Comeback concerts, soaring sights, and Evita in public – the top events in London in 2025.
The year 2025 was spectacular and surreal in London. As we say goodbye to one year and hello to another, the capital has continued to surprise – the skyline welcomed a new crown jewel in 22 Bishopsgate. Bonus points if you got tickets to the Oasis’ reunion tour, and we are jealous if you caught Rachel Zegler singing Don’t Cry For Me Argentina from a balcony – proof that the best experiences can still be free.
The city’s food and drink scene proved to be just as exciting. From the newly opened Guinness Microbrewery in Covent Garden to a decadent Dubai chocolate pop-up in Harrods, and, of course, the inaugural FACT Dining Awards London brought together more than 150 restaurants, celebrating the capital’s culinary creativity in style.
Vibe coding entered our slang, Chat GPT became Gen Z's therapist, and Katy Perry orbited the stars. London confirmed it’s never short of ambition, with new cultural events announced as regularly as tube stops. We hope you enjoy this love letter to the last twelve months. Here are 25 things we loved about 2025.
22 Bishopsgate
London is home to one of the world's most famous skylines. In 2025, it welcomed a new addition, thanks to 22 Bishopsgate. The location is already home to the viewing gallery, Horizon 22, and welcomed new restaurants. In February, Gordon Ramsay opened Lucky Cat Bishopsgate and Restaurant Gordon Ramsay High. FACT visited and published the first review in the capital – order the GFC, Gordon's Fried Chicken.
Art exhibitions
Paint the town in London. The capital is home to world-class galleries. This year, the biggest exhibitions – and FACT's favourites – ranged from Theatre Picasso at Tate Modern, to Wes Anderson at the Design Museum. Highlights also included Nigerian Modernism at Tate Modern, Noah Davis at Barbican, and Jenny Savile at the National Portrait Gallery.
Bradford City of Culture
Each year, a city is crowned the UK City of Culture. For 2025, Bradford was awarded the accolade, and showcased how diversity can be an asset – so FACT visited and created a guide. Throughout the year, the city hosted special art and food events. Highlights included the Ramadan and Eid celebrations. If you’re looking for places to visit, put Darley Street Market, MyLahore and Saltaire on your radar.
The British Museum Ball
The Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York makes headlines around the world. Attracting famous faces, it is an annual fashion event that raises money for the Institute. This year, the British Museum Ball in London launched its own glittering, glamorous event. The event took place in October and attracted Naomi Campbell, Alexa Chung, Idris Elba and Edward Enninful.
Concerts in London
London has welcomed the biggest stars in the world. In 2025, the stars were out. Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Tour came to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Whether you are team Drake or team Kendrick, it didn’t matter. Big concerts included Drake’s history-making concert at Wireless 2025 – he headlined all three nights, no less. At the start of the year, Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us hit the headlines, and we found ourselves trying to dance like Serena Williams at Super Bowl LIX. FACT visited both the Drake and Kendrick concerts in London – you can judge who was best.
Dubai chocolate in Harrods
The Dubai chocolate brand swept its way from Dubai to social media and Harrods in Knightsbridge, London. In the autumn, the luxury department store hosted an exclusive pop-up by FIX Dessert Chocolatier in London. FACT was at the front of the queue, and visited the store and stocked up on flavours. In an interview with FACT, Sarah Hamouda, Co-Founder of FIX Dessert Chocolatier, explained: “FIX is all about creating an experience. We take beloved Middle Eastern and global desserts and transform them into dessert chocolate bars with unexpected textures and flavours.”
Evita in London
American superstar Rachel Zegler has made her mark in musicals. Over the summer, she made her West End debut and starred as Eva Perón in Evita. Running through the summer, it took place at the London Palladium. The musical includes the songs Another Suitcase in Another Hall, Oh What A Circus, and You Must Love Me. When she sang "Don’t Cry For Me Argentina" on the balcony of the theatre – to an audience standing outside for free – she became the talk of the town.
FACT Dining Awards London 2025
The first FACT Dining Awards London took place in the capital. The inaugural event was held on 25 September, 2025, at ARCADE in Battersea Power Station. During the ceremony, 45 awards were given out across 23 cuisine categories, covering more than 150 restaurants, resulting in over 45,000 online votes cast by the public. Over 400 guests enjoyed a sociable evening of canapés, free-flowing mocktails and live entertainment inside the London landmark.
Grand Sumo Tournament
One of the world's oldest sports made its way back to Royal Albert Hall – this marked almost 30 years away from the capital. Taking place in October, the Grand Sumo Tournament was held in the hall, which was transformed into a Shinto-like shrine. More than 40 wrestlers from Japan competed, showcasing the sport's ancient traditions.
Guinness Microbrewery
Raise a pint (or three) to Ireland's great export, Guinness. Located in Covent Garden, the Guinness Microbrewery opened in November. The venue includes a rooftop restaurant with views, tours by experts, and a microbrewery with limited edition beers as well as classic stouts. Cheers to that.
Food Halls
FACT loves food halls – so much so, we hosted our first FACT Dining Awards London at ARCADE in Battersea Power Station. In 2025, notable food hall openings included the first halal food hall, Food District in Edgware Road. Plus, Market Place Leicester Square opened sixteen kitchens across multiple floors.
Hot new hotels
Rise and shine at sensational hotels. In 2025, London welcomed The Chancery Rosewood in Mayfair, which is on the site of the former United States Embassy. The hotel has already made its mark with its new bars, restaurants and history. Hotel openings also included Dorsett Alpha Square, Canary Wharf, and Sir Devonshire Square Hotel.
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland
Love it or hate it, Hyde Park Winter Wonderland has become a staple in the Christmas calendar. This year, it marked its 18th anniversary and was back with more than 100 rides and attractions. Plus, ice skating, grottos and markets.
Listening bars
Listening bars had a moment in 2025. The city fell in love with hi-fi experiences, which put sound at the heart of your night out. Superb spots include Nine Lives in London Bridge, Space Talk in Farringdon, and Spiritland in King’s Cross. Over the summer, Monkey Shoulder Records opened a pop-up listening bar at KEF Music Gallery in Soho on World Music Day. FACT attended the event, which welcomed DJ Arthi, DJ Target and Katy B.
London Fashion Week
London Fashion Week took place in February and September. This year, the designers included Ashish, Tolu Coker, Edeline Lee, and Johanna Parv. The fashion trends ranged from bubble hems to buckles, and attracted a cool crowd from around the world. If you're after the most fashionable restaurants in London, here are our tips.
Mega music festivals
London's live music scene is alive and buzzing. BST Hyde Park's line-up welcomed Zach Bryan, Hugh Jackman and Jeff Lynn's ELO. Festivals were packed with excitement and included Field Festival, Lido Festival, Mighty Hoopla, and Wireless Festival.
Oasis comeback
There was no looking back in anger. The must-have ticket for the year was to see the British rock band Oasis. The group parted ways in the early 2000s, including the famously feuding siblings, Noel and Liam Gallagher. The group played a string of major shows, kicking off at Cardiff Principality Stadium in July. The tour headed to Manchester's Heaton Park and London's Wembley Stadium.
Restaurants in London
London restaurants come and come, and include international names in the heart of the city. This year’s biggest openings included Carbone's new restaurant in Chancery Rosewood, Mr Porter's Steakhouse, and Shanghai ME at the London Hilton on Park Lane.
Sadler's Wells East
Located in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford, Sadler's Wells East opened this year. The venue celebrates diverse forms of dance, including ballet, kathak, and street. The inaugural show, NOW by Jasmin Vardimon, was held in March. Highlights included Carlos Acosta's Ballet Celebration and Aakash Odedra's Songs of the Bulbul.
Somerset House 2025
Somerset House served many purposes, from the house for royal consorts to a tax office. In 2000, it was turned into a cultural hub. In 2025, it marked its 25th anniversary with special events throughout the year. The highlights included the exhibitions SOIL: The World at Our Feet and Wayne McGregor: Infinite Bodies. Plus, the premiere of Akinola Davies Jr's new film.
SXSW Festival
What do Barack Obama, Deepak Chopra, Mark Zuckerberg, Meghan Markle and Steven Spielberg have in common? They've all spoken at South by Southwest. The festival made its European debut, and SXSW London took place in Shoreditch. Taking place in June, it focused on creativity, culture, science and technology.
Sport in London
On your marks, get set, London. The capital hosted a range of sporting events, including the Grand National in April, Royal Ascot in June, British Grand Prix in July, and Wimbledon Championships in June and July. FACT put on its best hat and attended Royal Ascot – and even saw King Charles enter the grounds. This year, Jannick Sinner became a Wimbledon Champion for the first time. The football season kicked off with the UEFA Champions League and Premier League.
Theatre in London
All of London is a stage, thanks to the incredible number of theatres in the capital – there are more than 100 and counting. There were plenty of opportunities to catch a star on stage. This year's highlights included Brie Larson in Elektra, Cate Blanchett in The Seagull, and Brian Cox in The Score.
V&A East Storehouse
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford, welcomed the V&A East Storehouse. The site spans four floors and brings together more than a quarter of a million objects. At its heart, it gives you the chance to go behind the scenes and explore untold stories. The David Bowie Centre opened with more than 90,000 items, which range from handwritten lyrics to instruments. In spring 2026, the V&A East Museum will open in the park.
Women's Rugby World Cup
Did you join the scrum? England hosted the Women's Rugby World Cup, and it was held across the country in Brighton and Hove, Bristol, Exeter, Manchester, Northampton, Sunderland and York. A range of matches took place in London. The capital's Twickenham Stadium hosted the final – and it saw England win.
