The best things to do in London this weekend (19 - 21 December)
When searching for the best things to do in London each weekend, it’s hard not to end up more confused and indecisive than when you started. While it’s never a bad idea to secure a booking at one of the best restaurants in the capital, spend an evening in one of the latest innovative bars on the scene, or even explore an iconic London attraction, we’re always on the lookout for new, exciting pop-ups, openings and events. Each week, we get the inside track on exciting things to do in London for the upcoming weekend to help us discover a new area of the city or explore a new address in a neighbourhood we (thought) we’d already uncovered.
Plenty is happening across the capital as festive fever grips us all. From a winter townhouse drinking experience to an Italian restaurant offering a taste of the Alps throughout December, these are the best things to do in London this weekend.
The best events in London this week
Nutcracker Noir
Closes Sunday 21 December
There’s still time to catch The Nutcracker Noir as the glamorous show moves into its final week. The immersive dining experience from Secret Theatre is fronted by a talented cast of West End performers and sees Tchaikovsky’s timeless tale reimagined for new London audiences. Move through five interactive spaces filled with enthralling performances, encountering everything from secret rooms and bustling Christmas bodegas to a North Pole snowscape, before stepping into the main theatre for a show and meal that’s central to the storytelling.
Address: Nutcracker Noir, 31 New Inn Yard, London EC2A 3EY
Website: nutcracker-noir.co.uk
Guinness Open Gate Brewery London
Open now
The long-awaited Guinness Open Gate Brewery finally opened its doors last week with a star-studded party led by a basement DJ set from Annie Mac. Now, they’re inviting thirsty Londoners in to learn all about the black stuff and other brews. The Open Gate Experience includes a guided tour of the working brewery, an in-depth immersion into the history of Guinness, and a tasting room experience before you’re invited to pour the perfect pint. Alternatively, get involved in the Guinness masterclass – an elevated tasting experience rich in flavours and storytelling.
Address: Guinness Open Gate Brewery London, 1 Mercer Walk, London WC2H 9FA
Website: guinness.com
Beats for Relief: Jamaica Fundraiser
Saturday 20 December
Dance for a good cause at Village Underground this Saturday as Beats for Relief raises funds for Jamaica in the wake of Hurricane Melissa. Benji B, Stylo G and Big Zeeks are among the announced headliners, and all proceeds go to charity.
Address: Village Underground, 54 Holywell Lane, London EC2A 3PQ, UK
Website: dice.fm
Late nights at Junsei
Thursday, Friday and Saturdays
Sleek Marylebone yakitori restaurant and listening bar has launched a brand-new slate of late-night listening sessions inspired by Tokyo's scene. The series sees some of the capital’s hottest DJs take to the decks on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights while a menu of skewers and sakes is served from 9.30pm onwards.
Address: Junsei, 132 Seymour Place, London W1H 1NS
Website: junsei.co.uk
Dino disco at the Natural History Museum
Friday 19 December - Saturday 20 December
The hottest tickets in town for families the week before Christmas? The Natural History Museum’s festive party with a Jurassic twist, of course. Join Santa for a silent disco and dance the night away among the dinosaurs as three DJs play in unison on different channels, with an array of beverages available from pop-up bars.
Address: Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London SW7 5BD
Website: nhm.ac.uk
Twelfth Night at The Barbican
Monday 8 December - Saturday 17 January
When Viola finds herself on an unknown shore following a shipwreck and bereaved of her twin brother, she embarks on a secret new life as a go-between for two people in the extremity of love and grief. Deception, chaos and romance follow, as Viola discovers that in Illyria, everyone is hiding something. After a sold-out run in Stratford-upon-Avon, director Prasanna Puwanarajah’s production of a Shakespearean classic transfers to The Barbican with a cast including Gwyneth Keyworth, Freema Agyeman and Samuel West.
Address: Barbican, Silk Street, Barbican, London EC2Y 8DS
Website: barbican.org.uk
Where to eat in London this weekend
Donutelier’s Christmas doughnuts
Donutelier’s festive specials are the treats we’re eyeing up while out and about this week. The pastry chefs have been busy perfecting their Christmas collection inspired by The Nutcracker, including a spiced apple tutu with a crème pâtissière filling, vanilla sugar crust, Chantilly cream, spiced almond sable disc, and caramelised apples. Other options include a berry glissé doughnut coated in a frutti di bosco-filled white chocolate shell, and an indulgent pistachio raspberry croissant.
Address: Donutelier, 442 Strand, London, WC2R 0QU
Website: donutelier.co.uk
Chucs ‘Christmas in the Alps’ experience
Settle into one of Chucs Restaurants in Mayfair, South Kensington or Belgravia and enjoy Alpine flavours inspired by glitzy ski resorts such as Chamonix, Courchevel, and Cortina D’Ampezzo. Dip into a classic cheese fondue served with bread, saucisson, cornichons and green salad, and sample one of the seasonal cocktails crafted with Monkey 47 Gin.
Address: Chucs’ Mayfair, South Kensington, and Belgravia restaurants
Website: chucsrestaurants.com
Market Place Food Hall, Leicester Square
Leicester Square has a brand-new food hall that’s perfect for on-the-go Londoners going about their festive duties. Central London’s largest food hall is home to 16 global food vendors, three bars, private hire spaces, and London’s fastest-growing comedy club, Belly Laughs. Highlights in the family- and dog-friendly space include some of the juiciest buttermilk fried chicken around from Butchies, a British take on a Mexican favourite from Yorkshire Burrito, and gargantuan pizza slices and doughnuts from Bread Ahead.
Address: Market Place Food Hall, Leicester Square, 20-21 Leicester Square, London WC2H 7JX
Website: marketplacefoodhall.com
Tasca residency at Giacco's
Tuesday 9 December - Saturday 31 January
One of the capital’s most in-demand foodie duos is back with their second residency, sure to fuel Londoners through the winter months. Chef Josh Dallaway and sommelier Sinead Murdoch of Tasca are calling Giacco's home until the end of January with an edible love letter to their travels through Portugal, Spain, and the South of France. The menu celebrates produce and community with bold flavours and beloved favourites, from focaccia with whipped goat’s curd to Cornish mussel and chorizo rice.
Address: Giacco’s, 176 Blackstock Road, London N5 1HA
Website: giaccos.bar
Get festive with one of London's best Christmas sandwiches
Christmas sandwich fever has gripped the nation once again, as we queue around the block, dreaming of our preferred festive fillings. We send the Traveller team out and about to get their fix:
“I visited Café Mondo in Camberwell – and tucked into The Kringle Club. I loved the amount of filling (it was absolutely stuffed) and the variety of flavours, from the crispy chicken skin to bacon-and-apricot stuffing and cranberry gochujang sauce. The bread is always perfect at Café Mondo – just the right amount of density – but it was the gravy pot for dipping that really sold the sandwich to me (it had so much flavour, I could have sipped it straight from the pot).” Abigail Malbon
“I had the ‘All the trimmings, f*ck the turkey’ sandwich from Dom’s Subs, which was filled with roast celeriac and brussels sprouts, vegan gravinaise, cranberry sauce, stuffing and rocket. The soft bread really makes these sandwiches, and it was the perfect vegetarian option. Not too intense (as I find some of these popular sandwiches are), perfect balance of flavours and all-around delicious. I’d have loved a little more sauce.” Chloe Laws
Where to drink in London this weekend
Esmeralda’s Mayfair
London’s swankiest neighbourhood has a brand-new bar we can’t wait to cosy up in this winter. Esmeralda’s Mayfair is officially open for business at Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, bringing a late-night lounge with live music inspired by the Big Apple to the glamorous hotel. Expect a six-piece resident band soundtracking evenings with nostalgic soul, funk, and disco sets, plus a DJ taking over between performances to keep the energy high. The cocktail list rewrites familiar favourites with theatrical flair, while sustenance comes in the form of skinny fries with truffle mayo, buttery American-style lobster rolls and caviar nuggets, among other indulgent treats.
Address: Esmeralda’s Mayfair, 22 Hanover Square, London W1S 1JP
Website: esmeraldasmayfair.com
Stable Wines
Stable Wines is Islington’s most in-demand drinking den following its opening at the start of the month, just off of Essex Road. Enter the wine shop where a custom-made counter designed by Leopold Banchini and made from the same oak tree as the bar at Goodbye Horses takes centre stage, surrounded by bottles and glasses. The new spot continues to herald the Goodbye Horses team’s passion and dedication to ‘zero-zero’ wines, meaning that nothing is added and nothing removed. A staircase leads visitors down to a subterranean bar and dining space below with hidden corners, arches, and an elegant atmosphere.
Address: Stable Wines, 344a Essex Road, London N1 3PD
Website: stablewines.com
The Winter Townhouse
Wednesday 10 – Wednesday 17 December
Silent Pool Gin’s Winter Townhouse opens its doors for one week only this Wednesday, offering Londoners respite from the chill in an intimate countryside-inspired wonderland. A host welcomes visitors for a one-hour Christmas gifting experience fuelled by a festive G&T, where a curated collection of the brand’s luxury gifts and a personalisation station offer plenty of inspiration. Join a twice-daily martini masterclass for £25 per person, or catch a screening of The Holiday – £35 tickets include two festive G&Ts and popcorn.
Address: 15 Bateman Street, London, W1D 3AQ
Website: silentpooldistillers.com
The best exhibitions in London to see this weekend
Mona Hatoum, Encounters: Giacometti, Barbican
This autumn, the Barbican’s new Level 2 gallery is a site of unease and confrontation. Encounters: Giacometti x Mona Hatoum is a charged pairing of two artists bound by war, displacement and an unflinching gaze on the human condition. The second exhibition in the Barbican’s Giacometti partnership series spans nearly a century of creative reckoning with trauma, domesticity, and alienation. Iconic pieces by Giacometti on display include Woman with Her Throat Cut (1932), The Cage (1950–51) and The Nose (1947) – the latter recontextualised by Hatoum within one of her own works. Together, Hatoum and Giacometti’s work conjure a fractured world shaped by political turmoil and bodily estrangement – unsettling, poetic, and urgently relevant in equal measure.
Address: Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS
Website: barbican.org.uk
Blitz: the club that shaped the 80s, Design Museum
Step back in time through the door down a Covent Garden side street where 1980s style began as the Design Museum pays homage to Blitz, one of the capital’s most notorious clubs. It’s where the brightest creatives let their hair down, revolutionising fashion, design, music and culture – including the New Romantic subcultural movement. Credited with launching the careers of superstars including Spandau Ballet, Visage, and Boy George, it’s finally time to revisit the trailblazing club's history and atmosphere with a sensory extravaganza of music, flamboyant fashion, and pioneering art, film, and graphic design.
Address: The Design Museum, 224-238 Kensington High Street, London W8 6AG
Website: designmuseum.org
Dirty Looks: Desire and Decay in Fashion, Barbican
For its latest major autumn/winter exhibition, The Barbican gets gloriously grubby. Dirty Looks: Desire and Decay in Fashion is a seductive deep-dive into fashion’s muddiest obsessions, where rust, rot, and ruin become tools of beauty, rebellion, and regeneration. Spanning over 100 looks from more than 60 designers, highlights include an installation of buried, oxidised garments by Hussein Chalayan to Bubu Ogisi’s recent creations for IAMISIGO, a Nigerian fashion label using natural materials as an act of repairing connections to the land that were severed by colonialism. From ‘bogcore’ to scuffed trainers, Dirty Looks explores a world where beauty is messier, sexier, and more meaningful than ever.
Address: Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS
Website: barbican.org.uk
Price: Standard tickets £20
Dates: Until Sunday 25 January 2026