October is one of the best months to be in London, with the city’s cultural calendar ramping up from film festivals and major exhibitions to Frieze, food events and, inevitably, a growing number of Halloween happenings. If you’re looking for something more interesting than another pub garden before winter properly sets in, these are the dates worth knowing about.

Best cultural events in October at a glance

• Best for art lovers: Frieze London
• Best for a weekend day out: Halloween at Kew
• Best for Diwali celebrations: Diwali on the Square
• Best for a date night: Tim Walker’s Fairyland
• Best for a Halloween party: Wagtail Rooftop’s Surrealist Soirée
• Best for foodies: Diwali dining at The Cinnamon Collection

Best cultural events in October: full list

1. BFI London Film Festival

7–18 October

The BFI London Film Festival is back for its 70th edition, bringing 12 days of new films, premieres, documentaries, series and immersive work to cinemas across the capital. The festival is centred around BFI Southbank and the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, alongside a host of cinemas around London, with this year’s programme spanning 251 titles from 88 countries.

It opens on 7 October with the European premiere of Elsinore, directed by Simon Stone and starring the story of actor Ian Charleson, so there’s plenty happening beyond the usual big-screen releases. With films running throughout the month, you can pick a screening based on the programme rather than committing to the whole festival.

• When: 7–18 October 2026
• Where: BFI Southbank, Southbank Centre and cinemas across London
• Tickets: Individual screening prices vary

2. The 90s: Art and Fashion at Tate Britain

From 8 October

If your idea of the 1990s is more Kate Moss and Britpop than remembering where you left your Tamagotchi, Tate Britain is turning the decade into an exhibition. The 90s: Art and Fashion opens on 8 October, bringing together art, photography and fashion from a decade that had an outsized influence on what London looked like, wore and talked about.

It’s a particularly good one for anyone interested in the crossover between the art and fashion worlds, with the exhibition looking at the cultural shifts that defined the period. It runs well into 2027, but October is your first chance to see it.

• When: 8 October 2026 – 14 February 2027
• Where: Tate Britain, Millbank
• Tickets: Advance booking recommended

3. Tim Walker’s Fairyland: Love and Legends

From 9 October

The National Portrait Gallery is getting properly fantastical with Tim Walker’s Fairyland: Love and Legends, a major new exhibition from the British fashion photographer. Opening on 9 October, it explores queer identity, community and love through Walker’s distinctive, dreamlike photography, with portraits and fantastical imagery inspired by fairytales, mythology and his own creative world.

Expect the sort of elaborate, surreal photography that makes you question whether you’ve walked into a gallery or straight into a fashion editorial. The exhibition includes Walker’s portraits of figures including Lady Gaga, Frank Ocean and Hunter Schafer, and runs until February.

• When: 9 October 2026 – 7 February 2027
• Where: National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Place
• Tickets: From £23

4. Frieze London and Frieze Masters

14–18 October

Frieze takes over Regent’s Park again this October, bringing contemporary art, modern masters and a serious amount of people-watching to north London. Frieze London and Frieze Masters run from 14–18 October, with the first day reserved for an invitation-only preview and general admission from 15 October.

You don’t need to be in the market for a six-figure painting to enjoy it. Alongside the galleries, the fairs are a good excuse to spend an afternoon looking at what the art world is currently obsessing over, followed by a drink somewhere around Marylebone or Primrose Hill.

• When: 14–18 October 2026
• Where: The Regent’s Park
• Tickets: General admission from 15 October; prices vary

5. Halloween at Kew

16 October – 1 November

Kew Gardens is swapping its usual botanical serenity for something considerably more sinister this October. Halloween at Kew returns with a 1.5km illuminated trail featuring Dracula’s Lair, a Cursed Tomb, Medieval Dungeon, Forest Ritual and Monster Disco, alongside live actors, fire performers and the return of the Headless Horseman.

There are three levels of spooky: daylight, twilight and moonlight, with the atmosphere getting progressively darker and scarier as the evening goes on. It’s family-friendly across all sessions, although the later slots are definitely aimed at visitors who want more of a fright.

• When: 16 October – 1 November 2026
• Where: Kew Gardens
• Tickets: From £19.50 for non-member adults

6. Diwali dining at The Cinnamon Collection

19 October – 14 November

If you’d rather celebrate Diwali over a proper feast, chef Vivek Singh’s Cinnamon Collection is marking the Festival of Lights with special menus across four London restaurants. Expect modern Indian cooking, celebratory cocktails and seasonal sweets, with options ranging from an eight-course sharing feast at Cinnamon Bazaar in Covent Garden to a five-course dinner in the Grade II-listed former library housing The Cinnamon Club in Westminster.

Prices start at £39 per person at Cinnamon Bazaar, where the menu includes tandoori chicken thighs, shrimp malai curry and almond and rose kulfi. For something a little more elaborate, Cinnamon Kitchen City is serving a nine-dish feast for £48 per person, featuring king prawn malai curry and a mithai cheesecake inspired by traditional Indian sweets.

• When: 19 October – 14 November 2026
• Where: Cinnamon Bazaar Covent Garden, Cinnamon Kitchen Battersea, Cinnamon Kitchen City and The Cinnamon Club, Westminster
• Tickets: Menus from £39 per person; minimum two diners at the sharing-menu restaurants

7. London Literature Festival

20 October – 1 November

Dua Lipa is taking over the literary world this October as curator of the 2026 London Literature Festival at Southbank Centre. The festival runs from 20 October to 1 November, with the singer and Service95 Book Club founder bringing together a programme of established and emerging writers.

The programme spans author conversations, spoken word, poetry and Service95 Book Club events, making this one for anyone who likes their cultural calendar to involve an actual conversation rather than another exhibition wall label.

• When: 20 October – 1 November 2026
• Where: Southbank Centre
• Tickets: Prices vary; some events are free

8. Halloween at Hampton Court Palace

24 October – 1 November

Halloween gets a Tudor makeover at Hampton Court Palace, where the historic palace will be transformed with atmospheric projections, eerie sound effects and ghostly figures for the half-term period. There are also Halloween talks taking place earlier in October, for anyone who prefers their hauntings with a little more history attached.

The Haunted Palace experience is designed to be family-friendly, but expect darkness, loud noises, flashing lights and the occasional jump scare. It’s included with palace admission, making it a good option if you fancy combining your Halloween plans with a proper day out.

• When: 24 October – 1 November 2026
• Where: Hampton Court Palace
• Tickets: Included with palace admission; members go free

9. Diwali on the Square

25 October

Trafalgar Square will be filled with music, dance, food and colour for London’s annual Diwali on the Square on 25 October. The free celebration features a main stage of music and performances from London’s Hindu, Sikh and Jain communities, alongside dance workshops, sari and turban tying, a market and vegetarian and vegan food stalls.

It’s one of the capital’s biggest free cultural celebrations, and you don’t need to book a ticket. The event runs from 1pm to 7pm, making it easy to drop in for an afternoon before continuing into central London.

• When: Sunday 25 October, 1–7pm
• Where: Trafalgar Square
• Tickets: Free, no booking required

10. Wagtail Rooftop’s Surrealist Soirée

31 October

For a Halloween party with considerably more imagination than the standard witches-and-vampires brief, Wagtail Rooftop is taking inspiration from the legendary 1972 Rothschild Surrealist Ball. On Halloween night, the City rooftop will become a surrealist playground of contortionists, roaming magicians, living art statues, DJs and a live violinist.

Costumes are encouraged, with prizes for the best dressed, while Casamigos cocktails include the cherry-and-cola Velvet Cherry, mango-flavoured Garden of Delights and apple, ginger and lime Frosted Eden. It’s theatrical, slightly ridiculous and exactly the sort of excuse Halloween should provide to dress up properly.

• When: Saturday 31 October, 7pm until late
• Where: Wagtail Rooftop, 68 King William St, London EC4N 7HR
• Tickets: £25pp