Our pick of the 5 most unusual birthday ideas in London

For anyone who’s ever wished to travel into space, here’s the next best thing (and all without the spaceflight symptoms).

OTHERWORLD VR is in the business of virtual reality. With a few venues popping up in London and the rest of the UK, this venue is just minutes from Victoria Station.

Party in VR-style in any one of their immersion pods. Explore new worlds, hear, see and feel the worlds you’re in. From tropical islands to funfairs and autumn wonderlands, there are multiple worlds at your fingertips.

Make it a party to remember with up to 49 friends, and keep the party going at their self-serve bar.

Remember those childhood birthday parties at [insert fast food chain restaurant]. You got a special room to yourself, if you were lucky a mascot turned up and of course, the ball pit. Who could forget?

Well, Ballie Ballerson have tapped into that fun, carefree feeling, only this time, it’s adults only.

Dubbed as “the famous ball pit cocktail bar”, this Shoreditch cocktail bar are serving up cocktails and a one million balls in their famous ball pit.

Sip on sugary and fruity cocktails like Hubba Hubba Bubba (tequila, lime, bubblegum), snap up the pre-8pm BOGOF pizza offer and take a dive in the pit.

Hire the entire venue for an unusual birthday party to remember.

“Axe throwing? Why would anyone want to throw an axe?” The question is, why wouldn’t you? While you think about that, let’s introduce Skeeter’s.

Located a 3-minute walk from Hackney Wick station is where you’ll find the axe throwing range. Come in and get axe-throwing walkthrough (safety first), then head to your lane for games and drinks.

Aside from booked shared or private lanes, they also accept walk-ins, you know, in case you ever get the urge to suddenly (and safely) throw an axe in a range.

So you now know how to throw an axe, you’ve got a good grip, and you’ve perfected your stance, all that’s left is to get throwing.

If there’s one thing Cahoots know how to do, it’s throwing a party. Head underground to their Train Carriage space and travel back to the 40s for a delightfully unusual shindig.

Housed in an old train station, the Train Carriage is, as expected, a replica of an old train carriage with a few quirky twists. Think old clocks, teacup lights, a bar at the front of the carriage and a vintage burgundy, brown and beige colour scheme.

Take note of their cleverly-named cocktails, who knows, maybe the transport-themed Greasing the Wheels (gin, amaro, vermouth, cocoa bitters) or Upper Crust (cognac, cherry liqueur, citrus jam, white chocolate and lemon) might tickle your fancy.

Now calling…

What’s better than drinking gin? Making gin. Head to The Distillery on Portobello Road for your own gin-making experience.

Aside from offering a bar, cocktail lounge, restaurant, hotel rooms and being the home to Portobello Road Gin, The Distillery also welcomes guests to their The Ginstitute for their 3 hour sessions.

First stop by the History Room for a rundown of all things gin history. Then head to the blending room to learn how to make gin, explore the available botanicals and finally, make your own bottle of gin. Graduate a gin master for an unusually useful birthday party.

(Tip:If you want to re-order your custom gin, look out for the code on your gin bottle!)

Expect gin cocktails, weird history and hopefully a new party trick.