Undoubtedly, one of the most imposing cities in the world. Also, one with the best nightclubs around. With over 9 million inhabitants, the British capital was erected since the beginning of the rave and club culture as one of its nerve centres. Although, always keeping a prudent distance from the rest of Europe. According to some, staying one step back. According to others, going one step further. Unquestionably, the scenes of the islands have always breathed a different air, they have always given off a unique aroma. And, of course, London has always led these scenes.
With such a large population, it’s normal that the number of clubs and events around the city is infinite. It’s been hard for us to compile a list with its 10 best party venues. There are nightclubs of a very diverse nature. Big warehouses like Ministry of Sound, famous for its beautiful and imposing facilities, or charming corners like Rye Wax, hidden in the back of a record store, have been left out of the Top 10, just like the historical Koko concert hall or other big names like Studio 338, Heaven or Electric Brixton. Which of these have you raved all night long?
E1 London
Why you should go: Located in the Wapping district, E1 has been the crowning jewel of nightlife in the English city since 2017, with an earned reputation as the ultimate haven for nightlife lovers and potential second home for those who step foot inside.
With two distinct booths, the London nightclub (formerly a photography studio) has welcomed and still welcomes the finest global acts, making it an essential stop for any devoted to electronic music. But it does not only target the big players, as it has the vision to identify the very best of the emerging.
Atmosphere: The room has a capacity of 1,600 people divided between Warehouse, the main space with bare concrete walls and large pillars, and Black Studio, for the intimate vibes. Within its warehouse vibes, you’ll encounter the very essence of the music we love: open-mindedness, diversity, passion and unwavering commitment. But don’t let yourself be carried away by the energy alone, because its Custom Funktion-One sound and State-of-the-art AV/Production will make you end up with your feet hurting from dancing. Stop the nonsense and come experience the pure nightlife in London at E1.
Music: Although mainly focused on delivering hard techno and electro, at E1 you can find melodic, drum and bass and even hip-hop nights. Always with extended opening hours and a programme full of renowned DJs, capable of rivaling the most prominent clubs in the capital.
Recommendations: Get your group tickets and enjoy the experience with your party people!
Prices: Early Bird tickets start at around £5, and can go up to £20-25 for the rest of the releases. Group tickets are cheaper, admitting 4 people for around £60 maximum, while VIP tickets are around £50.
Fabric
Why you should go: Fabric is the most famous and historical club in London. Also, one of the ones who suffered the most in recent years. It opened on October 21st, 1999. Since then, it has always been at the forefront of London‘s clubbing scene. Currently, it has a completely renovated space, located in the Metropolitan Cold Stores of Farringdon. It has three spaces. Two of them, perfectly set for live acts. We especially love Room One, which has 450 bass frequency transmitters letting people live the most overwhelming sound experience around their entire body.
Atmosphere: The most beautiful thing about Fabric is the story you can breathe in every single corner, something that can also be perceived when interacting with the rest of the audience. There is no doubt that it’s a very special place.
Music: Fabric is rocked by Craig Richards, who’s been in charge of the artistic programming and is also a resident DJ alongside Terry Francis. The most alternative sounds and selections of the house, techno, electro, disco and dub music go to Fabric every week. There, they’ve hosted names such as Adam Beyer, Ben Klock, Dixon, Move D, Ricardo Villalobos, Zip, Petre Inspirescu, Regis, Luke Slater or Dave Clarke, among many others.
Recommendations: Fabric is one of those places where only music and partying are important. Go with that mentality or you’ll be lost as a fish out of the water.
Prices: Their first releases are around £22.5 and can go up to £30 in the last few rounds. If you get in early or are a Fabric member, the ticket will cost a little less.
Egg London
Why you should go: Keep dancing after 3 am. This was Egg London‘s aim when Laurence Malice bought the Kings Cross warehouse and turned it into one of the first clubs that would break the strict law that prevailed more than a decade ago in London. Currently, Egg London has become a true reference.
It’s one of the few clubs with the licence to organize extended events, a detail which makes it a place of worship for the most faithful ravers of the British underground scene. The organization of the place encourages to keep phones in pockets, prohibits discrimination and delivers free water in the bars so that everyone is always well hydrated. This is the mentality you look for when you want to listen to electronic music, isn’t it?
Atmosphere: Although it has three floors, the atmosphere is quite intimate.
Music: This is the UK. Breaks and drum & bass are still very trendy here. However, techno is what is displayed in most of the line ups. Artists such as Mark Knight, Layton Giordani, Matrixxman, Konstantin Sibold, Charlotte de Witte, Ilario Alicante and Jennifer Cardini have played in Egg London.
Recommendations: The phone signal isn’t very good at Egg London and the space is pretty big, with several indoor and outdoor areas. Check out the space properly and set a meeting point with your friends before the night makes you forget about everything.
Prices: Tickets are between £10 and £30 depending on how fast you buy it.
Drumsheds
Why you should go: The club that has probably contributed the most to London’s cultural scene is in a new phase. The best-loved printing warehouse in European clubbing, after its very sad closure, is rumoured to be opening its doors in 2026. But in the meantime, its organisers continue to deliver with the birth of Drumsheds.
This new venue for up to 15,000 people is located inside a former IKEA warehouse. This space has ditched the oddly named furniture in favour of a cult for music, art and its various forms.
Atmosphere: Drumsheds maintains its warehouse and industrial look without much tinkering. A hybrid titan, with several floors and several rooms. Without walls, where nothing is fixed.
Music: Acid, drum and bass, techno, hard techno… And only the top names. Drumsheds is more than ready to take over from Printworks with showcases from Jamie Jones, KNTXT, The Hydra and more.
Recommendations: Even your grandma will want to go to this new club, so make sure you buy tickets before anyone else.
Prices: Tickets are currently between £30 and £50, although if you buy Early Entry you’ll save a few.
XOYO
Why you should go: XOYO offers one of the best equations you can find in London. Great artistic residencies, line-ups that combine great names with emerging talents and a broad historical background, which makes XOYO a place where any great DJ or producer would like to perform. XOYO is in the heart of Shoreditch and it will never disappoint you. Two floors with complementary musical proposals and another of those sound systems that prevent you from going to sleep for hours.
Atmosphere: It’s one of the few clubs that bet on house music and the purest electronics ahead of techno. It’s their clear differential factor and it’s something that also influences the atmosphere one can breathe there.
Music: XOYO is famous for its residencies. Artists like Scuba, Bicep, Jackmaster or Hunee have been or are residents of XOYO. Techno, house, disco, even funky. But take a look, they also have many concerts. You just have to choose your day properly.
Recommendations: Don’t get distracted and don’t come too late. The closing time (4 am) always leaves you wanting more.
Prices: First tickets are usually priced at £12 and are usually no more than £25 at worst.
Phonox
Why you should go: For some, it’s the best nightclub in London. It combines daytime with night hours, although it doesn’t have a license to extend its parties more than expected. Phonox takes care of the artistic programming more than anyone else, as well as the atmosphere on the dance floor. Discretion is its main aim. They don’t want cameras, they don’t want shrillness, they don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable. And the artists love that.
Atmosphere: It has a unique lighting system and an ideal dancefloor to get carried away without wondering about tomorrow. Phonox is possibly the best place to unleash imagination.
Music: , Phonox hosted and still host artists like Sven Väth, Skream, Detroit Swindle, Young Marco, Joe Goddard, George FitzGerald, Acid Arab, Dax J, Max Cooper, Dusky, Shackleton, Pangaea or Motor City Drum Ensemble. As you can see, they avoid the most common artists and seek to gather the most exquisite selectors.
Recommendations: Don’t go to Phonox if you expect to listen to top chart songs. People go to Phonox to learn. To discover.
Prices: The prices of the advanced tickets range from £5 to £20, although on some rare occasion they can reach £30 (when the headliner has a higher cache).
FOLD
Why you should go: Although new to the scene, FOLD has managed to put itself on the radar of any clubber with a taste for new trends. It is located in a non-residential area between Bow and Canning Town, near the Jubilee line.
It was founded by a group of artists and DJs known as The Shapes Collective (responsible for Hackney venue The Glove That Fits) and has a limited capacity of 600 people.
Atmosphere: Fold has the kind of carefree atmosphere that can only exist in a venue free of the repressive curfews that more central clubs have to deal with. If you can watch the sun come up when you leave the dancing hours behind, it’s a good club.
Music: A bit of everything, but with an emphasis on hard techno. FOLD is the home of brands like Teletech when they visit the capital.A good plan guaranteed, even more so considering the quality of its residents like Anabel Arroyo and Voicedrone.
Recommendations: If you’re lucky and the night-time metro line is running, the journey home will be a lot easier.
Prices: Between £10-20 depending on the day and the headliners.
Corsica Studios
Why you should go: This is another great musical proposal by the city. It’s an independent organization focused on the development of creative spaces. You’ll find it under two railway arches located in Elephant and Castle. It has a bar, a live music area and a music studio.
Atmosphere: The corridors of Corsica Studios have something special. Corsica is one of those places where you can breathe an underground essence at every step you take.
Music: The most underground techno is the characteristic sound of Corsica Studios. Although live performances have become a widely used option by the organization. Downwards artists, with Samuel Kerridge at the head, or other names of the punk scene like Schwefelgelb, have been invited to Corsica Studios. Although there have also been more colourful days with artists such as Honey Dijon, Kevin Saunderson or Joy Orbison. It’s one of the most interesting programs in London.
Recommendations: It’s a small place and it’s not the freshest place in the world. People go to Corsica to dance, sweat and get immersed in the “real clubbing” experience. Don’t say we didn’t tell you!
Prices: From £10 to £15. Rarely, £20. Corsica Studios doesn’t want to rob you.
Village Underground
Why you should go: Village Underground is one of the most important multipurpose spaces in London. Concerts, art exhibitions, performances… and parties. Village Underground welcomes everything. Even Underworld have performed there. The warehouse is located in Shoreditch, East London, and has a capacity of 1,000 people.
Atmosphere: Its limited capacity allows its audience to live historical days with assiduity. It’s not easy to see some of the greatest artists surrounded by only 1,000 people.
Music: As said, even Underworld have performed there. Although hip-hop and indie also have their space, most parties at Village Underground are focused on techno. Masters of the genre such as Rødhåd, DVS1, The Hacker, Dave Clarke, Paco Osuna or Tale Of Us are used to play there.
Recommendations: People go to Village Underground to listen, enjoy and even live music in an intimate way with the artist. If you go, it should be for this. Otherwise, they will soon invite you to leave the venue.
Prices: Between £20 and £30 is what you’ll pay (in advance) to access Village Underground.
93 Feet East
Why you should go: The name sounds familiar to you. For sure. It was created in 1999 but then had to stop its activity until recent years. It’s in the middle of Brick Lane and it’s a crucial part of the most artistic area of London. 93 Feet East has hosted Radiohead, Groove Armada and other great historical groups. Although clubbers know it better for being Fuse London‘s home (the brand and party curated by Enzo Siragusa) and Secretsundaze. Its d&b sound and its industrial decoration make it one of the fav clubs of many.
Atmosphere: This is a real party and the rest is nonsense. Here people come to enjoy themselves, to laugh, shout, applaud, to get themselves free and dance as if there was no tomorrow. With a smile from ear to ear. We cannot say that music moves to a secondary stage, but almost.
Music: Under Fuse‘s curatorship, it’s pretty clear what one can find: a lot of groove. House and tech converge on 93 Feet East with names like Neverdogs, Archie Hamilton, wAFF or Youandewan, although artists of other genres such as Luuk van Dijk have also come out of the Brick Lane club.
Recommendations: Leave your watch at home!
Prices: Between £5 and £30.
Are you missing something on the list? In addition to our recommended venues, we invite you to take a look at The Beams, Tobbaco Dock, Ministry of Sound, Studio 338, Night Tales or Lion and Lamb. The list is infinite in the city!
0
