Remember the quiet panic when your phone dies in the middle of nowhere? London’s new “Digital Forest” at the Barbican is the opposite. It’s a room full of fake trees with glowing screens on the leaves. You sit on beanbags, and the forest “reacts” to your heartbeat. I sat there for an hour, and the forest turned into a neon disco whenever I got excited about the snacks in my bag. It’s the perfect place to pretend you’re in nature without getting muddy or stepping on dog poop.
Best things to do in London: 42 exciting ideas to enjoy the capital
And if that’s too tame, head to Peckham Rye’s new night market that happens every Tuesday. It’s like a board game meetup but with tacos and vinyl records. I bought a vintage lamp there that flickers ominously, but the guy swore it was “character,” so I’m keeping it. It’s the kind of place where you’ll bump into your friend’s cousin who’s now a DJ—London really is just a big village with better lighting.
Ride the new ‘floating’ cable car at night.
Okay, the IFS Cloud Cable Car isn’t new, but they’ve added nighttime ‘neon’ rides where the cabin glows like a lava lamp. I took it last Saturday, and the view of Canary Wharf at midnight looks like a Christmas tree that had a disco fever. My friend screamed because the cabin wobbled, but I calmly pointed out that a bird was riding the same cable next to us, so if it’s good enough for a bird… It’s a cheap thrill that makes you feel like a secret agent on a budget.
So there you go. London is still the same chaotic, expensive, pigeon-filled mess we love, but now it has rooftop coffee, pedal boats, and digital forests. Go try one, and please don’t be the person who takes a selfie with the pigeon. That’s my thing.
