August arrives tomorrow! The sun is (hopefully) shining and there’s buckets of sand in the capital. If you and your date can’t face the sweaty train rip to Brighton, or another nearby beach, fret not, because there’s plenty of seaside fun to be had much nearer to home. Here is our round-up of London’s perfect pop-up beaches.
Ready? Take me to my beach…
Running until August 23, Camden Roundhouse’s urban beach is back for a fourth summer. You can expect armchairs, sun loungers, beach huts, ping pong, and a great sound system to boot. With 150 tonnes of sand, take your flip flops, bucket, spade and sunnies and enjoy! There is also a host of pop-up restaurants and bars including fish and chips from Fishy Business, a Stoli lemonade van and Rum Shack-A-Lack, for fine rum cocktails. Free to visit, it tends to get busy, so arrive early!
Did you think Brent Cross was just for bending your credit card on some new clobber? Wrong! Open every day from 12noon to 10pm until September 2, this beach claims to be the biggest-ever urban beach with over 250 tonnes of sand, 100 palm trees and a paddling area. There are Punch and Judy shows, a long flume, helter skelter and a roller coaster. You and your date can sit back and enjoy a drink at the Tiki-style Pimm’s bar or tuck into fish and chips. And if you get bored of the beach – there are 120 shops just around the corner!
Running until August 31, the JW3 Jewish Centre on Finchley Road is hosting its own beach, with entertainment for all. With a series of special events, it is also open on most days so you can drop in, find a deck chair, build your best sand castle and listen to some tunes. There’s an on-site café and bar, Zest for refreshments!
Open all year round Bishop’s Park in Fulham is based on a beach that existed in Edwardian times. Brought back to life in 2012 after an £8million restoration programme, this is a fabulous place to go to chill out with your date and top up your tan. Less busy and hectic than other urban beaches in London, you can take your own picnic (or buy food from the local café) and kick back.
Running until August 30 and open every day from 10am to 8pm, Royal Victoria Dock is also hosting an enormous urban beach for the third year running. Sitting directly beneath the Emirates Cable Car, this stretch of beach is a great place to admire the iconic skyline, while tucking into an ice cream lying back on your deckchair!
Fancy a sandcastle competition? Then head to Beach East at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park this August. With a funfair, lots and lots of sand, food, sports, music and two beach bars, there is plenty of date-friendly features here to enjoy. There is also a programme of live performances, competitions and sports events. This event runs until August 31.
This community space in East Croydon will be taken over by a large sandy beach, until September 7. As always there is a live music acts on the Buskin’ Ruskin’ stage, the World Food market selling street food from Thursdays and a hosts of other events to enjoy, including ping pong table tennis.
The Festival of Love @ Southbank Centre
The Festival of Love is back at the Southbank Centre this year until August 31. Featuring installations activities, pop-ups and performances, there is absolutely loads to see and do here, including the Big Wedding Weekend, which will see mass ceremonies in which couples may wed, renew their vows or convert their civil partnership into marriage. Along with the urban beach, there will be a range of food pop-ups on sit, selling everything from American craft beer and New York-style burgers to cocktails and oysters.
Will you be heading to the beach? Tell us @lovestruck
Enjoy these date ideas? You may also like: Top 5 Dates For Young At Heart Singles!
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