This year in London has proven to be full of significant events, featuring protests, heatwaves, and sporting celebrations that have captured public attention. Here’s a retrospective through a collection of photographs that encapsulate 2025 in the city.
At the beginning of the year, a crowd of enthusiastic swimmers converged in south-west London for the Cold Water Swimming Championships at Tooting Bec Lido. Close to 100 events—including a competition for the best hat—were held in the chilly waters measuring 5.5°C (41.9°F), representing the first occurrence of the championships at this venue since the onset of the Covid pandemic.
In February, a portrait celebrating Rizwan Javed, an employee of Transport for London’s Elizabeth line, was unveiled. Since 2015, he has intervened to save 29 individuals from suicide. Artist Jack Dickson conveyed Mr. Javed’s “humility and dignity” as a segment of BBC One’s Extraordinary Portraits series.
March saw operations at Heathrow Airport temporarily halted due to a fire at a nearby electrical substation affecting the UK’s busiest airport. Over 1,300 flights were disrupted, and passengers were advised against heading to the airport. An ensuing investigation revealed that the National Grid had been aware of issues at the substation since 2018 but had not taken action.
May welcomed thousands of Crystal Palace supporters who filled the streets for a celebratory parade honoring their team’s FA Cup victory. This marked the club’s first major trophy, following a 1-0 triumph over Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on May 17.
June brought a four-day heatwave, with Heathrow recording the highest temperatures in the UK at 33.1°C (91.6°F), closely followed by St James’s Park at 33°C (91.4°F). By late August, The Met Office confirmed that the summer of 2025 was the hottest ever recorded in the United Kingdom, surpassing the famed summer of 1976 and marking a pattern where the five hottest summers have all occurred since 2000.
During the summer, Noel and Liam Gallagher concluded a nearly 16-year rift with their Oasis Live ’25 reunion tour. Over 90,000 fans attended each of the seven sold-out concerts at Wembley Stadium in July, August, and September. BBC music correspondent Mark Savage remarked that the band sounded “the best they’ve been since the ’90s,” describing their reunion as a moment of reconciliation, where the brothers put aside their long-standing feud and reconnected with their audience.
In August, the Metropolitan Police recorded its highest number of arrests in a single day in a decade, apprehending 474 individuals during a protest at Parliament Square supporting the banned group Palestine Action. Demonstrators displayed handwritten signs proclaiming “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.” The organization had been outlawed in July under the Terrorism Act of 2000, criminalizing any membership or support, with penalties reaching up to 14 years in prison.
By September, the London Fire Brigade reported its busiest summer season since the extreme heat of 2022, with 83 wildfires occurring in the capital between June and August. One notable incident involved a massive grass fire in Dagenham on July 14, requiring the response of 25 fire engines and around 125 firefighters during the peak of the year’s third heatwave.
In November, farmers brought tractors to the capital to protest the implementation of a farm inheritance tax, gathering near Trafalgar Square despite a vehicle ban in the Whitehall area imposed by the Metropolitan Police.
December saw Grenfell Tower illuminated at night during its dismantling process as a “visible reminder” of the tragedy. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced that beams of light would be projected from the tower’s corners, accompanied by 72 green lights on anniversaries of the fire. One advocacy group representing the victims of the disaster criticized the lighting as a “PR stunt,” while another emphasized the importance of ensuring Grenfell remains in the public consciousness as legal proceedings continue.
