Every week
Clubs to join in London
The best way to make London feel smaller is to have somewhere to be every week: the same faces at a run club, a choir that's expecting you, a five-a-side team that's one short without you.
Everything here is something you can go back to: clubs, leagues, courses and weekly socials, most of them happy to see beginners and people turning up alone.
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Rock choirRock Choir - large contemporary feel-good choir network with London groups; no audition. Termly fee; free taster sessions.
Roller derby (watch or join)'Fresh meat' intakes; spectator-friendly
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.
Pinball / retro arcade leagueYes, there are pinball leagues
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).
Gospel / community choirMany open-access choirs
Chess in the park clubSummer outdoor chess socials
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.
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.
Dodgeball leagueGO Mammoth & UK Dodgeball run social evening leagues; join solo or team, paid upfront.
Sea shanties – The William Morris pub1st Wednesday monthly; chorus sheets handed out, all welcome
Take term-time adult ice skating lessons in Bayswater, skate hire includedNISA-accredited Learn to Skate courses for over-18s on Monday and Wednesday evenings, working through levels 1 to 8 with a weekly practice session and a certificate per level.
Life drawing – museum sketch nightsFree/cheap sketch meetups among the collections
Library reading groupFree book clubs + author talks
Citybouldering Aldgate100+ bouldering problems; off-peak PAYG from ~£13. 'CB Lates' DJ social nights. Free registration + video induction online before you climb.
Community orchestra / band (beginners)Dig out that school instrument; play together
Morris dancing sideYes really; welcoming and weirdly joyful
Gospel choir / church musicJoin a gospel choir or community singing group; many welcome newcomers. Search local choirs.
Sea shanties – London Sea Shanty CollectiveCommunity shanty choir you can join; gigs & sing-alongs
Voice acting / radio drama groupRead & record together; niche fun
Sabre / epee fencing clubAfter a beginner course, join a club
Hockey club (field)England Hockey 'Back to Hockey' beginner sessions + local club nights. Find a club online.
Street photography walk / collectiveFree group street-photo walks; all kit welcome
Gaelic football / hurling clubWelcoming Irish-sport clubs; beginners ok
Open-water triathlon trainingCoached sessions building to an event
Cold-water / winter dip clubYear-round social dippers; ease in slowly
Learned-society membership (your field)Most disciplines have a society with talks & events
Play badminton in a Deaf clubMondays 7pm–9pm at Haberdashers' Knights Academy, BR1 5EB. £5 a session, or £40 for three months.
Boccia (accessible target sport)Paralympic precision sport; all abilities
Meetup hiking groups (London day trips)Free/cheap organised hill-walk day trips by train
Men's Shed (community workshop)Make & mend together; tackles isolation
Art history lectures (The Arts Society)Local societies host expert art-history talks
Cloud Appreciation SocietyYes, it exists; learn to read the sky
Warhammer / wargaming clubStore clubs run intro games + paint nights
Parkrun + brunch crewRun then cafe; ready-made community
Community darkroom membershipDevelop & print film with othersQuestions people ask
- What clubs can you join in London as an adult?
- Run clubs like Midnight Runners, choirs from Rock Choir to gospel, roller derby, five-a-side and dodgeball leagues, chess in the park, pub quiz teams, cold-water swim clubs and improv jams. Most welcome complete beginners.
- How do you make friends in London?
- Pick one thing and go every week. Seeing the same people at a choir, a run club or a five-a-side league does more than any one-off event, because it gives you an excuse to talk the second time.
- Can you join a London club on your own?
- Yes, and most people do. Run clubs, choirs, leagues that place individual players on teams and weekly socials are built for people turning up alone.
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