Looking for some (synthetic) ice, ice baby? London's been flirting with curling for a while now, with various pop-up venues opening and closing over the years. AW 22-23 has the biggest clutch of curling lanes yet — so you and your office party slash birthday crew slash date are going to be spoiled for choice.
Club Curling at Coal Drops Yard, King's Cross
The best value option of the lot this winter, an hour session at the Club Curling pop-up sets you back just £7 a head. Unlike the rest on this list, it's a family friendly venue — and under 12s go free, though they'll need to be accompanied by an adult, with a six person per lane maximum. There's an on-site bar, but you'll also have all of Coal Drops Yard to après-curl your way around. Our pick: head to Turin-influenced Vermuteria for a Mi-To (the Torinese cocktail that eventually inspired the Negroni), something from the cheese-heavy pasta menu, and a seamless segue into an evening of alcoholic coffees and dark, sticky vermouth.
Club Curling, Coal Drops Yard. 9 November 2022-26 February 2023.
Queens, Queensway
Queens crams a lot of competitive socialising options into the one venue — with some advance planning (you'll need specific timeslots for each booking) you can slide seamlessly from curling to bowling to arcade games, and then onwards into the bar. It doesn't come cheap — the curling itself starts at £12.75 a head for 45 minutes on the ice, with a four person minimum, and there's also a requirement to buy a £10 credit per person, to be used for snacks or drinks at the on-site MEATliquor.
Queens, Queensway. Thursday and Friday evenings, from 6.30pm.
The Curling Club at Southbank Centre
A headline feature of Southbank Centre's Winter Festival this year, the Alpine-themed curling residency comes complete with eighties tunes, fairy lights, Christmas trees, a cheese-heavy street food stand, and five curling lanes. There are various group packages on offer with food and drinks included, but you can also book curling-only tickets.
The Curling Club at Southbank Centre . 1 November 2022-3 January 2023.
The Curling Club, Twickenham
Run by the same people behind the Southbank Centre's curling experience, expect a massive, cheerful explosion of festive food and decor. They usually lean in hard to the Alpine après-ski theme, with mountain lodge decor, wintry cocktails, street food stands dishing up raclette and baked camembert, and DJs spinning equally hot cheese. The Twickenham location's larger than the Southbank Centre set up, with a 300 person capacity, making it a good bet for big office parties. Wednesday to Sunday only, currently.
The Curling Club, Twickenham. 30 November-24 December 2022.
