After dark
Things to do in London at night
London after dark is more than the pub. There's jazz in candlelit cellars, stand-up for free above pubs, museums that open late with a drink in hand, and social run clubs that finish at the pub.
Here are our favourite nights out, from free to a proper treat.
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Angel Comedy (free)Free nightly stand-up at The Bill Murray. Home venue The Bill Murray N1; also programmes The Camden Head N1.
Late museum opening (Lates)Adults-only evening events with drinks & talks
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.
Showstopper! improvised musicalAudience-shaped musical every night. London home is the Cambridge Theatre, Earlham Street WC2, on Monday nights.
Midnight RunnersFree bootcamp-style social runs w/ music
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.
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.
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.
Ghost / Jack the Ripper walkEvening guided spooky history walks
Tango milongaBeginner classes + late-night milongas across London; drop-in. No partner needed to start.
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.
Astronomy society observing nightLocal societies run free observing nights
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.WomenHack LondonRecruitment & networking evenings connecting women in tech with employers. Free for job-seekers; register online.
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.
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.
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.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.
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.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.
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.Bounce / Sandbox-style social gamingSociable competitive nights
Bingo (Bongo's / Hijingo)High-energy modern bingo nights
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.
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.
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.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.
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.
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.
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.
Late-opening gallery First ThursdaysGalleries open late & free, one eve/month
Stand-up comedy courseWrite & perform a 5-min set by the end
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.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.
Brixton House (Windrush season)South London theatre & cultural hub; annual Windrush season each June (readings, DJs, comedy, exhibitions) plus year-round Black-led work.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.
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.
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.
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.Questions people ask
- What is there to do in London at night apart from drinking?
- Comedy nights, jazz jams, museum lates, ghost walks, night running clubs, tango and ceilidh dances, and stargazing with an astronomy society. Plenty of them are free or close to it.
- Where can you see free comedy in London at night?
- Angel Comedy runs free stand-up every night in Islington, and Comedy Bandits runs free nights above a Clapham pub on Mondays and Wednesdays.
- What are museum lates?
- Adults-only evening openings at museums across London, with drinks, talks and sometimes music. They're one of the best-value nights out in the city.
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