Meet the people embracing “Londonmaxxing” to rediscover the capital

A new phrase is spreading across social media—“Londonmaxxing.” Part meme, part mindset, it describes a growing trend among influencers and young professionals who are rediscovering the city, leaning into its contrasts, and pushing back against more negative narratives about life in the British capital. For travel creator Candace Salters, an American who now lives in London, documenting her experiences online as Candace Abroad, the idea is rooted in curiosity. It’s about taking a different route through the city, she says, and allowing yourself to stumble across “hidden gems.” "I think it's about having curiosity with London and rebirthing your curiosity about the city, going and taking a route to a place that you probably wouldn't normally take to discover a hidden gem along the way. London is such a city of contrast. You can go from a historic landmark one second to looking at modern skylines in the next, even in the same breath. And I think that is one of the things that makes the city incredible," says Salters. That juxtaposition—old and new, global and local—has long defined London. But the recent rise of “Londonmaxxing” comes at a time when the city has also been the subject of more critical online discourse, with some portraying it as unsafe, expensive, or in decline. Salters sees the trend as a response to that. "I feel like Londonmaxxing is the antidote to a lot of negative stereotypes that London has," she says. "I think it's easy to paint London as just a place that is gloomy, and you go and work, and you live, and that's it, which I find crazy because London is arguably one of the best cities in the world. And so, I think it's kind of reclaiming the beauty that London has." London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, has also embraced the phrase—even referencing “Londonmaxxing since 2016” in his social media bio. He says the trend reflects something organic, driven not by institutions but by Londoners themselves. This article was provided by The Associated Press.