Autumn date ideas in London: 2018 edition

Feast your eyes here: Yayoi Kusama exhibition, Victoria Miro

The acclaimed 89-year-old Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama stunned visitors who attended her Victoria Miro Wharf Road show in 2016. The exhibition invited guests to climb the stairs to heaven with her and gaze upon a sea of yellow and black pumpkins (pictured). This autumn, Kusama returns to Victoria Miro with a new large-scale Infinity Mirrored Room and a major solo show of new work. Colourful paper lanterns covered with polka dot patterns will fill her latest mirror installation, while a collection of new paintings – including works from the My Eternal Soul series, a painted bronze pumpkin and flower sculptures – will also be on show. Take your date here to gaze in wonder together at Kusama’s dots, infinity nets, pumpkins and more.

Drink up here: The Blue Posts, Soho

Towards the end of 2017, the owners of two of London’s best restaurants – The Palomar and The Barbary – embarked on their most ambitious project yet: transforming a crumbling Soho boozer into a sleek, multipurpose space with a members’ club vibe. It paid off, and now The Blue Posts on Rupert Street is arguably the coolest joint in Soho. Start your date off with a drinks at the ground floor pub, before moving upstairs to the Mulwray cocktail club – here the lights are lowered and the mood is a little more romantic.

Then, if you’re still enjoying yourselves, try to bag two of the 11 seats around the single counter at Evelyn's Table – the venue’s basement floor restaurant where top notch dishes are served. Or, head back to the pub area where the bar snacks (particularly the sausage rolls) have made a name for themselves as being a cut above. If all this leaves you in the mood to party, you might be in luck – multi-talented owner Layo Paskin is also a renowned DJ, and he continues to spin the decks at The Blue Posts’ monthly club night: The Block Party.

Get crafty here: Pumpkin carving at Drink, Shop & Do

Those with a steady hand and a penchant for dates wrapped up in an activity should head to Drink, Shop & Do by King’s Cross this autumn, where pumpkin carving sessions are being held almost daily in the last two weeks of October. Show off your creative skills before taking home your ghoulified orange orb as a keepsake from the night. Never ones to shirk on the tipples, each £16 ticket includes a glass of bubbly (sure to loosen tongues) and all materials are provided.

Feel fresh here: Hampstead Heath or Richmond Park

In terms of down-to-earth dates, few things beat going for a walk in the crisp autumn air, with a carpet of red, gold and yellow leaves crunching beneath your feet. The best places for long autumn walks in London lie to the north and south of the city; specifically, Hampstead Heath and Richmond Park.

The rugged, rolling hills of Hampstead Heath are a blissful escape from dizzying city for those living north of the river. Nearby Hampstead village is almost overrun with cosy cafés to enjoy a well-earned mug of something warm following your walk, while the Holly Bush pub with its open fire, stripped wooden floors and hearty roasts will have you and your date rosy-cheeked imminently. Meanwhile picturesque Richmond in southwest London boasts views of the river and deer alike. The Lass O’Richmond Hill is a traditional, homely pub to snuggle up in after a walk. Or, if you strike it lucky with the weather on your date, head out onto the terrace to enjoy a drink in the sun.

Be awe-inspired here: Infra Mixed Bill, Royal Opera House

London becomes rife with ballets as soon as autumn hits. The dance form makes for a relatively high-brow date option, too. But careful – it pays to do your research before booking tickets to any old ballet showing at the Royal Opera House or further afield. The last thing you want is to find yourselves enduring a three-hour tragedy (*cough* Marius Petipa’s La Bayadère) on what was meant to be a romantic night out, because you didn’t do your research. Our pick of autumn ballets to watch on a date is Royal Ballet resident choreographer Wayne MacGregor’s 2008 abstract masterpiece Infra, which returns this season. No spoilers, just prepare to be dazzled.

Treat your ears here: Coffee Concerts, Royal Albert Hall

Looking for something a little more laid back to do with your date, but still in the realm of traditional culture? Then try the Royal Albert Hall’s Sunday Classical Coffee Mornings, where you can enjoy a cup of coffee, something sweet and a chance to hear top students from the Royal College of Music perform in the intimate setting of the Hall’s Elgar Room. Upcoming highlights include the performances on 14 October, when a student ensemble will play cinematic scores from Harry Potter, Indiana Jones and The Deer Hunter among other film titles.

Laugh together here: Twelfth Night, Young Vic

New Young Vic artistic director Kwame Kwei-Armah has been deemed a breath of fresh air for British Theatre – and his musical re-working of Twelfth Night is not Elizabethan drama as we know it. With Beyoncé riffs and brass bands, the music makes the humour and emotion in Shakespeare's text instantly accessible. Kwei-Armah and Taub even take inspiration from that famous opening line – 'If music be the food of love' – to rework the verse into contemporary RnB-inspired songs. This soulful production of Shakespeare’s tomfoolery-ridden play, which sees happy endings for almost all its characters, is the play to watch with your date this autumn.

Dine here: Caractère, Notting Hill

They say ‘never work with children or animals’. It’s a phrase that should surely be extended to include your partner – in most cases, anyway. One exception, though, is restaurant power couple Emily Roux and her husband Diego, who together are opening Caractère in Notting Hill this autumn. Emily is daughter of Michel Roux Jr. and third generation chef in the revered Roux dynasty, while Diego is the former head chef at the family’s two Michelin star restaurant Le Gavroche. Sustainability will be to the fore and the dress code relaxed. Dine here to witness firsthand how food and love – two of life’s most important ingredients – unite at one of the year’s most highly anticipated openings.

Cosy up in the dark here: Cold War, cinemas across the UK

Cold War is the latest film and love story from UK-based Polish director Paweł Pawlikovski, winner of the Best Director award at Cannes 2018. The tense years of the late 40s and 50s are the crisp, monochrome backdrop to the rocky journey of a pair of lovers across Poland, Yugoslavia, Berlin and Paris. There are times when they, and the audience, can forget all about that frosty political climate though; when Cold War appears more timeless than tragically of-its-time. The film has received five-star reviews all round, and is best enjoyed on the big screen, cosied up next to your loved one.