"Making the first-ever signature Sprite Sound is the type of artistic collaboration I love, since we both stand for empowering artists and authentic self-expression," Mustard said. "Sprite is iconic and a legend in music culture, and I made the new sonic identity to be intense, crisp and just as iconic as the brand."
The first floor is now home to The Ballroom, a cocktail bar and events space with room for 250 people to sip cocktails and listen to vinyl. The room gives strong '70s vibes, with raspberry-pink walls, leather and PVC booth-style seating and oak details all adding to the old school aesthetic.
We've been excited about the potential of this project for some time. Built on a foundation of unique programming, ambitious production, and obsessive attention to detail, Open-Air sits on the bank of the River Thames at Greenwich Peninsula, bringing people closer to London's iconic skyline than ever before.
The charming Amersham fairground organ museum, which is usually open a few Sundays per year, has now started offering guided tours. The occasional open days are more a chance to sit and listen to the old fair organs playing their pipes, and have a nice lunch at the same time. However, the guided tours, which will take place on Saturdays, will offer a deeper dive into their collection of organs and the music cards that control them.
Getty Images Footfall in London's West End reached its highest level since 2020 over the 2025 festive season, new figures show. The Heart of London Business Alliance (HOLBA) said visitor numbers in December were up 19% on the same month in 2024 across its central London district. The area, which includes Piccadilly, Leicester Square and Haymarket, also recorded longer visits, with people staying an average of 42 minutes more than in December 2024.
London is a city that rewards curiosity. Beyond the iconic landmarks, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and the London Eye, lies a quieter, more intimate version of the capital. This is the London locals know: tucked-away streets, overlooked parks, independent cafés, and historic corners that rarely make it into guidebooks. For travellers willing to stray from the obvious routes, the city offers countless hidden gems that reveal its true character.
This part of London sits just outside the historic City walls, so it attracted traders who wanted to avoid the strict rules binding City merchants. The land was later acquired by Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Cleveland, who developed it, hence the main road being named Wentworth Street. If you're wondering about Ann's Place, that was probably after his wife, Anne Hopton.
Despite its proximity to one of London's busiest tourist attractions, its back street location is remarkably quiet and peaceful. Leading off Stafford Place, it was originally, and unsurprisingly, called Stafford Mews, as it was built as stabling for houses on Buckingham Gate, facing the palace. Constructed around 1860, the stables were simple two-storey houses, built initially with stables at the ground and accommodation above.
The road between Piccadilly Circus and St James's Park could be transformed into a massive public plaza and vehicles could be banned from Regent Street St James's, Waterloo Place and the south side of Piccadilly Circus. If the proposals are enacted, the pedestrianisation of certain roads would lead to more than 35,000 square metres of new public space, equivalent to more than five football pitches, created in the West End.
Step inside Don't Tell Dad and you're immediately greeted by a warm, low-lit vintage atmosphere. When we arrived, a funky soundtrack was drifting over dark wood floors, while super-comfy olive-green velvet banquettes, booths, and bar stools offered a front-row view of the kitchen in action. Wood panels with coloured glass windows, marble-topped tables set with linen napkins, and vintage cutlery and candle holders hint at 1930s Art Deco elegance, while oval mirrors and playful statement lighting reinforce the space's French bistro vibes.
At Troubadour, we are driven by a belief in creating extraordinary spaces that inspire artists, audiences, and the stories they come together to share. The 3,000 seat venue is to be built in Greenwich Securing planning permission for the new Troubadour Greenwich Peninsula Theatre marks a major milestone for us, and an exciting new chapter in our commitment to bold, large-scale live performance.
Fiona Twycross, the heritage minister, is to be congratulated for finally giving London's Southbank Centre Grade II listing (Campaigners welcome long overdue' listing of brutalist Southbank Centre, 10 February). I remember being shocked when I first saw it in the 1960s, but it has become a remarkable symbol of the zeitgeist. Its grey concrete and its childlike composition together express the fatalism and despair of a nation in economic and political decline.
But at the end of this month, there's a brand new festival arriving to inject some colour into the financial district. 'Vibrance' will light up Roman ruins, medieval churches and secret gardens across the Square Mile on Thursday January 29 and Friday January 30 from 5.30pm until 8.30pm. Created by Guildhall Production Studio, it brings together more than a dozen artworks and live performances by emerging artists from Guildhall School of Music & Drama.
The Richmond Theatre opened in 1899 as the Richmond Theatre and Opera House. Designed by the prolific theatre builder, Frank Matcham, barring some modest changes, it's pretty much still the same theatre that opened over 125 years ago.
The alley likely came into existence when the first Leadenhall Market, as a market for herbs, opened, with a long passage leading from the market to Gracechurch Street. The alley used to be longer and straighter, but the eastern half was cut off when a building was constructed on the site. That building was demolished in 2000, and archaeologists researched it for Roman remains in 2002.
The first floor of the iconic pub on Lower Richmond Road will be extended to create the new terrace, which will have a retractable roof and spiral staircase. The venue will also get new equipment to allow it to sell a better range of food, while it will undergo some internal reorganisation and redecoration. An artist's impression of the refurbished pub The Half Moon on Lower Richmond Road
We've been exploring what nightlife looks like in London outside of the traditional nightclubs, and here comes the Barbican with a brand-new late-night party series. The 'anyone can dance' events will be a celebration of diaspora, community and joy, with the Level -1 foyer space turning into a dancefloor open until 3am. The series is kicking off on Fri 20th February with a night curated by Eastern Margins, a collective that celebrates alternative East and South East Asian creativity and culture.
For most of its life, the alley's main feature was the church of St Martin Orgar, possibly named after Ordgarus, a Dane who donated the church to the canons of St Paul's. Sadly, most of the church was destroyed during the Great Fire of London. The badly damaged remains were restored and used by French Protestants right up to 1820.
