── the quick answer
Which London club, by kind of night
One big night: fabric, on a Saturday, for house and techno until 7am.
Drum and bass: FABRICLIVE on a Friday at fabric.
A smaller room, great sound: Phonox in Brixton.
Cheapest good night: Egg LDN's free-before-midnight Saturday, or Night Tales' free terrace.
Techno that goes on all day: FOLD, if you're 21 or over.
Queer nights: Dalston Superstore, or Heaven for a bigger, poppier night (see below).
The famous name: Ministry of Sound. Bring a friend; there's no solo entry.
Easiest ride home: KOKO, Phonox or Electric Brixton, all a few minutes from a Night Tube station.
── area by area
London's nightlife areas, and what each is like
Soho and the West End: London's busiest bar district, and where most visitors start, but it's bars rather than clubs. For drinks, use my best bars guide. The big club nearby is Heaven, the LGBTQ+ club under the arches on Villiers Street by Charing Cross, open since 1979. Club nights are strictly 18+ with photo ID scanned. Its website currently lists its gigs rather than its club nights, so check its Instagram (@heavenlgbtclub) for the weekend's nights before you go. Charing Cross and Embankment are both on the Northern line Night Tube.
Shoreditch: the densest club area in the centre. XOYO and Village Underground are ten minutes apart, and late bars like Nightjar (see best bars) fill the gaps. It's busy, young and loud on Friday and Saturday nights. Shoreditch High Street, on the Windrush line, runs all night at weekends; Old Street doesn't.
Dalston: a few stops north, looser and cheaper than Shoreditch. Dalston Superstore is the anchor, and Ridley Road Market Bar pours until 3am from Thursday to Saturday (it's in my best bars guide). Dalston Junction is on the overnight Windrush line.
Hackney and Hackney Wick: warehouse and railway-arch clubs, Night Tales in Hackney and Colour Factory in Hackney Wick. The catch is getting home: neither Hackney Central nor Hackney Wick has overnight trains, so plan a night bus or book a cab.
Brixton: the best club area south of the river. Phonox and Electric Brixton are both within five minutes of Brixton station, which is at the end of the Victoria line and open all night on Fridays and Saturdays. That makes Brixton the easiest area on this page to get home from.
Peckham: Peckham is for late bars and rooftops, not big clubs (my best rooftop bars guide has Forza Wine). The old CLF Art Cafe club nights in the Bussey Building on Rye Lane have stopped. For a proper club in south-east London, go to MOT in South Bermondsey or head to Brixton.
Camden: gig venues and pubs, with one serious club night: KOKO's weekend electronic nights. Camden Town and Mornington Crescent are both on the Northern line Night Tube.
Vauxhall: late-night LGBTQ+ venues around the station. The Royal Vauxhall Tavern runs cabaret and club nights (it's in my best bars guide), and Fire and Lightbox on Parry Street hosts commercial and student club nights, so check the event listing first. Vauxhall station is on the Victoria line Night Tube.
Canning Town and the docks: FOLD, plus The Cause, which moved from Tottenham to 60 Dock Road and now runs big one-off parties, such as Modeselektor at Halloween on Saturday 31 October 2026 and New Year's Eve. Canning Town is on the Jubilee line Night Tube.
── prices at a glance
What a London club night costs
One real ticket price range per club, for a named night, as of 28 September 2026. Prices include booking fees, and the cheapest tiers sell out first.
- Dalston Superstore: free before 9pm, £8 to £10
- Night Tales: free terrace; club £6.50 to £13
- Egg LDN: free before midnight, then £10 to £15
- XOYO: £17 to £20 Saturday; weeknights from £3.50
- E1: £11.50 to £17.30
- Ministry of Sound: £11.50 to £23 (big nights to £40.30)
- FOLD: £15 to £28.80
- MOT: £17.50 to £23.04
- Electric Brixton: £18.40 to £35
- Village Underground: £20 to £30.50
- Colour Factory: £20 to £30
- fabric: £22.50 to £39.50
- Phonox: £25 to £30
- KOKO: £29.30 to £40.10
- Drumsheds: £41.95 to £57
── before you go
How London clubs work
Tickets: buy online ahead, through the link on the club's own site. Most sell in releases that get dearer as they sell out, and many have a cheaper 'entry before midnight' ticket. Some clubs sell on the door if there's space, but popular nights sell out.
ID and age: the legal drinking age is 18, but KOKO's club nights are 19+ and FOLD is 21+. Bring an original, in-date photo ID; most clubs scan it, and photocopies or photos on your phone won't work. If you're visiting from the US, bring your passport: most door policies name a passport, a UK driving licence or a PASS card and don't mention foreign licences.
Searches and rules: expect a bag search everywhere and a body search at most big clubs. Most have zero tolerance on drugs and no re-entry, and several ban sportswear, football shirts or, at fabric, business suits. Several are card only, so carry a contactless card or phone.
Cost on the night: cloakrooms are usually £3 or £4 an item. London has no tourist tax yet.
── getting home
The Night Tube, night buses and cabs
The Night Tube runs on Friday and Saturday nights only, on the Central, Jubilee, Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria lines, plus the Windrush line of the London Overground (through Dalston Junction, Shoreditch High Street, Whitechapel and Wapping). The Northern line runs overnight only on its Charing Cross branch, so its Bank-branch stations, including Old Street and Elephant & Castle, close. Farringdon, Hackney Central and Hackney Wick don't have overnight trains either. Night fares are off-peak, and you tap in with the same contactless card or phone. On weeknights, use night buses, which run every night.
Cabs: only black taxis, the ones with the orange TAXI light, can be hailed in the street or picked up at a rank. A minicab has to be booked, by app, phone or in a minicab office, and you should get a booking confirmation. TfL is blunt about this: an unbooked minicab is illegal and uninsured for passengers, and that includes a minicab a bouncer walks you to. Uber and other apps count as booked.
── safety
Staying safe on a night out
Drink spiking happens in London, as in any big city. Watch your drink, don't take one from a stranger, and if you or a friend suddenly feel much drunker than you should, tell the bar staff or security straight away. Many venues, Phonox among them, support Ask for Angela: ask the bar staff for 'Angela' and they'll help you get out of an uncomfortable situation discreetly.
Agree a meeting point before you go in, keep your phone charged, and plan your route home before the night starts, especially from Hackney Wick, Canning Town or South Bermondsey. Night Tube stations are staffed while trains run. To report something on the Tube, text British Transport Police on 61016; in an emergency, call 999.
Where to go next: for dinner before a night out, see my best restaurants in London, and for the sights in daylight, things to do in London. If you're still picking a base, my where to stay in London guide compares the areas; Shoreditch and Brixton put you closest to the clubs here.
Planning a night out in London? Save these clubs to your itinerary with Tourli, the app that turns travel guides into actionable plans.
