US election night party in London!
**UPDATE We’ve now compiled a list of election night parties going on in London **
I’m currently trying to find out about any Obama-centric/Democratic Party-led events going on in London on The Big Night, but in the meantime: if you want to be in the hub of things (or at least, as close to the hub of things that you can be from several thousand miles away) on November 4th, you may want to know about a big election party that’s taking place in the West End. In Leicester (pron. “Lye-sesster”) Square, to be precise.
Food and drink will be flowing, there will be multiple screens showing results coming in from CNN and Fox (yes, it’s a bipartisan biparty) – and of course the place will be packed with excited Americans. But don’t let that put you off. Actually, if anything will put you off, it will be the fact that it’s being held in a Yates’s wine bar…. but still: if you’re interested, click on the link above. You can also buy tickets for it here.
Tags: election night party, london
October 19th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
HHmm. I think I could cope with excitable Democratic Americans, but probably not with the Republicans. And what are the chances of having your coverage of CNN interrupted by someone turning up the volume on Hannity’s nonsensical rants over on Fox?? I read the review for 2004 and apparently you couldn’t hear anything from the giant TV screens. And a buffet of ‘Traditional American Fair’?? Something tells me there isn’t going to be a veggie option!! Sadly most of my friends in London don’t really care about the election, so there’s little point in me in mentioning this.
Sorry to be so negative. Aren’t Democrats Abroad doing anything? I think it would be a bit more intimate than Yate’s!!
October 19th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
of course there’ll be a vegetarian option – PIE! pumpkin pie, coconut cream pie, pecan pie….
I think, to be fair, that Tuesday night will be about the emotion of it – the excitement of watching history unfolding. being witness to it. being part of it. I think we won’t truly get into exactly what’s happened and how, the analysis of it, until Wednesday night. which is when, I hear, the Dems Abroad are having *their* party. sadly I have tickets to a Paul Heaton/Cerys Matthews gig that night. still, I reckon it will make a nice continuation of the party…
October 19th, 2008 at 11:25 pm
Ha-Ha Very Funny!!
£35 quid for pie I think not!! And once more forgive me for negativity but their closing the bar at 4. What if it goes heaven forbid to Florida again? Everyone will be locked out with no idea what’s going on. Sadly as Chicago seems to be out of the question 
It’s stay at home, or bottles of strong cider watching it on the giant screen at Euston!!
October 23rd, 2008 at 12:13 pm
what a rip-off!! i want to go watch the election where i wont have to fork out 35 pounds for nothing!! i just want a place where i can watch thte election and have some drinks – and not get charged 35 pounds to get a 10 pounds drink voucher (yeah thanks, wtf!!). anyone know of a place where you don’t get charged entry just to watch the election??
October 23rd, 2008 at 1:19 pm
to be fair, isa, they will be having to cover the cost of hiring a central London bar ’til 4am. If I hear of any other parties going on, I’ll let you know – but as of yet, no one else seems to be organising anything. or at least: organising and publicising it well.
October 23rd, 2008 at 1:59 pm
sure, sorry i thought it was actually yates organising and cashing in on this, not anyone hiring the bar!
anyway if anyone hears of any democrat parties in london on election night, please can you post it on here…..
October 23rd, 2008 at 2:35 pm
will do!
October 24th, 2008 at 11:35 am
Does anyone know of any other bars.pubs/restuarants that will be open and have coverage throughout the night. I’m sure the Yates party will be good…but i’m not a fan of yates at all.
October 24th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
well, i’m not normally, either
.
am trying to find out about other places, but no joy in finding anything yet…
October 24th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Someone on another forum suggested Sun and Doves in Camberwell. I’m not from London but will be visiting, so I’m looking for someplace (ideally less than 35 pounds!) to watch it. It looks from the web that Sun and Doves is a bit of a hike from central London. Is that the case? What kind of crowd will it attract and do you think that’s a good alternative? Gotta say, half the fun will be being around other Americans and an excited crowd, so I’d prefer to be wherever people will be congregating…
October 24th, 2008 at 11:06 pm
Hi Jon – thanks for the tip-off: I’ve scoured and found that the Sun and Doves is indeed hosting an election night party -
http://www.sunanddoves.co.uk/photos/?img=2946764421
I imagine that party will be mainly Brits though, and not Americans. I bet half of them don’t even know where Camberwell is
.. and I don’t mean that rudely, as I live just down the road from there – South East London just isn’t an American hang-out.
so: if you want other Americans, I’d say go for the Leicester Square party. although I suppose the plus point of the Camberwell one (apart from, it seems, no fee) is that you’ll at least know there won’t be any Republican supporters there, as I guess they’ll be, to a man, British Obama-lovers.
also: no idea when the Sun and Doves one goes on til, but I doubt very much it’s 4am.
Camberwell isn’t central, no – but it wouldn’t take you long to get there by bus (or train to Denmark Hill) from central London.
October 25th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Thanks… we decided to go the Leicester Square route because it sounds like more of an “event” and despite the high price, this is a pretty key election and if we’re coming in from Morocco, may as well be where the excitement is. Hopefully free pie will counteract having Republicans around.
October 25th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
well, maybe see you there!
. and I agree – I think the price is worth it to watch history being made…
October 26th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Out of curiosity, does anyone know if Yates has wi-fi? It’d be fun to follow some of the goings-on online while watching the coverage, too.
October 26th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Jon, I have just looked on their site for you, but doesn’t mention WiFi. But here’s there email yates.leicesteraquare@townandcitypub.com hope it helps
London is a straight choice between Leicester Sq and Sun and Doves. Sadly S&D doesn’t seem to have an email, so I haven’t checked what time their closing, or from which network there getting their coverage from. Personally I don’t fancy being stuck in Camberwell at 4a.m. on my own.
If you know anyone studying at Oxford or Cambridge, both are putting on events. Oxford is £8 but I think you have to be a current or former Union member. But if you know someone new or old you might blag it. Cambridge sounds better as there going through until 7a.m.!! Don’t know about entry fees.
And if your really desperate (Sorry Newcastle) the official Labour Party gig is at St James Park ,Newcastle. Probably have to be a party member too.
October 26th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
I had wondered that myself about Yates – just called them. they don’t *officially* have Wifi but say customers can usually get the Wifi connection from a neighbouring hotel
. don’t know if that’s reliable enough for you?!
Darrell – Camberwell has a fancy boutique hotel now, you know!
http://hip.hotels-london.co.uk/church-street.hotel
October 26th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Sorry I wasn’t dissing Camberwell honestly. Thanks for the link, judging by the room rates, you clearly think I’m a lot more successful a photographer than I really am!! : )
October 27th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
hey there!
another party going on at The Hoop and Toy
(sorry it’s also £35 but the money is just to cover costs of hiring the pub)
check it out!! petrina
(search me on facebook if you like: petrina vegan)
October 27th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
thanks Petrina – where is The Hoop and Toy?
October 27th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
south kensington tube, i’ll post the details as soon as i have them, should be later today
October 27th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
great, thanks!
October 27th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
“ObamaWatch” Election Results Party
Hosted by UK Obama for President 2008 Meetup
all night buffet! first drink free! champagne toast!
Celebrate this historic night with Obama fans!
£35 earlybird price must pay by Thurs, Oct 30
£45 from Friday & at the door
live TV broadcasts on 3 floors! CNN, Fox, BBC, ITV
tickets at The Hoop and Toy and at http://www.americans-away-from-home.com
October 27th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
great, thanks for the info Petrina – sounds like it will be a great bash!
October 27th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
Just a quick note that Leicester is pronounced ‘Lester’, not ‘Lye-sesster’. Enjoy the night – it’s going to be an exciting one!
October 27th, 2008 at 11:10 pm
Elizabeth – it was a joke, about how Americans mistakenly say it like that…
October 28th, 2008 at 10:21 am
I’m looking around on the internet for an election night party- and seeing that I am an American living just up the road from Camberwell in Walworth, I wouldn’t be totally confident of strolling into the Sun and Doves and not finding one of us irrelevant Americans there. Thanks for the tip.
October 28th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
oh Melissa – I hope you don’t think I was being rude! I didn’t mean to be. I was just being silly.
most Americans in London don’t seem to venture down this way; it’s not a criticism, just an observation. I was just trying to tell Jon that if he was looking to share the night with fellow Americans, he’d probably find many many more of them at the Leicester Square bash.
I have many American friends and am a total Americaphile – as you can probably tell, from taking such an interest in the election.
October 28th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
there is a list of parties here! phew.
http://www.democratsabroad.org/node/6632#attachments
October 28th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
brilliant, thank yoiu isa
October 28th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
thank you for thise topic! i see someone’s posted the info from the DAUK bulletin that went out! i’m compiling a list to give to my (american) students about events going on in londres for the big night – unfortunately i think they will have a heart attack at £35 a ticket for some events (“omg, that’s $70!!!) but it’s good to see some freebies up here too!
thanks all!
October 28th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
There is another one here http://www.americans-away-from-home.com/node/507
October 28th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
anyone know the time for the Hoop and Toy shindig?? Start and end?
And I can’t actually find anywhere on that link to buy tickets….
Sorry for being useless….
October 28th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
whoops- hadn’t refreshed screen – thanks duncan for answering all my questions before i’d even asked them!!
October 29th, 2008 at 2:58 am
Great information – thanks. Another American living in SE, though working in Seven Sisters might put me at a friend’s for the night in central rather than going to the local Camberwell venue. Yates sounds fun. I was considering hanging about outside instead of paying….it’s sure to overflow. But then again, this arctic snow tonight doesn’t bode well for hanging about outside.
November 2nd, 2008 at 6:18 am
Please don’t share this historic night with Republicans! The Yates Party is selling McCain campaign merchandise!
Come to party with OBAMA supporters only. Come to a class act – the Obama UK Meetup all night Election Party in Kensington.
True, it is 35 pounds. But it cost that to get the entire place, 3 floors, big screens, live American election coverage, food all night, one drink, a Champagne toast (good French champagne, not the cheap stuff) – and surprises.
This night will be a night of history. Share it with people whose heart is with Barack Obama.
We’re there all night. It’s warm.
And we’re the largest Obama group outside the U.S.
http://www.Americans-Away-From-Home.com/node/507
– Carole
November 2nd, 2008 at 6:19 am
I forgot to say that we’re having a lot of TV reporting and filming – please come; be interviewed on TV on this night.
–Carole
November 2nd, 2008 at 11:28 am
another note about The Hoop and Toy event:
the earlybird price has been extended to Sunday, Nov 2 (due to technical difficulties with the websites)
thanks!
November 2nd, 2008 at 12:29 pm
thanks for all the info everyone! please note there’s a full round-up of events now here -
http://www.englandforobama.com/us-election-night-events-in-the-uk
November 4th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
Those of you looking for somewhere cheaper can go to the Islington Academy where the cover charge is just £5 and the place will stay open until 6am with election coverage on the big screen. It’s being organised by the Liondon Expat American Meetup Group – google them for details.
November 4th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
I am a brit who is rooting for Obama! Would I be welcomed at the Hoop and Toy event? Have the prices gone up?
(
November 4th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
I don’t know Tunde – I would give the Hoop and Toy a ring on 020 75898360.
also see here for more events in London, including some free ones -
http://www.englandforobama.com/us-election-night-events-in-the-uk
http://www.democratsabroad.org/node/6632#attachments
November 5th, 2008 at 3:05 am
Had a good time at Yates, and even found a wi-fi connection that lasted ’til my laptop battery gave up. The burgers were even quite tasty… but where was the pie? I saw no pie.
November 5th, 2008 at 3:48 am
Hey Jon. What no pie!! Even without pie I wished I’d made it down. We’ve got pie up here in the provinces. Take a look http://www.fotolog.com/darrellmorris
November 6th, 2008 at 9:19 am
aww Jon – sorry, that was just a joke about there being pie! given Barack Obama’s obsession with it on the campaign trail.
for a semi-veggie, I have to say the food was a bit disappointing. there’s only so much beer and champagne you can soak up with fries!
November 6th, 2008 at 9:20 am
Darrell – fantastic pie! ha!