 2025 

Southbank Centre has kicked off London’s festive season with pop-up bars, street food and independent traders housed in alpine-style chalets along Queen’s Walk. In the West End, Regent Street and St James’s iconic angels will light up on 7 November, while Covent Garden’s 60-ft fir tree is set to follow shortly after on 12 November with this year’s specimen flaunting 30,000 LED lights. Somerset House’s iconic ice rink Skate will return to its courtyard from 13 November and Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland officially opens its gates on 21 November. If you’re seeking a quieter alternative, the Curated Makers Market at Battersea Power Station champions small businesses with beautiful jewellery, homewares and baked goods. For stocking stuffers, Spitalfields Market delivers with its seasonal delights, special discounts and mulled wine on tap.

Food and drink happenings in London

Khao Bird, Borough

Location: 8 Bedale Street, London, SE1 9AL
Price: Plates from 7.50 GBP; cocktails from 10 GBP 

There’s a new residency upstairs at Borough Market boozer The Globe Tavern and it’s serving top-notch Thai food at a decent price. Mike Palmer’s Khao Bird is the sibling restaurant to Lucky Khao in Brighton and is inspired by the colourful open-air markets in Chiang Mai. Chef Luke Larsson heads up the kitchen with flavour-packed dishes such as Burmese curry with roasted pork, peanuts, wild ginger and pickled garlic, and slurpy chicken noodles in a coconut broth. Don’t miss the deep-fried donut bao served with fresh ice cream for dessert. Drinks are organised by wines (courtesy of sommelier Zeren Wilson of Noble Rot), cocktails, boozy slushies – the lemongrass and lychee is refreshingly zesty – and a selection of lagers. Minimal interiors see wooden tables and pendant lights decorate the space that was once the location used for Bridget Jones’s apartment.

Tamila, Clapham

Location: 39 Northcote Road, London, SW11 1NJ
Price: Small plates from 7 GBP; large plates from 10.50 GBP

This humble restaurant has evolved from a pop-up at Hackney Bridge food hall to a buzzy Indian restaurant on Northcote Road. Tamila marks an exciting first venture south of the river for owners Prince Durairaj and Glen Leeson, who are behind North London’s buzzy Indian gastropubs The Tamil Prince and Tamil Crown. The 50-cover space is distinctively more casual than its siblings, with pared-back interiors and a precise menu of delicious garlic and coriander naan, kulcha and peshwari naan and tandoor favourites such as paneer tikka and pineapple chutney. The chettinad lamb curry works with the coconut pilau rice, while the ginger paloma is best accompanied with a syrup-oozing galub jamun dessert. Mango soft serve, rose milk pudding and the creamy yoghurt-based mango lassi also feature on the sweet offering, plus there’s a selection of wines and a handful of beers including Tamila’s own lager.

Godet, Islington

Location: 382 Essex Road, London, N1 3PF
Price: TBC

Paris-born sommelier Sylvain Bertozzi has just opened a new neighbourhood wine pub on Islington’s Essex Road, joining their London Fields spot Binch. Godet (which means ‘glass’ in French slang) has the same focus on high quality French and European wines as Binch, with the addition of independent craft beers and classic ales. The intimate space has a feel-good vibe thanks to a regular host of DJs spinning a mix of funk, soul, disco house and garage. When it comes to the food, Perk’d Up Burger serve their signature smash burgers from Wednesday to Saturday, while The Ingredientist Kitchen takes the reins on Sundays with an exceptional roast. If it’s a lighter bite you’re after, there’s plenty of bar snacks like seasonal cheese and charcuterie boards. Keep your eyes peeled for tastings and exclusive winemaker events.

Bottarga, Chelsea

Location: 383 King’s Road, London, SW10 0LP
Price: Small plates from 7 GBP; large plates from 14 GBP 

The team behind Zephyr in Notting Hill and Pachamama East in Shoreditch have just opened this super-swish Mediterranean restaurant on the King’s Road, and it’s very much west London’s love letter to the Greek islands. Inside, tables dressed in white cloth, linen cafe curtains, velvet banquettes and exposed concrete walls clad with abstract artwork fills the space. Start by ordering a few small plates – the courgette tempura, padron peppers and bluefin toast never miss – and be sure to snag a spicy feta and red pepper chimichurri on the side. We recommend the whole grilled sea bass or lemon chicken for the larger plates, but leave room for dessert, specifically the chocolate burnt cheesecake.

Fonda, Mayfair 

Location: 12 Heddon Street, London, W1B 4BZ
Price: Small plates from 9 GBP; large plates from 23 GBP 

Mexican chef Santiago Lastra (behind Michelin-starred KOL) launched a new restaurant on Heddon Street in Mayfair last month. At Fonda, Lastra celebrates his favourite street food, market staples and homemade dishes from his hometown in Cuernavaca. On the menu, slow-cooked short rib, confit pork shoulder and charred monkfish are all served with fresh corn tortillas and smoked or spicy dressings, while a selection of dishes cooked on a griddle includes aged ribeye and beer-battered Cornish cod. There’s a strong dessert offering such as chocolate sorbet and a blackcurrant and meco chilli cheesecake. As for the interiors, custom tableware, hand-dyed textiles and a rotation of artwork championing Mexican craftsmanship bring the space to life.

The best exhibitions in London

The World of Tim Burton at the Design Museum

Location: 224-238 Kensington High Street, London, W8 6AG
When: Until 21 April 2025
Price: From 19.69 GBP 

The Design Museum is presenting a six-month exhibition highlighting the work of boundary-breaking director Tim Burton this winter. The exhibit charts Burton’s magnificent 50-year career with objects, sketches, props, costumes and set designs from his early childhood to his most recent film Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024). Marking the finale of the exhibition’s decade-long world tour – which has visited 14 major cities including Paris, Barcelona and Tokyo – the show’s narrative has been reimagined specially for London. Visitors will find iconic costumes such as Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman suit from Batman Returns (1992) and the striped dress worn by Christina Ricci in Sleepy Hollow (1990), as well as a detailed insight into Burton’s creative process for some of the biggest films of the past five decades, including Edward Scissorhands (1990) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005).

Francis Bacon: Human Presence at National Portrait Gallery

Location: St Martin’s Place, London, WC2H 0HE
When: Until 19 January 2025
Price: From 23 GBP

The National Portrait Gallery is staging a major exhibition tracing the extraordinary career of Irish-British painter Francis Bacon this winter, featuring 50 rarely seen works borrowed from private collections around the world. Visitors will explore Bacon’s fascinating relationship with portraiture and how he embraced unconventional figurative art through his works in oil. The exhibit is organised chronologically, from his early works in the late 1940s to portraits painted at the end of his life, including one which remained unfinished on an easel in his studio after his passing. Highlights include a collection of paintings of Bacon’s friends and lovers including Lucian Freud, George Dyer and Isabel Rawsthorne as well as self-portraits and photographs of the artist captured by celebrated photographers Cecil Beaton and Arnold Newman.

Picasso: printmaker at The British Museum

Location: Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3DG
When: Until 30 March 2025 
Price: From 11 GBP 

The British Museum is hosting the UK’s largest exhibition celebrating the work of the legendary Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. The five-month extravaganza is displaying 100 pieces including intaglio prints, lithographs, linocuts and 28 unseen artworks from his series 347 Suite (1968), which was acquired by The British Museum in 2014. Picasso’s first professional print The Frugal Meal (1904) – a depiction of two wasted figures that’s considered one of the greatest masterpieces in printmaking for its intricate etching – will open the exhibition while thought-provoking pieces from his most celebrated series the Vollard Suite (1930-1937) will also be on exhibit. Visitors will explore Picasso’s relationships with wives and lovers through themes of sex and identity as well as his connections with printers and publishers.

Michael Craig-Martin at Royal Academy of Arts

Location: Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BD
When: Until 10 December
Price: From 22 GBP 

The Royal Academy has been transformed into a riot of colour as Irish conceptual artist Michael Craig-Martin showcases 120 of his works in a retrospective of his entire 60-year career. Known for combining elements of pop, minimalism and contemporary art, his work is celebrated for its bold use of colour. The exhibition is presented chronologically and includes sculpture, installation, painting and drawing. Don’t miss Craig-Martin’s famous An Oak Tree installation from 1973 and his Eye of the Storm mural from 2003, which are noted as trailblazing conceptual art. The exhibition concludes with previously unseen works, including an immersive digital experience and a series of sculptures spilling onto the outdoor courtyard.

Turner Prize 2024 at Tate Britain 

Location: Millbank, London, SW1P 4RG
When: Until 16 February 2025
Price: From 14 GBP 

Following its 2023 takeover of Eastbourne’s Towner Gallery, the Turner Prize has returned to Tate Britain for its 40th edition. This year’s shortlisted artists are Filipino artist Pio Abad, British artist Claudette Johnson, Scottish sculptor Jasleen Kaur, and Romani-British embroiderer and painter Delaine Le Bas. Their works collectively cover themes of identity, community and memory, explored across the mediums of sculpture, portraiture and screen printing. The Turner Prize was founded in the 1980s by art collective Patrons of New Art and is recognised worldwide, having spotlighted the likes of Grayson Perry, Steve McQueen, Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin. The winning artist will receive 25,000 GBP and will be announced in early December by an independent panel of judges made up of curators, critics and writers.

Cultural happenings in London

EFG London Jazz Festival 2024

Location: Various London-based addresses
When: 15-24 November 
Price: Various

EFG London Jazz Festival returns for 2024 with its biggest and boldest line up to date. Kicking off on 15 November, various addresses across the city are hosting emerging and established musicians over the ten-day festival. Brazilian icon Marisa Monte is performing at Royal Festival Hall on 16 November, British rising star Chiminyo is taking over Ronnie Scott’s on 15 November, and a collection of five blossoming artists – Caius Williams, Claire Victoria Roberts, Helena Kay and Momoko Gill – from the Take Five composer development programme will perform at The Royal Albert Hall on 21 November. In the City, pop-up venue The Jazz Social is set to be the festival’s hub with regular talks, performances and live-radio broadcasts. Elsewhere, Jazz Cafe in Camden, Zédel in Piccadilly and the Barbican are all getting involved with a host of screenings, gigs and events.

Pitchfork Music Festival

Location: Various London-based addresses
When: 5-10 November
Price: From 22.61 GBP 

Pitchfork Music Festival first launched in Chicago in 2006 but it was only in 2020 that it graced London’s cultural calendar. Big-hitting venues including Fabric, The Roundhouse and KOKO are hosting a stellar line-up of artists as well as neighbourhood venues like The Shacklewell Arms and Union Chapel. This year’s dynamic programme features everything from electronic, punk, hip-hop and rock music with performances from American singer-songwriter Empress Of, Irish singer-producer Sega Bodega and American electronic music duo Snow Strippers. On Saturday 9 November, a Dalston takeover will see six different venues such as Vortex Jazz Club and The Victoria presenting a roster of performances – strongly recommend booking a wristband in advance for ease of flitting between venues.

Continue your cultural tour of London with our insider guide to the city’s greatest galleries and museums.