London becomes a little colder in October as autumn splashes the city’s parks and gardens with a riot of autumnal colours, changing the vivid greens to warm coppers, golds and russet reds. But there’s plenty to see and do in London. Pop ups continue to offer food, booze and fun and there are tons of great autumn events to enjoy both indoors and out.
October in London is also the time of the London Film Festival, London Literary Festival, London Cocktail Week, Frieze London, and the city’s Diwali celebrations. While for sports fanatics the month holds the Six Day London and NFL London Games.
So why not come down and visit us at the Washington Mayfair Hotel. Our location is in the heart of London city and so offers a great location to stay when visiting this great city.
In this article we will be exploring some events and experiences that will be happening during the month of October in London. Happy October!
FRIEZE ART FAIRS IN REGENT’S PARK – From 3 to 6 October 2019
Explore two of the most influential events on the art scene in one place with the world-renowned Frieze London and Frieze Masters art fairs. Every year, Frieze hosts two incredible art fairs side by side in the Royal Park: Frieze London which showcases the best of contemporary art, and Frieze Masters which specialises in art from the past. Highlights of the sculpture trail include works by Carlos Amorales, Cecilia Bengolea, Shezad Dawood and Yasmin Jahan Nupur. You can also join a guided tour of the open-air display, or download the free Frieze Sculpture Audio Tour app, with descriptions of all the artworks on show.
LONDON OKTOBERFEST
3 – 6 October and 10 -12 October 2019 – Millwall Park, Canary Wharf
24 – 26 October 2019 – Olympia, West Kensington
London Oktoberfest is a cult event that you can’t miss. Millwall Park and Olympia are transformed into a gigantic Oktoberfest. The authentic German beer and food are part of the London Oktoberfest. The event attracts around 50,000 guests each year, with live music, long communal tables, staff dressed in dirndl and lederhosen and, of course, plenty of German beer and bratwurst. Admission is free on Thursdays and Sundays (and there’s a special family lunch on Sundays too), otherwise tickets start from £10 for general entry.
COCKTAIL WEEK – 4 – 13 October 2019
London Cocktail Week is an enormous celebration of our capital’s fantastic cocktail scene and the biggest event of it’s kind in the world. A £10 digital pass entitles you to £6 cocktails in many of the capital’s best bars all week across an elongated 10-day week (to celebrate the fact that it’s LCW’s 10th anniversary). It’ll also get you into the immersive ‘Cocktail Village’, which this year sits inside the Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane.
Madison’s Bar at the Washington Mayfair Hotel in celebration of Cocktail Week is offering 2 for 1 on all the cocktails from the cocktail list. Join us!
LEONARDO DA VINCI: A LIFE IN DRAWING AT THE QUEEN’S GALLERY, BUCKINGHAM PALACE – until 13 October 2019
Marking the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci, the exhibition brings together more than 200 of the Renaissance master’s greatest drawings in the Royal Collection, forming the largest exhibition of Leonardo’s work in over 65 years. Drawing served as Leonardo’s laboratory, allowing him to work out his ideas on paper and search for the universal laws that he believed underpinned all of creation. The drawings by Leonardo in the Royal Collection have been together as a group since the artist’s death in 1519. Acquired during the reign of Charles II, they provide an unparalleled insight into the workings of Leonardo’s mind and reflect the full range of his interests, including painting, sculpture, architecture, anatomy, engineering, cartography, geology and botany.
CHOCOLATE WEEK – 14 – 20 October 2019
It’s the week you’ve all been waiting for: loosen those belt buckles, switch off your mobile phone and grab your best friends, because this week is all about enjoying the sweet life. Here there are few interesting facts about chocolate you might not know.
- The first chocolate bar was invented by Joseph Fry in 1847.
- The scientific name for the tree that chocolate comes from, Theobroma cacao, means “food of the gods’’, literally translates as ‘god drink’.
- The Aztecs used chocolate as currency during the height of their civilisation.
- There is a rare fourth kind of chocolate in addition to the classic milk, dark, and white varieties: blond chocolate.
Do you love chocolate? Below there is the list of the best chocolate shops near The Washington Mayfair Hotel.
- Pierre Marcolini. Pierre Marcolini is one of the few chocolatiers to roast his cocoa beans himself. Address: 37 Marylebone High St, Marylebone, W1U 4QE
- Paul A Young Fine Chocolates. Paul is the only chocolatier in London working in a truly artisan way. Address: 143 Wardour St, Soho, London W1F 8WA
Don’t forget to celebrate Chocolate Week with our special Mayfair Afternoon Tea served with a Chocolate dipped strawberries and hot baileys liqueur coffee at only £29.50 per person.
HALLOWEEN – 25 – 31 October 2019
London is steeped in history, and therefore home to countless ghost stories and gruesome, grisly tales: myths and urban legends as well as terrible, true facts. From haunted venues and bone-chilling attractions, to special Halloween tours and gripping family events, plan your Halloween in London with our roundup of gory ideas and horrifying activities.
- Discover the dark secrets and gory history of London with The Ghost Bus Tours or a Tales of Plague guided walk.
- Retrace the infamous murderer’s footsteps with Jack the Ripper Ghost Walks.
- Go on an unnerving ghost hunt in London with Haunted Happenings or Fright Nights London.
- Book tickets to The Woman in Black: one of the West End’s longest-running plays, this show will have you on the edge of your seat.
- Catch a West End musical featuring monsters, witches and mysterious characters this Halloween, such as The Phantom of the Opera and Wicked.
- Run for your life through the Covenant spaceship in Madame Tussaud’s Alien: Escape experience.
- Discover the unnerving history of 19th-century surgery at the Old Operating Theatre Museum.
- Get up close to some of the world’s most feared animals in London this Halloween, with Snorkelling with Sharks at SEA LIFE London aquarium and In with the Spiders at ZSL London Zoo.
- Step into the menacing world of the Dark Arts as the Harry Potter sets get a Halloween makeover at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London.
