“A fantastic space with vibes galore”
This is just one short sentence to describe just how amazing The Magic Roundabout is. Having been praised as one of the most creative outdoor areas in London, The Magic Roundabout of Old Street this week officially launched its Summer season. If you don’t know, this pop up outdoor area appeared on the London social space scene three years ago, and soon gathered a reputation as one of the best in the city.
Located above Old Street Underground Station, The Magic Roundabout is situated… you guessed it… on the roundabout itself; providing spacious literal escapism from the many claustrophobic areas of London.
With a decor that clearly had a lot of thought and effort poured into it, this outdoor party space certainly hit the atmospheric spot: ‘Urban Jungle’. Palm fronds painted all over the walls, a wishing well enveloping patrons with occasional plumes of smoke and an Ultra-violet bathed tree taking centre stage on the dance floor, this glorious outdoor club feels more like the set of “Avatar”, rather than a Roundabout smack bang in between the City and Hackney.
Yet the decor was only the tip of the iceberg for this splendid venue.
On arguably the first day of summer this year, the rays of sunshine combined with endless chilled house music which replicated a Miami Beach party. This created a vibe of rather oxymoronic laid back excitement, yet the crowd was all in favour. Rather cleverly however, as the evening turned to night the house music not just become more commercial but more progressive in genre. I put this down to the excellent DJs spinning throughout the day, showing excellent crowd reading skills.
On exploration of this venue, one is persuaded to join in the revelry of summer splendour by a photobooth and a glitter station. These two additions provide not just extra panache to a party, but also provide mementos of splendid merriment.
One thing that strikes me are the many bars, all with their own unique twist on the theme “Urban Jungle”. Yet this is skilfully shown; the cocktail bar, situated in a 1950s tropics style section of this hangout, provides the most succulent cocktails that you will agree are delightfully more-ish.
The central bar must be my favourite however. With local craft ales and surprisingly fruity blonde beers, this bar not only welcomes those enthusiastic about beer but caters to those just in need of a vodka and cola, before that patron turns around and walks three steps into the dance floor, bathed in a hazy UV glow.
Once one has seized their beverage of choice, it’s meal time. What better way to celebrate the great outdoors than to be quintessentially British and grab a burger?
Burger Bear, a pop up freight container-come-kitchen, provides not just the carnivore but the vegan among us (black bean patty) with sumptuous, flavour packed patty sandwich.
However, this is just one eatery on the Magic Roundabout. Along with Burger Bear is the award winning Smoking Lotus, a specialty Asian BBQ bar where quintessential Eastern noshery can be enjoyed.
As if all this wasn’t enough, an origami hat maker was present to make anyone’s wildest hat fantasy come true, and a hula hoop performer bathed in florescent yellow centred around the dance floor to provide a unique spectacle of skill and colour.
To surmise, The Magic Roundabout is pulling out all the stops for its final summer season. I highly recommend a visit; if you want to party, grab a bite or just chill to your heart’s content while bathing under a glorious London sun, The Magic Roundabout is the place to do it this summer. Only then you will realise just how glorious this fantastic urban hangout with vibes galore is.
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