Pop Up
Fancy playing a round of crazy golf, catching a movie, hitting some bullseyes or shaking it out with a dance class? Well you can do it all at Roof East. Yes the Stratford rooftop is jam-packed with activities, including Rooftop Film Club, Sluggers batting cages, Birdies crazy golf, Arrows archery, Glitter Bowls lawn games, giant jenga, cornhole and table tennis. You can stay well fed and watered with the roof’s five bars and street food from the likes of Chick ‘n’ Sours, Piddaji and Cheeky Burger, and you’ll also be able to do bottomless brunch on the weekends. And of course, you’ve got those mega views over the Stratford to enjoy too.
Seouls of Mischief Is Doing Korean Burgers at Pretty Decent Beer Co
Mexican-Korean fusion spot Mexican Seoul has teamed up with neighbours Pretty Decent Beer Co. to put its spin-off burger concept inside the Victoria Park taproom. Seouls of Mischief is doing Korean-inspired burgers like the beef, umami seasoning American cheese, ssamjang mayo and oi-muchim pickle Seouls of Mischief and the buttermilk fried chicken, “gochu-gang” sauce, perilla leaf, oi-michum pickle and daikon slaw “Gochu-Gang”. There are sides like pajeon hash browns, tteokbokki bites, loaded fries and crispy chicken skin chick-charrones, and it all goes down a treat with one of PDBC’s Czech side pour beers.
Refresh Your Wardrobe at This Clothes Swap
Tits London, the platform that celebrates female designers, artists and makers, is popping up in London Fields with a clothes swap. You can bring along up to five pre-loved items you no longer wear and swap them for up to five new-to-you pieces, refreshing your wardrobe in an affordable and sustainable way. The event is totally free but Tits will be collecting any donations to Hackney Food Bank on entry. If you can, drop off your clothes between 12pm – 1pm to help the event run smoothly but you can also bring them along during, just as long as it’s before 3.30pm.
Rake, run by Jay Claus and Syrus Pickhaver (who have worked at the likes of Quo Vadis, Brat and Acme Fire Cult), has made the move to the Compton Arms in Islington from The Gun in Hackney. Rake is all about classic British cookery with a focus on whole animal butchery and sustainable Cornish fish. The menu will change seasonally but you can expect dishes like oysters rarebit; beer battered cockles and clams; braised squid, ale and potato pie; ray wing tenders on a crumpet; salsify and Scotch broth; beef ribeye with onion rings; and treacle tart with clotted cream and ice cream. There’ll also be roasts and veggie stargazy pies with all the trimmings on Sundays and on Arsenal match days, Rake will be doing Cumberland sausage hot dogs with French dip gravy.
House of Bandits by Sarabande Foundation Is Popping Up at Selfridges
Sarabande Foundation, the charity established by Lee Alexander McQueen that works to ensure art is accessible to everyone, has popped up at Selfridges with House of Bandits. The concept store and gallery features a curation of products across art, fashion, jewellery, sculpture and home accessories, including artworks from Daisy Collingridge, Karimah Hassan, Darcey Fleming, Kasia Wozniak, Leyman Lahcine and Shirin Fathi; limited-edition designs from Thom Browne, Jake Chapman and Craig Green; and plates by Daniel Roseberry for Schiaparelli, Tim Burton and Francesca Amfitheatrof. Sarabande has also taken over three of the department store’s windows on Orchard Street, and artists and makers from the Foundation will be working live on the shop floor, bringing its creative studio vibe to Selfridges.
Supper club Ling Ling’s, run by Jenny Phung and her partner James Shepherd, has done various pop-ups and residencies across London, including a stint at The Gun on Well Street and at The Bluecoats pub in Tottenham. Now it’s got a new long-term home at Godet in Canonbury. Jenny draws inspo from her Chinese heritage, her family and her travels for her dishes, which serve as her memories on a plate, and she loves to feed people the kind of food that she wants to eat. The menu at Godet will include spicy beef tartare; Sichuan hibiscus octopus; turnip cakes with a soy pomegranate glaze; mala beef ragu with udon noodles; steamed prawn, chicken & Thai basil wontons; and matcha tiramisu, with a traditional Chinese family meal on offer on Sundays.
Ivan Ramen is Popping up at The Ned with an Exclusive Ramen Menu
Before he opens a restaurant in the UK, Chef’s Table star and Ivan Ramen founder Ivan Orkin is popping up at Kaia at The Ned with an exclusive ramen menu. After opening a celebrated ramen shop in Japan, Ivan returned to the US to set up shop in NYC, and now he’s bringing his unique take on ramen to London with this two-month residency. His menu includes Tori Shoyu Wonton Men (chicken broth, soy tare, chicken breast ‘chashu’, chicken wontons, yu choy and thin rye noodles), Lobster Mazemen (lobster broth, lobster poached in ginger-scallion butter, fried shallots, katsuobushi salt, thick rye noodles and optional caviar add-on), Iberico Pork Collar Tsukemen (suckling pig pork broth, grilled mushrooms, pickled spring greens, grilled Iberico pork collar, soft egg, and thick rye noodles) and Vegan Truffled Shoyu Ramen (truffled vegetable and mushroom broth, grilled maitake mushroom, roasted tomato, yu choy, and scallions).
An Immersive Louis Vuitton x Murakami Pop-Up Has Landed in Soho
Remember the white handbags with the multicoloured LV logos? That collection, designed in collaboration with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, came out in 2003 (!) and because we’re now obsessed with all things Y2K, Louis Vuitton is bringing it back with a re-edition collection called ‘Monogram Multicolore’ and an immersive pop-up in Soho. The Louis Vuitton x Murakami store features products from that new collection alongside original archival pieces, plus a vending machine filled with everything from games to limited-edition stickers and a ‘care and repair’ station where you can bring your old LV pieces back to life. Of course, the place is made for IG with its bubblegum pink interiors, Murakami flower cushions and a cafe serving unique monogrammed baked goods and drinks in specially printed cups.
Viral Jacket Potato Sensations Spud Bros Have Popped Up in London
With their videos going viral on TikTok and people from all over the world visiting their jacket potato truck in Preston, the Spud Bros (aka Jacob and Harley Nelson) have come down to London to bring their social media-famous spuds to the capital. Popping up on Archer Street in Soho, Spud Bros Express is serving the same giant baked potatoes topped with the likes of cheese, beans, chilli and tuna mayo. The Spud Bros seem just as popular down south, with lengthy queues forming at the pop-up, so if you don’t mind waiting in a line for a potato, head on down.
Allday Goods is Hosting a Pop-Up Shop in Hackney
Sustainable knife company Allday Goods is opening its first ever pop-up shop in Netil Market this December, giving you the chance to shop for gifts and bring your old knives in for repair. The full Allday Goods range, including the Everyday Range, the Forged Range, Butter Knives and other merch, will be available for the duration of the pop-up. From 11am on the opening day, a number of limited-edition knives created in collaboration with BAO will be on offer before they go on sale online. Given that Allday uses recycled plastic to make the handles, there’ll be a plastic-waste initiative running at the pop-up too – for every Marmite, Bisto, Heinz or Hellmann’s plastic lids you bring in, you get 1% off your purchase, so a 100 lids will get you a 100% discount.
Ikea Has Opened a Pop-Up Shop Dedicated to Its Famous Blue Bags
Before IKEA opens on Oxford Street where the big Topshop used to be, the Swedish retailer has turned the space into Haus of FRAKTA, a pop-up shop dedicated to its iconic blue FRAKTA bags. And forget the crumpled ones you’ve got stuffed into the cupboard under the stairs (apparently 45% of UK households own one), the FRAKTAs in this store are pristine and can even be personalised at the atelier (costing only £3 to add lettering). There’s also a curated selection of other IKEA products to shop from, including a blue edit paying homage to the signature FRAKTA colour, and an immersive experience that makes you feel like you’re going inside a FRAKTA bag, with a ‘press for candyfloss’ wall, where you can get some free (blue, obvs) candyfloss.
Sustainable beauty boutique big. beauty is going from Hackney to Carnaby Street for a pop-up at the flagship PANGAIA store. The pop-up will be stocked with a curated selection of zero-waste beauty and wellness products, including brands like AKT, LESSE, Subtle Bodies and ACTIVIST. There’ll also be skin consultations offered in store to help you shop – whether for yourself or someone else – with ease.
Charity Super.Mkt Is Bringing Pre-Loved Fashion to Spitalfields
After popping up at Livat Hammersmith over the festive period, pre-loved fashion concept store Charity Super.Mkt (which started life as a section at the Classic Car Boot Sale) is coming back to the capital for another pop-up at Old Spitalfields Market. The multi-charity store, which features charity fashion from the likes of British Heart Foundation, Havens Hospice, Shelter and Traid, will have plenty of gifting opportunities and there might even be some designer labels on the rails too. Since it started Charity Super.Mkt has raised nearly £3 million for charity and saved 102 tonnes of clothes from going to landfill, so swing by the pop-up and help them continue the good work.
Shop Vintage Christmas Jumpers at This Beyond Retro Pop-Up
Every year, Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day campaign raises funds to transform the lives of children globally and in 2024, Beyond Retro is supporting the cause with a seasonal sweater pop-up in Spitalfields Market. The shop will be stocked with a range of vintage Christmas jumpers and holiday wear, including jumpers for dogs, and there’ll also be in-store events like Japanese scarf making and jazz evenings to get involved in too. Beyond Retro will also be donating 10% of all the Christmas jumper proceeds from the pop-up to Save the Children.
Shop From Up-and-Coming Latin American Brands at the Casa Ágape Pop-Up
Casa Ágape is a platform that showcases Latin American retail talent and that’s exactly what will be on show at its pop-up in Notting Hill. The shop will be stocked with a curated selection of clothing, accessories and homeware from emerging Latin American brands, like Banzo, Fringe, Onora Casa, Alba Maria, Sixxta, La Granni, and Soften Hearts, and there’ll also be a series of events, including a botanical workshop, a candle workshop and a mezcal night, to get involved in too.
Deck The Halls at Pergola Brixton
After a sellout season in Paddington last year, Deck the Halls is heading south to Pergola Brixton. The venue is being transformed with twinkling lights, Christmas trees, candy canes, mistletoe and even a snow machine. There’ll be plenty of seasonal tipples on offer, including spiced cranberry margaritas, figgy pudding highballs, boozy hot chocolates and mulled wine, and with festive specials available at Brixton Market’s resident restaurants (which can be delivered straight to your table), you won’t be going hungry either.
By Rotation Is Running the Largest Ever Fashion Rental Pop-Up
Fashion rental biz By Rotation is back for another pop-up and this one is the largest ever fashion rental pop-up to open globally. Taking over a five-storey Mayfair townhouse, the pop-up will feature a range of brands available to rent, including Self-Portrait, 16Arlington, Terry De Havilland and Khanums. You’ll also be able to borrow from celeb wardrobes too, with pieces from Dame Helen Mirren, Sophie Hermann, Chrissy Rutherford, Matilde Mourinho and Abisola Omole in store. And with luxury menswear from the Huntsman Archive, there’s something for the guys too. As well as stopping to by to rent clothes, you can also get involved in a range of workshops and events.
