Paper flowers and tarot on Halloween, winter landscapes painted to a live DJ set, and candle-making with seasonal fragrances: Hart Shoreditch’s autumn calendar puts creativity at the centre of a city break. The hotel has announced workshops, an intimate film screening and festive dining running from 31 October through to New Year’s Eve.
The 126-room hotel on Great Eastern Street opened in 2020, with design drawing on the neighbourhood’s industrial history and craftsmanship. Its programme gives overnight guests and Londoners several reasons to spend an afternoon here, then stay for dinner at UBA, where a red-and-gold dining room contains banquettes upholstered in red velvet, tabletops of lava stone alongside antique mirrors.
Paper flowers, winter paintings and hand-poured candles
Karen Hsu, founder and creative director of Pom Pom Factory, and her sister Elaine host The Tarot Garden on Saturday 31 October. Running from 11am to 2pm, the £45 workshop combines paper-flower making with tarot, exploring nurturing and transformation through The Empress and Death cards. No previous experience is needed, and the tarot element is intended for entertainment and personal reflection. Optional drinks packages include prosecco, wine, tea and coffee; book a place at The Tarot Garden through the hotel.
On 6 November, Miss Sepi Art leads an oil-painting workshop focused on a winter landscape featuring cottages, frost-covered trees, a stream and icy-blue colours. The three-hour session covers composition, colour mixing, reflections and texture, accompanied by a live DJ set and a guest musical performance. Beginners and experienced painters are welcome, with canvas, paints, brushes and equipment included, and the finished artwork yours to take home.
Reverie’s candle-making sessions take place on 8 November and 13 December, with seasonal fragrance blends for each. The Christmas workshop runs from 3pm to 5pm, with tickets from £35. Participants choose a fragrance, hand-pour a soy-wax candle and add decoration. Hotel guests can use DREAMATHART for a ticket discount; bookings are non-refundable and non-exchangeable.
Tiara Haven’s Christmas Paint & Pour on 5 December adds a hand-painted clay vessel to the process. The 2–5pm session includes guided reflection, fragrance discovery and candle pouring, with all materials supplied. Tickets cost £55, or £50 for members of the free TH Circle scheme, and attendees receive 15% off food and drinks at UBA Bar that day. Reserve a Paint & Pour place if you’d like to leave with both a decorated vessel and a soy candle.
Skincare, movement and matcha
Floz by DR’s Secret hosts the Winter Skin Wellness Ritual on 8 November, with sessions at noon–2pm and 3–5pm. Cleansing techniques, facial massage and Gua Sha are part of the hands-on programme, alongside seasonal skincare guidance and personalised recommendations.
Gareth leads Earth To Us on 28 November, from 9.45am to 11.30am. The therapeutically led bodyweight bootcamp focuses on movement and connection, with a goodie bag of wellness-brand gifts included for each attendee.
DaiKOR combines an intimate sound bath with a hands-on matcha-making experience on 29 November.
A Sunday film and festive paper art
Lumière Noire returns to Hart’s BYRD Lounge on Sunday 15 November for a screening of Brandon Broussard’s short film Switches. The 2–4pm event includes a pre-recorded Q&A with the director, followed by a discussion exploring relationships, love and empathy. Places are limited, with screening tickets available through Eventbrite.
BYRD’s subterranean setting pairs curtains that reach the floor and custom artwork with a bronzed backdrop, plus its own bar and kitchen serving Pan-Asian food from UBA.
Karen Hsu will also create a festive installation for the hotel this winter. Titled A Garden at the Door and A Rocking Goat, it continues Hart’s collaboration with the Pom Pom Factory founder, whose studio specialises in paper botanical installations.
Pan-Asian Christmas dining and New Year’s Eve
UBA’s seasonal sharing menu brings Asian flavours to familiar festive ingredients. Crispy prawns come with Asian cranberry sauce, beef carpaccio with truffle and wasabi dressing, and chicken Wellington with jus. Yakiniku beef ribeye is paired with Asian chimichurri, followed by clementine panna cotta.
The Christmas sharing menus start at £65 per person, with an £80 option offering a wider selection and a glass of Ca’ del Console prosecco.
New Year’s Eve has a separate £80-per-person set menu, including a glass of prosecco on arrival. Korean fried chicken, beef carpaccio and an omakase sushi selection open the meal, followed by yakiniku beef ribeye and miso salmon, with a mochi selection to finish. It’s a dinner-led way to mark the arrival of 2027 in the restaurant’s richly detailed surroundings.
Private dinners and larger celebrations
UBA’s private dining room seats 12, offering a more intimate setting for a festive gathering. The restaurant also has counter dining for 14 at its marble bar, while the main dining room seats 105.
BYRD Lounge accommodates up to 70 seated or 120 standing for larger events. Its eight projectors are linked to one another, while digital displays encircle the space, offering scope for presentations as well as parties. Hart’s Mortise and Tenon Suites provide further private spaces for meetings and presentations.
Beyond the hotel: jazz, markets and a new museum
The EFG London Jazz Festival runs from 13–22 November, bringing international performers and emerging artists to venues across the city. For an evening closer to the hotel, ticket holders for upcoming Shoreditch Town Hall shows receive 15% off at UBA through Hart’s partnership with the venue.
Old Spitalfields Market’s Christmas season runs from mid-November into early January, with festive lights, independent artisan stalls, vintage and antique gifts, and seasonal food. Its programme also includes workshops, choir performances and treasure trails for children.
London Museum has announced that its free permanent galleries will open on 28 November in Smithfield’s restored Victorian General Market. Exhibits include the Cheapside Hoard, Roman writing tablets, a mosaic and fresco, while a six-metre viewing window overlooks passing Thameslink trains. The adjacent Poultry Market spaces are scheduled to open in 2028.
Staying at Hart Shoreditch
Rooms start from £207 a night on a room-only basis. Soapsmith toiletries, Marshall speakers, filtered water, tea and coffee facilities and mini fridges are included, alongside access to the gym around the clock.
The Skylight Suite averages 30 square metres, with high ceilings and natural daylight; the top-floor corner suite averages 55 square metres. Families or friends can choose interconnecting accommodation averaging 43 square metres. Explore the rooms and suites when planning an overnight stay.
Hart Shoreditch is at 61–67 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3HU, around a five-minute walk from both Old Street station and Shoreditch High Street Overground.
