London

==Culture==
{{main|Culture of London}}

===Leisure and entertainment===
{{see also|List of annual events in London|West End theatre}}
Leisure is a major part of the London economy. A 2003 report attributed a quarter of the entire UK leisure economy to London<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mayor of London – Spending Time: Londons Leisure Economy |url=http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/economic_unit/spending_time.jsp |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20031219084151/http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/economic_unit/spending_time.jsp |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 December 2003 |website=london.gov.uk |access-date=30 September 2015}}</ref> at 25.6 events per 1000 people.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Chadha |first1=Aayush |title=UK Event Data – In Review |url=https://www.tickx.co.uk/article/772 |website=tickx.co.uk |access-date=11 December 2017 |archive-date=1 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201232544/https://www.tickx.co.uk/article/772 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The city is one of the four [[fashion capital]]s of the world, and, according to official statistics, is the world's third-busiest film production centre, presents more live comedy than any other city,<ref>{{Cite web |title=20 facts about London's culture {{!}} London City Hall |url=https://www.london.gov.uk/priorities/arts-culture/promoting-arts-culture/20-facts-about-london-s-culture |website=London.gov.uk |access-date=30 September 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151001092404/https://www.london.gov.uk/priorities/arts-culture/promoting-arts-culture/20-facts-about-london-s-culture |archive-date=1 October 2015}}</ref> and has the biggest theatre audience of any city in the world.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Study puts London ahead of New York as centre for theatre |url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/54e31212-17f1-11e4-b842-00144feabdc0.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/54e31212-17f1-11e4-b842-00144feabdc0.html |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |work=Financial Times |location= London |date=30 July 2014 |access-date=30 September 2015 |first=James |last=Pickford}}</ref>

[[File:Harrods at Night, London - Nov 2012.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Harrods]] department store in [[Knightsbridge]]]]
Within the [[City of Westminster]] in London, the entertainment district of the [[West End of London|West End]] has its focus around [[Leicester Square]], where London and world film [[premiere]]s are held, and [[Piccadilly Circus]], with its giant electronic advertisements.<ref name="london_160">{{Cite web |url=http://www.piccadillylights.co.uk/ |title=Piccadilly Lights |publisher=Land Securities |access-date=3 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110426103109/http://www.piccadillylights.co.uk/ |archive-date=26 April 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> London's [[West End theatre|theatre district]] is here, as are many cinemas, bars, clubs, and restaurants, including the city's [[Chinatown, London|Chinatown]] district (in [[Soho]]), and just to the east is [[Royal Opera House|Covent Garden]], an area housing speciality shops. The city is the home of [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]], whose musicals have dominated West End theatre since the late 20th century.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=AWaZ1LAFAZEC Sondheim and Lloyd-Webber: the new musical] ''[[The New York Times]]'' referred to Andrew Lloyd Webber as "the most commercially successful composer in history"</ref> [[Agatha Christie]]'s ''[[The Mousetrap]]'', the world's longest-running play, has been performed in the West End since 1952.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Mousetrap at 60: why is this the world's longest-running play? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/nov/20/mousetrap-60-years-agatha-christie |access-date=20 July 2022 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> The [[Laurence Olivier Awards]]–named after [[Laurence Olivier]]–are given annually by the [[Society of London Theatre]]. The [[Royal Ballet]], [[English National Ballet]], [[Royal Opera, London|Royal Opera]], and [[English National Opera]] are based in London and perform at the [[Royal Opera House]], the [[London Coliseum]], [[Sadler's Wells Theatre]], and the [[Royal Albert Hall]], as well as touring the country.<ref name="London's Concerts">{{Cite web |url=http://www.yourlondon.gov.uk/visiting/topic.jsp?topicid=6482&search_title=Theatres+and+concert+halls |title=Theatres and concert halls |publisher=Your London |access-date=6 June 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080124185332/http://www.yourlondon.gov.uk/visiting/topic.jsp?topicid=6482&search_title=Theatres%2Band%2Bconcert%2Bhalls |archive-date=24 January 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
[[Islington]]'s {{convert|1|mi|km}} long Upper Street, extending northwards from [[Angel, London|Angel]], has more bars and restaurants than any other street in the UK.<ref name=london_161>{{Cite web |title=2001: Public houses |work=BBC History |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/trail/local_history/city/street_03.shtml?publichouses |access-date=4 June 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110430191354/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/trail/local_history/city/street_03.shtml?publichouses |archive-date=30 April 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> Europe's busiest shopping area is [[Oxford Street]], a shopping street nearly {{convert|1|mi|km}} long, making it the longest shopping street in the UK. It is home to vast numbers of retailers and [[department stores]], including [[Selfridges]] [[Flagship store#Retailing|flagship store]].<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.london.gov.uk/londoner/06sep/p7a.jsp |publisher=[[The Londoner]] |title=Oxford Street gets its own dedicated local police team |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070930204913/http://www.london.gov.uk/londoner/06sep/p7a.jsp |date=September 2006 |access-date=19 June 2007 |archive-date=30 September 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Knightsbridge]], home to the equally renowned [[Harrods]] department store, lies to the south-west. One of the world's largest retail destinations, London frequently ranks at or near the top of retail sales of any city.<ref>{{Cite news |url= http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/02/17/uk-retail-major-cities-idUKLNE71G00420110217 |title=London tops world cities spending league |access-date=29 April 2011 |work=Reuters |date=17 February 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110220031529/http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/02/17/uk-retail-major-cities-idUKLNE71G00420110217 |archive-date=20 February 2011 |url-status=live |first=Mark |last=Potter }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=London is world's shopping capital with £62billion sales |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/london-is-worlds-shopping-capital-with-ps62billion-sales-6568278.html |access-date=17 November 2023 |work=Evening Standard}}</ref> In 2017 it was ranked the top city for luxury store openings.<ref>{{cite news |title=London crowned top city for luxury store openings |url=https://uk.fashionnetwork.com/news/London-crowned-top-city-for-luxury-store-openings,1083671.html |access-date=17 November 2023 |work=Fashion Network}}</ref> Opened in 1760 with its flagship store on [[Regent Street]] since 1881, [[Hamleys]] is the oldest [[toy store]] in the world.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Guinness Book of Records 1994|page=134|author=Peter Matthews, Michelle Dunkley McCarthy|publisher=Facts on File|year= 1994}}</ref> [[Madame Tussauds]] wax museum opened in [[Baker Street]] in 1835, an era viewed as being when London's tourism industry began.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Andrew |last2=Graham |first2=Anne |title=Destination London. The Expansion of the Visitor Economy |date=2019 |publisher=University of Westminster Press |page=6}}</ref>

[[File:Notting_hill_carnival.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Scene of the annual [[Notting Hill Carnival]], 2014]]
London is home to designers [[John Galliano]], [[Stella McCartney]], [[Manolo Blahnik]], and [[Jimmy Choo]], among others; its renowned art and fashion schools make it one of the four international centres of fashion. [[Mary Quant]] designed the [[miniskirt]] in her [[King's Road]] boutique in [[Swinging Sixties|Swinging Sixties London]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Royal Mail's British design classic stamps |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2009/jan/13/stamps-british-design-classics |date=13 January 2009 |access-date=1 October 2022 |newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> London offers a great variety of cuisine as a result of its ethnically diverse population. Gastronomic centres include the Bangladeshi restaurants of [[Brick Lane]] and the [[Chinese food|Chinese]] restaurants of [[Chinatown, London|Chinatown]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.chinatownlondon.org/ |title=Chinatown&nbsp;— Official website |publisher=Chinatown London |access-date=27 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501115502/http://www.chinatownlondon.org/ |archive-date=1 May 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> There are [[Chinese takeaway]]s throughout London, as are Indian restaurants which provide [[English cuisine#Indian and Anglo-Indian cuisine|Indian and Anglo-Indian cuisine]].<ref>{{cite web | last=Sukhadwala | first=Sejal | title=How Long Have Londoners Been Eating Chinese Food For? | website=Londonist | date=12 April 2017 | url=https://londonist.com/london/how-london-got-a-taste-for-chinese-food | access-date=14 June 2020}}</ref> Around 1860, the first [[fish and chips]] shop in London was opened by Joseph Malin, a Jewish immigrant, in [[Bow, London|Bow]].<ref name="London traditions">{{cite news |title=Chipping away at the history of fish and chips |url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20130409-chipping-away-at-the-history-of-fish-and-chips |access-date=19 June 2022 |work=BBC}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Fish & chips: Drinks & dishes you might not have realised were invented in London |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/galleries/drinks-and-dishes-invented-in-london/fish-and-chips/ |access-date=19 June 2022 |work=The Telegraph}}</ref> The [[full English breakfast]] dates from the Victorian era, and many [[Cafe (British)|cafe]]s in London serve a full English breakfast throughout the day.<ref>{{cite news |title=History Of The Traditional English Breakfast |url=https://englishbreakfastsociety.com/full-english-breakfast.html |access-date=23 July 2022 |work=English Breakfast Society}}</ref> London has five 3-Michelin star restaurants, including [[Restaurant Gordon Ramsay]] in [[Chelsea, London|Chelsea]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Gordon Ramsay celebrates having three Michelin stars for 21 years |url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/celebrity/gordon-ramsay-celebrates-having-three-26251935 |access-date=22 July 2022 |work=Daily Record}}</ref> Many hotels in London provide a traditional [[afternoon tea]] service, such as the [[Hotel Café Royal#Restoration and conversion|Oscar Wilde Lounge]] at the [[Hotel Café Royal]] in Piccadilly, and a themed tea service is also available, for example an ''[[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland|Alice in Wonderland]]'' themed afternoon tea served at the [[Egerton House Hotel]], and ''[[Charlie and the Chocolate Factory]]'' themed afternoon tea at [[One Aldwych]] in Covent Garden.<ref>{{cite news |title=Afternoon Tea At Oscar Wilde's Favorite Bar |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanneshurvell/2017/11/29/afternoon-tea-at-oscar-wildes-favorite-bar/ |access-date=3 July 2022 |work=Forbes}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=17 themed afternoon teas perfect for Mother's Day |url=https://www.you.co.uk/themed-afternoon-teas/ |access-date=14 July 2022 |work=You}}</ref> The nation's most popular [[biscuit]] to [[Dunking (biscuit)|dunk]] in tea, [[chocolate digestive]]s have been manufactured by [[McVitie's]] at their [[Harlesden]] factory in north-west London since 1925.<ref>{{cite news |title=Inside the Factory: BBC documentary goes behind the scenes of west London factory churning out 80 million biscuits a day |url=https://www.mylondon.news/news/west-london-news/inside-factory-bbc-documentary-goes-13415002 |access-date=20 August 2022 |work=My London}}</ref>

[[File:Restaurante The Swan, Londres, Inglaterra, 2014-08-11, DD 113.jpg|thumb|[[Shakespeare's Globe]] is a modern reconstruction of the Globe Theatre on the south bank of the Thames.]]
There is a variety of [[List of annual events in London|annual events]], beginning with the relatively new [[New Year's Day Parade]], a fireworks display at the [[London Eye]]; the world's second largest [[street party]], the [[Notting Hill Carnival]], is held on the late [[August Bank Holiday]] each year. Traditional parades include November's [[Lord Mayor's Show]], a centuries-old event celebrating the annual appointment of a new [[Lord Mayor of the City of London]] with a procession along the streets of the city, and June's [[Trooping the Colour]], a formal military pageant performed by regiments of the [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] and [[British Army|British]] armies to celebrate the [[King's Official Birthday]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page4820.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080620233221/http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page4820.asp |archive-date=20 June 2008 |title=One Queen, Two Birthdays |publisher=Royal Government |access-date=27 September 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Boishakhi Mela]] is a [[Bengali New Year]] festival celebrated by the [[British Bangladeshi]] community. It is the largest open-air Asian festival in Europe. After the Notting Hill Carnival, it is the second-largest street festival in the United Kingdom attracting over 80,000 visitors.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.eastlondonlines.co.uk/2018/05/celebrate-the-bengali-new-year-this-summer-in-tower-hamlets/ |publisher=East London Lines |last=Andreou |first=Roza |title=Celebrate the Bengali New Year this summer in Tower Hamlets |date=25 May 2018}}</ref> First held in 1862, the [[Chelsea Flower Show|RHS Chelsea Flower Show]] (run by the [[Royal Horticultural Society]]) takes place in May every year.<ref>{{cite news |title=RHS Chelsea Flower Show  |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2002/04_april/17/chelseapack.pdf |access-date=7 July 2022 |work=BBC}}</ref>

===LGBT scene===
{{main|LGBT culture in London}}
The first [[gay bar]] in London in the modern sense was [[The Cave of the Golden Calf]], established as a night club in an underground location at 9 Heddon Street, just off [[Regent Street]], in 1912 and "which developed a reputation for sexual freedom and tolerance of same-sex relations."<ref>{{Cite book|title=London and the Culture of Homosexuality, 1885–1914 (Cambridge Studies in Nineteenth-Century Literature and Culture)|author=Matt Cook|isbn=978-0521089807|date=6 November 2008|publisher=Cambridge University Press |url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/londoncultureofh00matt|page=120}}</ref> 
[[File:Comptons-Of-Soho.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Comptons of Soho]] during [[Pride in London|London Pride]] in 2010]]
While London has been an LGBT tourism destination, after [[Sexual Offences Act 1967|homosexuality was decriminalised]] in England in 1967 gay bar culture became more visible, and from the early 1970s [[Soho]] (and in particular [[Old Compton Street]]) became the centre of the [[LGBT culture in London|London LGBT community]].<ref name="Olson"/> [[G-A-Y]], previously based at the [[London Astoria|Astoria]], and now [[Heaven (nightclub)|Heaven]], is a long-running night club.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 November 2019 |title=Forty years of sheer Heaven at the London superclub |url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/nov/30/40-years-of-sheer-heaven-london-gay-superclub |access-date=25 August 2022 |work=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref>

Wider British cultural movements have influenced LGBT culture: for example, the emergence of [[glam rock]] in the UK in the early 1970s, via [[Marc Bolan]] and [[David Bowie]], saw a generation of teenagers begin playing with the idea of androgyny, and the West End musical ''[[The Rocky Horror Show]]'', which debuted in London in 1973, is also widely said to have been an influence on countercultural and sexual liberation movements.<ref>{{Cite news |date=25 September 2015 |title=We Live in the World 'Rocky Horror' Created |language=en-US |work=Flavorwire |url=http://flavorwire.com/539534/we-live-in-the-world-rocky-horror-created |access-date=22 May 2017}}</ref> The [[Blitz Kids]] (which included [[Boy George]]) frequented the Tuesday club-night at Blitz in [[Covent Garden]], helping launch the [[New Romantic]] subcultural movement in the late 1970s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theblitzkids.com/site_archive/theblitzkids/menuboy.html |title=Boy George |publisher=The Blitz Kids |access-date=30 June 2022 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110830193512/http://theblitzkids.com/site_archive/theblitzkids/menuboy.html |archive-date=30 August 2011 }}</ref> Today, the annual [[Pride in London|London Pride Parade]] and the [[London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival]] are held in the city.<ref name="Olson">Olson, Donald. ''London for Dummies'' (Volume 136 of Dummies Travel). [[John Wiley & Sons]], 2 February 2010. 6th Edition. {{ISBN|0470619651}}, 9780470619650. p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=vrayaSsuQbUC&pg=PA67 67].</ref>

===Literature, film and television===
{{main|London in fiction|London in film|List of television shows set in London|London Television Archive}}
[[File:Sherlock Holmes Museum.jpg|left|thumb|[[Sherlock Holmes Museum]] in [[Baker Street]], bearing the number 221B]]

London has been the setting for many works of literature. The pilgrims in [[Geoffrey Chaucer]]'s late 14th-century ''[[The Canterbury Tales|Canterbury Tales]]'' set out for [[Canterbury]] from London. [[William Shakespeare]] spent a large part of his life living and working in London; his contemporary [[Ben Jonson]] was also based there, and some of his work, most notably his play ''[[The Alchemist (play)|The Alchemist]]'', was set in the city.<ref name="London in Literature"/> ''[[A Journal of the Plague Year]]'' (1722) by [[Daniel Defoe]] is a fictionalisation of the events of the 1665 [[Great Plague of London|Great Plague]].<ref name="London in Literature"/>

The literary centres of London have traditionally been hilly [[Hampstead]] and (since the early 20th century) [[Bloomsbury]]. Writers closely associated with the city are the diarist [[Samuel Pepys]], noted for his eyewitness account of the [[Great Fire of London|Great Fire]]; [[Charles Dickens]], whose representation of a foggy, snowy, grimy London of street sweepers and pickpockets has influenced people's vision of early [[Victorian era|Victorian]] London; and [[Virginia Woolf]], regarded as one of the foremost [[modernist literature|modernist]] literary figures of the 20th century.<ref name="London in Literature">{{Cite web |url=http://www.brynmawr.edu/library/speccoll/guides/london/londoninliterature.shtml |title=London in Literature |publisher=Bryn Mawr College |access-date=6 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427043832/http://www.brynmawr.edu/library/speccoll/guides/london/londoninliterature.shtml |archive-date=27 April 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> Later important depictions of London from the 19th and early 20th centuries are [[Arthur Conan Doyle]]'s [[Sherlock Holmes]] stories.<ref name="London in Literature"/> [[Robert Louis Stevenson]] mixed in London literary circles, and in 1886 he wrote the ''[[Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde]]'', a [[Gothic fiction|gothic]] novella set in Victorian London.<ref>{{cite news |title=Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde |url=https://www.britishlibrary.cn/en/works/jekyllandhyde/ |access-date=15 June 2023 |publisher=British Library}}</ref> In 1898, [[H. G. Wells]]' sci-fi novel ''[[The War of the Worlds]]'' sees London (and southern England) invaded by Martians.<ref>{{cite news |title=The War of the Worlds |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-War-of-the-Worlds-novel-by-Wells#ref343460 |access-date=2 August 2022 |work=Encyclopaedia Britannica}}</ref> [[Letitia Elizabeth Landon]] wrote ''Calendar of the London Seasons'' in 1834. Modern writers influenced by the city include [[Peter Ackroyd]], author of ''[[London: The Biography]]'', and [[Iain Sinclair]], who writes in the genre of [[psychogeography]]. In the 1940s, [[George Orwell]] wrote essays in the ''[[Evening Standard|London Evening Standard]]'', including "[[A Nice Cup of Tea]]" (method for making tea) and "[[The Moon Under Water]]" (an ideal [[pub]]).<ref>{{cite news |title=Orwell in the Evening Standard |url=https://orwellsociety.com/orwell-in-the-evening-standard/ |access-date=27 June 2022 |work=Orwell Society}}</ref> The WWII [[Evacuations of civilians in Britain during World War II|evacuation of children from London]] is depicted in [[C. S. Lewis]]' first Narnia book ''[[The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe]]'' (1950). On Christmas Eve 1925, [[Winnie-the-Pooh]] debuted in London's ''[[The Evening News (London newspaper)|Evening News]]'', with the character based on a stuffed toy [[A. A. Milne]] bought for his son [[Christopher Robin Milne|Christopher Robin]] in Harrods.<ref>{{cite news |title=Winnie-the-Pooh goes to Harrods in new authorised AA Milne prequel |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/jul/23/winnie-the-pooh-goes-to-harrods-in-new-authorised-aa-milne-prequel |access-date=23 April 2023 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> In 1958, author [[Michael Bond]] created [[Paddington Bear]], a refugee found in [[London Paddington station|Paddington station]]. A screen adaptation, ''[[Paddington (film)|Paddington]]'' (2014), features the calypso song "[[London is the Place for Me]]".<ref>{{cite web|website=Paddington.com|url=http://www.paddington.com/global/about/timeline/|title=About|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817131744/http://paddington.com/global/about/timeline/|archive-date=17 August 2016}}</ref>
{{wikisource|Calendar of the London Seasons/Calendar of the London Seasons|'Calendar of the London Seasons', by L. E. L.}}

[[File:London July 2010 (4818942309).jpg|thumb|Opened in 1937, the [[Odeon Luxe Leicester Square|Odeon cinema]] in [[Leicester Square]] hosts numerous European and world film premieres.]]

London has played a significant role in the film industry. Major studios within or bordering London include [[Pinewood Studios|Pinewood]], [[Elstree Studios|Elstree]], [[Ealing Studios|Ealing]], [[Shepperton Studios|Shepperton]], [[Twickenham Studios|Twickenham]], and [[Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden|Leavesden]], with the ''[[James Bond]]'' and ''[[Harry Potter (film series)|Harry Potter]]'' series among many notable films produced here.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Harry Potter economy |url=https://www.economist.com/christmas-specials/2009/12/17/the-harry-potter-economy |access-date=8 July 2022 |newspaper=The Economist}}</ref><ref name="filmlondon">{{Cite web |url=http://filmlondon.org.uk/studio-contacts |title=Film London – studio contacts |website=Filmlondon.org.uk |access-date=27 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810011712/http://filmlondon.org.uk/studio-contacts |archive-date=10 August 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Working Title Films]] has its headquarters in London. A [[post-production]] community is centred in [[Soho]], and London houses six of the world's largest [[visual effects]] companies, such as [[Framestore]].<ref>{{cite news |title=The UK's VFX Industry: In Profile|url=https://www.ukscreenalliance.co.uk/subpages/the-uks-vfx-industry-in-profile/ |access-date=7 July 2022 |work=UK Screen Alliance}}</ref> [[The Imaginarium]], a digital performance-capture studio, was founded by [[Andy Serkis]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Who We Are |url=http://www.theimaginariumstudios.com/who-we-are |website=The Imaginarium Studios |access-date=5 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121031092554/http://www.theimaginariumstudios.com/who-we-are |archive-date=31 October 2012}}</ref> London has been the setting for films including ''[[Oliver Twist (1948 film)|Oliver Twist]]'' (1948), ''[[Scrooge (1951 film)|Scrooge]]'' (1951), ''[[Peter Pan (1953 film)|Peter Pan]]'' (1953), ''[[One Hundred and One Dalmatians]]'' (1961), ''[[My Fair Lady (film)|My Fair Lady]]'' (1964), ''[[Mary Poppins (film)|Mary Poppins]]'' (1964), ''[[Blowup]]'' (1966), ''[[A Clockwork Orange (film)|A Clockwork Orange]]'' (1971), ''[[The Long Good Friday]]'' (1980), ''[[The Great Mouse Detective]]'' (1986), ''[[Notting Hill (film)|Notting Hill]]'' (1999), ''[[Love Actually]]'' (2003), ''[[V for Vendetta (film)|V for Vendetta]]'' (2005), ''[[Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street]]'' (2008) and ''[[The King's Speech]]'' (2010). Notable actors and filmmakers from London include [[Charlie Chaplin]], [[Alfred Hitchcock]], [[Michael Caine]], [[Julie Andrews]], [[Peter Sellers]], [[David Lean]], [[Julie Christie]], [[Gary Oldman]], [[Emma Thompson]], [[Guy Ritchie]], [[Christopher Nolan]], [[Alan Rickman]], [[Jude Law]], [[Helena Bonham Carter]], [[Idris Elba]], [[Tom Hardy]], [[Daniel Radcliffe]], [[Keira Knightley]], [[Riz Ahmed]], [[Dev Patel]], [[Daniel Kaluuya]], [[Tom Holland]] and [[Daniel Day-Lewis]]. Post-war [[Ealing comedies]] featured [[Alec Guinness]], from the 1950s [[Hammer Film Productions|Hammer Horror]]s starred [[Christopher Lee]], films by [[Michael Powell]] included the London-set early [[Slasher film|slasher]] ''[[Peeping Tom (1960 film)|Peeping Tom]]'' (1960), the 1970s comedy troupe [[Monty Python]] had film editing suites in Covent Garden, while since the 1990s [[Richard Curtis]]'s rom-coms have featured [[Hugh Grant]]. The largest cinema chain in the country, [[Odeon Cinemas]] was founded in London in 1928 by [[Oscar Deutsch]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Feature: The legacy of Oscar Deutsch's cinemas|url=https://www.theguardian.com/arts/critic/feature/0,1169,717532,00.html|work=The Guardian|access-date=8 July 2022}}</ref> The [[British Academy Film Awards]] (BAFTAs) have been held in London since 1949, with the [[BAFTA Fellowship]] the Academy's highest accolade.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://heritage.bafta.org/moment/1971/the-fellowship-baftas-top-prize/60 |publisher=BAFTA |access-date=19 June 2023 |title=The Fellowship: BAFTA's top prize |archive-date=13 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513071405/https://heritage.bafta.org/moment/1971/the-fellowship-baftas-top-prize/60 |url-status=live}}</ref> Founded in 1957, the [[BFI London Film Festival]] takes place over two weeks every October.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|url=https://variety.com/2020/film/global/kate-winslet-saoirse-ronan-london-film-festival-1234748238/|title=Saoirse Ronan, Kate Winslet Drama 'Ammonite' to Close BFI London Film Festival|date=26 August 2020|access-date=8 July 2022}}</ref>

London is a major centre for television production, with studios including [[Television Centre, London|Television Centre]], [[ITV Studios]], [[Sky Campus]] and [[Fountain Studios]]; the latter hosted the original talent shows, ''[[Pop Idol]]'', ''[[The X Factor (British TV series)|The X Factor]]'', and ''[[Britain's Got Talent]]'', before each format was exported around the world.<ref>{{cite news |title=The scribbled note that changed TV |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/oct/26/x-factor-cowell-fuller |access-date=4 October 2019 |newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/spotlight/itv-simon-cowell-talks-strong-ties-with-brit-broadcaster-1201467913/|title=ITV: Simon Cowell Talks Strong Ties With Brit Broadcaster|publisher=Variety|date=7 April 2015}}</ref> Formerly a franchise of ITV, [[Thames Television]] featured comedians such as [[Benny Hill]] and [[Rowan Atkinson]] (''[[Mr. Bean]]'' was first screened by Thames), while [[Talkback (production company)|Talkback]] produced ''[[Da Ali G Show]]'' which featured [[Sacha Baron Cohen]] as [[Ali G]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Da Ali G Show (TV Series) |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/programme/b-zteorv/da-ali-g-show/ |access-date=8 July 2022 |work=Radio Times}}</ref> Many television shows have been set in London, including the popular television soap opera ''[[EastEnders]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title=EastEnders Episode 1, 19/02/1985|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b053l8b7 |access-date=28 June 2023|agency=BBC}}</ref>

===Museums, art galleries and libraries===
[[File:Kensington Museums aerial 2011 b.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of [[Albertopolis]]. The [[Albert Memorial]], [[Royal Albert Hall]], [[Royal Geographical Society]], and [[Royal College of Art]] are visible near the top; [[Victoria and Albert Museum]] and [[Natural History Museum, London|Natural History Museum]] at the lower end; [[Imperial College London|Imperial College]], [[Royal College of Music]], and [[Science Museum, London|Science Museum]] lying in between.]]

London is [[List of museums in London|home to many museums]], galleries, and other institutions, many of which are free of admission charges and are major [[tourist attraction]]s as well as playing a research role. The first of these to be established was the [[British Museum]] in [[Bloomsbury]], in 1753.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Life and Curiosity of Hans Sloane|url=https://www.bl.uk/events/the-life-and-curiosity-of-hans-sloane|access-date=27 March 2021|website=The British Library|archive-date=19 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119150309/https://www.bl.uk/events/the-life-and-curiosity-of-hans-sloane|url-status=dead}}</ref> Originally containing antiquities, natural history specimens, and the national library, the museum now has 7&nbsp;million artefacts from around the globe. In 1824, the [[National Gallery]] was founded to house the British national collection of Western paintings; this now occupies a prominent position in [[Trafalgar Square]].<ref>{{citation |last= Liscombe |first= R. W.|year= 1980|title= William Wilkins, 1778–1839 |place= Cambridge |publisher= Cambridge University Press|pages=180–82 }}</ref>

The [[British Library]] is the second [[List of largest libraries|largest library in the world]], and the [[national library]] of the United Kingdom.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sen Nag |first=Oishimaya |date=5 March 2018 |title=The Largest Libraries In The World |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/5-largest-libraries-in-the-world.html |access-date=30 March 2021 |website=World Atlas |language=en-US}}</ref> There are many other research libraries, including the [[Wellcome Library]] and [[Dana Library and Research Centre|Dana Centre]], as well as [[academic library|university libraries]], including the [[British Library of Political and Economic Science]] at [[London School of Economics|LSE]], the [[Imperial College London Abdus Salam Library|Abdus Salam Library]] at [[Imperial College London|Imperial]], the [[Maughan Library]] at [[King's College London|King's]], and the [[Senate House Libraries]] at the [[University of London]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bayley |first=Sian |date=21 February 2019 |title=Best libraries in London: The V&A, British Library, Wellcome Trust, BFI and more |work=Evening Standard |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/futurelondon/culturecity/best-libraries-in-london-wellcome-trust-british-library-canada-water-victoria-and-albert-guildhall-a4072696.html |access-date=26 March 2021}}</ref>

In the latter half of the 19th century the locale of [[South Kensington]] was developed as "[[Albertopolis]]", a cultural and scientific quarter. Three major national museums are there: the [[Victoria and Albert Museum]], the [[Natural History Museum, London|Natural History Museum]], and the [[London Science Museum|Science Museum]]. The [[National Portrait Gallery, London|National Portrait Gallery]] was founded in 1856 to house depictions of figures from British history; its holdings now comprise the world's most extensive collection of portraits.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cullinan (Director) |first=Nicholas |title=Organisation – National Portrait Gallery |url=http://www.npg.org.uk/about/organisation.php |access-date=26 March 2021 |website=National Portrait Gallery}}</ref> The national gallery of British art is at [[Tate Britain]], originally established as an annexe of the National Gallery in 1897. The Tate Gallery, as it was formerly known, also became a major centre for modern art. In 2000, this collection moved to [[Tate Modern]], a new gallery housed in the former [[Bankside Power Station]] which is accessed by pedestrians north of the Thames via the [[Millennium Bridge, London|Millennium Bridge]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Millennium Bridge |url=https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/place/442404-millennium-bridge |access-date=27 July 2022 |work=Visit London}}</ref>

===Music===
[[File:Royal Albert Hall.001 - London.JPG|The [[Royal Albert Hall]] hosts concerts and musical events, including [[BBC Proms|The Proms]] which are held every summer, as well as cinema screenings of films accompanied with live orchestral music.|thumb]]
London is one of the major classical and [[popular music]] capitals of the world and hosts major music corporations, such as [[Universal Music Group|Universal Music Group International]] and [[Warner Music Group]], and countless bands, musicians and industry professionals. The city is also home to many orchestras and concert halls, such as the [[Barbican Arts Centre]] (principal base of the [[London Symphony Orchestra]] and the [[London Symphony Chorus]]), the [[Southbank Centre]] ([[London Philharmonic Orchestra]] and the [[Philharmonia Orchestra]]), [[Cadogan Hall]] ([[Royal Philharmonic Orchestra]]) and the [[Royal Albert Hall]] ([[The Proms]]).<ref name="London's Concerts"/> The Proms, an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music first held in 1895, ends with the [[BBC Proms#Last Night of the Proms|Last Night of the Proms]]. London's two main opera houses are the [[Royal Opera House]] and the [[London Coliseum]] (home to the [[English National Opera]]).<ref name="London's Concerts"/> The UK's largest [[pipe organ]] is at the Royal Albert Hall. Other significant instruments are in cathedrals and major churches—the church bells of [[St Clement Danes]] feature in the 1744 [[nursery rhyme]] "[[Oranges and Lemons]]".<ref>{{cite book |title=The Layman's Magazine of the Living Church, Issues 1-20 |date=1940 |publisher=Morehouse-Gorham |page=5}}</ref> Several [[conservatoire]]s are within the city: [[Royal Academy of Music]], [[Royal College of Music]], [[Guildhall School of Music and Drama]] and [[Trinity College of Music|Trinity Laban]]. The record label [[EMI]] was formed in the city in 1931, and an early employee for the company, [[Alan Blumlein]], created [[stereo sound]] that year.<ref>{{cite news|title=Early stereo recordings restored|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7537782.stm|work=[[BBC]]|access-date=28 March 2023|date=1 August 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080807025132/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7537782.stm|archive-date=7 August 2008 | url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Abbey Rd Studios.jpg|thumb|left|[[Abbey Road Studios]] in [[Abbey Road, London|Abbey Road]]]]
London has numerous venues for rock and pop concerts, including the world's busiest indoor venue, [[The O2 Arena|the O<sub>2</sub> Arena]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=2015 Year End Worldwide Ticket Sales – Top 200 Area Venues |url=http://www.pollstarpro.com/files/charts2015/2015YearEndWorldwideTicketSalesTop200ArenaVenues.pdf |url-status=dead|archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160517203229/http://www.pollstarpro.com/files/charts2015/2015YearEndWorldwideTicketSalesTop200ArenaVenues.pdf |archive-date=17 May 2016 |access-date=26 March 2021}}</ref> and [[Wembley Arena]], as well as many mid-sized venues, such as [[Brixton Academy]], the [[Hammersmith Apollo]] and the [[Shepherd's Bush Empire]].<ref name="London's Concerts"/> Several [[music festivals]], including the [[Wireless Festival]], [[Lovebox Festival|Lovebox]] and [[Hyde Park, London|Hyde Park]]'s [[British Summer Time (concerts)|British Summer Time]], are held in London.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Keens |first1=Oliver |last2=Levine |first2=Nick |date=11 March 2021 |title=The best music festivals in London 2021 |url=https://www.timeout.com/london/music-festivals/the-best-music-festivals-in-london?package_page=48331 |access-date=26 March 2021 |work=Time Out London}}</ref>

The city is home to the original [[Hard Rock Cafe]] and the [[Abbey Road Studios]], where [[the Beatles]] recorded many of their hits. In the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, musicians and groups like [[Elton John]], [[Pink Floyd]], [[David Bowie]], [[the Rolling Stones]], [[the Kinks]], [[Queen (band)|Queen]], [[Eric Clapton]], [[the Who]], [[Cliff Richard]], [[Led Zeppelin]], [[Iron Maiden]], [[Deep Purple]], [[T. Rex (band)|T. Rex]], [[the Police]], [[Elvis Costello]], [[Dire Straits]], [[Cat Stevens]], [[Fleetwood Mac]], [[the Cure]], [[Madness (band)|Madness]], [[Culture Club]], [[Dusty Springfield]], [[Phil Collins]], [[Rod Stewart]], [[Status Quo (band)|Status Quo]] and [[Sade (band)|Sade]], derived their sound from the streets and rhythms of London.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Tow |first1=Stephen |title=London, Reign Over Me How England's Capital Built Classic Rock|date=2020 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2006/04/06/garycrowley_londontop40_feature.shtml |title=London's top 40 artists |date=6 April 2006 |publisher=BBC |access-date=9 September 2008 |isbn=978-0-89820-135-2}}</ref>

London was instrumental in the development of [[punk music]], with figures such as the [[Sex Pistols]], [[the Clash]] and fashion designer [[Vivienne Westwood]] all based in the city.<ref>{{Cite web |date=10 November 2015 |title=PUNK – Paris Photo Special Feature |url=https://www.michaelhoppengallery.com/news/55/#:~:text=After%20a%20brief%20stint%20managing,the%20radical%20punk%20clothing%20style. |access-date=25 March 2021 |website=Michael Hoppen Gallery |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Whatley |first=Jack |title=In Pictures: The 'Anarchy In The U.K. Tour' of 1976, the infamous tour that never really toured |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/in-pictures-the-anarchy-in-the-u-k-tour-of-1976-the-infamous-tour-that-never-really-toured/|access-date=25 March 2021|website=Far Out Magazine |date=14 March 2019 |language=en-US}}</ref> Other artists to emerge from the London music scene include [[George Michael]], [[Kate Bush]], [[Seal (musician)|Seal]], [[Siouxsie and the Banshees]], [[Bush (British band)|Bush]], the [[Spice Girls]], [[Jamiroquai]], [[Blur (band)|Blur]], [[the Prodigy]], [[Gorillaz]], [[Mumford & Sons]], [[Coldplay]], [[Dido (singer)|Dido]], [[Amy Winehouse]], [[Adele]], [[Sam Smith (singer)|Sam Smith]], [[Ed Sheeran]], [[Leona Lewis]], [[Ellie Goulding]], [[Dua Lipa]] and [[Florence and the Machine]].<ref name="Scene">{{Cite web |url=http://www.londonbc.co.uk/history-of-music-in-london.html |title=History of music in London |publisher=The London Music Scene |access-date=2 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427023619/http://www.londonbc.co.uk/history-of-music-in-london.html |archive-date=27 April 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Artists from London played a prominent role in the development of [[synth-pop]], including [[Gary Numan]], [[Depeche Mode]], the [[Pet Shop Boys]] and [[Eurythmics]]; the latter's "[[Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)]]" was recorded in the attic of their north London home, heralding a trend for home recording methods.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rPdJDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA23 |page=23 |title=Dawn of the DAW: The Studio as Musical Instrument |last=Bell |first=Adam Patrick |date=2018 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780190296629}}</ref> Artists from London with a Caribbean influence include [[Hot Chocolate]], [[Billy Ocean]], [[Soul II Soul]] and [[Eddy Grant]], with the latter fusing [[reggae]], soul and samba with rock and pop.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1983/08/02/eddy-grants-electric-rock-38/74a1753f-17b5-451b-b873-e1fd9f9237b0/|title=Eddy Grant's Electric Rock|author=Himes, Geoffrey|date=2 August 1983|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=19 March 2021}}</ref> London is also a centre for urban music. In particular the genres [[UK garage]], [[drum and bass]], [[dubstep]] and [[grime (music)|grime]] evolved in the city from the foreign genres of [[House music|house]], [[hip hop music|hip hop]], and reggae, alongside local [[drum and bass]]. Urban acts from London include [[Stormzy]], [[M.I.A. (rapper)|M.I.A.]], [[Jay Sean]] and [[Rita Ora]]. Music station [[BBC Radio 1Xtra]] was set up to support the rise of local [[urban contemporary]] music both in London and in the rest of the United Kingdom. The [[British Phonographic Industry]]'s annual popular music awards, the [[Brit Awards]], are held in London.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.brits.co.uk/history/shows/1977|title=Brit Awards History|website=Brit Awards|language=en|access-date=28 December 2019}}</ref>