Some people love them; some people hate them; we’ve all got to do them and so we may as well make them as enjoyable as possible, right? If you’ve been tasked with the job of finding the perfect setting for your next work do or Christmas party; you’ve come to the right place. Here’s our rundown of the very best team-building activities in London for the ultimate organised fun with your work pals.
There’s nothing quite like lobbing a sharp object into the abyss to offload some pent-up, work-related stress, hey? Axe-throwing has become increasingly popular over the years and London certainly isn’t short of venues for you and your work mates to cathartically fling some axes at a target. Whistle Punks, for example, is the largest axe-throwing venue in Europe, hosting up to 90 players at once and serving up some pretty great craft beer and pizza too. Round up your colleagues and get ready to channel your inner vikings because it sounds like a pretty axe-ellent team-building activity to us.
Plan your visit here.
2. Hit the bullseye in a game of darts
Next up on our list of the best team-building activities in London is another one that involves hurling something sharp and hoping for a bullseye (should my colleagues be mildly concerned that I clearly associate work do’s with throwing sharp objects at poor, unassuming targets?). Flight Club uses state-of-the-art technology to track the scores, show the action replays, and make darts cool again. Grab an oche, put on your game face and don’t forget to order one of their boozy slushies for your victory toast.
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3. Let the good times bowl at The Bowls Club
Now, I know what you’re thinking: ‘Bowls? Seriously?’ and look, I’m well aware that most people associate bowls with their grandparents but at The Bowls Club, it’s not just regular bowls, it’s cool bowls. That’s right; they’ve given the quintessentially British game a trendy makeover, thrown in some live music and delicious street food, and made it an un-bowl-ievably great option for your next team day out.
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Next up on our roundup of the best team-building activities in London is of course: bingo! At Dabbers Social Bingo, they take the classic game that we all know and love, and give it a boozy, millennial glow up. What better way to bond with Karen from accounts than triumphantly shouting ‘BINGO’ into her face, hey? It’s big prizes, even bigger laughs and an absolute must for your next work social.
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Leave your work-related stress at the door and embark on a true cocktail adventure for your next work do. Avora is a multisensory experience, drawing on all the senses. From the very moment you enter and don your custom jumpsuit, you’ll be tasked with creating your own colour-changing cocktail that works as an ‘antidote’ to acclimatise you to the new world. Whilst the cocktails are important (and you get 3 included with your ticket), there’s a story at play that touches on climate change. For every ticket sold, they have pledged to plant a tree, and the ingredients used for all the cocktails meet stringent sustainability standards. It’s good for your team morale and the planet. What more could you ask for?
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We’re going down the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ route with our next entry on the list. Crazy golf is an oldie but a goodie when it comes to team-building activities in our capital city. Round up the team and swing in to action at Swingers, one of the cities best-loved mini-golf venues. Sinking holes-in-one (or at least giving it your best shot) is thirsty work so it’s a good job that Swingers has an extensive drinks menu, so you can celebrate your win or commiserate your loss with one of the creative concoctions available on their impressive cocktail menu. There will also be an array of tasty snacks on hand for refueling between rounds and keeping you at the top of your game.
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Shuffling their way into our list of the top 12 team-building activities in London is London Shuffle Club. Based in trendy Shoreditch, this shuffleboard hotspot is the only UK venue with both lane and table shuffleboard under one roof, so there’s sure to be a game that will appeal to every member of the team. Add that to the fact that they boast a fabulous food and drink menu and a bangin’ bottomless brunch; and you have every reason to shuffle along to this one. If all else fails, I’m sure you could create a team-building drinking game based on the amount of times I’ve used the word shuffle in this paragraph.
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What better way to bond a workforce than by putting them all in a room together, thrusting microphones upon them, and forcing them to warble their way through a Whitney classic? You might feel slightly apprehensive about the idea of karaoke at first, but (speaking from experience) as soon as you’ve had a drink (or five), you and your colleagues will be fighting over that microphone, desperate to flaunt your (questionable) vocal skills. Barrio Brixton offer a nostalgia-inducing karaoke experience with their Lips Don’t Lie: Throwback Karaoke which will be sure to have the entire team belting their hearts out in no time.
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Next up on our list of the best team-building activities in London is Moonshine Saloon. Cowboys and cowgirls, ramblers and gamblers, and all kinds of shady characters fill the saloon. Once you step off the modern-day pavement, you’ll be greeted by live actors who’ll welcome you into the illicit Moonshine empire. You also smuggle in your own liquor and the bartenders will transform your booze into four personalised cocktails, adding to the excitement. Round up the team and have yourself a rootin’-tootin’ time.
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10. Get competitive with a game of ping pong
Us Londoners can be a competitive bunch, and sometimes there’s nothing better than whacking a ball back and forth with a few colleagues to let off some steam. Bounce is London’s bouncy pair (soon to be trio) of ping pong joints that guarantee good vibes, cool interiors, an upbeat soundtrack, and great games. As a company, you can hire out the whole venue, if you wish, and there are a whole host of packages you can choose from, so get the gang together and may the best employee win.
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Whether you like yours shaken, stirred, on the rocks, or completely alcohol-free; a cocktail making class might be just the thing you’re looking for to mix things up a little at your next work do. Kingsland Road cocktail bar, TT Liquor, offer up super interactive cocktail making experiences with a side of friendly competition, what more could you want from a team-building activitiy?
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12. Have a boogie at a roller disco
Get ya skates on and head on down to Flippers Roller Boogie Palace for a truly unique team-building activity. Bringing the liveliness of LA all the way to White City, Flippers could be just the high-energy, fun-filled activity that you and your team are looking for. You can guarantee it’s going to be good because we gave it one of our super sought-after seal-of-approval Secret London stickers. Ooooh.
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13. Let your creative juices flow at a painting class
Painting classes are a wonderful way to turn off the logical half of your brain and let the creative half take over, making it a (hopefully) picture perfect team-building activity. Brush & Bubbles offer sip and paint classes, where you’re given a nice glass of prosecco to sip on whilst you paint – surely that will give you all the dutch courage you need to chat to those colleagues you’ve not met before and really let loose with the watercolours.
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14. Have some fun at the fair
The final entry on our list of the best team-building activities in London is a trip down memory lane. Ahh, remember the good old days of fairgrounds, candy floss and not paying bills? Well, we unfortunately can’t do anything about the whole bill-paying thing but we can point you in the direction of Fairgame. Think old-school fairground games but with a state-of-the-art technology twist. Cocktails, candy floss and a good dose of friendly competition? It’s a match made in team-building heaven.
Plan your visit here.
