Activity bars in London
Ping Pong in London
Two ways to play in London: book a table at a ping pong bar like Bounce or Bat & Ball, or grab a free public table at spots like Coal Drops Yard and Merchant Square. Here is where to go, what it costs and how to skip the queue.
70 venues, 38 freeBat & Ball Stratford
Visit & book →Bounce (Farringdon)
Visit & book →Bounce (Old Street)
Visit & book →Bounce (Old Street) Shoreditch
Visit & book →Bounce (Battersea Power Station)
Visit & book →BrewDog Waterloo
Visit & book →FunHouse Croydon
Visit & book →BOXPARK Wembley
Visit & book →Table Tennis Fight Club (King's Cross)
Visit & book →Table Tennis Fight Club (King's Cross) Somers Town
Visit & book →Table Tennis Fight Club (Bermondsey)
Visit & book →Fusion Table Tennis Club South Bermondsey
Visit & book →NET Table Tennis Centre Ealing
Visit & book →NET Table Tennis Centre Brentford
Visit & book →Moberly Table Tennis Club Kilburn
Visit & book →Moberly Table Tennis Club Queen's Park
Visit & book →Ping! London (Table Tennis England pop-up tables) various
Visit & book →King's Cross / Coal Drops Yard outdoor tables
Visit & book →The Miller London Bridge
Visit & book →The King's Head (Islington)
Baranis Covent Garden
Baranis Holborn
Baranis Chancery Lane
Hackney Ping Pong Society
Visit & book →The Bermondsey Bierkeller London Bridge
Visit & book →Bounce Ping Pong (London) Old Street
Visit & book →Bat & Ball (London) Westfield Stratford
Visit & book →The Wapping Tavern
Bounce Ping Pong Farringdon
Visit & book →Krazy Karts (Bermondsey Bierkeller) London Bridge
Visit & book →Bat & Ball (Westfield Stratford)
Visit & book →Coal Drops Yard (viaduct level, outside UNIQLO)
Get directions →Merchant Square (canalside, Waterside House)
Get directions →Whittington Park
Get directions →Burgess Park
Get directions →Brockwell Park (by Brockwell Lido)
Get directions →Parliament Hill, Hampstead Heath (T3 round table)
Get directions →Soho Square Gardens
Get directions →Clapham Common
Get directions →Victoria Park
Get directions →London Fields
Get directions →Haggerston Park
Get directions →Shoreditch Park
Get directions →Finsbury Park
Get directions →Southwark Park
Get directions →Paternoster Square
Get directions →Whitehall Gardens (Victoria Embankment)
Get directions →Fred Perry Hyde Park (Will to Win Sports Centre)
Get directions →Arundel Square
Get directions →Barnard Park
Get directions →Caledonian Park
Get directions →Highbury Fields
Get directions →Paradise Park
Get directions →Rosemary Gardens
Get directions →Tufnell Park Playing Fields
Get directions →Wray Crescent Open Space
Get directions →Cornwallis Park (Cornwallis Square)
Get directions →The Miller
Get directions →The Doodle Bar
Get directions →The Crooked Billet
Get directions →The Heathcote & Star
Get directions →Queen of Hoxton
Get directions →King's Head
Get directions →Wapping Tavern
Get directions →Bat & Ball
Visit & book →Mile End Park (Ping! outdoor table)
Get directions →Millwall Park (Ping! outdoor table)
Get directions →Valetta Grove (Ping! outdoor table)
Get directions →Hill Court Estate (Ping! outdoor table)
Get directions →People's Corner (Ping! outdoor table)
Get directions →Where to play ping pong in London
London splits neatly into two camps: social ping pong bars where the table is part of a night out, and free public tables you just walk up to. On the paid side, Bounce is the obvious starting point, with venues at Old Street and Farringdon built around bookable tables, cocktails and food. Bat & Ball is the other big social-play name, a buzzy bar setup where the table tennis sits alongside drinks and a proper night-out atmosphere.
If you want to play without paying a penny, London has a surprisingly good spread of free outdoor and public tables. Coal Drops Yard at King's Cross has tables on the viaduct level (you borrow the bats and balls from the UNIQLO nearby), Merchant Square in Paddington keeps several tables out with no booking needed, and park tables at Whittington Park and Burgess Park are open whenever you turn up.
Use the map and venue cards above to see what is closest to you right now and whether it is a paid bar or a free table. The list below is the short version of what is actually worth your time.
What it costs and how booking works
At the bar venues, you pay for the table by the slot rather than per game. Bounce starts from around 6 pounds per person and runs sessions in 30 and 60 minute blocks, with prices stepping up in the evenings and at weekends when demand is highest. Bat & Ball works on a similar table-hire model.
Booking is the safe move for both. Walk-ins are welcome at Bounce, but on busy evenings you can be waiting a while for a table to free up, and Bat & Ball gets packed enough that turning up unbooked on a Friday or Saturday is a gamble. If you have a fixed time or a group, reserve ahead. Midweek and daytime are far easier for walking straight in.
The free tables cost nothing and never need booking. They run on a first-come basis, so popular spots like Coal Drops Yard can have a short queue on a sunny weekend, but you are never paying or reserving.
Free ping pong: the public and outdoor tables
London's free tables are mostly part of the Ping! scheme that puts permanent outdoor tables in parks and public squares. Coal Drops Yard is the standout for a central, all-weather option, with covered tables in the Granary area and bats and balls lent out by the neighbouring shop. Merchant Square in Paddington keeps multiple tables out with bats available and no booking, which makes it an easy lunchtime or after-work spot.
For park play, Whittington Park has tables that are reasonably sheltered from the wind and sit near a water fountain and toilets, while Burgess Park's tables are over by the tennis courts close to the Camberwell Road entrance amid its 56 acres of green space.
One thing to plan for: outdoor tables can be wet after rain and the concrete-style surfaces play differently from an indoor bar table. Bring your own bats and balls if you can, since shared kit is not guaranteed at every site.
Best for groups, dates and work dos
For birthdays, work socials and bigger groups, the bar venues earn their fee. Bounce is geared for it, with the capacity and the drinks-and-food package that keeps a group entertained for a couple of hours, and Bat & Ball brings the louder, later, DJ-on-the-weekend energy that suits a team night out. Both take group bookings, which is the only sane way to guarantee tables for more than a few people.
For a date or a casual catch-up, the free tables are honestly hard to beat. Coal Drops Yard pairs ping pong with cafes and bars right there, and Merchant Square gives you a relaxed waterside game with zero pressure and zero cost. They are low-stakes, easy to bail from, and you can move on to food or drinks straight after.
A note on age limits at the bar venues: Bounce welcomes under-18s before 6pm Monday to Saturday and all day Sunday, with any under-18 needing an adult over 21 with them. If you are bringing kids, aim for a daytime slot. The free public tables have no age restriction at all.
Getting around by area
Central and east London cover most of the social-play options. Bounce Old Street sits right by Old Street station in the Shoreditch fringe, and Bounce Farringdon is a short walk from Farringdon on the Elizabeth line and Thameslink, making both easy to reach for an after-work game. Bat & Ball lands you in the buzzier bar territory for a full night out.
For free tables, King's Cross is your central hub: Coal Drops Yard is a couple of minutes from King's Cross St Pancras. Merchant Square sits just behind Paddington station, handy if you are coming in from the west or off the Heathrow line. South of the river, Burgess Park is the pick around Camberwell and Walworth, while Whittington Park serves the Archway and Holloway side of north London.
Filter the map above by area to see only what is near you, and check the venue cards for whether each spot is a paid booking or a free walk-up before you head out.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I play ping pong in London?
You can play at social ping pong bars like Bounce (Old Street and Farringdon) and Bat & Ball, or for free at public tables including Coal Drops Yard at King's Cross, Merchant Square in Paddington, Whittington Park and Burgess Park. The bars are paid and bookable; the public tables are free and walk-up. Use the map above to find the closest to you.
Where can I play ping pong in London for free?
There are free outdoor and public tables across London, mostly run through the Ping! scheme. The best central options are Coal Drops Yard at King's Cross (borrow bats and balls from the UNIQLO there) and Merchant Square in Paddington, which keeps several tables out with no booking. For park play, try Whittington Park or Burgess Park near the Camberwell Road entrance. All are free and need no reservation.
How much does it cost to play ping pong at Bounce?
Bounce charges by the table slot, starting from around 6 pounds per person, with sessions sold in 30 and 60 minute blocks. Prices step up in the evenings and at weekends when it is busiest, so a peak Friday-night table costs more than a quiet weekday afternoon. The free public tables around London, by contrast, cost nothing.
Do you have to book to play ping pong, or can you walk in?
Walk-ins are welcome at Bounce, but at peak times you may wait a while for a free table, so booking ahead is recommended. Bat & Ball gets very busy too and booking is suggested, especially on weekend evenings. Daytime and midweek are the easiest times to walk straight in. The free public tables at Coal Drops Yard, Merchant Square and the parks never need a booking.
Is there an age limit for ping pong bars in London?
Bounce welcomes under-18s before 6pm Monday to Saturday and all day Sunday, and every under-18 must be with an adult over 21. After 6pm on weekdays it shifts to an adult crowd. If you are bringing children, aim for a daytime slot. The free public and park tables have no age restriction at all.
Where is the best place to play ping pong for a group or work do?
For groups, birthdays and work socials, the bar venues are the move. Bounce is built for it with the capacity, drinks and food to keep a group going, and Bat & Ball brings a louder, later night-out feel with weekend DJs. Both take group bookings, which is the only reliable way to hold tables for more than a few people, so reserve ahead rather than risking a walk-in.
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