3x Fun activities in London for couples

Right, so you've got a date night coming up and you're staring at your phone thinking, right, where are we actually going then? Not another dinner where you sit across from each other, run out of things to say by the starter, and end up scrolling through your phones before dessert arrives. No thank you.

London is absolutely bursting with fun nights out for couples, actually memorable, and actually give you something to talk about. So we've rounded up three of our favourites, starting obviously with our own little gem, because honestly, we're not going to pretend we don't think it's the best option on this list.

First Up: Come Make a Candle With Us (and Drink Something Lovely)

We know, we know. You're reading "candle making" and thinking that sounds like something your auntie does on a Sunday afternoon with a cup of tea and a crafting magazine. But honestly, hear us out, because our workshops are genuinely one of the best things you can do on a date in this city and we say that with full confidence and zero shame.

Here's what a night with us actually looks like. You and your date walk in, the place smells incredible, there's a drink in your hand within minutes, and you've got a proper activity to do together rather than just sitting there performing conversation at each other. The candle making itself is so much more satisfying than people expect. You're choosing your wax, picking your wicks, blending your fragrance, pouring, chatting, laughing when something goes slightly wrong, and the whole time you're actually just... connecting. It's a genuinely lovely way to spend an evening.

Now, summer. Can we talk about summer for a second? We are so obsessed with our summer scent collection right now and we think you should be too. There's something so magical about choosing a scent together that captures a moment in time. Think about it, you go on this date, you have the best night, you make this candle together, and then you take it home and every single time you light it, you're right back there. The smell of warm evenings, fresh air, something citrusy or floral or whatever combination makes you both go "yes, that's the one." Summer scents have this wonderful quality of feeling nostalgic even when the memory is brand new.

Some of the summer fragrances we're working with at the moment include things like sun-warmed linen, fresh fig, sea salt and driftwood, wild jasmine, and that gorgeous warm amber that makes everything feel a bit golden and soft. You come in, you smell everything, you debate with your date about which ones you love, and then you make something completely unique to you. A date night you can actually bring home and keep. We think that's pretty special.

On the cocktail side of things, we've curated a small but very good selection of art-inspired drinks that pair beautifully with the workshop experience. We're talking things like a Monet Blue, a blueberry and elderflower number that's light and floral and honestly looks like a painting in a glass. There's our Van Gogh Sunset which is all passionfruit and mango with a gorgeous gradient that changes as you drink it, definitely an 'ooh look at this' moment if you're looking to impress. We've also got our Botanical Garden, a gin-based cocktail with cucumber, mint and a hint of rose that tastes like standing in a really beautiful garden on a warm evening. Nobody is going home sober but nobody is going home having had a bad time either.

The whole vibe is relaxed and creative and genuinely fun. It's not intimidating, you don't need to have any experience, and our team are brilliant at making everyone feel welcome. Whether it's a first date (bold move, excellent choice) or you've been together for years and fancy doing something different, this is the one. Book it. You won't regret it.

Book Candle Making at Art Play

Option Two: Experimental Cocktails at Lyaness

Okay so if the two of you are proper cocktail people, people who actually read menus thoroughly and want to talk about what's in the glass, then you need to go to Lyaness. It sits inside Sea Containers London on the South Bank and it's one of those bars that feels genuinely special the moment you walk in. The views over the Thames are stunning, the interior is all warm tones and moody lighting, and the whole thing has an atmosphere that does a lot of heavy lifting on the romance front before you've even sat down.

What makes Lyaness different from your average cocktail bar is the ingredient-led approach. Rather than a traditional menu, they build their drinks around a handful of unique house-made ingredients each season, things they've developed themselves, ferments and infusions and extracts you've genuinely never encountered before. This means pretty much everything on the menu is something you have never tasted anywhere else on earth. That gives you and your date something proper to talk about, to discover together, which is exactly what you want from a night out.

The staff are knowledgeable without being snobby about it, which is so important. Nothing kills a date vibe faster than a bartender making you feel stupid for asking what something is. At Lyaness they love talking about the drinks and they're happy to guide you through it, so even if you're not a cocktail expert you'll leave feeling like you've learned something interesting. Expect to spend a few hours there without even noticing the time passing. It's that kind of place.

Worth booking ahead especially if you want a good spot, and getting there around sunset for the river view is very much the move.

Option Three: Swingers Crazy Golf

Right, for the date where you want to actually do something and you've both got competitive spirits and you want to end the night having had a genuinely brilliant laugh, Swingers Crazy Golf is your answer. There are two sites in London, one in the City and one near Oxford Circus, and both of them are exactly the sort of place where you walk in not sure what to expect and leave absolutely buzzing.

The setup is brilliantly done. You've got these beautifully designed crazy golf courses running through the venue, street food from rotating vendors, and a full cocktail and drinks menu so you can sip on something good while you pretend to take your putting game very seriously. The whole thing is styled beautifully, sort of like a whimsical 1920s country club, and it manages to feel genuinely fun without being tacky which is harder to pull off than it sounds.

The competitive element is honestly one of the best things about it for a date. You learn a lot about someone through how they react to losing a round of crazy golf and the teasing that goes back and forth across the course makes for brilliant conversation and a lot of laughing. It's naturally interactive in a way that dinner just isn't, and by the time you're on hole nine and someone's had three shots to get out of a windmill, you're both howling and the date is going brilliantly.

It gets busy so booking is definitely recommended, but once you're in you can take your time and make a proper night of it. Grab a cocktail, eat some street food between holes, and enjoy the fact that you're doing something genuinely memorable rather than just another sit-down-and-stare-at-each-other evening.

So There You Have It

Three date nights, all properly good, all actually London-worthy and definitley fun activities in London for couples. Obviously we think you should start with us and our candle making workshop because we're a little bit biased and also because we genuinely think there's nothing quite like spending an evening being creative together, drinking something gorgeous, and going home with a summer scent you made with your own hands that'll remind you of this exact night every time you light it. That's a love language right there, honestly.

Check our upcoming workshop dates and grab your spot before someone else does. Summer evenings in London with candles, cocktails and creativity? Genuinely cannot think of anything better.