October, the month the evenings get darker and we start to crave cosy, candle lit evenings.
Soup is on the stove, the pumpkins are for carving and the heating gets turned up.
But there's loads going on in London to tempt you out of your cosy homes.
If you want to plan some fun things to do in London in October then check out these ideas for inspiration.
Horizon 22b is London's brand new public viewing platform.
It's London's highest viewing platform and offers 300 degree views.
It's located on the 58th floor in the city of London at 22 Bishopsgate.
Opening times on weekdays are 10-6pm, 10-5pm Saturday and 10-4pm Sundays.
You must book but tickets are free.
2) CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN
When did Halloween become such a big event?
You can now buy Halloween themed everything!
Get in on the action and head to a Halloween celebration in London.
Werewolf Beer is an Amercian brewery in Camden. They are holding Halloween events throughout the whole month of October.
There's a beer festival, pumpkin carving, live music, a horror beach party, bingo and more.
Bar Elba is a roof top bar in Waterloo.
On 28th October they are hosting a rooftop apocalypse where immersive actors will bring your worst nightmares to life, apparently.
You get 90 minutes of bottomless drinks ,to calm your nerves, and a brunch dish from £39.
Signature Brew is a state of the art brewery and music venue.
There's a Halloween ball happening in Walthamstow with the amazing Old Dirty Brasstards on 27th October £18.
The Cocoa butter club Halloween Special is taking place on 28th October. The Cocoa Butter Club is a night filled with drag and burlesque £15.
Rocky Horror Picture Show is being screened for FREE on 29th October and Buffy the Vampire Slayer quiz is on 1st Novemeber £2 per person
Feels like June is a Californian themed restaurant in Canary Wharf.
They are holding a Hollywood themed 'Dead Famous' Halloween party on 31st October. Tickets are just £5 and include a welcome cocktail and canapés.
Salsa Soho is a large cocktail bar, restaurant and nightclub, all under one roof .
Entry is free before 9pm Monday to Thursday and before 7pm on weekends .
Open 7 nights a week with a generous Happy Hour 4-8pm every evening.
Dance classes take place in the early evening (optional) , with free intro classes for beginners on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at around 7pm.
The venue is decked for Halloween celebrations starting Friday 27th October, ending with The Day of the dead party, on Thursday 2nd November.
There's Halloween themed drag, ping pong and bottomless brunch at Bounce Old Street on 28th October.
Pick time slots 1-3pm or 4-6pm. There's 2 hours of unlimited ping pong, pizza, prossecco and beer. There's also entertainment and prizes for the best Halloween costume. Tickets are £45.
This is one for the parents of babies, you can have a night out during the day.
CLIP Theatre run drag bingo sessions that you can bring your baby to.
On the 25th October you can join then at The Great Exhibition in East Dulwich 2-4pm.
You can also go to Balham at the Bedford and in Bromley at the Artful Duke on 31st October at 11am and 2pm. In Greenwich at the Old Brewery at 2pm.
There's a CLIP leader to entertain the babies and a drag artist. Expect stupid prizes and lots of fun.
Tickets from £14.50 but the bigger your group, the cheaper the tickets.
Neon Naked is elevated life drawing, an art class in ultra violet light.
They have events at different locations in London from 28th October-1st November.
£15 a ticket.
3) SEE SOME ART
The Barbican Conservatory alone is worth a visit. The conservatory is currently a host to Ranjani Shettar's beautiful sculptures.
It's free to visit but you must book as it's only open certain days, mainly Friday evenings and Sundays.
You can also see the RE/SISTERS exhibition at the Barbican. It explores the relationship between gender and ecology. It's open until 14th January and costs £16.
The Other Art fair is an art fair that supports independent artists who push boundaries.
It's coming to London at the Truman Brewery 12th-15th October.
I went last year and it's super fun, there's some very interesting pieces.
There's a huge array of artists and styles from established and emerging talent including pieces from God's Own Junkyard. Tickets from £12
The Art of Banksy is an unauthorised private collection exhibition, now open on Regent Street.
It's the worlds largest collection of original and authenticated Banksy's. There's over 150 items in the collection. Tickets are from £17.50 and it's open 10-9pm daily.
4) NEW RESTAURANT OPENINGS
The iconic London store's dining hall is reopening after it's refurbishment on 7th October.
The old favourites have been refreshed and some new names are joining them.
There's live music evenings and late night openings.
You can still dine at Harrods long after the store itself has closed.
Have you ever pushed for champagne at Bob Bob Ricard? You can now visit their younger brother, round the corner at Bebe Bob.
Expect rotisserie chicken, caviar, fine wine and champagne.
The restaurant offers any main course the customer wants, as long as it's chicken!
There's 30% off food until 15th October.
There's a waffle and bellini menu at weekends.
Jackson Boxer has taken over The Corner on the 2nd floor of Selfridges.
He's serving an experimental menu of seasonal dishes.
Get a free glass of champagne when you sign up to Selfridges unlocked (it's free to join) Just flash them your unlocked key when you book and dine before 15th October.
The 18th Bloomsbury Festival is taking place from 13th-22nd October.
The festival is an annual celebration of Bloombury's creativity.
100 events including theatre, music, exhibitions, talks and walks.
There's family friendly events and many are also free.
The festival launches with a FREE event on 13th October 12-5pm.
London Cocktail week is back on 12th-22nd October.
It's a celebration of cocktail culture with special events, tastings and menus.
Bars across London take part and offer a cocktail special at £8.
Bars taking part include swanky hotel bars, sophisticated rooftops and hidden gems.
Wristbands cost £15 and you can use them as many times as you like during the event.
You can look online to see what bars are participating and the drink they offer.
A festival of ideas and discoveries at The Excel centre on 7th and 8th October.
It's an exhibition with talks, experiences and exhibitions.
Speakers include Hamza Yassin, Jim Al-Khalili and Alice Roberts.
Adult tickets £45 children £18
8) VIRTUAL REALITY EXPERIENCE
Virtual reality experiences are all over London and the technology is truly mind blowing.
If you need some escapism head to one of these places to lose yourself.
The Horizon of Khufu is opening at Westfield Stratford.
A virtual reality expedition to discover the Great Pyramid of Giza.
With the help of reknown historians you can travel back in time. You can experience ancient wonders of Egypt. Visit reconstructed cultural sites. The experience lasts 45 minutes and costs £45
DNA VR is a virtual reality arcade.
You can take part in a VR escape room or in free roam mode with your group.
There's branches in Camden, Hammersmith and Battersea Junction
Other World is a virtual island paradise and home to 16 VR experiences.
Each person steps into a multi sensory immersion pod. In this pod it's not only about seeing everything in VR but there's also heat, wind and rumble effects.
You'll be united with your friends in virtual avatar form.
In London there's experiences in Victoria and Hackney.
Curling is a team sport played on ice by sliding stones towards a target.
This winter you can head to the Curling Club for curling and alpine food and drinks.
The Curling Club Southbank reopens on 13th October 2023.
It costs from £24 per person for 30 minutes play.
There's food, games and drinks packages available for larger groups.
Things to do in London in October
If you're looking for something fun to do with the family, there's a pop up lego academy in Shoreditch 12-18th October.
It's free and there's a family friendly escape experience available to book.
The Lego Super Power Academy is in conjunction with World Play Day.
Everyone aged 6+ is welcome.
11) WINE TASTING
Love wine? Then October is a great month to do some wine tasting. Get your favourites ready for the festive season.
Grape Market Place is collaborating with Local Cheese Cave.
They are hosting wine and cheese pairing evenings at Doppio in Battersea.
The events will take place in October on 6th, 19th and 21st at 6-8pm.
They'll bring you 5 pairings for £39. Use code LOVEBATTERSEA to get £10 off.
Bar Gansa is a Spanish tapas restaurant in Camden.
They are hosting a Spanish wine tasting night on Wednesday 11th October.
Drink organically crafted wine with an assortment of tapas. If you decide to stay for dinner you'll get 25% off your food.
Tickets are £25 and includes 6 wines.
There's also happy hour 5-7pm and flamenco dancing and music on Sundays.
People's Wine is a wine shop and bar in Dalston. They sell artisanal wine and can deliver nationwide.
They hold regular wine tastings inshore.
Book for their 29th October cheese and wine tasting for £39.
12) SCARE EXPERIENCE AND GHOST TOURS
The Saw escape experience is a multi room, immersive escape experience in America Square.
Enter the mind of the twisted Jigsaw killer.
Test yourself against Jigsaw's games and fight for your chance of redemption. From £39
Voted one of the best horror experiences in the world.
The London Bridge experience uncovers some of London's gruesome history.
They are open all year round, but have a special halloween experience.
You follow live actors around this immersive experience. You'll hear 2000 years of London's dark history. General admission purchased online is £26.95.
I actually love the London Dungeon.
There's 19 interactive shows and 20 actors involved during your visit.
It's immersive, it's fun and sometimes unexpected. There's also 2 rides included.
This Halloween they have a new exorcism show.
Midweek tickets are up to 40% cheaper than weekends and start from £19.80.
Buy tickets online for the best price.
13) GO FOR A ROAST
When the weather starts to get a bit colder and the nights darker, we all crave a good Sunday roast.
Try one of these London restaurants that offer a little bit extra.
Smith Bar and Grill in Paddington serves Sunday roasts 12-4pm.
All roasts are served with honey roasted carrots, duck fat roasted potatoes, tenderstem broccoli, parsnips, a homemade Yorkshire pudding and gravy.
There's sharing options and you can add on bottomless red wine from £15.
Oxbo Bankside is a perfect destination to combine a visit to Borough market and a leisurely stroll down the Southbank.
Every Sunday they offer a Sunday brunch roast, you need to arrive hungry.
You get unlimited starters and desserts, choice of a freshly made brunch item and a main course roast dinner.
4 courses costs £48 or 4 courses with free flowing bubbles or wine.
This is a great one for families as kids under 12 eat free.
The Nomad is a 5 star hotel in central London.
Away from the bustling city, the Nomad has a lush landscaped atrium restaurant.
On Sundays chef Michael Yates makes a classic Sunday roast through a modern lens.
A starter and a main from the set menu is £50 and is served with all the trimmings.
14) HALLOWEEN TOURS
Want to get in a spooky spirit? Book one of these limited edition London tours.
Silent Disco walking tours take you on a musical walking journey.
They are running ghost tours this October.
You'll visit pubs, haunts, murder locations and burial sites whilst listening to a spooky playlist. £24 adults £19 for children.
They also run musical, drag queen and Christmas tours.
Brigits Bakery combine London sightseeing with afternoon tea on their bus tours.
You can book a Halloween bus tour 21st-31st October.
The afternoon tea will be Halloween themed which you can indulge in whilst gazing at London landmarks. A Halloween entertainer will also be on board to amuse and prank you!
Adults £45 and kids £35 and buses depart from Trafalgar Square or Victoria.
The gorgeous Drury Lane theatre is rumoured to be the world's most haunted theatre.
Join them this Halloween on selected dates from 13th-31st October at 9.15-10.50pm
You're hear the history, ghostly encounters and unexplained phenomena. You'll also explore the hidden passages, darkened doorways and backstage areas.
The ticket includes a Halloween cocktail at the Cecil Beaton bar to calm your nerves. Tickets cost £30.
15) PINK OCTOBER - BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
Many businesses will be taking part in Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.
Turning London pink and raising money and helping educate and increase awareness.
Have afternoon tea with an amazing view of London.
Indulge in afternoon tea with pink desserts and a choice of rose champagne, Whispering Angel or non alcoholic rose. £60 and a £2 donation to Cancer Research.
The Shard will turn pink this October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
You can indulge in pink afternoon tea at Ting Restaurant and lounge until November 13th. It's £75 or £96 including a glass of rose champagne. Vegan and vegetarian options are available.
The Sky Lounge, also at the Shangi La will also host a Pink Sky Brunch on Level 34.
£1 per brunch will be donated to Breast Cancer Research.
Spies, lies and deception is a FREE exhibition at the Imperial War Museum that has just opened.
It exhibits 150 artefacts from WW1 to present day.
You'll soon discover the items you see on James Bond aren't completely fictional.
You'll learn about real life secret agents and the costs of being the deceiver and the deceived.
Spies, Lies and Deception is on until 14th April 2024.
Thanks for reading my blog on Things to do in London in October
Have a wonderful October in London and enjoy the spooky festivities and get cosy.