Having trouble deciding on the best spots for photography in London?
Then check out the fantastic events in the London and Watford area this month. These events are more geared towards photography, fashion and art.
Hello October!
London / Watford comes alive in October. The city’s trees explode into fiery shades after this year’s hot summer, promising one of the most striking autumns in years. But it’s not just nature stealing the show — Frieze Masters dominates the art world, Halloween unleashes a wave of hauntingly good events, and the Zombie Walk rises again after a five-year slumber.
Last Updated: 3rd October
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Black History Month 2025 – 1st till 30th
Black History Month 2025 in the UK — a time to honour the achievements, culture, and contributions of Black communities past and present. Across London, you’ll find exhibitions, talks, performances, walking tours, and community events that shine a light on untold stories, amplify Black voices, and celebrate creativity and resilience. This year’s theme is Standing Firm in Power and Pride.
Find out more here.
Lee Miller Exhibition at Tate Britain – 2nd till 15th February 2026
A major exhibition of the trailblazing surrealist photographer Lee Miller at Tate Britain. An extensive retrospective of her photography, staged in the UK at Tate Britain, celebrates Lee Miller as one of the 20th century’s most urgent artistic voices. The exhibition opens on October 2nd and runs until February 15th, 2026.
Find out more here.
Ballerina Shoot in the city of London – 5th
Explore the vibrant streets of London with Meghan, a professional ballerina who brings the elegance of ballet to the urban landscape. As we wander through the city from Liverpool Street to Spitalfields Market, we capture Meghan seamlessly integrating classic ballet poses and movements into the dynamic setting.
Find out more here.
Gilbert & George at Hayward Gallery – 7th till 11th January 2026
This exhibition showcases Gilbert & George’s artistic journey, highlighting new pictures created since the start of the millennium. With bold, single-word titles, each piece delves into societal norms and taboos, spanning the mundane and the illicit, with their art challenging boundaries of taste and propriety.
Find out more here.
The Other Art Fair at The Truman Brewery – 9th till 12th
Combining affordable and original artworks and over 175 independent artists with immersive installations, performances, DJs – and a fully stocked bar.
Find out more here.
Nigerian Modernism at Tate Modern – 8th till 10th May 2026
Nigerian Modernism tells the story of artistic networks that spanned Zaria, Ibadan, Lagos, and Enugu, as well as London, Munich, and Paris. Through groups like the Zaria Art Society and Mbari Artists’ and Writers’ Club, they fused Nigerian, African and European techniques and traditions to create vibrant, multidimensional works.
Find out more here.
Ashes to Blossoms: 80 Years after Hiroshima – 8th
Experience a rare opportunity to meet and hear directly from the exhibition’s curator – a third-generation survivor of the Hiroshima bombing. In this FREE 30-minute talk at our exhibition space in Japanese Gallery Angel, he will share personal stories passed down through their family, offering a deeply human perspective that bridges history and the present day. The session will include insights into the exhibition’s artworks, followed by a Q&A and time to explore the display at your own pace.
Find out more here.
Peter Doig : House of Music at Serpentine South – 10th till 8th February 2026
Transforming the gallery into a listening space, House of Music brings together recent paintings and, for the first time, integrates sound into Doig’s work. The exhibition features two sets of rare, restored analogue speakers, originally designed for cinemas and large auditoriums. Music selected by the artist – from his substantial archive of vinyl records and cassette tapes accumulated over decades – plays through a set of ‘high fidelity’ 1950s wooden Klangfilm Euronor speakers.
Find out more here.
Wayne Thiebaud. American Still Life at The Courtauld Gallery – 10th till 18th January 2026
This exhibition at The Courtauld Gallery will be the first ever museum show of his work in the UK. It will present Thiebaud’s remarkable, vibrant and lushly painted still-lifes of quintessentially post-war American subjects, from diner food and deli counters to gumball dispensers and pinball machines. These are the paintings with which Thiebaud made his name in the USA in the early 1960s.
Find out more here.
Andreas Gursky at the White Cube Gallery – 11th till 8th November 2025
Coinciding with Frieze London 2025, White Cube Mason’s Yard presents new work by Andreas Gursky, which delves into his interest in music and ongoing investigation into contemporary culture.
Find out more here.
World Zombie Day – 11th
Experience the thrill of London’s reanimated zombie walk through the heart of the city! Don your most impressive zombie attire and join fellow enthusiasts for an unforgettable journey through iconic London locations.
Find out more here.
Diwali on the Square 2025 at Trafalgar Square – 12th
Celebrate the Mayor of London’s annual Diwali on the Square on 12 October 2025 at Trafalgar Square, right in the heart of London. The event runs from 2pm to 8pm, and best of all, it’s free – no need to book a ticket. It is excellent for photography.
Find out more here.
Royal Parks Half Marathon – 12th
The stunning 13.1-mile route takes in many of the capital’s world-famous landmarks on closed roads, and four of London’s eight Royal Parks – Hyde Park, The Green Park, St James’s Park and Kensington Gardens. It is excellent for photography.
Find out more here.
Minor Attractions – 14th till 18th
Minor Attractions returns to The Mandrake for its third edition this 14-18 October 2025. Blending contemporary art with performance and nightlife, the fair is becoming a catalyst in the city’s emerging art scene while carving out its place in the international commercial circuit.
Find out more here.
Photographic Walk in Whippendell Woods – 15th
Take a guided walk through Cassiobury Park to Whippendell Woods, led by Andrew Lalchan (local photographer); we will explore early autumn in the park with the changing leaves and fungi.
Find out more here.
The Affordable Art Fair in Battersea Park – 15th till 19th
Showcasing a world of art from 114 contemporary galleries from all over the globe. Highlights will include a special installation by Beth Shapeero, our annual Recent Graduates Exhibition, curated displays for Black History Month, as well as Art After Dark Lates, weekend Family Mornings, drop-in embroidery workshops, and more.
Find out more here.
Frieze Masters 2025 in Regents Park – 15th to 19th
The art world converges in Regent’s Park, London, for Frieze London and Frieze Masters (15–19 October 2025), which together feature more than 280 galleries from 45 countries. This year’s fairs foreground artists and curated programming, reaffirming London’s defining role as a global centre of artistic exchange, shaped by profound expertise across histories and geographies.
Find out more here.
1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair at Somerset House – 16th till 19th
London’s Somerset House will again be elevated by contemporary art from Africa and the African diaspora, as the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair arrives for its 12th edition from 10–13 October.
Find out more here.
Colour Walk Meetup at Spitalfields Market – 16th
It is an informal gathering of colourful, creative souls who meet, dressed in their finest, to walk, talk, and strut their stuff. It is excellent for photography.
Find out more here.
Women In Print at the William Morris Gallery – 18th till 21st June 2026
William Morris Gallery will present Women in Print: 150 Years of Liberty Textiles. Conceived in partnership with Liberty Fabrics on the occasion of the design house’s 150th anniversary, this major exhibition will highlight the pivotal role and contributions of women textile designers.
Find out more here.
Halloween Shoot in Battersea Park – 26th
We will be doing a Halloween photoshoot in Battersea Park. Our two models will be dressed up in Halloween costumes in the woods of Battersea Park.
Find out more here.
Poppy Fields by Luxmuralis at St Albans Cathedral – 28th till 1st November
Experience Poppy Fields by Luxmuralis, an immersive journey of light and sound reflecting on the World Wars and hopes for peace. Stunning projections and evocative music will transform the Cathedral into a moving work of art.
Find out more here.
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Last chance to see
More Than Human at The Design Museum – till 5th October
Why has design traditionally only focused on the needs of humans, when we exist alongside billions of animals, plants and other living beings? This groundbreaking exhibition offers a new perspective, one that will be crucial to enabling the planet to thrive.
Find out more here.
Rachel Jones at Dulwich Picture Gallery – till 19th October
An explosion of colour and feeling, this solo show explores identity and abstraction in Jones’s vivid new paintings.
Find out more here
Edward Burra & Edward Burra at Tate Britain – till 19th October
Edward Burra runs in parallel with an exhibition of works by Ithell Colquhoun, offering visitors the chance to see two influential British artists with one ticket. Edward Burra is one of the most distinctive British artists of the 20th century, renowned for his vibrant, satirical scenes of the uninhibited urban underworld and queer culture during the ‘Roaring Twenties.’
Find out more here
Ancient India: living traditions at The British Museum – till 25th October
This new exhibition, reaching back more than 2,000 years, explores the origins of Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist sacred art in the ancient and powerful nature spirits of India and the spread of this art beyond the subcontinent.
Find out more here.
Making Egypt exhibition at the Young V&A – till 2nd November 2025
Embark on a fascinating journey through the ancient past to the modern day, exploring ancient Egypt’s creativity and how it continues to influence art, design and popular culture today.
Find out more here.
Frieze Sculpture at Regents Park – till 2nd November
The much-celebrated public art initiative coincides with Frieze London and Frieze Masters, which take place concurrently in The Regent’s Park, 17 September – 2 November. Curated by Fatoş Üstek, the theme for Frieze Sculpture 2025 is ‘In the Shadows’, broadly engaging with the notion of darkness from multiple perspectives, such as inner darkness, the realm of the unseen or the interplay between clarity and obscurity.
Find out more here.
VE Day – The Tower Remembers at Tower Of London – 11th November
2025 Poppies commemorative display to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. The display will feature nearly 30,000 of the original poppies, created for the 2014 installation, ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’, returning to the Tower, marking the sacrifices made by many during the Second World War.
Find out more here
The Edwardians: Age of Elegance at Kings Gallery – til 23rd November 2025
Explore the opulence and glamour of the Edwardian age – the period between the Victorian era and the First World War. Visitors will learn about the lives and tastes of two of Britain’s most fashionable royal couples – King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, and King George V and Queen Mary – from their family lives and personal collecting to their glittering social circles and spectacular royal events.
Find out more here.
Future Of Food at Design Museum – till 4th January
How does our food today go from field to plate? How did food use to be produced in the past? And how will major advances in ecology and biotechnology change food in the future? Discover the answers to these and many more vital questions in an exciting new exhibition exploring how science is creating more sustainable ways of growing, making, cooking and eating food.
Find out more here.
Emily Kam Kngwarray at Tate Modern – till 11th January 2026
Renowned Australian artist Emily Kam Kngwarray (c.1914–1996) created compelling, powerful works that reflect her extraordinary life as an Anmatyerr woman born in Alhalker in the Sandover region of the Northern Territory of Australia.
Find out more here.
Kerry James Marshall: The Histories at Royal Academy – till 18th January 2026
Internationally acclaimed artist Kerry James Marshall is one of the most important painters working right now. His vivid and mostly large-scale paintings place the Black figure front and centre. Marshall builds upon the Western tradition of history painting and makes visible those people who were so noticeably absent in the works that came before him.
Find out more here.
Performance of Entrapment by Jane and Louise Wilson at London Mithraeum – till 17th January 2026
Central to the installation will be 2,000-year-old oak stakes discovered during excavations for Bloomberg’s European headquarters. The Wilsons use high-resolution microscopic imagery of the oak’s grain as a starting point for a new body of work. Blending screen-printing, resin, and carved wooden forms, and drawing inspiration from the wood’s structure, patterns and DNA sequencing to create large-scale, visually layered artworks.
Find out more here.
Radical Harmony Helene Kröller-Müller’s Neo-Impressionists at National Gallery – till 8th February 2026
Neo-Impressionists painted in small dots of pure colour. Viewed from a distance, the colours blend to create nuanced tones and an illusion of light. Now known as pointillism, this technique simplified form and played with colour in an entirely new way, verging on the edge of abstraction.
Find out more here.
Marie Antoinette Style at V&A – 20th to 22nd March 2026
A complex fashion icon, Marie Antoinette’s timeless appeal is defined by her style, youth and notoriety. Explore the lasting influence of the most fashionable (and ill-fated) queen in history – with over 250 years of design, fashion, film and art.
Find out more here.
Theatre Picasso at Tate Modern – till 12th April 2026
Marking the centenary of his famous painting The Three Dancers, this exhibition, staged by celebrated contemporary artist Wu Tsang and author and curator Enrique Fuenteblanca, sheds new light on Picasso’s work. They will transform the exhibition space into a theatre for displaying over 45 works by Picasso from Tate’s collection, alongside key European loans. This includes paintings, sculpture, textile and works on paper, some never seen in the UK before.
Find out more here.
Sculpture in the City – till spring 2026
Sculpture in the City is an annual sculpture park that uses the urban realm as a rotating gallery space. The 14th Edition of Sculpture in the City will be on display from 16 July 2025 to Spring 2026, and includes 11 artworks from renowned and emerging artists alike: Ai Weiwei, Jane and Louise Wilson, Andrew Sabin, Julian Opie, Maya Rose Edwards, Samuel Ross, Richard Mackness, Elisa Artesero, Daniel Silver, and Oliver Bragg.
Find out more here.
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