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Jason Allen 26/09/22


70 (Actually Fun) Hen Party Ideas

Hen parties. You don’t wanna just wing ’em. Thankfully, though, we have an entire throng of London hen party ideas for you to ponder…

Time to hatch a plan –

Candle Making at Earl of East | Regent Street

Make your own 6oz soy candle with some of the best in the business. And yes, they really love it if you sing Eternal Flame continuously while doing so.

Karaoke | All Over London

Bao Noodle Shop

Depending on the bride, you can go for steamed buns and frozen cocktails in a private room below Bao, or pick from over 9,000 songs at Lucky Voice, while making full use of their costume boxes and call for booze buttons. And if you’re feeling really brave? We’re always singing the praises of Gospeloke

The Big London Bake | Tooting & Haggerston

The only reason that this isn’t called ‘The Great British Bake Off’ is because it’s not affiliated with the show in any way. Otherwise, it’s basically identical.

Pottery Classes | All Over London

clover lee pottery class

All of these studios offer private pottery classes that you can book out for a good ol’ fashioned throwdown. Plus, you can hand all the fired and finished pieces back to the hens at the wedding.

Social Pottery | Kentish Town (Or Your Place)

Of course, you could always leave the pots themselves to the professionals… and just have a go at painting them instead (with prosecco). These guys can even bring the party to you.

Chocolate Making Party | Regent’s Canal

The folks at MyChocolate have almost two decades of experience under their belts, and they’ve gotten their workshops down to a fine art – they involve chocolate martinis, prosecco, tastings, truffle-making, and more. You can even go on a chocolate treasure hunt.

Life Drawing | All over London

Hens with Pens is a mobile service that will send nudes, paper, pens, music, and – most essentially – berets & fake moustaches.

Have A Pedalo Race at Alexandra Palace | Manor House

Alexandra Palace Lake

They have one of the best boating lakes in London. Plus, a huge panoramic terrace bar where you can play hen party games afterwards.

Shuffleboard | Shoreditch

Thanks to its indoor and outdoor shuffleboard lanes, London Shuffle Club is a year-round, all-weather, foolproof hen party idea. And the airstream caravan serving cocktails is just the icing on the cake, really.

Book A Private Dining Room | Across London

Because at some point during all the frivolity, you are going to need to refuel. And you may as well do that in your very own private dining room where you can have your own personal playlist, your own personal bar, and – in some cases – your own personal magician.

Cocktail Masterclasses | All Over London

Best Cocktail-Making Classes in London: Sauce by The Langham

This curated selection of cocktail masterclasses is basically guaranteed to get your entire hen party (responsibly) wrecked – at each, you’ll all be imbibing a minimum of half a dozen drinks, and getting a healthy dose of knowledge, too.

Afternoon Tea! | All over London

Perfect for filling that gap between daytime activities and – most likely – more drinking, afternoon tea brings sophisticated respite in some extremely glamorous settings, as well as some vital carb-loading.

Gin Making | Camden

half hitch gin distillery class

Forget a p*ss-up in a brewery – the infinitely classier move is to organise a hen do in a distillery. Our recommendation: the Half Hitch microdistillery in Camden Market, where you can bring literally anything to spike their base recipe with (previous ingredients have included Pickled Onion Monster Munch, and books).

Burlesque Dance Classes | All Over London

Burlesque class - hen party

Learn to squeeze & tease the old fashioned way with some of London’s most talented burlesque stars (just don’t replicate the moves at the wedding reception).

The Comedy Store | Covent Garden

Comedy Store

Given the huge amount of audience interaction, it’s almost a cast-iron guarantee that the hen will be made fun of in some capacity. Which, as we all know, is crucial to any good hen do.

Christabel’s Parties | All Over London

Where to begin? Christabel puts together some of the most inventive, fun, delightfully creative private parties – she’s done edible playgrounds, ‘eat your art’ parties, pimp-my-pineapple masterclasses, botanical cocktail labs, mad hatters’ tea parties, macaroon art classes, and a ton more – all of which make for excellent London hen party ideas.

The Great Gatsby | Mayfair

The Great Gatsby is famous for describing incredible, opulent parties filled with colourful characters… which you can now attend yourself.

Brew Your Own Sake | Bermondsey

Olivia Rawes Photography

Spend the day learning to brew sake at Kanpai, then assess how well you did at the guided tasting over lunch.

Cruise down the Thames | The Thames

West End on the Thames have a fleet of boats, and will find one the perfect size for your party, then fill it with booze, food, DJs, casino tables, karaoke, magicians, and whatever else you want.

Biscuiteers | Belgravia & Notting Hill

biscuiteers

The creations at this biscuit boutique are almost too good to eat. Almost. And you can try your hand at piping a teeny tiny bouquet yourself at their biscuit icing classes specifically designed for hen parties (read: include welcome drinks).

Brunch! | All Across London

This is more of a hen party starter, than a hen party in and of itself. But you have to start somewhere, and it might as well be somewhere with bottomless cocktails served out of watermelons.

Darts at Flight Club | Shoreditch, Bloomsbury, Islington & Victoria

Flight Club Islington

It’s darts, but with automatic scoring, cocktails, wine, and good food.

Bowling at All Star Lanes | Spitalfields, Holborn, White City & Stratford

All Star Lanes holborn bars

If you’re going to go bowling for a special occasion in London, this is where you do it. Beautiful, ’50s-style lanes, great food, better drinks, and they even have a karaoke booth for later.

Run Away and Join The Circus | Hoxton

The good news is, you only have to go as far as Hoxton, and after you’ve mastered the trapeze, tightrope or wheel of death, you can hit up some of the great bars and restaurants in Shoreditch.

Sonsoles Print Studio | Peckham

Sonsoles Print Studio

Make some fresh prints, then toast your handiwork at Forza Wine.

The Candlelight Club | A Secret Location

It’s a secret, ’20s-style party in which everyone comes in costume, the place is lit by candles (hence the name), and the live music is just swell.

Have A Sophisticated Night at the Ballet | Central London

Keep it classy for a low-key bride who doesn’t want too much fuss. Just bear in mind that the people in the row behind might not appreciate your comedy genital deely boppers.

Between The Bridges | South Bank

A huge, al fresco playground with street food, bars, plenty of seating for big groups and a non-stop events programme covering everything from massaoke to drag brunch.

Electric Shuffle | Canary Wharf & London Bridge

electric shuffle london bridge

Regular shuffleboard too snail-paced for the futuristic bride-to-be? Take the gang to Electric Shuffle, where everything’s given a futuristic twist thanks to the fine minds behind Flight Club.

Swingers | The City and West End

Despite the name, this place is actually sort of ideal for a hen party – there are two mini golf courses, three restaurants, and five bars. Yes, five.

Pineapple Dance Studios | Covent Garden

Pineapple is somewhat legendary in London, and for good reason. You’ll get a crazily fun dance class, and thanks to its location, when it’s over you’ll be able to add back any weight you might have lost at some of the best bars & restaurants in Covent Garden.

Immersive Gamebox | Southwark

It’s like stepping inside a retro video games console, where, over the course of an hour, you’ll need to ace a series of minigames to succeed – except your body is the controller. Also, the ping pong ball motion sensors you have to wear make for some primo hen do photo opps.

Hijingo | Liverpool Street

A neon-soaked, futuristic lair abuzz with cocktails, street food, pulsing lights and music. And BINGO.

The Piano Works | Farringdon & Covent Garden

Piano Works

Two vast Central London venues that put the musicians at centre stage as they play energetic renditions of whatever pop classics the paying customers want. And the list of cocktails is lively too.

Go Wine Tasting | All Across London

There are a bunch of places you can do this…

Go Poitín Tasting | Bethnal Green

There’s only one place you can do this (we think). The Sun Tavern has the largest collection of poitín outside of Ireland, and dip into the best stuff for their tutored tastings. Don’t know what poitín is? That’s what the tutor is there to show you!

Play Table Tennis at Bounce | Shoreditch & Farringdon

Things to Do in Holborn: Bounce

Bounce Farringdon is set in the same room that table tennis was invented in – and you can even hire out an entire private room with your own dedicated tables, cocktail bar, and even a karaoke booth. AND they have a bottomless brunch

Bollywood Vibes | Islington

These pro Bollywood dancers will bring you amazing outfits (with all the jewellery trimmings) and teach you to dance Bollywood-style, then give you goody bags of Bollywood songs, bangles, and a bottle of wine to take home.

The Crystal Maze | Piccadilly

Crystal maze

A successful marriage often involves physical agility, occasional problem-solving, and should always retain a little mystery. So what better way to prepare the bride than getting her to don an orange boiler suit and tackle The Crystal Maze?

HiddenCity | Across London

hiddencity london date ideas

Split into teams and race each other in a city-wide treasure hunt via texts sent to your phone. They even build in the pub breaks for you.

Fairgame | Canary Wharf

Fairgame

A nostalgia-ridden playground of old-school carnival games (including hoops and whack-a-mole), a bookable private area perfect for hen parties, and prosecco-infused candy floss.

Attempt an Escape Room | All Across London

Modern Fables London escape rooms

Finding a good escape room is tough. Finding your way out is a lot tougher…

Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium | Bethnal Green

If you’re after a more sedate hen party, then you can do worse than going to Lady Dinah’s, and getting high tea WITH CATS. The little rascals will be scampering around, doing their own thing, and you’re free to pet them to your (or their) hearts’ content. And on Thursday nights, you can paint portraits of the cats. With wine.

Experimental Perfume Club | Covent Garden

Experimental Perfume Club

Emmanuelle Moeglin is “a classically trained nose”, and she’ll be putting it to good use in helping the hens to learn the art of perfume making before letting you loose on the vast scent library to create your own signature blend to take home.

Bullshit London | All Across London

BSL provides a very creative, ‘factually inaccurate’ walking tour of London’s finer parts. It is, essentially, a brief glimpse into a world ‘where Monty Python was elected queen’.

A Field Guide Taxidermy | Across London

taxidermy workshops London

If the bride has casually asked you to organise ‘something a little different’ for her hen, flower crowns aren’t going to cut it. But these ethical taxidermy classes will, in which you can practise the Victorian art of preserving animals and – if you so choose – give them little props and outfits.

Queen’s Skate Dine Bowl | Bayswater

activity bars london skating

As the name suggests, there are a lot of things you can do under one roof here. And one of those things is go karting on ice.

Join the London Crush Club at London Cru | Fulham

london cru wine tastings

Crush grapes to make your own wine… and reminisce about hilarious old crushes while you do.

Ciné Real | Clapton

Cine Real

Screen the bride’s favourite rom-com (or slasher movie, you do you) and BYOB to this tiny, 15-seater screening room at the back of a projectionist’s shop in Clapton.

Skuna Hot Tub Boats | Canary Wharf

hot tub boats london outdoor things to do

Get the hens together, put on sailor hats, and cruise down the canal in a motorised, floating hot tub. With Champagne.

Go to a Rooftop Bar | All Across London

seabird rooftop

One for the warmer months (but then, hen parties are often planned months in advance), but if you’re going to stop for a few drinks somewhere, then you can do a LOT worse than having them overlooking the entire city.

Baranis | Chancery Lane

Baranis

If a destination hen party in the South of France is just a smidge out of budget, hiring the pétanque court and getting acquainted with the region’s anise-flavoured apéritif, Pastis, is the next best thing.

Clays | Moorgate & Canary Wharf

If a lot of the hens have never met before, nothing breaks the ice like dressing up in tweeds, ordering a round of shots, then firing a round of shots in a virtual clay pigeon shooting contest.

Take A Dip | Across London

best things to do in brixton: brockwell lido

Start the day with a bracing lap around one of London’s idyllic outdoor pools, and smuggle in tinnies for sunbathing after.

Book into The Aubrey’s Cocktail Omakase Experience | Knightsbridge

Let’s be clear: this isn’t exactly an affordable hen party idea. But if this is at all within budget for you, it’s one of the loveliest ways you can pass an evening.

Portobello Market | Notting Hill

portobello market

Create a scavenger hunt through the market on Portobello Road and award points to the team with the best haul. Oh, and definitely stop for a sugar hit at Buns From Home.

Whistle Punks | Oxford Circus

Give the bride-to-be a chance to blow off some of the stress of wedding planning by hurling axes (in a totally safe, managed way) to score points. And yes, somehow, they allow you to drink while you’re doing it.

Cahoots | Soho

Cahoots kingly court bar

Feel like a good old-fashioned hen night? Then look no further than Cahoots, which is perpetually stuck in the 1940s. Get dressed up, make sure everyone sticks with the lingo, and get blitzed.

Bunga Bunga | Covent Garden

Bunga Bunga Covent Garden

BB do brunch parties, karaoke parties, and dance parties, and they do them very, very well. Expect free-flowing booze, endless Italian food, and even a little light opera.

Go to a Hidden Bar | All Across London

Not only can you book yourselves a private bar, you can book one that’s hidden entirely from view…

Go Boats | Paddington, Canary Wharf & Kingston

Go Boat

Fancy a jaunt down the river in your own boat, with a boozy picnic? Thought so.

Champagne + Fromage | Covent Garden & Greenwich

Champagne + Fromage

If you like the idea of having nothing but Champagne and cheese for your hen do, then you’ll like what Champagne + Fromage has to offer…

Tackle the Bermondsey Beer Mile | Bermondsey

Best Breweries in London: Hiver

Hey presto! You’ve successfully organised a giant pub crawl with absolutely zero effort required.

Graffiti Workshop | Notting Hill

Head to Portobello’s Graffik Gallery, arm yourselves with spray cans, overalls, and breathing protection, and prepare to van-da-lise… a canvas which you can take home with you afterwards.

London Cabaret Club | Bloomsbury

Set in the beautiful Bloomsbury Ballroom, the LCC always put on a good show. Their current stage-filler? A take on Gatsby, with somersaulting waiters, smoking martinis, and 4D special effects.

London Eye Private Pod | The Southbank

london eye hen party ideas

Caglar Canbay/Unsplash

Load all of your hens into a privately booked pod filled with bottles of Champagne, and watch the skyline emerge before you…

 


Still in a flap? Peruse our guide to the best London bars with live music