What's On in London

Psychobilly Freakout 2026 — New Cross Inn is bracing itself for a full-throttle collision of rockabilly, punk, and vintage horror as Psychobilly Freakout rolls back into town for 2026 — and on Halloween eve, the timing could not be more perfect. Expect pompadours, leather, and a crowd that treats every riff like a battle cry, in one of South London's most characterful live music venues. Kicking off at 1:00pm and running well into the evening, tickets are £32–£80 and this one is absolutely not for the faint-hearted.

School's Out Trick or Treat Edition! — Rollernation in Finsbury Park transforms into the most gloriously chaotic Halloween party on wheels at 1:00pm, and families with kids in tow would be absolute fools to miss it. Costumes are practically compulsory, the rink will be buzzing with colour and laughter, and the combination of skates and spooky fun makes for a memory that will last until next October at least. Tickets run from £16–£50, making it a genuinely accessible afternoon adventure for all ages.

Mozart Piano Concertos by Candlelight — There are few more romantic settings in London than St Mary Le Strand — that elegant Baroque island church on the Strand — and at 6:00pm it will be filled entirely with flickering candlelight and the extraordinary music of Mozart. This is the kind of evening that makes you feel quietly grateful to be alive, the sort where the city's noise falls away completely and all that remains is piano and flame. Tickets are £35–£50, and it is followed later the same evening by a Chopin and Champagne edition for those who want to make a full night of it.

Hayao Miyazaki's Dreams by Mystery Ensemble — If you have ever been moved by the sweeping, magical scores of Studio Ghibli films — the soaring brass of Howl's Moving Castle, the gentle wonder of My Neighbour Totoro — then Mystery Ensemble's tribute concert at Kensington United Reformed Church at 7:00pm will feel like a deeply personal gift. The intimate church setting adds an almost cinematic reverence to the whole affair, turning beloved film music into something genuinely transportive. Tickets are £12–£26, making this one of the most generously priced special events of the evening.

Halloween Rock Show — Jam In A Jar keeps it beautifully unpretentious with a Halloween Rock Show at 7:30pm — just live guitars, proper rock and roll energy, and a crowd dressed somewhere on the spectrum between zombie and reluctant civilian. At just £7 a ticket, it is one of the best-value gigs in the city tonight, and these small-venue Halloween shows have a way of turning into the most unexpectedly brilliant nights of the year. Come for the music, stay for the chaos.

Brixton Fridays: Hip Hop, R&B & Afrobeats 'til 3AM — The Blues Kitchen Brixton needs no excuse to throw a party, but Brixton Fridays — running all the way until 3:00am with a relentless stream of hip hop, R&B, and Afrobeats — is something of a south London institution. Starting at 8:00pm, this is the kind of night where the dance floor never quite cools down, the sound system does the heavy lifting, and you emerge sometime in the small hours wondering where the time went. At just £4–£7 on the door, it is an almost absurdly good deal for a Halloween Friday in one of London's greatest neighbourhoods.