Exploring the City with a clear head

The number of people choosing to go low- or alcohol-free is on the rise. Whether it’s for improved physical and mental health, participation in Dry January and Go Sober for October, or for other reasons, more and more people and organisations are looking for alternative team-building and social activities away from the traditional trip to the pub. The City of London Corporation’s Visit the City has compiled its top alcohol-free activities for a fun night or day out with friends and colleagues in the City of London. Read on and feel inspired.

Museums and Attractions

• In early February La Ghirlandata returns to Guildhall Art Gallery following a year-long restoration made possible by a grant from Bank of America Art Conservation Project. Come and see Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s ‘very best picture’ returned to its full intensity and power.
• The Museum of London, Dr Johnson’s House, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Whitechapel Gallery all host regular evening events from LGBTQ+ and punk history to choral evensong and literature to art.

Theatre

• The Barbican is the City’s most well-known cultural hotspot, hosting gigs, plays, films, concerts and exhibitions. For a more intimate theatrical experience why not check out Bridewell’s Lunchbox Theatre for a lunch break with a difference or Theatre Deli Broadgate’s eclectic evening mix of improv, cabaret, live music and thought-provoking plays.

Immersive experiences

• From living through a Martian invasion at Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds: Immersive Experience, to graduating from Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and emulating Danny Ocean with a million-pound heist at Enigma Quests and cracking the clues of Foxtrail’s scavenger hunt, there’s alternative team-building activities galore in the City.

Indoor sports

• You might not immediately associate the City with sport but you’ll be surprised. Get your plus 4’s on and be transported back to the 1920s for a round of indoor crazy golf at Swingers Club, City. Win the respect of your friends and colleagues, if not your BFH (bus fare home), and relive the classic 80s gameshow Bullseye at Flight Club Shoreditch.
• For a complete change of pace, start your day with a team yoga session in the glass walkway at Tower Bridge and see the City wake below your downward dog.

Walking tours

• Think walking tours are dry and humourless? Take a factually inaccurate Bullsh!t London tour of the City and your flamboyant guide will have you in stitches. For a more traditional (and factually accurate) approach, join the City of London Guides to see and hear about what will be the world’s longest public art installation, Illuminated River.
• If Illuminated River leaves you wanting more public art in your life, then the Sculpture in the City outdoor trail around the Insurance District, featuring internationally renowned artists including Jennifer Steinkamp and Nathan Coley, will definitely fulfil this need.

Shopping and Dinner

• For a weekend shopping trip with friends then One New Change, with its range of high-street shops and eateries, is perfect for a leisurely Saturday afternoon, and why not end the day with dinner overlooking St Paul’s Cathedral at The Ivy Asia.
• Enjoy a luxury experience in an Instagrammable setting at Royal Exchange. Shop high-end boutiques including Hermes and Tiffany & Co and follow up with dinner that gets the royal seal of approval at the City branch of Fortnum & Mason.

For more information on things to do in the City of London visit www.visitthecity.co.uk