First time in London: where to start
Whether you're new to all of this or just new to London, the order is the same: a munch, then a class, then a party when you're ready. Here is each step with the real places and their next dates.
Go to a munch. Nothing needed.
A clothes-on social in a public place. Turn up, buy a drink, say it's your first time. This is where you find out what's actually on, and who runs it well.
The groups that run things here
- London Alternative Market (LAM) · Monthly, first Sunday, 12-6pm market then afterparty from 7pm; next 2026-10-04
Take a class. Drop-ins are normal.
Rope and skills studios are used to strangers and sell single-class tickets online. A beginners' class is the easiest first evening, and the people in it are at your stage.
- Anatomie Studio · Discover Shibari Course 1Peckham, London · says newcomers welcome
The UK's first dedicated shibari (Japanese rope bondage) studio, in a railway arch in Peckham. It runs weekly beginner jams, open rope jams, the weekend Discover Shibari course series and improver and advanced worksho…
Their site ↗ (opens in a new tab) - Rope Jam Studio · Foundations 1Tottenham / South Tottenham, London · says newcomers welcome
A kinbaku and shibari studio in Tottenham with weekly Kinbaku Foundations classes for beginners and improvers, a Thursday open studio jam, weekend intensives and specialist labs. It also hosts rope socials, queer and…
Their site ↗ (opens in a new tab)
A party, when you're ready. Start this early.
Most parties want a membership, an orientation or a vetting chat booked days or weeks ahead, and many sell out. Read each one's rules on their own site, and go to your first with no plan to play.
- Klub Verboten · London partiesHackney Wick, London · membership, orientation or vetting first
A BDSM and fetish play-party series running since 2016, currently held in a warehouse at 92-94 Wallis Road in Hackney Wick, with sister events in Berlin, Manchester and Warsaw. Entry needs a ticket plus vetting: becom…
Their site ↗ (opens in a new tab) - BiZarre Events (BiKINK, Club LABRYS, SAVAGE Dreams) · BiKINKEast London (venue announced per party), London
A London production company running alternative play parties since 2012: BiKINK for bi and kink-curious people of all genders, Club LABRYS for women, SAVAGE Dreams for couples and PisSoir. Parties are held at a centra…
Their site ↗ (opens in a new tab) - Torture Garden · Halloween Balls ScalaKing's Cross / Islington (venues vary), London · membership, orientation or vetting first
The long-running London fetish and kink club night, held roughly monthly at large venues such as Scala in King's Cross, Electrowerkz in Islington and Fire in Vauxhall. Nights have dancefloors, performances and supervi…
Their site ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Before you go
- Munches need nothing
- A munch is a clothes-on social in a public place. Turn up, buy a drink, say you're visiting. It is the fastest way to find out what's actually on that week.
- Parties need lead time
- Most play parties want a membership, an orientation or a vetting chat booked days or weeks ahead, and many sell out. Start that before you travel, not after you land.
- Dress codes are real
- Fetish club nights turn people away at the door for ordinary clothes. Read the code on the event page and pack for it.
- Classes welcome drop-ins
- Rope and skills studios are used to visitors and usually sell single-class tickets online. A beginners' class is the easiest first night in a new city.
What is a munch?
What happens at one, the ground rules, and why it is where reputations live.
What is a play party?
How you get in, what a dungeon monitor does, and how to spend your first one.
Staying private
Keeping this separate from work and family.
Need gear or a dress-code outfit before a night out? Regulation, Skin Two Waterloo (formerly Honour).