Soho Square Gardens: Ping Pong in London

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Soho Square, City of Westminster, London ยท W1D 3QR

Soho Square Gardens is a small public park in the middle of Soho with a free outdoor ping pong table you can just walk up and play on. It suits a casual lunchtime game, a relaxed catch-up between friends, or anyone killing time in the West End who fancies a quick knock-about. The single most useful thing to know: it is genuinely free, but you bring your own bats and balls, so pack them before you head over.

The table is part of the long-running Ping! scheme, which put free public tables in parks across London. There is no booking, no attendant and no kit on site. Turn up when the gardens are open, find the table free, and play. It is first come, first served, so weekday afternoons are calmer than sunny weekend lunchtimes.

The ping pong setup

There is one permanent outdoor table in the gardens, the solid weatherproof kind you find dotted around London parks. It went in through the Ping! scheme, which set up free public tables across the city. The net is fixed, so there is nothing to assemble. What you do not get is equipment: there are no bats or balls on site and no one to borrow them from. Bring your own, or grab a cheap set on the way. The surface is fine for a casual rally rather than a serious match, and it sits out in the open, so a still, dry day plays best.

Good to know

It is completely free and there is nothing to book. Just walk in while the gardens are open and use the table if it is going spare. It is first come, first served, so on warm weekends you may wait your turn behind other players. The park itself opens from around 8am and closes at dusk, earlier in winter and later in high summer, so check before a late game. There is no cafe inside, but you are in the middle of Soho, so food, drink and a loo are never more than a couple of minutes away.

Getting there

Soho Square sits at the top of Soho, just off Oxford Street and Charing Cross Road. Tottenham Court Road is the nearest tube and is a short walk away, with Oxford Circus and Leicester Square also close by. It is an easy add-on if you are already shopping or heading out for the evening in the West End. Because it is so central, it is a handy spot to meet friends coming from different directions before or after a game.

Get directions

Common questions

What is Soho Square Gardens?
It is a small public park in the middle of Soho, City of Westminster. It has a free outdoor table tennis table you can play on, installed through the Ping! public-table scheme.
Is the ping pong table free?
Yes. It is a free-to-use public table. There is no charge and no booking. You just need to bring your own bats and balls, as no equipment is provided on site.
Do I need to book or can I just walk in?
You just walk in. There is no booking and no attendant. Use the table whenever the gardens are open and it is free. It is first come, first served.
How many tables are there?
There is one outdoor table tennis table in the gardens.
Do they provide bats and balls?
No. There is no kit on site and nowhere to borrow it, so bring your own bats and balls.
What is the nearest station?
Tottenham Court Road is the closest tube, a short walk away. Oxford Circus and Leicester Square are also nearby.

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