October in London is shaping up nicely. New restaurant openings, Frieze Week, coffee collaborations, floating saunas and one of Soho’s most famous jazz institutions heading to the City are all on the agenda. Whether you’re looking for somewhere new to eat, a weekend plan or something a little different, here are 10 things worth making plans for in London this October.
1. For A New Chelsea Restaurant: Prince Arthur
What: Prince Arthur is starting a new chapter this October. After making a name for itself in Belgravia, the Basque-inspired favourite is moving to Chelsea with a new restaurant, bar and late-night music space.
Head Chef Adam Iglesias returns to lead the kitchen, where the focus remains on seasonal produce, live-fire cooking and Basque techniques. Expect fresh seafood chosen straight from the counter, meat and fish dry-aged in-house and returning Prince Arthur signatures including sea urchins, txuleta, carabineiros, whole turbot and lobster rice.
Upstairs is where things get interesting. The new Chelsea Music Bar takes its cues from Tokyo’s late-night listening bars, with vinyl, live performances, cocktails and low-level seating. Dinner downstairs, a drink upstairs and no need to decide where to go next.
Where: Chelsea, London
When: From 6 October 2026
Book here.
2. For A Month Of Coffee And Pastries: Café Ciel
What: Café Ciel is taking International Coffee Day and stretching it across the entire month.
From 3 October, the café at The OWO will bring together eight London coffee and bakery names for Coffee Club, a rotating series of collaborations featuring Studio Marrone, Cardabelle, Allpress Espresso, Miel Bakery, Caffè Crema Co., Reemie’s Cakes, Puffy Cookies and Boxcar.
The important bit? Tiramisu croissants, Mocaccino crullers, coffee tasting flights, affogato, coffee cake and Boxcar’s Salted Caramel & Mocha Knot will all make appearances throughout the month.
There’s also a coffee-inspired brunch menu and DJs every weekend. If coffee and pastries are your love language, October is looking good.
Where: Café Ciel at The OWO, Whitehall
When: 3–31 October 2026
Book here.
3. For Dinner During Frieze Week: Sushi Amamoto
What: October means Frieze Week, when London becomes one of the biggest meeting points in the international art calendar.
At the centre of it are Frieze London and Frieze Masters, which return to Regent’s Park from 14–18 October. Frieze London is dedicated to contemporary art and living artists, while Frieze Masters brings together historical art and work made before 2000. Beyond the fairs themselves, Frieze Week spreads across London with exhibitions, gallery events, public art and plenty happening around the city.
Which also means you’ll need somewhere for dinner afterwards.
Sushi Amamoto in Mayfair offers a considerably calmer end to the day. The intimate restaurant has just 16 seats around its omakase counter, serving traditional Edomae sushi alongside Oshizushi, the historic Osaka technique of pressing sushi into wooden moulds.
There’s as much attention paid to what the food arrives on as the food itself, with bespoke ceramics commissioned from Japanese atelier Utsuwa Maesaka to complement the seasonal courses. After an afternoon navigating one of London’s busiest cultural weeks, 16 seats and omakase sounds about right.
Where: Sushi Amamoto, Mayfair
When: Frieze London and Frieze Masters run 14–18 October 2026
Book here.
4. For A Different Kind Of Matchday: Bagatelle Chelsea FC
What: Football hospitality, but make it Bagatelle.
The French-Mediterranean restaurant has brought its signature food, cocktails, music and Riviera energy to Stamford Bridge, offering a rather different take on the traditional matchday experience.
Located in the West Stand, guests can start with a leisurely meal and drinks at Bagatelle before heading to premium seats for the match. DJs and Bagatelle’s typically lively atmosphere are part of the experience too, making this one for anyone who wants to turn matchday into a full day out.
There are three opportunities to try it this October, with Chelsea playing at home against Bournemouth, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.
Where: Stamford Bridge, Fulham Road, London
When: 10, 24 & 31 October 2026
Book here.
5. For A Major New Exhibition: Becoming America
What: The Science Museum is opening a major new free exhibition this October, looking at the role science played in the emergence of the United States.
Marking 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Becoming America: How Science Shaped a Nation brings together around 100 objects exploring the relationship between science, land, peoples and power.
Among them is a rare surviving copy of the Declaration of Independence, alongside a pioneering map by Benjamin Franklin and personal objects connected to King George III and George Washington.
Through maps, paintings, scientific instruments and other artefacts, the exhibition looks beyond the familiar political story to explore the knowledge different peoples used to navigate, cultivate and understand the American landscape.
A good one to save for the inevitable rainy October weekend.
Where: Science Museum, South Kensington
When: From 23 October 2026 until 25 April 2027
Tickets: Free, ticketed
Book here.
6. For A Run and Pastry: Ole & Steen x Rude Health Social Run
What: If your ideal Saturday involves a 5K, good coffee and something sweet at the finish line, this is one for the diary. Rude Health and Ole & Steen are teaming up for an autumn social run on Saturday 11 October, hosted by social running favourite Emma (@emmahitthespot), aka the “Queen of Bun Runs”. Starting at Rude Health Café in Fulham, runners will ease into a relaxed 5K before finishing at Ole & Steen on Northcote Road. The reward for your miles? The new Apple Crumble Social, paired with an iced pistachio matcha or latte. A run club with a very strong post-run pastry game.
Where: Start Location: Rude Health Café, 212 New King’s Rd, London SW6 4NZ Finish Location: Ole & Steen, 62 Northcote Rd, London SW11 1PA
When: Saturday, 11th October 2026
Tickets:£5 (includes pre-run refreshments, post-run Apple Crumble Social pastry, and an iced pistachio matcha or coffee made with Rude Health Pistachio Drink).
Book here.
7. For A Weekend Life Reset: Home, Life & You LIVE
What: If your saved folder is currently full of interiors, organisation hacks and ways to generally get your life together, Home, Life & You LIVE might be worth a visit.
The two-day event returns to ExCeL London with more than 100 brands, talks, demonstrations and experiences covering interiors, organisation, decluttering, family life, productivity, wellbeing and personal growth.
Marie Kondo returns as the 2026 headline speaker, this time introducing her new project, The Art of Tokimeki, exploring how to work out what genuinely matters and make small changes to bring your home and life into better alignment.
She’ll be joined across the weekend by The Declutter Hub, Kate Hall of The Full Freezer Method, Mums That Rave and Lou Featherstone, among others.
Consider it a weekend dedicated to getting your house, and possibly your life, in order.
Where: ExCeL London
When: 17–18 October 2026
Tickets: £20 for the weekend
Book here.
7. For Talks, Culture And Comedy: Sir Devonshire Square
What: Sir Devonshire Square has quietly put together a very good October calendar.
It starts on 7 October with Sabrina Zohar and Patterns: Attachment and Relationships, exploring modern relationships and the patterns we repeat. Then comes How To…Not Get Bored of London on 13 October, followed by Expanding the Gaze on 14 October, looking at who gets to look, who gets seen and how the gaze can be reclaimed.
Later in the month, bestselling author Vex King arrives for Between the Lines on 28 October, before things get considerably less serious with Stand Up at Sir the following evening.
Five events, five very different reasons to head into the City.
Where: Sir Devonshire Square, City of London
When: Selected dates from 7–29 October 2026
Book here.
8. For An Autumn Reset: TEMZ Floating Saunas
What: A floating sauna on the Thames feels particularly appropriate once London starts getting cold again.
TEMZ Floating Saunas combines traditional sauna heat with thermo-controlled ice baths at two riverside locations just outside central London.
The Lensbury in Teddington offers the quieter setting, surrounded by trees and riverside wildlife, while the newer TEMZ at The Mitre sits on a purpose-built pontoon at Hampton Court, complete with views towards Hampton Court Palace.
There are no screens, step counts or performance targets involved. Just an hour to alternate between hot and cold, sit by the river and switch off for a bit.
The kind of autumn reset that feels much further from London than it actually is.
Where: The Mitre, Hampton Court & The Lensbury, Teddington
When: Throughout October
Book here.
9. For A Different Take On Sober October: Bingham Riverhouse
What: Sober October doesn’t have to mean a month of lime and soda.
On 7 October, Bingham Riverhouse is hosting Celebrate The Mindful Pour, an evening dedicated to low-, no- and functional drinks.
London Nootropics, Smiling Wolf, Ancient + Brave and Grass & Co. will be joining the Richmond riverside spot for tastings and demonstrations, with ideas for turning alcohol-free alternatives into cocktails and easy serves at home.
It sits within Bingham Riverhouse’s wider autumn wellbeing programme, which spans yoga, Pilates, meditation, breathwork and sound healing through its bhuti studio. Dr Shefali will also visit on 18 October for a talk on conscious parenting.
One for anyone using October as an excuse to slow things down a little.
Where: Bingham Riverhouse, Richmond
When: Celebrate The Mindful Pour, 7 October 2026, 6:30pm–7:30pm
Book here.
10. For Friday Night Jazz: Ronnie Scott’s At The Anthologist
What: One of Soho’s most famous institutions is heading east for October.
Ronnie Scott’s is taking over The Anthologist near Bank every Friday night for a month-long residency, bringing live jazz, soul and blues to the Square Mile.
The line-up starts with New Orleans-born soul singer Acantha Lang on 9 October, followed by British blues musician Marcus Bonfanti on 16 October, Louise Marshall on 23 October and award-winning jazz vocalist Jo Harrop on 30 October.
There’ll be two live sets each night alongside a special Maker’s Mark menu featuring a Mango Spiced Whiskey Sour, Salted Caramel Popcorn Old Fashioned and Coffee Manhattan.
Tickets are £20 and include a welcome cocktail. Book dinner beforehand, stay for the music and call it your Friday night sorted.
Where: The Anthologist, 58 Gresham Street, London EC2V 7BB
When: Fridays from 9–30 October 2026, doors from 8pm
Tickets: £20, including a welcome cocktail
Book here.
Bonus: For Oktoberfest Without Leaving London: TRIBE Canary Wharf
What: Not quite ready for October to become all about Halloween? TRIBE London Canary Wharf is offering an alternative with a month of Oktoberfest celebrations.
The hotel’s Feels Like June restaurant has teamed up with Harbour Brewing Company for a Bavarian-inspired takeover, complete with a mobile beer bar on the terrace overlooking Canary Wharf.
There are £5 pints throughout October, alongside a four-beer tasting flight featuring Helles Lager, Pale Ale, Peach Juicy Lager and Big Wednesday Hazy IPA. Food keeps things suitably Oktoberfest-inspired too, with bratwurst and freshly baked pretzels available to pair with your pint.
The terrace bar is open from 11am until 11pm daily, so there’s no need to wait for the weekend either.
Where: TRIBE London Canary Wharf
When: Throughout October 2026
Price: Pints from £5; beer tasting flight £13
Bookings not required.
For more London recommendations, visit TONE Magazine LDN and our Outings page..
