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Sara Baeur, a chocolatier from Montana, USA, booked a place to stay in Northern Morocco for next year’s total solar eclipse, only to be contacted by the host who had an unwelcome message for her

A family was told they’d be locked out of a rental home if they turned up, despite paying £3,400 for the property.

Solar eclipse enthusiast Sara Bauer booked a place to stay in the Moroccan resort of Marwan for the first week of August 2027, desperate to see the astrological phenomenon from the best possible spot. The northern seaside town is a perfect place to catch the eclipse, which includes an incredible eight minutes of totality – about three times longer than this summer’s.

The Montana woman booked the beachfront property and started looking forward to what’s been dubbed ‘the eclipse of the century’. However, she claims she became alarmed after receiving a message from the host, demanding that she cancel the booking. If she didn’t, she was told her family would be locked out of the home, she alleges.

After Sara gave in and cancelled the booking, she saw the same property relisted for six times the price, she claims.

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After she was first contacted by the host, the chocolatier, who runs Chocolate Eclipse, told the Mirror: “The host of my Airbnb in Morocco is demanding that I cancel my reservation. He says he will be penalised badly if he cancels it. He said he’s selling the place before next year and didn’t realise at first that I had booked so far out. He says he will be penalised if he does the cancellation, but will if I refuse to cancel.”

Sara added: “He had said I wouldn’t have access even if I didn’t cancel.”

Concerned that she’d fly all the way to Morocco to find a locked house, Sara “caved” and accepted the cancellation request. The host told her that the property was being removed from the rental market for renovations. However, Sara later found the same property listed for the same week for £20,400 – six times more than she paid.

After being contacted by the Mirror, Airbnb deactivated the listing and penalised the host. An Airbnb spokesperson said: “Issues of this nature are rare, and where we determine misuse of our cancellation policy, hosts not only lose the income from the booking, but face consequences we apply, including fees of up to 50% of the booking cost, a block on rebooking their listing for the same dates, impact on search ranking and where warranted, suspension or deactivation of the account. Our initial handling of this report fell short of the standards we expect, and feedback will be provided to the agents. We have deactivated the listing, and have applied the relevant penalties in line with our policies on host cancellation. The guest has been offered rebooking support and a coupon as a gesture of goodwill, which has been positively received.”

Hosts who cancel Airbnb stays without a legitimate reason face a 50% fee on the reservation cost, calendar blocks that prevent them from accepting reservations during the affected dates, and potential consequences for their Superhost status and listing search ranking. Airbnb says cancellation rates have dropped 30% year over year since more deterrents were introduced in July 2023.

The huge demand for places to stay along the path of totality during next year’s solar eclipse has driven prices up sharply. Some property owners have resorted to canceling reservations in a bid to make hay while the sun shines.

The Venezuelan economic debate has been dominated by headlines over hydrocarbon deals and speculation around the future of the mining sector. The focus is understandable. It’s a petrostate with an abundance of natural resources, capable of propelling us out of the prolonged economic and humanitarian crisis that chavismo inflicted upon us. But as we must continue to discuss the future of the oil, gas and mining sectors, we must not forget the reforms required to allow the non-oil economy to flourish.

Although a large share of the state’s revenues and the country’s GDP is ultimately tied to hydrocarbons, the overwhelming majority of Venezuelans are not oil engineers, geologists or miners. Nor are most Venezuelan companies directly involved in extracting natural resources. The non-oil economy is there, operating under a highly restricted business environment of price controls, extortion, a minefield of a tax system and labour laws hostile to companies. All while facing a contraction in its market due to the migration crisis and severely restricted access to credit.

Venezuela is still among the hardest places to do business in the world. It is time to discuss how to give the sector, which includes formal and informal businesses of all sizes, the breathing space it needs to grow.

Let’s first put the power grid and infrastructure issues aside. The reforms required span virtually every aspect of the business environment, from the institutions that oversee the economy at the macro level, to the banking system and the nitty-gritty of tax and labour law. At the most basic level, the private sector needs confidence that contracts will be respected, property will be protected, and disputes can be resolved through institutions that are predictable and independent. Without these basic reassurances, investing in Venezuela remains a gamble that many businesses and outside investors will simply not be willing to take.

Dollarization without the institutional and financial framework to back it will fail in its mission to stabilize the economy.

As previously explained regarding the macro level, the Venezuelan Central Bank (BCV) needs to regain its independence and establish a credible monetary policy based on transparency and clear rules, supported by a board and president who are not subordinate to Miraflores. Burning through the petro-dollar cash pile to curb the Bolivar devaluation won’t cut it. The central bank is estimated to have used 65% of the oil sale proceeds to shore up the Bolivar. This has proven to be futile without a proper macro framework to support such interventions. It is the BCV’s credibility that is fundamental to correcting the distortions in the FX market and preserving confidence in the Bolivar, in order to lower the still extraordinary inflation rate hovering around 500%.

A credible BCV will also be fundamental to back whichever currency policy the State decides to embrace. Debates over dollarization have spread. However, the measure is not a magic wand, and going for it without the institutional and financial framework to back it will fail in its mission to stabilize the economy. Monetary stability with a functioning BCV will not suffice, but it’s a necessary foundation to correct the distortions that pervade the Venezuelan economy.

Surviving without credit

Reforms aimed at stimulating the non-oil private sector must not stop there. 

Venezuela needs its banks to be banks again. The country has by far the region’s lowest credit portfolio relative to GDP thanks to draconian restrictions from regulators, which limit the capacity of banks to function as credit facilitators, and reduce them to mere transactional businesses. A functioning banking system is fundamental for the private sector’s recovery. Venezuelan businesses need the capital, as much as consumers need the credit to finance purchases of the goods and services those businesses produce.

Without a functioning banking sector, the private sector costs of capital increase as businesses either accept higher rates from non-bank lenders or are forced to rely disproportionately on their own cash flow to fuel operations. Ultimately, this leads to firms forgoing investments and lower productivity. The survival-mode resource allocation and corporate planning allowed some firms to surf through the crisis, but still makes it considerably harder for a successful company to scale operations and increase productivity.

Under the right conditions, Venezuela could become fertile ground for a dynamic M&A market.

On the consumer side, there is an important advantage from which to build on. Venezuela has a relatively high degree of financial inclusion and has rapidly adopted digital technologies for payments and money transfers. This provides an infrastructure through which a consumer credit market can develop.

Time for real business-friendly laws

Labour laws and informality must also be addressed. The private sector needs to be able to absorb more workers, particularly those who will eventually transition out of an oversized public sector, without facing excessive legal and financial restrictions associated with hiring. The current system makes formal employment particularly costly for smaller businesses, contributing to informality and limiting the capacity of companies to expand their payrolls and operations.

Venezuelan businesses have performed something close to a miracle by continuing to operate under such dire conditions. But many of the businesses that remain have low productivity and have become costly to scale. The end goal of this debate should be to reduce the cost of capital and frictions that limit businesses from increasing their size and productivity, aiming to allow companies to compete at scale internationally.

We need to keep pushing for reforms across the non-oil economy so that businesses can access credit, hire more workers, invest, consolidate and attract capital.

Under the right conditions, Venezuela could become fertile ground for a dynamic M&A market. Consolidation can allow fragmented industries to achieve economies of scale, invest in technology, professionalize management, employ more people, and eventually compete internationally. Stronger and better equipped companies would become more attractive to foreign investors and better positioned to access global markets.

This is what economic reform should seek to achieve: a private sector made up of larger, more productive, inclusive, and competitive businesses.

The private sector has already demonstrated that it can survive under almost any conditions. The task now is to create the conditions for the windfall from those petro-dollars to run through a private sector that is more efficient, inclusive, and scalable. We need to continue pushing for reforms across the non-oil economy so that Venezuelan businesses can access credit, hire more workers, invest, consolidate, and attract capital. That will allow it to become one of the engines of our economic transformation.

Families staying in Center Parcs in the run-up to Christmas can book an “unforgettable” experience in the comfort of their own lodge, but the price tag has led to criticisms from fans of the holiday park

Center Parcs has always had a premium image, which comes with premium prices. However, fans of the lakeside holiday parks have taken to social media to complain about one of its new activities on offer for the festive season.

The Twilight Elf Visit is billed as “New and exclusive, an unforgettable Christmas experience awaits” on Center Parc’s website. It goes on to describe the experience: “As dusk begins to settle over the forest, gather in the comfort of your lodge for a surprise visit from two magical elves. Bringing an enchanting tale to tell, they’ll lead your family on a truly personal Christmas adventure filled with storytelling, festive surprises and magical moments.”

One Center Parcs guest, who was considering booking the experience, took to a Facebook page to question the price. They asked: “Has anyone seen on the website the new Twilight Elf visit to your lodge…. Surely no one is paying that sort of price £300+ for just one child!?!” She went on to post a screenshot of the prices she’d been quoted for the elf visit on Thursday, December 22. For one child, the activity costs £310, £360 for two, £410 for three, and £460 for four kids.

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When contacted about the cost of the activity, a spokesperson for Center Parcs said: “This is a private, personalised Christmas experience, with two elves visiting the family’s own lodge for 45 minutes. The visit brings a festive adventure into the place where families are spending their holiday together, with stories inspired by and tailored to the guests themselves and opportunities for children to become part of the magic.

“Throughout the experience, the elves reveal the special connection between the forest and the North Pole through storytelling, interactive moments and festive surprises. Children also create a Christmas wish to send to Santa, and families have the opportunity to capture photos with the elves.

“What makes Twilight Elf Visit special is the combination of time dedicated exclusively to the family, personal touches woven into the storytelling, and the intimacy of having the experience brought to their own lodge, so each experience for our guests is unique to them. It goes beyond a traditional festive meet and greet, giving children an active role in a story that feels personal to them, with the whole family sharing the experience in our unique forest setting.

“It’s a new, optional addition to our wider Winter Wonderland programme, which also includes favourites such as Santa’s Parade and the Enchanted Light Garden. We want families to have a choice of ways to enjoy the season together, with Twilight Elf Visit offering something particularly personal for those who choose it.”

The cost of the experience also includes a “beautifully engraved wooden family keepsake box filled with exclusive mementos to treasure long after your adventure ends. From a cuddly toy carrying each child’s Christmas wish to magical keepsakes inspired by your visit, each item is thoughtfully chosen to help your family relive the wonder of the season for years to come.”

But not everyone was convinced the activity would be worth the money. One poster noted: “This has to be the most expensive activity I have ever seen at [Center Parcs] …and I’ve been going years.” Another wrote: “This has to be a wind up?”. While a third commented: “That’s disgusting.”

However, many posters defended the cost of the experience. One said: “Yes, It’s a lot of money but I don’t see why everyone is so outraged about it, it’s obviously a very luxury thing they are offering, like the treehouses, If someone can afford them then they can afford the cost for the private elf visit.”

Others pointed out that other premium Christmas activities with kids can be just as expensive. “To be honest, people who go to Lapland UK are paying £300 sometimes more. So yes, there are people who will pay it.”

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Tensions reach boiling point as the Big Brother housemates clash yet again in a fresh episode of the ITV series

The Big Brother house is once again thrown into chaos tonight as one housemate takes aim at two co-stars.

It is currently the House of Nothing week, which means the contestants were stripped of basic luxuries like their beds and access to hot water. Viewers have already witnessed a string of arguments as housemates have become frustrated by living with the bare minimum. And it seems there are more clashes set to unfold in Thursday night’s (October 1) episode.

Most of the drama this season has centred on Johanne and Rochelle, who previously argued over “undercooked” chicken and more recently had a row about microaggressions in the house. But this time it’s Omar, Rob and Yasmin who are set to butt heads.

It begins when Rob climbs onto the communal table and starts dancing, with other housemates joining in around him. Omar isn’t happy with his co-star, though, as he repeats: “Get off the table – we eat on it. Get off the table, please.”

Omar then says to Rochelle: “This is mad – I put my bread on that table yesterday. And he’s got his feet on it. It’s horrible.” Rob listens to his housemate’s concerns and starts cleaning the table.

Rob then playfully says: “For the germophobes in the room.” But Omar defends his complaint, arguing: “It’s not germophobia,” before adding: “Yesterday I put my toast on that table and ate it off the table.

Omar quickly replies: “Yeah – I’m the fun police.”

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“That means if I didn’t see you do that, today I would have put toast on top of your feet.” But Omar’s frustration doesn’t stop there. The jewellery seller later heads to the garden and reports the incident to some of his fellow housemates.

He then turns his attention to Yasmin and tells her: “You need to stop with the obnoxiously loud songs.” This sparks another argument as Yasmin hits back with: “Are you just against having any fun?”.

Tensions reach boiling point when Yasmin shuts down Omar’s comments, saying: “Let your hair down. Have a laugh. It’s alright. F****** hell. I’m going to do what the f*** I please. Stop telling me what to do. You keep telling me what to do and I don’t like it.”

Rob also appears taken aback by Omar’s comments but fans will have to tune in to find out if the clash causes another rift in the house.

Big Brother continues on ITV2 and ITVX tonight at 9pm

TWICE-divorced Ben Affleck has revealed the brutal response he gets from his children when he tries to give them relationship advice.

The actor, who was previously married to Jennifer Garner and Jennifer Lopez, revealed his kids are quick to put him in his place when he weighs in on their friends’ love lives.

Speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Ben, 54, recalled trying to offer his opinion during a conversation at the dinner table.

He said: “I said, ‘Well, the thing about that relationship there with that person is…’ and the 17-year-old just turns to me and goes, ‘Oh, like you’re the expert on relationships?’”

Ben added: “I give advice and try to talk to them, parent them as you do. What I found is that now it’s not only one teenager rolling their eyes.

“I’ll kind of launch into something at the dinner table and I’ll catch them giving each other looks and I realise I’m the caricature in this story.”

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Ben shares Violet, 20, Fin, 17, and Samuel, 14, with his ex-wife Jennifer Garner.

The pair married in 2005 and divorced in 2018.

Ben later married Jennifer Lopez, 57, in 2022, almost two decades after they called off their first engagement.

Their marriage ended in 2024.

Last year, Ben told GQ he had “nothing but respect” for JLo and described the breakup as having “no scandal, no soap opera, no intrigue”.

He said there was no single dramatic event behind it, but stopped short of sharing the private details.

Meanwhile, the actor remains close to Jennifer Garner and had hoped to cast her as his on-screen wife in his new film Animals.

He told Entertainment Weekly: “I thought, God, Jen Garner would be amazing for this role.”

Jennifer ultimately did not take the role, which went to Kerry Washington.

However, he added: “I would love to work with her, frankly. She’s fabulous, and we’re really good friends, and I’m profoundly grateful to her, and we have a great thing.

“I still would wanna work with her in the future, but what you don’t wanna do is take the audience’s baggage and have it work against you, you know?”

Against the tidal wave of public opposition to those who go barefoot on a plane, there is a countercultural force of people determined to get up in the sky, unencumbered by socks

They may be the most maligned group in modern society – the barefoot passenger.

There is something about a naked, sock-free foot at 30,000 feet that unifies the public in its fury and disgust in a way rarely seen in the 21st-century world of social media polarisation. And every now and again, there’s a particularly egregious case that captures the attention.

Back in October last year, Boston-based artist Ashley Eisenman filmed a man behind her propping his bare foot into the gap beside her seat for the entire hour-long flight, leaving them mere centimeters from her defenseless arm. “He 1000% should be on the no-fly list ASAP,” she wrote after the traumatic incident.

If a one-hour flight from Reno to San Francisco is bad, then a nine-hour journey from Zurich to New York is the stuff of flakey-skinned, wiggly-toed nightmares. That is what happened to Reddit user u/sarahfayejay, who posted an alarming photo with the caption: “I have a 9-hour flight ahead of me.”

And it’s not an issue that inflicts only those in economy. The alarming Instagram page Passenger Shaming shared a video of a woman lying on her back in first class, with both her bare feet resting against the plane’s wall.

OPINION

While you might assume that the dislike of this practice was universal and a given, Expedia decided to check. In a 2018 survey of 18,000 travellers it found that more than 90% said it’s never okay to go barefoot on a plane, while a later 2023 Kayak-led piece of peer reviewing found that 76% of travellers “prefer their vision free of toes” on a flight.

Against this tidal wave of public opposition, there is a countercultural force of people determined to get up in the sky, unencumbered by socks.

You need a boost, right?

We’re living under a dark cloud, with a steady downpour of graft, thuggery and baloney.

There’s the raffling of presidential pardons and the attacks on reporters for doing their jobs, the clownish trade war with Canada, the bungled disaster in Iran, the petty obsessions with the ballroom and the Kennedy Center, the hogwash about a stolen election, the attacks on immigrants and the shameless presidential profiteering while working people suffer the cost of Trump’s countless broken promises.

I could go on, and I will. But rest assured, I have not forgotten about the boost I promised.

For all the affronts, nothing strikes me as more sinister than the Trump administration’s ambitious assault on the planet. Despite nearly daily headlines about the global calamity of overheated oceans, melting glaciers, stark weather transformations and species extinction, Trump keeps shoveling more coal onto a fire that will rage long after he’s dead and gone.

He’s gutted environmental protections and scientific research and dismantled clean energy initiatives. Now his administration is rolling back limits on power plant emissions, attempting to open the California coast to more oil drilling and sabotaging the state’s ambitious goals on emission controls and electric vehicle conversion.

We don’t need AI to threaten the future of humanity. We’ve got Trump.

It’s tempting to duck under the covers and wait for the nightmare to end, but the good news is that a lot of people are standing up rather than rolling over, rebelling against the ignorance and callous disregard that threatens our most precious and fragile shared inheritance.

In August, hundreds showed up to defend California’s authority to govern its own coast at a Santa Monica hearing of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency, and 18,000 more people filed comments online.

The rollback of environmental safeguards is, for many, a call to arms.

“Yes, I am discouraged. … But I am not despairing,” said Bill McKibben, an author and environmental activist who is organizing a worldwide event called Sun Day for next year to promote clean energy. “We’re reacting to multiple crises, and we’re led by a pack of fools, so why would anybody not stand up?”

McKibben launched a national movement five years ago called Third Act, and tens of thousands of people 60 and older have signed on to advocate for climate action, voting rights and civic participation. Third Act now operates in about 30 states, with a robust chapter in Southern California.

Former Times reporter Zan Dubin has worked as both a volunteer and a paid communications consultant for Third Act, and I asked her what someone could expect to do if they became a member of Third Act/SoCal.

Environmentalist and author Bill McKibben is organizing a worldwide event called Sun Day next year to promote clean energy.

(Amanda Swinhart / Associated Press)

“We do it all,” Dubin said, from promoting climate-friendly candidates to running phone banks and testifying at public meetings. She said Third Act co-sponsors protests at Dodger Stadium, and she and others planned to meet at Vin Scully Avenue and Stadium Way for Sunday’s game against the San Francisco Giants. They want the Dodgers to stop doing business with Big Oil and bench their sponsorship deal with Phillips 66.

She also called out Disneyland for its exhaust-spewing Autopia attraction, along with former Times climate columnist Sammy Roth, and Disneyland responded by announcing in 2024 that it was switching to electric cars beginning in 2027.

Dubin, co-founder of National Drive Electric Week, said 170 volunteer-led events were being held nationwide over the next month to promote EVs, and she was leading one Friday in Irvine.

“Action is absolutely the antidote to despair,” Dubin said. “I find that despite the onslaught of these horrifying headlines … taking action invigorates me.”

Claremont resident Margaret Davis knows that feeling. She emailed me in 2023, prior to participating in a Third Act event, and said many retirees have time on their hands, which puts them in a powerful position.

“The climate crisis is the greatest existential threat humans have ever faced, hence we live in a time when we can make the greatest change for the better,” Davis wrote at the time.

When I called her a few days ago, Davis told me she’s now a member of Senior Stewards Acting for the Environment. She lives at Pilgrim Place — a senior community with a focus on justice, peace and environment — where residents meet regularly to study, discuss and advocate for sustainability, biodiversity and environmental causes.

“When I was in college in 1970, we had the antiwar movement and that was the first year of Earth Day,” Davis said. “At the time, I thought Earth Day was just a distraction from what was going on in the world.”

Later, she said, “I came to realize it was the biggest issue of all time.”

Climate activist Sim Bilal stands next to pumps at an oil field in Los Angeles in 2024.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Like Davis, I went to college in the ‘70s, and there’s no denying that our aggressively consumptive generation played a key role in manufacturing a crisis for our children and grandchildren. We’ve got matches in our hands and smoke on the horizon, and if we’re honest with ourselves, we’d see atonement not as a hobby, but as a duty.

As for the next generation, climate activist Sim Bilal, 24, said he too shares the sense that this is both a wickedly frightening time and a moment of opportunity.

“In the last month, we’ve gotten more young people involved,” said Bilal, executive director of Youth Climate Stewards 4 Local Action. “We usually have to reach out to them, but so many people have been wanting to get involved, and they’re so eager, and that’s been affirming for me. The policies are depressing, but the fact that people are reenergized and want to fight back is really exciting.”

Bilal said faith in politics, government and corporations is not high among his peers, but he’s trying to grow a network of young people to cultivate and support future leaders.

“A mentor told me there are two kinds of power — organized people, and organized money,” said Bilal, whose activism began when his grandmother died and he began wondering if her cancer, and global warming, were connected to the oil drilling in his South L.A. neighborhood. “We don’t have the money, but a lot of the work we do is political and civic education, demystifying power, and making people understand they have agency.”

You needed a boost, right?

There you go.

Whatever your age, do not despair.

Get off the chair.

steve.lopez@latimes.com

Tim Lovejoy was left confused by Penn Jillette’s comments during the latest edition of the Channel 4 show

Sunday Brunch presenter Tim Lovejoy was left baffled by one guest.

The weekend show returned to screens on Sunday (September 13), with presenters Tim and Simon Rimmer at the helm. Joining them on the show were guests Beverley Knight, Lara Pulver, Jay Sean, Bloc Party, Van Tulleken, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Penn Jillette.

As the usual format got underway, the Sunday Brunch studio made for engaging viewing but American magician Penn shared a rather surprising confession.

During the segment where the presenters ask their guests to “dump their grumps” by openly sharing their dislikes, Penn confessed that he was rather lost and only understood a fraction of what was being said.

While discussing the topic of Marmite, and whether they have the sticky spread in the US, Penn said: “I haven’t understood very much of anything that’s being said.”

Revealing that he has bad hearing, Penn also shared that he wasn’t a fan of the British accent. He said: “I don’t hear well and I don’t understand accents so, so far on the show I’ve understood about 30% of what is going on. So when I’m in England, which I am often, I spend most of my time understanding no one.”

He then added that he wrote what he believes he hears and believes that this should be one of his grumps he would dump. He added: “It’s just totally a garble nonsense, which I hear every time you speak.”

Emphasising his point, he then said: “I have no idea what you’re saying. I’m sitting here nodding and smiling in total ignorance.”

Confused by Penn’s admission, Tim branded his complaints as “weird”. He said: “I think that’s really weird because I think we’re speaking like…” Penn interjected: “No, you are! You are speaking wonderfully for people like you!”

It comes after Tim was missing from the show at the end of August. The surprise switch was likely to have been noticed by regular Sunday Brunch viewers, particularly given the long-standing on-screen partnership between Tim and Simon.

The pair have worked together for many years, first joining forces on Something for the Weekend before becoming the faces of Sunday Brunch when the Channel 4 programme launched in 2012.

Their presenting partnership has remained a familiar part of Sunday mornings for more than a decade, making Lovejoy’s absence from this week’s episode all the more striking.

Stepping in to replace him was presenter Yinka Bokinni, who is an experienced broadcaster in her own right. She has worked across both radio and television and has established herself as a familiar face through a range of TV appearances, as well as her work covering entertainment and culture.

There was no explanation given during the programme for Lovejoy’s absence. At the beginning of the show, Yinka simply told viewers that she would be stepping in as his replacement.

Sunday Brunch airs Sundays from 10am on Channel 4.

GET into your liederhosen, your dirndls and grab your beer jug because it’s almost time for Oktoberfest.

If you want to celebrate the festival without the flight to Germany – these are some of the best ones in the country with fancy dress and even bratwurst eating competitions.

Albert’s Schloss

It’s go big or go home at Albert’s Schloss which calls itself the ‘UK’s ultimate Oktoberfest 2026 party.

It has venues across the country too from Manchester to Birmingham, Liverpool and London.

There are Bavarian feasts with generous helpings of crispy pork knuckle and juicy schnitzels to bratwursts and sauerkraut.

When it comes to entertainment, there are bratwurst eating competitions, traditional keg tapping and best Lederhosen Competitions.

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Enjoy live performances from Oompah Bands, Brass Bands and DJs.

For fans of beer (or bier) – it’s one of the only places outside of Munich you can try all six Oktoberfest beers.

If you want to taste them all, make sure to even book a Bier Masterclass for a beer-tasting experience hosted by in-haus tapsters.

Celebrations run from September 19 to October 25 – and book in advance to guarantee entry.

Finsbury Park Oktoberfest

If you’re a London local, Finsbury Park will be the place to be – it’s the biggest Oktoberfest celebration in London.

The huge Bavarian-style beer festival takes place inside a giant blue-and-white festive tent from October 1-3.

Enjoy authentic German food from bratwurst in bread, schnitzel to pretzels.

Make sure to wash it down with specially brewed Bavarian FestBeer in a traditional stein.

Of course there’s lots of live entertainment from German oompah bands and Schlager music – oh, and dressing up is highly encouraged.

General admission starts from £10.

Oktoberfest

The UK’s biggest Oktoberfest tour will return this year in cities across the country.

Enormous tents will be transformed into traditional bierkellers with long bench-style seating, and lots of German Bier.

Don’t forget about the live music and bands, competitions all with a party atmosphere.

The tours will head to Colchester, Chichester, Milton Keynes, Guilford, Southend, Beverley, Chelmsford, Plymouth and Portsmouth from October 2-31.

Tickets start from £16.95.

Brewhemia

Brewhemia is known as Scotland’s “beer palace” – so it’s no surprise it’s a top spot for Oktoberfest.

Have your costumes at the ready and enjoy an Oktoberfest beer from Paulaner, Hacker-Pschorr to Flotzinger Wies’n-Märzen and Bitburger Premium Pils.

There’s plenty of food to go around from fresh pretzels to bratwursts to smoky Käsekrainers and spicy Chilliwursts.

You can even try all three with Sausage Fest where you get a platter of all of them with all the trimmings.

The celebrations run from September 19 to October 4 – and of course there’s live music throughout.

You can reserve a drinks area for parties of 4-40 guests – if there’s less then just walk-in.

KATIE Price has taken aim at Love Island stars after an awkward run-in at the National Television Awards on Tuesday evening.

She recalled the incident at the glitzy bash while speaking to her sister Sophie on the newest episode of her podcast, The Katie Price Show.

Katie, 48, fumed: “I’m nice to everyone, some look at me like their s**t don’t stink.

“Are you actually for real? You went on Love Island or Love Island before.

“Just in general, loads are so nice, you always get some who think their s**t don’t stink.

“As Nikki Grahame used to say, ‘who are you?’.

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“It just makes me laugh, up their bloody arse.”

She debuted a dramatic new look on the red carpet as she wore a white shirt tucked into sheer black shorts with a flower-print.

Katie brought her look together with black tights and a pair of heels.

The mum-of-five went for a very bold make-up look with heavy eyeshadow and overlined lips.

She slicked her hair back in a wet-look style and wore some huge gold earrings.

Ahead of hitting the red carpet, she told fans she’d been ditched by her glam squad.

The reality star explained that her glam squad decided “to pass” on getting her red carpet ready after they had a disagreement.

She said she wanted to do something “different” with her look and her glam squad were just not on the same page.

Katie expressed: “So originally I did have a glam squad by they’ve passed on doing my glam for the NTAs, because I wouldn’t wear the outfits they wanted me to.

“They wanted to do something different. But the outfit I’ve chosen myself is still different, because I don’t like to follow what everyone else follows.

“So in a way they did me a favour by saying they’re going to pass on my glam because I wouldn’t use the whole team.

“So someone I could never even dream of working, this is beyond art, iconic.”

Earlier that day, the Celebrity Big Brother winner took to Instagram to reveal she’s been left with a swollen face, black eyes and bandaged boobs after going under the knife again.

THE Office star Lucy Davis has tackled a terrifying zip-wire challenge amid her terminal cancer fight.

The 53-year-old announced last month that she’s been diagnosed with incurable stage four breast cancer.

She admitted “I don’t know how long I have left” as she revealed the tragic news with her followers in a video on social media.

However, Lucy said she was determined to have as much fun as she can during the time she has left and she’s doing exactly that.

The daredevil shared her pride on Wednesday after completing a gruelling hike followed by a scary zip line through a California canyon.

She took to Instagram to share pictures of herself on the hike as well as video of the moment she bravely took on the zip line.

STRONG SPEECH

Lucy Davis shares emotional message after revealing terminal cancer diagnosis

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The Office’s Lucy Davis greets fans days after revealing she has incurable cancer

Lucy penned: “I loved this #zipline and I was a bit proud of myself for doing it because they said to be prepared for a 25 minute walk, so I took my pain meds an hour before in preparation.

“In previous zip lines, I’ve always been driven up to the first line, and the walking is in between the lines.

“But no. This was a legit hike up to the first zip. It took me one hour and 15 minutes.

“I was so grateful for the support of the guides and my friend @jharris1231 who helped me up, and the other people on the hike that never judged me or made me feel stupid. Thank you.”

Her fans flocked to the comments section as one expressed: “Still living to the fullest and experiencing life. Good on you!”

Another person commented: “Oh wow, you’re fabulous Lucy. Still chokes me up though.”

Somebody else gushed: “You are such an inspiration. Also, whenever I see you I remember Aunt Hilda, she was so comforting as a character.

“You really played her so well, you’re truly amazing. So talented and inspiring.”

Yet another added: “My gosh Lucy, so much courage! You are such an inspiration.”

Lucy took to Instagram last month to share her heartbreaking news.

She wrote: “Hi friends:) I wanted to share something with you all that I’ve kept to myself for a while but for various reasons would like to share now.

“A year and a half ago I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Breast Cancer, which has metastasized to my bones. Specifically to my spine, right hip, and my ribs. The cancer is incurable, and too late for chemo.

“The initial lump that I felt, wasn’t a ‘lump’ as such; rather a kind of hard spot. Really tiny.

“I almost didn’t bother getting it checked. So I guess I’m saying don’t ignore anything – get everything checked out.”

Lucy told her fans that she’s at peace with “whatever comes next,” as she shared the clip of her ringing the cancer treatment bell.

While she rang the bell, Lucy confessed she has been told by doctors it’s “too late” for her to receive Chemotherapy.

Lucy is best known for playing Dawn Tinsley in Ricky Gervais’ comedy The Office.

Dawn was a receptionist at Wernham Hogg’s Slough branch in the original UK version of The Office.

Her character battled an unfulfilling engagement, failed dreams of becoming an artist and a will-they-won’t they relationship with her colleague Tim.