bdsbeautyblog

I'll be staying with my sister at the Club Quarters hotel, London (located around Lincoln's Inn/Kingsway), for a weekend in April. We were looking for something fun for us both to do on the Friday evening but this is proving tricky, so I was hoping that Fodor's could help...!

Our first thought was karaoke....however, it seems to be very difficult to find a karaoke night in London when you are only a group of two, as most places seem to cater for larger groups. If anyone knows of a karaoke night in this area, that would be great. We are just looking for something informal - rock up, have a few drinks, sign up to sing a few songs...not rent a room or anything.

Soooo we did have another idea: roller disco! However, because of work commitments, I won't be arriving in London until about a quarter to nine in the evening on the Friday. The main roller disco we've found starts at 8pm, so by the time I've dropped off my stuff at the hotel and we've got some dinner and got ready to go out, it will have been underway for probably at least two hours, so it's maybe not worth going by that stage.

Does anybody have any suggestions of fun stuff we can do in the area on the Friday night that would fit with these timings? We're two girls in our early/mid 20s and so would ideally like this to be within very short walking distance of the hotel we are staying at (no long tube/cab rides across London late at night please ). With thanks in advance

bdsbeautyblog

ttt

sofarsogood

Time Out www.timeout.com/london is the best source for entertainment in London. Buy an up to date issue closer to your arrival date.

The area around St Paul's is not the most well known for nightlife so you may have to travel further than your "very short walking distance". Lots of the clubs/bars etc around Soho/Covent Garden and Shoreditch areas.

Jay_G

All star lanes in Holborn could be worth a look http://www.allstarlanes.co.uk/

Should be lively on a Friday night, with a usually fun, young crowd enjoying a few drinks. In my experience, the bowling is definitely secondary!

bdsbeautyblog

yay, some replies!

I have been checking out the Time Out website but will continue to look online. I will also be in London at the beginning of March (about a month before my visit with my sister) so will see if I can buy an issue then if you think it is better to buy the magazine (rather than just looking online).

I don't mind looking a little further afield if necessary - the main thing is to have fun while still staying safe and I appreciate it may not be possible to remain so close to the exact area where we are staying (I live and work around the Paris area, where the city is much smaller and things tend to be much closer together, so appreciate I may not be used to having to hunt further afield!).

All Star Lanes looks great - will check it out

Keep the suggestions coming people

janisj

I'm 2 decades out from the club scene so other than TimeOut I can't help much w/ that.

But I did want to comment re >>would ideally like this to be within very short walking distance of the hotel we are staying at (no long tube/cab rides across London late at night please )LATE (after the tube stops running), the night buses are perfectly OK.

Jay_G

If you like the look of All Star Lanes then you might also like Ping (http://www.weloveping.com/)
which is a bar with table tennis (I can't bring myself to say ping pong, let alone whiff whaff) tables.

It's in Earl's Court, so quite a way from your hotel, but worth the schlep I think. Again, it's usually a fun crowd - how can you not have fun drinking and trying to hit a small ball repeatedly at the same time?

The clientele can be a bit Shoreditch tw*t, but if you ignore them pretending not to enjoy themselves it could be a good option for a Friday night.

Jay_G

Actually, if you do head out Earl's Court Way you could try booking an 'appointment' at the Evans and Peel Detective Agency (http://www.evansandpeel.com/) which is actually a themed bar serving interesting cocktails.

It's a little bit twee, but will definitely be a memorable evening.

Jay_G

Last one before I get on with some work;

If you're able to go out on the Thursday rather than the Friday night, The Social in Little Portland Street (http://www.thesocial.com/) does regular hip hop karaoke nights, which are absolutely hilarious.

PatrickLondon

You won't need to buy Time Out, it's gone to free distribution.
http://www.timeout.com/london/free-mag