East London on a Shoestring
Entertainment & Nightlife
Cinemas
thefilmworks UCI
Bugsby Way,
SE10
Tel: 0870 010 2030
Tube: North Greenwich
A dramatic circular-shaped cinema housing 14 screens showing latest releases. For an indulgent night out, book seats in The Gallery allowing access to a special Gallery Bar.
UCI West India Quay
Hertsmere Road, E14
Tel: 0871 200 2000
DLR: West India Quay
UGC leads the field in terms of the range of films we screen at our cinemas, giving smaller independent films equal billing alongside large Hollywood releases. We also offer a wide choice of tickets
that represent outstanding value for money to its customers – including the Early Bird and UGC Kids.
The Boleyn Cinema
Barking Road, E13
Tel: 020 8471 4884
Tube/Rail: Upton Park
This popular cinema shows the latest Bollywood movies. Although not all films are subtitled, it is worth going along for the singing and dancing. The experience is totally different to a mainstream British cinema and you'll come out feeling happy.
Lee Hurst's Backyard Comedy Club
231-237 Cambridge Heath Road, E2
Tel: +44 (0)20 7739 3122
Tube: Bethnal Green
A converted textile factory, now home to a popular comedy club owned by comedian Lee Hurst, who often acts as compere. Unusually, the bar closes when the acts are on stage to avoid distractions for the performers. Experience a complete night out here as there is also a restaurant and a disco after the show.
Jongleurs
221 Grove Road, E3
Tube: Mile End
Tel: +44 (0)870 787 0707
'Eat, drink, laugh, dance' is the slogan for this UK wide chain of comedy clubs. The chain has catapulted many comedians to household name status and it continues to present the best in stand-up and variety style comedy. Food is available as well as a late bar and dancing until 0200.
Up the Creek
302 Creek Road, SE10
Tel: +44 (0)20 8858 4581
Tube/Rail: Greenwich
A popular, intimate comedy venue serving Greenwich's laughter lovers, benefiting from an eclectic mix of new comers and household names. The bar closes during acts, perhaps to quell the boisterous locals, but opens late. And the after show disco gives everyone the opportunity to make up for any lost drinking time.
Theatre Royal Stratford East
G
Tel: +44 (0)20 8534 7374
Comedy nights at the Theatre Royal Bar are proving to be quite a hit with audiences and comedians alike. If you haven’t seen one before, come early and secure a seat before the line-up gets under way at
There are many great festivals in east London like the Spitalfields Summer 
and Winter Festivals, the internationally-renowned Greenwich and Docklands International Festival, Deptford X, the Baishaki Mela, Greenwich Riverfront Jazz Festival and the Brick Lane Festival. For more information, please visit our Arts and Festivals page .
Visit our events listing on our home page for a full list of east London events, where you can also subscribe to our free events newsletter to receive seasonal highlights on what's on.
London 's first purpose built contemporary music venue is Ocean in Hackney, with three different spaces of varying sizes and six bars. The gigs cover all musical genres including blues, classical, country, reggae, jazz, rap and rock.
Cargo is fast making a name for itself in ultra-trendy Hoxton. Set against an urban décor of stripped-down natural materials and bare bricks, the up-for-it crowd have turned out in force for superstar DJs and hip bands. The 1 o’clock finish makes it the ideal pre-club venue… if you can tear yourself away.
Hot on the heels of the Hoxton scene, Brick Lane is metamorphasising into the place to hang out. And Vibe Bar has got it all: cool venue, innovative DJs, film showings, Sunday lunches, weekend late opening and a chilled out kind of crowd.
For cutting edge, cross genre music from 
around the world head to the Spitz in Spitalfields Market, where good all round sight lines and an intimate candle-lit atmosphere make it a unique and warm space to see a diverse range of music - world, beats, indie, jazz, avant and electronica.
The Palm Tree in the strange new post apocalyptic Mile End Millennium Park is well worth a visit. A haunt for traditional East Enders and students who enjoy live jazz at the weekend and love to show their vocal talent. The Carpenter’s Arms is also a traditional East End pub with live music on Friday and Saturday nights.
New Cross might not seem the obvious choice for a music expedition, but it's fast becoming the new Shoreditch, with dance, theatre and music on tap. The Paradise Bar has a long history as a place of entertainment and drinking and is a regular haunt of London’s thriving musicians and music fans community. Legends such as Charlie Chaplin, Kate Bush and Dire Straits have appeared here. It's has a friendly atmosphere, late drinking at pub prices, events, parties, DJs, live bands and music to suit all tastes, from blues to reggae to jazz funk and there is a salsa dance class on Mondays .
The Amersham Arms is one of the best if not the best regular live music venues in SE London, with acoustic acts in the bar and new bands out back - on a Friday its known as the Catapult Club (£6 gets you in for 3 quality bands, acoustic support and a decent DJ) and on a Saturday it becomes The Gig. The Marquis of Granby deals with locals and Goldsmiths students while the Rose Inn has a name for good ale. The Goldsmiths Tavern rivals the Amersham for live entertainment and it’s a good jumping off point for the Venue (see Clubs paragraph).
For something a little different head to the Woodman in Lewisham on a Sunday night from 9pm for its long standing Traditional Irish Music Session: Jigs, Reels, Hornpipes and polkas eclectically played on fiddle, banjo, flute and guitar. Or if you're in the mood for spinning a few tune, you can sign up to DJ on a sunday evenings at the Fox and Firkin.
For a list of pubs and clubs in the Lewisham area, please download the following file (*.xls) by clicking here.
Cool bars and clubs can be found throughout London from the student-filled New Cross through to super trendy Hoxton and Shoreditch. Lots of bars double up as clubs in the evening with guest DJs and a wide range of music to suit all tastes.
For chart classics to disco gems and live tribute bands, The Venue has long been a favourite of New Cross locals and the large Goldsmiths College student population with six clubs in one.
93 Feet East, is a cracking music venue on London’s hippest street, Brick Lane, a bar come club with three brightly decorated rooms as well as a roof terrace – perfect for summer evenings. Offering some of the best music nights in East London, this bar is well worth a visit. Plenty of funky lighting affects to amaze and amuse the regular punter, lots of seating (with cushions!) in the main bar area. This place gets very packed on the weekends.
Taking an anti super-club stance, 333 has long sought to represent the non-commercial face of London's club-land, with an emphasis on good music and good fun. Popular with bohemian Shoreditch artisans and students alike, 333 is one of East London's most credible venues and offers a brazen mishmash of disparate sounds and styles. And nearby Herbal is a very popular venue in a converted warehouse so be sure to get there early. Guest DJs spin jazzy Drum 'n' Bass tunes on a Friday night.
The Shoreditch Electricity Showroom is s situated in highly fashionable Hoxton and as the name implies, this is a former electricity showroom. On the ground level there is a large bar leading through to a restaurant and downstairs is a 1970s feel club.
There are also smaller R'n'B clubs, Le Fez nightclub on Lewisham Way, Scenarios on New Cross Road and The South Pole in Greenwich.
Find out about some of our most happening areas and how to find them. The booklet London's Eastside 24 hour takes you on a 24-hour journey through one of the most exciting and
undiscovered parts of London. This insider’s guide gives you the best eating, drinking,
shopping, walking and sleeping to be had on London eastside. To request your free copy, visit our 'Contact Us' page.
