Queen of Hoxton Winter Rooftop

Fancy an evening of Nordic Viking feasting? You need to head up to Queen of Hoxton’s Winter Rooftop.

You may be fooled into thinking rooftop drinking is strictly a summer experience, but there’s one bar that remains firmly open come rain, shine, or snow. East London’s Queen of Hoxton is already a favourite haunt among city drinkers, but its winter rooftop transformations see popularity soar every year. In 2015, its Woodlandia theme saw the rooftop evolve into a magical woodland, with trees adorned with fairy lights, autumn leaves, an open fire and toadstools to sit on. This year, the long awaited pop-up has finally been revealed and it’s safe to say we’re excited. Named Skye Halla, Queen of Hoxton’s winter terrace will be transformed into a Nordic Viking stronghold, complete with long boat, feasting hall inside a WigWam, fire pits, driftwood sculptures and plenty of drinking horns.

The theme is based on the idea of a traditional Viking celebration following a victorious battle, which notoriously involved a lot of food, a lot of drink, and general debauchery. Just a few floors up from the hustle and bustle of city life, replace urban scenes and winter stresses with joyous Nordic traditions. Expect flowing mead (a traditional Viking beverage), foraged cocktails, crackling fires, and decadent feasting. As expected, the Nordic theme will continue into Queen of Hoxton’s food and drink menu, which will be served up in the WigWam on communal banqueting tables. Expect traditional Nordic food such as a pork belly hot pot, slow braised turkey leg and salmon rosti. Need something to wash it down with? A number of specialised and unique cocktails will be on offer, such as Freyja’s Love Elixirs, comprising nettle, dandelion and elderflower martinis with nettle bitters, and Thor’s Courage, hot mead punch with honey, ginger, rosemary and gin.

And it doesn’t stop there. As always, Queen of Hoxton will be offering a series of immersive events and workshops specially curated in line with the theme. On offer throughout winter, events range from life drawing classes, braiding workshops, storytelling and jewellery making, with more to be confirmed.

Fancy it? The Winter Rooftop launches on 27 October and runs until the end of March 2017. It will be open Monday to Saturday 4pm – 10pm and entry is free (extra charges apply for events). See you there!