City Rooms

March is just a couple days away, and it’s looking like it will be a packed out month! We've got St Patrick’s Day, International Women’s Day, Mother’s Day, and lots of other great events in between! You’d think we would be getting ready for a nice spring walk with the sun starting to come out, but as London has always been unpredictable we’ve got the cold and snow right now! Don’t worry though we’re going to be doing an entire blog about Mother’s Day and St.Patrick’s day so don’t stress about getting those last minute plans in, we’ve got you covered. Just make sure to wrap up warm for March to enjoy all the activities on offer around London!  Staring with International Women’s Day on Sunday the 8th of March, Southbank Centre are holding their annual Women of the World festival. From the 6th till the 8th of March there will be dozens of events covering topics of gender equality across the globe! The programme for the weekend has Q&A panels, talks, mentoring sessions, and you...

We’re a week away from Valentine’s Day, and that’s okay, because if you haven’t made plans already there is still a lot of time to get those plans set in stone. No disappointing your partner by trying to get them in that fancy restaurant that’s been booked up for three months and leaving in embarrassment. We have some ideas for you that are out of the ordinary and still have tickets left! Whilst London is completely smothered by lovey dovey cards, and chocolates, you can take your partner to the more interesting nights out and save the chocolate and flowers for after if you feel like it. Whether you’re loved up or not you can enjoy these dates out. Just take a friend instead, you can still have fun!  Firstly, you can head down to the Natural History Museum, not a usual spot, but that’s all in the fun of it. They’re turning the charm all the way up with their adults-only event, talks, and activities! One of their events being all about courtship, and copulation in the anima...

January blues have come and gone, and the longest gap between paychecks is finally over. There are so many brilliant things to do in February, even though the days aren’t necessarily any brighter, and still definitely just as cold, we can still have fun. Now we’ve got important days like Valentine’s Day and Pancake Day this month, but don’t worry we have seperate blogs for those coming out in the next couple weeks. For now though, we’ve got events every weekend for you to enjoy, festivals, pop-ups and more!  Right round the corner, tomorrow we have the ‘Plant Powered Expo’ coming to Olympia London! The 1st to the 2nd of February! So if you tackled Veganuary or not, you’ve got a chance to head down there and enjoy some amazing vegan foods. Whether the vegan lifestyle is right for, it won’t matter, there’s a great selection of stalls with lots of varieties for you to try out! Now heading over to Kew Gardens, February calls for the the beautiful ‘Orchid Festival’ starting f...

We are already well into January, that doesn’t mean there isn’t still lots more incredible events going on that you need to make time for! We’ve got light installations, culture, and art all to fill up the chilly nights of January for you. So what are you waiting for? and don't worry we're going to be talking about Chinese New Year next week! Starting off with a festival that only started yesterday, and will be on up until the 25th, we have the beautiful Winter Lights Festival. For the past six years Canary Wharf has held a festival of intricate, inventive, light installations. Between all the skyscrapers you can wander to find all 26 of the art installations, or you can download their map to make it a  bit easier. There are some familiar ones from last year, and some new ones too. Best part about it, is that it’s entirely free to attend.  Now to celebrate London’s all new Borough of Culture for the year. The first year was Waltham Forest, now we’ve moved over to B...

The stunning Christmas lights of London are in full swing, on every street you can see beautiful bright lights celebrating the most festive time of year! London boasts some of the best Christmas lights, however this time we’re not talking about all of the most festive streets like Oxford Street, Carnaby Street and more. We wanted to go a bit more fairytale and a lot less big buildings on long streets. We’ve decided to piece together a few of the most scenic Christmas lights you can see this December.  Starting off with Syon Park Forest which will be lit up like a Christmas tree. A longstanding west London rival to Kew’s display, the woodlands of Syon Park will light up for the winter with an array of colourful lighting displays. This one’s ticketed, so book yourself in on their website.This will be the 14th year that they’ve decided to enchant the 6-century-old woodlands using a spectrum-worth of lights, lasers, strobes, floodlights, and other such modern wizardry. Now over ...

It's that time of year again, when London's skies are lit up by a marvellous array of fireworks displays. To mark Guy Fawkes Night, bonfires will be lit and rockets sent high into the night sky in a number of spots all over the capital. All across the city, local parks will be putting on displays, some with a fixed price and some completely free.  Barnes Sports Club is the location for the local fireworks, along with a competition for the best Guy (anyone welcome to enter) a bar and barbecue. Sparklers and glow sticks available to buy. Go for plenty of food, winter warmers, a bonfire and (hurrah!). Keep warm with the mulled wine, and have a boogie to the DJ. Tickets: £10 (Two adults and two children under 16 £25, kids aged 3-1. Times: Gates open at 5.30pm. Kingston Fireworks is the venue for Kingston's fireworks, organised by the Rotary Club. Children's fun fair rides are before the display, along with live music from Radio Jackie to entertain the adults. ...

The history of London has so much going on, that really is anyone surprised that we have more than a few ghost stories to tell? For those of you who just love ghosts or you’re really trying to get into the Halloweeny spirit, then walking the streets of London at night, with a guide telling you the worst of the worst can really set those spirits in for you. We’ve rounded up some of the spookiest, scariest, and down right silliest ghost tours across London! There are so many out there, you’ll never be done hearing of the ghosts that haunt London To start off we have a ghost tour that is on every single night, so don’t worry about trying to find a date for you and your friends to finally get together, you’ll get to hear about the ghouls eventually. The Ghost Bus Tour, is complete with a rag tag crew of poltergeists, demons, and some fun spirits too. You’ll be taken on the darkest journey London has to offer, going through it’s evil past, and you’ll hear the stories of how it all w...

With the weather all over the place as always, we’re not entirely sure if Summer is truly over, however we’ve got some great events for you across the month to keep you busy whether the weather is good or not. Who knows, there might be a couple opportunities to pull out your favourite autumn jumpers whilst you’re going around London, even though Autumn isn’t until September 23rd but we can keep that hush for now. Here's our run-down of the best events in London this September. Starting off with the first full weekend of September on Sunday the 8th you can head down to this year’s Peckham Record Fair in Peckham’s Copeland Park. There’s going to be over thirty stalls of local indie labels, record stores, and some enthusiasts that may have some greta hidden gems dotted around if you look hard enough. If records aren’t exactly your thing then dont stress, they also will have lots of Hi-Fi dealers aswell to make sure your sound system is everything it needs to be now we’re coming b...

Going on dates in London can get pretty boring pretty quick if your idea of a date is dinner or drinks. There’s only so much you can learn about someone by the personality they set up for the first date you go on. So, it’s time to break out of that rut you know, the museums and brunch can be great too but it’s still not what we’re aiming for. You may have a great time, and even better learn enough about your date on whether you want a second date or not. Get out of your comfort zone, get competitive, and creative with these three different date ideas! Firstly, here is a great opportunity to see what your dates culinary skills are like. Are you the type that can barely boil pasta, or are you the next contestant for the Great British Bake Off? Either way you can have a great time between going through the class, enjoying the process. You may just see if they’re the type to get just a bit frustrated when you make a mess of the counter as well. Seen as dating is a way to see if you l...

It may only be April, but it’s about time we get a well deserved four day weekend. Considering they come round only once a year, the weather would tell me that now’s the perfect time for it. This year Easter Sunday falls on the 21st of April, there’s lots more fun to be had though, as from Good Friday to Easter Monday London always pulls out all the stops when it comes to Easter! Not just for the children over the half term, but for the adults who have no idea how to spend their time off! Being one of the only socially acceptable times of the year to eat way too much chocolate, we thought you may want to get out of the house at least once. So we’ve put together a few events and places to go for when you’ve decided you can’t eat a single bit more of that Easter egg. Starting off with Good Friday, and an annual tradition in Trafalgar Square. The passion of Jesus, is an incredible open air performance by the Wintershall Players. Completely free to attend, just turn up, it tells the s...

This weekend is the one we've all been waiting for, the August Bank Holiday. Where everything is going on and the city never sleeps. Festivals everywhere; from the Reading and Leeds festival to Notting Hill Carnival. If you are a carnival-goer make sure you check out our last post on carnival prep, you don't want to miss it! When you think of a bank holiday this is the one that gets you most excited. Every year there is something bigger and better. We want to make sure you aren't missing out on anything that is happening this weekend. Stay tuned for our recommended events and activities to make the most out of your bank holiday weekend! Weekend Getaway Airbnb has skyrocketed in the last few years with their brand seen everywhere you go. Take advantage of their service and get out of London for a couple of days. The places listed can be affordable and luxury! Perfect for a weekend getaway with your significant other of a group of friends! The app allows you to explore ...

National Relaxation Day couldn't have come sooner. What with every inch of the internet talking about mercury in retrograde, I think we all need a minute to breathe. As the day falls on a weekday, unfortunately, most people will be at work. This shouldn't stop you from having a stress free day though! I am here to give you some ideas about how to spend your day (or evening if you have to work). Sit back and relax. Pamper Day If you are currently in bed or at home reading this, then you are one of the lucky ones. Do not waste this opportunity, spend the day pampering yourself! Whether you book a full spa day or simply have a 'you' day. Run a bath, read a book and make some good food. My top tip for you is to turn off your notifications on your phone and switch off the WiFi. You will be surprised at how much you go on your phone every day. Whatever it is that you enjoy, do it. Today is about you and creating a stress-free environment.  Beach Day You may be th...