Where Are the Concert After Parties in London? Clubs and Timing

When a big hip-hop, RnB or Afrobeats act plays London, the night usually carries on in the West End. The concert after parties that draw artists and their crews are concentrated in three clubs: Tape on Hanover Square in Mayfair, Reign on Piccadilly and Cirque le Soir on Ganton Street in Soho. We arrange entry to all three every week, and the questions we get around big shows are almost always the same: which club is open that night, how to get there from the arena, and how to actually get in once the after party is announced.

The three clubs at a glance

On Friday and Saturday nights Little Tape, the room next door to Tape at the same address, carries on from 3am to 5:30am, so a night that starts at a stadium can end there.

How concert after parties actually work

There are two kinds, and it helps to know which one you are chasing.

• Announced after parties. The club and its promoters publicise that an artist will host or appear after their show. These are the nights that fill first: the guestlist closes early and tables go days ahead.
• Unannounced appearances. An artist and their entourage simply turn up after the show, often with a table arranged at short notice. Nobody outside the club knows in advance, so you are relying on being in the right room on the right night.

Either way, nothing is guaranteed. Artists change plans, run late or go elsewhere, and a club cannot promise an appearance. We never sell a night on the basis that a particular person will be there, and you should be wary of anyone who does. Treat an appearance as a bonus on a good club night, not the reason the night works.

Match your gig night to the club's open nights

The single most common mistake is planning a Thursday after party at a club that does not open on Thursdays. Check the night before anything else:

Friday and Saturday give you all three, which is why the busiest after parties land on weekend shows. For midweek gigs, the choice narrows to one or two rooms, and those rooms get correspondingly busier. If a club opens for a one-off event outside its usual nights, it will be announced; until it is, assume the regular schedule.

Getting from The O2 or Wembley to the West End

London's two biggest concert venues, The O2 at North Greenwich and Wembley, are both on the Jubilee line, which stops at Bond Street and Green Park, each a short walk from Mayfair and Piccadilly. On Friday and Saturday the Jubilee line runs all night, as Time Out reported when the Jubilee Night Tube returned, which makes weekend shows the easiest to follow with a club. On other nights, check the last trains before you set off, and budget for a taxi home rather than relying on the Tube after the club closes.

Expect the stations nearest the arena to be crowded straight after the show. Many people leave during the encore to beat the rush; if you are heading on to a club, that is a real trade-off worth deciding in advance.

Timing: when to arrive

Doors open at 11pm at all three clubs. Arena shows finish late in the evening, and a large share of the audience heads into the West End at the same moment, so arriving straight from the gig puts you at the door at the busiest point of the night. Our guidance:

• On the guestlist: arrive as early as you can after doors. Guestlists close earlier on announced nights, and capacity can pause the door entirely. Our guide to arrival times covers how the first hour works.
• With a table: you have more room to arrive later, but confirm the latest arrival time when you reserve, because tables that sit empty on a sold-out night can be released.
• If the artist is due later: appearances, when they happen, tend to come well after the show has ended. Getting in early and staying is far more reliable than trying to arrive at the moment the artist does.

Getting in on a concert night

The guestlist at Tape, Reign and Cirque le Soir is reserved for ladies, so men, and mixed groups with more men than women, should plan on a table. On announced after party nights the list is smaller and fills sooner; a table is the dependable way in for any group. Our London guestlist guide explains how lists are run.

The dress code does not relax because you have come from a concert. All three clubs ask for smart, elegant clothing, so tour merchandise, tracksuits and worn trainers will not get past the door. If you are going straight from the arena, dress for the club rather than the gig and leave bags at home where you can. The full detail is in our London club dress code guide.

Related guides

For after parties more generally, see our guide to the best after parties in London, and for the celebrity side of the scene, where to find celebrity after parties in London. Opening and closing times for every venue we work with are in when do clubs in London open and close.

Planning a night after a show

Tell us the date of the gig, your group size and which club you would like, and we will confirm whether it is open that night, whether an after party has been announced and the best way in. Start with our London nightclub bookings page or get in touch.