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Birthday Experiences

Birthday Experiences

Nobody remembers the birthday that brought them more stuff that ends up in the attic. They remember the evening they ended up at a Cabaret night at The Phoenix — chaos, three courses and comedy — with no idea it would be that good. The Sunday afternoon spent pulling clay on a wheel in Stoke Newington, discovering a latent talent nobody had predicted. The Taco Hunt through Shoreditch that turned into a three-hour argument about who was better at solving puzzles.
Experiences make better birthday gifts because they make better stories. 118 of them here, all handpicked, all open-dated, most tried and tested before they made the cut.

Who is the Gift For

137 experiences

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best birthday experience gifts in London?

The ones that feel considered rather than convenient. The Cheese Afternoon Tea on the Barge is our most viewed and chosen Experience gifts over the last 5 years, and now it has a sister venue in Camden in the old Stables market – Pick & Cheese from £39. Come to the Cabaret at The Phoenix is a full evening of live cabaret, comedy and three courses; the birthday night out that becomes the standard everything else is measured against, from £110. Hot Tub Boat in London Docklands is a self-drive hot tub on the water for two; impractical, brilliant, from £149. And the Faulty Towers Dining Experience — three courses of spectacular, shambolic chaos will put a lot of smiles on a lot of faces.

What are the best creative birthday gifts?

The ones that send them home with something they made. The Abstract Art Class with Georgie Mason is a painting workshop at Stepney City Farm with an award-winning artist. BYOB wine, studio doors open onto the animals, from £89. The Wild Life Drawing for Two brings real animals into a studio and teaches you to draw them properly with a professional illustrator, from £88. Marble Wheel Pottery Class produces ceramic pieces marbled through the clay itself, from £59. And the Natural Perfume & Scent Workshop lets you blend two perfumes in a Shoreditch studio and leave with both — from £69.

What are the most unusual birthday gifts?

Taco Hunt in East London — a scavenger hunt through Shoreditch with tacos as the prize at each clue — is genuinely one of the most joyful afternoons on the site, £109. Frameless: An Immersive Art Experience and 2-Course Lunch steps you inside iconic masterpieces — genuinely disorienting in the best possible way — followed by a proper two course lunch, £139. Dabbers Bingo Bottomless Brunch is exactly what it sounds like and significantly more enjoyable than it has any right to be, from £40. And Chai, Charlie and Prosecco with the Colonel is a wildly original Indian and continental afternoon tea, from £84.

What are the best birthday gifts for an escape from London?

Great British Vineyard Expedition in Kent is a guided day through English vineyards with rolling hills and award-winning wines, from £159. Or, spend two nights Camping in Comfort in Kent in a private luxury tipi under properly dark skies, a seriously expensive Experience for those seriously important Celebrations. Bethnal and Bec is similarly for those who think, and book, for big birthdays — hot tubs, exceptional food and a no-Sunday-checkout policy, from £275. At a more affordable level, Picnic Cruise on the River in Oxford with a wicker hamper, punts, meadows and dreaming spires, from £69.

What are the best birthday gifts under £50?

Oastbrook Vineyard Tour and Tasting in East Sussex — guided tour, cheese, wine and Sussex sunshine — starts from £45. If you want to improve your craft skills, then Become an Origami Master for Two is £44 and far more absorbing than expected. Hackney Wick Brewery Tour with Joe, who knows every inch of London’s best craft beer neighbourhood, starts from £44. Pancakes and Cocktails Bankside Day Date is a self-guided neighbourhood trail with the best pancakes in London for sweet-toothed punters. And Shape, Batter and Roll hand-building pottery is from £35 — no wheel, all hands, full fun.

Do I need to book a date when buying a birthday experience gift?

No — all our experiences are sold as open-dated vouchers. The recipient registers at usemygift.indytute.com and chooses their date directly with the host when they’re ready. Vouchers are valid for 12 months from purchase. And if the birthday boy/girl/person person would rather choose their own experience entirely, our Super Voucher gives them free run of the whole site. On a birthday, that’s often the best gift of all.