Nightlife
6 indoor activities in London for rainy days
Don't let the cold and wet weather get you down – there's plenty of fun to be had indoors.
One look out of the window should tell you: it’s cold, wet and miserable out there, which is about what you’d expect for winter. But while it’s big coat weather outside, there are still loads of things you can do in London that don’t rely on the sun shining. Here’s a selection of seven of the best – from crazy golf to a trip to the theatre via hip hop karaoke, we’ve got you covered.
1. Rowans Bowling
Address: 10 Stroud Green Road, N4 2DF
Rain-safe travel: Piccadilly or Victoria lines to Finsbury Park, then a quick dash over the road.
When it comes to London and bowling, other alleys come and go, but Rowans wears the crown – especially since its massive community following saved it from demolition back in 2014. There's 24 lanes for you to knock down those pins, several bars for a much-needed drink after hitting all those strikes (or not), 14 pool tables plus an amusement arcade and massive sports screens, too. It's the perfect place to relive those teenage years (check the scene when Sean Paul gets played), but this time you don’t have to worry about your parents picking you up and embarrassing you in front of your mates.
2. The Vaults
The Vaults is home to immersive theatre and alternative arts
© Rah Petherbridge
Address: Leake Street, SE1 7NN
Rain-safe travel: Bakerloo, Victoria, Jubilee or Waterloo & City lines to Waterloo, then a 5 minute walk around the station to the entrance.
This is a venue where anything can happen. You might be tempted by its huge arts festival which runs up to March 17, and comprises 400+ comedies, cabarets, immersive theatre experiences and more. Coming up is King for a Night from ace drag kings Pecs, complete with well-shaped facial hair and their beloved '90s R&B vibes. Or there’s the Hidden Jazz Club, who bring the best in free-form musical expression to the maze of disused railway arches that make up the venue. And there's the weekly Play Pie Pint which brings Thursday–Saturday lunchtimes to a more artistic level than ever before, as a tenner will get you a ticket to a brand new play to while away your lunch hour. Don’t get that at Greggs, do you?
3. Swingers Golf
Golf put in hand, Swingers West End transports you to 1920s English Riviera
© Luke Dyson
Taking on the helter skelter at the Swingers West End course
© Luke Dyson
Addresses:
- (City) 8 Brown's Buildings, EC3A 8AL
- (West End) 15 John Prince's Street, W1G 0AB
Rain-safe travel:
- (City) Circle or Metropolitan lines to Aldgate, then a 5 minute walk.
- (West End) Bakerloo, Central or Victoria lines to Oxford Circus, then a quick 2 minute dash up the road.
This has to be the best name for a crazy golf course we’ve ever heard – but don’t worry, there won’t be any ‘keys in the bowl’ antics here. Instead you can enjoy the far more civilised atmosphere of these 1920s-styled venues (the Oxford Circus one is themed like the English Riviera, while the City branch is more period country golf-club. They love a theme, these guys). Both have two nine-hole courses, a hotel-style bar in Oxford Circus and a fancy clubhouse in the City, alongside a handful of cocktail bars to ease the pain of those missed shots. Plus there’s a medley of street food treats to fuel your golfing fervour, or to commiserate for those tricky puts you didn’t quite land.
4. Lucky Voice
Addresses:
- (Holborn) 84 Chancery Lane, WC2A 1DL
- (Soho) 52 Poland Street, W1F 7NQ
- (Islington) 173-174 Upper Street, N1 1RG
Rain-safe travel:
- (Holborn) Central line to Chancery Lane then a 5 minute walk, or a bus to Chancery Lane stop on Fleet Street and a 3 minute walk.
- (Soho) Bakerloo, Central or Victoria lines to Oxford Circus then a 5 minute walk.
- (Islington) Bus (4, 19, 30, 43, N19, N41, N277) to Islington Town Hall.
Come on, everyone secretly thinks they’re a good singer, right? Well, even if you know you’re not (we’re guilty here), it can still be great to see your mates attempt to channel their inner Mariah, or try and hit those Whitney Houston high notes. So for just this reason look no further than Lucky Voice, who opened their first karaoke spot in Soho in 2005 – with private rooms, because not everyone needs to hear that – and are still hitting all the right notes today, with other London venues in Islington and most recently Holborn. You book for two hours of singing time with up to 25 people, and you can have drinks and pizza bought to your room, then you go along to the bar afterwards. Just make sure you keep an eye on your mates for any camera phone antics that may record your diva-medley for posterity.
5. Hip Hop Karaoke at the Queen of Hoxton
Address: 1 Curtain Road, EC2A 3JX
Rain-safe travel: A number of buses stop at either Shoreditch High Street Station or Commercial Street Worship Street, which are a 4 minute walk away.
But if you’re not bothered about your ability to belt out a ballad, it doesn’t mean the karaoke experience isn’t for you. Hip Hop Karaoke is the real MVP when it comes to giving you the chance to rhyme your Coogi socks off, just like Biggie. Going down every Thursday night here and with weekly events all over town, HHK’s DJ Rob Pursey and host with the most vibes Bobby Champagne will let you croon like Drake, get raw like Kendrick or get loose like Ludacris. Come on, all those years of rapping along to the Fresh Prince Of Bel Air theme can’t have been for nothing. Performances start at 9pm but it’s open from 7pm and you should come early to sign up. The crowd really goes for it down here, real talk.
6. Flight Club
Inside Flight Club's newest venture by London Victoria
© Flight Club
Reckon you can hit a bullseye?
© Flight Club
After racking up some points, grab a drink at the carousel-themed bars
© Flight Club
Addresses:
- (Bloomsbury) 55 New Oxford Street, WC1A 1BS
- (Shoreditch) 2a Worship Street, EC2A 2AH
- (Victoria) 6 Sir Simon Milton Square, SW1E 5DJ
Rain-safe travel:
- (Bloomsbury) Central or Northern lines to Tottenham Court Road then a 3 minute walk, or a number of buses also stop right outside at Tottenham Court Road stops X and Y.
- (Shoreditch) 43 or 214 bus to Finsbury Square, or Northern line to Old Street and a 5 minute walk.
- (Victoria) Victoria, District or Circle lines to Victoria then a 3 minute walk.
Flight Club is a thoroughly modern take on the classic pub game, with Flight Club’s own patented Social Darts allowing you to play far more than the traditional one opponent via an easy-to-use electronic scoring system. Plus the oche (the line you throw from) has different shooting points for rookies or more experienced players, to make life a bit easier for beginners. And you can get food and drink sent right to you as well. You never see them getting pizza on TV, do you?
READ NEXT: Discover more of the capital's best bars, clubs, food spots and local secrets at Keys To Your City London.