Sing, dance, perform, laugh
Music & Stage
The Comedy StoreUK's most iconic club; book ahead
Soho Comedy ClubDaily line-ups, up-and-comers + TV names
Good Ship Comedy (Four Thieves)Fortnightly Wednesday club night. Runs at The Four Thieves, Lavender Gardens SW11.
Angel Comedy (free)Free nightly stand-up at The Bill Murray. Home venue The Bill Murray N1; also programmes The Camden Head N1.Open-mic comedy nightTry material or just watch; many free
Stand-up comedy courseWrite & perform a 5-min set by the end
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.
Improv classes – Free Association / HooplaLevel 1 courses; great for confidence. Theatre and school share one building on Union Street SE1 (moved there in 2025).
Showstopper! improvised musicalAudience-shaped musical every night. London home is the Cambridge Theatre, Earlham Street WC2, on Monday nights.
Amateur dramatics societyLocal am-dram groups always need people
Poetry open mic / spoken wordWatch or perform; many free nights
Immersive theatre (Punchdrunk etc.)Walk-through theatrical experiences
Acting / drama class for adultsBeginner acting courses; no pressureUkulele 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.
Community choir (Some Voices)Some Voices runs pop/soul choirs across London - no audition, all welcome; termly membership. Big feel-good sound + socials.
Gospel / community choirMany open-access choirs
Rock choirRock Choir - large contemporary feel-good choir network with London groups; no audition. Termly fee; free taster sessions.
Learn an instrument – group lessonsAdult beginner guitar/piano/uke group courses at City Lit, Morley & music schools. Book a course; instruments sometimes provided.
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.Drum circle / djembeCommunity drumming; no experience needed
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.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.
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.Salsa / Bachata socialClass + social most nights somewhere in London; many studios run a beginner lesson then open dancing. ~£5-10. No partner needed.
Tango milongaBeginner classes + late-night milongas across London; drop-in. No partner needed to start.
Ballroom / Latin classBeginner ballroom & Latin classes at dance studios citywide; couples & singles welcome. Book a course or drop in.
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.Pole / aerial hoop classBeginner pole & aerial-hoop courses at studios citywide; build strength, no experience needed. Book a beginner course.
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.
Silent disco walking tourHeadphone dance-walk; gloriously silly
Cinema club (Prince Charles / BFI)Cult double-bills, sing-alongs. Prince Charles Cinema is off Leicester Square WC2; BFI Southbank is SE1.
Outdoor / rooftop cinema (summer)Seasonal film nights in parks & rooftops
Learn an instrument (free apps)Yousician (guitar/piano/uke) + free lessons; learn at your own pace
Learn to singFree vocal warm-ups & technique resourcesMusic production / make beatsBandLab is free & browser-based; make tracks with built-in tutorials
Improv for anxiety / shy peopleGentle confidence-building coursesBurlesque / cabaret classBody-positive confidence courses
Voice acting / radio drama groupRead & record together; niche fun
Songwriting workshopWrite & finish a songStand-up storytelling (The Moth-style)Tell a true story on stage; open nights
Learn to whistle / beatboxFree beatbox lessons at Human Beatbox; silly and fun
Learn to read music / sight-singFree; unlocks everything else
Community orchestra / band (beginners)Dig out that school instrument; play togetherHandbell ringing groupGentler cousin of tower bells
Folk session / open jam (pub)Bring an instrument or just listen
Morris dancing sideYes really; welcoming and weirdly joyful
Bollywood / Bhangra dance classHigh-energy beginner classesFlamenco classFootwork & passion; beginner courses
Improv musical / sketch courseNext step after intro improv
Improv – Hoopla drop-in jamTurn-up improv jam; no experience needed
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.
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.Improv – Monkey Toast / show nightsWatch pro improv before you try it
Improv for anxiety / shy peopleGentle confidence-building beginner courses
Sea shanties – Cutty Sark (HogEye Men / Swinging the Lead)Resident shanty groups, first weekend of each month; included with ship ticket
Sea shanties – The William Morris pub1st Wednesday monthly; chorus sheets handed out, all welcomeSea shanties – Jamboree, King's CrossSunday lunchtime shanties w/ Colliers Wood Shanty Singers; sing along
Sea shanties – Tea House Theatre, VauxhallRegular shanty shows in a quirky theatre; ~£10
Sea shanties – London Sea Shanty CollectiveCommunity shanty choir you can join; gigs & sing-alongsSea Shanty Festival, Greenwich (annual, Nov)All-day festival under the Cutty Sark; learn-a-shanty sessions
Folk / shanty night – Cecil Sharp HouseHome of English folk; clubs, sessions & shanties
Vinyl / record shop crawlDig through crates on a wet afternoon
Late-night comedy / open micFree/cheap laughs after the officeEvening salsa / social danceClass then social most weeknights
Relaxed / accessible theatre performanceRelaxed & captioned performances widely available
Sensory-friendly cinema screeningAutism-friendly screenings; lights up, sound downOpen-mic night (find your local)Perform or watch; most are free entry
Join a band / find bandmatesFree listings to find a band or members
Music lessons (instrument, 1:1 or group)Find an instrument teacher near you or onlineCommunity music / jam sessionOpen jams; bring an instrument or just listen
Afrobeats / Afro dance classHigh-energy beginner classes; search current schedules
Dancehall / Amapiano classDrop-in style classes across the cityAudio production / music tech courseLearn to produce & engineer music
Film / video production courseShort filmmaking & editing courses
Flash mob / public dance groupChoreographed public performances for fun
Afrobeats dance class (Danceworks)Afrobeats & Afro-Caribbean classes (e.g. with Verona Patterson) at Danceworks; drop-in, all levels. Book a class.
Tunnel Vision (Afrobeats club)Afrobeats, Amapiano, R&B & Hip Hop nights + African cuisine. Book a table or event night.
Amapiano / Afro-house dance classBeginner Amapiano & Afro-house classes; search current schedules on Eventbrite.
Dancehall classJamaican Dancehall beginner classes citywide; search current dates.
African drumming circle / djembeWest African drumming workshops & circles; no experience needed. Find a session on Meetup.
Steel pan lessonsLearn steel pan with community bands (esp. around Carnival season); search local groups.
Brixton House (Windrush season)South London theatre & cultural hub; annual Windrush season each June (readings, DJs, comedy, exhibitions) plus year-round Black-led work.Film Africa (BFI / Royal African Society)Annual festival of African & diaspora cinema (Nov) from the Royal African Society; talks & Q&As. Book ahead.
Reggae / dub / lovers rock nightRoots, dub & lovers-rock nights & sound-system sessions; check RA/DesignMyNight for current events.
Gospel choir / church musicJoin a gospel choir or community singing group; many welcome newcomers. Search local choirs.Afro-Cuban / salsa & rumba classAfro-Cuban, rumba & salsa classes celebrating African-rooted Caribbean dance; drop-in. Search dates.
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.Spoken word / poetry nightOpen-mic & curated poetry nights with strong Black & diaspora scenes; perform or watch. Search current nights.
The Tabernacle (Notting Hill venue)Historic community arts venue at the heart of Carnival - gigs, classes, exhibitions & a cafe. Check listings.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.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.
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.
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.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.
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.
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.
Spend a night at LA LoungeAn east London lounge and late bar. Check what's on before travelling — the programme changes by night.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.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.
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.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.
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.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.
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.
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.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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.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.
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.
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.
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.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.
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.
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.
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.
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.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.
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.
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.
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.
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.