Brought to you by Jameson Irish Whiskey
Hanging out with your best mates is important. Just chilling out with your friends, chewing the fat, joking around. Male friendship is something special, but as we get older, responsibilities and life get in the way. It becomes harder and harder to find to the time to just hang.
Not only that, you end up doing the same old things, over and over again, mindlessly going through the motions.
So that’s why we’ve teamed with Jameson Irish Whiskey to suggest some fancy versions of old favourite activities that you can do with your best mate.
Instead of a video games night… go to an arcade bar
You’ve probably been doing this since you were kids, firing up the Xbox or PlayStation, and then just blasting through a load of games. Maybe you have a mammoth FIFA session. Maybe you dig out the N64 and go retro. But instead of just staying at home and ordering food, why not go to one of the many cool video game-themed bars that have opened across the country?
Our tip: Loading Bar (London and Brighton). This chain of gaming bars have four locations so far. Each has their own set up, but all of them have a host of modern and classic video game consoles available to play, along with arcade cabinets, board games and regular events.
Instead of watching the footy in the local… go to a football-themed bar
On a Saturday, you head down to the same pub you always go to for the 12.30pm kickoff, follow through to Soccer Saturday, then onto the 5.30pm game. Same old, same old. Why not go somewhere a bit different?
Our tip: Bar Kick (East London). Located in the heart of East London’s trendy Shoreditch, you can probably tell by the name that they quite like football here. Not only do they have 60 and 80 inch TVs on each floor, there is also a load of Fussball tables so you can get competitive after the final whistle.
Instead of a quick nine holes… Swingers
Someone once said that “Golf is a good walk ruined”. Quite frankly that person was an idiot. Golf is great. But as we hit the winter months and the rain tips down, why not try somewhere, y’know, indoors? You’ve probably noticed the recent trend of fancy crazy golf venues opening in cities across the UK, that ditch the downmarket vibes for cocktails and glitzy interior design. You should check them out.
Our tip: Swingers (two venues in London). Recreating the faded glamour of a 1920s golf club, Swingers offers four nine-hole crazy courses across two locations, as well as street food, and nightly DJs.
Instead of just catching a movie… go to an experiential screening
Sure, you could just go to your local multiplex, and just put up with sticky floors, overpriced stale popcorn, and the atmospheric, everpresent glow of the other patrons phones. Or, you could go to a screening that takes cinema out of the cinema. A screening of Jaws at a swimming pool. Night of the Living Dead in a cemetery. Even just an outdoor or rooftop screening – go and experience a classic in a strange, new location.
Our tip: Secret Cinema (Locations vary). Secret Cinema is pretty much the originators of the current trend for experiential screenings. They host elaborate events where they bring the world of the movie to life, at secret locations with actual live actors playing bit parts. They run various screening throughout the year, so keep an eye out – tickets go quick.
Instead of darts in the pub… social darts
Your local might have a battered old dart board. And a set of blunt darts behind the bar, that you can chuck at it. But much like how we earlier said that minigolf has been reinvented for the 21st century, so has the humble sport of darts, with trendy new venues offering a new oche to step up to.
Our tip: Flight Club (London and Manchester). Flight Club offer what they call “Social Darts”. Essentially, their locations give you fully automated dart boards that total up your score on-screen – no more chalkboards – and will even bring you drinks and food straight to the oche.
