London is buzzing with culture this October. From must-see exhibitions and art fairs to film screenings and inspiring literature festivals, the city is packed with events worth adding to your calendar. We’ve rounded up the best things to do in London this month – so you can make the most of every day.
When: 21 October– 2 November 2026
Where: The Southbank Centre
Tickets: Free – £80
London Literature Festival brings readers of all ages together to celebrate the power of the written and spoken word. As the capital’s longest-running festival of its kind, it showcases an inspiring mix of world-renowned authors, influential voices, and emerging literary talent.
When: 15-19 October 2025
Where: The Regent’s Park
Tickets: £32-£250
The fairs will return to The Regent's Park 15-19 October. Discover six millennia of art history alongside today’s leading contemporary artists.
When: 8-19 October 2025
Where: Check out the Venues
Tickets: from £10
LFF brings the world’s best new films, series and immersive stories to London, cinemas across the UK and online. With red-carpet galas, talks, and free events, it’s a 12-day celebration of global cinema and storytelling.
When: 2 October 2025 – 15 February 2026
Where: Tate Britain
Tickets: £20
Tate Britain presents the UK’s largest retrospective of Lee Miller, showcasing 250 works that trace her journey from model to surrealist, fashion photographer, and war correspondent. Spanning New York, Paris, London and Cairo, the exhibition reveals Miller’s fearless vision and enduring influence on 20th-century art.
When: 8 October 2025 – 10 May 2026
Where: Tate Modern
Tickets: £18
Celebrating artists before and after Nigeria’s independence in 1960, this exhibition highlights the vibrant networks that connected Zaria, Lagos, Ibadan, Enugu and beyond. Featuring over 50 artists, including Uzo Egonu, El Anatsui, Ladi Kwali and Ben Enwonwu, it showcases paintings, sculpture, textiles and poetry that fused Nigerian, African and European traditions into bold new forms.
When: 11 October 2025
Where: V&A East Storehouse
Tickets: free
Step beneath the V&A East’s 15th-century Torrijos ceiling for a day of art, performance and conversation inspired by its multicultural history. Once born of coexistence and conflict in medieval Spain, this masterpiece of Mudéjar carpentry is reimagined by artists, makers and musicians through design, sound and performance—transforming it into a living space of resilience, reflection and dialogue.
When: 9 October 2025 – 11 January 2026
Where: The National Portrait Gallery
Tickets: £23
Discover the first major exhibition devoted to Cecil Beaton’s iconic fashion and portrait photography. With over 200 works on display, it celebrates his era-defining images of Hollywood stars, royalty and artists, from Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn to Queen Elizabeth II and Salvador Dalí.
When: 7 October 2025 – 11 January 2026
Where: Hayward Gallery Southbank Centre
Tickets: £20 / Free for Members
Discover the iconic artists' pictures from the past 25 years, with vibrant, large-scale images that centre the human experience and reflect their motto, ‘Art for All’. Gilbert and George’s groundbreaking artworks address contemporary society’s big topics – questions of identity that have preoccupied them for half a century.
When: Opens Saturday, 20 September 2025
Where: V&A South Kensington
Tickets: Weekday £23.00 / Weekend £25.00
A complex fashion icon, Marie Antoinette's timeless appeal is defined by her style, youth and notoriety. Explore the lasting influence of the most fashionable (and ill-fated) queen in history – with over 250 years of design, fashion, film and art.
When: 20 September 2025 – 29 March 2026
Where: The Design Museum
Tickets: From £14.38
A major exhibition on the legendary Blitz club night that transformed 1980s London style, and generated a creative scene that had an enormous impact on popular culture in the decade that followed — from fashion and music, to film, art and design.
When: 8-16 October 2025
Where: Barbican Centre
Tickets: from £13
The festival returns with an exhilarating programme across the centre. Highlights include two UK premieres in The Pit—Lilian Steiner’s Siren Dance and María del Mar Suárez’s Random Taranto—plus Les Arts Florissants & Amala Dianor Company, blending classical, modern and hip hop with live music.
When: 2-5 October 2025
Where: Barbican Theatre
Tickets: From £25
Trailblazing director Łukasz Twarkowski fuses theatre, tech and live cinema to create a monumentally spectacular production that explores art and authenticity in a fast-changing world.
When: 23 October 2025 – 17 January 2026
Where: Theatre Royal Haymarket
Tickets: from £25
Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy returns in a bold new staging directed by Tom Morris, with music by PJ Harvey. Starring David Harewood, Toby Jones, Caitlin FitzGerald, Vinette Robinson and Luke Treadaway, this explosive production lays bare jealousy, desire and the corrosive pull of power at Theatre Royal Haymarket from 23 October.
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