Fabulous things to do in London this autumn

Spending this autumn in London? Or simply looking for some fabulous things to do this season? Well, luckily for you, I’ve handpicked the best of everything the busy UK capital has to offer over the next couple of months. From cocktails with David Bowie to clothing-optional dinner parties, zombie drag queen competitions to Mariah Carey Christmas dance classes, there are so many amazing things to do in London this autumn.

So, when does autumn (or fall) start this year? Most people in the UK go by the astronomical seasons, which change slightly every year. This really surprised me when I first moved to London as I was used to the very structured meteorological seasons that set autumn in the Northern Hemisphere as 1st September – 30th November every year. However, having lived now lived here for over a decade, the astronomical seasons definitely make more sense and this year the autumn season in London will run from Sunday 23rd September to Friday 21st December (wrapping up just before Christmas).

This is probably my favourite time of the year to be in London – it’s so wonderfully atmospheric and festive as everyone prepares to celebrate the season and get ready for the long winter ahead. Between the fireworks, Halloween parties and endless Christmas celebrations, autumn whizzes by in a flurry of bubbly and sparkly things. Some of the best parties of the year happen during this season and, with summer finally out of the way, the city re-embraces what it does best with an amazing line-up of performance festivals and exhibitions.

Take a look at all the amazing things to do this autumn in London and make sure you check back here throughout October, November and December as I’ll be regularly updating this list with all the yet-to-be-announced events, parties and festive treats.

🎩 My top 10 must-dos this autumn

💃 Fabulous events and parties in London

👻 Fabulous Halloween parties in London

🎅 Fabulous Christmassy things to do in London

🎨 Fabulous exhibitions in London

🎭 Fabulous theatre in London

🌟 Fabulous musicals in London

🎥 Fabulous pop-up cinemas in London

 

🎩

My top 10 things to do in London this autumn

Cruise Clapham Common then go for Burgerz

This October sees the queer arts festival And What? land with one hell of a line-up. From Lavinia Co-Op in a care home to the illegal lives of Sierra Leone’s LGBT community, this festival involves probably the most exciting and inclusive queer events in London this autumn. Spread across a range of venues (including an app to guide you around the history of cruising Clapham Common), there are performances, parties and exhibitions aplenty. Highlights include prominent trans activist Travis Alabanza’s show Burgerz at the Hackney Showroom. Exploring the prevalence of street harassment and violence that gender non-conforming people face every day, this promises to be one of the best shows you’ll see this season. 🎭 Click here for more fabulous theatre in London this autumn.
📅 1st – 31st October 2018
📍 Various venues across London
➡️ andwhatfest.com

Autumn London @travisalabanza Burgerz by Travis Alabanza Hackney Showroom

Travis Alabanza is all about the burgers. 📷: @travisalabanza

Yayoi Kusama returns to London

The colourful queen of the polka dots and pumpkins will make London’s Instagramers go crazy once more with her latest show, The Moving Moment When I Went to The Universe. Expect it to be a pretty trippy experience like the name suggests, as the iconic Japanese artist debuts a new Infinity Mirror Room plus an array of vividly painted flowers and (seasonally-appropriate) pumpkins. Entry is free but you do need to request a timed ticket on the link below. 🎨 Click here for more fabulous exhibitions in London this autumn.
📅 3rd October – 21st December 2018
📍 Victoria Miro, 16 Wharf Road, London N1 7RW
➡️ victoria-miro.com

Autumn London © Yayoi Kusama Victoria Miro

📷: © Yayoi Kusama

Dine in your divine form (naked or otherwise)

Fab female-led production company, Shotgun Carousel, are running a tasty treat throughout all this autumn and into early 2019. Based on the story of Dionysus (god of wine and ritual madness, among other fun things), they’re hosting a wild and immersive dining experience, Divine Proportions. Even better, this sensational season includes two special ‘clothing optional’ evenings: one exclusively for female-identifying and non-binary deities (8th November) and another for all heavenly creatures (24th November). Tickets are £35 – £55 and the menu caters to all dietary requirements – so all you vegan and gluten-free god(desse)s are most welcome too. 🎭 Click here for more fabulous theatre in London this autumn.
📅 Most evenings until 12th January 2019
📍 The Vaults, Leake St, London SE1 7NN
➡️ thevaults.london

Autumn London @shotguncarousel Divine Proportions The Vaults

Taste the divine. 📷: @shotguncarousel

Get freaky this Halloween with your Little Gay Brother

Fresh from some epic summer adventures, including Boomtown and Elrow, Little Gay Brother are back at Omera once again with their very own queer Halloween rave. With Luke Solomon and Maze & Masters helming the decks and the LGB gang turning out epic looks and dance moves, this will definitely be the highlight of London’s packed Halloween party weekend. If you’re more of a groover than a raver, don’t miss their second Hangar soiree with the legendary Horse Meat Disco boys at the end of September. 👻 Click here for more fabulous Halloween parties in London this autumn.
📅 27th October 2018
📍 Omeara, 6 O’Meara Street, London SE1 1TE
➡️ littlegaybrother.com

Autumn London @ro_murphy Little Gay Brother Halloween

Serving Halloween freakiness. 📷: @ro_murphy

Go for cocktails with David Bowie

After playing his last Ziggy Stardust show at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1973, David Bowie threw a legendary after-party (modestly called ‘The Last Supper’) at the Hotel Café Royal. Flash forward 45 years and the hotel is renaming their cocktail bar Ziggy’s in honour of this infamous event. With London Cocktail Week coming up again this October, it’s the perfect time to get lubricated somewhere legendary. Drinks include the rather amazing sounding twist on the Pina Colada, Tiger on Vaseline, or saki-infused version of Bowie’s preferred tipple (a martini) called a Femme Fatale.
📅 Launching late September
📍 Ziggy’s, Hotel Café Royal, 68 Regent Street London, W1B 4DY
➡️ laurentatcaferoyal.com

Autumn London @j_bella_s Ziggy's cocktail bar Cafe Royal David Bowie

“Freak out in a moonage daydream, oh yeah!” 📷: @j_bella_s

Get Christmas crackin’ with Sink The Pink

Yes, believe it or not, this frighteningly Dickensian-looking bunch are Sink The Pink as you’ve never seen them before. Back for another festive season, their Christmas panto is taking a much darker turn this year with a new play, How to Catch A Krampus – touted as “Sweeney Todd meets The Wicker Man“. The phenomenally talented Ginger Johnson is helming this project once again with a cast of London drag legends such as Lavinia Co-Op and Maxi More. If you’re looking for a festive treat with a twist this Christmas, then you should snap your tickets up for this asap. 🎅 Click here for more fabulous Christmassy things to do in London this autumn.
📅 13th November – 23rd December 2018
📍 Pleasance Theatre, Carpenters Mews, North Road, London N7 9EF
➡️ sinkthepink.co.uk

Autumn London @katebones How To Catch A Krampus Sink The Pink

You’ll catch more than a Krampus from this lot. 📷: @katebones

Scottee’s fat blokes’ rebellion

To celebrate his 10th anniversary as an artist (although he was a staple of London’s alt performance scene long before this), the incredible Scottee has teamed up with renowned choreographer Lea Anderson to create his new show, Fat Blokes. Repositioning the fat male body as a signifier of sexiness and pride, he’ll be performing this contemporary dance piece alongside four other plus-sized guys at the Southbank Centre as a form of “fat rebellion”. Expect music from riot grrrl to the hokey cokey at this unmissable four-night run. 🎭 Click here for more fabulous theatre in London this autumn.
📅 8th-11th November 2018
📍 Purcell Room, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, Lambeth, London SE1 8XX
➡️ southbankcentre.co.uk

Autumn London @mjchapman_photography Fat Blokes by Scottee Southbank Centre

Scottee is ready to riot. 📷: @mjchapman_photography

The ShayShay Show returns

If you’ve been wondering what ShayShay’s been up to since their eponymous evening of progressive queer performance disappeared earlier this year, they definitely haven’t been twiddling their eyelashes. Undoubtedly one of the hardest working drag queens in East London, ShayShay has been performing up a storm at venues across the city and is now one of the new faces of Rimmel London. So, it’s incredibly exciting that The ShayShay Show is returning this autumn – at a new venue and time slot (yup, this party won’t stop till after 2am now). Expect familiar faces (such as London’s sexiest drag cockroach, Cola Phalquero, and the smouldering drag king Chiyo) alongside a bunch fresh new acts that make this one of the most boundary-pushing evenings of drag and performance around. 💃 Click here for more fabulous events and parties in London this autumn.
📅 13th October 2018
📍 SET, 27a Dalston Lane, E83DF London, United Kingdom
➡️ facebook.com

Autumn London @missdisneychanel The ShayShay Show

Hey hey ShayShay! 📷: @missdisneychanel

Get under The Apple Tree this autumn

With so many queer venues closing across London, it’s big news that a new one has opened. The Apple Tree pub in Clerkenwell relaunched itself this summer as an LGBT+ venue and has already played host to a huge array of events so far. This autumn sees Meth’s new cabaret show Apples and Pears get started here on her 30th birthday, a queer clothes and costumes swap/sale, a workshop on consent and their very own Halloween ball. Plus, you can pop in for a pint any time Tuesday-Sunday. 💃 Click here for more fabulous events and parties in London this autumn.
📅 Open from 4pm Tuesday-Thursday and midday Friday-Sunday
📍 The Apple Tree, 45 Mount Pleasant, London WC1X 0AE
➡️ facebook.com

Autumn London @theappletreelondon The Apple Tree Clerkenwell

One proud pub. 📷: @theappletreelondon

Check out the new photography centre at the V&A

Having acquired over 800,000 images and camera-related objects since 1852, the V&A is now the proud owners of one of the largest and most important photography collections in the world. So, it’s pretty exciting that they’re launching a new home for all things photographically-related this autumn. The new state-of-the-art centre more than doubles the amount of gallery space the V&A has to showcase their historical collection, launching with a new exhibition that encapsulates everything from ‘daguerreotypes’ to digital. 🎨 Click here for more fabulous exhibitions in London this autumn
📅 Opens 12th October 2018
📍 V&A, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL
➡️ vam.ac.uk

Autumn London @vamuseum Christine Keeler 1963 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London Lewis Morley

Christine Keeler 1963 📷: © Victoria and Albert Museum, London/Lewis Morley

💃

Fabulous events & parties in London this autumn

Autumn London @minkaguides Jack Irving at V&A

Digital Design Drop-ins with Jack Irving at the V&A throughout autumn. 📷: @jackirvingazm

🆕 = recently added events!

September

October

👻 Jump to Halloween parties in London

November

December

🎅 Jump to Christmas things to do in London

**CHECK BACK FOR UPDATES THROUGHOUT AUTUMN**

👻

Fabulous Halloween parties in London this autumn

Autumn London @sausageandcustard Miss Zombie Drag Queen

Miss Zombie Drag Queen at Dalston Superstore 📷: @sausageandcustard

**CHECK BACK FOR UPDATES THROUGHOUT AUTUMN**

🎅

Fabulous Christmas things to do in London this autumn

Autumn London @winterville Winterville 2018

Winterville 📷: @wintervilleldn

**CHECK BACK FOR UPDATES THROUGHOUT AUTUMN**

🎨

Fabulous exhibitions in London this autumn

Autumn London @minkaguides Frida Kahlo Making Herself Up

Frida Kahlo: Making Herself Up exhibition at the V&A 📷: @minkaguides

🎭

Fabulous theatre & live performance in London this autumn

Autumn London @troupetheatrecompany Sweet Science of Bruising

The Sweet Science of Bruising at the Southwark Playhouse. 📷: @troupetheatrecompany

🌟

Fabulous musicals in London this autumn

Things to do in London this summer @minkagides Everybody's Talking About Jamie

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie at the Apollo Theatre 📷: @minkagides

🎥

Fabulous pop-up cinemas in London this autumn

Autumn London @croftonparkpictures Rivoli Ballroom Cinema

The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Rivoli Ballroom 📷: @croftonparkpictures

  • Rivoli Pop-Up Cinema (showing The Rocky Horror Picture show and Elf) ~ till 14th December 2018
  • The Nomad Cinema (showing Saturday Night Fever and Scream) ~ till 26th October 2018

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2 Comments

  1. bobette
    21 September 2018 / 8:38 pm

    Hey Fanny

    DOn’t forget the London Fetish Weekend in October!

    bobette x

    Reply

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