Visit
They don’t call the Victoria & Albert Museum the world’s leading museum of art and design for nothing. Its seven floors are full to the brim with original paintings, posters, jewellery, ceramics, sculptures, textiles and more, with the permanent collection numbering more than 2.8 million objects. The V&A has the largest fashion collection in the world, so it’s not surprising that the museum is known for its fashion exhibitions, having hosted blockbuster shows on Alexander McQueen, Christian Dior, menswear, African fashion, kimonos and Balenciaga.
Fancy flying with the Red Arrows? Or taking a trip to the stars on an Apollo space mission? A visit to the Science Museum can make those dreams come true, as its seven floors are kitted out with advanced technology and 4D simulators to help bring science to life. The museum’s world class collection includes objects that have helped advance the fields of mathematics, medicine, technology, chemistry, computing, astronomy, space exploration, robotics and more. The museum regularly hosts major exhibitions and also runs a well-regarded Lates series, themed around topics like space, Pride, and Chinese New Year.
FINSBURY PARK PICTUREHOUSE
This North London branch of Picturehouse is handily located behind Finsbury Park station and just over the road from Rowan’s – ideal for cinema-bowling combo day. It boasts a large mural from British artist Dale Lewis in the lobby; a kitchen; a members’ bar, which shows trailers and shorts on the wall; and seven screens, each with a 4K projector, state-of-the-art sound system and reclining chairs, so you can kick back with extra legroom, whether you’re watching the latest blockbuster or a special season showing.
The Wapping Docklands Market is open every Saturday, located along the edge of the Shadwell Basin. As well as stalls packed with fresh produce, there are indie brands selling specialty coffee, flowers, wellness products, fresh bread, cheese, craft German beers, wine, cocktails and more. Plus, there’s seating for up to 100 people, live music and a range of street food vendors so you can really make a day of it.
An unlikely museum tucked away on an unlikely Holborn side street, Novelty Automation is one of the city’s most criminally unsung gems. Part arcade, part art gallery, the space is filled with (as the name suggests) novelty automata, various coin-operated machines designed to amuse and/or bemuse the user. This is one of those places that you don’t want to read up about too much before going so we’re not going to give too much away, but we’ll let the names of some of the machines do the talking: ‘Pet or Meat’, ‘Autofrisk’ and ‘Money Laundering’, to name a few.
Opened in the 1970s as part of the original construction of The Brunswick Centre (which now boasts shops, restaurants and cafes) and refurbished in 2014, the Curzon Bloomsbury is one of the oldest and best places to watch movies in the capital. The six screens all have reclining seats, Sony 4k projectors and Dolby Atmos sound, with a programme that includes the best of arthouse and world cinema. It’s also home to Bertha DocHouse, a screen that’s solely dedicated to documentaries, hosting premieres, docu seasons and filmmaker Q&As.
Set inside what was the renowned neo-classical architect’s home once upon a time, Sir John Soane’s Museum has been kept exactly as it was when he died in 1837 – a preserved time capsule for anyone who wants to travel almost 200 years back in time. You’ll find Soane’s immense collection of antiques, furniture, sculptures, architectural models and paintings inside, as well as his newly-refurbished Drawing Office (the oldest surviving of its kind). They also host regular exhibitions, talks and ‘Soane Lates’ through which you can learn even more about the history of London and its buildings.
The Queer Comedy Club is the UK’s first permanent LGBTQ+ comedy club, born out of founders David Ian, Jeremy Topp and Kate Dale’s experiences of the stand-up circuit. Feeling that comedy clubs were overwhelmingly straight and macho scenes, the trio decided to set the QCC up as a place for emerging and established queer comics to perform to an audience that gets it. The Big Thursday Show (ticketed at £10) has seen the likes of Jessica Fostekew, Stephen Bailey, Jen Ives and James Barr take to the stage, while their Monday and Tuesday shows are free and feature new acts, new material, allies and friends (for the Not Totally QCC nights).
If you grew up in the 90s it was probably your dream to play the Crystal Maze and, even though it’s not on our TVs anymore, now you can. At London’s Crystal Maze Live Experience, you’ll be guided through the four zones – Aztec, Medieval, Industrial and Futuristic – by your Maze Master as you and your team test your skills and solve mysteries. Expect lasers, barrels, blinding masks and tricky puzzles and some signature satin bomber jackets. Fight against the clock to collect as many Crystals as you can before you face THE crystal dome and pocket those tokens. Mumsie would be proud.
It may be the less famous of the two London Tate galleries but Tate Britain still plays host to some major exhibitions (Aubrey Beardsley, William Blake, David Hockney, LGBT British Art, and Paula Rego have all been the subject of shows). As you may guess from the name, art made in Britain from 1500 to the present day is the focus here. The permanent collection is arranged by date and includes works by William Hogarth, John Singer Sargent, Gwen John, Francis Bacon, and David Hockney. The art isn’t confined to the interior of the building; the gallery does epic winter installations on its exterior, with past ones including giant slugs and Bollywood-inspired neon signs.
You’ve done the Monopoly Pub Crawl, now you can play the game for real at Monopoly Lifesized. Combining the best bits of the board game with escape room elements and immersive 4D production, Monopoly Lifesized features four different full-sized boards (Classic, Luxury, City and Classic: Own It All) for you to move around on guided by your Monopoly token, to earn money, dodge jail, collect rent and acquire properties by completing challenges. While popular bingo games may not be available at the venue, each property square will have a full-size, location specific room where your team will have to solve a puzzle in order to gain that property. Once you’ve made your way around the board, built your fortune, taken control of the city’s rail network and utlilties, and amassed your London empire, it’s time to celebrate (or argue as often happens a Monopoly game) post-play with themed food and drink at the The Top Hat restaurant and bar. Who’s ready to pass GO and collect 200 smackers?
The British Museum doesn’t need too much of an introduction, it’s the world’s oldest national public museum, after all. It’s an institution steeped in history and a fair share of controversy; it also houses the most comprehensive collection of pieces exploring two million years of human history, art and culture in existence.
London has a disappointingly low number of bowling alleys, but the ones that we do have are very good – quality over quantity, y’know. One such very good bowling alley is Bloomsbury Lanes, an expansive hub of many night-out pursuits. Besides bowling, you can play pool, grab a pizza, sing karaoke and dance to hits from any decade.
Take on the Squid Game challenges or dive into the world of Angry Birds at Immersive Gamebox. The experience encourages shared gameplay and teamwork through projection mapping, surround sound, touch screens and motion tracking in private gameboxes, ensuring you’re fully immersed in the action. There’s a variety of games on offer, so you can get involved in everything from slingshot battles to word puzzles to blasting blocks and dodging danger.
Live out your best Lewis Hamilton fantasy at F1 Arcade, an immersive racing simulation experience where you can race the official Grand Prix circuits around the world. You can race against your pals, in teams or in all-venue racing formats and with motion and audio visual effects, you’ll be fully immersed in the on-track action. Once you’ve passed the chequered flag, you can hit the bar for a boujee cocktail, like The Drive In (with Engine Gin, Piper-Heidsieck Champagne, lime sherbet and topped with popcorn) and The Grand Chelem Old Fashioned (with black truffle-infused Johnnie Walker blue label, Capovilla tobacco, white chocolate, smoked and topped with fresh truffle), and a couple of wagyu burgers and Cornish crab tacos.
Take a Trip Through Steampunk Town Phantom Peak
Take a trip through the Wild West at Phantom Peak. It’s an entire steampunk town complete with its own residents, a lake, a waterfall, and a street of shops and bars, and there are plenty of adventures for you to get involved in as you explore. You can go on a boat ride, play carnival games, grab a bit to eat on Main Street, or go digging for clues about the secrets that the town and townspeople are hiding.
Play Detective at Sherlock: The Official Live Game
If you’re a big fan of Sherlock and you fancy yourself as a bit of a detective, then you’ll defo want to play Sherlock: The Official Live Game. It’s the first escape room to be based on the hit TV series and as well as detailed recreations of Sherlock locations, there’s specially-recorded video and audio segments featuring original cast members and plenty of puzzles and challenges to solve against the clock. Mycroft Holmes is on the hunt for new recruits for his covert network of spies and you’ll need to complete a routine training mission to see whether you have what it takes to become an agent, but all is not as it seems….
TOMB RAIDER | THE LIVE EXPERIENCE
You’ve played the Playstation game, you’ve seen the movies, maybe you’ve even dressed up as her for Halloween but now you can have a real go at being Lara Croft because an immersive, all-action Tomb Raider experience has come to London, setting up shop in Camden Market. Tomb Raider: The Live Experience has been created by the same team behind the Crystal Maze, so that should give you some idea of the level of production involved, and as well as a cast of live performers, they’ve even got Oscar-winning actor Alicia Vikander to provide the voice for Lara. You’ll join Lara Croft on a mission to recover a powerful artefact that has fallen into the wrong hand and the globetrotting adventure will see you fending off enemies in Finland, solving puzzles on a sinking ship, zip-lining across the Costa Rican jungle, exploring an ancient tomb and collecting important relics in an effort to save the world.
