Every direction
All side quests
Cocktail-making masterclassLearn 2-3 classics then drink them; widely available - search by area on DesignMyNight. Typically ~£35-50pp, 18+. Book ahead.
Tate ModernFree collection incl. Turbine Hall & river views. No booking needed for the collection; exhibitions ticketed (16-25s get £5 via Tate Collective).
The Castle Climbing CentreBouldering + roped climbing in a Victorian water-pumping station; the largest Central London wall. PAYG entry + £3 first-visit registration. Beginner courses; booking essential for families/novices with no rope experience. Garden cafe.Local chess club (ECF directory)Find a club; many meet weekly in pubs
London LOOP (150-mile orbital)24 signed countryside sections
104 London DebatersToastmasters debate club; table topics. Meets at The Windsor Castle, Francis Street SW1, 2nd & 4th Tuesdays; a separate online club meets 1st Tuesdays.The Comedy StoreUK's most iconic club; book ahead
British MuseumFree permanent collection (Rosetta Stone, Egyptian mummies, Parthenon sculptures). A timed entry ticket is now recommended to guarantee entry; some walk-up available. £5 suggested donation. Paid special exhibitions.
Float tank / sensory deprivationFloatworks - sensory-deprivation float pods at Vauxhall & Angel; ~£55 for a 60-min single float (memberships cheaper). 1-hr deep rest in Epsom-salt water. Book online/app. Shower required; not if you've recently dyed hair. Essex Road N1 is the flagship and the UK's largest float centre; second site at St George Wharf, Vauxhall SW8.
Pasta / dumpling / bao classHands-on evening classes at cookery schools - e.g. School of Wok (Covent Garden, dumpling/bao classes from ~£60) or Leiths pasta masterclass (~£195). Eat what you make. Book ahead.
Tate BritainFree; 500 years of British art + the world's largest Turner collection. No booking for the collection; exhibitions ticketed.VauxWall WestBouldering under the arches by Vauxhall station (part of London Climbing Centres). Peak ~£14.50 / off-peak ~£10 + £2 registration. 'Induction Plus' £20 incl. shoes & instruction. A PAYG ticket also gets you into other LCC sites the same day.
Outdoor chess tables (Holland Park etc)Free public boards; casual play
Capital Ring (78-mile inner loop)15 walkable sections via parksDebate London / It's DebateableFree public debates 1st & 3rd Wed
Soho Comedy ClubDaily line-ups, up-and-comers + TV names
Regional cookery course (Thai, Italian...)Pick a cuisine (Thai, Chinese, Italian) - School of Wok 3-hr classes from ~£60-115; many schools citywide. Book ahead.
National GalleryFree; Van Gogh, Monet, da Vinci. No booking needed for the main collection; paid blockbuster exhibitions.VauxWall EastSister bouldering wall (London Climbing Centres) in Bethnal Green. Peak ~£14.50 / off-peak ~£10 + £2 registration. PAYG ticket valid at other LCC sites same day.
Natural History MuseumFree; dinosaurs, blue whale, gems. Book a free timed ticket online to skip queues. Paid special exhibitions; winter ice rink (paid).
Draughts board-game cafe100s of games + game gurus; small cover. Original site is Acton Mews E8; second branch at Waterloo SE1.Ramblers groups (Inner/Metro London)Weekly led walks; first few free
Borough Market grazing wanderFree to wander London's most famous food market (Mon-Sat; full market Wed-Sat, fewer traders early week). Go early to beat crowds. London Bridge tube.National Portrait GalleryFree; reopened after major refurbishment. No booking for the collection; paid special shows.
Agora Debate Club London~6 ticketed debates/yr; welcome drink. Held at the Tea House Theatre, Vauxhall Walk SE11.
Good Ship Comedy (Four Thieves)Fortnightly Wednesday club night. Runs at The Four Thieves, Lavender Gardens SW11.
The Arch Climbing Wall (multiple)Bouldering across multiple London sites; off-peak entry ~£11, monthly memberships available. Acton site is in a former cinema. Free intro video + registration before climbing. Flagship is Building One, Drummond Road SE16; other Arch/Climbing District sites at Surrey Quays SE16, London Fields E8 and Tottenham Hale N15.
Sound bath / gong meditationLie down & get 'bathed' in gong/singing-bowl sound; sessions at studios & yoga spaces citywide. ~£15-30. Book ahead.
Loading Bar (gaming cafe)Retro video + board games + drinks. Dalston site on Kingsland Road E8; second venue in Stratford E20.
Maltby Street / Druid St marketsWeekend food + drink under arches
Wallace CollectionFree; armour + old masters in a Marylebone townhouse. No booking needed.Science MuseumFree permanent galleries. Wonderlab and IMAX are ticketed. Free timed entry ticket recommended at busy times.
Epping Forest trails6,000 acres ancient woodland; near youThe ReachSouth London's biggest wall; boulder+rope+lead
Sylvan Debating Club (est.1868)Classic Oxbridge-Union-style motions. Meets upstairs at Ye Olde Cock Tavern, Fleet Street EC4. Live site is sylvans.org.uk.
Angel Comedy (free)Free nightly stand-up at The Bill Murray. Home venue The Bill Murray N1; also programmes The Camden Head N1.
Wing FestSummer; £1.50 wings, axe throwing, DJsBoard game meetup nightTons of free recurring boardgame nights
Whitechapel GalleryFree contemporary shows + good cafeThames Path walkingWalk any flat section, free
Mile End Climbing WallIndustrial routes + Finnish sauna
Victoria & Albert (V&A)Free; world's largest decorative-arts/design/fashion collection + John Madejski Garden. Paid special exhibitions can sell out. Quieter on weekday mornings.
Supper club (Eatwith etc.)Eat at a host's table - book via platforms like Eatwith. Great for meeting people; prices vary by host (~£40-70pp). Confirm dietary needs when booking.
Toastmasters clubs (many)Find a local club; first visits free
Saatchi GalleryContemporary; some free, some ticketed
Free meditation (London Buddhist Centre)London Buddhist Centre (Bethnal Green) - drop-in classes & intro courses, donation-based/free. Beginner-friendly, secular-welcoming.Open-mic comedy nightTry material or just watch; many free
Dungeons & Dragons / TTRPG groupBeginner one-shots to learn the ropes
Citybouldering Aldgate100+ bouldering problems; off-peak PAYG from ~£13. 'CB Lates' DJ social nights. Free registration + video induction online before you climb.Lee Valley / River Lea towpathLong flat green corridor near you
Cheese & wine tastingGuided tasting flights; The Cheese Bar in Camden (Stables Market) does all-cheese menus & flights - walk-in or book. Open daily, later Wed-Sat.
The Photographers' GalleryFree before noon; photography
Conway Hall / IQ2 talksPublic lectures & debates; humanist home
Warhammer / wargaming clubStore clubs run intro games + paint nights
Stand-up comedy courseWrite & perform a 5-min set by the end
Citybouldering White CityBouldering near Westfield incl. auto-belay routes; off-peak PAYG from ~£13. Register online first.
V&A Museum of Childhood (Young V&A)Free; brilliant for kids
WSET wine courseGlobally recognised wine qualification, Levels 1-3, run by schools citywide. Level 1 is a one-day intro (~£200+). 18+. Book a course date ahead.
Lady Dinah's Cat EmporiumUK's first cat cafe (opened 2014), Alice-in-Wonderland themed, on Bethnal Green Road. ~£20-25pp for a 90-min booking incl. cafe access; afternoon tea options. 12+ only; no picking up the cats. Open daily exc. Wednesdays ~11:00-19:00. Book ahead for weekends.
Hayward Gallery / SouthbankBold contemporary exhibitions
Pub quiz circuitMost pubs run weekly quizzes; often free
Climbing District (4 venues)Coached intro sessions; strong community. Four sites: Building One SE16 (the original Arch wall), Surrey Quays SE16, London Fields E8 and Tottenham Hale N15.Yoga in the park (summer)Free/low-cost outdoor yoga classes in parks (e.g. via Our Parks) in warmer months; book online or turn up.
Skeptics in the PubFree-ish science/critical-thinking talks
Coffee cupping / barista classLearn to taste & brew with London roasters (e.g. workshops via specialty cafes). Half-day classes; book ahead.
Improv drop-in jamTurn-up improv jams; no experience needed. Home venue is Hoopla at The Miller, Snowsfields SE1; courses also run at other central London spaces.
Dulwich Picture GalleryEngland's first public gallery
Java Whiskers cat cafeRescue-cat lounge with timed bookings - ~£13 for 1 hr / ~£20 for 90 min, food & drink add-ons. Pre-book online. Locations in central London; check current sites. Great Portland Street W1 was the first UK branch; second site at Westfield White City W12. Live site is javawhiskers.co.uk.
Wellcome CollectionFree; medicine, art & being human + free reading room. Closed Mondays. Free events.
Westway Climbing CentreOne of UK's largest roped walls
Mahjong / Go clubLondon Go Centre + mahjong meetups
Bermondsey Beer MileSelf-guided crawl of taproom breweries in the railway arches between Bermondsey & South Bermondsey - best on Saturdays when most are open. Pay per pint.
Camden Arts CentreFree shows + ceramics + garden cafeHow To Academy / 5x15 talksBig-name thinker talks; ticketed
Improv classes – Free Association / HooplaLevel 1 courses; great for confidence. Theatre and school share one building on Union Street SE1 (moved there in 2025).
Whiskers & Cream cat cafe'Luxury' cat cafe on Holloway Road with afternoon tea (veggie/vegan options) & licensed bar. ~£11pp for 90 min incl. a drink; extend +30 min for ~£3.50; prosecco afternoon tea ~£46. Open Thu-Tue (closed Wed). Book ahead.Clip 'n Climb Chelsea21 fun auto-belay challenges incl. a drop slide & vertical drop. Booked sessions ~1 hr; great for families & groups. Age 4+. Trades as 'Chelsea' but the centre is on Michael Road SW6.
Gin / whisky distillery tourSipsmith (Chiswick W4) runs ~90-min tours with a G&T on arrival + tutored tasting, ~£40pp, 18+, selected evenings - book ~a week ahead. Beefeater & others also tour.
Bridge club / beginner lessonsLearn bridge; clubs welcome new playersFree First Thursdays (East London)Galleries open late & free, one eve/month
Wim Hof / cold-water breathworkWorkshops teaching the breathing method + cold exposure; certified instructors run London sessions. Or do the real thing at the Hampstead ponds. Book a workshop.
Sir John Soane's MuseumFree; the architect's house left as in 1837. Open Wed-Sun 10:00-17:00 (last entry 16:30). 90-person cap, no advance booking for general entry - arrive at 10:00 to avoid queues. Narrow, no lifts. Free Private Apartment tours Wed/Fri/Sun 2pm (first-come). Paid Highlights Tour ~£25.Death CafeFrank tea-and-cake chats about mortality; free
Chocolate-making workshopTemper & mould your own bars/truffles; various studios. Day workshops, book ahead.
The Stronghold (Tottenham)Bouldering + roped; large social space
Showstopper! improvised musicalAudience-shaped musical every night. London home is the Cambridge Theatre, Earlham Street WC2, on Monday nights.
Kitty Café LondonRescue/adoption-focused cat cafe; ~£15 minimum spend for a 90-min slot. Family-friendly. Book ahead.
Open studios / artist trailsArtists open workspaces seasonally; freePoker home-game / casual leagueLow-stakes social poker leagues
Bread / sourdough classBread Ahead (Borough Market) runs famous doughnut & bread classes; also Borough Kitchen & E5 Bakehouse. Day/evening workshops, book ahead.Yonder Climbing (Walthamstow)Bouldering + yoga + cafe + co-working
Philosophy discussion groupFree pub-philosophy meetups
Pottery wheel taster – Turning EarthTurning Earth: open-access ceramics studios at Hoxton, Leyton & Highgate (Highgate is North London, 5 min from the Tube). Beginner courses, 2-hr private tasters, and gym-style monthly membership once you've done a course. Book online. Hoxton E2 is the original open-access studio; other sites at Leyton E10 (the largest) and Highgate N6.
Horniman Museum & GardensFree; famous over-stuffed walrus, natural history & world cultures + big gardens. Aquarium and Butterfly House ticketed.Mudchute city farmFree farm; animals + riding school
Amateur dramatics societyLocal am-dram groups always need peopleBounce ping-pong / Flight Club dartsSocial darts with automatic scoring + food & drink, multiple London venues. Book an oche ahead; 18+ evenings.
Foraging-to-feast experienceForage then cook what you find
Laughter yogaYes, it's real - group laughter-and-breathing sessions, surprisingly good for mood. Find a London club/session.
Beginner climbing courseMulti-week 'learn to belay/lead' courses
Pottery membership / open studioTurning Earth / Kiln Rooms etc: monthly open-access membership (clay, glazes & kiln firing included) once you've completed any beginners' course. Like 'gym membership for potters'.
Library reading groupFree book clubs + author talks
Hackney City FarmFree farm animals + cafe
Swingers crazy golfTwo indoor courses (West End & City), cocktails + street food; 1920s seaside/countryside theming. ~£13.50pp. 18+. Book ahead, esp. evenings. Only one London course now: John Prince's Street W1. The City site EC3 closed in 2025.
Alcotraz prison cocktail experienceImmersive prison-themed cocktail experience - smuggle in your own spirit, they mix the rest in character. ~£50pp for ~2 hrs. 18+. Book well ahead. Alcotraz London is on Brick Lane E1; other branches in Manchester and Brighton.
Poetry open mic / spoken wordWatch or perform; many free nightsMuseum of London DocklandsFree; London's port, river & transatlantic-slavery history in a Georgian warehouse.
Outdoor bouldering – Harrison's RocksSandstone outcrops ~1hr away; hire padsPaint-your-own pottery – MYOPaint pre-made ceramics in a relaxed Hackney studio; pick a piece, pay the painting fee + item. Walk-in or book; family-friendly.
Sourdough / bread bakingFree starter guide; flour, water, time
Vauxhall City FarmFree; central rare-breed farm
Bowling (All Star Lanes etc.)Retro lanes + diner foodLanguage exchange nightFree practise + socialising; many languages
Taxidermy class – A Field GuideEthical taxidermy classes (e.g. mounting a mouse/bird), materials included, from ~£50-90. 18+. Quirky date or group; book ahead. Park Avenue Studios, Crouch End N8 — the exact street number is sent to ticket holders.
Go Ape Trent Park (high ropes)Treetop course + zip lines; near you
Immersive theatre (Punchdrunk etc.)Walk-through theatrical experiencesForest bathing (shinrin-yoku)Guided slow sensory woodland walks (shinrin-yoku) in London's woods & big parks. ~1.5-2 hrs; book a session.
Home fermentation (kimchi, kombucha)Start with sauerkraut: cabbage + salt
Imperial War MuseumFree; conflict galleries + powerful Holocaust Galleries. Some special exhibitions ticketed.Neon Naked Life DrawingLife drawing with UV neon body paint at rotating London venues; ~£18-22pp, runs through the week. Materials provided, no experience needed. 18+. Book ahead.
Laser tag / Bunker 51Apocalypse-themed laser + airsoft
Spitalfields City FarmVolunteer with the animals & gardenThe Snow Centre HemelReal-snow indoor slope; lessons + lift pass. Second Snow Centre site is in Manchester.
Language evening classStructured beginner courses
Acting / drama class for adultsBeginner acting courses; no pressure
Cake decorating / pipingFree BBC Good Food decorating guides; cheap piping-tip set to startLife drawing drop-inCheap untutored sessions at pubs & studios citywide (~£8-15); just turn up and draw. Materials sometimes provided.
SUP – Active360Stand-up paddleboard lessons. Main base is Kew Bridge Arches W4; other bases at Ladbroke Grove W10 and Brentford Lock TW8.
Shuffleboard – Electric ShuffleDigitised shuffleboard + cocktails (London Bridge & Canary Wharf). Book a table ahead; 18+ evenings. London Bridge SE1 is the original site; second venue at Canary Wharf E14.Alpaca walking (day trip)Lead an alpaca on a country walk
Design MuseumFree permanent 'Designer Maker User' gallery in Kensington; paid temporary exhibitions.
Cocktail mixing at homeDifford's Guide free recipes; learn 5 base cocktails with minimal kitSign language (BSL) tasterUseful, sociable, in-demand skill
Bookbinding workshopHand-bind a journal/notebook in a day; London Centre for Book Arts (Hackney Wick) runs beginner workshops. Book ahead.
Tai chi / qigong in the parkFree/low-cost morning classes in parks citywide; turn up. Gentle, all ages.Ukulele WednesdaysFree weekly uke singalong jam at a central pub; bring or borrow a ukulele, all levels. Check the site for the current venue & date. Basement room at The Royal George, Charing Cross Road WC2, almost every week.
Kayaking – Moo CanoesKayak/canoe hire on the canalsArcade bar (NQ64 / Four Quarters)Retro arcades + cocktails
Coffee home-brewing (V60 etc.)Free expert YouTube; upgrade mornings
Birdwatching – WWT Wetland CentreHides, birds, otters; binoculars to hire
Glassblowing – London GlassblowingLondon Glassblowing (Peter Layton's studio, 62-66 Bermondsey St) - free gallery + watch the 'hot shop'; paid make-your-own experience days. Book experiences ahead. Gallery open Mon-Sat.Coding / tech meetupFree talks + workshops; very beginner-friendly
Wakeboarding – Lee ValleyCable wakeboarding in summer
Grant Museum of ZoologyFree; UCL's tiny, atmospheric museum of specimen jars & skeletons. Check current opening days.Community choir (Some Voices)Some Voices runs pop/soul choirs across London - no audition, all welcome; termly membership. Big feel-good sound + socials.
Latte art / home baristaJames Hoffmann's free brewing & latte-art guides; cheap milk frotherMeetup.com (everything)Master directory of every hobby group
RSPB local group / guided birdwalkFree/low-cost led birding walks
Candle-making workshopBlend & pour your own scented candles; many studios via ClassBento. Half-day workshops, take your candles home. Book ahead.Dragon boat racing clubTeam paddling; clubs take total beginners
Writers' group / shut-up-and-writeSilent co-writing + feedback groups
Learn to bake patisserieKing Arthur free recipes & technique guides; croissants & macarons
GoodGym (run + good deed)Run to a community task; free + sociableBumble For FriendsFriend-finding mode for activity buddies
Gospel / community choirMany open-access choirs
Screen-printing – Print Club LondonPrint Club London (Dalston) runs screen-printing day & 2-day workshops; learn the process & take home prints. Book ahead.
Hunterian / surgical museumFree; not for the squeamish
Beekeeping tasterIntro days at community apiaries
Rowing – learn to rowMany clubs run beginner 'learn to row' courses
Afternoon tea (classic or themed)From budget to bottomless to bonkers themes
Genealogy / local history societyDig into family & London history
Perfume-making workshopBlend your own fragrance to take home; Experimental Perfume Club & others run sessions. ~2-3 hrs, book ahead. The lab-boutique moved to 9 Gee's Court, Marylebone W1U — all blending workshops run there.Run/yoga club at sportswear storesFree in-store run & yoga clubs
Rock choirRock Choir - large contemporary feel-good choir network with London groups; no audition. Termly fee; free taster sessions.
Bottomless brunchSociable group staple
Sailing taster – Docklands SailingAffordable RYA dinghy sailingHorse riding – Hyde Park / Lee ValleyHacks & lessons; Lee Valley near you
Cartoon MuseumSmall Fitzrovia museum of British cartoons, comics & caricature. Paid entry.
Woodworking / green-woodSpoon-carving, furniture & green-woodworking classes (e.g. Barn the Spoon / building-crafts colleges). Day to multi-week; book ahead. London day classes run at Stepney City Farm E1 (a hired venue, not a permanent workshop); other courses run in the Forest of Dean.
FoodCycle community mealsCook & share surplus-food mealsNewcomers / expats social clubFor people new to London
Online book clubJoin existing clubs or start one
Street-food market crawl (KERB)Graze top traders at Seven Dials etc. Seven Dials Market WC2 is KERB's flagship; other KERB sites include Camden Market NW1 and Canary Wharf E14.
Hampstead Heath bathing pondsMen's/Ladies'/Mixed; year-round cold swim
Learn an instrument – group lessonsAdult beginner guitar/piano/uke group courses at City Lit, Morley & music schools. Book a course; instruments sometimes provided.
Borrow My Doggy / dog walkingBorrow a local dog for walks; no ownership
Mosaic / stained glass classMake a mosaic or stained-glass piece in a day workshop; options via ClassBento. Take your piece home; book ahead.
Learn chess onlineFully free incl. lessons + puzzles
Dumpling / dim sum trail (Chinatown)Self-guided eat-your-way-round
Parliament Hill LidoUnheated stainless-steel lidoLearn a languageFree apps + free in-person exchanges
Postal Museum + Mail RailPaid; ticket includes one ride on Mail Rail (the miniature underground postal train) + a year's museum access. Sorted! play area for under-8s. Book online for a small discount.
Sewing / dressmaking classLearn the machine & make a garment; e.g. The Thrifty Stitcher (Bethnal Green), Sew Over It. Beginner courses, book ahead.Dog walking volunteer – rescue centresWalk/socialise rescue dogs (after training)
Open-decks / DJ tasterHourly DJ-studio hire (e.g. Pirate) to learn to mix, or beginner DJ courses at music schools. Book a slot/course.
Sake / natural wine tastingNiche tastings for the curiousLearn Go (baduk)Deep, ancient game; free to learn
Tooting Bec LidoUK's largest freshwater pool; winter club
The Felix Project food rescueRedistribute surplus food across London
Weaving / macrame workshopMake a wall hanging or weaving in a beginner workshop; options via ClassBento. Take it home; book ahead.Learn to codeFree full curriculum; build projects
Pie & mash (proper East End)Cheap heritage London meal
Pony / donkey sanctuary volunteeringHelp care for rescued equinesFlorence Nightingale MuseumSmall museum on nursing history at St Thomas' Hospital. Paid entry; check current opening days.
Drum circle / djembeCommunity drumming; no experience needed
London Fields LidoHeated 50m outdoor pool, year-roundCryptic crossword habitFree daily puzzles; learn cryptics
Floristry / flower arrangingSeasonal bouquet & arrangement workshops; many florists & schools run them via ClassBento. Book ahead.
Foraged cocktail / botanical classMake drinks with foraged botanicals
Creative writing / start a novelFree prompts + communities; just start
Community gardening / allotments2,000+ food-growing spaces; volunteer daysBrockwell LidoBeloved 1930s lido + cafe
Neon / sign-making workshopGod's Own Junkyard (Walthamstow) & others run neon-bending workshops; make a small piece. Visit the free neon yard too (Fri-Sun). Book workshops ahead.
Jigsaw puzzles / puzzle swapCalming; swap finished ones for free
Karaoke box (Lucky Voice etc.)Lucky Voice - private karaoke rooms (4-12 people) from ~£8pp; sites in Soho, Islington, Holborn, Liverpool St & Waterloo. 9,000+ songs, drinks service. Book ahead. Flagship karaoke bar in Soho W1; second site in Islington N1.
Museum of BrandsNostalgia-packed walk through 200 years of packaging & advertising, Notting Hill. Paid entry.
Hot chocolate / dessert crawlSweet self-guided wanderHomeless outreach / shelter shiftsBefriending, meals, skills coaching
Royal Docks open-water swimWetsuit open-water sessionsLeatherwork workshopMake a wallet, belt or small bag in a day; workshops via ClassBento & studios. Materials included; book ahead.
Genealogy / family historyFamilySearch free; surprisingly absorbing
Kew GardensWorld-class botanic gardens; annual pass greatMagic / card tricksReputable magic tutorials & beginner resources
Home barista latte-art ladderJames Hoffmann free guides; progress hearts to rosettas
Sofar Sounds secret gigIntimate gigs in secret venues - you book before knowing the line-up or exact location (revealed ~36 hrs before). ~£25-35. Citywide.
Letterpress / printmakingTraditional hands-on printing workshops (e.g. London print studios). Day classes; book ahead.
Synchronised / artistic swim clubAdult beginner artistic swimming exists!London Transport MuseumPaid; old tubes, buses & posters in Covent Garden. Ticket gives a year's unlimited entry. Runs the separate Hidden London tours.
Home kombucha / ginger beer scobyLiving fermentation projects
Wildlife volunteering – London Wildlife TrustFree conservation work days; sociable
Stop-motion / video editingFree guides + free editing apps; make tiny films
Chess puzzles / tactics trainingDaily puzzle habit; rapidly improves play
Wine-making / mead workshopRenegade Urban Winery (Bethnal Green/Walthamstow) runs tours + blend-your-own sessions. 18+; book ahead. The working winery and bistro is on Lockwood Way E17; the Bethnal Green arch E2 is a wine bar and shop only.
Befriending older peopleWeekly visits/calls; deeply valued
Scuba diving try-divePool try-dive before open water
Swing / Lindy Hop classSwing Patrol & SwingdanceUK teach Lindy Hop from scratch across London; drop-in beginner class then a social. ~£8-12 class+dance. No partner needed. See Swing Out London for all listings.
Learn to cook one cuisine properlyPick a cuisine & cook through it; free recipes & techniquesForaging walkGuided seasonal foraging
Run-and-coffee socialEasy run then cafe; very low pressure
Daunt Books / beautiful bookshops crawlFree browsing in stunning shops. Daunt's original Edwardian shop is on Marylebone High Street W1; other branches in Hampstead NW3, Holland Park W11, Belsize Park NW3 and Cheapside EC2.
Cheese-making classMake mozzarella/halloumi/ricotta in a hands-on session; options via ClassBento & dairies. Book ahead.
Bell ringing taster (local towers)Local bands welcome learners, usually freeparkrun (free weekly 5k)Free timed 5k every Sat 9am; register once
Knife-skills / chef fundamentalsSerious Eats free technique guides; transforms your cookingSalsa / Bachata socialClass + social most nights somewhere in London; many studios run a beginner lesson then open dancing. ~£5-10. No partner needed.
Board-game speed-datingMeet people over games not small talk
Stargazing – Royal ObservatoryPlanetarium + astronomy evenings
Photography walk / photowalkFree group photowalks; all kit welcome
Midnight RunnersFree bootcamp-style social runs w/ music
Build a mechanical keyboardFree 'Keyboard University' build guides; kits sold online
Bread-shaping / banneton bakingKing Arthur free shaping guides; level up from basic loaves
Conservation work day (canals/parks)Towpath & green-space restoration days
Uber Boat by Thames ClippersCommuter boat as cheap sightseeing
Photography beginner courseGet off auto mode; darkroom options too
Tango milongaBeginner classes + late-night milongas across London; drop-in. No partner needed to start.
Men's Shed (community workshop)Make & mend together; tackles isolation
Astronomy society observing nightLocal societies run free observing nightsRun Talk RunMental-health social runs; slow, chatty
Foraging-to-feast experienceForage then cook & eat what you find
Home electronics / ArduinoBlink an LED, build gadgets; cheap starter kits
Sewing / repair cafe (learn to mend)Free community fix-it days
Supper club – via EatwithEat at a host's table; brilliant for meeting people
Parkrun + brunch crewRun then cafe; ready-made communityLocal running club (England Athletics)Find a club; structured training + races
Ballroom / Latin classBeginner ballroom & Latin classes at dance studios citywide; couples & singles welcome. Book a course or drop in.Kyoto Garden, Holland Park (free)Tranquil Japanese garden; go early
Heritage bus route as a 'tour' (11, 24)Ride a normal red bus past the sights
Crochet / knitting cafe group'Stitch & bitch' social groups in cafes3D modelling (Blender)Free pro software; donut tutorial is the rite of passage
Beach/river clean-up (Thames21)Foreshore litter & habitat daysSupper club – Grub Club / independent hostsThemed one-off dinners by chefs & home cooks
Women's run clubs (These Girls Run etc.)Many free women-only clubs on Instagram
Learn chess openings properlySpaced-repetition opening trainers
Guerrilla gardening / tree-planting dayHelp plant urban trees; free, sociable
Ceilidh / barn danceNo skill needed - a caller walks you through every dance. Regular ceilidhs at halls citywide (e.g. Cecil Sharp House). ~£10-15. Great group night.Learn to knitFree beginner video course at Sheep & Stitch; start with a scarf + a cheap starter kit
Supper club – diaspora / regional kitchensHome cooks sharing a cuisine; deeply personal
Emirates cable car (IFS Cloud)Cross the Thames by cable carPark Run buggy / mums' runningPostnatal-friendly social running
Learn to fold a fitted sheet / home skillsFree step-by-step home-skills guides; genuinely useful micro-skills
Learn to solve a Rubik's cubeFree step-by-step Rubik's solving guide; a weekend skill
Crochet for beginnersBella Coco's free beginner crochet tutorials (also her YouTube channel @BellaCocoCrochet)Wildflower / bee-corridor plantingHelp pollinator projects
Supper club – host your ownCook for friends-of-friends - the lowest-cost supper club. See Eatwith for how hosted dinners work, or just invite people round.
Pole / aerial hoop classBeginner pole & aerial-hoop courses at studios citywide; build strength, no experience needed. Book a beginner course.
Our Parks outdoor fitnessFree council-funded outdoor classes
Recycling / repair cafe volunteerHelp people mend things; learn to fix
Learn shorthand / speedwritingFree Teeline/Pitman shorthand resources; oddly satisfying old skillBounce / Sandbox-style social gamingSociable competitive nights
Embroidery / cross-stitchFree DMC patterns & how-to guides; beginner kits include everything you need
Boxpark (Shoreditch, Croydon & Wembley)Street-food halls + screenings & live events. Croydon CR0 is the flagship Boxpark; sister site at Wembley HA9.
ArcelorMittal Orbit + slideKapoor sculpture + tallest tunnel slide
Grow salad & herbs on a windowsillCut-and-come-again lettuce; cheap seedsWalking netball / walking footballGentle social versions for older players/returners; England Netball & FA list sessions. Book per session.
Trapeze / aerial silksFlying Trapeze in Regent's Park (Gorilla Circus, summer) + indoor silks/static trapeze year-round. Beginner sessions; book ahead. The Gorilla Circus flying trapeze rig is in Regent's Park NW1 (summer); indoor silks classes run elsewhere.
Punch needleFree intro guides online + cheap starter kits; fast and satisfying
Indoor market wander (Spitalfields/Brixton)Covered markets; graze & browse out of the rain
Bingo (Bongo's / Hijingo)High-energy modern bingo nightsMemory training / memory palaceFree techniques; remember anything
Santander Cycles casual ridingHire bikes; ride parks & river routes
Grow chillies / tomatoes from seedWindowsill-friendly; rewarding
Hand-lettering / calligraphyBrush-pen lettering courses on Skillshare/Domestika; almost no kit needed to start
Sky Garden (free)Free rooftop garden atop 20 Fenchurch St ('Walkie Talkie'). Book a free timed slot ~3 weeks ahead online; limited walk-up. Great City views.Cococure (Afro-Caribbean dining & club)Afro-Caribbean food (suya, jerk) + Afrobeats/Bashment/Amapiano nights across several venues. Book a table/event. Cococure Haus on Broadway, Stratford E15 is the flagship; Cococure Cité is at Minories, Aldgate EC3.
Silent disco walking tourHeadphone dance-walk; gloriously silly
Darts (social, oche bars)Social darts is everywhere now
Charity shop volunteeringLow-commitment, sociable, flexible
British Cycling Breeze rides (women)Free led women's bike ridesMental maths / abacusFree mental-maths & technique guides
Watercolour paintingLet's Make Art free beginner tutorials + paired paint kits
Houseplant propagationFree RHS propagation guides; make new plants from cuttingsCaribbean / African supper clubHome cooks & chefs sharing Caribbean & West/East African cuisine; find one on Eatwith or via local Instagram hosts.
Pinball / retro arcade leagueYes, there are pinball leaguesCinema club (Prince Charles / BFI)Cult double-bills, sing-alongs. Prince Charles Cinema is off Leicester Square WC2; BFI Southbank is SE1.
Cycling club (road / social)Find a club; chaingangs to social spins
Greenwich foot tunnel + ObservatoryWalk under the Thames; stand on the MeridianGouache / acrylic paintingBeginner painting courses on Domestika; forgiving paints, follow along
Cookery class – Caribbean / African cuisineHands-on jollof, jerk, curry-goat & plantain classes; search ClassBento/Eventbrite for current dates.
Sign language alphabet (BSL) at homeFree intro resources
Bonsai / kokedamaFree Bonsai Empire beginner course; start with a cheap juniper
Chess in the park clubSummer outdoor chess socials
Mountain biking – Lee Valley / SurreyTrails & a velopark near you
Procreate / digital artProcreate handbook + free tutorials if you have an iPad
Hospital / hospice volunteeringBefriending, ward support, gardensBlack-owned brunch / day partyAfrobeats/Bashment bottomless brunches & day parties; search DesignMyNight/Eventbrite for current events.
Outdoor / rooftop cinema (summer)Seasonal film nights in parks & rooftops
Start a podcastFree hosting; just a phone to start
Astronomy from your windowFree planetarium software; binoculars enoughHidden London abandoned tube tourLTM guided tours of disused Tube stations, secret tunnels & wartime shelters (e.g. Aldwych). Age 10+. Tickets sell fast - released in batches (currently to Sept 2026). New family tour of Aldwych.
Orienteering – SLOW / LOKMap-and-compass races in parks
Origami / papercraftFree diagrams; only needs paper
Scrabble / word-game clubCompetitive & casual Scrabble clubs
Caribbean food market / Brixton VillageGraze Caribbean & African stalls and restaurants in Brixton Village & Market Row; free to wander.
Learn an instrument (free apps)Yousician (guitar/piano/uke) + free lessons; learn at your own pace
Birdwatching from a window / gardenFree; join the Big Garden Birdwatch
Polymer clay / miniaturesSculpey free project guides; make charms & trinkets, bake in a home oven
GeocachingFree GPS treasure hunt; thousands hidden in LondonDigitise old photos / family archiveFree guides to scanning & preserving family photos; meaningful project
Rye Lane / Peckham food crawl'Little Lagos' - West African & Caribbean restaurants, markets & fabric shops along Rye Lane. Free to wander; eat as you go.
Quiz league (proper, weekly)Join a team in a borough quiz league
Alternative London street-art bike tourHidden gems, Ripper tales, Tower Bridge. Walking tours meet at the 'I Goat' statue, Brushfield Street E1; the studio on Hessel Street E1 is not a meeting point.
Tutoring / literacy mentoringHelp young people with reading/mathsCandle / soap making at homeStarter kits + online guides; gift-able results
Ridley Road Market (Dalston)Historic Afro-Caribbean street market - plantain, yam, scotch bonnet, fabrics & spices. Free to browse.
Learn to singFree vocal warm-ups & technique resourcesSocial netball leagueGO Mammoth (UK's biggest social netball) - join solo, as a few friends, or a full team; solo players are placed into a team. 8-12 week seasons, paid upfront. 18+, levels from beginner to competitive. 70%+ join alone.
Terrarium buildingFree RHS terrarium guides; low-maintenance ecosystem in a jar
Murder-mystery dinnerSolve a crime over dinnerLearn touch-typingFree; genuinely life-improving
Wine-making / brewing at homeBeginner kits for wine, beer, cider & mead + how-to guidesTottenham African food shopsCluster of West African grocers & eateries; great for ingredients & home cooking. Free to browse.
Back to Netball sessionsEngland Netball 'Back to Netball' - gentle coached re-introduction; book and pay per session online, turn up and play. No team needed.
Free walking tour (tips-based)Pay-what-you-want guided walks
Music production / make beatsBandLab is free & browser-based; make tracks with built-in tutorials
Hampstead pergola & hill gardenFree; romantic overgrown Edwardian pergola
Speed-friending / new-in-town mixerStructured way to make friends fastGresham College free public lecturesLondon's oldest lecture series (since 1597); 100+/yr, free, no booking, also livestreamed. Lectures are held at Barnard's Inn Hall, Holborn EC1.
Phone photography courseFree composition & phone-photography guides; learn with the camera you ownPrince of Peckham (community pub)Beloved Black-owned community pub - food, DJs, quizzes & events. Walk-in or book a table.
5-a-side football leagueJoin a social league via GO Mammoth or book a pitch via Powerleague/Footy. Enter solo, small group, or team; seasons paid upfront.Museum / gallery volunteer guideFront-of-house & tour-guiding roles
Sober social / dry bar nightAlcohol-free socialising scene
Barbican Conservatory (free)Free tropical glasshouse on select days
Improv for anxiety / shy peopleGentle confidence-building courses
Jollof / jerk cook-off or food festivalSeasonal African & Caribbean food festivals & jollof competitions; search current dates on Eventbrite.Film photography developing at homeIlford's free step-by-step home black-and-white developing guides
Ghost / Jack the Ripper walkEvening guided spooky history walksRoyal Institution talksFamous science talks + the Christmas Lectures venue
Women's / mixed casual footballTurn-up-and-play / casual sessions; FA Find Football and apps like Weplay list women's & mixed kickabouts. Pay per session.
West African / Caribbean cooking at homeCook jollof, egusi, rice & peas or curry goat at home; free recipes + a trip to a local African/Caribbean grocer.
Whittling / spoon carvingBarn the Spoon's guidance; a knife + green wood is all you needMake your own board gameDesign & print your own game; free design guides + print service
Birdsong identification (Merlin app)Free app IDs birds by sound
Walking footballLow-impact social football, usually 50+ (some all-age). FA Find Football lists local sessions; pay per session.
Burlesque / cabaret classBody-positive confidence courses
The Royal Society public lecturesLeading scientists; many free; summer science exhibition. Held at Carlton House Terrace SW1.
Festival / event stewardingFree festival entry in exchange for shifts
Black-owned bakery / patisserieHard-dough bread, bun & cheese, hibiscus cakes & more from Black-owned bakeries; find one near you.
Highgate Cemetery tourVictorian garden cemetery on Swain's Lane; Marx, George Michael, Douglas Adams, Christina Rossetti. Advance tickets needed; guided tours access areas you can't see alone.
Warhammer / miniature paintingCitadel/Warhammer free painting guides; meditative detail work
Indoor mini-golf marathonPerfect wet-weather group plan
Basketball pickup / Ball OutPay-and-play pickup runs + GO Mammoth basketball leagues. Join solo or team.
Moth trapping / garden wildlife surveyCitizen-science from home
Voice acting / radio drama groupRead & record together; niche fun
Eat your way around Mercato MetropolitanoA food hall built around independent traders and community rather than a chain rollout, with sites at Elephant & Castle, Mayfair and Wood Wharf. Go hungry and share everything.
Lego architecture / buildingAdult sets; surprisingly relaxing
LSE public eventsTop social-science thinkers; mostly free, often podcast-released
Department store / concept store moochLiberty, Fortnum's; free to wander & dreamVolleyball (indoor & beach)Volleyball England lists clubs; GO Mammoth runs social indoor leagues + summer beach volleyball. Join solo or team.
Eltham Palace (English Heritage)English Heritage; spectacular art-deco mansion grafted onto a medieval great hall, with gardens. Book ahead; check seasonal opening days. Free for EH members.Houseplant care masteryFree RHS plant-care guides; keep things alive & build a jungle
Have lunch with strangers at Chatty PattyA weekly social lunch at the Prince of Peckham set up against loneliness: turn up alone, sit with people you don't know, no sign-up. Wednesdays 12–2pm when we checked. One of the few things in London explicitly designed for arriving on your own.
Pyrography / wood burningBeginner guides + cheap pyrography pen; quick satisfying results
Songwriting workshopWrite & finish a songSports coaching / club helperHelp run grassroots sport
UCL Minds public lecturesFree talks, performances & exhibitions across disciplines
Hockey club (field)England Hockey 'Back to Hockey' beginner sessions + local club nights. Find a club online.
Board-game cafe rainy sessionSettle in with games & coffee till it clears. Original site is Acton Mews E8; second branch at Waterloo SE1.Eat Congolese food in TottenhamCongolese and Afro-Caribbean cooking drawing on the food culture of the DRC — a cuisine barely represented on London high streets. Worth going for something you haven't eaten before.
Macrame / weaving at homeFree beginner macrame guides + cheap cord; make wall hangings
Bee-friendly balcony gardeningPots of pollinator plants; help city bees
London Mithraeum (free Roman temple)Free; reconstructed Roman temple of Mithras in an immersive space beneath Bloomberg HQ (Bank). Book a free timed slot online.
Rugby – touch / socialEngland Rugby O2 Touch - mixed, no-contact, social. Find a session online; pay per session.Stand-up storytelling (The Moth-style)Tell a true story on stage; open nights
Try Afro-fusion grilling in New CrossGrilled food, suya-style spicing and seafood, cooked as contemporary fusion rather than tradition. Casual enough to go on a weeknight.
Beach metal detecting (Crown Estate foreshore)Generally allowed on Crown foreshore, surface/hand-tools only; check local rules
King's College London public eventsFree lectures & debates across humanities & sciences
Quilting / patchworkQuilters' Guild resources; use up fabric scraps, a long-game project
Mushroom-growing kit at homeGrow oyster mushrooms on a windowsill
Cricket nets / community clubECB Play-Cricket lists clubs; many run social all-comers nights & 'All Stars'/'Dynamos' for kids. Find a club online.Try Pan-African fine dining in MayfairStork, at 13–14 Cork Street W1S 3NS, puts ingredients and flavours from across Africa and the diaspora through refined European technique. A proper occasion restaurant — book ahead.
Soapmaking / bath bombsBramble Berry's Soap Queen free recipes & tutorials; great giftsRNLI / community first responderHigher-commitment lifesaving roles
Antiquarian Horological / watch-collecting societyFor people who collect & study clocks/watchesLearn to whistle / beatboxFree beatbox lessons at Human Beatbox; silly and fun
Leighton House / artist studio-housesOpulent Victorian artist's studio-house with the famous Arab Hall, Kensington. Paid entry; closed some days - check.Imperial College public lecturesFree science & engineering talks open to all
Hydroponics / kitchen growingFree RHS guides to soil-free growing; herbs & greens year-roundSoftball / rounders league (summer)BaseballSoftballUK runs hugely social summer park leagues (e.g. Regent's Park). Join solo or team.
Try a jerk chicken dumpling burgerA fried Jamaican dumpling used as the bun, with jerk chicken inside. The kind of specific, slightly absurd thing worth crossing London for once.Diamond painting / paint-by-numbersZero-skill, very relaxing
Stamp collecting (Royal Philatelic Society)World's oldest philatelic society; talks & library
Learn to read music / sight-singFree; unlocks everything else
Eat modern Ghanaian food on Old Kent RoadNamed for the year Ghana gained independence, at 660 Old Kent Road SE15 1JF. Traditional Ghanaian dishes alongside contemporary ones — a restaurant about a culture, not just a menu.
British Library events & talksAuthor talks, history, science; treasures gallery freeUltimate frisbeeUK Ultimate lists very welcoming, beginner-friendly clubs across London; mixed-gender. Find a club online.
Learn handlettering on iPadProcreate lettering brushes + free tutorials
Learn to forage safely (home study)Study first; never eat unsure finds
Open House London (free, September)Free annual September festival; get inside hundreds of buildings normally closed to the public. Some need advance ballot/booking.
Coin collecting (numismatic society)Lectures & meetings for coin enthusiasts
Citizens Advice / helpline volunteerTraining given; advise on real problems
Work out which jollof you're loyal toNigerian restaurants across several London sites — jollof, soups, grilled meats and the rest. The jollof question is not settled and you are allowed an opinion.
Dodgeball leagueGO Mammoth & UK Dodgeball run social evening leagues; join solo or team, paid upfront.
God's Own Junkyard (neon paradise)Free to wander; cafe among the neon
Community orchestra / band (beginners)Dig out that school instrument; play together
British Library Reading Rooms (reader pass)Free reader pass; study in a world-great library
Foraging walk – Wild Food UKGuided seasonal foraging; learn what's safeTrainspotting / railway enthusiast groupSpotting spots + heritage railway groups
Try Caribbean fine dining in Canary WharfFamily-run, and a deliberately refined take on Caribbean cooking — the food treated with the same seriousness any other cuisine gets at this price.
Eel Pie Island open studiosRare open weekends on a quirky island
Korfball (mixed-gender sport)England Korfball - unusual fully mixed team sport; clubs welcome total beginners. Find a club online.Winter ice rink (Somerset House etc.)Iconic winter skating pop-ups
Handbell ringing groupGentler cousin of tower bells
Foraging walk – Epping ForestAncient woodland; mushrooms in autumn
The British Academy talksFree humanities & social-science lectures
Eat over an open fire in KensingtonMediterranean cooking built around live fire, in a room designed to be looked at. Firmly a special-occasion booking.
Penpal club / letter writingFind penpals worldwide; postal or email
Pottery date night (couples special)Ghost-style two-person wheel session at a paint/pottery studio; book a couples slot ahead. Studio on Redcross Way SE1 (site is now myo.place); the Hackney E8 paint-your-own site is listed separately.
Tennis – free park courts (LTA)Book public courts online via LTA/Clubspark - no membership, turn up and play. Free 'Barclays Free Park Tennis' coached sessions at weekends.Park run volunteering (marshal/timer)No running required; very welcoming
Have a colourful Mediterranean brunch in HackneyFamily-run neighbourhood cafe at 415 Mare Street E8 1HY, with Mediterranean-leaning brunch plates that arrive looking like the name suggests.
Lord Mayor's ShowFree historic procession + fireworksForaging walk – Hampstead HeathCity foraging on the Heath with a guide
Drawing in museums (sketch club)Free sketch meetups in galleries
Folk session / open jam (pub)Bring an instrument or just listen
Royal Geographical Society talksExplorers & geographers; Monday Night Lectures
Tennis coaching / cardio tennisAdult group lessons + cardio tennis via LTA-registered venues & Park Sports. Book a course online.African culture / diaspora community groupCultural societies, language & food events
Queue for the pancakes at Sunday in BrooklynThe London outpost of the Brooklyn original. The malted pancakes are the reason people come; the rest of the brunch menu is not an afterthought.Comic / zine making workshopMake a mini-comic or zine in a day
Padel tennisFast-growing; book pay-and-play courts (no membership) - e.g. LTA National Tennis Centre, Roehampton ~£50/hr, rackets to hire. Find courts via LTA/Playskan.
Coastal / seaweed foraging (day trip)Shoreline foraging beyond the cityWomen-only social / hobby groupsWomen's walking, running, business & craft groups
Morris dancing sideYes really; welcoming and weirdly joyful
Royal Society of Medicine lecturesPublic medical-science talks
Bonfire night displaysBig organised firework displaysHave an extravagant Italian dinner at BocconcinoRegional Italian cooking, pasta and wood-fired pizza in a Mayfair dining room. Dress like you meant to be there.
Community garden / city farm volunteerHands in soil; meet neighboursAnimation / claymation workshopMake a short animation
Squash – beginner leaguesEngland Squash lists clubs + court hire & ladder leagues. Find a club online.Learn to forage safely (home study)Study first; never eat anything you're unsure of
Rage room (smash session)Suit up & smash plates/electronics; stress relief
Eat on a rooftop looking at St Paul'sA rooftop restaurant and bar aimed straight at the dome. Book the terrace rather than inside, and go while it's light enough to see it.
Bollywood / Bhangra dance classHigh-energy beginner classes
Wellcome Collection talks & coursesFree events on health, science & being humanPottery for kids & parentsMessy fun for the whole family
Badminton drop-inCheap court hire at leisure centres + Badminton England 'No Strings' social drop-ins. Book a court online.
Open-air theatre (Regent's Park)Plays & musicals under the skyWatch pizza dough fly through the airThin, crisp Roman-style pizza and theatrical dough-spinning between the tables. Silly on purpose, and better with a group than on a first date.
African & Caribbean community groupCultural societies, language (Yoruba, Twi, Patois), food & networking events; search Meetup/Eventbrite.
Forty Hall & Estate (free parkland + farm)Free Tudor house grounds, vineyard & farm; cafeKnit & natter at a library/cafeFree social crafting
Wiener Holocaust Library talksFree; the UK's oldest Holocaust archive, with exhibitions & talks, Russell Square. Reading room by appointment.
Flamenco classFootwork & passion; beginner courses
Table tennis – Bounce / park tablesFree outdoor tables + social venues
Journaling / morning pagesFree; three longhand pages each morning
Eat regional Indian food then find the cocktail den downstairsRegional Indian cooking upstairs at 79–81 Mortimer Street; Bandra Bhai, a dimly lit cocktail bar styled after a Bombay speakeasy, downstairs. Do both in one evening — that's the quest.
Black women's networking / socialNetworking, brunches & business events for Black women; search current organisers on Eventbrite.
Learn calligraphy with a brush penThe Postman's Knock free lettering worksheets; cheap entry, lovely results
Trent Park (woods & lakes)Big free country park near you; Go Ape on site
Thames festival / Totally ThamesFree river-themed art & events
PickleballOne of the fastest-growing sports; Pickleball England lists places to play. Park Sports & some LTA venues now offer courts. Book ahead.
Try contemporary Indian fine dining in ChelseaChef Peter Joseph's restaurant near Sloane Square, cooking Indian flavours over charcoal and tandoor with a lighter hand than the tradition usually allows.
Art history lectures (The Arts Society)Local societies host expert art-history talks
Improv musical / sketch courseNext step after intro improv
Home flower pressing / botanical artFree RHS flower-pressing guides; press, frame & gift
Afrosocial (Black professionals)After-work networking mixers for Black professionals across industries - icebreakers, career panels, chilled vibes. Great for solo comers; open to all. Book per event.
Myddelton House GardensE.A. Bowles' historic gardens; peaceful
Lawn bowls tasterMany park greens run free/cheap taster sessions in summer; Bowls England 'Get Bowling'. Find a club online.
Eat inside London's most over-the-top trattoriaBig Mamma's Shoreditch trattoria at 54–56 Great Eastern Street: maximalist interiors, an absurd lemon meringue pie, and a queue. Go early or book well ahead.Soap-carving / fruit-carvingFree beginner carving guides; cheap, meditative knife craft
Home yoga / mobilityYoga With Adriene free full programmes for all levels (also @yogawithadriene)
Late-night museum latesAdults-only evening events w/ drinks
Courtauld art-history short coursesShort evening courses in art history
Improv – Hoopla drop-in jamTurn-up improv jam; no experience neededThe KickBack (Black professionals)Events hub for Black & mixed-heritage professionals - networking nights, socials, dating & themed parties. Colour-coded badges & pitch sessions. Book per event.
Have a glamorous Italian lunch at Harry'sHarry's Dolce Vita — the Italian dining rooms with the striped awnings and the dessert trolley, not the private members' club of a similar name.
Petanque / boules leaguePub leagues; very low-stakes social
Capel Manor GardensLondon's only specialist horticultural college gardensLearn to letter / draw comicsFree comic-making & lettering tutorials; tell tiny stories
Have brunch at NACAll-day European cooking and small plates at 41 North Audley Street W1K 6ZP. Brunch runs later than most, which suits a slow start.
Blacq SpaceNetworking & social events centring Black professionals & creatives; search current events on Eventbrite/Instagram.
Nerd Nite LondonFun expert talks + beer; 'TED meets the pub'
Croquet clubSurprisingly tactical; clubs welcome beginners
Improv – The Free Association coursesLevel 1-4 courses + shows; great for confidence. The FA Theatre is now on Union Street SE1, not Bethnal Green. Classes also run at Colab Tower SE1, Camden NW1 and Holloway N7.
Leadenhall Market wanderFree; Harry Potter filming spot, gorgeous VictorianOrigami tessellations / modularFree diagrams for modular & tessellation folds; only needs paper
RSPB Rainham MarshesBoardwalk wetland reserve; great birdwatching. Visitor centre is on New Tank Hill Road, Purfleet RM19 — in Thurrock, despite the Rainham name.
Order a pizza by the metreSouthern Italian, family-run, and the pizza al metro arrives on a board as long as the table. Only worth doing with enough people to finish it.Meditation / breathwork appsInsight Timer largely free
Golf – pitch & putt / par-3Cheap intro golf; Trent Park near youThe Africa CentrePan-African cultural hub - talks, exhibitions, business & networking events, food & a members' community. Check the calendar.
Build & paint a model railway / dioramaModel-railway association guides; deep, absorbing maker hobby
Funzing expert talksCurated expert talks on quirky topics
Improv – The Nursery TheatreFree & cheap drop-in jams + classes. Training centre at Capital House, Weston Street SE1; shows at the Edric Theatre, Borough Road SE1.
Walthamstow Wetlands (free)Europe's largest urban wetland; free, near youEat carbonara from a pecorino wheel beneath thousands of bottlesBig Mamma's Sicilian trattoria at 40–41 Rathbone Place, with walls covered floor to ceiling in bottles and pasta finished inside a wheel of cheese at the table. Book a long way out.
Little Venice canal walkPretty free waterside stroll to Camden
Golf – driving range / Top GolfSociable target-driving + food & drink. There is no Topgolf at Surrey Quays. Sites serving London: Chigwell IG7 (nearest to central London), Watford WD24 and Addlestone KT15.
Watercolour-sketch your city walksUrban Sketchers community + free guides; combine with your walks
Black Tech Fest / ColorintechColorintech runs Black Tech Fest & year-round events improving access for Black & underrepresented people in tech. Many free; register per event.Philosophy short course (City Lit / Idler)Accessible philosophy & ideas courses. City Lit is in Covent Garden WC2; the Idler runs mostly online.
Build your own Neapolitan pizzaNeapolitan dough, cooked in about ninety seconds, with toppings you pick yourself. Fast, cheap and better than it needs to be.
Grovelands ParkFree pretty park with lake near youImprov – Monkey Toast / show nightsWatch pro improv before you try it
Golf – municipal pay-and-play courseAffordable full courses; no membership
Wreath / seasonal craft workshopChristmas wreaths, spring plantersBYP Network (Black Young Professionals)Global Black professional network connecting members to jobs & each other; events & an app. Sign up online.
Cold-water swim club (winter)Hardy year-round social dippers at the ponds & lidos; ease in gradually & never swim alone in cold water. Free-ish (venue entry).Try Korean-inspired fried chickenFried chicken with Korean-leaning glazes — burgers, wings and sides across several London sites. Reliable rather than ceremonial.
Wilton's Music Hall (oldest in world)See a show in a magical crumbling hallHistory reading / discussion groupFree history book & discussion groups
Harrow / Stanmore country parksBentley Priory & Stanmore commons for walks
Golf beginner group lessonsGet Into Golf beginner courses
Cyanotype / alt photography workshopMake sun-print images; magical
Improv for anxiety / shy peopleGentle confidence-building beginner courses
Black Girl FestPlatform & festival celebrating Black women & non-binary people - talks, market & community events. Book per event.
Eat Northern Chinese hot pot in ChinatownHot pot and charcoal barbecue at 46 Gerrard Street — Northern Chinese cooking rather than the Cantonese that dominates the street. Go with a group and order too much.Bookbinding club / journaling meetupJunk journaling & binding socials
Boxing beginner classNon-contact fitness boxing to full sparring
Aquarium – SEA LIFE LondonClassic wet-weather family fallbackGreat Books / classics reading groupWork through the canon together
Postman's Park (heroes memorial)Free; moving tiny hidden gardenTry beef birria tacos in DeptfordSlow-cooked beef birria and quesatacos, with a cup of consommé to dip them in. Market sites as well as bricks and mortar — check where they are before setting off.
Sea shanties – Cutty Sark (HogEye Men / Swinging the Lead)Resident shanty groups, first weekend of each month; included with ship ticketBBOXX / Black-owned business meetupNetworking for Black founders & entrepreneurs; search current Black-business mixers on Eventbrite.
Singing for wellbeing groupNon-performance therapeutic singing
Lino-printing clubRecurring print socials
Muay Thai / kickboxingBeginner-friendly intro coursesEat Northern Mexican tacos in Stoke NewingtonSonoran-style tacos with tortillas made on site, at 208 Stoke Newington High Street N16 7HU. Walk-in focused, so go early or expect to wait.
Stargazing evening sessionAstronomy evenings after dark
Science book clubPopular-science reading & debate
AllBright (women's members' club)Domain lapsed — now a painting company, not the members club.
Sea shanties – The William Morris pub1st Wednesday monthly; chorus sheets handed out, all welcome
Community darkroom membershipDevelop & print film with others
Brompton Cemetery / Magnificent SevenFree atmospheric Victorian cemetery walks. Brompton Cemetery SW10 is the most central of the Magnificent Seven; the others are Highgate N6, Kensal Green W10, Nunhead SE15, Abney Park N16, Tower Hamlets E3 and West Norwood SE27.
BJJ / judo clubGrappling clubs welcome total beginners
Try a dry-aged beef burgerDry-aged beef, fried chicken and loaded sides. A short menu done properly, which is the whole argument.Step-free river walk (South Bank)Flat, smooth, accessible riverside stroll
Learn flower arranging at homeFree RHS arranging guides; supermarket flowers to startLadies, Wine & DesignGlobal initiative for women & non-binary creatives - mentorship circles, portfolio reviews & meetups. Mostly free; book per event.
Poetry close-reading groupSlow, deep reading of poems together
Fencing tasterBritish Fencing Club Zone — find a local club running beginner sessions.Settle the cheeseburger argument at BleeckerDry-aged beef, no fuss, no truffle. Started as a truck and still cooks like one. The bacon cheeseburger is the one people argue about.
Sea shanties – Jamboree, King's CrossSunday lunchtime shanties w/ Colliers Wood Shanty Singers; sing along
Walk-and-talk therapy / peer walksMind-linked walking groups
Neasden Temple (BAPS Mandir)Free; breathtaking hand-carved temple
Wine & paint night (at home)Host your own; follow a free paint-along with a glass of wine
Wheelchair-accessible nature reserve (WWT)Designed-in accessible paths & hides
Women in Business Networking (Socialite)Socialite Connections mixers for female founders & professionals; ~£20 incl. a one-minute pitch slot. Book per event.
HEMA (historical swordfighting)Longsword & rapier; learn from manualsTry Gordon Ramsay's burger jointBurgers, fries and shakes at Ramsay prices but not Ramsay formality. Sites at Charing Cross, Farringdon and The O2.
National Archives visit (handle documents)Free; handle real historical documentsSea shanties – Tea House Theatre, VauxhallRegular shanty shows in a quirky theatre; ~£10
Bird box / bug hotel buildingMake wildlife homes from scrap wood
Eat Turkish food then go up to the roof for shishaCharcoal-grilled Turkish and Mediterranean food downstairs, rooftop lounge above. An evening rather than a meal.Archery beginner course6-week beginner courses unlock club membership
Step-free garden visit (Kew accessible route)Accessible routes & mobility scooters to hire
FemTechConf / Women in Tech & BusinessLarge summit for women & allies in tech, finance, AI & beyond - keynotes & interactive networking. Book ahead.
Crossness Pumping Station'Cathedral on the marsh' Victorian engineeringLondon Library day pass / tourBeautiful members' library; day passes/tours
Learn to repair clothes (visible mending)Free mending guides + community repair cafes; sustainable & useful
Cold-water sauna + dip clubWood-fired sauna then cold dip
Sea shanties – London Sea Shanty CollectiveCommunity shanty choir you can join; gigs & sing-alongs
Order a Sunday Turkish breakfast in EnfieldCharcoal grill and a traditional Turkish breakfast spread at 510 Hertford Road EN3 5SS, with Sunday breakfast as the main event. Come hungry and stay a while.
Archery taster – 2020 ArcheryOne-off indoor sessions under the archesWeAreTechWomen eventsYear-round conferences, awards & networking for women in tech (e.g. WeAreTechWomen Conference). Register per event.
Surrey Hills AONB (Box Hill, Leith Hill)Train Victoria/Waterloo to Box Hill & Westhumble (~50 min); ~1.5-mile uphill walk to summit. National Trust, free to walk. Unstaffed station - buy tickets first. Leith Hill = highest point in SE England.Upcycle furnitureFree upcycling & paint guides; transform charity-shop finds
Try North London's long-standing curry houseAn established Indian restaurant at 1282 High Road, Whetstone N20 9HH, doing both the traditional dishes and more contemporary plates.
Royal Astronomical Society public meetingFree monthly public astronomy meetings. Meetings are held at Burlington House, Piccadilly W1.
Parkour / freerunning classLearn to move; all levels. Fixed academy at the Import Building, Clove Crescent E14; outdoor classes run at various sites and an affiliate operates in Kingston KT.
Brunel Museum / Thames TunnelTiny museum at the first under-river tunnelSea Shanty Festival, Greenwich (annual, Nov)All-day festival under the Cutty Sark; learn-a-shanty sessions
WomenHack LondonRecruitment & networking evenings connecting women in tech with employers. Free for job-seekers; register online.
Life drawing – Neon Naked (UV paint)Life drawing under UV neon paint; unusual date
Chiltern Hills (Ivinghoe Beacon)Train Euston to Tring (~40 min) or Marylebone to Wendover; walk up to the Beacon on the Ridgeway. Free. Few facilities - bring water.Eat smoked meat and loaded friesBurgers, grilled chicken, smoked meats and loaded fries, halal throughout. Fast-casual, generous, not subtle.
Adult gymnastics / tumblingYes, adults can start; recreational classes
Cold-water / winter dip clubYear-round social dippers; ease in slowly
Economics / finance public talksMake sense of the economy from expertsLife drawing – untutored pub drop-inCheap, casual, no teaching; just draw
Women's networking brunchRelaxed women's networking brunches & socials citywide; search current dates on Eventbrite.
Folk / shanty night – Cecil Sharp HouseHome of English folk; clubs, sessions & shanties
Eat ten floors above the CityAviary sits on the tenth floor of the Montcalm Royal London House, with a terrace looking across the City skyline. Cocktails on the terrace are the reason; dinner is the excuse.
North Downs Way day hikes153-mile trail; walk single scenic sections. Easy access via Dorking, Box Hill & Westhumble, Otford or Guildford. Free.
Severndroog Castle viewpointFolly tower with huge views; quirky
Trampolining clubRebound classes for fitness & funLife drawing – Drawing Room / classesTutored courses to actually improve
Language & linguistics meetupFor people who love how language works
Find out where Hush wentHush spent years known for its Mayfair courtyard. That site is no longer the one — Holborn is where it now trades, so ignore any old address you find elsewhere.
Silicon MilkroundaboutLondon's big tech job fair - engineers, data, design, product & marketing meet startups. Free for job-seekers; register online.
Chess Valley walk (Chesham–Rickmansworth)Both ends on the Metropolitan line (Chesham & Chorleywood/Rickmansworth). ~10-mile chalk-stream valley walk; mostly gentle. Free.
Vinyl / record shop crawlDig through crates on a wet afternoon
Calisthenics / outdoor gym groupsFree outdoor strength meetups
Life drawing – museum sketch nightsFree/cheap sketch meetups among the collections
William Morris Gallery (free)Free; the designer's home, lovely cafe & park
Have dim sum with tea and patisserieA Cantonese tea house that serves dim sum and French-style patisserie in the same sitting, alongside a serious Chinese tea list. Lunch is the civilised version.
Spa / thermal baths dayThermae-style baths; ideal grim-weather treatSilicon Roundabout meetupLong-running Shoreditch tech community - talks & networking for developers, founders & creatives. Free; join on Meetup.
Chess lecture / masterclassGrandmaster talks around big tournaments
Roller derby (watch or join)'Fresh meat' intakes; spectator-friendly
Seven Sisters & Beachy HeadTrain Victoria/London Bridge to Seaford or Eastbourne (~1.5 hr). Walk Seaford->Eastbourne along the cliffs, or 12X 'Cuckmere Coaster' bus to the visitor centre. Toilets at Cuckmere, Birling Gap, Beachy Head. Steep clifftop - not step-free. Free walk.Life drawing – at home (online model sessions)Free timed-pose figure references online
Late-night comedy / open micFree/cheap laughs after the office
Have dinner then stay for the DJTurkish and Mediterranean food at 295–299 Neasden Lane NW10 1QR that turns into a lounge with DJs and live entertainment on selected nights. The venue's own FAQ states it is not wheelchair accessible.AI / ML community meetupFrequent free AI/ML/data meetups & talks across London; search current groups on Meetup.
Roller skating / discoRoller discos + lessonsEvening life-drawing & wineUnwind after work with a sketchpad
RAF Museum London (free)Free; huge aircraft hangars, great for kids
Recreational maths / maths circlePuzzles, proofs & playful maths
Get an ice cream wrapped in candy flossSoft serve buried inside a cloud of candy floss, at 12 Tavistock Street. Engineered for a photograph, and it does taste of something as well.
Devil's Dyke & South Downs (Brighton)Train to Brighton (~1 hr from Victoria/London Bridge) then the Devil's Dyke bus. Hilly downland views. Free walk.Evening salsa / social danceClass then social most weeknights
Beach clean (Marine Conservation Society)Join an organised MCS Beachwatch clean; gloves, bags & litter-pickers provided. Free. Check the map for dates near a coast you can reach.
Ice skating (Ally Pally year-round)Year-round rink + winter pop-upsStartup Grind LondonGlobal founder community - fireside chats & networking for entrepreneurs. Book per event.
Evening pottery / craft classWind down making something with your handsBuild an enormous dessertWaffles, crepes, cheesecakes and plated desserts assembled well past the point of restraint. Sites across London; no alcohol, so it works late with anyone.
Watch open lectures free online2,000+ Gresham lectures + RI talks free online
Dunstable Downs & WhipsnadeTrain to Luton/Leagrave then taxi/bus; NT visitor centre at Dunstable Downs. Kite-flying chalk hills. Some accessible paths - verify. Free (parking charged).
Alexandra Palace (Ally Pally) groundsFree hilltop views, boating lake, ice rink, gigs
Indoor skydiving – iFLYWind-tunnel freefall; no experience needed. iFLY London is at The O2 SE10 — much nearer than Basingstoke. Other UK sites: Basingstoke, Milton Keynes, Birmingham, Manchester.
Night photography walkShoot the city lit up after darkRelaxed / accessible theatre performanceRelaxed & captioned performances widely available
CreativeMornings LondonFree monthly breakfast talk series for the creative community - coffee, a talk & networking. Free; RSVP online.
Build your own warm crumbleFruit crumble, warm, with custard poured over and toppings on top — a British pudding turned into a street-food counter. Borough Market, Spitalfields, Camden and Covent Garden.Peak District day trip (Mam Tor)Train St Pancras to Sheffield then to Edale/Hope (~2.5-3 hr total). Big-hill day for fit walkers. Free walk.
FutureLearn / OU OpenLearn coursesFree university-level courses; OpenLearn fully free
Late-opening gallery First ThursdaysGalleries open late & free, one eve/month
Whistle Punks Urban Axe ThrowingDomain whistlepunks.com expired and now redirects to an unrelated adult site — needs the real URL before this goes back up.
Try frozen cheesecake soft-serveBaked cheesecake, and cheesecake churned into soft serve, plus cookies. The frozen version is the one worth ordering.Creative Lives in ProgressPlatform & events helping emerging creatives break in - portfolio reviews & networking. Many free; register per event.
Sensory-friendly cinema screeningAutism-friendly screenings; lights up, sound downSponsor a child / global givingEstablished charities for child/community sponsorship
RAF / de Havilland Aircraft MuseumVolunteer-run aviation museum north of London
Sewing class (Sew Works / The Thrifty Stitcher)Beginner machine & dressmaking classes
Have dessert and a martini in Covent GardenA long-running American restaurant and martini bar at 18 Wellington Street. Go for pudding and a drink upstairs rather than the full dinner.
AxeperienceBasement axe-throwing booths near Aldgate; coached games & challenges. Group-friendly; book ahead. 18+.Ramblers / HF Holidays guided hill walksLed walks & weekends in the hills with a group
MOOCs (Coursera / edX audit)Audit real university courses freeD&AD / creative industry eventsTalks, awards & networking across advertising, design & creative industries. Book per event.
Open-mic night (find your local)Perform or watch; most are free entry
Online sewing courseMakerist online sewing courses + free tutorials; learn at home
Eat a Japanese soufflé pancake in ChinatownSoufflé pancakes at 108 Shaftesbury Avenue W1D 5EH — three inches tall, wobbling, and cooked to order, so expect to wait twenty minutes. Bubble tea and smoothies too.
TeamSport indoor go-kartingArrive-and-drive indoor karting; Edmonton track is closest to north London + Docklands & others. From ~£25-50 depending on session length. Min age 8 (cadet) / adult karts 16+. Book ahead. The track branded 'Docklands' is actually on Herringham Road, Charlton SE7. Other London tracks: Edmonton N18, Mitcham CR4, Acton W3, Brent Cross NW4.
Meetup hiking groups (London day trips)Free/cheap organised hill-walk day trips by train
Bruce Castle Museum (free)Free local history museum in a Tudor manorLecture series via library appsBorrow Great Courses lecture series free
Type Thursday / design critMonthly meetup for type & design lovers - drinks, talks & friendly portfolio critique. Low-cost; RSVP online.
Makeup masterclassPro makeup technique workshopsBuild a Hong Kong bubble waffleThe Hong Kong egg waffle — a sheet of hot bubbles — rolled into a cone around gelato, fruit and sauce. At 24 Wardour Street W1D 6QJ.
Letters to isolated older peopleWrite cheering letters to lonely people; from home
Krazy Karts (Bermondsey Bierkeller)Electric indoor drift karting under Bermondsey Bierkeller + beer hall. Group-friendly; 18+ evenings. Book ahead. Beneath The Bermondsey Bierkeller, Tooley Street SE1. Working site is bermondseybierkeller.co.uk.Join a band / find bandmatesFree listings to find a band or members
Whitstable beach day (oysters & beach)Direct train Victoria to Whitstable (~1 hr 20, ~£15-20 return). Shingle beach; famous for oysters (Lobster Shack), huts & independent shops. Walkable from station.Association of Illustrators meetupsIRL & online meetups for illustrators; AOI members get discounts. Register per event.
Braiding / natural hair workshopCornrow/box-braid & natural-hair classes; search current dates
Have brunch at a Tottenham brasserieAll-day brasserie at 338 Philip Lane N15 4AB doing brunch properly in a part of London that isn't overrun with it.Learn formal logic / critical thinkingSharpen reasoning; spot fallacies
Croydon Airport visitor centreWorld's first international airport; open select days
Trampoline park – Oxygen / Flip OutIndoor trampoline parks (Oxygen/Flip Out etc.) with foam pits & dodgeball; adult-only sessions exist. ~£12-18 for an hour. Book a jump slot; grip socks required.
Music lessons (instrument, 1:1 or group)Find an instrument teacher near you or onlineNail art classGel & nail-art technique workshops
Try the Fairfax egg sandwichThe Los Angeles egg-sandwich shop, now in London. The Fairfax — soft scrambled eggs, chives, cheddar, sriracha mayo in a brioche bun — is the one it built its name on.
Broadstairs / Margate beachesHigh-speed St Pancras to Margate (~1.5 hr) or Victoria. Margate Main Sands is sandy + Turner Contemporary (free). Broadstairs' Viking Bay is a horseshoe sandy bay. ~10 min walk from station.Creative Equals (inclusive creative)Diversity org for the creative industry - 'Talkshops', programmes & networking. Register per event.
Escape roomsHundreds of themed rooms citywide (60-min team puzzles). Typically ~£25-35pp; best for groups of 3-6. Book ahead. Age guidance varies by room.Argument mapping (Kialo) at homeMap arguments before a debate-club night
Read to children (Beanstalk / Coram)Help kids with reading; training given
Carpentry / woodwork courseHand-tool & furniture-making coursesHave a very photogenic all-day brunchBrunch, desserts and heavily styled interiors across Mayfair, Regent's Park, Oxford Circus and Notting Hill. Knows exactly what it is.
Kempton Park steam museumGiant working Victorian steam engines, in-steam daysCommunity music / jam sessionOpen jams; bring an instrument or just listen
Brighton beach & seafrontDirect train Victoria/London Bridge/Blackfriars to Brighton (~1 hr). Pebble beach, pier, lanes, swimming. Promenade is step-free; shingle is not.
STEM Women careers eventCareers fairs connecting women & non-binary people in STEM with employers. Free for attendees; register online.Crystal Maze LIVE ExperienceTeam challenge based on the 90s show across Aztec/Industrial/Futuristic/Medieval zones. ~£40-60pp; venues at Angel & White City. Age 13+ (under-16s need an adult). Book ahead. Now at Shaftesbury Avenue W1 — the Angel and White City sites have both closed.
Edit Wikipedia / join an edit-a-thonCitizen scholarship; in-person events too
Millinery (hat) workshop – Morley / UAL / studiosFelt-blocking & fascinator courses; private studios too
Have brunch at an Enfield localNeighbourhood brasserie at 123 Chase Side N14 5HD — brunch, grills and burgers, without the queue you'd join for the same thing in Hackney.Sandbox VR / immersive VRShared full-body VR adventures for small groups (~30-45 min). ~£35-45pp. Age 13+. Book ahead. The Post Building, High Holborn WC1 is the listed London venue; a second Sandbox bay sits inside Toca Social at Westfield W12.
New Scientist / science networkingScience talks, festivals & socials (e.g. New Scientist Live) with networking. Book per event.
Southend-on-Sea (longest pier)Direct train Fenchurch St to Southend Central (~51 min) or Liverpool St. 7 miles of coast, amusements, the world's longest pleasure pier. Promenade accessible.
Afrobeats / Afro dance classHigh-energy beginner classes; search current schedules
Late museum opening (Lates)Adults-only evening events with drinks & talks
Eat pancakes for dinnerSweet and savoury pancakes served all day, so ordering them at 7pm is entirely permitted. Bankside, Fitzrovia and Battersea.Hat making at home (online + kit)Online millinery courses with posted material kits
Care-home / hospital reading & visitingRead & chat with older or unwell peopleCitizen humanities/science (Zooniverse)Transcribe & classify real research from home
Learn to juggle / cardistryFree step-by-step juggling tutorials; 3-ball in a weekend
General London business networking (BNI etc.)Structured referral & business networking groups meeting weekly; visit free before joining. Plus Chamber of Commerce events.
Camber Sands (proper sandy beach)Train St Pancras to Rye (~1 hr 15) then local bus/taxi to Camber. 5 miles of golden dune sand - rare near London; great for families & kitesurfing.Queue for a Balham brunchAn independent on Hildreth Street Market at 18–20 Bedford Hill SW12 9RG, with seasonal dishes, serious coffee and weekend pancake specials that change. Walk-ins only when we checked, so go early or go alone — a single seat comes up faster.
Shoemaking course (London Sneaker School)Make your own pair of trainers over 3 days. Workshop is described as London Fields / Hackney E8; no street address is published.
Dancehall / Amapiano classDrop-in style classes across the cityCurling tasterYes, in England; fun unusual group session
Audio-described / touch museum toursMany museums offer access tours; book ahead
Late-night bookshop / library eventEvening author talks & launchesHave Mediterranean brunch in EnfieldLocal bistro at 19A Bush Hill Parade, Village Road EN1 2HB, built around brunch, coffee and Mediterranean-leaning plates.
Watch/clock making & repair tasterBritish Horological Institute lists courses & classesMeetup professional networking (any field)The catch-all: hundreds of free/low-cost professional & industry meetups citywide. Search your field on Meetup.
Seashell & sea-glass collectingFree beachcombing; best after storms & low tide
Audio production / music tech courseLearn to produce & engineer music
Real (royal) tennisAncient indoor racquet sport; rare & fascinating
Befriend an older person (Re-engage / AgeUK)Tea parties & visits tackling isolation
Have Italian in EnfieldPasta, pizza and Italian standards at 88–90 Chase Side EN2 6NX. Neighbourhood Italian rather than an occasion.Junkyard / scrap art workshopMake art from salvage & scrap; search current dates
Join a Deaf social clubRemark!'s Remarkable Club meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2pm–5pm, at the Remark! Lounge, 18 Leather Lane EC1N 7SU. Suggested donation £2.Teach a class (Obby / ClassBento host)Platforms let you host & sell your own classes
Mudlarking foreshore tour (Thames Explorer Trust)Guided foreshore session - no permit needed because you don't keep finds. Family-friendly. Foreshore steps - not step-free. ~2 hrs.
Amateur Entomologists' SocietyInsect study & ethical collecting; talks & field trips
Sabre / epee fencing clubAfter a beginner course, join a clubHave brunch on Green LanesIndependent neighbourhood cafe at 324A Green Lanes N4 1BX — brunch and coffee on a street better known for grills.
Street photography walk / collectiveFree group street-photo walks; all kit welcomeFilm / video production courseShort filmmaking & editing courses
Join a Deaf 55+ lunch clubFour lunch clubs for older Deaf Londoners, 10am–3pm: Eltham on Mondays, Harrow Wednesdays, Croydon Thursdays, Camden Fridays. Suggested donation £5.
Adult evening course (City Lit / Morley)Hundreds of subjects: science, languages, artsBug hunt / pond dipping (city farms & parks)Free family minibeast & pond events
Tag rugby social leagueMixed no-contact summer leagues
Order a Turkish breakfast in CockfostersA bistro at 19 Heddon Court Parade, Cockfosters Road EN4 0DB with an unusually large Turkish-style breakfast, plus pancakes, French toast, burgers and steaks if someone in the group won't play along.Afro / natural hair workshopCornrow, box-braid & natural-hair care workshops; search Eventbrite for current dates & locations.
Thames foreshore permit (mudlarking)A PLA permit is required to search/dig/detect; new permits are now limited so check availability. Valid only Teddington-Thames Barrier; banned at Tower, Greenwich Palace & Westminster. Standard permit digs to 7.5cm.Foodbank volunteering (Trussell Trust)Sort & distribute emergency food parcels
Flash mob / public dance groupChoreographed public performances for fun
Take your child to a Deaf Saturday ClubFortnightly Saturdays, 11am–3pm, for ages 6–14, in the Holborn area. Suggested donation £2.
Take on a giant Turkish sharing breakfastThe Shakespeare Serpme: cheeses, olives, eggs, sucuk, pastries, kaymak and tahini-pekmez spread across the whole table, with tea refilled throughout. A two-hour breakfast and a proper group activity.
Gaelic football / hurling clubWelcoming Irish-sport clubs; beginners okSoca / Caribbean carnival arts (mas) workshopCostume-making (mas) & steel-pan workshops, busiest in the run-up to Notting Hill Carnival.
Skillshare / Domestika creative coursesSubscription creative & skills courses
Natural History Museum Wildlife Garden & IDFree; identify insects, join citizen-science recording
Eat proper Sichuan food in ChinatownSichuan cooking at 4 Leicester Street WC2H 7BL — numbing peppercorn, chilli oil and hot pot, cooked for people who want it as it is rather than toned down.
Join a Deaf parents and children's groupMonthly meet-ups for Deaf parents, hearing parents of Deaf children and CODA families, with weekly advocacy support on Tuesdays 9am–5pm.Afrobeats dance class (Danceworks)Afrobeats & Afro-Caribbean classes (e.g. with Verona Patterson) at Danceworks; drop-in, all levels. Book a class.
Black-led gallery / art exhibitionExhibitions by Black artists & curators (e.g. at major galleries & independents); check current listings.
Handball clubFast Olympic team sport; beginner sessions
Heritage railway volunteering / ridingEpping Ongar & others; ride or volunteer
Fossil hunting day trip (Folkestone/Isle of Wight)Free location guides (Folkestone is reachable by train ~1 hr from St Pancras). Best after rockfalls/low tide; take a guide for safety.Barbering short courseLearn to cut hair; intro to pro courses
Decorate a gingerbread house over mocktails and hot chocolate on the Isle of DogsA hands-on gingerbread house decorating workshop at The Cake Creamery: you get a demonstration, an inspiration board, then decorate your own house over canapés, non-alcoholic Shirley Temples and hot chocolate. It takes up to 20 guests and private dates can be requested.
Jewellery making course – Flux Jewellery SchoolA dedicated jewellery school at 2F Vanguard Court, London SE5 8QT, open seven days a week. Courses run from a single day or a weekend up to year-long certificates, covering foundation through advanced silversmithing — take a short course first and see if it grabs you. Prices aren't published on the site; email or call to book. Trained jewellers can also buy 24-hour studio access as members.
Book a Deaf children's holiday playschemeSchool-holiday activities built around Deaf children's communication and access needs, 10am–4pm, for ages 6–16. North and south London sites. Suggested donation £2.
Water polo (adult beginners)Tough but social; clubs take beginnersSoup kitchen / night shelter shiftsMeals & support for people who are homeless
Tunnel Vision (Afrobeats club)Afrobeats, Amapiano, R&B & Hip Hop nights + African cuisine. Book a table or event night.
Cloud Appreciation SocietyYes, it exists; learn to read the sky
Bake mince pies and savoury Christmas tartlets at Bread AheadA half-day hands-on workshop at Bread Ahead's Borough Market or Wembley school: you make your own shortcrust, then six mince pies and six savoury vegetarian festive tartlets to take home. It's a good booking for a small group of friends or colleagues.Car mechanics evening classBasic car maintenance courses for non-mechanics
Black Cultural ArchivesThe UK's only national heritage centre on African & Caribbean history in Britain. Exhibitions, archive, bookshop & events; some exhibits free, some ~£3-5. At 1 Windrush Square, Brixton SW2.
Make your own rings – The RingsmithsHands-on ring-making workshops using the traditional bench skills — carving, filing, soldering and casting — so you leave wearing the thing you made. Two sites: 61 Tower Bridge Road SE1 4TL and Unit 2.07–2.08 Oxo Tower Wharf, Barge House Street SE1 9PH. Popular for couples making their own wedding bands. Book through the timetable on the site, or call 020 3659 6296 (Tower Bridge) / 020 4547 3947 (Oxo). At-home ring design kits too, if you'd rather not come in.Triathlon club / try-a-triSwim-bike-run; super-sprint events for first-timers
Race a kart underneath a football stadiumF1 Drive is a Formula 1-branded karting circuit built into the base of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Check the minimum height and age for the karts when booking.
Eat your way down a run of railway archesA tight run of railway arches on Ropewalk with about two dozen street-food and drink traders.
Amapiano / Afro-house dance classBeginner Amapiano & Afro-house classes; search current schedules on Eventbrite.
Jewellery taster weekend – London Jewellery WorkshopCourses for all levels at Unit 18, Sunbury Workshops, Swansfield Street, London E2 7LF. The way in is the weekend taster — two days, 10.30am to 4.30pm, and you go home with two or three finished pieces. Also private tuition, wedding ring sessions, hen parties and workshop hire. Book online, or contact info@londonjewelleryworkshop.co.uk / 020 3417 8389.Animal feeding / keeper experienceBook keeper-for-a-day & feeding experiences. ZSL London Zoo is in Regent's Park NW1; ZSL Whipsnade is at Dunstable LU6.
Open-water triathlon trainingCoached sessions building to an eventRoyal Meteorological Society talksPublic weather & climate talks; amateur groups too
Dig through thousands of vintage pieces at ATIKAOne of London's biggest vintage stores, spread over multiple rooms by era and style — 90s, Y2K, denim, sportswear, designer. Go with time and no particular plan.
Scream club / primal-shout sessionGroup cathartic-shouting sessions; check current organisers
Eat along a Hackney street marketA street market along Broadway Market in Hackney, food stalls plus produce and traders.Black History WalksGuided walking tours of London's African & Caribbean history; book a public walk.
Sewing & dressmaking classes – Sew It With LoveA sewing school in a fourth-floor studio at 48 Russell Square, London WC1B 4JP — check step-free access before booking if that matters. Classes are unusually specific: copy a garment you already own, learn to sew jersey, draft a bodice or trouser block, alterations and upcycling, plus one-to-one tuition and gift vouchers. Studio hours 10.30am–1.30pm and evenings; closed Sundays. Book through the site.
Disc golfFree-to-play park courses; cheap discs
Dancehall classJamaican Dancehall beginner classes citywide; search current dates.Virtual farming / adopt-an-animalAdopt or sponsor a farm animal; some live cams
Do a Rokit vintage crawlRokit has several London branches and they don't stock the same things. Chain three together — Brick Lane, Camden, Covent Garden — and you've got a day out rather than a shopping trip.Carry home an armful of flowersA Sunday-only flower and plant street market with cafes and small shops down its length.
Robot building club / hackspaceMember workshops with tools, electronics, 3D printers. Moved to Standard Road, Park Royal NW10 — older listings showing Wembley or Hackney Wick are out of date.
Learn to do your own makeup properlyA beginner workshop at London College of Fashion covering skin prep, base, brows, and taking a day face into an evening one. Taught on you, for you — not a professional qualification.
FootgolfFootball meets golf; daft and fun
Africa Centre eventsPan-African cultural hub - talks, exhibitions, food & events. Check the calendar.
Grow vegetables at home / allotmentPots, beds or join an allotment waiting list
Browse crafts and street food under one roofA covered market in Greenwich town centre mixing street-food stalls with crafts and antiques.
African drumming circle / djembeWest African drumming workshops & circles; no experience needed. Find a session on Meetup.
Go digging for vintage at Beyond RetroWarehouse-scale second-hand, sorted by type rather than curated by taste — which is why it rewards patience. Use the store locator for your nearest branch.Try professional makeup artistryUAL's introduction to working as a makeup artist rather than doing your own face: natural looks, smoky eyes, lash application and how the industry actually operates on set.
Learn AI – meetup / study groupFree AI/ML meetups, talks & study groups
Recycling / zero-waste community groupFreegle/repair/swap groups cut waste locallyIndoor cycling / track taster (velodrome)Ride the Olympic track; taster sessions
Buy straight from the farmers who grew itA Sunday producers' market in a Marylebone car park — meat, veg, cheese, bread, direct from farms.Fishing – day-ticket lake (Lee Valley)Lee Valley homepage is too generic — needs the direct fishing/day-ticket page.
Book a one-to-one makeup lessonPrivate tuition at the London School of Make-Up, for when a group class means watching someone demonstrate on a face that isn't yours.
Go to an adult sports dayRECESS runs social events built on the premise that adults stopped playing too early. Team games, no skill required, strangers welcome.
Steel pan lessonsLearn steel pan with community bands (esp. around Carnival season); search local groups.Black History Bus Tour3-hr coach tour of London's landmarks told from an African/Caribbean perspective; book via Eventbrite. Departs from Windrush Square, Brixton SW2; the exact meeting point is confirmed on booking.
BMX / pump trackFree pump tracks; BMX coaching tooLearn AI – free online courseFree beginner AI courses; no maths needed to start
Shop a farmers' market in a school playgroundA small Saturday farmers' market in a primary school playground just off Kensington Church Street.
Learn special-effects and media makeupWestminster Adult Education Service runs hair and media makeup courses that can cover face painting, prosthetics and special effects. Adult-education pricing, so far cheaper than the private schools.Fishing lesson (Fishing London Ltd)Guided beginner lessons & sessions at lakes across London, all near public transport - tackle provided. Great for first-timers; gift vouchers available. Book ahead.
Spend a day at LEGOLAND WindsorA full day out of London for younger children, with rides scaled to them rather than to teenagers. Book ahead — gate prices are the worst way to do it.Skateboarding lessons / SouthbankAdult beginner lessons exist; or watch at Southbank. The Undercroft skate space is at the Southbank Centre SE1; lessons also run in parks citywide.
Eat canal-side at Camden LockThe sprawling canal-side market at Camden Lock, with a large food hall at Hawley Wharf.
Brixton House (Windrush season)South London theatre & cultural hub; annual Windrush season each June (readings, DJs, comedy, exhibitions) plus year-round Black-led work.
Park / canal clean-up dayLitter-pick & habitat days; gear providedLearn visible mendingVisible mending treats the repair as the decoration — sashiko stitching and darning that makes a worn jumper better than it was. Workshops in east London.
Coding club / CodeBarFree coding sessions, esp. for under-represented groups
Go behind the scenes of Wallace & GromitYoung V&A's Inside Aardman exhibition, with Wallace & Gromit and the rest of the Aardman cast, running through 2026. The museum itself is free; check whether this exhibition charges before you set off.
Spend a day at Thorpe ParkThe serious rollercoasters, reachable from Waterloo in under an hour. Height restrictions apply on most of the big rides — check before promising anyone anything.Free urban fishing (canal / common)Free bank fishing on Regent's & Grand Union canals and some commons (e.g. Clapham Common Pond). EA rod licence still required. Check local club/council rules.
Stand-up comedy of sport: kabaddi / sepak takraw clubsDiaspora sports clubs welcome curious beginners
Eat Italian in a former paper factoryA large indoor Italian-led food market in a former paper factory near Elephant & Castle.Learn traditional furniture makingProper joinery and furniture making — hand tools, machine work and the traditional joints — taught over courses rather than an afternoon. For people who want the skill, not the object.
Film Africa (BFI / Royal African Society)Annual festival of African & diaspora cinema (Nov) from the Royal African Society; talks & Q&As. Book ahead.
Learned-society membership (your field)Most disciplines have a society with talks & events
Drink on a floor of a Peckham car parkFood and drink floors in a converted multi-storey car park above Peckham's Rye Lane.Frisbee golf + picnic comboCheap relaxed date; bring food
Have a retro seaside amusement day at DreamlandA restored 1920s amusement park in Margate with a Grade II-listed wooden scenic railway, roller disco and a gig venue. Ninety minutes from St Pancras, and the beach is right there.
Lee Valley Campsite, SewardstoneFamily-friendly campsite within London's boundary - pitches & pods from ~£19/night. 50-min walk or 5-min drive to Chingford station (Overground to Liverpool St); 215 bus from the gate. Near whitewater centre.
Make a Danish cord stoolBuild an actual piece of furniture — a frame joined properly, then woven with Danish cord — and take it home. Learning joinery with something to sit on at the end.
Step inside a children's Story WorldDiscover Children's Story Centre is built around storytelling rather than display cases: indoor Story Worlds to climb through, play spaces, changing exhibitions and a garden. Aimed at roughly 0–11, so it works for a toddler and an older sibling on the same trip.
River Thames foreshore clean (Thames21)Organised river clean-ups across LondonReggae / dub / lovers rock nightRoots, dub & lovers-rock nights & sound-system sessions; check RA/DesignMyNight for current events.
Eat nose-to-tail in a former smokehouseThe original nose-to-tail British restaurant in a former smokehouse by Smithfield Market.
Climbing + yoga combo sessionSome walls run climb-then-stretch sessions. Single site on Hookers Road E17; note the live site is thisisyonder.com.
PhD / researcher socials (Thesis / PubhD)Researchers explain their work over a pint
Throw darts at a festive Flight Club party with canapes, pizza and drinks includedFlight Club's limited-time Christmas packages bundle social darts with canapés, pizza, mini desserts and drinks for groups of 2 to 36, booked online at its Bloomsbury, Islington, Shoreditch or Victoria sites.
Make a three-legged stool from green woodGreen woodworking uses freshly cut, unseasoned timber and hand tools — a shave horse, a drawknife, no electricity. Beginner-friendly, and you leave with a stool.
Lee Valley Caravan Park, Dobbs WeirTents, caravans & cabins in Herts countryside, under 50 min from London by train. Wheelchair-accessible cabins; staff support for reduced mobility. Near RSPB Rye Meads.
Eat regional Italian at a marble counterRegional Italian small plates served along a marble counter on a Soho side street.
Indoor bowls clubYear-round; gentle, social, all ages
Take a BSL gallery tourWhitechapel Gallery programmes BSL-interpreted tours and events alongside its exhibitions. Scheduled rather than on-demand, so check what's coming up before you travel.
Build a wooden bench over a weekendTwo days of green woodworking building a stool or a full bench. Longer than the day class, so the joints are properly cut rather than rushed.
Gospel choir / church musicJoin a gospel choir or community singing group; many welcome newcomers. Search local choirs.
Bowl and play arcade games at a Lane7 Christmas party in Camden or VictoriaLane7's Christmas packages give each person a game on its boutique bowling lanes plus a drinks bucket, with soft drinks among the choices. Bigger packages add a second round of games, for parties of six or more.Public lecture series (LSE/UCL/Gresham)Free top-tier academic talks open to all
Abbey Wood / Crystal Palace campsiteCampsites with an actual London postcode (Abbey Wood has en-suite pods); easy train access to central London. Book ahead, esp. summer. Abbey Wood SE2 is the site with a genuine London postcode; the other Club site is Crystal Palace SE19.Dine in a crumbling Georgian courthouseA restaurant in the crumbling top floor of a former Clerkenwell courthouse.
Archery field / clout shootOutdoor distance shooting once you've learned
Carve a wooden bowl or kuksaHand-carve a bowl or a kuksa — the Nordic drinking cup — with an axe, a knife and a hook knife. Slow, quiet and absorbing in a way power tools aren't.
African / Caribbean church serviceVibrant Black-majority church services & gospel music; visitors generally welcome. Find a local church.
Shoot virtual clay pigeons at snowy mountain scenes at a Clays Christmas partyClays' London bars (City, Canary Wharf, Soho) get a festive makeover with Christmas clay-shooting games, sharing plates and a drinks list running from festive cocktails to no-alcohol options. Groups of up to 20 book instantly, and bigger groups go through the events team.Afro-Cuban / salsa & rumba classAfro-Cuban, rumba & salsa classes celebrating African-rooted Caribbean dance; drop-in. Search dates.
Watch Thai food cooked over live fireThai food cooked over live fire and clay pots along a counter in Soho.
Go behind the scenes at the EmiratesArsenal's self-guided audio tour takes you through the changing rooms, the tunnel and pitchside, and includes the Arsenal Museum. Works on a non-matchday, which is the point.
Public speaking course (in person)Beginner confidence & presentation courses
Surrey Hills / Epping Forest campingCountryside pitches under an hour from London - Surrey Hills (springboard for Box Hill) & near Epping Forest (Lee Valley). Book early; sites get busy.
Wild swimming day trip (lakes)Map of safe spots near London
Try blacksmithing in a working forgeTraditional forging — heat, hammer, anvil — in a working forge, making something you'll actually use. Read the FAQ on clothing and footwear before you go.
Queue for fresh pasta under a tennerA tiny counter doing short menus of fresh pasta, most plates under a tenner.Play shuffleboard in teams under neon in Canary WharfSlide pucks down tech-scored shuffleboard tables with cocktails and sharing plates in a Cabot Square bar. Tables take groups of friends, and the venue hosts team socials of up to 350.
Black theatre (Talawa / Bush / Stratford East)Black-led & diaspora theatre - Talawa (UK's leading Black theatre co.), Bush Theatre, Theatre Royal Stratford East. Book ahead.
Try a half-day at the anvilA short introductory forging session for people who want to find out whether they like blacksmithing before committing to a full course.Canal boat day-hireSelf-drive electric boats; no licence
Glamping safari tent (Kent farm)Luxury safari-tent & bell-tent glamping on Kent farms near vineyards, speedily reached from London. Dark skies, campfires. Book early via Hipcamp/Canopy & Stars.Public speaking practice (Toastmasters)Free first visits; regular speaking practice
Tour Stamford BridgeDressing rooms, press room, players' tunnel, pitchside and the museum at Chelsea. Guided rather than self-led, so you get the stories that aren't on the signage.
Eat sourdough pizza for the price of a sandwichSourdough Neapolitan pizzerias, cheap, with branches across most London neighbourhoods.Black mental-health support groupCulturally-aware peer support & free counselling routes (e.g. Black Minds Matter). Sensitive topic - reach out via the org.
Battle your mates at tech-boosted fairground games in Canary WharfTap a games card into hook-a-duck, hoopla-style throws, horse racing and water-gun games, all wired to live leaderboards, then refuel at the street food stalls. Groups of up to 15 book online; 16 to 600 go through the events team.
Make your own felt hatTraditional millinery — steaming felt and blocking it over a wooden hat block until it becomes a hat. A day workshop, and you wear the result home.
Punting / pedaloCheap, classic summer date
Hammonds Glamping (Surrey Hills)Family-friendly farm glamping next to the Surrey Hills, in the National Trust's Hatchlands Park (free access); dogs welcome. Gastropubs walkable. Book ahead. Lower Hammonds Farm, West Horsley KT24 — Leatherhead is only the postal town.Spoken word / poetry nightOpen-mic & curated poetry nights with strong Black & diaspora scenes; perform or watch. Search current nights.
Eat three courses in total darkness and guess what they wereA surprise menu eaten in pitch blackness at a shared table, served by blind and visually impaired guides, with the dishes only revealed at the end.
Public speaking – online courseAudit university public-speaking courses free
Shoot virtual clays in teams in Canary WharfTake turns blasting virtual clay targets on a big screen from your own semi-private peg, with food and drinks served to the peg. There's also a private room for bigger groups, and a heated waterside terrace.
Learn couture hat makingSmall-group and private millinery workshops teaching traditional hat-making technique. Smaller and more hands-on than a class of twenty.
Treetop adventure – Go Ape (other sites)Zip-lines & high ropes day outGo behind the scenes at Tottenham Hotspur StadiumOne of the newest stadiums in Europe, and the tour leans into the engineering — the dividing pitch, the tunnel club, the single-tier South Stand.
Eat north African fire cooking on Dean Street's first-ever SundayTime Out's current pick for best new restaurant in London — north African cooking from ex-Kiln chef Meedu Saad, with a walk-in kitchen counter.
Glamping pods near LondonCabins, shepherd's huts & pods (some with hot tubs) within ~1.5 hrs of London. Browse Canopy & Stars or Hipcamp; filter by hot tub / dog-friendly / train-reachable.The Tabernacle (Notting Hill venue)Historic community arts venue at the heart of Carnival - gigs, classes, exhibitions & a cafe. Check listings.
Podcast / audio storytelling workshopMake your own show; kit & editing basics
Make your own Christmas wreath over mince pies in a Dulwich pubA florist from Wildside London takes you through building a festive wreath from scratch over a two-hour evening session at the Woodhouse in Sydenham Hill, with all materials supplied. Book seats individually or put in a group booking request for your team or friends.
Buzz in on a TV game-show quiz set with your team in SpitalfieldsTeams compete on buzzers in a studio-style quiz room with lights, music and twists: pop culture, music quizzes, or a custom quiz with your own questions. Groups get at least two games, an award ceremony and team photos on the set, with drinks at the bar before and after.
Indoor surfing / flowriderStationary-wave surfing; big laughs
Volunteer with a Black-led charityGive time to community projects, food banks & mentoring run by/for African & Caribbean communities. Search local roles.
Buy brisket by the gram until it runs outThe cult east London barbecue pop-up in its first permanent room — Texan smoking with an Asian bent, sold by weight until the day's meat is gone.
Off-grid glamping, High Weald (Kent/Sussex)Off-grid bell tents & cabins in the High Weald AONB - campfires, dark skies, farm shops. Some adults-only/vineyard sites. Book early.Make a Christmas wreath over a mince pie at Coal Drops YardThe Botanical Boys run a festive wreath masterclass in their King's Cross shop: you watch a demonstration over a mince pie and welcome drink, then build your own long-lasting wreath. Private classes are available for groups.
Go behind the scenes at WembleyThe national stadium, and the tour trades on it — the dressing rooms, the players' tunnel, and the steps up to the royal box where the trophy gets lifted.
Take your baby to a theatre show made for 0–2sPolka makes work specifically for babies and very young children — built around how a baby actually experiences sound, movement and performance, rather than a children's show with the volume turned down. Check the programme for current early-years dates.
Trampoline fitness class (boogie bounce)Mini-tramp cardio; surprisingly fun
Book swap / Little Free LibraryFree street book-swap boxes; take one, leave one
Play tech mini golf that keeps score for you at BankPutt round indoor mini-golf courses in the City where the balls track every shot and bonus point, so the scoreboard runs itself. There's a bar and kitchen on site for shareables, flatbreads and burgers between rounds.
Get 90 minutes of breakfast martinis for twenty-five quidThe cheapest genuinely unlimited weekend drinks package I could verify, attached to a normal all-day brunch menu.Carve and print your own Christmas cards in a lino workshop by WestferryAllhands runs a festive lino-print workshop: you transfer a design onto lino, carve it, ink it and press your own set of handmade Christmas cards. Private sessions take groups, and the teacher can also come to your office.
Go wildlife gardening with the kidsLondon Wildlife Trust's Centre for Wildlife Gardening runs family sessions on wildlife, plants and growing — a small, hands-on site rather than a big nature reserve, which suits younger children.Aqua aerobics / aquafitLow-impact, sociable, all ages
Drink bottomless bellinis on a Monday morningA 90-minute bottomless drinks package that runs seven days a week, so it survives the bank holiday when most weekend-only offers don't.Play scored social darts with friends at a semi-private oche in ShoreditchYour group gets a semi-private oche where the tech scores seven multiplayer darts games automatically, with pizza, sharing plates and cocktails brought to you while you play. You get a video highlight reel afterwards.
Try Rhyme & Sign with your toddlerSongs, rhymes and signing together in an early-years room at Polka Theatre — communication practice disguised as a singalong. For babies and toddlers with a parent or carer.Book swap social / clubSwap books & talk reads over coffee
Find the Roman amphitheatre under the CityIn the basement of Guildhall Art Gallery are the remains of London's Roman amphitheatre, found in 1988 when they dug the foundations. Free, and most people walking past above have no idea it's there.
Mentoring young people (e.g. via 100 Black Men)Mentor & support young people through community organisations like 100 Black Men of London. Apply via the org.
Chisel a Christmas design in a calm Japanese carving workshop in WoolwichHandcraffiti teaches Japanese-style carving: you learn the background, then use special chisels to carve outlines and patterns into a festive piece to take home. Private sessions take small and large groups.
Make truffles and chocolate bark with your group in ShoreditchA chocolatier shows your group how to make fresh cream truffles, dip and decorate them, then marble your own chocolate bark, and everyone takes a box home. Groups can reserve a table in a public class or book the studio privately.
Treasure / scavenger hunt (self-led)App-led city hunts; great cheap date
Become a citizen scientist for London's riversThames River Watch trains volunteers to monitor water quality, litter and river life, and the data goes into the real picture of the Thames's health. More rewarding than a one-off clean-up if you want to see a trend.Throw social darts with your crew in a Victorian-fairground bar in VictoriaBook a semi-private oche for seven auto-scored multiplayer darts games, with cocktails, pizzas and sharing plates brought to you. There is also a large garden bar.
Dot-paint a mandala on a glass Christmas bauble by North GreenwichJenny of Jenny Art & Yoga leads a relaxing 90-minute class where you learn the dotting technique and paint a mandala onto a glass bauble you take home. Group bookings are offered in person or online.
Join a children's acting clubPolka's Act 2 Club introduces children to acting through improvisation, character work, role play and storytelling. Runs as a weekly club across the 2026–27 season rather than a one-off workshop.New Beacon Books (Black bookshop)The UK's first Black/Caribbean publisher & bookshop (est. 1966); browse, events & readings.
Cook a feast from scratch at a private evening class in IslingtonYour group books the Upper Street cook school for a private evening class, picks a menu such as fresh pasta or Middle Eastern dishes, and cooks it together with a chef. A glass of wine, beer or a soft drink is included, and you can bring your own for a corkage fee.Wild swim – Hampstead Heath pondsMen's/Ladies'/Mixed ponds; year-round
See masterpieces inside Somerset HouseThe Courtauld holds an extraordinary Impressionist and Post-Impressionist collection in a fraction of the space of the big nationals — Manet, Cézanne, Van Gogh's bandaged self-portrait. Small enough to do properly in an afternoon.Walk across a stadium roofThe Dare Skywalk climbs to the roof of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, 46 metres up, with a view down onto the pitch and out across London. There's an abseil option on the way back down.
Hand-build and paint clay nutcracker decorations at a BYOB Christmas pottery night in Lambeth NorthDoppiocotto's festive ceramics workshop teaches you to hand-build and paint your own clay Christmas decorations, nutcrackers included, and it's bring-your-own-bottle. Private bookings take up to 30.Play ping pong and beer pong over pizza at Battersea Power StationBook tables as a group for ping pong, interactive Ping Pong X or beer pong, with a package that adds pizza and drinks; a Games Guru can host for extra.
Shake three alcohol-free cocktails with your group in BloomsburyA bartender at The Montague on the Gardens teaches your group to make three alcohol-free cocktails, such as a zero-proof sour and a spritz, using premium no-alcohol spirits. Made for non-drinkers and anyone sober-curious.
Black-owned wellness / yoga sessionYoga, sound baths & wellness run by/for the Black community; search current sessions.
Wild swim – Serpentine Lido / Swimming ClubHistoric central lake swimming; hardy winter club
Watch puppetry inside a specialist puppet theatreLittle Angel is one of the few theatres in the country devoted to puppetry. As well as shows, they run family workshops where you make and handle puppets yourself — worth checking both listings before you book.Pan-African / Black studies talkLectures & panels on African & diaspora history, politics & culture; Royal African Society and university events.
Paint your own watercolour Christmas cards in an illustrator's studio by BankIn Vencho Art's working studio near Bank, you explore festive card designs and colour palettes, then paint your own personalised watercolour cards and bookmarks with gentle step-by-step guidance. Private sessions take up to 30.
Learn horticulture without doing a degreePractical short courses in gardening, plants and horticulture — the useful parts of a horticulture qualification without enrolling for three years.
Throw interactive darts at a private booth with friends on the StrandYour group takes a darts booth for an 85-minute session of tech-scored darts games, with street-food sharing plates and cocktails from the kitchen and bar.
Cook an Italian feast together, then sit down to eat it, in Notting HillYour group gets the Enrica Rocca kitchen to itself for three hours: an aperitivo, about 90 minutes making antipasti, fresh pasta and a dessert, then a sit-down meal of everything you made. There are lunch and dinner slots.
Walk into a Mayfair gallery without pretending you can afford anythingCommercial galleries are free, open to anyone and nobody will ask what you're doing there. Halcyon is one of the more approachable Mayfair rooms to start with.
Wild swim – Royal Docks (open water)Wetsuit open-water sessions in the docksBlow your own glass Christmas bauble in a Stoke Newington hot shopAt Molten 1090's glass studio you get a hands-on introduction to glassblowing and make your own hand-blown bauble for the tree. Private sessions take up to 15.
Yoruba / Twi / Patois language classLearn an African or Caribbean language; community classes & online tutors. Search current courses.
See new writing at the Bush TheatreOne of London's most reliable homes for new writing and emerging writers. Small enough that there isn't really a bad seat, and the bar is a decent reason to arrive early.
Learn to taste specialty coffee like a pro with your group in SohoKiss the Hippo's team leads a 90-minute cupping session where you taste how origin, processing and roast change a coffee, drinking as much as you like. Good for non-drinkers. Groups can arrange a private session built around them.
Shuffle, curl and throw darts as a group at a games bar in HolbornMix and match activities such as ice-free curling, tech darts, tech shuffleboard, duckpin bowling and karaoke, with pizzas, burgers and wings from the kitchen.
Join a Black Girls Hike walkGroup hikes and outdoor skills days run by Black Girls Hike, designed so that turning up alone is normal rather than awkward. Routes leave from London for the surrounding countryside.
Wild swim – West ReservoirOpen-water swim near you (north London)
Personalise your own Christmas stocking with cut vinyl by BoroughAt M.Y.O. in Borough you learn vinyl cutting and turn a plain stocking (or tote) into a personalised one, picking from bright colours and patterned vinyl. Private sessions take groups of 8 to 30.
Take your baby to a sensory classStructured baby-development sessions using light, music, texture, movement and song, for babies from birth to around 13 months. Classes run at venues across London — use the site's finder for your nearest.
Cook a plant-based feast with your team at a Clapton charity kitchenMade In Hackney's chefs run a private hands-on plant-based cooking class for your team, in a cuisine you pick (Sri Lankan, Caribbean, Levantine, regional Indian and more), ending with a shared meal. Money goes to the community cookery charity.See art by living artists at Mall GalleriesHome to the artist societies, so the shows rotate constantly and everything is by someone still working. A good antidote to only ever seeing dead painters.
Kids' Black history / storytelling sessionStorytimes & workshops celebrating Black & African/Caribbean stories for children; check libraries & BCA.
See an independent production at the ArcolaContemporary plays, new writing, international work and things that wouldn't get a West End run. Long-running pay-what-you-can nights make it one of the cheaper ways into serious theatre.
Take your colleagues for ice-free curling and tech darts in the CityBook a mix of games (ice-free curling, tech darts, tech shuffleboard, ping pong, duckpin bowling) at an activity bar by the Gherkin, with pizzas, burgers and cocktails.
Escape London for a guided day hikeGuided day hikes leaving from London with a group leader and a set route. A whole day out of the city and back before dark.
Wild swim – Surrey/Herts lakes (day trip)Map of safe wild-swim spots near London
Throw your first pot on a wheel by the riverA one-off three-hour wheel-throwing taster for complete beginners in the old County Hall building.
Grill your own halal Korean BBQ at the table near BarbicanSit round a tabletop grill and cook beef, chicken and seafood yourselves, with Korean side dishes, rice and soup; a private room and a group area take bigger parties.Play a two-floor crazy golf course with friends in a bar on Old StreetPlay a crazy golf course of pipes, loops and wall shots over two floors, adding drinks, beer buckets, pizzas and burgers to the booking. Bigger parties can take a private room with a karaoke stage.
Lee Valley Regional Park (multi-activity)White-water, ice, athletics, riding, cycling — all near you
Saturday supplementary school / youth clubCommunity Saturday schools & youth clubs supporting Black children's learning & heritage; ask your local council.
See a show at the KilnA producing theatre, so most of what you see started here rather than transferring in. Programmes work that reflects the communities around it — worth going without knowing much about the play.
Develop a roll of film and print it by handA taster in a working communal darkroom: process black-and-white film, then make a print under the enlarger.
Walk the Surrey HillsA National Landscape within an hour of London by train — chalk ridges, beech woods and the Pilgrims' Way. Box Hill and Leith Hill are the obvious starts; the site has routes for both.
Browse original art you could actually buyBankside is the home of the Royal Watercolour Society and Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, and sells original prints and watercolours at prices that aren't theoretical.
Cook halal Korean BBQ at your table on the river in Canary WharfGrill premium meats and seafood yourselves on a tabletop BBQ, with Korean dishes, in a Canary Wharf waterfront restaurant with a private mezzanine for groups.
Try pregnancy yoga in Notting HillYoga designed around pregnancy rather than adapted for it — movement, breathing, comfort and preparing the body for birth. Check which trimesters each class takes when you book.
Lee Valley White Water CentreOlympic rafting & paddling course; book ahead
Blow a piece of molten glass on a SaturdayA three-hour hands-on session at a working hot shop where you make two pieces to collect a week later.
Putt round a tech-scored mini golf course with your group at Westfield White CityPlay nine holes of mini golf where the balls track and score every shot automatically, with a bar and restaurant on site.
Watch a teppanyaki chef cook your dinner at the table in Covent GardenSit round a hot steel teppan grill while a chef chops, flips and cooks your meal in front of you; tables seat 8 and there are two private dining rooms for bigger groups.
Hairdressing masterclass – The London Hairdressing AcademyVTCT-accredited academy at 85 Stanmore Hill, Stanmore HA7 3DZ, Ofsted-rated Good. Most of what they run is professional — Level 2 and Level 3 NVQ diplomas over 18 weeks, one evening a week — but the one-day masterclasses and online courses are the ones worth knowing about if you just want to cut and colour better, no career change required. Enquire at info@thelha.co.uk or through the enrolment page.
Walk the Seven Sisters cliffsThe chalk cliffs between Seaford and Eastbourne, up and down seven of them. Train to Seaford or Eastbourne and walk between. Exposed in wind, and there is no shelter on the tops.
Discover a new playwright at Theatre503A 63-seat room above a pub that exists to stage first-time playwrights. You are watching someone's debut, which is a different kind of evening to a safe bet.
Visit a small independent galleryA long-running independent gallery known for showing Aboriginal Australian art and outsider work alongside contemporary British artists — a programme you won't see replicated elsewhere.Soft play / clip-and-climb (rainy kids)Burn off energy when it's pouring. Single fixed centre on Michael Road SW6 despite the 'Chelsea' name — not citywide.
Watch the sun go down from the top deck of a Peckham car parkA not-for-profit arts organisation that takes over the top floors of a disused car park each summer with commissioned art, music and the best skyline view in south London.Cook beef hot pot at the table, then sing in a private karaoke room, in AldgateDip hand-cut beef, seafood and vegetables into a bubbling Chaoshan hot pot at your table, then take the group into a private KTV karaoke room with food and drinks.
Play digital shuffleboard with friends by the canal at King's CrossBook a shuffleboard table with digital scoring and a choice of four games, with cocktails and sharing plates brought to your table.
Pick your own apples, plums and sunflowers150-acre pick-your-own farm where you walk the rows and cut or pick what is ripe that day.
Practise BSL at Sign ClubFree signing practice every Monday, 5pm–7pm, at The Lounge @ Remark!, 18 Leather Lane EC1N 7SU. Open to BSL learners at any level — the point is mileage, not perfection.
Watch theatre in the round at the Orange TreeTheatre in the round, with the audience on all four sides and the actors a few feet away. Mixes contemporary work with plays nobody else has revived in decades.
Blend and bottle your own perfume with your group in MaryleboneA Blending Master takes your group through the fragrance Essentials, then everyone blends, bottles and names a perfume to take home, with drinks (alcohol-free on request) throughout. Sessions run one to two hours.
Indoor trampoline park (adult session)Rainy-day cardio with friends
Eat your way round Soho and Chinatown on a private evening food tourA local guide walks you through Soho and Chinatown over about three and a half hours, stopping for dishes such as bao buns, beef rendang with roti and cannoli, and finishing with a drink in a Soho bar. Group and private versions are booked by email.Join an Active Birth pregnancy yoga classThe Active Birth Centre has been running pregnancy yoga and active-birth preparation for decades. Classes focus on movement and positions that help during labour, not just relaxation.
Play deck and table shuffleboard with your crew on Bethnal Green RoadBook deck or table shuffleboard across a three-floor bar, with food and drink packages added to the booking.
Spend a free gallery afternoon in PeckhamFree contemporary art across two buildings, with a garden and a decent café. One of the reasons Peckham became Peckham, and still free after all of it.Cut your own sunflower bouquetCut-your-own sunflower field plus PYO sweetcorn, courgettes and beans on a Kent farm just outside the M25.
Pour your own scented candle with friends off Regent StreetAn Earl of East maker shows you how to blend a fragrance, then each person hand-pours a 170ml soy candle to take home, in about an hour. Groups can book the Regent Street workshop space privately.
Indoor climbing on a wet dayRain doesn't reach the bouldering wallAsk a real astronomer what you're actually looking atA new interactive space gallery with working astronomers on the floor, plus a live planetarium show relocated from the Royal Observatory.
Graze nine kitchens in an Edwardian dance hall at Victoria, then head up to the hidden rooftopMarket Halls Victoria is a three-floor food hall in an old Edwardian dance hall with nine street-food kitchens, three bars, DJs on some evenings and a rooftop terrace.See an audio-described performanceThe Orange Tree runs audio-described performances, where a describer narrates the action live through an earpiece between the lines. Dates are scheduled per production — check the access page before booking.
Bowl a few frames on retro lanes with your crew in HolbornTen-pin bowling on four retro lanes in the original All Star Lanes, with classic arcade games, an American-style restaurant and a low-lit cocktail bar on site. Up to 7 people per lane; bigger groups are split across lanes.
Paint your own pottery after hours with your group in South WoodfordYour group paints mugs, plates or bowls at a ceramics café, with an afternoon tea or sandwich spread if you want one, and the café glazes and fires the pieces for collection a week later. It can stay open late just for your group.
Eat Southern Thai curry, Nepalese momos and New Haven pizza under one roof at Tottenham Court RoadArcade's flagship food hall on New Oxford Street has seven chef-led kitchens and two bars with open-counter dining, from Plaza Khao Gaeng's Southern Thai to Tipan's momos and Gracey's pizza, with DJs late on.
After-work bouldering socialEvening 'lates' with DJs at some wallsPick raspberries and sweetcorn on a Surrey farm80-acre Surrey farm where you pick raspberries, sweetcorn, beetroot, carrots and sunflowers yourself.
Read or work in the City of London's historic Guildhall Library, no appointment neededGuildhall Library is the City's free public reference library on London history. You can walk in to browse the open shelves, use it as a quiet study space, or look up family history on Ancestry and the British Newspaper Archive.
See contemporary art from Africa and the Global SouthGoodman came from Johannesburg and has represented major African artists since the 1960s, through and past apartheid. The London room programmes the same artists. Free.
Join Deaf youth theatreDeafinitely Theatre is a Deaf-led company running theatre opportunities for young Deaf and hard-of-hearing people, CODAs and BSL users. Check the events page for current intakes.
Bowl, then grab a private karaoke booth with friends on Brick LaneSix retro bowling lanes plus private karaoke booths, arcade games, two cocktail bars and an American-style restaurant in one East London venue. Book a lane for the group, then add a karaoke hour.Do an Active Birth workshop with your partnerPractical birth preparation for both of you: positions, movement, breathing, comfort techniques, and the specific things a birth partner can do while it's happening. Book as a couple.
Throw pots on the wheel, or paint pottery BYOB, with your group in North GreenwichBook the Design District studio for your group: a two-hour wheel-throwing session for 6–8, or an evening BYOB pottery-painting party for up to 24 where you bring your own drinks and snacks.Graze 25+ Asian food stalls at London's biggest Asian food hall in ColindaleBang Bang Oriental is a huge Asian food hall with more than 25 kiosks from Mumbai to Tokyo, 450 seats and free parking, plus the Golden Dragon restaurant downstairs.
After-work run club (then pub)Free evening social runs ending socially
Pick the last strawberries of the seasonEssex/Herts border fruit farm with pick-your-own strawberries, sweetcorn, onions and sunflowers, plus a maize maze.
Build a real-plant terrarium with your group in BatterseaIn a 90-minute private class at Duende Lab's Battersea studio, everyone plants a glass terrarium with real plants to take home, with a complimentary drink (alcoholic or not).
Work for free with Wi-Fi in the Barbican's own public libraryTake a seat in the Barbican Library on Level 2 of the Barbican Centre and work or read with free Wi-Fi and public computers. Walk-in; membership is only needed to borrow.Take on your mates at retro arcade machines and AR darts in SohoA two-floor arcade bar off Tottenham Court Road with retro arcade machines, free-to-play consoles, UV pool tables and augmented reality darts, plus game-themed cocktails. Machines run on tokens bought at the bar.
Taste Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa cooking from a Nigerian set menu in FitzroviaJoké Bakare's restaurant serves a set menu built on Nigerian regional cooking, with ingredients most Londoners have never tried. Lunch is the cheaper way in.
Go clubbing at London ReignA large multi-room club just off Piccadilly. Check the listings and the dress code before you commit the evening to it.
Evening social sport leagueNetball/football/dodgeball after workWalk into a Covent Garden galleryA commercial gallery on the tourist route that's free to walk into and quieter than everything around it. Ten minutes of art in the middle of a day doing something else.
Pick plums and apples on the edge of London78-acre PYO farm on the Kent edge of London with plums, apples and summer veg.
Arrange flowers with your group at a florist's school in Battersea Power StationMoyses' flower school runs private classes where your group picks a design and a date; they supply the flowers, aprons and drinks, and food can be added. It's taught in a working florist's space rather than a classroom.Feast on Nigerian tapas in TottenhamChuku's, run by a Nigerian brother and sister, serves Nigerian dishes as small sharing plates, so a group can order across the menu. The site says halal options are available.
Play retro arcade games and consoles over cocktails on Old StreetA neon arcade bar right by Old Street station with retro arcade machines and free-to-play consoles, game-themed cocktails and late opening every night. Groups can book a package with tokens and drinks.
Accessible cycling (Wheels for Wellbeing)Adapted bikes & inclusive cycling sessions
Book a free quiet desk in a Victorian reading room off Liverpool StreetThe Bishopsgate Institute opens its archive Reading Room as a free, quiet place to work on most Mondays and Fridays, 10am-5pm, with free Wi-Fi. Book a place online or at reception on arrival.
Rescue surplus food around LondonThe Felix Project takes food that would be thrown away and gets it to people who need it. Volunteers collect, sort and distribute — shifts across several London depots, and you can commit to one a week or one a month.
Spend a night at LA LoungeAn east London lounge and late bar. Check what's on before travelling — the programme changes by night.
Hire a private cinema screen for your group in HackneyBook The Castle Cinema's 27-seat Screen 2 (or the 82-seat Screen 1) for a private screening of a film you bring on DVD, Blu-ray or DCP, then carry on at the cinema bar. Minimum hire is two hours, available seven days a week.
Eat sizzling lamb chops and bring your own bottle in WhitechapelTayyabs has been serving Punjabi grills and curries off Whitechapel Road since 1972; the lamb chops arrive sizzling and it's bring your own bottle. Expect noise and a queue at peak times.
Swim laps in a Victorian reservoirSupervised open-water swimming in a former Victorian reservoir in Stoke Newington, with marked 100–300m courses.
Pick a Barbican event you've never heard ofThe Barbican programmes theatre, film, music, dance and exhibitions in one brutalist warren. The quest is to book something you can't categorise from the listing and turn up anyway.
Seated / chair-based exercise classGentle classes for limited mobility
Bowl on vintage lanes under a Bloomsbury hotel, then sing in a karaoke roomEight bowling lanes booked by the hour (up to 6 players per lane) in the basement of the Tavistock Hotel, with an American diner, a pizza kitchen and five private karaoke rooms for 8 to 30 people.
Find a quiet corner with free Wi-Fi in the National Theatre's foyersThe National Theatre's South Bank building is open to the public all day Monday to Saturday, with quieter areas throughout that have free Wi-Fi, plus cafés and a bookshop.Book a sofa-filled studio screen for a private film night in WhitechapelHire one of Genesis Cinema's small studio screens (40 or 42 seats, all sofas and armchairs) in a 2.5-hour slot for your own private screening, with Bar Paragon's pizza-oven kitchen and bar for before or after.
Eat home-cooked Malaysian nasi lemak inside Queensway MarketNormah's is a small Malaysian cafe tucked inside Queensway Market where Normah herself cooks everything; think nasi lemak with beef rendang and curry laksa. Evening tables sell out a month ahead.
Go clubbing at XOYOOne of the more serious music clubs in London, known for its residencies — a single artist programming a run of weeks. Worth going on the strength of the booking alone.Swim in the South East's biggest reservoirThe South East's largest reservoir, with open water swimming, paddleboarding, canoeing, an inflatable aqua park and 12.5 miles of shoreline path.
Boccia (accessible target sport)Paralympic precision sport; all abilitiesHire a karaoke booth between games at a 24-lane Finsbury Park bowlRowans is an old-school two-floor bowling alley with 24 lanes, 13 pool tables, arcades and six private karaoke booths that each take 12-15 people. Book a booth by the hour, then bowl.
Tuft your own rug in an afternoon in Hackney WickPick from 115+ recycled yarn colours, learn the tufting gun from scratch and tuft a 40 x 40 cm rug (or 55 x 55 cm on the 5-hour session) that you take home the same day.
Take the gang to English National Ballet's Nutcracker at the ColiseumEnglish National Ballet's Nutcracker, the production that premiered in 2024, returns to the London Coliseum for its Christmas run, with matinee and evening performances through the holidays.
Queue for flaky roti canai with curry at Roti King in EustonRoti King makes Malaysian roti canai to order and serves it with curry; it's cheap, no-bookings and the basement on Doric Way is famous for its queue.
Collect surplus food on foot or by bikeFelix's Green Scheme moves food from shops to charities without a van — you walk or cycle it. Short local routes, so it fits round a working day.
Buy a one-day desk at Second Home's plant-filled Spitalfields co-working spaceSecond Home sells single coworking day passes for its Spitalfields and Holland Park spaces: turn up, grab a hot desk and work with high-speed Wi-Fi.
Drink Georgian and Ukrainian wine to a vinyl-only soundtrackA 40-cover wine and vinyl listening bar that opened in April 2026 in the old ZIMA site, pouring Central and Eastern European low-intervention wine with Slavic sharing plates.
Accessible swimming sessionMany pools run accessible/quiet sessionsLearn to ride a horse in the Olympic parkBritish Horse Society approved riding school in Leyton with lessons for beginners upwards on the edge of the Lee Valley marshes.
Play vintage arcade cabinets and book a console booth by the canal in Hackney WickA canalside arcade bar at Here East with restored vintage arcade cabinets on US quarters, bookable console booths for Mario Kart and Smash Bros, craft beer, cocktails and pizza.Tuft a 40cm rug on a Saturday in FulhamA 3.5-hour beginners' session in a small textile studio: transfer your own design onto the cloth, learn the tufting gun safely, then build up colour and texture in a 40x40cm piece you take home.
Tear into Sri Lankan hoppers and kothu in SohoHoppers serves the bowl-shaped rice pancakes it's named after, plus dosas and kothu, inspired by Sri Lanka and South India. Halal chicken and lamb are served at every branch.
Clay pigeon shootingCoached shotgun clay shooting; all gear provided
Hot-desk for a day at Uncommon in Holborn, Borough or Liverpool StreetUncommon's individual day pass makes you a member for the day at one of its London workspaces, weekdays 8am-6pm, with high-speed Wi-Fi, coworking lounges and artisan coffee.
Shout along at Robin Hood, Queen's Theatre Hornchurch's Christmas pantoQueen's Theatre Hornchurch's own Christmas panto, Robin Hood, runs through the festive season with cheap tickets. Mixed groups of 50 or more from registered organisations get discounted seats at Blue and Green performances.
Whittle your own lime-wood spoon in a day in SouthwarkA full-day beginners' carving class where a City & Guilds-trained carver shows you how to shape a spoon from seasoned lime, with a straight or heart cut-out handle, to take home.
Brave fragrant chicken in a pile of chillies at a Sichuan pioneer in SohoBarshu has served numbing, fiery Sichuan cooking just off Chinatown since 2006: hot pot, mapo tofu and chicken buried in dried chillies.
Sing your hearts out in a private soundproof karaoke room in SohoBook one of nine private, soundproofed karaoke rooms for 2 or 3 hours, with two mics, a huge song catalogue and a 'Thirsty?' button that brings cocktails and sharing plates to the room.
Ride out across Richmond ParkInstructor-led group hack out into Richmond Park and Wimbledon Common from a yard at Robin Hood Gate.
Battle it out on vintage arcade machines and console booths at Elephant ParkFour Quarters' biggest arcade bar, by Elephant & Castle station, with restored vintage cabinets, bookable console booths (including Xbox with Game Pass), Americana food and a cordoned-off private hire area for larger groups.Endoiiment (adult sports day)Nostalgic 'old school sports day' for adults (egg-and-spoon, tug of war, relays) - joyful team-building & community events. Public sports days, corporate days & community strand; based at Impact Brixton, events in parks like Victoria Park. Sign up via the site.
Cook meals from rescued foodFelix's kitchen turns surplus ingredients into finished meals. Professional kitchen experience generally isn't required — they'll show you.
Sweat through a fiery Southern Thai curry-over-rice in Covent GardenPlaza Khao Gaeng recreates a Thai 'khao gaeng' curry shop: curries thick with coconut and fermented fish, and searing stir-fries, from Southern Thailand.
Paint and upholster a chair you get to keep in Shepherd's BushA full day in a makerspace: in the morning you sand and paint a chair, in the afternoon you learn modern upholstery and re-cover its drop-in seat, then carry the finished chair home.
Work a day in The Hoxton's co-working floors by Southwark, coffee on tapWorking From_, the co-working space attached to The Hoxton, Southwark, sells day passes: a desk, top-speed Wi-Fi, bottomless tea and coffee, and a 12th-floor café with day beds.
Bowl, putt and hit a secret adult arcade with friends in VictoriaA big activity bar under the Zig Zag Building with ten-pin bowling, an 18-hole mini golf course, shuffleboard, beer pong, augmented darts and Play Dirty, a hidden basement arcade for adults. Groups of 4+ can book a bowl, drink and game package.
Walk a Chiltern hilltop with a Gruffalo in itForestry England woodland in the Chilterns with waymarked walking trails, a Gruffalo sculpture trail, a cycle trail and a Go Ape.
Belt out karaoke in your own private room near Liverpool StreetA private soundproofed karaoke room for your group in Devonshire Square, with two mics, a big song library and food and cocktails ordered straight to the room. Bookings are for 2 or 3 hours.
Get the 10th ticket free for your group at Stratford East's Robin Hood pantoTheatre Royal Stratford East's Christmas panto, Robin Hood and the Merry Mandem, is a local-spin Robin Hood set 'deep in the heart of E15'. Groups buying nine standard tickets get the tenth free, booked by phone or in person.Public golf course (pay & play)Pay-and-play public courses across London/Surrey, many reachable by train - green fees ~£26-40 (more at weekends). No membership needed; book a tee time online.
Eat ceviche and tiradito at Europe's first Michelin-starred Peruvian in FitzroviaLima cooks contemporary Peruvian food with Nikkei and Chifa influences; order the ceviches and tiraditos and a pisco sour.
Throw pots on a Sunday afternoon at a Clapham community potteryA three-hour Sunday session at a not-for-profit pottery run by working potters: you learn to centre and throw on the wheel, and can keep up to two pots for £5 each.
Grab a £20 co-working day pass at Huckletree in Soho, the City or KensingtonHuckletree's day pass gives you one day in a shared workspace at your chosen London hub, with fast Wi-Fi, phone booths, free tea and coffee and breakout areas.
Bowl and play pool and darts with friends at Hawley Wharf, CamdenA basement-and-ground-floor games bar by the canal in Camden with ten-pin bowling (up to 7 per lane), darts, pool and Play Dirty, an adult arcade. Groups of 4+ can book a bowl, drink and game package.
Cross the stepping stones and climb Box HillNational Trust chalk down above the Mole valley, with the Stepping Stones path and walks from two to eight miles.
Driving range (beginner-friendly)Hit a bucket of balls with no commitment; ranges citywide. Topgolf (Watford/Surrey Quays) adds games, food & drink - great for groups. Walk-in or book.
Book a private karaoke box on Frith Street for your crewHire a private karaoke room at the UK's first karaoke-box venue, next door to Ronnie Scott's, with table service, cocktails and pizza. Bookings run for at least 2 hours.
Eat Syrian food cooked by a chef who fled Damascus, in SohoImad Alarnab ran restaurants in Damascus before fleeing the war; his Syrian kitchen on the top floor of Kingly Court serves breakfast through dinner, seven days.Try the potter's wheel at a Walthamstow studio on a weekend afternoonA two-and-a-half-hour wheel-throwing taster at SkandiHus's E17 studio: you learn to centre clay and pull up your first pots on the wheel, in small dated weekend sessions.
Serve meals to people sleeping roughThe Passage is one of London's biggest homelessness charities. Volunteers help with food service and practical support in the resource centre — regular shifts rather than drop-in.
Take your own private after-work Jack the Ripper walk through WhitechapelBook a private guided Jack the Ripper walk for your friends or colleagues at a time that suits the group, starting at Aldgate East and exploring the East End streets of the 1888 murders. Popular as an after-hours office social.
Crack a spy-themed escape room as a team near King's CrossYour team is locked into one of clueQuest's spy missions and has 60 minutes to solve its puzzles and get out. Larger groups book several rooms side by side and race each other.Taste Keralan coastal seafood curries at a long-running South Indian fine-dining room by Buckingham PalaceQuilon has cooked the food of India's south-west coast, from Karwar to Kerala, since 1999; seafood, coconut and spice, a la carte or as a tasting menu.
Settle into a free study desk at Woolwich's big town-centre libraryWoolwich Centre Library has desks, quiet areas and study spaces, computers and laptops to use, and free Wi-Fi for members; library membership is free.Golf lessons (PGA pro)Beginner lessons with a PGA professional at ranges & clubs; find a coach via the PGA. Clubs usually provided. Book ahead.
Cut, foil and solder a stained-glass suncatcher in Muswell HillA small-group taster in a glass artist's studio: choose a design about 15cm square, pick and cut coloured glass, copper-foil and solder it, and take the suncatcher home that day.
Get lost in 6,000 acres of ancient forestStarting point for walks in the 6,000-acre ancient forest on London's north-east edge, run by the Epping Forest Heritage Trust.
Sing in your own themed karaoke room in Victoria, with food sent to the roomBook one of 22 private karaoke rooms, sized from 4 to 35 people, and order food and drinks to the room from a touch-screen while you sing. Group packages bundle two hours of karaoke with bites and drinks.
Try plant-based Ethiopian dishes just off Brick LaneMerkamo started as a Spitalfields market stall and now has a sit-down spot on Hanbury Street serving all-vegan Ethiopian dishes.
Escape a high-tech horror or spy room with friends in AldgateTeams of up to six take on one of AIM Escape's automated rooms (horror, zombie lab or spy HQ) with 60 minutes to escape. Groups can book several rooms and the team will help arrange drinks and a cake for birthdays.
Solder and polish a silver ring one-to-one in AlpertonA 2.5-hour private session with designer-maker Tayo Bello: measure, shape, solder, texture and polish a sterling silver ring, and leave wearing it.
Adventure / mini golfIndoor crazy golf + bars (Swingers, Junkyard Golf, Plonk) for a low-stakes fun version. ~£11-13.50pp, 18+ evenings. Book ahead.
Tour a museum of old cinemas in a former Lambeth workhouse, with short films at the endThe Cinema Museum keeps its collection of cinemagoing history in the old Lambeth Workhouse building, and you can only see it on a guided tour of about two hours that ends with half an hour of short films.
Walk among 600 free-roaming deer2,500-acre royal park with 600 free-roaming red and fallow deer, Pen Ponds and long open walks.
Apply for a free hot desk among Camden start-ups in an old auction houseCamden Collective, a charity, gives early-stage creative and tech start-ups free hot-desking in the Collective Auction Rooms in Camden Town, with gigabit Wi-Fi, 24/7 access and free meeting rooms. You apply, and give two hours a month back to the community.
Sing in a red-lit private karaoke room under the railway at Borough MarketBook a private karaoke room for up to 16 at a Taiwanese restaurant in Borough Market, with a stage, a service button and a big song library; there is no room hire, just a minimum spend on food and drink over a two-hour slot.Sit at a 12-seat chef's counter for a Levantine kebab tasting menu in Covent GardenKebab Queen is a counter-dining tasting menu where dishes like monkfish kebab, ox cheek manti and iskender kebab are served straight onto the counter in front of you.
Help someone practise conversational EnglishAlongside food service, The Passage's volunteer roles can include English and conversation support. Ask about the specialist roles rather than the general rota when you apply.
Sew and case-bind your own hardback notebook in a dayA one-day beginners' class with bookbinder Joe Dixon: fold, sew, trim and 'case in' your own hardback notebook or travel journal, choosing from the centre's papers and cloths.Roller skating lessons – Roller NationCourses for complete beginners through to jam skating and advanced work, at Roller Nation, 117 Bruce Grove N17 6UR. Taught by Isle of Skating, London's main roller skating school (20+ instructors). Book through the Book Lessons link, or call the venue on 020 7720 9140. Prices aren't published on the page — ask when booking.
Play an escape room or the Escape Arcade, then pizza, in HolbornTeams take on one of three 60-minute escape rooms or the Escape Arcade, a string of quick-fire mini challenges built for many teams at once. There's an on-site bar and pizzeria to carry on afterwards.
Meet llamas with Canary Wharf behind them32-acre city farm on the Isle of Dogs with cows, sheep, llamas and pigs, framed by the Canary Wharf towers.Book a £35 co-working day at Work.Life with unlimited barista coffeeWork.Life sells day passes to its London coworking spaces (Holborn, Borough, Camden, Soho and more): hot desks, phone booths, seriously fast Wi-Fi and unlimited barista-quality coffee.
Have a fully halal fine-dining steak or Sunday roast with alcohol-free cocktails in IslingtonThe Great Chase is a British fine-dining restaurant where all the meat is halal and the bar is alcohol-free: binchotan-grilled steak, beef Wellington, Sunday roasts and dry cocktails.Cut stencils and screen print your own fabric in LeytonstoneA four-hour Saturday taster with print designer Tamasyn Gambell: a live demo with pre-exposed screens, then you cut your own stencils and print a fabric design to take home.
Take a guided tour of the historic Marx Memorial Library on Clerkenwell GreenThe Marx Memorial Library runs guided tours of its historic Clerkenwell building on Monday lunchtimes and Thursday afternoons, and its reading room opens by appointment midweek.
London skatepark finderSlam City Skates' directory of 50+ London skateparks, north to south — Southbank, House of Vans, Meanwhile Gardens, Mile End, Stockwell, Kennington Bowl, Finsbury Park and out to Kingston and Bromley. Pick the nearest, turn up, skate. Free to use; no booking. Each park has its own page for surface and features.
Hire a cheap private karaoke booth at the Brixton Rec leisure centreBook one of the council-run karaoke rooms at Brixton Recreation Centre by the hour for a group of up to 10, at leisure-centre prices; the same building now has a three-lane bowling alley and a multi-sport simulator.
Race the clock in an escape room under Oxford StreetTeams of up to six get 60 minutes in one of Escape Hunt's themed rooms, inside the Boom Battle Bar basement on Oxford Street. Bigger groups book several rooms and play head to head, with drinks at the in-house bar.
Grab a cinnamon and cardamom bun at a sourdough bakery off the StrandToklas Bakery fills its counter with seasonal pastries and its famous cinnamon-cardamom buns in the morning, then hot Roman-style sandwiches at lunch.Eat oysters on the beach they came fromShingle beach and working oyster town on the north Kent coast, with beach huts and seafood shacks along the front.
Tuft your own rug and take it home the same day in AlpertonA 3.5-hour guided tufting class in north-west London: design your rug, choose from 90+ yarn colours, tuft and finish it, and leave with it that day.
Work with a coffee in Bermonds Locke's coworking space by Tower BridgeBermonds Locke aparthotel has a café and flexible coworking areas open to non-guests: buy something at the restaurant or coffee shop and you get a Wi-Fi password for two hours at a time.London Street Skates (free group skate)Free marshalled skates through London on closed-ish streets, run entirely by volunteers. Four regulars: Sunday Stroll (1.45pm Sundays, year-round), Snail Stroll (1.45pm, first Sunday, Mar–Oct), London Friday Night Skate (7.45pm Fridays, year-round) and LonDONSKATE (7.45pm Wednesdays, mid-Apr to mid-Sep). You must be able to stop, turn and control your speed downhill — that's the real entry requirement, not age. Routes are in the Fleggz app; weather-dependent, confirmed a few hours before. Skate at your own risk.
Read with a child for an hour a weekBookmark pairs you with a primary-school child who needs reading practice, for short regular sessions. Some programmes run online, which makes the hour a week genuinely doable.
Play a life-sized game of Monopoly as a team off Tottenham Court RoadTeams of up to six race round a giant Monopoly board, buying properties and playing challenge rooms against three other teams. A full board of 24 can be booked for exclusive use, and there's a themed bar and restaurant on site.
Sing behind a secret door in a Peckham pub's private karaoke roomHire the first-floor karaoke room at a Peckham community pub by the hour for your group, reached through a hidden door, with the pub's kitchen and bar downstairs.Order a sizzling karahi at a 1995 Pakistani BYO institution in TootingLahore Karahi is a family-run, bring-your-own Pakistani curry house on Tooting High Street, open until midnight daily with an upstairs room for big groups.
Walk through Dennis Severs' candlelit Georgian house in silence at ChristmasAt Christmas the Spitalfields house is dressed for the season, and on Silent Night visits you walk through its candlelit 18th-century rooms without speaking, at your own pace, among ticking clocks, crackling fires and the smell of wood smoke and oranges.
Learn to centre clay on the wheel in a two-hour Fulham tasterA two-hour first go on the potter's wheel: centring, pulling up walls and shaping a pot, which the studio's technicians glaze and fire for you to collect about six weeks later.
Swim a tidal pool then see a TurnerWide sandy town beach directly opposite Margate station, with a tidal pool, arcades and the Turner Contemporary at one end.RollaDome All Skate clubRegistered charity (no. 1138918) running roller skating clubs, lessons and holiday camps at Acton Community Centre, Munster Court, Bollo Bridge Road W3 8UU. Aimed at young people and families; inclusive across skill levels. Membership is £52 a year and unlocks discounted club sessions and member events; there are non-member sessions too. Join online or call 020 8838 1171.
Claim one of 41 free study spaces at Canada Water Library, café downstairsCanada Water Library has 41 study spaces, plus a ground-floor café, computers and Wi-Fi that open from 8am on weekdays; the rest of the library opens at 9am.
Escape a gothic horror room with friends in HammersmithEscape London's Hammersmith site has two high-immersion rooms (horror and gothic mystery) for teams of two to eight, with 60 minutes to get out. The whole room is private to your group.
Eat a Palestinian falafel wrap at the mouth of Shepherd's Bush MarketMr Falafel is a tiny sandwich bar at the entrance to New Shepherd's Bush Market making fresh falafel wraps, all vegetarian and mostly vegan.
Stitch a goldwork moon at the Hand & Lock embroidery prize showA three-hour taster in metal-thread goldwork embroidery run by Hand & Lock inside its Prize for Embroidery 2026 exhibition, with time to look round the show.
Sit in on a themed jazz jam in Kennington — New Orleans, Latin, funk or blues depending on the weekEvery Tuesday the jazz club at Toulouse Lautrec runs an open jam; each week of the month has a different theme, and musicians of any level can get up and play while everyone else watches.Clay pigeon shooting – The Big ShootBooking platform for clay pigeon shooting and laser clays across 164 venues in the UK and Ireland, including grounds within reach of London. Beginner tasters, birthdays and group bookings; gift vouchers valid 24 months. Search the venue list for your nearest ground — price, duration and minimum age are set per venue, so check before booking.
Find a chalk-stack beach at the quiet end of KentSandy Blue Flag bay backed by white chalk stacks, at the quiet end of the Broadstairs coast.
Have a pint in London's last galleried inn, off Borough High StreetFind the 17th-century coaching yard off Borough High Street and drink in the last inn in London with its upper galleries still standing. Dickens knew it and mentions it in Little Dorrit.
Feast on koobideh kebabs and fresh Persian bread at a family-run Kensington classicMohsen has served Persian charcoal grills, saffron rice and herb platters opposite Olympia since 1996; a favourite with the Iranian community.
Carve a ring in wax and have it cast in silver at Coal Drops YardA 2.5-hour small-group session with Maya Magal's in-house jewellers: sculpt your own ring design in jeweller's wax, which is then cast in recycled sterling silver and finished for you.
Pick one of seven escape rooms for your group on Holloway RoadEscape London's biggest site has seven private 60-minute rooms, from a ghost ship to Sherlock's flat, so a larger group can split into teams and play at the same time.
Study for free on the reference floor of Islington Central Library, HighburyIslington Central Library offers study space in its 2nd-floor Reference Library, free Wi-Fi and 30+ free public computers, open seven days including Sunday afternoons.
Become a primary-school reading helperCoram Beanstalk trains volunteers to support children who need extra help with reading confidence, in schools, over a school year. A longer commitment than most — that's rather the point.
Take a prenatal Pilates, yoga or barre classPre- and postnatal classes taught as their own thing, so you're not left modifying an ordinary class on the fly. Pilates, yoga and barre across Highbury and Tufnell Park.Catch (or join) the Monday blues and jazz jam in a Soho basementEvery Monday the Dove Jones Connection hosts a blues and jazz jam downstairs at the Spice of Life; musicians and singers get up with the house band while the crowd watches.
Share Balkan meats off a charcoal grill at a chef-owned Peckham favouritePeckham Bazaar is a wood-panelled neighbourhood restaurant cooking Balkan and Eastern Mediterranean food, with meat and fish from the open grill and a Greek-leaning wine list.
Walk miles of sand dunesThe only sand-dune beach in East Sussex — several miles of flat sand backed by dunes.
Saw, file and solder a silver ring at a Walthamstow silversmithsA two-and-a-half-hour taster at Made By Ore's studio: cut, shape and file sterling silver, solder it and finish your own ring to wear home.
Play interactive team games inside a Gamebox near SouthwarkTeams of up to six step into a room of motion-tracking projections and play 30- or 60-minute games together, from puzzles to licensed adventures. Bigger groups get several boxes side by side, with drinks brought to the box.
Work in the quiet study room of Brixton's Grade II-listed Tate LibraryBrixton Library on Windrush Square has a quiet study space and reference library on its first floor, free unlimited Wi-Fi with a library card, and free computers; open seven days a week.Try soundball tennisTennis played with an adapted ball you can hear, on a smaller court with more bounces allowed depending on sight classification. Metro run sessions and can point you to a club.
Drink by the Thames in a riverside tavern dating from 1520 in WappingWalk the Wapping riverside to a tavern built in 1520 with river views from most of the pub, and settle in for a pint and pub food.Eat Afghan-Texan smoked brisket at a fully halal pub in Notting HillCue Point's permanent home is a garden bar and smokehouse doing Afghan-Texan barbecue: wagyu brisket barbacoa, oak-smoked chicken and naan-based sharing plates. All the food is halal.
Carve a stacking ring in wax at a Bermondsey jeweller's studioA relaxed two-hour wax-carving class in Wild Fawn's making studio: carve your own stacking ring in wax, which the studio then casts in solid sterling silver and posts back to you.
Sing, read or do five minutes of stand-up at a first-Tuesday open mic in CamdenBubblebath is the Fiddler's Elbow's monthly open mic: sign up from 7pm and get a slot for a song, a poem, spoken word, comedy or even magic, or just come and watch. Free entry.
Sauna on the pebbles between two piersPebble city beach with two piers, seafront bars, a sauna and watersports hire, under an hour from London.Take on a team escape room in Wandsworth's Ram QuarterTeams of up to six get 60 minutes in one of Escape Hunt's themed rooms, with a pre-game drink in the lounge first. Bigger groups book several rooms at once.
Try archery without relying on sightVisually impaired archery uses a tactile sight — a stand you touch to line up the same shot each time. Metro Blind Sport can connect you with clubs running it.Eat Caribbean street food from a Trinidadian chef in Brixton VillageFish, Wings & Tings is Brian Danclair's Caribbean spot in Brixton's Granville Arcade, turning island street food into a small, lively menu with rum punch and reggae.
Bring something broken to a Restart PartyBring a broken kettle, laptop or lamp and fix it alongside a volunteer repairer, rather than handing it over. You learn what went wrong, which is the difference between a repair and a favour. Free, but they'll take a donation.
Grab one of 66 free study spaces in Peckham LibraryPeckham Library has 66 study spaces open to anyone, residents or visitors, with desk space to study or work and Wi-Fi, as at all Southwark libraries; open 9am to 8pm most weekdays.Watch a film from a two-person sofa or a front-row bed on Portobello RoadThe original Electric on Portobello Road seats you in leather armchairs, two-person sofas or beds in the front row, with a bar serving cocktails and snacks. Monday afternoons are parent-and-baby screenings.
Drink by the Thames in a Greenwich tavern full of naval historyWalk along from the Old Royal Naval College to a riverside tavern whose rooms are named for naval victories, and get a window seat with views over the Thames. It also runs quiz and comedy nights.
Eat cockles on the sand at Old LeighSmall sandy beach beside the cockle sheds and cobbled high street of Old Leigh, on the Thames estuary.Hear new acoustic songwriters for free at Hootananny's longest-running night in BrixtonSongwriters & Wordsmiths is a free evening of acoustic singer-songwriters from the London and UK circuit, several acts back to back in Hootananny's big Brixton pub.
Try climbing as a blind or partially sighted LondonerClimbing works unusually well without sight — it's a hands-and-feet problem, with a spotter calling holds from the ground. Metro Blind Sport organise sessions at London walls.
Break out of a classic lock-and-key escape room by London BridgeOne of London's longest-running escape room venues, just off Tooley Street, with two traditional non-linear rooms (an Egyptian tomb and a wizard's elixir hunt). Book both at once and up to 13 of you can play side by side.
Warm up by a real fire in a hidden Hampstead backstreet pubClimb the lanes off Heath Street to a historic pub tucked away on Hollymount, get a seat near the fire and order pub classics. Good after a cold walk on the Heath.
Sink into a velvet sofa with burgers brought to your seat in Belsize ParkA refurbished single-screen Everyman fitted with sofas, where cocktails, sharing plates and burgers are delivered to your seat. Also shows National Theatre Live and Royal Ballet & Opera screenings.Work in Lambeth's largest library at the Mary Seacole Centre, ClaphamClapham Library on Clapham High Street, Lambeth's largest, has study space, free unlimited Wi-Fi with a library card and Wi-Fi printing; open seven days a week.
Drink sherry by candlelight in London's oldest wine bar's vaulted cellarHead down into a candlelit cellar under Villiers Street, with old barrels of sherry and port, and order wine, port or sherry with a cheese plate. No bookings, so arrive early.Swim with a visually impaired clubClub swimming for blind and partially sighted Londoners, with tappers to signal the wall. Sessions range from getting comfortable in the water to squad training.
Ride a cliff railway above a fishing beachShingle beach with the Stade fishing beach, net huts and the East Hill cliff railway up to the country park.
Solve a phone-guided Thames treasure hunt with pub-lunch stops in BanksideYour team follows clues sent to your phone along the river through Bankside, unlocking three food stops on the way: a British treat, a pub lunch and a dessert. It starts at the Founder's Arms and takes about three hours.
Watch (or join) a Thursday jazz jam by the canal in Hackney WickEvery Thursday Grow's house band Stratos play a set, then the floor opens to local musicians for a jam; listeners grab a table or stand by the bar in this canalside venue.See a film at the Kensal Rise cinema that gives its profits to charityThe Lexi is a small independent social-enterprise cinema with a bar, showing new releases, Q&As and themed seasons, with baby-friendly and relaxed screenings. Its profits go to charity.
Find the hidden alley pub tucked behind Hatton GardenLook for the narrow passage off Ely Place that leads to a historic pub with real ales, a real fire and home-made bar snacks. It is closed on Sundays.
Repair clothes, toys, bikes or electricals in one afternoonA Repair & Share event covering more than electronics — clothes, toys, bikes and small electricals in the same room. Bring the thing you've been meaning to deal with for a year.Order any house cocktail alcohol-free in a tropical basement bar by London BridgeGo down into a Victorian basement off Bermondsey Street done up as a tropical dive bar, where every house cocktail also comes alcohol-free, with tacos from the kitchen. Tuesdays are £3 tacos.
Take a co-working day pass at Riley Studios by Archway tubeSpacemade's Riley Studios in Archway sells day passes: pick the location, create an account and turn up to work, with zoom booths and collaboration rooms a few minutes' walk from the tube.
Play badminton in a Deaf clubMondays 7pm–9pm at Haberdashers' Knights Academy, BR1 5EB. £5 a session, or £40 for three months.
Watch a film under the 1910 barrel-vaulted ceiling of East Finchley's PhoenixThe Phoenix is a charity-run independent cinema in a building first opened as a picturedrome in 1912, with its original Edwardian vaulted ceiling and Art Deco wall panels. It shows new releases plus opera, ballet and theatre screenings.
Walk a chalk ridge to a 24-mile viewA four-mile circular hike over Box Hill and Happy Valley that tops out at the Salomons memorial viewpoint.Solve a private escape room as a group in ElthamAn independent escape room venue in south-east London with three 60-minute rooms (a jungle temple, Neverland and a Ripper-era horror). Every booking is private to your group, with a host to give hints.
Rap, sing or play at a free anything-goes improv jam in DalstonTOTAL IMPRO is a monthly all-improvised jam at The Jago: a house band backs whoever gets up, whether musicians, singers, rappers or spoken-word performers. Amps, keys, congas and mics are provided.
Get an espresso at 2am in Soho's late-night Italian coffee barStand at the counter or take a pavement seat at a Frith Street coffee bar that has been there since 1949 and stays open until 4am. A good alcohol-free end to a night out.
Skate under a 40ft Christmas tree in Somerset House's courtyardSkate at Somerset House turns the 18th-century courtyard into an ice rink with a giant Christmas tree, festive food and drink and seasonal shopping. It works for a small group of friends or an after-work outing, with automatic discounts on qualifying group bookings.
Watch Julius Caesar by candlelight in the Globe's indoor playhouseShakespeare's political thriller staged for the first time in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, the Globe's small wooden indoor theatre, which is lit by candles. Standing tickets are £5 to £10.
Hear A Christmas Carol performed in Charles Dickens's own houseThrough December, actor James Swanton performs A Christmas Carol and Dickens's ghost stories in the writer's Doughty Street house, alongside talks by Dickens descendants, magic lantern shows and a Christmas Eve opening.Crack a pub puzzle hunt with a team on the second Tuesday of the monthPuzzled Pint posts a location puzzle online that leads you to a London pub; once there, your team works through a set of beginner-friendly puzzles over drinks, with hints on hand.
Escape a wizard school or haunted manor with friends in ActonHoudini's Escape Rooms inside Tenpin Acton has two themed 60-minute rooms for teams of two to six — a family-friendly wizarding school and a harder haunted manor. Bowling, karaoke and laser tag are in the same building if you want to make a night of it.
Sit in a hide and learn to tell birds apartA 100-acre wetland reserve inside Zone 3 with hides, walkways and a bird-of-the-day board.
Eat cake at a Soho patisserie that has been baking since 1871Squeeze into a Greek Street patisserie that has made cakes since 1871, order a slice and a pot of tea, and watch Soho go by. It stays open until 9:30pm on Saturdays.
Discover up-and-coming songwriters, bands and poets for £2.50 on a Putney MondayNew Moon at the Half Moon is a weekly Monday showcase of new acts (singer-songwriters, bands, poets and performance artists) in one of London's oldest music pubs.Skate an open-air rink in the middle of Leicester SquareUnderbelly's open-air ice rink in Leicester Square runs every day of the festive season except Christmas Day. You book a session slot and can pre-book drinks at the rinkside bar, which makes it an easy central meet-up for a group of friends or colleagues.
Move between hot and cold pools by candlelight under the StrandA Georgian townhouse basement turned into candlelit thermal baths — a circuit of pools at different temperatures, with optional massages.
Watch up to 16 comics try out new material in a Crouch End basementThursday's Comedy Try Out Night at Downstairs at the King's Head puts up to 16 new and established acts on stage with an MC; a long-running cheap night to catch comedians before they're known.Throw real axes at interactive digital targets with your team in HammersmithAn Axe Master gives you a safety briefing and teaches you to throw, then your group plays digitally scored games on a private lane. The Warrior group package adds pizza, soft drinks and a team photo.
Learn bridge from scratch with beginners' lessons in HammersmithThe Young Chelsea Bridge Club runs beginners' lessons and courses, then gentle supervised games for learners, alongside its regular duplicate sessions at the London MindSports Centre.
Take the controls of a glider over the ChilternsA trial lesson in a two-seat glider with an instructor, launched off the Dunstable Downs ridge.
Try boundary-pushing cocktails, boozeless versions included, at a South Bank barSit at the green marble bar in Sea Containers and order from an ingredient-led cocktail menu where most drinks come in a boozeless version for £11. Walk-ins are welcome.See a 1929 silent comedy with live music at the Cinema Museum in KenningtonThe Kennington Bioscope screens a German silent comedy about a husband's last stag party, with live musical accompaniment, at the Cinema Museum.
Boulder for the first time with a coach on the matA one-hour coached intro to bouldering — no ropes, no partner needed — at a warehouse gym with a café and studios upstairs.
Watch new comics battle the crowd at Up the Creek's Thursday new-act night in GreenwichThe Blackout is Up the Creek's weekly new-act comedy night: newcomers get a short spot in front of a famously rowdy Greenwich crowd.
Sign up to play (and get a free drink) at a Tuesday basement open mic in ShoreditchCommon People is Old Street Records' weekly open mic in the basement: sign up at 7pm sharp for a slot, or just come and watch local Shoreditch talent.Eat Thai food in a flower-covered Kensington pub from 1750Find the pub on Kensington Church Street smothered in flowers and packed with Churchill memorabilia, then eat at the Thai kitchen in the back. The restaurant is walk-in only.
Take over a laser tag arena with up to 30 friends in WandsworthBook an exclusive game so only your group plays in Laser Quest Wandsworth's themed sci-fi arena, or join public games; there are VR sphere rides too. Midweek evenings offer three games for £15 each.
Cast a fly line on a Surrey Hills trout lakeA coached fly fishing session on still water aimed at getting a complete beginner casting and hooking a trout.
Drop in for free games of Go on a Wednesday night in HammersmithThe London Go Centre opens its first-floor room for social Go twice a week; turn up, find an opponent and play, with free teaching for newcomers who get in touch.
Play, read or tell a story at a friendly monthly open mic in a Bethnal Green caféOn the last Thursday of the month The Gallery Cafe at St Margaret's House runs a free open mic with eight 8–10 minute slots for musicians, poets, comics and storytellers; half can be booked ahead, half are sign-up on the door.Shoot a recurve bow at an indoor rangeA 90-minute have-a-go session with tuition, bow hire and enough arrows to actually get good at it.
Sweat through three Turkish hot rooms in London's 1920s spa in BayswaterWork your way through steam rooms, three Turkish-bath hot rooms of rising heat, a sauna and a cold plunge pool, then lie down in the relaxation lounge. Most days are single-sex; Sunday is the mixed day.
Taste rare teas in an hour-long session at a Mayfair tea shopJoin a one-hour tasting with a tea specialist, with a theme that changes by week (aged teas, black, green, oolong), and take home illustrated tasting notes. Groups are 8 at most.
Practise any language with 60-plus strangers in a Holborn cellar bar every TuesdayA weekly language exchange where hosts give you a sticker with the languages you speak and want to practise, then match you with people to talk to; most people come alone.Catch local musicians young and old at a free social-club open mic in SouthgateTwice a month the Southgate Club hosts an open mic night and musicians' showcase in Obie's Bar: free to get in, all welcome, and a free drink for anyone who performs.
Play 30 minutes of laser tag in a 4D arena with your crew in Park RoyalWeekday bookings get your team of up to six into Tenpin Acton's fog-and-LED laser arena for a 10-minute briefing and 20 minutes of play against other groups; the centre also has bowling, karaoke, darts and food.
Laugh at new and established comics for free above a Clapham pub, Mondays or WednesdaysComedy Bandits runs free stand-up upstairs at The Railway every Monday and Wednesday, mixing new acts with established ones; a Chortle award-winning open mic night.Learn to ride a horse on the edge of the marshesA half-hour beginner group lesson covering mounting, walk and trot, with hat and boots included.
Paddle from Battersea to Greenwich as the light goesA guided three-hour double-kayak trip down the Thames past Parliament, St Paul's and Tower Bridge, finishing at Greenwich.
Get paired with a chess partner at your level in a Clapham pubA Chelsea Chess social night: a host sizes up your level when you arrive and matches you with someone similar, so complete beginners and regulars can both get a game.Sit out a winter evening in a heated yurt on a Shoreditch rooftopGo up to the Queen of Hoxton's rooftop, which stays open in the colder months with a heated winter yurt, for drinks and food. Thursdays have £5 happy-hour drinks.
Catch a free new-act comedy night with a pie in Shoreditch on a Tuesday2nd Row Comedy's original night: a new act and new material show every Tuesday at The Cornershop Bar, free to get in, starting 7:30pm sharp.
Play a game of crazy golf, darts or axe-throwing with drinks and street food near Aldgate EastBook a bundle that gets your group a full game (crazy golf, AR darts, axe throwing, shuffleboard, karaoke or beer pong), two drinks and street food each at a games bar in Goodman's Fields.
Ride the banking of an Olympic velodromeA coached hour on a fixed-wheel track bike on the 2012 Olympic boards, bike and helmet included.Drink cocktails to live jazz every night in a Shoreditch basement speakeasyHead down into a basement off Old Street for cocktails from a vintage spirits list while a band plays jazz, blues, swing or funk from 9pm every night.
Hear Yinka Ilori and other designers talk at It's Nice That's creative night in DalstonNicer Tuesdays, It's Nice That's long-running evening of creative talks, comes to EartH Hackney with British-Nigerian artist Yinka Ilori, illustrator Daryn and Wonderhood Studios. Doors open early for drinks and snacks before the talks.Find the tropical glasshouse hiding on top of the BarbicanLondon's second-largest conservatory — 1,500 species of plants and fish under glass, built over the theatre's fly tower, free to enter.
Get a seat by the fire in a riverside Hammersmith pub after a Thames walkWalk the Upper Mall towpath to a pub set right on the Thames that has been there for centuries, and settle in by the real fire with cask ale or a seasonal meal.
Take on the Monday pub quiz at a riverside pub in LimehouseA long-running Monday-night quiz at The Grapes, an old pub on the Thames in Limehouse; turn up early because tables for the quiz can't be booked.
Watch comedians road-test new jokes in a Bloomsbury church undercroft on Monday nightsThe Monday Club at the Museum of Comedy is a weekly new-material night: pro and new acts (around a dozen on the bill) try out fresh jokes in the museum's bar under St George's Church.
Steam, get beaten with birch leaves and plunge into cedar cold water at a Russian banya in HoxtonA shared Russian bathhouse with a humid steam room, a cedar cold plunge and bucket showers, plus optional Parenie (a leafy-branch steam massage) and a lounge serving Eastern European food between rounds. Groups of up to 10 can hire the private banya.
Get pulled up on a wakeboard in the Royal DocksCable-tow wakeboarding on a dock next to the ExCeL, with a beginner cable that starts you from a sitting position.Fight zombies together in full-body VR near Covent GardenYour group suits up with headsets and motion-capture trackers and plays one shared virtual-reality adventure in a free-roam room, seeing each other as avatars. There's a robot bartender for drinks afterwards.
Pour your own tasters from 100+ wines by Battersea Power StationLoad a card and work your way round self-pour wine machines with 100+ wines by the glass, trying small tastes before you commit to a full glass.Eat Japanese small plates as records play on a Dalston hi-fiA Kingsland Road Japanese restaurant and music venue built around listening to records. Book a dinner table or walk in for drinks at the unbookable seats.
Drop 178 metres down the world's longest tunnel slideA twelve-turn enclosed slide corkscrewing down the outside of Anish Kapoor's red steel tower, 76 metres up, in about 40 seconds.
Read a poem, then join the discussion, at a last-Saturday spoken-word night in Bethnal GreenExtra Second London is a cosy monthly poetry and spoken-word night in the chapel at St Margaret's House: open mic slots first, then a hosted discussion on the month's theme.
Play house in a mini playhouse and sensory den at Hoxton's free Museum of the HomeAlongside period rooms showing four centuries of home life, the museum has a Mini Playhouse co-designed with local children, a Reading Lounge with a play kitchen, mini market and dress-up, a sensory den, and two illustrated family trails. Entry is free.Turn up for a Tuesday night game at a 140-year-old chess club in BatterseaBattersea Chess Club meets every Tuesday evening near Clapham Junction for games at all levels; visitors can come twice for free before deciding to join.
Breathe underwater for the first timeA PADI Discover Scuba session — briefing plus about an hour on a tank in a training pool.
Eat a fry-up at 3am in a 24-hour City café by Liverpool StreetA British café and bar by Liverpool Street, going since 1953 and open 24 hours, serving all-day breakfasts and breakfast platters. Somewhere to go after a late night that isn't a bar.Play a team VR mission together in WandsworthSquad up in a free-roam virtual-reality room with full-body motion capture and play one shared game as a team, on the top floor of the Gravity MAX entertainment centre in Southside.
Walk inside 40 famous paintings at an after-hours art late in Marble ArchFour galleries project masterpieces floor to ceiling with animation and an original score, so you wander through Van Gogh and Monet rather than looking at them. On Friday and Saturday nights it stays open late.
Charter a speedboat down the Thames from the London Eye with your groupThames Rockets runs high-speed RIB rides on the Thames from the London Eye Pier, with group trips (corporate, celebrations, Thames treasure hunts, Thames Lates evening rides) bookable for 8 to 12 people per boat, or up to 26 on its larger Rocket Rebel.Spend a day-into-night at Brick Lane's long-running café with a hi-fiOrder coffee in the daytime at a Brick Lane café that switches to a hi-fi lounge at night, with guest DJs in a hand-built booth. It opens at 9am every day and runs until midnight Thursday to Saturday.
Bowl a few frames with the whole crew at The O2Ten-pin bowling on 13 lanes inside The O2 on Greenwich Peninsula, with duckpin bowling, pool and arcade games alongside. You can order burgers, wings and sharing platters to your lane and eat between frames.
Learn to roll four kinds of sushi together in Hammersmith, then eat themA two-and-a-half-hour hands-on class at Sozai Cooking School: make the sushi rice, then roll ura-maki, hoso-maki, futo-maki and a rainbow roll. You sit down to eat what you made at the end.
Chase a rollover jackpot at a Monday pub quiz by Peckham RyeA weekly Monday quiz run by The Big Fat Quiz at The Herne Tavern, a 1930s heritage pub opposite Peckham Rye Park, with a bar tab for the winners and a jackpot that rolls over until someone wins it.Shoot virtual clay pigeons from a private peg in MoorgateTake turns blasting virtual clay targets on a big screen from a semi-private peg in a cocktail bar under Moorgate, ordering food and drinks to your peg. A private room, The Hide, takes up to 30.
Spend an afternoon in the restored Turkish baths at Ironmonger Row near Old StreetThe Victorian-era Turkish baths at Ironmonger Row have a thermal spa with saunas, aroma steam rooms, three Turkish hot rooms, ice fountains, monsoon showers, a plunge pool, a hammam and a relaxation lounge. Treatments can be added.
Paint a cherry-blossom canvas side by side at a paint-and-sip night in HanwellAn instructor walks the room step by step through one painting, a 'Cherry Blossom Dream', over three hours in a wine bar. Canvas, paints and aprons are supplied, you buy your own drinks, and you each take your painting home.Fire cannons and haul ropes in a maritime play gallery for under-7s in GreenwichAHOY! at the National Maritime Museum is a children's play gallery for 0-7s: sensory areas and role play for babies and toddlers, and for older children cannons to fire, cabins to hide in, ropes to haul and boilers to stoke. Sessions are 45 minutes.
Drive your own little boat round the Canary Wharf docks with up to 8 friendsHire a self-drive electric GoBoat (no licence needed) for one or two hours and potter round the Canary Wharf docks with a picnic on the table in the middle. Canary Wharf is GoBoat's only base where you can boat after sunset, with an enclosed Winter Pod option.
Race electric go-karts round a multi-level indoor track in ActonBook a group race on TeamSport's multi-level electric karting track in West London, then eat burgers, pizza or hot dogs at the trackside bar while you compare lap times.
Taste four wines on a tour of a working winery at Canada WaterAn hour-long walkabout tour of Vagabond's urban winery among the tanks and barrels, glass in hand, tasting four of its own wines as you go.Sit inside a giant David Bowie projection show at King's CrossAn hour-long show of Bowie's own performances, interviews and unseen material, projected across the four walls of Lightroom's huge room with full-volume sound. It doesn't run on a loop, so you sit for the whole thing.
Race each other on F1 simulators overlooking St Paul'sEach of you gets a racing simulator and you go head-to-head or in teams over a set of races, with a bar and kitchen in the same space. Bigger groups can take a semi-private area.
Walk through a light-and-sound show projected onto Wren's buildings in GreenwichAfter dark, the Old Royal Naval College's Painted Hall, Chapel and Colonnades become an immersive walk-through of projections and music by the artists Luxmuralis. It runs on ten nights only, in November.
Learn to play mahjong in a two-hour beginners' workshop at AldgateDear Asia's newbie workshop takes you through the tiles, sets and winning hands, then gets you playing at a four-player table with an instructor, so you leave able to play.
Get matched with a small group of strangers for dinner, drinks, coffee or a walkTimeleft's app puts you in a small group of compatible strangers for a dinner, drinks, coffee or a Sunday walk somewhere in London. There are several a week, including women-only and singles nights.
Book a padel court for four under glass by the Thames at Battersea Power StationHire one of four panoramic indoor padel courts for a doubles game with friends, then stay on at the club's bistro and bar overlooking the river.
Kayak the Thames through central London on a bespoke guided group tripLondon Kayak Company guides groups on the tidal Thames in stable double kayaks, with all kit provided; its scheduled trips include an evening paddle from Battersea to Greenwich past the lit-up landmarks, and groups can arrange a bespoke trip.
Celebrate Diwali with dancers and bhajans in Trafalgar SquareThe Mayor's free Diwali festival fills Trafalgar Square for an afternoon: an opening dance with 200 dancers, a bhajan marquee, food, yoga and family activities. No ticket needed.Get lost in a giant walk-through art city at an adults-only evening in White CityAbsurd City is a vast new immersive art world inside Westfield London that you explore at your own pace for three hours or more. 'After Hours' evenings are 18+ only, from 7pm.
Learn to partner-dance from scratch at a Ceroc beginners' workshop in Kensal GreenA two-and-a-half-hour Sunday workshop covering footwork, timing, connection and how to lead or follow, plus a handful of moves you can use on a social dance floor. It's cheaper if you book as a pair.
Walk free-roam through a zombie VR shooter or escape room in AldgateYour team plays a backpack-free, free-roam VR game together — a zombie shooter, or a VR escape room against the clock — in one big room, after a short briefing. Games run 30 to 50 minutes.Do a guided sauna-and-ice-bath class at a communal contrast-therapy club under Canary WharfArc is a communal contrast-therapy club where you go between a sauna and ice baths, either in guided classes, in self-paced Free Flow sessions, or at Arc After Dark evening socials with DJs.
Talk fintech over a buffet lunch with 40 to 70 people in MayfairA long-running monthly networking lunch for people in and around London's fintech world: buffet lunch, a drink and a printed attendee list, then two hours of relaxed business chat. About a fifth of guests are first-timers.
Sit down at a beginners' mahjong table over cocktails in ShoreditchMahjong Palace takes over Shoreditch Arts Club for an evening of mahjong with cocktails and snacks from BAO; green tables teach beginners and red tables are open play for those who know the game.
Race electric karts then bowl a few frames at Brent CrossRace your group round one of TeamSport Brent Cross's electric karting tracks, and add ten-pin bowling on its eight lanes as a combined package; burgers and pizzas at the trackside bar.
Watch Santa's elves throw him his first Christmas at the Unicorn TheatreA world-premiere Christmas show for children at London's dedicated children's theatre by Tower Bridge: Santa's elves set out to give him the best Christmas ever, with a huge tree, treats and rollerskating. About 50 minutes long.
Hire a whole canal boat from Camden to Little Venice for your groupCharter one of London Waterbus Company's canal boats for a two-hour private trip from its wharf in Camden Market through Regent's Park and past London Zoo to Little Venice and back, with booth seating for up to 40 and an onboard bar, or bring your own food.Race your mates on pro-spec driving simulators at Westfield LondonBook a row of linked racing sims and race solo, head-to-head or as teams, posting lap times to the leaderboard, with a bar and big screen for live racing on site.
Let 8-16s cook a dish from scratch at a Wandsworth kids' cooking clubThe Avenue Cookery School's 90-minute Kids Cooking Club: after a short demo, children cook in pairs or teams and make their own dish to eat there or take home. Also counts towards the DofE Bronze/Silver skills section.
Eat a Greek feast while an ABBA musical plays out around your table at the O2You sit at a mock Greek taverna for a four-course sharing feast while a new ABBA love story, written by Sandi Toksvig, is performed among the tables. Then it turns into an ABBA disco.See in 2027 under the Mayor's fireworks on the ThamesThe official New Year's Eve fireworks over the Thames in central London, watched from ticketed riverside viewing areas. Tickets go on sale at noon on Friday 23 October and sell out fast.
Book a padel court for four at a five-court indoor club in BecktonHire an indoor padel court with high ceilings for a doubles game, then eat or drink in the club's restaurant and bar.
Take on a famously silly Tuesday pub quiz in AngelThe Old Queen's Head's long-running Tuesday quiz is known for daft rounds as much as general knowledge, held in the pub's upstairs room on Essex Road.
Catch a £9 Saturday children's show at Limehouse's young people's theatreHalf Moon in Limehouse programmes touring children's shows most Saturdays — puppetry, opera and storytelling pitched at specific ages from babies to teens. Every seat is £9 and unreserved.
Paddle kayaks or canoes along Regent's Canal with your group in CamdenBook a private 1.5-hour paddle session at the Pirate Castle on Regent's Canal, with accredited instructors, a choice of kayaks, canoes, sit-on-tops or bell-boats, and all kit included. Adult groups are priced per block of up to 8 people.
Drink mulled wine among alpine chalets on the South BankSouthbank Centre's riverside Christmas market lines the Queen's Walk under Hungerford Bridge with chalets selling street food, mulled wine, hot cider and gifts.Play board games from a 1,000-game library over dinner under WaterlooBook a table in a board-game kitchen in the Leake Street tunnel, pick from over 1,000 games and order food and drinks to the table while you play.
Race electric go-karts on an indoor track at Southside, WandsworthBook eight-minute electric go-kart races at Gravity MAX Wandsworth (you can book more than one per visit), then carry on with bowling, batting cages or the arcade and the sports bar.Watch cabaret or live music in a small Soho room, after dinner at Brasserie ZédelCrazy Coqs is the intimate cabaret room inside Brasserie Zédel, just off Piccadilly Circus, with a nightly programme of cabaret, live music, comedy and magic. Eat in the grand brasserie first, then go to the show.
Sauna to live DJs, then sit on in the listening lounge, in PeckhamSauna Social Club has two Finnish-style saunas and four ice baths, and a lounge with tea, games and books where live musicians and DJs play during Ambient sessions, piped into the sauna. It is meant as a sober alternative to the pub.
See a glove-puppet musical on a canal barge in Little VeniceThe Puppet Theatre Barge, moored in Little Venice, stages The Three Little Wolves this winter: a brand-new 50-minute glove-puppet musical with dancing mice, slippery eels and a lion-taming pigeon.Have a drink with other engineering and product leaders at a Bankside pubAn informal evening for engineering, product and tech leaders: no panels or talks, just drinks, snacks and conversation, hosted by the software consultancy thoughtbot as the last of its autumn series.
Eat jollof, gizdodo and 'forbidden sauce' wings in Peckham PalmsTwo sisters who started with street-food pop-ups now run a Nigerian bar-kitchen in Peckham Palms: small chops like gizdodo and cassava chips, then jollof, efo riro or Naija fish and chips.
Shop a makers' Christmas fair in Eltham Palace's medieval Great HallA weekend craft fair in Eltham Palace's medieval Great Hall, with local makers' jewellery, pottery and art, marshmallows over fire pits, mulled wine, and a community wreath trail in the gardens.
Paddleboard Regent's Canal in Hackney on a private session just for your groupPaddleboarding London runs fully private, instructor-led paddleboard sessions for groups on the Regent's Canal at its Hackney base, with all kit, a safety briefing and group photos included, and changing rooms and showers on site.Play board games over tacos by the Olympic Park in StratfordBook a table at a board-game kitchen opposite the London Stadium, borrow anything from a library of over 1,000 games and eat while you play.
Hire a padel court, or a hosted mini-tournament, for your group in StratfordBook one of nine indoor padel courts for a doubles game, or a hosted package with court time, drinks and equipment for a bigger group; the club bar serves Spanish food afterwards.
Make your own spooky nature slime at Gunnersbury Park MuseumA 45-minute half-term workshop where children mix a batch of nature slime and customise it with moss, leaves, glitter or insects, then name it and take it home in a pot.
Get stuck into the £40 Saturday suya buffet on Peckham RyeSuuyar grills suya and whole fish over charcoal and serves West African stews; on Saturdays it runs an all-you-can-eat buffet.Watch marching bands parade through the West End on New Year's DayThe London (New Year's Day) Parade: marching bands, cheerleaders and floats from around the world wind through central London from 1pm on 1 January. Line the route, or buy a grandstand seat.
Hear three talks on practical AI, then stay for pizza and networking in ClerkenwellLondon's monthly practical-AI meetup: a builder's talk, a productivity demo and a future-of-work talk, followed by pizza, drinks and time to meet the room. Free, but spaces are limited.
Try bouldering together in an instructor-led group intro at AldgateAn instructor spends an hour teaching your group safety and basic bouldering technique, then you can keep climbing as long as you like; everyone also gets two weeks of free entry afterwards.
Walk Hampstead Heath to Kenwood's free Rembrandt and Vermeer, then warm up in the caféCross the Heath on a cold afternoon to Kenwood House, a stately home on its northern edge. Inside, its old masters are free to see, and the estate café is there to thaw out in afterwards.
Pick a board game from the shelves and settle in over food in CroydonBook a table at a board-game café bar on Croydon High Street, choose from its game library with help from staff, and eat and drink while you play.
Help crack the Christmas code in an interactive show for under-7s in SouthgateChickenshed's Tales team stage Christmas Tales: Clumsy the Elf has lost the code to the Christmas Safe, and the audience helps solve the clues in a joining-in show for babies and young children.
Follow a children's lantern parade to Greenwich Market's lights switch-onLocal schoolchildren carry handmade lanterns through the Old Royal Naval College and Cutty Sark Gardens to Greenwich Market, where the crowd counts down to the Christmas lights at 5pm.Eat Jamaican food then dance till 2am in a Deptford railway archBuster Mantis is a Jamaican-focused bar and restaurant under the arches in Deptford, with DJs and dancing on Friday and Saturday nights and a Sunday roast.
Plant woodland and dig flower beds with a weekly Green Gym in Leyton or WalthamstowTCV's Green Gym meets Thursdays at Leyton Jubilee Park and Fridays at Lloyd Park for three hours of outdoor conservation work - tree planting, weeding, mulching, path repair - with tools, tea and biscuits provided.
Sing along at a free Nine Lessons and Carols in St Martin-in-the-FieldsA traditional service of lessons and carols with the Choir of St Martin-in-the-Fields, in the church on Trafalgar Square. No tickets: just turn up.
Learn archery and shoot balloons at 12 metres in an indoor range in GreenwichA coach takes your group through a 90-minute barebow class in a basement range: basics of technique, targets at 6m and 12m, balloon shooting and a final competition. Groups of 10 or more can book a private party session.
Teens: drop in to a £2 music, media or circus session at the RoundhouseThe Roundhouse in Camden runs a youth programme for 11-30s in music, media (radio, film-making, content creation) and performing arts including spoken word, theatre, circus and dance — from £2 no-commitment drop-ins to tutor-led workshops and longer courses.Spend a day with Black professionals rethinking success, with coaching and headshots, in EalingA one-day event for Black professionals with talks from more than 20 Black leaders, founders and coaches, plus lunch, coaching, headshots and wellbeing checks, and plenty of time to meet the room.
Compete on a real TV game-show set in Shoreditch with your crewYour group takes the podiums on a lit, camera-rigged game-show set and battles through five TV-style trivia, logic and reflex challenges plus mini-games in 60 minutes, spinning a giant multiplier wheel between rounds. Choose the Original quiz or the adults-only Rowdy quiz.
Take a free lift to London's highest viewing platform, 58 floors up in the CityBook a free timed ticket, ride a high-speed lift to Level 58 of 22 Bishopsgate, and look out over London from a 300-degree viewing gallery. It's an easy, low-pressure first date that's done in an hour.Try Brixton's new Caribbean-rooted comfort food from a former supper clubAll Roads, the supper club of chefs Malika Green and Paschelle Brown, now has a 35-cover Brixton restaurant with low-and-slow mains like oxtail and pork chops with pimento peppercorn sauce, plus a terrace.
Shout 'he's behind you' at Clive Rowe's Hackney Empire pantoHackney Empire's family pantomime this year is Jack and the Beanstalk, directed by and starring Olivier Award-winner Clive Rowe as Dame Trot, with songs, dance numbers, extravagant costumes and plenty of joining in.
Hit balls round famous golf courses on a simulator bay by Liverpool StreetBook a Trackman golf simulator bay for your group and play virtual courses or the driving range, with Pizza Pilgrims pizzas and a bar on site. All abilities welcome.
Climb a church-tower spiral stair to London's oldest operating theatreUp a 52-step spiral staircase inside St Thomas' Church near London Bridge is a surviving hospital operating theatre and herb garret, with old surgical instruments, anatomical specimens and herbal remedies on show.
Win a slot in the raffle and play 1–3 songs at Kingston's Wednesday open micTurn up for the 6pm raffle draw, pick a time slot, then play up to three songs (or five minutes of comedy) on a stage with a full backline; an open jam runs before the show and again after midnight.
Eat Punjabi food at Southall's Brilliant, now an Indian gastro pubBrilliant, the Anand family's long-running Southall Punjabi restaurant, has moved into a new 'Indian gastro pub' a few minutes from Southall station, with a Friday social menu and cookery courses.
Pick from 500 board games and play the night away with friends under Brixton stationBook a table at a board-game café in a railway arch and work through a library of party and strategy games, with sourdough pizza and drinks brought to the table. A small hourly table fee goes towards the games library.Climb up and over the roof of the O2 on a walkwayHarnessed up, you walk a fabric walkway up and over the O2's dome on Greenwich Peninsula, with views across the river to Canary Wharf from the top. In winter there's a festive snow-globe version.
Mix with London business owners and hear three 8-minute keynotes off Pall MallAn after-work business mixer in a private room at the Tom Cribb pub: a welcome round of drinks, canapés, and three short keynotes to get conversations going.
Help Buttons save the ball at the Lyric Hammersmith's Cinderella pantoThe Lyric's Christmas pantomime is Cinderella by Joel Horwood, set in 'Glamoursmith': the audience helps Buttons, the Prince's foot hunt and Cinderella's dash to the ball before midnight. About two hours.
Face virtual bowlers in a cricket simulator net near London BridgeTake turns batting in a simulator net against virtual bowlers in a Bermondsey Street warehouse, with a bar and cricket-themed menu between overs. No cricket experience needed.
Do morning yoga under the blue whale skeleton before the Natural History Museum opensA yoga class in Hintze Hall beneath Hope the blue whale, finishing with a live gong bath, then time to wander the galleries before the public arrives.
Eat South Indian food on a quiet Peckham backstreetGanapati is a long-running South Indian kitchen on Holly Grove in Peckham, with an outside space and its own recipe book.Throw axes, play AR darts and crazier golf with your crew in EalingBook a game lane at a games bar on Ealing Broadway for axe throwing, augmented-reality darts, shuffleboard, pool, crazy golf or a private karaoke booth, with street food and drinks between rounds.
Sing karaoke for free on Thursday nights on the Bermondsey Beer MileFree-entry karaoke in a railway-arch lager hall, with up to four mics and a catalogue of more than 50,000 songs, 9pm to 10.30pm.
Spend a weekday clearing and planting Camden's green spaces with a friendly volunteer crewTCV's staff-led Green Gym meets twice a week to do practical conservation work across 40 sites in Camden, from hidden nature patches to Regent's Park; tools and guidance provided, no experience needed.
Squeeze into a tiny basement cabinet of curiosities under a Hackney absinthe barBelow the Absinthe Parlour on Mare Street, the Viktor Wynd Museum crams a very small basement with natural-history oddities and strange art; you book a 30-minute slot and can have a cocktail upstairs after.
Run, run as fast as you can to The Gingerbread Man in DeptfordStuff and Nonsense's 50-minute retelling of The Gingerbread Man at the Albany, Deptford's arts centre — a no-scary-bits Christmas show for small children.Hear a fireside chat on building AI companies that last, then a Christmas social with Black founders and investorsBlack Venture Network's festive evening: canapés on arrival, a fireside chat on what makes an AI company defensible, then networking and drinks with Black founders, investors and VC professionals.
Play a simulator round of golf with a DJ and bar in SohoTake a Trackman simulator bay in a big basement clubhouse off Wardour Street, play a virtual course or golf games between you, then drift to the bar and lounges, with a DJ on some nights.
Eat chargrilled kebabs and saffron rice at a Shepherd's Bush PersianSufi has served home-style Persian cooking on Askew Road since 2007: chargrilled kebabs, slow stews and aromatic rice dishes.
Bowl, then sing in a private karaoke room with your mates in CroydonBook one of two private karaoke rooms for up to 10 at a 25-lane bowling centre in Croydon, and add bowling, pool or table tennis in the same visit, with a bar and food on site.Take toddlers to their first show: Dear Zoo with puppets in North FinchleyRod Campbell's lift-the-flap book Dear Zoo, adapted for the stage with puppetry, songs and all the animals, at artsdepot over October half term — pitched as a first theatre trip for little ones.
Plant 20 new trees in a Tower Hamlets park on a free community planting morningTrees for Cities and local residents plant new trees and hedging in Swedenborg Gardens. Tools, guidance and refreshments are provided, there are crafts for kids, and anyone can come.Sing pop and traditional songs with a no-audition community choir in WoolwichA weekly Wednesday-evening community choir where nobody sings alone: turn up, learn harmonies to a mix of pop and traditional songs, and meet neighbours.
Share a Trackman golf sim between six at BroadgateBook a golf simulator for you and up to five friends and play PGA Tour courses like Pebble Beach or golf games against each other, with a full bar, cocktails and casual food at the new Five Iron by Liverpool Street.Eat jerk and lobster at a modern Caribbean dining room in BrixtonRapChar serves modern Caribbean cooking on Brixton Water Lane - jerk, lobster, lamb shank - with tables booked online.
Pitch yourself to a room of women in business and tech for 60 seconds, then network, near SouthwarkA women-only professional networking evening for founders, executives, investors and product people: everyone gets 60 seconds to introduce themselves to the full room, then it opens into one-to-one conversations.
Watch a giant Victorian testing machine in action on a weekend tour in SouthwarkA volunteer-led tour of the Kirkaldy Testing Museum on Southwark Street; the longer premium tours include a demonstration run of the huge Kirkaldy testing machine.
Sweat in a wood-fired sauna boat then plunge into 3-6°C water at Canary WharfA waterside sauna village at West India Quay: shared 75-minute sessions in wood-fired sauna boats with rooftop cold plunge pools and a cold bucket shower, skyline views and DJ-picked music.Walk a light-art trail through the Royal Hospital Chelsea's gardensAn evening trail of light installations by British light artists through Ranelagh Gardens, followed by a winter village with food hall, fire pits, heated tipis, curling and a Chelsea Pensioners choir.
Talk your way into a hidden detective-agency bar in Earl's CourtBook an appointment, explain your 'case' to the detective at the door and get let into a prohibition-themed speakeasy for cocktails.
Eat a halal Turkish breakfast or late kebab at the first Gökyüzü on Green LanesThe original Gökyüzü on Harringay's Green Lanes grills kebabs and bakes Turkish bread from 9am until 2am every day; the chain says its food is halal.
Play an after-work four-ball on golf simulators near WaterlooNon-members can pay-to-play a Trackman simulator bay at this small members' golf club near Waterloo station, with a stocked bar, snacks and sandwiches.
Feed goats and meet the pigs at a free riverside farm in RotherhitheA working city farm on the Thames with goats, sheep, pigs, cows, poultry and a pony; buy a bag of feed at the farm shop for the goats and sheep. On Saturdays there is a short 'meet the small animals' session.Try a free first session with an a cappella community choir between Lewisham and GreenwichA Tuesday-evening, no-audition choir singing world, pop and traditional songs a cappella in three-part harmony; your first session is free, then pay what you can.
Have eight structured one-to-one chats with other women in tech, by WaterlooAn after-work speed-networking evening for women in software, AI, data, product, design and tech sales: eight short, structured conversations, a drink and a bite, then open networking.
See a traditional panto at Greenwich TheatreGreenwich Theatre's Jack and the Beanstalk, written by and starring award-winning panto writer Anthony Spargo: a classic, proper family panto in a local playhouse.
Grab a focaccia breakfast at the bakery in a Dalston car parkThe Dusty Knuckle started in a shipping container behind Dalston Junction; its bakery-café serves egg and chilli-cheese focaccia breakfasts, sarnies at lunch, and runs baking classes.Try a beginner D&D session or raid the board game library at a fantasy tavern in ShoreditchA themed gaming bar split into a board-game library room, wargaming tables and private role-playing booths, with GM-led beginner D&D sessions and other ticketed game nights.
Book a golf simulator bay for four in Lower ClaptonA small neighbourhood indoor golf club in Hackney where you book a simulator bay by the half-hour (up to three hours) and share it with up to three friends — play a round, longest drive or closest to the pin.
Tour a medieval monastery turned Tudor mansion that still houses pensioners in FarringdonAn hour with a professional guide around the Charterhouse: the remains of a 14th-century monastery, the Tudor courtyards, and the Great Hall where the resident Brothers still eat together.
Drop in on the animals at a free city farm in HollowayFreightliners is a small working farm tucked off Holloway Road where families wander round the animals on a self-guided, drop-in basis. Entry is free; it runs on donations.Boo the giant with Bonnie Langford and Basil Brush at Richmond's pantoRichmond Theatre's Jack and the Beanstalk stars Bonnie Langford as Mrs Blunderbore, Dr Ranj as the Spirit of the Beans and Basil Brush as Farmer Basil, in a Frank Matcham theatre on Richmond Green.
Book a slot to play acoustic on a proper stage at a long-running Chiswick open micAn acoustic open mic in a Chiswick pub with full PA, lights and a sound-engineer host; book a slot online up to two weeks ahead and play to a listening crowd.Eat dosas and Sri Lankan curries off a banana leaf in Tooting (BYO)Apollo Banana Leaf is a long-standing Tooting favourite for South Indian and Sri Lankan food - dosas, biryanis, seafood - known for value, and you can bring your own bottle.
Join London's Salesforce women for talks, a quiz and networking by London BridgeThe monthly meeting of the London Salesforce Women in Tech community group: career stories from members, a networking break, then a quiz with prizes. Hosted this month by Slalom.
Volunteer in an award-winning community garden in IslingtonCulpeper Community Garden in Islington runs two open volunteer sessions a week plus a monthly Sunday work day; no experience needed, just fill in the sign-up form before your first visit.Skate on a real ice rink in Bayswater with a booked group packageBook a group package at Queens' year-round indoor ice rink, which can be combined with bowling, real ice curling or interactive darts, and eat at the in-house MEATliquor. Packages are bookable online for up to 18 guests; bigger groups go through the events team.
Play Warhammer, Magic or a board game on purpose-built tables on Holloway RoadA tabletop gaming café with custom gaming tables you book for board games, card games or wargames, plus regular Magic and wargame events. There's a second branch in Borough.
Fly off to Neverland with Aston Merrygold at Wimbledon's Peter Pan pantoNew Wimbledon Theatre's 2026 panto is Peter Pan, with JLS's Aston Merrygold as Peter and EastEnders' Jessie Wallace as Captain Hook.Climb aboard a giant galleon at the renewed Diana Memorial PlaygroundThe Peter Pan-themed playground in Kensington Gardens reopened in August 2026 after a £3million renewal, with a new 17-metre galleon, water play and a separate area for younger children with timber houses, play ships and a big sandpit. Free and staffed; adults only get in with children.
Have brunch all day on Roman Road at Mae + HarveyNeighbourhood café on Bow's Roman Road serving brunch all day every day, with Thursday evening openings.
Watch an 1886 sewage-pumping beam engine run under steam in TottenhamVolunteers fire up a restored Victorian beam engine in its riverside engine house in Markfield Park on open Sundays; the engine runs twice a day and entry is free.
Bat against a bowling machine in an indoor cricket net with your mates at WembleyBook a cricket net at a games bar in Boxpark Wembley and take turns facing a bowling machine, with darts and a pool table on the side. No cricket experience needed; net time scales with group size.
Do two turns – a song, a poem, anything – at a free second-Monday open mic in DalstonA monthly open mic in a Dalston pub with a piano, mic and loaned guitars on hand; tell the host you're in and everyone gets two turns, from songs to spoken word.Join a GM-run Dungeons & Dragons table in a pub near Elephant & CastleBuy a ticket and sit down in a themed game room where a professional Games Master runs D&D; dice, models and the story are all provided, and new players get a guided character creation session.
Swap startup war stories at a festive founders' party with a fireside chat in the CityA monthly founders' meetup, this time the Christmas edition: open networking with colour-coded badges, community shout-outs where you can ask the room for help, a tactical fireside chat with an experienced entrepreneur, then drinks.
Watch French and Saunders as the Ugly Sisters in the Palladium pantoThe West End's star-studded panto: Cinderella with Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders as the Ugly Sisters and Julian Clary as the Fairy Godfather, plus big costumes and effects.Graze the Saturday street-food stalls at Brockley MarketA weekly food market in a college car park on Lewisham Way: local producers, fresh fruit and veg, and hot lunches and brunches from traders, Saturday mornings only.
Meet meerkats, otters and monkeys at Battersea Park's children's zooA small family-run zoo in Battersea Park with over 100 animals — monkeys, meerkats, otters, lemurs and farm favourites — plus keeper talks and an adventure playground with a real tractor and fire engine.
Learn to boulder together in a coached beginners' class in BermondseyBook places on a 60-minute introductory bouldering class in a former biscuit-factory hall, where an instructor covers warm-up, falling safely and first moves; shoes and chalk are included and you can keep climbing for the rest of the day.
Join a gothic-horror D&D one-shot aboard a pirate-ship bar in FitzroviaA Games Master leads your party through a four-hour Dungeons & Dragons one-shot set on a themed pirate-ship tavern; no experience is needed and solo players are put into a party.Cheer on local talent at a free third-Thursday open mic in Bounds GreenA monthly open mic in a Bounds Green pub showcasing up-and-coming local performers; step up to the mic or just come along to support.
Garden for an afternoon in a hidden wildlife garden behind a West End theatreThe Phoenix Garden, tucked behind the Phoenix Theatre between Soho and Covent Garden, takes volunteer gardeners on Wednesday afternoons and Saturdays; no experience needed.Watch newer comics build from five-minute spots at a free Sunday open mic in ArchwayAn early-evening stand-up open mic upstairs in a neighbourhood pub, aimed at comics starting out, with slots growing from 5 to 10 minutes.
Hear data-science talks with free food, then go to the pub with London's Python crowdLondon's long-running monthly PyData meetup: free food and drinks, two main talks plus lightning talks on Python, data and AI, then drinks at a nearby pub. Free, but you have to RSVP and bring photo ID.Eat your way round the shipping-container food stalls at Pop BrixtonPop Brixton is a community-run hub of independent street-food traders and bars in shipping containers by Brixton station, with weekend DJs, markets and live screenings.
Hear the stories of the Victorian dead on a guided walk through West Norwood CemeteryVolunteer guides from the Friends of West Norwood Cemetery lead monthly walks through one of London's Magnificent Seven cemeteries, covering who is buried there and what the monuments' symbols mean.
Play interactive football games in your own box at Westfield, Shepherd's BushBook a private box where a machine fires footballs at you for target and skill games scored on screen, with game time set by the size of your group; food and drinks are served before or after.See farm animals and ancient woodland at a free conservation farm on Shooters HillWoodlands Farm is a charity-run working conservation farm in south-east London where families can see farm animals, native birds, butterflies, wildflowers and ancient woodland, free of charge.
Laugh at comics testing five-minute sets for free in a Bethnal Green pub backroomSix to eight stand-ups, from first-timers to veterans, try out material in the Three Colts Tavern's back room on the 1st and 3rd Monday of the month; first-Monday ticket proceeds go to a London charity.
Play free board games on Thursday nights at a Bermondsey Beer Mile taproomHiver's railway-arch taproom puts out a curated shelf of board games every Thursday evening; bring friends, buy a drink and play for free.
Eat wings, bao and noodles from a family recipe in Brixton VillageMamalan's Chinese street food - wings, bao, noodles and bubble tea - traces back to a 1940s Beijing roadside bao shop; it now trades from a unit in Brixton Village.Bring your instrument (or just listen) at a free twice-monthly jazz jam in HammersmithUpstairs at The Distillers, a resident house trio opens, then instrumentalists and singers are invited up to jam; no cover charge.
Meet senior women in insurance inside Lloyd's of London's Old LibraryWomen in Banking & Finance launches its Women in Insurance Network with an afternoon panel of senior women insurance leaders, plus networking that connects students, apprentices and graduates with the industry, inside Lloyd's.
Swim lengths in the 2012 Olympic pool in StratfordSwim at the London 2012 Aquatics Centre, which has two 50m pools and a diving pool with platforms up to 10m, open to the public every day.Meet alpacas, rheas and a barn owl at an urban farm by HeathrowHounslow Urban Farm in Feltham has pigs, sheep, goats, cows, alpacas and rheas alongside exotic animals, plus indoor play, an outdoor play area and indoor bouncy castles.
Go down into the 12th-century crypt of the Knights Hospitaller in ClerkenwellA 45-minute guided tour of the Lost Priory of the Order of St John: the priory church and the crypt underneath, and the story of the order from crusader-era Jerusalem to its dissolution under Henry VIII.Hear Black British poets, then take a first-come open-mic slot, at a free Peckham poetry nightPoetic Unity's monthly Poetry Foyer at Theatre Peckham: booked performers plus a community open mic where poets sign up on a first-come basis, with a paid feature slot at the next edition up for grabs.
Shop Dorset fish and heritage apples at Ealing's Saturday farmers' marketEaling Farmers' Market has run for 25 years: regulars who know stallholders by name, raw milk, Dorset fish and seasonal produce, every Saturday morning (temporarily on The Avenue, W13).
Let kids try being pilots, surgeons and firefighters in a mini city at WestfieldKidZania is an indoor role-play city where children take on real-world jobs — flying a plane, working a fire engine, running a bakery or TV studio — earning the city's own currency as they go.Do two hours of guided breathwork to immersive music in Bethnal GreenBreathpod founder Stuart Sandeman leads a two-hour Sunday-afternoon session of guided breathwork to immersive music, with mats provided.
Swim outdoors in winter in the heated pool at Hampton, open 365 days a yearA charity-run heated open-air pool that stays open every day of the year, so you can swim lengths in warm water with cold air on your face - the page pitches it for a new year swim.Grab a free ticket and sing from 20,000 tracks at a DJ-hosted weekend karaoke party in ShoreditchEvery Friday and Saturday a Shoreditch pub turns into a karaoke party run by resident DJs, with a vault of 20,000-plus songs and free entry tickets.
Read two articles and argue about them over drinks in the National Theatre barSunday Assembly London's Article Club: members vote on two articles (one current affairs, one history, culture or science), read them in advance, then discuss and score them on the soft seats of the Lyttelton bar. Sometimes they go on to the pub.
Pay a fiver to watch comics try brand-new material in Camden on a MondayCamden Comedy Club's Monday 'Uncut' show: no advertised line-up, just comedians road-testing new jokes, for £5.
Buy fresh bread at a family African and Caribbean bakery on Rye LaneAngels Bakery is a family business founded in Plumstead in 2004 to bake traditional bread for African and Caribbean Londoners; its Peckham branch on Rye Lane opens daily.
Spot the Victorian dinosaur statues round the lakes in Crystal Palace ParkThe world's first dinosaur sculptures stand by the lakes in Crystal Palace Park in a model geological landscape, free and open daily; a regeneration project has finished, with fresh paint on four dinosaurs and paths reopened. There's an audio tour and downloadable guidesheets.
Race go-karts and brave the Black Hole Slide at a giant soft play in CroydonKidspace Croydon is a 30,000 sq ft indoor adventure centre with towering play frames, a black-hole slide, a soft-ball arena, Draw Alive interactive drawing, an indoor go-kart track and a separate Toddler Village for under-5s.Visit a free museum of mental-health history inside a working hospital in BeckenhamBethlem Museum of the Mind, on the grounds of Bethlem Royal Hospital (the original 'Bedlam'), tells the history of mental health care and shows art by people who have experienced mental illness. Free, no booking.
Run up to three miles round the Olympic Park with Black women on a Monday nightBlack Girls Do Run UK's free East London social run: a group of Black women meets at Pret in the International Quarter for a run of up to 3 miles at the group's pace, every other Monday in term time. Nobody gets left behind.Read your poems to a welcoming crowd at a 'you pay, you perform' open mic in BalhamAn inclusive poetry and spoken-word open mic in a Balham bar where every poet who buys a performer ticket gets on stage – they've fitted 32 in one night.
Eat Taiwanese bao on Rye Lane at Peckham's neighbourhood bao shopMr Bao is a Peckham Taiwanese restaurant serving bao and small plates, with a Taiwanese-twist weekend brunch.Sing free karaoke till midnight on a Thursday in Shepherd's BushFree late-night karaoke in a big Shepherd's Bush bar, 10pm to midnight on Thursdays.
Try a one-off beginners' Japanese (or Korean, Greek, Arabic...) lesson in Covent GardenInternational House London runs one-off taster lessons for complete beginners in over a dozen languages: a sample class at its Covent Garden school covering greetings and introducing yourself, before you decide on a full course.See lemurs, wallabies and a Scottish wildcat at a free zoo by Hampstead HeathGolders Hill Park Zoo is a small free zoo inside Golders Hill Park, next to the children's play area, with ring-tailed lemurs, red-necked wallabies, a Scottish wildcat, kookaburras, fallow deer and donkeys.
Ride, skate and graze your way round Winter Wonderland in Hyde ParkLondon's biggest Christmas funfair takes over Hyde Park for six weeks: rides, circus and ice shows, a Bavarian-style food and drink village and festive markets. Entry is cheapest booked online, with £1 off-peak sessions Monday to Thursday in November.
Skate a riverside ice trail under Battersea Power Station's chimneysGlide is three linked rinks plus a 200-metre skate trail beside the Thames at Battersea Power Station, with vintage fairground rides and festive food stalls off the ice.
Sign up on the night to read five minutes of poetry at a monthly open mic off the StrandVeteran poet Mr Gee hosts a monthly spoken-word open mic at RSA House: arrive at 6.30pm, put your name down in person, and read for about five minutes.
Eat arepas and cachapas at a Venezuelan brunch spot in HaggerstonArepa & Co set out to make Londoners fall in love with arepas; its restaurants serve arepas, cachapas, small plates and all-day brunch.
Lie back for a monthly Sunday sound bath of gongs and singing bowls in WappingLondon Sound Bath holds a 75-minute session of chimes, gongs, bells and singing bowls at Raines House community centre on the first Sunday afternoon of the month.
Explore the story of London's foundling children in a Bloomsbury museumThe Foundling Museum on Brunswick Square tells the story of the Foundling Hospital and the children it took in, through objects, art and rooms carried over from the original building.
Hear the London Community Gospel Choir by candlelight in a Hackney chapelA 12-piece choir and live band from the legendary LCGC sing gospel, soul and musical favourites, including Circle of Life, in the candlelit Round Chapel in Clapton.
Stand next to Freud's actual couch in his last home in HampsteadThe house in Maresfield Gardens where Sigmund Freud lived after fleeing Vienna is kept as a museum, with his study, collection of antiquities and the famous analytic couch; an audio guide is included.
Join a free guided Sunday walk across Hampstead Heath with the local conservation societyThe Heath & Hampstead Society runs free two-hour walks on the first Sunday of most months from Burgh House: birdsong, old Saxon ditches, ancient trees. The next one (6 December) is on the history of the Heath's bathing ponds.Take the kids to Santa's North Pole workshop at ExCeLA theatrical walk-through Christmas adventure: an Enchanted Forest, the elves' workshop, Mrs Claus and a visit to Santa, then a festive village with market stalls, food and fairground rides.
Skate in front of the Queen's House in GreenwichAn open-air ice rink in the Greenwich World Heritage Site, with views of the Queen's House, the Thames and Canary Wharf. Sessions for toddlers, students and SEND families.Spit bars or read poems over live improvised music at a free riverside night at Somerset HouseA new spoken-word-meets-live-music night: headline poets plus open-mic slots for poets, rappers and lyricists, backed by improvised music at Setlist by the river.
Do your Sunday food shop at Walthamstow's farmers' marketSince 2007 a farmers' market has filled the top of Walthamstow High Street every Sunday morning with farm produce and friendly stalls.