18 Fun Things to do in London with Friends for The Perfect BFF Day Out.
Sail through London's canals in a Hot Tub boat.
Did you know that you and your pals can steam your way around the London Docklands in a HotTug? For those who are wandering - a HotTug is wood-fired, self-drive boat/hot tub. The fresh water is heated to a lovely 38 degrees (changed every trip in case you were wondering), and you can pick it up from Canary Wharf (leave work, and go straight off for a sip and a soak). Don’t forget to bring your own drinks to personalise your experience even further.
Be a Jet Pilot at the Science Museum
We’ve all had a childhood dream about being a jet pilot at some point. Well now you can actually find out what it’s like for just £10 at the Science Museum. Grab your favourite co-pilot (years 9 and older - we assume that’s okay for your group of friends) and get your adrenaline flowing in this aerobatic display of your choosing. This full 360° flight simulator enables you to pitch, roll, spin and perform spiral moves in this awesome simulator.
Get Locked in a Room
This novel ‘Locked In A Room’ experience provides a perfect atmosphere for that long overdue get together. Suitable for all ages, all weathers and all personalities and not a mobile phone in sight, Locked in a Room offers 13 themed escape rooms spread across two formats that guarantee a multi-escape experience. With the capacity to hold up to 78 players captive (or 13 teams of six), this is also the largest facility of its kind in Europe. You and your friends will get to solve puzzles and use your wit as you take on Parallax and Timelock formats in 60 minutes.
Hunt for the Smoking Caterpillar
Combine your love for comedy, theatre, and problem-solving in this unique London experience. Take on bizarre challenges in a new type of adventure that combines immersive theatre, escape rooms, and murder mystery, with a hilariously bonkers storyline. Teams receive their free welcoming tipple at the Ninth Life pub bar, before receiving Wonderhunter packs from the White Rabbit who will escort you upstairs. The Baron will welcome you to New Wonderland, boasting jobs and opportunity for all with precious ‘golds’. However, Russell the smoking caterpillar, has locked up everyone’s golds, and himself! The story is guided by the players and one of many endings will be decided by your team's decisions. With hints from Alice in Wonderland and a unique storyline, this activity looks like a great thing to do in London with friends by your side.
Treasure Hunt around London
This interactive treasure-hunt style experience is essentially an escape room, but outdoors and spans the entire city of London. You can solve clues sent to your phone, as you venture into the unknown, speaking to people you meet, interacting with physical puzzles you encounter, and completing challenges set for you by characters in the story.
Saddle up for a Gin Safari
The Gin Safari is a juniper-fuelled jaunt across London to reveal a story of gritty social history and the city’s turbulent affair with its favourite tipple. It celebrates the eccentric and all that is best about the British. Think of it as a liquid history lesson on bicycles, with laughs and banter along the way. You can expect a gentle cycle, bustling food markets, colourful graffiti, fabulous views, interesting insights, crude jokes, and, of course, plenty of gin tasting! by BicycleClimb aboard your Pashley bicycle (handmade in the UK) and follow your tour guide as he tells you the story of gin from the 18th century to the present day. As you wobble (cycle) around picturesque Dickensian architecture, libations of ‘mothers ruin’ are served from a GinCycle, (ie. a rickety Victorian gin parlour on wheels)
Try a Street Art Tour or a Graffiti Workshop
London and graffiti go hand in hand, but as well as walking around and discovering the latest Banksy graffiti, why not learn how to become a graffiti-artist yourself! Graffk Gallery in Shoreditch offer two hour sessions which are suitable for all abilities. Graffik's friendly environment aims to inspire, based around just having some fun and creating an A4 canvas to take away with you.
Feel like a Bird!
For the daredevil pals out there why not learn how to use the flying trapeze at Gorilla Circus. They assure us that anyone can fly in their 2 hour course! With their youngest students at just 8 years old and the oldest, 78! Students start with a warm up then move on to practice a simple trick on our low bar. They then attempt the trick on the Flying Trapeze and towards the end of the class get caught by an instructor on a separate swinging bar. The trapeze school runs a mixture of drop in classes and courses, the more classes you take the more advanced tricks you can perform!
FIND OUT MORE
Become A Craft Beer Connoisseur
Become a craft beer connoisseur by visiting the many micro breweries across Bermondsey. Take a Craft Beer tour or sip your way along the beer mile at your own pace.
Round up your mates and join a unique craft beer experience in London. Covering the exciting and ever growing craft beer scene in the Battersea area, Craft Beer Tours take you on unique London craft beer adventure. Along the way you’ll visit specialist craft beer venues and craft breweries in the area. You’ll get 10 craft beers (1/3 pints) along the way and an in-depth expert talk at each venue where they will talk about the brewery and guide you through the beers you drink. Some stops you’ll be talking directly with the brewer who made the beer and on others you’ll be gaining a fascinating insight into running a craft brewery from the owners themselves. Variety is the key for our tours and we design our routes ensuring no two venue experiences are the same.
Vintage Cinema, Pizza and Cocktails
If you and your friends fans of film then head to the vintage Cinema at TT Liquor in Shoreditch. The venue was originally an old Victorian police station and the old lags who found their way into the establishment would be more than a little surprised at the makeover. It still has atmosphere in spades, but this is achieved with the twinkling lights around the bar, pinging off the bottles. They also has a fabulous 52 seater cinema. Sit and sip a classic cocktail, while watching a cult classic, Hollywood hit, or independent gem. The cinema is newly built, but with the wood floors, brick walls and panelling this is film buff heaven.
Hang Out In A Public toilet
Don’t worry, Ladies & Gentlemen on Highgate Road, is not an actual public loo. It’s an unusual space with two moodily under-lit rooms at a V-shaped angle to each other, with a small bar at the point of the V. The signage is playful, the setting is moody and the cocktails are good. It’s a pretty popular hang-out through so be warned for queue to the loos!
FIND OUT MORE
Take Hula Schoola lessons!
Embrace your inner child by learning how to become a Hula Hula master at Hula Schoola. Marawa the Amazing can hoop 133 hoops at the same time, has a stomach like a washboard and an army of helpers - The Majorettes. Marawa has performed all over the world, from palaces to playgrounds. In this class you will be twirling and a whirling, while getting abs of steel.
Go Fruit Picking
Nothing beats good, outdoors, wholesome fun with your friends. Throughout the season Hewits Farm in Orpington welcomes visitors to come onto the farm and pick their own fruits and vegetables. Fruit picking season usually starts around Mid-July with the famous Strawberries and Ends in October with Pumpkins. Whatever your produce preference, the 78-acre family-run farm probably grows it however. Over the summer months, you can usually pick everything from strawberries, raspberries and blackcurrants to spinach, chard and beetroot. Or, hold out until the beginning of autumn when the apples ripen and free tractor rides begin on Sundays.
The Canvas Cafe
On a mission to ‘improve the self esteem and confidence’ of the local community, The Canvas hosts kitschy retro film screenings, feel-good singalongs, self-esteem workshops and lunchtime yoga sessions. These are great opportunities for connecting more meaningfully with new and old friends, whilst indulging in some fun, wellness activities.
The cafe supports grassroots projects to grow and create positive change in the city — why not support a great cause while you socialise?
FIND OUT MORE
Make Some Furry Friends at a City Farm
Spend time with some furry friends at one city farms that are dotted around the capital, the most popular being Spitalfields City Farm, Vauxhall City Farm, Hackney City Farm.
City Farms are a great way to get to know a whole load of animals better and feel a bit more connected to nature. Many also have fantastic farm shops that offer all sorts of locally made, fresh produce. They also double as good picnic spots.
Visit the Upside Down House in Westfield Centre
If you and your mates want a new perspective on life then take a trip to The Upside Down House. It will turn your world upside down! You can walk on the ceiling, reach for the coffee table, climb on kitchen cabinets and take fun photos to share with your friends. You will have great fun creating the impossible in their high-end classy house. The house has an open play layout that allows you to move around easily and to get the best photos possible. The only hard part is deciding what fun photo to create next. They have a variety of designed rooms and the house from the outside is bright pink.
Compete To Be The Best Baker!
This activity is a must for all Great British Bake Off fans. Get your friends together and compete individually or against others in teams for the title of star baker(s). You’ll watch a baking demonstration and be given a recipe, but the rest is up to you and you’ll be awarded extra points for adding your own style to your tasty treats. The best bit about taking part in the Great British Bakery Off? Eating the cooked goodies! Unless, of course, you and your friends are terrible bakers…
VISIT A BOARD GAME CAFE
For a chilled and cheap activity to do in London, why not visit Draughts? There are several venues around the city that offer fun social evenings. With a mixed bag of newbies and regulars, everyone is welcome and most places only ask for a £5 cover fee – although it is generally expected to purchase something from the cafe too. If you’re looking to play a certain game, it’s always worth doing your research or giving the venue a call beforehand – most places will happily allow you to bring your own games if they do not already have it. Draughts Board Games Cafe is a popular choice, they have a jaw-dropping 600 board games and counting!
