Who says January is boring? London in 2026 proves otherwise
The holidays are over. It still gets dark far too early, the year’s plans haven’t quite taken shape yet, and the calendar helpfully throws in Blue Monday — the so-called “most depressing Monday of the year”, which in 2026 falls on 19 January. Whether you believe in it or not is beside the point; mid-winter fatigue and apathy are very real. To get through Blue Monday without sinking into full-blown winter gloom, Afisha.London has put together a selection of events that help restore a sense of curiosity — and appetite for life.
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London’s New Year traditionally kicks off with the spectacular London New Year’s Day Parade, taking place on 1 January 2026 across the heart of the capital. The route runs through Piccadilly, Regent Street, St James’s, Pall Mall, Trafalgar Square and Whitehall. The parade starts at 1 pm and runs until around 4.30 pm. Watching is free, but arriving early is strongly advised. Details
That same day, Cadogan Hall hosts Ballet Nights. The New Year’s Day Concert: a festive ballet-music format bringing together stars of the international stage, new choreographic works and live music ranging from Dvořák to contemporary soundscapes. Tickets.
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Photo: Canary Wharf Winter Lights
January also brings a run of ambitious and concept-driven musical evenings. On 17 January, winter turns mythic at the Royal Festival Hall with The Firebird. The London Philharmonic Orchestra pairs Rimsky-Korsakov’s Russian Easter Festival Overture with Stravinsky’s dazzling score, while a new piano concerto by Gustavo Díaz-Jerez — incorporating real recordings of the Tajogaite volcanic eruption — transforms the evening under the baton of Maxim Emelyanychev into a large-scale meditation on nature, catastrophe and renewal.
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On 21 January, the Odyssey Festival Orchestra offers a rare concert-as-investigation dedicated to Tchaikovsky. The journey from the fairy-tale lightness of The Nutcracker to the tragic inevitability of the Sixth Symphony (Pathétique) — written just days before the composer’s death — unfolds as a subtle musical exploration of his inner world.
The month closes on 28 January at the Barbican with violinist Maxim Vengerov and pianist Polina Osetinskaya. An exemplary duo recital, its dramatic arc moves from the emotional intensity of Shostakovich’s sonata to the early Romanticism of Brahms and Schubert.
At the end of the month, London once again becomes a focal point for collectors, curators and artists as London Art Fair returns — one of the key fixtures in the city’s art calendar. Galleries from around the world gather for what is often the first major art fair of the year, complemented by performances, immersive installations and a rich educational programme. Details
On 25 January, the city celebrates Burns Night — one of winter’s warmest traditions, dedicated to the Scottish poet Robert Burns. His poetry, devoted to love, inequality and human dignity, has long outlived him and lies at the heart of Burns Night customs. London comes alive with music, ceilidh dancing, clinking whisky glasses and the aroma of haggis, as pubs, restaurants and cultural venues host Burns suppers, tastings and live-music parties.
January in London is in no rush to say goodbye to the festive mood. Christmas lights, ice rinks and winter markets remain open during the first weeks of the month, and towards the end of January Canary Wharf hosts the anniversary edition of Winter Lights. This year marks the festival’s tenth anniversary under the theme Dreamscape, transforming the business district into a landscape of light installations, surreal imagery and visual experiments by artists from around the world. Free entry, from 20 to 31 January. Details
January is also traditionally Mozart month in London — and in 2026, the composer turns 270. The city marks the occasion in style, from The Mozartists’ celebratory concert at Cadogan Hall with music from 1776, to the chamber-like depth of late Mozart performed by the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican. Mozart emerges in all his guises: theatrical and witty, transparent and philosophical, serene yet astonishingly mature. A perfect reason to leave the house during the darkest weeks of the year in search of inspiration.
One of the most effective post-holiday pick-me-ups is a visit to Twist Museum. More than 80 interactive illusions await: vanishing colours, endless corridors and even a meeting with your own 3D hologram. A brilliant option if you want to briefly step out of reality, laugh a little and test just how much you can trust your own eyes.
Photo: The London Parade
Exhibitions, talks and tours
January is an ideal time to immerse yourself in art and catch up on everything missed during the November–December rush.
On 11 January, join the author-led tour Napoleon and Wellington: A Duel of Geniuses at Apsley House. Participants explore the Battle of Waterloo, the personal rivalry between the two commanders, and rare Empire-era artefacts — including Antonio Canova’s statue of Napoleon and Titian’s painting Danaë. Tickets
Photo: Afisha.London
At Tate Britain, one of the season’s most talked-about exhibitions continues: a major show dedicated to Lee Miller — surrealist muse, fashion photographer and war correspondent whose images became visual documents of the 20th century. From Man Ray’s Paris circle and glossy Vogue shoots to frontline reporting during the Second World War and the liberation of Europe, her career challenges entrenched ideas about women’s roles in art and history. If you’d like to experience the exhibition with expert context, on 22 January Afisha.London hosts the ART-breakfast Lee Miller: Muse, Photographer, Witness to History, featuring an introductory talk by an art expert followed by a guided viewing of key works. Tickets
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- Photo: Afisha.London
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- Photo: Afisha.London
Also at Tate Britain, the exhibition Turner & Constable, marking the artists’ 250th anniversaries, brings together over 170 works. Constable’s attentive observation of rural England meets Turner’s mastery of elemental drama — two visions of nature shaped by rivalry and friendship that permanently transformed landscape painting. Details
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On 11 January, one of the most beautiful exhibitions of the 2025 season comes to a close at the National Portrait Gallery — Cecil Beaton’s Fashionable World. On 10 January, Afisha.London invites audiences to a final ART breakfast, Glamour as Art, offering an introduction to the photographer’s world of style, illusion, and transformation. Cecil Beaton elevated fashion photography to the level of theatre, turning figures from Greta Garbo and Marilyn Monroe to Audrey Hepburn and the British royal family into icons of the 20th century — part of a grand visual myth. Tickets
On 17 January, don’t miss a general highlights tour of the V&A, from classical sculpture and Raphael studies to exquisite miniatures and jewellery by modern stars — a chance to see the history of art in all its richness and diversity. Tickets
At the Barbican, Dirty Looks: Desire and Decay in Fashion runs until the end of January, while the Design Museum continues its Wes Anderson retrospective, featuring more than 700 objects from the director’s personal archive.
The year’s first major museum opening is A View of One’s Own: Landscapes by British Women Artists, 1760–1860 at the Courtauld Gallery, where ten women artists from the 18th and 19th centuries reveal how they saw nature and shaped their own visual language. Details
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- Photo: Afisha.London
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- Photo: Afisha.London
Theatre
It’s no secret that London theatre doesn’t follow the seasons. January brings premieres, revivals, musical spectacles and experimental productions for every taste.
Giselle returns to the London Coliseum from 15 to 18 January in Akram Khan’s acclaimed reimagining — a contemporary take on the classic story of love and betrayal, with powerful choreography, striking visual aesthetics and live music. Tickets
From 9 January, the Royal Albert Hall hosts OVO by Cirque du Soleil — a dazzling global show set in the world of insects, telling the story of a little ladybird through breathtaking acrobatics. If you enjoy gravity-defying feats, this one’s for you. Tickets
Photo: OVO © 2025 Royal Albert Hall
West End audiences can look forward to HIGH NOON, a stage adaptation of the cult 1952 western. Written by Oscar-winning screenwriter Eric Roth and directed by Thea Sharrock, the play unfolds in real time, turning a story of honour, fear and personal responsibility into a taut theatrical thriller. Starring Denise Gough and Billy Crudup (The Morning Show). Tickets
Tom Stoppard’s legendary Arcadia returns to the Old Vic for a limited run. Set across two timelines — an English country house in the early 19th century and the present day — the play follows a brilliant young mathematician who intuitively discovers universal laws while the adults around her attempt to conceal their passions. Stoppard’s recent passing lends this revival particular poignancy. Tickets
Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes continues at Sadler’s Wells until 18 January — a dramatic ballet inspired by the Powell & Pressburger film. Tickets
At the Royal Opera House, Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov offers a dark psychological portrait of power and fate. Bryn Terfel sings the title role, conducted by Mark Wigglesworth, with a Russian-language libretto based on Pushkin. Tickets
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I’m Sorry, Prime Minister at the Apollo Theatre concludes Jonathan Lynn’s legendary political satire — sharp, ruthless and unsettlingly current. Tickets
Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods, already beloved by critics, runs at the Bridge Theatre this winter, re-examining Grimm fairy tales without rose-tinted glasses. Tickets
Just For One Day в Shaftesbury Theatre продлен до 7 февраля. История концерта Live Aid и песни Queen, David Bowie, U2, Madonna и других создают ощущение чистой эйфории. Если вы любите сильную рок музыку на сцене – вам точно нужно успеть на эту постановку! Tickets
Just For One Day at the Shaftesbury Theatre has been extended until 7 February — a euphoric retelling of the Live Aid concert, powered by the music of Queen, David Bowie, U2, Madonna and more. Tickets
MJ The Musical continues at the Prince Edward Theatre until 28 February, immersing audiences in Michael Jackson’s world, signature choreography and the backstage story of the Dangerous World Tour. The final weeks of a legendary show — worth another look, even if you’ve been sceptical before. Tickets
My Neighbour Totoro remains at the Gillian Lynne Theatre until August 2026. The Royal Shakespeare Company’s Studio Ghibli adaptation has already won six Olivier Awards. Tickets
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Oh, Mary! transfers to Trafalgar Theatre: 80 minutes of absurdity, humour and nostalgic fantasy centred on Mary Todd Lincoln. Tickets
Stranger Things: The First Shadow continues at the Phoenix Theatre, expanding the Hawkins universe on stage.Tickets
Woman in Mind, starring Sheridan Smith at the Duke of York’s Theatre, is a psychological comedy about reality beginning to fracture. Tickets
Arthur Miller’s All My Sons plays at Wyndham’s Theatre until 7 March, with Bryan Cranston exploring the cost of the American Dream and personal responsibility.Tickets
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Photo: My Neighbour Totoro
Jazz and blues
January in London invites a little melancholy — making jazz and blues feel particularly fitting. Jack Solomons Jazz Club hosts Soho Jazz Jam, with candlelit live improvisation. Vortex Jazz Club presents projects by Corrie Dick’s Impossible Things and the George Johnson Quartet. The Royal Albert Hall’s Late Night Jazz series includes Sam Every Big Band on 22 January, Arjuna Oakes on 29 January, and a reconstruction of the 1938 Benny Goodman Orchestra concert.
Meanwhile, 229 Club hosts the January Blues Festival, featuring The Animals, Eric Bibb, King King, Robben Ford, Fantastic Negrito and more. Every night brings live sound, powerful guitar riffs and the unmistakable atmosphere of true blues London.
January in London may be dark and wet, but it is anything but dull. Concerts, exhibitions, theatre and festivals offer a way to start the year with curiosity, energy and fresh impressions. And if you’re craving even more reasons to leave the house, head to Afisha.London’s Events section and subscribe to our Telegram channel, where we share the best of the capital’s cultural life every day.
Cover photo: Robert Bye / Unsplash
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