What’s on in London this week: 17 - 23 November 2025
Discover our pick of events in London this week: 17 - 23 November 2025
Cabaret Voltaire
Stephen ‘Mal’ Mallinder and Chris Watson mark 50 years of Cabaret Voltaire live with a special performance at the ICA. Revisiting their groundbreaking electronic catalogue, they will reimagine early experiments, Factory and Rough Trade era material, work from their Doublevision video label, and collaborations with producers such as Adrian Sherwood and Marshall Jefferson, all rebuilt from the ground up using their original technology. The performance will celebrate their legacy.
Date: Friday, 21 November 2025. Location: ICA (Institute of Contemporary Arts), The Mall, London, SW1Y 5AH. Price: £41.20 (including DICE fees + £1.50 venue levy). Book now
Cabaret Voltaire to perform at the Institute of Contemporary Arts on 21 November 2025.
London Symphony Orchestra/Maxime Pascal with Seong-Jin Cho
The London Symphony Orchestra performs at the Barbican, conducted by Maxime Pascal. Pianist Seong-Jin Cho features in Donghoon Shin’s debut Piano Concerto, while new works by Omri Kochavi and Sasha Scott, developed through the LSO Helen Hamlyn Panufnik Composers’ Scheme, are also performed. The programme includes Pierre Boulez’s 1975 Rituel, a memoriam to Bruno Maderna.
Date: 20 November 2025. Location: Hall, Barbican, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS.Price: £18 - 72. Book now
Ballet Shoes
Returning to the Olivier Theatre at the National Theatre, Ballet Shoes is an adaptation of Noel Streatfeild’s beloved novel, following three adopted sisters, Pauline, Petrova and Posy, as they navigate their ambitions, family bonds, and dreams of dance in a house filled with dinosaur bones and fossils. Directed by Katy Rudd and adapted by Kendall Feaver, the production features set design by Frankie Bradshaw, costumes by Samuel Wyer, choreography by Ellen Kane, music by Asaf Zohar, and dance orchestrations by Gavin Sutherland. The show includes a collaboration with adoption charity Coram, offering special matinees and discounted tickets for adoptive families. Recommended for ages 7 and up, the performance runs approximately 2 hours 40 minutes including a 20-minute interval.
Date: 17 November 2025 – 21 February 2026. Location: Olivier Theatre, National Theatre, South Bank, London SE1 9PX. Price: From £20 Book now
Photo by Rachel Louise Brown. Art direction and design by Louise Richardson and National Theatre Graphic Design Studio
The Evolution of UK Jazz: 20 Years On featuring Camilla George and SHABAKA
An evening celebrating 20 years of Serious’ Take Five programme, showcasing a world premiere collaboration between two groundbreaking voices of British jazz. Camilla George brings her fusion of African and Western musical influences, while multi-instrumentalist SHABAKA presents new compositions. The performance features a stellar ensemble of past Take Five musicians, including Daniel Casimir on bass, Shirley Tetteh on guitar, Corrie Dick on drums, Rosie Turton on trombone and Renato Paris on keys and vocals, under the musical direction of Jason Yarde. The show opens with Lulu Manning, Xhosa Cole, Claire Victoria Roberts and Connor McAuley performing Poesis, an exploration of interconnection, borders and language as thresholds.
Date: 19 November 2025. Location: Hall, Barbican, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS. Price: £20. Book now
The Makropulos Case – Final Performances
This is the final week to see Katie Mitchell’s acclaimed production of Janáček’s opera The Makropulos Case at the Royal Opera House. The story follows Emilia Marty, an opera singer who has lived for over 300 years thanks to an elixir of immortality, as she confronts the loneliness and emptiness of her long life. Sung in Czech with English surtitles, the opera features Janáček’s psychologically intense music, conducted by Jakub Hrůša and starring Ausrine Stundyte, with innovative staging and sustainable design.
Date: 4 – 21 November 2025. Location: Main Stage, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9DD. Price: £10 – £191 Book now
Final chance to see Katie Mitchell’s acclaimed production of Janáček’s opera The Makropulos Case at the Royal Opera House.
Tom Skinner
Drummer, composer and key figure in London’s underground music scene Tom Skinner performs at Queen Elizabeth Hall as part of the EFG London Jazz Festival. Known for his work with Sons of Kemet and The Smile, and for his acclaimed solo album Voices of Bishara, Skinner now presents his new album Kaleidoscopic Visions with his band, Williams, Chelsea Carmichael, Kareem Dayes and Robert Stillman, joined by special guests Adrian Utley, Hinako Omori and Yaffra. The evening opens with a set from Japanese singer and composer Hinako Omori, whose ambient sound worlds use binaural recording and multi-channel techniques to explore emotional landscapes.
Date: 21 November 2025 at 7.30pm. Location: Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX. Price: from £29.50 plus a £3.50 booking fee. Book now
Cate Le Bon
Welsh multi-disciplinary artist and producer Cate Le Bon is celebrated for her distinctive sound, crafting emotional landscapes through abstraction, texture and tone. Over six albums, including the Mercury Prize–nominated Reward and the critically acclaimed Pompeii, she has shaped a surreal, sculptural musical language that feels both intimate and otherworldly. Her production work for artists such as Wilco, Horsegirl and St. Vincent highlights her ability to create vivid, idiosyncratic sonic environments. Born in rural Carmarthenshire and now based in Cardiff, her longstanding collaborations with co-producer Samur Khouja and saxophonist Euan Hinshelwood continue to influence her warm, analogue-leaning, emotionally attuned sound.
Date: 18 November 2025. Location: The Barbican, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS. Price: from £20.59 Book now
Cate Le Bon. Image credit H Hawkline
Christmas in London
Winter Wonderland
Hyde Park’s annual festive extravaganza transforms the park into a magical winter fair with over 100 rides and attractions, Christmas markets, ice skating, live shows including circus and ice shows, and seasonal food and drink.
Date: Until 1 January 2026. Location: Hyde Park, London W2 2UH. Price: Entry free, individual attractions priced separately. hydeparkwinterwonderland.com
Snoopy Sculpture Trail Launch
Fleet Street will switch their lights on this week with the launch of the brand-new Snoopy Sculpture Trail, celebrating 75 years of Peanuts and the area’s rich storytelling heritage. The festive light switch-on led by the National Literacy Trust’s celebrity ambassadors will take place at 5.30pm, alongside wintery fun, seasonal treats from local businesses, and festive entertainment.
Date: 22 November 2025. Location: Light switch-on at the corner of Ludgate Circus and St Bride Street, London EC4. Price: Free.
Image courtesy of Fleet Street Quarter
Santa’s Grotto at the Queen’s House
Santa’s Grotto, a wonderful family-friendly adventure, will open at the Queen’s House this week. Children can explore the Land of Sweets and the Land of Ice and Snow, meet Clara and the Nutcracker, enjoy performances from tin soldiers, and end the journey in Santa’s Grotto to meet Santa Claus and receive a special gift. Pre-booking is recommended to secure your spot.
Date: 22 November – 24 December 2025. Location: Queen’s House, Romney Road, Greenwich, London, SE10 9NF. Price: £27 per person (general), £24.30 per person (members), under 1s free. Book now
The Snowman
Birmingham Repertory Theatre’s classic festive production returns to the London stage, this time at Sadler’s Wells’ Peacock Theatre. Based on Raymond Briggs’s beloved book and the animated film, the story follows a boy whose snowman comes to life and takes him on a magical flight to the North Pole, meeting dancing snow-folk, Father Christmas, Jack Frost, and more. Directed by Bill Alexander, with choreography from Robert North, design by Ruari Murchison, lighting by Tim Mitchell, and a live orchestra playing Howard Blake’s iconic score (including Walking in the Air).
Date: 22 November 2025 – 4 January 2026. Location: Peacock Theatre, Sadler’s Wells, Portugal Street, London WC2A 2HT. Price: from £18 + £4. Book now
The Snowman to open at Sadler’s Wells’ Peacock Theatre.
sketch: The Art of Après
sketch in Mayfair has transformed into a whimsical alpine escape with its annual festive display, The Art of Après. Curated by Milly Wright, 9 Conduit Street becomes a snow-covered wonderland featuring glistening pine forests, glowing lodges, and multisensory installations by Lucy Vail Floristry, Ricky Paul, Mehbs Yacqub and Maya Heritage, and PomPom Factory. Guests can enjoy festive cocktails, seasonal menus, afternoon tea with Champagne, live performances, DJ sets, and alpine-themed drinks, while the Sketch Gift Shop offers hand-blown baubles, limited-edition candles, and seasonal hampers.
Date: 14 November 2025 – 5 January 2026. Opening hours: Sunday–Tuesday 8:30am–Midnight, Wednesday–Saturday 8:30am–2am. Location: sketch, 9 Conduit Street, London W1S 2XG. sketch.london
sketch: The Art of Après. Credit Mark Cocksedge
Christmas Tree Market
The Big Penny Social will be hosting a festive Christmas Tree Market, a fantastic time to get a British-grown Nordmann Fir from 21 November in a beautifully decorated winter garden. Each tree comes with a free mulled wine or hot chocolate, and a convenient drive-by collection point is provided (no on-site parking), making it easy to pick up a high-quality tree and enjoy a seasonal treat.
Date: from 21 November 2025. Location: Big Penny Social (Walthamstow), 1 Priestley Way, London, E17 6AL. Price: Trees from £45. bigpennysocial.co.uk
Cinema
South by South: A View from Tangier
The South London Gallery presents South by South: A View from Tangier, a special screening of three short films, programmed in collaboration with The Arab British Centre. Part of the SLG’s South by South Film programme, this edition highlights North African cinema as part of the Yto Barrada exhibition, reflecting Barrada’s commitment to the region and her founding of La Cinémathèque de Tanger. The evening features Yasmine Benabdallah’s Visions of a Dreamt Sunset, Salma El Belghiti’s DarHome, and Hicham Gardaf’s In Praise of Slowness, exploring themes of memory, healing, urban change, and local rhythms of life in Tangier. Screenings will be followed by a panel discussion with Hicham Gardaf and Imane Elkabli from the Marrakech Short Film Festival, chaired by Jessica el Mal.
Date: 19 November 2025. Location: South London Gallery, 65–67 Peckham Road, London SE5 8UH. Price: £10. Concessions available. Book now
Still from In Praise of Slowness, 16mm film transferred to video, colour, sound, stereo, 2023. Courtesy of the artist, Hicham Gardaf
Arts & Culture
Opening this week
Maggi Hambling and Sarah Lucas
A two-gallery exhibition at Sadie Coles HQ and Frankie Rossi Art Projects celebrating the friendship and artistic dialogue between Maggi Hambling and Sarah Lucas. Their work combines irreverent humour, explorations of love, death and the everyday, showcasing Hambling’s portraits and large-scale works alongside Lucas’s sculpture, photography and readymade installations.
Date: 20 November 2025 – January 2026. Location: 8 & 38 Bury Street, London SW1Y. Price: Free.
Wes Anderson: The Archives
The Design Museum presents the first major retrospective of Wes Anderson’s work, featuring over 600 objects from his personal archives, including models, costumes, props, storyboards and handwritten notebooks. Highlights include miniature sets from Fantastic Mr Fox and Isle of Dogs and a full screening of Bottle Rocket, revealing the craftsmanship behind his iconic films.
Date: 21 November 2025 – 26 July 2026. Location: Design Museum, 224–238 Kensington High Street, London W8 6AG. Price: Adults from £19.69, Concessions £14.77, Children (6–15) £9.84, Under-6s free. Book now
Maggi Hambling, Photograph: Axel Hesslenberg; Sarah Lucas, Photograph: Katie Morrison
Edwin Austin Abbey: By the Dawn’s Early Light
The National Gallery presents the first UK exhibition in over a century on Edwin Austin Abbey, highlighting his monumental works including the 12-foot ceiling design The Hours and preparatory studies for The Apotheosis of Pennsylvania. The display explores Abbey’s blend of European Symbolism and American Renaissance ideals.
Date: 20 November 2025 – 15 February 2026. Location: Room 1, The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN. Price: Free.
Aziza Kadyri: Play Nice
An exhibition by multidisciplinary artist Aziza Kadyri, Play Nice, opens at Somerset House this week. The interactive installation immerses visitors in a dreamlike world inspired by childhood memories, where a trickster figure and Kadyri’s alter ego guide them through fragmented, imaginative narratives.
Date: 21 November 2025 - 15 March 2026. Location: G31 New Wing, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA. Price: Free. somersethouse.org.uk
Edwin Austin Abbey. Figure study for "The Spirit of Vulcan, Genius of the Workers in Iron and Steel" lunette in the rotunda of the Pennsylvania State Capitol at Harrisburg, about 1902–08. Oil on canvas, 76.2 × 101.6 cm. Yale University Art Gallery, Edwin Austin Abbey Memorial Collection. Image courtesy the Yale University Art Gallery
Existential at Spitalfields Crypt Trust (SCT)
Spitalfields Crypt Trust (SCT) celebrates 60 years of supporting recovery from homelessness and addiction in East London with its annual art exhibition, Existential. The exhibition showcases the work of artists with lived experience of homelessness and addiction who are participating in SCT’s art programme, using creativity to strengthen their recovery journey. Supported by Cob Gallery and opened by internationally recognised photographer Gareth McConnell, the exhibition highlights the passion and resilience of its artists while challenging the stigma around homelessness and addiction. Artworks will be available for purchase, with 50% of proceeds going directly to the artist and 50% reinvested in SCT’s art programme.
Date: 21 November – 4 December 2025. Location: Atrium, next to Blooms Yard, 2nd Floor, 100 Liverpool Street, London EC2M 2AT. sct.org.uk
Art Talks
Curator Talk: A Story of South Asian Ar
Curator Tarini Malik introduces the Royal Academy of Arts exhibition A Story of South Asian Art, Mrinalini Mukherjee and Her Circle, exploring how Mukherjee’s sculptural practice is shaped by nature, South Asian craft traditions, and modernist influences. The talk traces her creative journey, from her childhood in Santiniketan where her parents and teachers at Kala Bhavana nurtured her artistic identity, to her later career, highlighting key figures in her circle including K.G. Subramanyan, Gulammohammed Sheikh, Nilima Sheikh, and Jagdish Swaminathan.
Date: 21 November 2025, 11am –12pm. Location: The Benjamin West Lecture Theatre, Burlington Gardens, Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly,London, W1J 0BD . Price: £15 / £9. Book now
Mrinalini Mukherjee working on textiles, c. 1986. Courtesy Mrinalini Mukherjee Foundation and Asia Art Archive. Photo: Ranjit Singh. Exhibition organised by the Royal Academy of Arts and The Hepworth Wakefield. In 2026, The Hepworth Wakefield will present an expanded exhibition
Gilbert & George: Panel Discussion
A panel at the Purcell Room brings together cultural journalist Tim Adams, novelist and art writer Michael Bracewell, and Hayward Gallery Roden Chief Curator Rachel Thomas, moderated by actor and Talk Art host Russell Tovey. They explore the provocative themes at the core of Gilbert & George’s work, from societal taboos and identity to self-presentation and contemporary urban life, discussing how the duo’s artistic vision continues to resonate in the 21st century. The event accompanies the Hayward Gallery exhibition Gilbert & George: 21ST CENTURY PICTURES and lasts approximately 1 hour 30 minutes.
Date: 19 November 2025. Location: Purcell Room, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX. Price: from £12 + £3.50 booking fee Book now
#FLOFavourites: Pick of the Week
Free event of the week
London Christmas lights
Regent’s Street, The Spirit of Christmas returns for its 10th anniversary.
London really puts on an incredible display at this time of year, making it the perfect opportunity to explore the city’s wonderful Christmas lights. Festive displays along Oxford Street, Regent Street, Carnaby Street, and Covent Garden, each offer a unique seasonal atmosphere. Alongside Marylebone Village, Chelsea’s King’s Road, and New Bond Street. where stores like Cartier, Chanel, and Dior showcase fabulous Christmas light displays.
Click here for our guide.
Interview of the week
In conversation with Charlotte Winifred Guérard
Charlotte Winifred Guérard, backdrop for "La Salle de Dessin" 2025 performance in the Life Drawing room at the Royal Academy of Arts. photography by William Butterick
London-based artist Charlotte Winifred Guérard, a recent Royal Academy of Arts graduate and Paul Smith Foundation scholar, creates work that explores how paintings can be activated and set into motion, on boats, as dance backdrops, or on moveable screens, drawing inspiration from memory, landscape, and everyday life. She is the London winner of the Winsor & Newton x Paul Smith Foundation International Art Prize and is currently part of the group exhibition P.O.V, Defining Your Point of View at Paul Smith Space, Mayfair. Charlotte discusses her creative journey, studio practice, and how movement, collaboration, and London’s energy continue to inspire her.
Click here for the full interview.
Food of the week
Georgian Garden Afternoon Tea at Lilli by Akira Back
Georgian Garden Afternoon Tea at Lilli by Akira Back. Image courtesy of Montcalm Mayfair
Montcalm Mayfair has launched the “Georgian Garden” Afternoon Tea at Lilli by Akira Back, and last week we went to try it. Inspired by the pioneering creativity of Constance Spry, the experience combines seasonal flavours with botanical storytelling, featuring dishes such as Matcha Opera cake, Dressed Crab Brioche Rolls, and a contemporary reinterpretation of Spry’s Coronation Chicken Sandwich. Set within the hotel’s, garden-inspired interiors, this Afternoon Tea celebrates tradition, culture, and the art of gathering. Carefully selected loose-leaf teas from Camellia’s Tea House complement the menu, and they also have a specially designed children’s selection.
Location: Mayfair, 34-36 Albemarle Street, Mayfair, London W1S 4JG. Price: £65 per person. Book now
Cause of the week
Basket Brigade UK
Basket Brigade UK
If you’re looking for a way to volunteer over the festive season, Basket Brigade UK offers a truly rewarding opportunity to make a real difference, bringing together hundreds of volunteers on 23 December to build and deliver baskets filled with food, love, and hope, while also seeking drivers on 24 December to deliver baskets directly to families.
Every role helps spread Christmas cheer to those in need. Click here to register as a volunteer.
