What’s on in London this week: 19 - 25 January 2026
Discover our pick of events in London this week: 19 - 25 January 2026.
The London Short Film Festival
The London Short Film Festival returns for its 23rd edition this week, launching the capital’s cultural year with a wide-ranging programme of short-form cinema. The festival will present more than 200 films across 60 curated programmes, showcasing work by filmmakers, visual artists and creatives from the UK and beyond. Screenings will take place at a range of venues across London, including BFI Southbank, Curzon Soho, SET Peckham, the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA London), and the Rio Cinema.
Date: 23 January – 1 February 2026. Location: Various venues across London. shortfilms.org.uk
Image credit London Short Film Festival
Winter Lights
Canary Wharf’s celebrated Winter Lights festival returns for its landmark 10th anniversary from Tuesday, transforming the estate into a free, open-air exhibition of world-class light art. Having played a key role in establishing light art on London’s cultural map, the festival continues to draw in audiences with huge immersive installations by leading international artists. This year’s theme, DREAMSCAPE, invites visitors on a journey through the surreal and extraordinary.
Date: 21 – 31 January 2026. Location: Canary Wharf Estate, London E14 5AB. Price: Free. canarywharf.com
London Art Fair
London Art Fair returns to the Business Design Centre in Islington from 21–25 January 2026 (with a preview night on 20 January), kicking off the art world’s year in the capital. It brings together over 120 galleries showing work from celebrated names and exciting new voices across painting, sculpture, photography and installations. Highlights in 2026 include curated sections such as Encounters and Platform, where guest curators explore themed or experimental displays, plus the Fair’s Museum Partnership with the National Trust, presenting art and design from historic modernist houses including 2 Willow Road and The Homewood in London. Alongside the gallery stands, the programme features talks, tours and a great opportunity to connect with artists, curators and fellow art lovers.
Date: 21 – 25 January 2026. Location: Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, Islington, London N1 0QH. Price: from approx. £22.50. Book now
Image: Canary Wharf’s Winter Lights Festival, Matt Alexander/PA
Letters Live in Association with Cunard
Letters Live in Association with Cunard is a live literary event that presents a selection of notable letters, read on stage by a surprise cast of well-known performers. Running since 2013, the series focuses on the power of the written word, offering thoughtful, varied and often unexpected perspectives. This edition takes inspiration from the sea and travel, reflecting on how journeys can change the way we see the world. All profits from ticket sales are donated to The King’s Trust to support young people across the UK.
Date: 22 January 2026. Time: 7.30pm. Location: Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX. Price: from £27 + £3.50 booking fee. Book now
Burns Night
Burns Night, celebrated on 25 January, honours the Scottish poet Robert Burns with traditional food, drink, poetry, and music. Celebrate this special evening at Julie’s with a lively and delicious way to enjoy a memorable Scottish celebration. The event will include a welcome drink, including a Bobby Burns or Iron Bru daiquiri, followed by a multi-course menu of Scottish-inspired dishes such as haggis, Cullen skink, and a selection of desserts.
Date: Sunday 25 January 2026. Location: Julie’s Restaurant, 135 Portland Road, London W11 4LW. Price: £85 per person. Book now
American Psycho at the Almeida in 2013. Photo: Tristram Kenton
American Psycho
American Psycho returns to the Almeida Theatre in Rupert Goold’s acclaimed sell-out production. Based on Bret Easton Ellis’s cult novel, the musical follows Patrick Bateman, a wealthy investment banker with a perfect life… and a sinister secret. Featuring a score by Spring Awakening composer Duncan Sheik, it’s a dark satirical, thrillingly unsettling take on wealth, identity, and excess.
Date: 22 January – 14 March 2026. Location: Almeida Theatre, Almeida Street, London N1 1TA. almeida.co.uk
Mozart Requiem
Mozart Requiem brings together a selection of the composer’s most widely known works in a single afternoon concert, culminating in his final choral masterpiece. Performed by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and London Philharmonic Choir, the programme pairs the Requiem with music from The Magic Flute and the Piano Concerto No.21. The concert offers a clear and balanced introduction to Mozart’s orchestral and choral writing, performed by an experienced ensemble and soloists.
Date: 25 January 2026. Time: 3pm. Location: Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX. Price: from £21.50 + £3.50 booking fee. Book now
Image credit Gareth Morris
In Case of Emergency
In Case of Emergency is a new verbatim play that examines the real-life trial of six medics charged with criminal damage after taking action they believed was necessary to protect human life. Drawing directly on court transcripts and eyewitness reporting, the production explores what led respected doctors and nurses to protest, and how their actions were judged in a court of law. The play raises complex moral questions around public health, climate change and personal responsibility, presenting a measured and human account of protest, care and conscience.
Date: 21 – 25 January 2026. Location: Purcell Room, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX. Price: from £12 + £3.50 booking fee. Book now
Wellness
Collective Moments: Wellness Week
Tate will be hosting Collective Moments: Wellness Week from 19–24 January 2026 at Tate Britain, offering a series of free wellbeing activities for Tate Collective members. Launching on Blue Monday, the programme includes yoga classes with MoreYoga, life-drawing sessions with 2B or not 2B, and complimentary coffee at the Djanogly Café.
Date: 19–24 January 2026. Location: Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1P 4RG. tate.org.uk
Image courtesy of Tate Britain
Cinema
Public Housing
Public Housing (1997), directed by Frederick Wiseman, is being shown at the ICA this week as part of their In Focus series on the director.
Public Housing is a documentary examining daily life at the Ida B. Wells public housing development in Chicago, offering a close‑up look at the experiences of residents living in extreme poverty. It highlights community dynamics such as the tenants’ council, street life, policing, job training, drug education, teenage mothers, dysfunctional families, elderly residents, nursery and after‑school programmes, and the involvement of city, state and federal authorities in managing and transforming public housing.
Date: 20 January 2026. Location: Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) | The Mall, St. James's London SW1Y 5AH. Price: from £10. Concessions available. Book now
Arts & Culture
Opening this week
Georg Baselitz: Geschichte
An exhibition devoted to Georg Baselitz will open at Cristea Roberts Gallery from 23 January, featuring a new series of etchings and aquatints that focus on the artist’s signature motifs, the inverted eagle (Adler) and his wife Elke. The show examines personal and political histories, blending autobiography with provocative symbolism, and highlights Baselitz’s distinctive approach to figuration, inversion, and mark-making. Through these works, Baselitz reflects on German identity, art historical references, and his lifelong interrogation of narrative and image.
Date: 23 January – 28 February 2026. Location: Cristea Roberts Gallery, 43 Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5JG. Price: Free. cristearoberts.com
Geschichte, 2024. Credit: Courtesy artist and Cristea Roberts Gallery, London. © Georg Baselit
Mario Merz
Sprovieri presents a solo exhibition of Mario Merz, a leading Arte Povera artist, featuring his iconic igloo La Pianta della Vite nella Sfera Occidentale (1991) and geometric paintings exploring the intersection of nature, space, and culture. Organised with Fondazione Merz, the show highlights Merz’s unique blend of architecture, matter, and thought.
Date: 22 January – 13 March 2026. Location: Sprovieri, 23 Heddon Street, London W1B 4BQ. Price: Free. sprovieri.com
Umi Ishihara: Nocturnal Melody
Nocturnal Melody, a new moving-image work by Umi Ishihara, opens at Gasworks this week. Ishihara’s practice blends documentary and fiction, focusing on community, alienation, and marginalised experiences. For this exhibition, she follows the lives of women working in Tokyo’s nightlife, documenting dancers Eri and Catalina as they navigate labour, performance, and everyday life. The experimental film interweaves interviews, reportage, dream-like sequences, and personal memories to explore how social, political, and generational forces shape their experiences.
Date: 22 January – 22 March 2026. Location: Gasworks, 155 Vauxhall Street, London SE11 5RH. Price: Free. gasworks.org.uk
Umi Ishihara, Nocturnal Melody, production image
Last chance
Dirty Looks: Desire and Decay in Fashion
This is your last week to see Dirty Looks at the Barbican Art Gallery. Explore over 60 designers, including Vivienne Westwood and Hussein Chalayan, who use dirt, decay, and imperfection creatively across 100+ looks.
Date: 25 September 2025 – 25 January 2026. Location: Barbican Art Gallery, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS. Price: from £20+ BF, concessions available. Book now
Maggi Hambling & Sarah Lucas: A Shared Brutal Wit
This two-gallery exhibition at Sadie Coles HQ and Frankie Rossi Art Projects celebrates the friendship and dialogue between British artists Maggi Hambling and Sarah Lucas. The show presents their irreverent humour and explorations of love, death, and everyday life across painting, sculpture, and installations, highlighting their mutual influence and creative vitality.
Date: 20 November 2025 – 24 January 2026. Location: 8 & 38 Bury Street, London SW1Y. Price: Free. Book now
Dirty Looks at Barbican Centre. IAMISIGO, handwoven raffia-cotton blend look dyed with coffee and mud spring:Summer 2024 Shadows. Photograph by Fred Odede, courtesy of IAMISIGO.
#FLOFavourites: Pick of the Week
Free event of the week
Saturday Sessions: The Art of Doodling
The Art of Doodling
The Art of Doodling is a relaxed, family-friendly workshop led by artist Erdem Kuslu, inviting children and their families to explore drawing together. Through simple exercises, group activities and live examples from the artist’s practice, participants discover how everyday scribbles can grow into imaginative worlds. Part of the Open Doors programme, the session offers a welcoming space to make, experiment and create as a group.
Date: 24 January 2026. Time: 1.30pm. Location: The Clore Ballroom, Level 2, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX. Price: Free – no ticket required. southbankcentre.co.uk
Food of the week
Claridge’s Bakery
Image courtesy of Claridge’s Bakery
The much-anticipated Claridge’s Bakery is set to open this week, significantly expanding the iconic hotel’s food offering with a dedicated bakery space. The bakery will be led by Richard Hart, former head baker at Tartine in San Francisco and co-founder of Hart Bageri in Copenhagen. The opening marks Hart’s return to London, with a focus on traditional baked goods, including sourdough bread, Jammy Dodger-inspired tarts, Belgian buns, and iced fingers.
Date: from 21 January 2026. Location: Claridge’s, Brook Street, Mayfair, London W1K 4HR. claridges.co.uk
The Ivy Relaunches Its Iconic £19.17 Menu
Image courtesy of The Ivy
The Ivy has relaunched and expanded its iconic £19.17 1917 two-course menu, reflecting a shift in modern luxury towards experiences that feel special but remain accessible. Research by The Ivy Collection shows that Brits now define luxury by emotional rewards, quality time with loved ones, relaxation, and affordable treats, rather than exclusivity or high price. The updated menu adds new seasonal dishes alongside classic favourites, including French Onion Soup, Duck Liver Parfait, Ivy Classic Shepherd’s Pie, and Foraged Wild Mushroom and Truffle Linguine, with optional indulgent desserts. The relaunch highlights high-quality, comforting dining that offers everyday luxury at an approachable price.
Website: ivycollection.com. Instagram: @the_ivy_collection
Cause of the week
Hope for the Young
Volunteer Emergency Responders Joyce and Ben
Hope for the Young is a community of mentors, staff, and volunteers supporting young refugees and asylum-seekers in the UK. The organisation helps remove barriers to education and well-being through one-to-one mentoring, financial support, and guidance, enabling young people to settle into their communities and reach their full potential. Volunteering with Hope for the Young offers the chance to make a real difference by mentoring, providing practical support, or helping young people access education, giving them hope and opportunities for a brighter future.
Click here to discover more about London Ambulance Service.
