Free Things to do in South Bank
You don't need to spend a fortune to enjoy a great day out sightseeing in South Bank.
Duckpin bowling at BrewDog Waterloo
Getting your gang together for a trivia night, bowling battle, monopoly marathon or a laidback evening around the pool table is always a winner. Whether you're proud to admit it or not, everyone has a little bit of a competitive streak somewhere!
Here’s our guide to where to get competitive in South Bank. Let the games begin...
Passyunk Play
WHERE: Leake Street
GAMES: Shuffleboard, darts, pool, air hockey, foosball, basketball, baseball batting cage, cornhole
This all-American dive bar brings a slice of Philadelphia to South Bank. Inspired by the infamous dive bars of Philadelphia’s Passyunk Avenue, this underground venue is all about American dive bar goodness. There's casual booth seating, cheesesteaks on the menu and non-stop US sports showing on the screens in the main bar (atmospherically located inside an old railway arch below Waterloo Station), while in the second adjoining archway Passyunk Play, there's a wonderful of American bar sports to get stuck into.
A casual, no-nonsense spot, many of the games, such as pool, air hockey and the basketball hoop, are pay-as-you-play, while you can book the darts board, shuffleboards or batting cages for a set amount of time and really get stuck into the competition.
Draughts
WHERE: Leake Street
GAMES: Choose from 1000+ board games, card games and other tabletop games
London’s finest board games bar is located inside one of the underground arches in the Leake Street graffiti tunnel. Inside you will find a vast library of 1000+ board games to choose from, and an easy-going menu of classic bar food such as burgers and nachos to snack on while you play.
Tables are designed especially for tabletop gaming (there are even little cubbies below to stow your cards, answer sheets or other game-related material) and the waitstaff double up as game masters, on hand to help guide you through the rules of the more obscure games that you might not be too familiar with. The staff are also super at suggesting popular new games that you might want to try out. Even better yet, if you really like a new board game that you’ve just played, they even have a small shop selling board games to take home with you!
BrewDog Waterloo
WHERE: The Sidings at Waterloo Station (entrance next to Leak Street tunnel)
GAMES: Duckpin bowling, ping pong, darts
As the UK’s biggest bar, this venue is more than just a craft beer haven, it’s a veritable sporting playground. There's every live sport you could possibly want to watch showing on one of their 17 different TVs, plus duckpin bowling lanes, dart boards, table tennis, and even an actual slide to get you from one floor to another.
The three ping pong tables are all free to play on a first-served basis, while the six duckpin bowling are available on a per-hour basis (priced per player). There’s also a whole room at the top of the venue that’s devoted to darts with five dart boards to play on with automatic electronic scoring for those fun, fast-paced and super competitive games.
Boulebar
WHERE: Behind National Theatre, adjacent to Waterloo Bridge
GAMES: Boules (also known as pétanque)
Right around the corner from the BFI IMAX and overlooked by Waterloo Bridge, Boulebar is an offbeat pop-up pétanque club with eight pétanque courts and a spacious beer garden area for enjoying snacks and drinks. Keeping things in a French theme there are some classic French tipples on offer, including Ricard Pastis. A ‘semi-outdoor’ venue, the space is fully covered and heated in winter.
Pub quizzes in South Bank
You can't go wrong with a pub quiz! Whether you’re a super competitive team in it for the cash, or you just enjoy a bit of light trivia and the quirky picture rounds, South Bank has a pub quiz waiting for you. Wherever you choose to try your luck, we highly recommend checking in advance for availability – the locals do love a good pub quiz so it's best to book in advance to avoid disappointment.
The Mulberry Bush: Mondays at 6:30pm
The Thirsty Bear: First Monday of the month at 7:30pm
BrewDog Waterloo: Tuesdays at 7pm
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