London remains 'cultural capital of the world'

From fantastic new museum openings, great theatre and the biggest global acts, to our trendsetting fashion designers and our beloved grassroots venues revealing new talent, London has continued to be at the forefront of culture. 

While many people have been trying to talk London down this year, the evidence has told a very different story, with our cultural offer providing a crucial chapter. Tourists have continued to flock here, with four out of five saying culture is what they love about the capital. 

Our creative industries have also continued to be vital to our economy, contributing £64 billion and supporting one in every five jobs in London. Just this month, we learned that the ABBA Voyage has contributed a staggering £2bn to the UK economy. 

So as we reflect on the cultural highlights this year, we should do so with pride as London clearly remains the cultural capital of the world.     

Much of our cultural identity is built on legacy and this year we opened doors to our past in ways that will inspire generations to come. The V&A East Storehouse opened in East Bank, as our new cultural powerhouse continues to take shape. The collection spans 5,000 years of human creativity, including the David Bowie Centre.

The former 1930s art deco Granada Cinema reopened as Soho Theatre Walthamstow – a 1,000-seat venue. This follows Walthamstow being the Mayor’s London Borough of Culture, which created a real step-change in ambition across the borough.

Wandsworth is currently wearing the London Borough of Culture crown and highlights include Strictly Wandsworth, which features the biggest dance spectacle in the borough’s history.

This year, London welcomed more than 7.5 million music tourists as people travelled to see acts like Beyoncé and Billie Eilish perform more times in London than anywhere else in the world. We also celebrated our music roots with the first-ever Grassroots Music Tube Map, spotlighting 179 iconic venues across London. 

In June, we welcomed SXSW to Shoreditch, the first ever European edition of this incredible conference for the tech, film, music and culture.   

London has been a global filming powerhouse once again this year and the BFI London Film Festival had its biggest audience ever. A personal favourite of mine was Hamnet at the Mayor’s Gala.

London Games Festival marked its 10th anniversary, while London Fashion Week, Frieze, the British Museum’s Pink Ball and the Fashion Awards brought the global glamour.

There’s no doubt it’s been another incredible year for culture in London, but we can’t take all this for granted. It’s no secret that in a post-covid, post-Brexit world, the very thing that makes our city so alluring is constantly under threat. Everyday creative spaces face financial pressures and rising costs.

That’s why at City Hall the Mayor and I continue to do all we can. Our Culture at Risk team, which I like to call ‘The Batphone’, gives frontline support to organisations who play a crucial role in the capital’s cultural life. This year, we’ve supported the Bernie Grant Arts Centre in Tottenham, as it positions itself to deliver on its renewed focus and aims; Friends of the Joiners Arms, opening a new LGBTQI+ space in Hackney and helped save V22 who provide studios for a thriving community of artists in Hackney.

Looking ahead to 2026, London’s cultural calendar is already jam packed. 

We’ll be celebrating the opening of two big museums – the V&A East Museum and the London Museum.  We will ensure public art continues to inspire and spark conversations with Tschabalala Self’s Lady in Blue up next on the Fourth Plinth.  And we will be moving forward with bold proposals to reimagine Oxford Street into a pedestrian-friendly world-leading destination, as well as plans to boost our crucial nightlife offer.

2026 will also be a big year for birthdays. We will be celebrating 250 years of the Royal Academy of Arts, 75 years of the Southbank Centre, 70 years of the London Film Festival, 50 years of the Olivier Awards and many more.

So, what have we learned in 2025? That diversity is at the heart of our cultural success story. That our creative scene is a crucial reason why London is the best city in the world. And that - despite the challenges thrown at us - anything is possible.

So bring on 2026!

Justine Simons OBE is London’s Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries and the Founder of the World Cities Cultural Forum.

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