Looking for the best things to do in London in November? Check this lot out
You’re in plenty of time to book tickets to the best events in London, from theatre shows to art exhibitions, and there are always pop-ups opening across the city, but our handy guide features the best of what’s on in London in November so you won’t miss a thing.
It’s officially that time of year in November because Christmas is coming – but not before Bonfire Night has gone off with a bang, like at Ally Pally where the fireworks will be spread over two nights. London is really ramping up for all things festive with ice rinks, winter terraces, and Christmas specials galore. And if you need a break from all the holiday cheer, you can escape at one of the many big restaurant openings slated for November.
1. Catch the Incredible Fireworks Display at Ally Pally
It sounds like Bonfire Night will truly be going off with a bang at Ally Pally as this year. As always, there’ll be a spectacular array of fireworks, soundtracked by a killer playlist and with the London skyline in the background. After debuting last year, the pre-fireworks drone show will also be returning for 2025. There’ll also be plenty else on, with the entertainment programme including sets from DJ Luck & MC Neat and Taylor Swift and Dolly Parton tribute acts; loads of street food stalls; an ice disco; a German bier festival; and a bonfire.
Sat 1st November 2025
Alexandra Palace, Alexandra Palace Way, London N22 7AY
fireworks.london
2. Visit This Major Lee Miller Exhibition
The Lee Miller exhibition at Tate Britain is the most extensive retrospective of her photography ever staged in the UK, covering her work in French surrealism to her fashion photography to her war reportage. Around 250 vintage and modern prints, including some that have never been on display before, feature in the exhibition. It begins with Miller’s time working in front of the camera as a model before moving on to her work in Paris, including with surrealist artist and lover Man Ray. Photographs from Cairo and wartime London are presented alongside her famous images from Buchenwald and Dachau, with lesser-known elements of her practice, like images of the Egyptian landscape in the 1930s, also on show.
November 2025
Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1P 4PN
tate.org.uk
3. Remember a Loved One at the Ever After Garden
The Ever After Garden, an installation of over 30,000 illuminated roses, is returning to London this winter but in the new location of Duke of York Square in Chelsea. Set up in 2019 by Camilla Morton and Anya Hindmarch after the loss of their friend, production designer and art director Michael Howells, the garden is a space where you can remember people that you’ve lost, make a dedication in tribute to them, and raise money for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.
From Thurs 13th November 2025
Duke of York Square, London, SW3 4LY
royalmarsden.org
4. Catch Live Music at Pitchfork Music Festival
The hardcore music obsessives behind Pitchfork magazine will be bringing their annual festival to London this November and 2025 will be its fifth edition. Spanning five days at some of London’s most historic music venues, Pitchfork Festival will celebrate a broad spectrum of music, with headliners King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard (playing the Royal Albert Hall), Oklou (playing the Roundhouse) and Laurie Anderson (also playing the Roundhouse). Other artists amongst the first wave of names include Unwound, Erika de Casier, Kali Malone, Slate, Ratboys, and Panchiko, and there’ll be shows happening at EartH, KOKO, and Colour Factory, as well as a multi-venue Dalston takeover.
Tues 4th – Sat 8th November 2025
Various locations
pitchforkmusicfestival.co.uk
5. Catch Bryan Cranston in All My Sons
Ivo Van Hove (who has already directed a hit Arthur Miller play with A View From the Bridge in 2014) is back in the West End, taking on another of the playwright’s masterpieces. All My Sons follows self-made businessman Joe Keller, whose partner takes the blame for selling the government defective parts in wartime. When his eldest son goes missing in action, Joe’s true involvement in the business comes to the fore. Bryan Cranston is starring as Joe, with Marianne Jean-Baptiste playing his wife Kate and Paapa Essiedu playing their son Chris.
From Fri 14th November 2025
Wyndham’s Theatre, Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0DA
delfontmackintosh.co.uk
6. Get Your Skates on at Somerset House
As well as spinning around the rink during the day in front of the 40ft Christmas tree, whether you’re freestyling it or are taking a Skate School lesson, you’ll also be able to take to the ice once night falls with Skate Lates. This year the likes of Foundation FM, Ruf Dug, Sue Veneers, DJ Shortee Blitz and Studio Wayne McGregor will be taking to the decks. Between the rink-side Skate Lounge and the Chalet, where Jimmy Garcia will be serving up Alpine faves and winter warmers like raclette alongside festive sweet treats, including mince pie cookie cups, from Blondies Kitchen, you’ll have plenty of places to chill between skate sessions.
From Weds 12th November 2025
South Building, Somerset House, Strand, London, WC2R 1LA
somersethouse.org.uk
7. Dance at Afro Nation
In continuation of its 5th anniversary celebration this summer, Afro Nation is heading to the UK for the first time. This November, in partnership with Afrosport Network and Unity Cup, the team will launch Afro Nation United: The Road to the Unity Cup – a new platform linking music, sport and culture across the Black diaspora. The debut will take over Drumsheds, London’s 15,000-capacity venue, promising the biggest indoor celebration of Black music and sport in the UK. It’s three stages will showcase the sounds influencing Afro Nation’s key genres, with the likes of Stylo G, Darkoo, Shiiva, Jae5 Odumodublvck × Shallipopi, Kwamzy, and more on the line-up.
Fri 21st November 2025
Drumheads, 6 Glover Dr, London N18 3HF
afronationunited.com
8. Eat at NattyCanCook’s Debut Restaurant
Nathaniel Mortley’s very first restaurant, 2210 by NattyCanCook, is landing in Herne Hill, serving up bold Caribbean flavours with a fine-dining twist. If you don’t already know Natty, you’re about to. He smashed it with his sold-out pop-up at The Greyhound in Peckham (and picked up Condé Nast Traveller’s “One to Watch” award while he was at it). His journey hasn’t been the smoothest – after stints at City Social and The Arts Club, Natty spent time at HMP Brixton, where he reignited his passion for food at The Clink, the prison’s inmate-run restaurant. Fast forward to now, and he’s back on home turf with a mission to shake up how we see Caribbean food, and to create opportunities for other formerly incarcerated people in hospitality too. The menu’s looking seriously good – think Roti & Scotch Bonnet Butter, Ackee & Saltfish Spring Roll, Jerk Chicken Supreme and Confit Turkey Wings.
November 2025
75 Norwood Road, London SE24 9AA
2210bynattycancook.com
9. Travel Back in Time to Pompeii
The Last Days of Pompeii: The Immersive Exhibition is promising to take visitors on a journey through the ancient city through the use of cutting-edge tech, interactive experiences and original artefacts. The exhibition will showcase daily life in the city with recreations of Roman architecture and displays of artefacts and replicas, including bronze utensils and marble sculptures, before moving onto the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD that destroyed the city. There’ll be casts of Pompeii’s citizens shown in the way they were found after being preserved by calcified ash; eight-metre high projections featuring the sights and sounds of Pompeii; a 360-degree virtual reality sequence inside a Roman amphitheatre, including gladiatorial combat and a naval battle; and a free-roaming Metaverse experience where you can move through a recreation of the Villa of the Mysteries.
From Fri 14th November 2025
Immerse LDN at Excel, Royal Victoria Dock, 1 Western Gateway, London E16 1XL
pompeii-experience.com
10. Get in the Festive Spirit With the Carnaby Street Lights
The Christmas lights are starting to come on in November, with Carnaby Street unveiling ‘All is Bright’, a new festive display and the next phase in the area’s five-year sustainable lighting programme. There’ll be vibrant sculptural forms suspended above the street with the arches being decked out to provide the perfect selfie backdrop.
From Thurs 6th November 2025
Carnaby Street, London, W1
thisissoho.co.uk
