BestTime
Quick answer
We analysed 365 London bars, pubs and clubs. Saturday is the busiest night, peaking at 6 PM, and Thursday is the busiest weeknight. Monday and Sunday are the quietest nights. The standout finding: London's pubs and bars peak early, around 6 to 7 PM, while venues listed as clubs peak at 11 PM.
- Sat
- the big night out, busiest around 6 PM
- Thursday
- liveliest weeknight
- 365
- bars and clubs compared
When London nightlife gets busy, night by night. BestTime forecasts.
Night by night
Busyness is shown as a percentage of each venue's own busiest hour of the week (100%), not a head count. Because every venue is measured against its own peak, the averages below are average relative busyness, not crowd sizes. The peak hour shows when the average venue is fullest, with the value at that hour in brackets.
| Night | Average busyness (% of weekly peak, 6 PM to 4 AM) | Peak hour | Share of venues lively (70%+ of their peak) | Share of venues whose busiest night it is |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 20% | 6 PM (45%) | 12% | 0% |
| Tuesday | 25% | 7 PM (55%) | 35% | 1% |
| Wednesday | 30% | 7 PM (60%) | 52% | 3% |
| Thursday | 35% | 7 PM (70%) | 65% | 18% |
| Friday | 40% | 7 PM (70%) | 74% | 12% |
| Saturday | 45% | 6 PM (80%) | 92% | 66% |
| Sunday | 20% | 6 PM (50%) | 27% | 0% |
London does not wait for midnight. On Saturday the average venue is at 80% by 6 PM, still at 70% at 9 PM, and down to 45% by 11 PM. By midnight it is at 20%.
Thursday is the surprise. Its 7 PM peak of 70% is level with Friday's, and 18% of venues have their busiest night on Thursday, against 12% for Friday. Friday wins on the night as a whole because it holds on later: at 10 PM it is still at 60%, while Thursday has dropped to 45%.
Neighborhoods
Soho
Soho's 47 venues are busiest on Saturday and equally quiet on Monday and Sunday. Unlike most of London, Soho peaks later at the weekend: 9 PM on both Friday and Saturday. Every Soho venue in our set is lively on a Saturday, and 89% are lively on a Friday. Weeknights stay early, with the peak at 7 PM from Monday to Thursday.
O'Neill's Wardour Street peaks on Saturday at 10 PM and Waxy O'Connor's London on Saturday at 9 PM. Ronnie Scott's, the jazz club on Frith Street, peaks on Friday at 10 PM and is at 100% at 11 PM on a Saturday.
O'Neill's Wardour Street:
Quietest: Monday 11 AM (5%)Busiest: Saturday 10 PM (100%)
Ronnie Scott's:
Quietest: Wednesday 2 AM (10%)Busiest: Friday 10 PM (100%)
Shoreditch
Shoreditch is the most weekend-heavy area we looked at. Its 23 venues average just 10% on Monday and on Sunday, when only 4% are lively. Friday and Saturday both peak at 10 PM. Thursday matters here too: 22% of Shoreditch venues have their busiest night on Thursday.
Barrio Shoreditch and The Blues Kitchen Shoreditch both peak on Saturday at 11 PM. Hamilton Hall is the opposite. Its busiest hour is Thursday at 6 PM, which fits an after-work crowd.
Barrio Shoreditch:
Quietest: Tuesday 11 PM (5%)Busiest: Saturday 11 PM (100%)
Hamilton Hall:
Quietest: Saturday 7 AM (5%)Busiest: Thursday 6 PM (100%)
Camden
Camden's 10 venues all have Saturday as their busiest night. Saturday averages 55%, the highest of any area here, and peaks at 9 PM. Friday peaks later, at 10 PM. Monday is Camden's quietest.
The Blues Kitchen Camden, The World's End and The Elephants Head all peak on Saturday at 10 PM. The Blues Kitchen Camden is also at 95% at 11 PM on a Friday.
The Blues Kitchen Camden:
Quietest: Thursday 12 PM (15%)Busiest: Saturday 10 PM (100%)
The World's End:
Quietest: Monday 12 PM (5%)Busiest: Saturday 10 PM (100%)
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is London's earliest area. Its 37 venues peak at 6 PM on every night except Friday, when the peak moves to 8 PM. Saturday is the busiest night, and Monday and Sunday are the quietest, both averaging 20%.
Sherlock Holmes peaks on Saturday at 6 PM and is at 0% by 11 PM on Friday and Saturday in the forecast. The Porterhouse runs later, peaking on Saturday at 9 PM. All Bar One Leicester Square peaks on Saturday at 6 PM, yet at 11 PM it is busier on Friday (70%) than on Saturday (50%).
Sherlock Holmes:
Quietest: Tuesday 11 AM (20%)Busiest: Saturday 5 PM (100%)
The Porterhouse:
Quietest: Tuesday 12 PM (5%)Busiest: Saturday 9 PM (100%)
Islington
Islington's 7 venues are busiest on Saturday and quietest on Monday and Tuesday, with a 9 PM peak on both Friday and Saturday. The Old Queens Head peaks on Saturday at 10 PM and The Lexington on Saturday at 11 PM. The Pig and Butcher is a Sunday pub: its busiest hour of the week is Sunday at 6 PM.
The Old Queens Head:
Quietest: Monday 4 PM (10%)Busiest: Saturday 10 PM (100%)
Lively on a weeknight
These venues get closest to their own peak late on Monday to Thursday. The number we use, weeknight late max mean, is how close a venue gets to its own peak late on those four nights, on average.
Belushi's London Bridge leads with 80%. Its busiest hour of the whole week is Monday at 7 PM, which is rare in London.
Quietest: Monday 11 AM (15%)Busiest: Monday 7 PM (100%)
The William Morris reaches 75% and peaks on Friday at 10 PM. It is at 90% at 11 PM on both Friday and Saturday.
Quietest: Monday 7 AM (10%)Busiest: Friday 10 PM (100%)
The Surrey Docks and Fountains Abbey also reach 75%. The Hoop and Grapes and Earls Court Tavern reach 70%. The Hoop and Grapes has its busiest hour on Wednesday at 7 PM.
The Surrey Docks:
Quietest: Tuesday 8 AM (10%)Busiest: Saturday 8 PM (100%)
The Hoop and Grapes:
Quietest: Monday 11 AM (15%)Busiest: Wednesday 7 PM (100%)
Busiest at 11 PM on a Friday
Most of London is winding down at 11 PM, so the venues that are full at that hour stand out. Four are at 100% at 11 PM on a Friday: Village Soho, Eastcheap Records, Be At One Russell Street and The Beehive.
Village Soho:
Quietest: Monday 5 PM (10%)Busiest: Friday 10 PM (100%)
Be At One Russell Street:
Quietest: Thursday 6 PM (10%)Busiest: Friday 11 PM (100%)
Eastcheap Records is at 100% at 11 PM on Saturday as well. The Beehive, in Brixton, is a Friday venue: its busiest hour is Friday at 10 PM, and it drops to 75% at 11 PM on a Saturday.
Clubs
We analysed 91 venues listed as clubs. They run on a later clock than pubs. On Friday and Saturday they peak at 11 PM, while on weeknights the peak comes at 7 or 8 PM. Saturday averages 50% and 88% of them are lively, against 40% and 62% on Friday. Monday and Sunday are their quietest nights, both averaging 10%.
Saturday is the night for clubs: 77% of these venues have their busiest night on Saturday and 12% on Friday.
Egg London Nightclub peaks on Saturday at 11 PM and is at 70% at the same hour on Friday. On weeknights it reaches only 10%, so plan it for the weekend.
Quietest: Wednesday 3 AM (5%)Busiest: Saturday 11 PM (100%)
The category also includes live music venues. Jazz Cafe in Camden peaks on Friday at 11 PM, and The Lexington in Islington peaks on Saturday at 11 PM.
Jazz Cafe:
Quietest: Saturday 2 AM (20%)Busiest: Friday 11 PM (100%)
Tips
- Go early if you want the classic pub crowd. The average London venue is at its fullest at 6 or 7 PM, not at 10 PM.
- Pick Thursday for a busy weeknight. Its 7 PM peak of 70% matches Friday's, and 65% of venues are lively.
- For a late night, choose Soho or Shoreditch. Soho peaks at 9 PM at the weekend and Shoreditch at 10 PM.
- Covent Garden is best straight after work. It peaks at 6 PM on six nights of the week.
- Want space? Monday and Sunday both average 20%. Monday is the emptier of the two, with only 12% of venues lively.
- Save clubs for Saturday at 11 PM, when venues listed as clubs are at their peak.
How we measured
These numbers are BestTime forecasts, built from anonymized, aggregated phone location data combined with real-world signals such as weather, events and holidays. Busyness is shown as a percentage of each venue's own busiest hour of the week (100%), so it is not a head count or a capacity figure. Nights follow a 6 AM to 5 AM window, so 1 AM on Saturday morning counts as Friday night. The forecasts describe a typical week and do not cover holidays, special events, ticketed nights or door queues. Read more about how the forecasts work.
Next steps
- Find busy bars tonight in the free London bar guide.
- Check when clubs fill up in the free London nightclub guide.
- Learn how to see if a bar or club is busy before you go.
- Browse all busy times guides.
Questions
What is the busiest night for bars in London?
Saturday. Across 365 London bars, pubs and clubs it averages 45% of each venue's weekly peak between 6 PM and 4 AM, 92% of venues reach at least 70% of their own peak, and 66% of venues have their busiest night of the week on Saturday.
What time do bars get busy in London?
Early. The average London venue peaks at 6 PM on Saturday and at 7 PM from Tuesday to Friday. Busyness then eases through the evening and falls away after 10 PM.
What is the best weeknight to go out in London?
Thursday. It is the busiest weeknight, averaging 35%, and its 7 PM peak of 70% matches Friday's. 65% of venues are lively on a Thursday.
When do clubs get busy in London?
Venues listed as clubs peak at 11 PM on Friday and Saturday. Saturday is the main night, with 88% of them lively and 77% having it as their busiest night.
Is London nightlife busy on a Tuesday?
Moderately. Tuesday averages 25% and peaks at 7 PM, and 35% of venues reach 70% of their peak. Only 1% of venues have Tuesday as their busiest night.
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