Alright lads, so you’ve booked your ticket to London, packed your woollies, done your beer stretches and flirted with carpel tunnel thanks to all-nighters playing FIFA in preparation for your big UK experience. The real question now is; what are you going to do when you dust yourself off from the 22 hour flight and have already flexed your guns in a photo next to Big Ben with the hash-tag #whosbigger? Well, after 6 months of rockin’ the Aussiebums in merry ‘ol London town, I thought I’d offer a few cheeky tips to make your time here more than tea and crumpets!
Tour of the Emirates
Let’s start with a spiritual experience by immersing yourself in the UK’s one true religion, football, and its largest cathedral north of the Thames is Arsenal FC’s home ground, Emirates Stadium.
Emirates Stadium
On the weekend, the stadium and the surrounding Finsbury Park, Holloway and Highbury & Islington are literally painted red, with the club’s supporters, or ‘Gooners’ littering the streets, pubs (home fans only, of course) and restaurants in homage to their beloved club. Outside of game days however, the Emirates opens its doors to the public offering tours. Can I get a hell yeah?!
It’s definitely a great opportunity to experience why this sport and its team mean so much to this postcode, not to mention a great chance to run through the tunnel, step out onto the pitch and sit in the manager’s chair for some great photo ops to make the boys back home plenty jealous! To book, click here.
Camden Markets
Camden
Next to pubs, red buses and Primark onesies, one thing London has plenty of (that they do plenty awesome) are markets. Not to be confused with small-town country craft markets; the Camden Markets are buzzing with crowds flooding through the stalls of funky clothes, artwork, collectibles and food from all over Europe. The atmosphere of this vibing hub is brought home however, by the live music on every corner and string of pubs hugging the canal, serving as the perfect pit-stop between buying Banksy prints and eating jerk chicken and slaw.
Rebel Bingo & Hot Tub Cinema
One is a game of chance and the other is a chance to watch movies in a hot tub on a rooftop with a few drinks. While both sound sweet, they are also sporadic events that run through the year in London, so you have to be on the ball to catch one or both of these really cool attractions.
Rebel Bingo
Rebel Bingo, simply put, is like bingo on steroids. You collect your bingo cards at the door, enter the club full of lights, music and a full dance floor, grab your drinks and practice your Melbourne Shuffle until the show begins. What comes next is hours of excitement, laughs and a lots of fun, as an entire club full of partygoers drop everything for a few games of old-fashioned bingo, with an edge. To see when Rebel Bingo is next in London, sign up to the mailing list here.
Hot Tub Cinema kicks off as summer starts to shine down on the capital. This event takes place on a few rooftops across London with attendees required to get down to their budgie smugglers, grab a drink, jump in one of the hot tubs and splash about and party until the film starts. As the night goes on, so does the craziness of this event; giving a screening of Clueless something to actually be excited about.
The Shard
If there’s one thing in London that you don’t need to look too hard to find, it’s The Shard. Standing out like a sore thumb from London Bridge, the giant glass pyramid/building is home to a hotel, private residences, offices, restaurants and unarguably the best birds-eye view of London going around.
View from the Shard
What sets The Shard apart from other notable skyscrapers (other than its unique appearance of course!) is that the observation deck, or View from The Shard isn’t your typical touristy checkpoint. Instead, year-round you can attend Silent Disco at The View for an unforgettable experience, rocking out to 3 competing DJs at 1000 ft. For more info about Silent at The View from The Shard, click here.
Porterhouse Covent Garden
To tick off your London bucket list, you’re going to need to keep your strength up, and nothing does that better than a hearty feed at one of the most authentic and iconic Irish/British pub restaurants in the UK. The Porterhouse in Covent Garden is the largest bar in London, and split up over 12 levels. It hosts more beers than you can poke a stick at, and has a food menu fit for a King – so baby George can bib-up! If you’re there on a Sunday, then you CAN’T go past the roast, otherwise the braised lamb steak for carnivores or for vegetarians, the haloumi sharing platter are definite winners.
Have we missed any? Tell us in the comments.
Need a ladies guide to London? Read more on London here.