2023 has been another wild year
The Lionesses didn’t manage to bring football home but we did play host to Eurovision. We got a new king (and an extra Bank Holiday) but only had one (1) Prime Minister and zero (0) wilting vegetables. Twitter became X, even though literally no one calls it that. It was a cordyceps winter, a ski trial spring and a Barbenheimer summer. War has raged, a submersible sank, costs have risen but what has made LOTI over the past twelve months? Let’s take a look.
1. Train Strikes in London
The train strikes were literally the talk of the town this year, with staff at many rail operators walking out over a period of several months. The last round of strikes, spread over a week at the beginning of December, saw ASLEF members from 16 different companies walk out and withdraw from working overtime. No further strike action has been announced yet but we wouldn’t rule it out for 2024.
2. Spaces In-Between Exhibition
It was another bumper year for exhibitions, particularly immersive ones, with Spaces In-Between at Outernet taking the top spot for 2023. Visual light artist Rupert Newman and immersive experience studio Pixel Artworks displayed their interactive body-movement artwork across the 360-degree, four-storey screens in the autumn.
3. Tube Strikes in London
Where there were train strikes, there were tube strikes. Yes 2023 has not been an easy one for those trying to travel around the city. We had two sets of tube strikes called off at the last minute during the summer, though not before scuppered plans were hastily rearranged, and in November, industrial action affected the DLR. And we can expect more disruption in the new year with RMT members having voted in favour of further strikes.
4. The Best New Restaurant Openings
Keeping up with the best new restaurants in London is a full time job and we’ve made sure that you’re always in the know so you can lead your mates and dates around the coolest new places around town by constantly updating our curated selection of the best new restaurant openings. This year we had high-end hotel restaurants to pub joints and everything in between. And you can get a jump start on the best new openings for 2024 with this lot.
5. The Butterfly Trail Exhibition
Another Outernet exhibition that went down a storm in 2023 (and it’s continuing into next year) was The Butterfly Trail. Using cutting-edge exhibition tech, The Butterfly Trail takes you through explorer Professor Peter Pelgrin’s Botanical workshop and inside his Glass House where you can interact with the space, release AR butterflies and trigger real-time animations using your smartphone.
6. The Best Value Set Menus in London
London’s restaurants, while very tempting, are not known for their wallet-friendliness. That’s why we look for loopholes where cheap eats can be found, and a good value set menu is actually not too hard to come by. Restaurants across the city (including some of our all-time favourites) have dedicated menus of two or more courses that’ll set you back a whole lot less than standard – but will blow you away just as much.
7. Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own Exhibition
Freddie Mercury simply never goes out of fashion as this exhibition, held before a huge auction of his belongings at Sotheby’s, showed. You queued down the block to get a glimpse of his art, archival clothing, musical instruments, furniture and jewels collected over a period of more than 50 years. More than 1,200 items from Garden Lodge (Mercury’s home) were also displayed, including some rarely seen piece, giving visitors an insight into the passions of the iconic frontman.
8. Harry Styles’ Pleasing Pop-Up
After opening a dedicated pop-up shop last year, Harry Styles brought his beauty brand Pleasing back to London and just in time for the holidays. This time it was at Selfridges and was stocked with plenty of Pleasing nail polishes (with a few exclusive shades added in), cosmetics, clothing and perfume, and of course, the space itself looked very aesthetically pleasing too.
9. Jamie Oliver Returns to Restaurants
Four years after the collapse of his chain, Jamie Oliver announced his return to the London restaurant scene with Jamie Oliver Catherine Street opening in the heart of Covent Garden. The menu reflects Oliver’s “love of Britain’s rich & diverse food culture” and spotlights independent suppliers and producers, so he’s playing it very safely down the line with his latest spot.
10. Heaven’s Gate Exhibition
The third entry for an Outernet exhibition on our list proves just why the Tottenham Court Road attraction was the most visited in London this year. It was the setting for the first European showing of Marco Brambilla’s Heaven’s Gate, a psychedelic satire on pop culture and the Hollywood dream factory.
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