Brilliant things to do in London in January 2025
From delectable new restaurants to London's first art fair of the year, the beginning of a new year is anything but boring
For many, January is the most miserable month of the year. It’s cold, it’s dark and Christmas is to be forgotten for another year – which, to our mind, is all the more reason to fill your diary with things to look forward to. Taking part in Dry January or Veganuary? The good news, for better or worse, is that so ingrained have these January traditions become, that the capital is bursting with events, launches and pop-ups that even the most abstemious can take part in without breaking their New Year’s resolutions. Here’s our guide to the best things to do in London in January 2025.
The art: London Art Fair
London Art Fair returns to the capital from 22-26 January 2025 to kick off the international art calendar at the Business Design Centre in Islington. Now celebrating its 37th year, the event hosts both seasoned and aspiring collectors with an enticing array of modern and contemporary art, while featuring work by some of the world’s most renowned artists, including Alberto Giacometti, Francis Bacon, and Barbara Hepworth.
Exhibiting works from more than 120 international galleries, highlights include multi-sensory installation Ebb and Flow: The Circle of Connection, by destination sponsor Tampa Bay, which explores Florida’s natural beauty and its connections to the rest of the world. Prints and Editions returns after a highly successful launch last year, bringing an eclectic selection of prints from artists old and new, and the annually-changing section Platform has been curated by Becca Pelly-Fry to feature art from six galleries showcasing themes of spirituality, healing and ecology.
London Art Fair runs from 22-26 January 2025 at the Business Design Centre, N1 0QH. Visit londonartfair.co.uk
The workshop: Rosi de Ruig Paper Lampshade Making at Ham Yard Hotel
Get your creative juices flowing on 18 January with artist Rosi de Ruig, who will host guided tutorials on making homemade paper lampshades at Soho’s Ham Yard Hotel. Using a selection of her own patterned papers, de Ruig will share the inspiration behind her designs and help guests through the creative process while also offering valuable tips on the art of ‘lampscaping’, maximising the impact of lighting to elevate the home.
The lampshade making workshop will take place on 18 January 2025 at 1 Ham Yard, W1D 7DT. Tickets are £130 per person, visit firmdalehotels.com.
The bars: Whisky Tasting at Sticks’n’Sushi and Lavo’s Low-and-No Winter Terrace
If you’re opting for Damp January, rather than going completely dry, don’t miss Danish-Japanese restaurant Sticks’n’Sushi’s two whisky tasting events this month. Over at the Shoreditch outpost on 22 January, enjoy a Nikka whisky tasting where expert hosts will guide you through a selection of the finest blends, including the elegant Miyagikyo Single Malt, Nikka Coffey Grain and Yoichi. The evening includes two whisky cocktails, Nikka Days and Nikka from the Barrel, alongside delicious sushi and sticks from the kitchen.
Alternatively, head west to the House of Suntory Whisky Supper at the White City restaurant with a masterclass led by the brand’s expert Raffaele Di Monaco on 29 January. You’ll be guided through a curated selection of five whiskies, each paired with impressive plates of sushi and freshly grilled sticks. Finish off with a Suntory whisky cocktail – cheers to that.
Finally, those giving up the sauce this month needn’t miss out on all the fun thanks to Lavo's low-and-no winter terrace. Featuring a crackling fireplace, blankets, cushioned chairs and heaters, enjoy low-and-no specials such as the grapefruit-infused Pentire Spritz and the Negroni Piccolino: Smiling Wolf non-alcoholic gin and aperitivo. Going sober has never been easier.
The whisky tasting events at Sticks’n’Sushi will take place on 22 January 2025 at 100 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JQ, and 29 January 2025 at Southern Terrace, Ariel Way, W12 7GB. Visit sticksnsushi.com; Lavo’s Winter Terrace is open until 31 January 2025 at The BoTree, 34 Marylebone Lane, W1U 2DR, visit taogroup.com
The restaurants: Bar Valette, Don’t Tell Dad and La Môme
Created by acclaimed chef Isaac McHale, also of the Michelin-starred Clove Club, Bar Valette takes its cues from the chef's love of French and Spanish cooking. Considered yet casual, this is a restaurant designed for lengthy dinners fuelled by wine and sherry, where sharing is encouraged, and comfort is king. For the opening, McHale has brought together a talented team of Clove Club alumni, with the kitchen under the direction of head chef Erin Jackson Yates and sommelier Wilem Powell. Expect sharing plates of devilled crab tartlets, barbajuans, venison meatballs, grouse sausage rolls and the renowned buttermilk fried chicken in pine from The Clove Club.
In Queen’s Park on 17 January, Daniel Land – the original co-founder of Coco di Mama – will launch a new neighbourhood bakery, Don’t Tell Dad. Named after a phrase whispered between siblings, the restaurant is a tribute to Land’s late sister, Lesley, with nods to her joyous character within signage and menu design. Land will be joined by a notable team, including head chef Luke Frankie – formerly of Noble Rot, Forza Wine, and Spring – and baker Keren Sternberg, who will work in tandem across the bakery and restaurant spaces to bring bold plates and pastries to the fore. Highlights include hazelnut brown butter croissants and artichoke, sage and Lancashire cheese Pain Suisse by day, before larger plates such as crab tart with crab oil mayonnaise, and roast pumpkin with brown butter, hazelnut and crispy sage in the evening.
La Môme
One of the most highly anticipated openings of the month comes from French restaurateurs Ugo and Antoine Lecorché who will be bringing the glamour of Côte d'Azur, past and present, to The Berkeley with a new iteration of their sophisticated restaurant La Môme. Renowned for its fun and stylish yet relaxed atmosphere, serving quintessential Mediterranean dishes with a taste of Provence and Italy, La Môme London will feature many Cannes classics. Dishes will be prepared in front of guests – from the snipping of thyme into olive oil to deboning a whole wild fish of the day, flame grilled and ready to be shared – while cocktails and digestifs promise a dramatic arrival, shrouded in a cloud of dry ice until released from beneath a glass cloche. This is certainly the place to see and be seen this month.
Bar Valette will open later this month at 28-30 Kingsland Road, E2 8AA, visit barvalette.com; Don’t Tell Dad opens on 17 January 2025 at 10-14 Lonsdale Road, NW6 6RD, visit donttelldad.co.uk; La Môme will open later this month at The Berkeley, Wilton Place, SW1X 7RL, visit the-berkeley.co.uk
The theatre: Kyoto at Soho Place and Mrs President at Charing Cross Theatre
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) will perform Kyoto at Soho Place from 9 January, transferring directly from its critically-acclaimed world premiere run in Stratford-upon-Avon. Highlighting the signing of the Kyoto agreement, which took place on 11 December 1997, the stage production is a fast-paced, politically-charged thriller which places audiences at the heart of the historic Japanese climate summit – a world where big oil, big money and big egos clash in the battle to secure the world’s first legally binding emissions targets.
Elsewhere, historical drama Mrs President will run at Charing Cross Theatre from 31 January 2025, retelling the story of Mary Lincoln. Accused of treason, and striving to rebuild her public image to win the hearts of the American people, she turns to the world’s first celebrity photographer, Matthew Brady, who helped her husband, Abraham Lincoln, win the presidency. But their partnership unravels into a tense battle for creative control, creating a tale that dives deep into themes of power, identity, and the cost of representation. With a richly-textured script by historian John Ransom Phillips, Mrs President brings to life an intimate portrait of America’s most misunderstood First Lady.
Kyoto will run from 9 January 2025 at Soho Place Theatre, 4 Soho Place, Charing Cross Road, W1D 3BG, visit sohoplace.org; Mrs President will run from 31 January 2025 at Charing Cross Theatre, Villiers Street, WC2N 6NL, visit charingcrosstheatre.co.uk
The gym: Bodyism Notting Hill
2025 marks a new chapter for Notting Hill’s favourite wellness hub Bodyism, which has been reimagined to offer new science-led services alongside world-class personal training. Including clinical testing, wellness assessments, personalised nutrition plans and recovery analysis, all conveniently tailored to your goals in the new Bodyism app, the wellness club is the place to recharge and reset this year. Plus, a new state-of-the-art recovery room will also launch later in the month, specifically designed to support every members’ training journey.
Bodyism is open at 222-224 Westbourne Grove, W11 2RH, visit bodyism.com
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