London is ticking 24 hours a day, and no matter what time it is, there’s always something happening to keep you busy and entertained. From sleeping over at The Natural History Museum to intimate concerts in weird and wonderful places to stargazing on Hampstead Heath, here’s our lowdown of the top things to do in London at night.
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Image Courtesy of The Natural History Museum
Pull an all-nighter at The Natural History Museum with Dino Snores
Release your inner child at The Natural History Museum’s Dino Snores for Grown-ups sleepover. Enjoy a night of fun and games at the iconic London museum, where a ticket grants you a delicious three-course meal, access to selected galleries, and a live animal workshop with ethical handling company ZooLab. You’ll also enjoy a unique science show, stand-up comedy performances, a pub quiz and an all-night movie marathon. There are drinks and snacks served until past midnight, as well as complimentary tea and coffee in the evening and morning. Wake up in the beautiful Hintze Hall underneath the museum’s beloved blue whale, feast on a traditional cooked breakfast and join a relaxing yoga session before heading home.
Dino Snores for Grown-ups | Kensington | WA
Image Courtesy of Top Secret Comedy Club
Catch a comedy show
London’s comedy scene is one of the best in the world; from smooth stand-up shows to classic improv, it’s certainly one of the best things to do at night in London. There’s so much incredible talent to explore and countless comedy clubs featuring stellar line-ups of emerging and well-known comedians.
Not sure where to go? Backyard Comedy Club has been an epicentre for comedy since it opened more than 20 years ago. You can catch a show here for around a fiver or even free as they host nights for up-and-coming talent to practise their new material. We also love Top Secret Comedy Club (ranked the best stand-up comedy club in London by Trip Advisor and Google); they often host celebrity comedians, and The Boat Show Comedy Club, London’s floating comedy club in Embankment.
You can book tickets direct with the venues we mentioned above or grab tickets for special comedy events on Fever.
Image Courtesy of The Pineapple
Get quizzical at a pub quiz
If there’s one thing Londoners love, it’s a pub quiz, and there’s plenty to keep the trivia-loving boozehound happy. There are so many places that host quiz nights in the city, from The Pineapple in Kentish Town, who get quizzical every Monday (they also serve excellent Thai food), to the LGBTQ+-friendly Duke of Wellington (WA) in Soho on Wednesdays, MC’d by drag icon Lola Lasagne. A quick Google of any area will bring up a plethora of quizzes to get your brain ticking, or just keep an eye out for signs outside pubs near where you’re staying indicating when their next quiz will be happening.
Don’t want to go to the pub on your own? Book onto this Twilight Soho Food Tour. You’ll stop by a classic pub, as well as eat dumplings in Chinatown, visit a dessert-only cocktail bar, and more.
Image Courtesy of Rebel
Learn about the Jack The Ripper era from a different point of view
Whitechapel is home to a 100-year-old art gallery, London’s oldest mosque (and one of the biggest in Europe), a beautiful 19th-century music hall and award-winning Indian restaurants (try Tayyabs, a Londoner fave). But, unfortunately, it’s also known for the string of gruesome murders, where several women were killed by a notorious figure known as Jack the Ripper. Over the years, the murders have become glamorised, and the resilient victims have been cast aside and forgotten about. This walking tour tells the story from the women’s point of view, including how they lived their day-to-day life in the challenging Victorian slum in Whitechapel. Learn about this diverse area and explore the cobbled streets and alleyways of Aldgate, Whitechapel and Spitalfields while hearing a new side of the Jack the Ripper case from the brave victims’ point of view.
Jack the Ripper – What About the Women? — Walking Tour | Spitalfields
Image Courtesy of Sofar Sounds
Enjoy an intimate gig at a Sofar Sounds concert
Next up on our list of the top things to do in London at night is Sofar Sounds, a live music experience that brings people together through curated, intimate performances in unique spaces. The events were founded to bring back the magic of a live event experience through low-key gigs with smaller groups of people. There are several concerts consistently taking place in London all over the city, from intimate gigs in Old Street and Barbican to BYOB concerts in Brixton and Camden. They usually occur in unusual venues worldwide, with the specific details sent to you 36 hours before the show.
Sofar Sounds | London
Image Courtesy of Hampstead Observatory
Go stargazing on Hampstead Heath
Enjoy views over London from one of the city’s best viewpoints, Hampstead Heath, where the hilltop park boasts surrounding vistas of the city away from its bright lights, meaning it’s also an excellent place to go stargazing. Keen? Head to Hampstead Observatory, founded in 1899, where you can find the iconic Cooke telescope (Thomas Cooke’s telescope built in 1850), which is still used today. The observatory is only open between September to April, weather permitting, so be sure to check ahead of making a trip down there.
Hampstead Observatory | Hampstead
Image Courtesy of Tower of London
See The Ceremony of the Keys
The Ceremony of the Keys is an ancient ritual that takes place every evening at The Tower of London (for the past 700 years) and definitely deserves a spot on our list of the top things to do in London at night. It’s basically the process in which the gates to the tower are locked each night and is one of the oldest surviving enactments of its kind. The monarch may no longer reside at the Tower, but it still houses the priceless Crown Jewels and other items, so the locking is just as relevant today as it was all those years ago. It gets booked up fairly quickly, so be sure to secure pre-booked tickets online in advance.
Book the Ceremony of the Keys | Tower Hill | WA (with limitations)
Image Courtesy of Sir John Soane’s Museum
Explore Sir John Soane’s Museum after hours by candlelight
Last up on our list of the top things to do in London at night is to visit Sir John Soane’s house after dark. Sir John Soane’s Museum is a museum In Holborn where the renowned English architect lived for two centuries. It occupies three buildings displaying his incredible collection of sculptures, antiquities, paintings and furniture. Although entry to the museum at regular hours is free, you can purchase a ticket to visit after dark, where you’ll get to explore the wonders of his home via candlelight whilst enjoying specially curated content. Each month there’s a different Late, each exploring a different theme.
Sir John Soane’s Museum | Holborn | WA (get in touch before your visit)
Make sure you tag us in your photos and videos. We love to see you making the most of our recommendations @loveandlondon!
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