Celebrating City icon the Sky Garden, crowned world’s most ticketed destination
We are celebrating the best of the Square Mile this October with The Toast Awards! Voting is open now so make your voice heard by submitting your favourite City of London spots on the website. In the run up, we’re honouring some of our favourite City hotspots
Last summer, the City of London’s Sky Garden became one of the world’s most ticketed destinations. As we ramp up towards our Toast the City awards, we think that’s something to celebrate.
The Sky Garden, located at the top of the ‘Walkie Talkie’ building at 20 Fenchurch Street, was completed in 2014 and has since welcomed 11m visitors, with 1m being over the past year.
It comes as new roof terraces and viewing points continue to bring footfall to the Square Mile. The Lookout at 8 Bishopsgate and Horizon 22 at Bishopsgate are the most recent additions. They have welcomed nearly 0.5m people in less than a year.
“The spectacular success of these elevated public spaces show how tall buildings in the City not only provide the high-quality office space we need, but offer benefits to the community and boost the Square Mile’s economic growth and tourist appeal,” chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Planning and Transportation Committee, Shravan Joshi, said when the news was announced about the ticketing record.
As the interest continues to grow, the City of London Corporation has said it plans to bring even more viewing offerings into the mix, including 1 Leadenhall Court, 50 Fenchurch St, Seal House, Millenium Bridge House, and Citicape House in Holborn.
“It’s particularly encouraging to see school children and local communities enjoying the spaces, giving them a feeling of belonging to, and involvement in, the City, its environment, and history,” Joshi said.
The Sky Garden features restaurants as well as a bar and outdoor viewing terrace, open subject to weather conditions.
Visitors can visit the Sky Garden free of charge to take in the views from the rooftop atrium, and there are indoor gardens to wander between and take photos. It’s best to book the restaurants ahead of time.
Our Toast the City awards in October celebrate the best of the City. You can currently vote for your favourite restaurant, bar, coffee shop, public space or cultural institution on the website before our selection of judges whittle the nominations down into a short list. Judges include Michelin starred chef Tom Sellers and Fallow and Roe restaurateur James Robson.
Find out which venues are crowned best in the Square Mile in October.
Toast the City website material reads: “The City of London is a thriving hub for some of London’s most innovative restaurants, bars and cultural projects. The Toast the City Awards 2025 will recognise the institutions new and old – and the men and women behind them – that have helped build the Square Mile into one of the most vibrant areas of London, for workers and visitors alike
“We have enrolled some of the biggest names in hospitality to pick the very best pubs, restaurants, entertainment hot-spots, sandwich shops and outdoor spaces, all nominated by our readers. We will recognise the best-of-the-best and throughout the year we’ll be featuring interviews and profiles with nominees.”