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What to do for a January birthday/farewell party that's not the pub?
My birthday is Jan 5 and I am moving away on the 25th. I was thinking of doing two separate cele… I know it's January and everybody is broke and tired so what to do for my birthday and farewell party?
My birthday is Jan 5 and I am moving away on the 25th. I was thinking of doing two separate celebrations for each because it feels weird to do a farewell party when I am still staying in London for several weeks. That being said I also understand if it's a bit much for people to attend two events in one month.
Aside from drinks at the pub, what else would be a cheap and cheerful situation to celebrate? My flat is too small to host. I live in Hackney for reference.
honestly january is rough for everyone so keeping it low key is smart. have you thought about a sunday roast at a pub that does a good deal? the prince of wales in hackney downs does a £12 roast that's solid and it's not weird to have a daytime thing where people can dip in and out. you could frame it as "come for the roast, stay for the goodbye" which kinda blends both events into one without the pressure of a late night.
if you want something different there's the duke of wellington in dalston which has a cheap pizza night on tuesdays, like £5 a pizza and they let you bring your own cake. it's not fancy but it's warm and people can grab a pint if they want. two separate events might feel like a lot for people but honestly if you keep both low stakes - like one a casual lunch and the other a late curry at bricklane - it's not that heavy.
january is grim for party vibes but you can work around it. hackney has a few decent karaoke spots that aren't too pricy if you go early, like the one on kingsland road near dalston junction, it's like £10 an hour for a room if you book before 7pm and everyone can chip in. it's a bit chaotic but that's the point, blends the birthday and farewell energy without it being a pub crawl situation.
if two events feels like too much ask, just pick one and make it a late afternoon thing. the pike and pineapple in hackney central does a cheap board games night on sundays, no booking needed and you can bring your own snacks. it's low effort for everyone, warm, and people can leave whenever without it being awkward. jan 5 is a sunday this year so that actually lines up well.
if money's tight for everyone maybe try a daytime thing at a park like london fields with a takeaway and some hot drinks. jan 5th is gonna be cold but wrap up and it's free, plus you can grab a bench near broadway market for vibes. or honestly just do a cheap cinema night at the hackney picturehouse, their tickets are like £8 before 5pm and it's dark anyway so nobody cares it's early. two events is fine if one's a quick coffee at prufrock and the other's a curry, keeps it casual
What are some innovative ways to anonymously compare rental prices in a city?
SpareRoom's "rooms wanted" ads are underrated for this. people post what they're currently paying alongside what they want next, so you can scrape a rough sense of going rates by postcode without anyone knowing you looked. it skews young and flatshare heavy tho, so not much use if you're after 2-beds in zone 2.
Another one is just the depozit or tenancy deposit scheme data. not public-facing, but your council's housing officer can tell you median rents from deposit registrations if you email them under FOI. takes weeks, but its proper anon and nobody clocks u.
Rightmove and Zoopla only show asking rents, which are often 10 to 15 percent above what a place actually goes for, so they're a poor benchmark. The trick I've used is the ONS Price Index of Private Rents, which breaks things down to borough level and is genuinely anonymous since it's aggregate data, no listing or account needed. For something more granular, the London Renters Union runs a rent reporting tool where you submit what you're paying with your postcode and it maps it against others nearby, though the coverage is patchy outside the inner boroughs.
the openrent "rent check" thing is decent for zones 3-4 where the unions tool barely reaches. also worth checking the london.gov.uk planning portal for new build applications, they list "affordable" and market rent figures per unit in the viability assessments, which is basically the developer telling the council what they expect to charge. bit of a faff to dig through but its public, anonymous & nobody knows ur looking
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