10 Best Ways to Spend Your Birthday in London

Whether you live in London or not, it’s an amazing place to spend a birthday. You can have the breakfast, lunch and dinner of your dreams, and spend the time in between seeing a favourite show, an exhibition, or taking in the sights. After dark, dance the night away with your friends to DJs, in karaoke bars, jazz clubs and salsa parties, (the list is endless). Here’s our top ten suggestions of the best ways to spend your next birthday in London, you lucky thing!

1. Visit London's best street markets

London has scrumptious street food options and markets throughout the city and there’s new ones popping up the whole time. Street Feast host some of the best ones - mega-markets, arenas, and now they’ve even set up a street food stadium in Woolwich!

2. Enjoy some Afternoon Tea

Afternoon tea was designed as a mini-meal to bridge the gap between lunch and dinner, but you’ll need a big appetite to fit in all three with the epic afternoon teas in London. It’s a quintessentially British, and very fun way, to spend the afternoon catching up with friends with cakes, scones and small sandwiches. Of course afternoon teas across London come in all shapes and sizes now, from the classics served with Earl Grey and Champagne, to plant-based snacks and Indian teas and those served with gin or beer! Did you know that you can even book a VIP Afternoon Tea Experience in our exclusive London Eye Lounge? Scones, teas and fabulous memories for a wonderful birthday celebration all included.

3. Watch a show at the West End

The West End is the place to go to the theatre, and there’s musicals and plays to suit all tastes and ages. For the most popular shows like Matilda and Hamilton you’ll need to book well in advance, but you can also visit the TKTs booth in Leicester Square to see what deals are available on the day or for the next day for other shows matinée and evening performances. Some shows have performances on Sundays too and most of the restaurants around the West End will serve a pre-theatre dinner menu so you can grab an early dinner at a special price.

4. Rub a dub dub in a HotTug

Crazy new things to do come out every week in London - we’ve got table tennis bars, junkyard golf, axe throwing, and now, hot tubs in a tug! HotTugs are electric, wood-fired hot tub boats that you can drive yourself up and down the Regent’s Canal (with a cool box full of drinks and wearing captain’s hats, naturally.)

5. Grab cocktails and dance the night away

If birthdays are purely about partying for you then you’re in the right city. London has world-renowned bars and clubs and you can find somewhere to party 24 hours a day, seven days a week if you wish. Some of the biggest dance clubs are Fabric, Ministry of Sound, Egg and Printworks or head to Soho or Hoxton Square for a big choice of lively bars and clubs.

6. Visit other Merlin attractions

Seeing London’s most magical and iconic attractions is the perfect treat for a birthday day out with a loved one, a group of friends or all the family. If you book up to 24 hours in advance online you can get amazing multi-attraction tickets for the lastminute.com London Eye, Madame Tussauds London, SEA LIFE London, The London Dungeon and Shrek’s Adventure! London, and what’s more you’ve got up to 90 days to visit the attractions.

7. Have a craft beer crawl

If craft beer is your thing then Bermondsey is the place to be. Bermondsey Street has lots of nice bars and pubs on it and in and around Druid Street you have the ‘Bermondsey Beer Mile’ where there are several breweries very close together that open up their tap houses on weekends (check days and times before you go as they change). On weekends you can also visit the nearby Maltby Street Market for provisions.

8. Movie Day

Film buffs can watch back to back movies on the UK’s biggest screen (BFI Odeon IMAX), visit famous film locations around the city (start in Notting Hill), rent their own private cinema (Whirled Cinema) or plan their birthday day out to coincide with one of London’s many film festivals. There’s some great film and cinema inspiration in our movie buff blog (check 2018 dates).

9. Picnic in London's Parks

Eat alfresco in the most wonderful surroundings and choose all your favourite foods with a picnic in the park. Pair your picnic with a favourite activity like boating on the lake (Hyde Park), watching the wildlife (Bushy Park), cycling (Dulwich Park) or swimming (Brockwell Park). Check out our guide to parks in London for more potential picnic spots for your special day.

10. Grab dinner at London's best restaurants

London’s restaurant scene is top notch and always on the rise. There’s now 70 restaurants in London with Michelin stars and what better excuse to try one than on your birthday. Go all out and try one of the three in London with three Michelin stars - Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, The Araki in Mayfair or Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea.

Book your ticket for the London Eye and spend your birthday above London for an unforgettable celebration.

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