London events in October 2023

This year’s BFI London Film Festival kicks off in October with Emerald Fennell’s new thriller ‘Saltburn’ at the Royal Festival Hall. From there, the UK’s primo film festival will continue its post-pandemic revival in fine style with 11 days and nights of galas, screenings, events, shindigs and film-related happenings around London and other cities around the UK. It’s the most democratic of the world’s big film festivals, with tickets readily available to the public and simultaneous screenings taking its galas out to movielovers nationwide.

When the days are a-darkenin’, London is being over-run with giant arachnids and the supermarkets are filling up with pumpkin-plastered merch, it can only mean one thing: Halloween, Tuesday October 31 2023, is almost upon us. So dust off your cape, comb out your synthetic wig and get searching for a ‘beginner friendly’ face painting tutorial on YouTube. Here are the best Halloween events happening in London this year. 

Munich’s official Oktoberfest celebration is back this year, but it’s not like you have to travel to Germany for a stein-sloshing good time anyway. There’s plenty of oompah blaring, Bratwurst feasting and lederhosen wearing to be had right here in London town. Just head down to one of these Bavarian beer halls and get the Erdingers in. Prost!

London Literature Festival is back celebrating all things wordy at the Southbank Centre this October. The sixteenth edition of the festival will continue to celebrate the work of prestigious names and exciting new writers from the world of written and spoken words. The likes of Jada Pinkett-Smith, Sir Patrick Stewart, Ed Gamble and Kerry Washington are on the roster of guests. Opening night will be guest-curated by George the Poet, The Black British Book Festival will see the first public reading of Leigh-Anne Pinnock's hotly anticipated memoir and Debut London Literature will be showcasing the work of some of London's most exciting young writers, such as Bryan Moriarty and Wiz Wharton. Plus, much more. 

It is a truth generally acknowledged that 1993's ‘Sunset Boulevard’ is on the relatively select list that comprises Andrew Lloyd Webber Musicals That Are Actually Quite Good. There is, however, some debate over whether Webber, Don Black and Christopher Hampton’s claustrophobic adaptation of Billy Wilder’s 1950 film noir has ever really had the production it deserves. Maybe this will be the one! Perennially hip director Jamie Lloyd rarely misses. That his star for this West End revival will be erstwhile Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger is… intriguing. 

Frieze Sculpture returns for another year, transforming Regent's Park, one of London's prettiest green spaces into a massive outdoor gallery. Fatoş Üstek will take the curation reins for the first time, and visitors can appreciate the new works by leading international artists, including the likes of Ayşe Erkmen, Ghada Amer and Hank Willis Thomas. The exhibition will be complemented by a programme of performances and talks to enhance the experience, free to the public. Slap on the sun cream (or a raincoat) and go soak up some sculpture.

October isn’t just the time of year when the leaves turn brown, the clocks go back, yet another installment of the seemingly unkillable ‘Halloween’ franchise is released and sugary pumpkin syrup suddenly starts appearing in absolutely everything. It’s also Black History Month, and as usual there’s plenty going on around the capital to mark the occasion. Check out our roundup of some of the best stuff going on throughout the month here.

An RSC stage version of Maggie O’Farrell’s bestselling novel ‘Hamnet’ was clearly always going to end up in the West End. The novel is both an imagining of the life and untimely death of William Shakespeare’s son Hamnet, as seen through the eyes of his mother Agnes – more commonly called Anne – and the story of Shakespeare and Agnes’s relationship. Madeleine Mantock will star as Agnes in a production directed by Erica Whyman.

London Month of the Dead is back with plenty of events that will chill you to your very core. The 2023 programme is jam-packed with ghostly tours and talks. get to know London’s ancient burial grounds, a secret underground Victorian underbelly and journey along Britain's corpse roads. There's also talks on humanity's obsession with speaking with the dead and an epic-sounding Halloween ball. These events are scarily popular, so book your ticket now. 

It’s been a very long time since Kenneth Branagh last graced our stages, but finally he’s back, and really, it’s like he’s never been away. A self-directed production of Shakespeare’s ‘Lear’ is classic Branagh. There’s not a huge amount of other detail yet, but given Branagh’s star-studded filofax and the large number of juicy supporting roles in Shakespeare’s elemental tragedy, you can expect a top-notch cast to back him up.

Major stars Lily James and Kristin Scott Thomas were last seen together on screen in Ben Wheatley’s 2020 Netflix Daphne du Maurier adaptation ‘Rebecca’. The reviews were mixed, but they obviously enjoyed each other’s company as they’re signed up for a two-month West End run together in brand new play ‘Lyonesse’. Written by the excellent Penelope Skinner it tells the story of reclusive actress Elaine (Scott-Thomas) who disappeared for 30 years but is now apparently ready for a comeback, summoning young film executive Kate (James) to her Cornish to mastermind her return.

Rising star Alison Oliver – great in last year’s ‘Women, Beware the Devil’ – returns to the Almeida to take on the title role of Marina Carr’s powerful drama about a woman who has lived for 15 years in the shadow of her twin’s death. Carrie Cracknell directs.

Is that the saccharine scent of pumpkin spice in the air? Surprised to see lots of orange orbs taking over your local supermarket? It can only mean one thing: autumn is upon us in all its crispy-leafed, russet splendour. 

From glowing sunsets, to bracing walks and cosy pubs, there are lots of things that make up the ultimate autumnal day trip and London has them in spadefuls. Whether it’s nestling up in an old-school whisky tavern with a wee dram, collecting up armfuls of pumpkins from the city’s premier markets or exploring Gothic cemeteries. 

In what is Soho Theatre’s biggest homegrown theatre show in aeons, Gill Greer adapts Eliza Clark’s satirical bestseller about Irina, a photographer who takes erotic photos of average-looking men. But when she’s  offered an exhibition in a hip London gallery, questions start to be asked about what she’s doing – and why. Sara Joyce directs a cast that will be headed by Aimée Kelly as Irina.

Looking at great art needn't cost the same as buying great art. With a shed-load of free art exhibitions in London, wandering through sculptures, being blinded by neon or admiring some of the best photography in London needn't cost a penny. Here's our pick of the best free art exhibitions this week and beyond.

RECOMMENDED: explore our full guide to free London