Laura Sedlak guides you through the festivals, feasts and fashion fun shaping the start of the new year.
The traditional festive season may be over, but London has no time for the January blues – there’s far too much to celebrate. As a home to people from all over the world, the city embraces celebrations from countless cultures, meaning there’s always something to lift the spirits. With a calendar packed full of festivals, museum reopenings and fashion shows, winter is anything but dull. So, say hello to 2026 with all the best events kicking off the new year.
While the Christmas cheer might be over for another year, it is still possible to feel merry and bright long into the new year. Enter Canary Wharf’s Winter Lights festival, illuminating the streets of the financial district with ambitious light art in the darkest month (20-31 Jan). Download a map and follow the interactive route that lights up the streets and waterways with displays and colourful projects inspired by the theme ‘Dreamscape’. Along the way, you’ll find pop-up food stalls serving everything from Mexican street food to spicy Indian treats to help warm you up.
For a hit of visual culture, the 23rd London Short Film Festival (LSFF) will run from 23 January to 1 February, spreading across cinemas and arts venues around the capital. Across 10 days, LSFF offers a rich programme of up to 500 short films, both British and international, which are chosen from thousands of submissions, making it one of the UK’s leading showcases for independent and experimental film-making. Ranging from documentaries and animation to fiction and avant-garde, there will be special screenings, Q&As, industry panels and workshops for both film fans and creators.
Highland Spirit
By the end of January, people often need something to revitalise them, so thank goodness for poet Robert Burns and the proud Scots who celebrate him. Every year on his birthday on 25 January, friends of ‘Rabbie Burns’ would gather to honour his memory, eat haggis (a mix of meat, offal, oatmeal, onions, suet and spices traditionally encased in a sheep’s stomach) and recite his poetry. As the tradition spread, it became a celebration of Scottish identity, uniting communities and their shared heritage as well as celebrating poetry, music and storytelling. With more than 200,000 Scots calling the English capital home, you won’t be far from a celebration. Come in from the cold for Burns’ Night – a cosy night of haggis, neeps and tatties (swedes and potatoes), drams of whisky and optional wild dancing.
The London Ceilidh Club holds a huge party each year and this time Porchester Hall in Bayswater will be the venue filled with music, drinking, dancing and laughter (23 & 24 Jan). Don’t worry if you’re a ceilidh newbie – all the steps of the Scottish country dances will be explained. There’s a bar, bagpipes, a haggis buffet and an address to the haggis, plus a rousing rendition of Auld Lang Syne (famously written by Burns) to finish off the night!
For a more elevated take, Boisdale of Canary Wharf celebrates the best of Scotland in its comfortable dining rooms with leather chairs, tartan carpets and hidden cigar terraces. And alongside the feast of Scottish fare, its Burns Week Spectacular (21-25 Jan) brings music and merriment. Look out for similar Burns Night celebrations at Boisdale in Belgravia (20-25 Jan). The Wolseley also hosts an annual stylish supper withhaggis and cocktails inspired by Burns himself.
Love, Actually
Whether you’re a lover or a hater of Valentine’s Day, it can’t be denied that London is the perfect place to celebrate it, either with a partner, friends or just to treat yourself. Pretend you’re in a Richard Curtis film and stroll along the South Bank for a lively atmosphere filled with street performers before boarding a capsule on the London Eye, glass of celebratory bubbles in hand, to drink in the views. Or why not make the most of the early winter sunset and head to Tower Pier for the Uber Boat by Thames Clippers Illuminated River Official Boat Tour? Witness the world’s longest piece of public art light up nine bridges spanning the River Thames in spectacular style.
For a whole day of romance, head to Primrose Hill, a colourful corner of the city. Explore the charming streets, independent boutiques and coffee shops before watching the sun set over London from the top of the hill. Cosy up in a pub or locals’ favourite Lemonia – a terracotta-floored, vine-hung Greek restaurant with a warm, homely atmosphere. If nature is your one true love, wrap up warm and get lost in the woods and hills of Hampstead Heath, finishing in a historic pub such as The Holly Bush with its wood fire to toast the end of the day.
Then make a beeline for the West End, where Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Mamma Mia!, Les Misérables and, of course, The Phantom of the Opera all fit the bill when love is in the air (opt for a VIP ticket package to make the night even more memorable). You could also settle in for a night of candlelit jazz at Ronnie Scott’s jazz club in Soho or try a painting class offered by Pinot & Picasso in Shoreditch, where a little wine may help the creativity.
Cantering Into a New Year
The Chinese New Year comes galloping into town on 21-22 February, bringing dance, colour and delicious food to the West End and beyond (the actual Chinese New Year falls on 17 February). This is the year of the horse, representing strength, perseverance and success – all things that are very welcome in the depths of winter. The biggest party is saved for 22 February when Chinatown, Trafalgar Square and the West End host the largest Lunar New Year celebrations outside Asia, and thousands of people come together to party. The highlight is a spectacular parade with dragon and flying lion dancers, firecrackers and the Lion Eye-Dotting ceremony – a ritual that awakens the lion and brings it to life. The route is yet to be announced, but it will start in Trafalgar Square and end in Chinatown, where restaurants will be serving special set-menu celebration meals.
Feasting is a big part of the festivities and all week Bang Bang Oriental Foodhall on Edgware Road in Colindale will be serving regional Chinese dishes in London’s biggest Asian food hall. You’ll find Szechuan noodles, Cantonese roast meats, dim sum, fruit bubble teas and dishes from Thailand, Korea, Japan and Taiwan too. There will be performances and workshops, pop-up booths and giveaways throughout the week, and with more than 30 vendors of authentic Asian food, it’s worth the commute out of zone 1.
For modern Chinese cooking and amazing rooftop views, meanwhile, Tattu at the top of the Now Building at Outernet in Tottenham Court Road will be strung with red lanterns and serve innovative cocktails and the Imperial roast menu to celebrate. The beautiful cherry blossoms floating above the dining room are one for the Gram. And once you’re done with all that feasting, pop over to Greenwich, home of the tea clipper Cutty Sark (which made its maiden voyage in 1870 to bring tea from China to London) before moving on to the National Maritime Museum, where a day of celebratory music, dance and performances is planned (21 Feb).
Miles of Style
Finally, London Fashion Week (19-23 Feb) isn’t just about runway shows behind closed doors. The whole capital opens up with a programme of public events, popups and shopping experiences. As part of the official citywide celebrations, the British Fashion Council hosts the LFW Shop on Regent Street, a curated archive collection of LFW’s most iconic names. Enjoy a complimentary 1664 Blanc and stay for panel talks, workshops and stylefocused events (STILL WAITING FOR CONFIRMATION). While many events are still being confirmed, tickets are available for the luxury show at St Ethelburga’s Church in Liverpool Street, a Grade II-listed building (19 Feb). Showcasing seven emerging fashion stars, it’s an opportunity to rub shoulders with designers, stylists and influencers.
It’s also the perfect time to explore London’s most fashionable neighbourhoods: Brick Lane, Notting Hill (especially around Portobello Road) and Carnaby Street in Soho have vintage markets, boutiques, streetwear and unique finds. If you’d like a little help from experts, Fashion Tours London immerses groups in the designs, fabrics and history of London’s retail districts, with dedicated tours including Savile Row and Jermyn Street as well as Unique Boutiques.
Embrace the season, join the celebrations and let the city show you just how exciting the start of the year can be. From Scottish reels and Chinese dragons to illuminated river tours and fashion runways, London is a place that doesn’t believe in hibernation. Let its energy power you into an exciting new year.
