When the sun rears its head and the weather starts to warm up, Londoners flock by the thirsty, ravenous droves to the city’s many glorious beer gardens. And every year, the battle begins again to see who will claim the crown as London’s best outdoor drinking destination. And while Alexandra Palace’s The Terrace is a stunning spot, with truly incredible views, a pop-up beer garden is once again returning to the South Bank to welcome punters with open arms (and a jam-packed roster of activities). That’s right, folks, Between The Bridges has returned to London again this summer, kicking off the summer season in style.
With endless pints of craft beer to sip at, delicious street food to chow down on, and a never-ending array of events and parties, Between The Bridges takes everything we need for a brilliant summers day out and packages it into one convenient (and enormous) location.
So what’s in a name? It’s handily named to help you find it – tucked between Waterloo Bridge and Westminster Bridge, with commanding views of the London skyline. It’s right underneath the London Eye, too!
What’s on at Between The Bridges?
Across two separate areas, Between The Bridges will offer free and ticketed events all summer long. In the Dock, free themed live DJ nights will keep the vibes pumping from Thursday to Sunday, every week. Expect throwback R&B and Hip Hop, Disco sessions, and the return of the UK’s “biggest and best pop night”, Guilty Pleasures. Get set for banger after banger after banger. You won’t be able to leave the dance floor even if you try!
Over in The Pier you’ll find the ticketed events. These will include everything from Drag Brunches to Barrioke, Swiftageddon, Garage Brunch, and more.
Don’t sweat about the footy, either, because they’ll be showing all the EUROS 2024 action on the big screen. And, naturally, there will be plenty of beer to cheer England to victory with.
Hungry? Thirsty?
And then there’s the food – with Between The Bridges boasting 6 street food vendors to choose from. This year’s food comes from the likes of Bang Bang Burgers, Meathead, Krapow, and more. Whether it’s juicy burgers, fiery Thai food, or cinnamon-coated churros you fancy, it’s a sure bet you’ll find what you’re after at Between The Bridges.
And if you’re after a drink, you shouldn’t need to battle the queues for too long… You can choose from 8 bars spread across the venue to quench your thirst.
This summer will also see the arrival of Between The Bridges’ brand-new cocktail bar, The Knot. There, guests can enjoy a carefully curated menu of high-quality speciality drinks. (And they’re promising that there won’t be any outrageous drinks prices here!) Guests can also head to The Know to take part in cocktail masterclasses and try their hand at mixology. Plus, there will also be a brand new drink – the ‘Star Slurp’: “a speciality Negroni aged for ten days inside a whole coconut”. We’ll take three!
Crazy Boules
There’s one more thing to keep an eye out for this summer at Between The Bridges. They’re not content with a wealth of events, food, and drink. They’re also bringing a bonkers new activity that merges the worlds of crazy golf and boules. Sound ridiculous? It is. It’s Crazy Boules!
You’ve never played a game of boules like this… Heck, you may have never played boules before – but after playing this you’ll never be satisfied with the usual game! Crazy Boules takes the game and adds in “ramps, jumps and other crazy twists [to navigate] all in a quest to get your boule closest to the jack ball”.
Crazy Boules will launch at Between The Bridges on July 2, so be sure you’re there and ready for a whole new world of boules-to-the-wall ridiculousness!
📍 Between The Bridges is open on South Bank’s Queen’s Walk from May 2, 2024. Find it between Westminster & Waterloo Bridges. The nearest station is Waterloo.
Read more about Between The Bridges here.