Cheap Friday Nights out in London

I have been asked to organise a cheap night out in London for next Friday night and given my knowledge of Bars, Pubs and clubs in London I should be able to manage this event, even on a budget. For £30 per person (and with the intention of going out to get drunk) the following is my plan for a cheap night out in London.

In this plan I have selected the best elements of a Friday night out; an after work pub, a location for some food followed by a bar and then ending with a club.

• Heading to the pub: There are two chains of pubs which will offer you cheap drinks on a Friday night. The 1st is Wetherspoons. This chain has several venues in London & drinks are priced at about £2.00 a pint with shots at£1.50. The 2nd chain is Samuel smiths of which there are many across Soho & the Westend with a pint costing £2.50. Cost to budget - £4:
• Grabbing some food: Fast food is always an option but it doesn’t have to be McDonalds. Several establishments, especially in the Chinatown area will allow you to eat-in with a main setting you back between £5 and £8. Specifically, Wagamamas main dishes cost around £7. Cost to budget - £5
• After dinner drinks: Bars can be the most pricey leg of the journey but good value bars include Belushi’s (Camden and Covent Garden) , Yate’s (Leicester Square) & ”Be At One” Bar (Covent Garden, Soho and Clapham) with cocktails at about £6 each. Cost to budget - £12
• Hitting the dance floor: Have your final drinks in a bar because London clubs are expensive to drink in, if you can enter a club before 10pm then you can normally get in free but it depends on the type of club you are looking at. Popular clubs like Tiger Tiger and OnAnon have a 10pm rule but for a  fee of about £5 you can get into alternative clubs in a location like Camden - Electric Ballroom and the Underworld, where drinks are more affordable (around £3.50 a pint). Cost to Budget - £8.50
• The journey home: London is a pretty big place but public transport is a 24 hour service and its a lot safer than people will give it credit for. Travellinh out as far as zone 5 in North London will only cost 90p(the cost of a bus fare) with buses running every 20 mins all over London from hubs like Trafalgar Square. Buses can be a long journey (more than an hour) but they are worth the money. If you want to take a cab the most affordable & safest are licensed black cabs which can be hailed at quieter spots like Highbury & Islington station going North or Baker Street for South London. 

So there you have it - a night out in London from about 6pm until around 3am for under £30. All of this is pretty impressive considering that a full night out in London (with all the trimmings) can set you back a good £120. For more discounts you may want to take a look at the Free Flyers page.

If you have any further tips for Londoners on a budget or student and travellers, please leave some feedback below.