This past year in London has been packed with politics, protests, concerts and sporting events.
Thousands protested in London against King Charles hosting US President Donald Trump for a historic second state visit.
The UK’s hottest ever summer saw London hit by four heatwaves and the highest number of wildfires since the extreme heat of 2022.
The highly anticipated Oasis reunion tour filled Wembley for seven sold-out shows, much to the delight of bucket-hat-donning devotees.
Here’s an overview of 2025 in London in pictures:
January
Storm Éowyn - The year kicked off with a storm which battered much of the British isles. It was the UK’s most powerful windstorm for over a decade, and it brought with it red weather warnings from the Met Office, damage to property and, unfortunately, fatalities. London was put under a yellow wind warning as winds of over 50mph hit the capital.
February
Tractor protests - Central London was flooded with tractors, driven by unhappy farmers who took to the streets to protest inheritance tax being introduced on farms worth over £1m. The National Farmers Union said that the policy would affect more than 60% of farms, and many protestors expressed concern that they may be forced to sell off their farms.
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Grenfell Tower to be taken down - In February, then deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner announced that Grenfell Tower, where a fire killed 72 people in 2017, would be dismantled. The government said it would take an estimated two years to bring down the remains of the skyscraper. Work began over the summer.
March
Ukrainian President Zelensky visits London - Ukrainian president Vlodymyr Zelensky landed in London and was met with a warm reception from Sir Keir Starmer, who reiterated that the country had “full backing across the United Kingdom”. The Prime Minister pledged a further £2.26 billion loan for Ukraine military supplies, expected to be repaid using profits from frozen Russian assets. This came after a distastrous meeting at the White House, which escalated into a row between Zelensky and US President Donald Trump.
April
Record-breaking London Marathon - A whopping 56,640 runners finished the 2025 London Marathon, smashing the Guinness World Record for the largest number of finishers in a marathon ever. Sebastian Sawe from Kenya won the men’s race, with an impressive time of two hours and 27 seconds. The women’s crown was taken by Ethiopian Olympic silver medallist Tigst Assefa, who set a new women’s-only world record in the process.
May
FA Cup Final - Crystal Palace fans celebrated their club winning its first major trophy, beating Manchester City 1-0 at Wembley. The win, which sent sent the south east London club into Europe for the first time, was secured by a 16th minute goal by now Arsenal star Eberechi Eze.
June
Trooping the Colour - Military pomp and pageantry were on display in the military paradeto mark the King’s official birthday. The event in central London also observed a minute’s silence in remembrance of the tragic Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, which killed 241 people earlier that week. Black armbands were worn by the head of state and senior royals riding in the ceremony in Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall.
oasis">Oasis on tour - In June, Oasis’ long-awaited reunion tour reached Wembley stadium. In total seven sold-out shows were held at the national stadium over the summer. The Oasis Live ‘25 tour broke records as the biggest concert launch in the history of the UK and Ireland, seeing over 10 milion fans from 158 countries hoping to buy tickets.
July
Pride - London was filled with colour as Pride took place in the capital. From Soho to Trafalgar Square, the LGBTQ+ community and its supporters filled the streets with floats, rainbows and music. This year, the event faced financial challenges after more than 85 Pride organisations said they had seen a drop in corporate sponsorships and partnerships.
July
Migrant protests -Anti-migrant demonstrations intensified outside asylum hotels across the country. The wave of protests began outside the Bell Hotel in Epping in the summer after an asylum seeker resident of the hotel, Hadush Kebatu, was charged - and later convicted - of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and woman in the area. Epping Forest District Council took legal action to try to stop asylum seekers being housed but lost the landmark legal battle at the High Court in November.
heatwaves">Heatwaves and wildfires- The hottest day of the year was recorded at 34.7 °C in St James’s Park in July, during one of four heatwaves to hit the capital over the summer. The London Fire Brigade faced its busiest summer since the extreme heat of 2022, attending around 83 wildfires across the capital in June, July, and August.
August
Notting Hill Carnival - The world-famous Notting Hill Carnival filled the streets of West London with food, music and dancing. The festival, which date back to 1966, celebrates Caribbean heritage and boasts the title of the world’s second largest carnival after Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. This year, safety fears meant the festival almost didn’t happen - but thanks to a last-minute cash injection from the local council to boost security it was able to go ahead. Concerns remain over funding for future years.
September
Palestine Action protests -Pro-Palestine demonstrators made headlines as hundreds of activists were arrested for supporting the proscribed group Palestine Action at central London protests. The Metropolitan Police confirmed that they arrested 890 protestors in total at one protest in Parliament in September - including pensioners. Over 2,000 have been arrested at protests held this year.
Tommy Robinson protest- Violence erupted in central London as far-right activist Tommy Robinson’s “Unite the Kingdom” rally descended into attacks from flag-wearing thugs on police and counter-protesters. Up to 150,000 people travelled to central London for the protest, far more than authorities had expected.
London Fashion Week - The eyes of the fashion world were on London as Fashion Week took place. Highlights included shows from Burberry, Victoria Beckham and Simone Rocha, with celebrities from Charli XCX to Central Cee spotted in the front rows. This season even featured a hall-of-fame appearance from Brixton-born veteran supermodel Naomi Campbell, who walked the runway at the Richard Quinn Show at St John’s Smith Square. As ever there were a string of A-list parties.
US State Visit - King Charles hosted Donald Trump for his historic second state visit in September. While the visit was centred on Windsor Castle, where the US President and his wife Melania, were treated to a lavish state banquet, thousands of protesters took part in an anti-Trump rally in central London.
October
London Film Festival - October was a big month for film fanatics, as the London Film Festival took place. The festival featured big hitters, including After The Hunt, starring Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson’s Die My Love, as well as the highly-anticipated Frankenstein, reimagined by Guilermo Del Toro, starring Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi. Amal Clooney and George Clooney were among the attendees at the UK premiere of Jay Kelly.
Halloween - Once a US export, now a staple of the British calendar - Halloween filled London with spooky costumes, as revellers headed to the city centre for a night of spooky delights, from Soho to Leicester Square. Elsewhere Londoners took advantage of a converted Harry Potter Studio Tour, which saw the iconic Great Hall decked out with more than 100 floating pumpkins and Dementors filling The Forbidden Forest. The popular Rooftop Film Club featured special spooky screenings, and the Science Museum even welcomed Halloween-lovers in for after-hours access to its exhibits.
November
Bonfire Night and Diwali - November was kicked off with a bang, as fireworks filled the sky for Bonfire Night and Diwali. Dazzling Bonfire Night displays filled the night sky at Alexandra Palace, Blackheath and Battersea Park. Diwali kicked off with a huge free event on Trafalgar Square, welcoming about 35,000 revellers to the centre of London, filling the historic square with music, dance and colour.
The Budget -At the end of November, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced her controversial Budget, where measures including a new ‘mansion tax’ on £2million on properties and pay-per mile charges for electric vehicles were announced. In the wake of the Budget was met with backlash from critics and the opposition, who claimed that the chancellor had overinflated the gravity of the financial crisis ahead of her financial statement. She faced calls to resign.
December
Superflu - London was hit by an unprecedented wave of “Superflu”, with health chiefs urging Londoners to stay at home if they have flu-like symptoms rather than risk spreading the virus on the Tube, trains, buses - and at their work Christmas parties, as many more people were hospitalised in the UK than in previous years.
NHS leaders said people experiencing flu or cold symptoms should wear a mask in public places - in a throwback to Covid.
Despite the concerns over the impact of flu on hospitals, resident doctors pushed ahead with strike action with a five-day walk-out in the run-up to Christmas.
