Things To Do In October 2026: What The CF Team Are Loving

Including new restaurants to try, products for your basket, books to read and events to attend, these are some of the top things to do in October 2026.

This October, the CF team are chasing winter sun in Egypt, Turkey and Portugal’s Algarve, hosting panel conversations about art and travel, attending some of London’s hottest new exhibitions, booking tables at the city’s new restaurants, stocking up on books to read before bed, locking in on skincare, and shopping seasonal style.

This is all the inspiration you need to welcome the new month.

Sheena Bhattessa, Founder

@sheenabhattessa

HOST Our next event at The Twenty Two members’ club where we’re talking about the world of art, something I’m personally excited to learn about. Where to travel, what to see and how to bring it into our homes (book a ticket here). TAKE I’m finding a huge difference in my sleep and general calm as I’ve added zinc and magnesium supplements to my daily routine. I’m taking the ones from Novoma on Dr Jo Menni’s recommendations and it’s really quite life changing! WEAR In the health streak, I’m enjoy wearing my WHOOP, giving me helpful insights into improving my stress (and rising cortisol) levels particularly! WATCH I’ve been enjoying Why Women Kill on Apple TV, a dark comedy following women during three different decades, and how they deal with infidelity. READ I’ve turned nights of doom scrolling into reading, so I’ve got Judi Dench’s, Is It Too Late To Make A Run For It? and Vibe by Adam Grant (about how we instantly click with some people while we struggle to connect with others, and the psychology behind it), on my list ready to binge read when they are released and arrive later this month. TRAVEL I’m very excited to go to The Bodrum EDITION this month for a friend’s anniversary party. So there’s a fair bit of ‘adding to wishlist’ going on now including this gorgeous éliou dress.

 

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Katie Silcox, Managing Editor

@katiesilcox

VISIT El Gouna, for the Red Sea resort’s ninth Film Festival, taking place from 15 – 23 October. Egypt has always been a major player in film production – I’ve watched a few Egyptian films over the years and am looking forward to discovering more regional filmmakers. STAY In Liverpool for a couple of days, as I take part in MGallery’s Move & Care campaign for Pink October. I’ll be discovering the city from the streets as I take part in a 45-minute walk through it on 14 October, and I’m staying overnight at MGallery’s hotel, The Municipal Hotel & Spa Liverpool, too. PREVIEW Tate Britain’s new exhibition: The 90s: Art and Fashion. It opens on 8 October but I’m visiting a couple of days earlier for a sneak peek. Preview it yourself on CF’s Instagram closer to the time. WALK – I’ve promised myself I’ll do it more, and it’s an especially lovely thing to do as the seasons change. I’ve bookmarked Regent’s Canal and Hampstead Village for early morning strolls with coffee. EAT At the new pop-up: Firangi at Top Cuvée – it’s so close to my house that it would be rude not to.

 

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Becki Murray, Beauty & Wellness Director

@beckimurray_

EXPERIENCE Wellness like the royals, with a stay at Soukya Ayurvedic Wellness Retreat in Bangalore, India. Considering India is one of the homes of Ayurveda and Souka is widely described as ‘the best retreat’ in the area, I’m so excited to see first-hand why the personalised wellness programmes are said to be the favourite of Queen Camilla, as well as the Dalai Lama! DRINK More water with the help of Air Up, a clever bottle that uses scented air to ‘flavour’ your water. It’s a pretty inventive way to help you stay better hydrated without sugar or even any calories, especially considering 80 per cent of your sense of taste actually comes from smell. LAUGH Out loud courtesy of my favourite Scottish comedian Kevin Bridges who is performing at Eventim Apollo. TRACK My recovery score after seeing Niall Horan’s Dinner Party tour at the O2. The singer is now an investor in WHOOP (the iconic fitness tracker) so I want to dig a little deeper into how having fun dancing can actually be an incredible fitness hack. STYLE My hair with GHD’s new interactive Sculpt styler that is said to deliver zero damage to your hair. ATTEND The exhibition of world-renowned former art forger David Henty to see if I can spot the ‘fake’. His recreations of works by artists including Picasso and Van Gogh are so good you’ll be questioning everything.

 

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Ella Alexander, Fashion Features Director

@ella_alexander1

VISIT There are two great fashion exhibitions opening this month: at the Tate Britain, Edward Enninful has curated The 90s: Art and Fashion, an homage to the decade’s iconoclastic, irreverent spirit, launching on 8 October. Having long loved the dream-like, fantastical images of Tim Walker, I can’t wait to see his new showcase, Tim Walker’s Fairyland: Love and Legends, displaying 250 of his portraits. DO Dua Lipa has masterminded this year’s London Literary Festival at the Southbank Centre, and I’ve bought tickets to see her in conversation with one of my heroes, Patti Smith. WEAR My brother is getting married at the end of the month, and autumn weddings present their own layering conundrums. I’ve invested in this dramatic caped top which debuted at M&S’ first LFW show last month. It’s sold out online, but still available in store. I’m wearing it with a pair of red velvet high-waisted trousers and a navy wool coat from Hush. READ Next on my book stack is 1960s Italian classic Natalia Ginzburg’s Family Lexicon, about family, fascism and domesticity.

 

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Bibiana Obahor, Head of Graphic Design

@bibs.s

CELEBRATE Black History Month. London has so much going on this October, from Black Eats Fest and Black Culture Market to The Music Is Black at V&A East. Whether it’s food, shopping, music or art, there are plenty of ways to celebrate and support Black culture and creativity throughout the month. EAT At the newly opened Bamboo Mat in Canary Wharf. I recently visited and loved its mix of Japanese and Peruvian flavours – Pan-Asian is my favourite cuisine, so this was always going to be right up my street. The new Wood Wharf restaurant is much bigger than the original Stratford location, with a raw and cocktail bar downstairs and sushi, robata and a hot kitchen upstairs. DO Paint Your London at Imperfect Art in Peckham. You choose a photograph of your own version of London – whether that’s your favourite street, view or little corner of the city – and spend the afternoon turning it into a painting using oil pastel transfer and watercolour. I love finding slightly random things to do with friends, and at just over £20, this sounds like such a cute Saturday afternoon. BUY My birthday is next month and I’m hosting a dinner party, so naturally I’m already thinking about what I’m going to wear. I currently have my eye on two very different options: one is very glam and the other a little more understated. I’m nowhere near deciding yet, but that’s half the fun. WATCH Verity, the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel. I love a psychological thriller and read the book a few years ago, so, without giving too much away, this is definitely a story that keeps you guessing.

 

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Courtney Griffiths, Experiences and Community Director

@courtneyjanegriff

I put Maine at the top of my bucket list for 2026, so I’m excited to VISIT the Pine Tree State for a very outdoorsy autumn road trip from Kennebunkport up to Mount Desert Island. STAY We’re starting at The Nonantum Resort in Kennebunkport before checking into Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth and Glenmoor by the Sea in Lincolnville. WEAR This is a trip for chunky knits and I’m packing my favourite ME+EM scarf knit and have bought a cute puffer from FP Movement. READ I’m leaving room in my bag for Lonely Crowds, the debut novel by Stephanie Wambugu about two immigrant friends growing up in New England. EAT I can’t wait for a lobster roll at Luke’s Lobster on Portland Pier and dinner at Earth at Hidden Pond. DO We’re heading out with Rugosa for a coastal lobster tour before hiking and kayaking in Acadia National Park. I’m looking forward to fall foliage, fresh air and menus full of my favourite autumn ingredients – apples, squash, mushrooms alongside Maine seafood staples: oysters, scallops and lobster.

 

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