From getting a head start on Christmas, to exhibitions and firework displays, here are the best things to do in London this November...
Lead Image: Salvador Dalí, Lobster Telephone, 1938. © Salvador Dalí
1 Michelin-Starred Guest Chef at Amethyst, Mayfair
For one night, Amethyst Chef Patron Carlo Scotto joins up with Michelin-starred chef Pasquale Palamaro (from 5-star hotel L’Albergo della Regina Isabella in Naples) for a one-off dinner. The two Neapolitan chefs will prepare eight courses that showcase their Italian heritage and tavels and includes the likes of French toast with vacche rosse cheese sauce and winter truffle, foie gras with rose petal salmon and black cod with caramelised miso and roscoff onion broth
Date: November 24
Address: 6 Sasckville Street W1S 3DD
Website: amethystdining.com
2 The Horror Show! A Twisted Tale of Modern Britain, Somerset House
Looking at how horror has played a part in the past 50 years of British creative rebellion, this huge exhibition takes in many pockets of UK culture, from 70s steampunk to modern witchcraft, as well as looks at horror as a response to troubling times. Curated in collaboration with BAFTA nominated filmmakers and Somerset House residents Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, The Horror Show! features more than 200 works and objects, including art from Leigh Bowery, Noel Fielding, Cornelia Parker, Tim Etchells.
Date: On now until February 19, 2023
Time: Daily, from 10am
Tickets: £16.50/£12 adult/concession
Address: Strand, WC2R 1LA
Website: somersethouse.org.uk
3 EFG London Jazz Festival, London
Returning for it's 30th edition, the EFG London Jazz Festival brings world-class musicians to London's iconic music venues including the Barbican, Southbank Centre and Ronnie Scott's. Hear music by established greats, discover rising stars of the jazz world and listen to cutting edge experimentation too.
Date: November 11-20
Tickets: Gigs individually ticketed, from free
Website: efglondonjazzfestival.org.uk
4 Reimagining Musicals at the V&A, South Kensington
Bask in the glittering world of musical theatre and explore the cultural significance of some of the industry’s most iconic stories. From Miss Saigon and My Fair Lady to modern classics of the likes of SIX the Musical and Everybody's Talking About Jamie, the exhibition looks at how musicals have been adapted, revived and retold for new audiences and new cultural and historical contexts.
Date: On now until November 27, 2023
Time: 10am-5.45pm; Friday 10am-10pm
Tickets: Free
Address: Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL
Website: vam.ac.uk
5 Ice-skating Season
Another seasonal feel-good activity kicking off this month - winter festive ice-skating rinks are back. New for the season, is the Glide at Battersea Power Station (Nov 11), brought to you by the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland team. Festival favourite, Skate at Somerset House (Nov 16) returns as well and the Winter Village (Nov 19) returns to Westfield London in White City, which will boast a 65ft Christmas tree - the tallest in Europe.
6 World Cup
Get ready to choose sides when the World Cup rolls in from November 20, and make sure you bags a good spot at the bar, or in front of the big screen. Big pop-ups to notes are Arcade Food Hall, with six HD screens, Pitchside, a huge sports bar that will take over the second floor of the Grade I listed warehouse and is set to be the biggest sports bar in UK, and Hackney Bridge in Hackney Wick, another large-capacity venue, this one will come with street food vendors too.
Date: November 20 - December 18
7 Winter Terraces, London-wide
It's that time again. Here's to the onslaught of cosy alfresco dining on terraces and rooftops, while drinking mulled wine and whiskey, Alpine dishes, and snuggling up on furry textile and under blankets or in your own private dining igloo. This time of year you can't swing a cat without hitting a winter terrace or rooftop, but try the romantic and delicious God's Garden that has private dining igloos and alfresco dining wrapped around an impressive church in Marylebone (opens Nov 4). Coppa Club igloos return, popping up at Putney and at Tower Bridge (Nov 16) and Yautcha's winter terrace (Nov 1) serving dim sum and Jonnie Walker cocktails.
8 Christmas Rooftop Cinema Pop-up, Marylebone
Dine on a suburb Mediterranean-inspired dinner at Kitchen at Homes, before making your way up to the restaurant's rooftop terrace that has been transformed into a cosy outdoor cinema, screening classic Christmas flicks. Enjoy while eating gourmet popcorn and with a whiskey cocktail in hand warming you up.
Date: November 17- December 16
Tickets: £70
Address: Kitchen at Holmes, 108 Baker Street, W1U 6LJ
Website: kitchenatholmes.co.uk
9 Electric Winter at Between The Bridges, South Bank
The south bank alfresco bar gets a seasonal makeover come November, and its programme of events is as packed as ever. Christmas Sinalongs, festive family raves, the World Cup, drag brunches, bands DJs and heated covered areas run day and night, and there's a line up of festive food vendors, and the bar will mix a festive drink or two.
Date: November 11 - December 23
Tickets: Entry free, events individually ticketed
Address: Queen's Walk, South Bank, SE1
Website: betweenthebridges.co.uk
10 Winter Art & Antiques Fair, Kensington
In time for Christmas, the fair is full of art, silver, glass and things that sparkle. Find yourself a one-off piece from the likes of Lalique, Matisse, Meissen, Cartier or Boucheron, or a stunning antique or two from the 16th century. Contemporary and modern art sit alongside old masters too. Pieces start from £100, and run up to £100,000 for rare, museum quality things.
Date: November 1-6
Times: 10.30am-6pm; Thursday Nov 3 closes at 9pm, Sunday Nov 5 closes at 5
Tickets: From £23.50/£16 adult/child
Address: Gallery Level, National Hall, Olympia Exhibition Centre, Kensington, W14 8UX
Website: olympia-art-antiques.com
11 Objects of Desire: Surrealism and Design at the Design Museum, South Kensington
Looking at where Surrealism meets design, this exhibition contains delightfully strange objects and things. In partnership with Vitra Design Museum, this exhibition looks a surrealist furniture, interior design, fashion, photography and artworks, tracing Surrealism's evolution from when it started in 1924 to now, and includes the likes of Salvador Dalí, Dora Maar, Man Ray, Leonora Carrington and Lee Miller, Dior and Björk.
Date: October 14- February 19
Tickets: From £18.50/£9.25 adults/children
Address: 224-238 Kensington High Street W8 6AG
Website: designmuseum.org
12 Christmas Light Switch Ons
One of the first markers of the festive season, Christmas light switch ons ring in the merriment and are usually a bit of a celebration in their own right. The dazzling lights of Carnaby switch on November 3, and Marylebone Village flick the switch on November 10. Regent Street (Nov 9) and Sloane Square/King's Street also usually have a charming display.
13 Bonfire Night Firework Displays, around London
Catch one of the brilliant displays lighting up London in honour of Guy Fawkes' bungled attempt to take down parliament. Many Bonfire Nights will have an earlier and a later display as well as food and drinks, fair rides, and frivolity before and after the main event. Most are on between November 4-6, and our guide to London's best firework displays is here.
14 Strange Clay at the Hayward Gallery, South Bank
This is the first large-scale group exhibition in the UK to explore contemporary uses of clay as an artistic medium. Twenty three international artists feature works from eccentric sculptures and large installations, to fantastical other worldly figures and replications of everyday objects. Look out for Grayson Perry's piece.
Date: October 26 - January 8
Address: Hayward Gallery, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX
Website: southbankcentre.co.uk
15 Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair, Woolwich Works
Not just an excuse to catch the Elizabeth Line, the Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair is a huge curation of collectable prints from some of the world's leading artists and galleries. Look out for prints by David Shrigley, Grayson Perry, Tracey Emin and Yinka Shonibare.
Dates: November 3-6
Times: Times vary
Tickets: From £8.50
Address: Woolwich Works, The Fireworks Factory, No.1 Street,
Royal Arsenal SE18 6HD
Website: woolwichprintfair.com
16 Generally Christmassy stuff to do
Many Christmas shows start their runs this month, including the stupid funny Elf (Nov 16). The dazzling Lightopia trail returns to Crystal Palace (Nov 17) and Kew Gardens will put on its glittering spectacle as well. Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park returns also, on November 18, and keep an eye out for Christmas wreath-making workshops and other festive craft sessions.
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