The rise of competitive socialising in the city as office crowds seek fresh nightlife experiences

Mixing alcohol and fairground games may appear an unlikely formula for success, yet Richard Hilton is wagering that this very combination could redefine how corporate London networks and unwinds. Fairgame, an adults-only concept blending cocktails with updated classics like roll a ball and hook a duck, recently launched its second site in the heart of the City, close to St Paul’s Cathedral, following the success of its Canary Wharf venue which opened in 2022.

Since its inception, Fairgame Canary Wharf has welcomed around 330,000 guests annually. The 14,000 square foot space generated £12 million in revenue last year, booking an adjusted profit of £4.2 million. Sensing untapped demand among City professionals who rarely venture east, Hilton and his team established a 25,000 square foot outpost at One New Change, introducing twelve different activities, a bar, three food vendors and private hire options. Corporate gatherings now make up approximately 40 per cent of Fairgame’s transactions, as companies look for engaging venues where colleagues can mingle freely across different games and social groups.

The leisure landscape throughout the City is undergoing rapid transformation. Research by estate agency Savills records a 156 per cent rise in experiential leisure operators in the Square Mile since 2019. Activity-centred establishments such as Flight Club, Swingers and Clays have joined the scene, alongside immersive concepts like F1 Arcade and Hijingo. These businesses are thriving as they encourage guests to spend on food and drink while enjoying the experience, delivering robust returns despite broader challenges in hospitality. Office workers’ partial return and evolving hybrid work patterns have fuelled demand for premium retail spaces that serve both professionals and a broader leisure audience.

Savills predicts a further 178 per cent increase in experiential leisure operators in the City by year-end, marking a bright spot in a sector otherwise troubled by closures; data from the Night Time Industries Association indicates nearly one in four late-night venues nationwide have shuttered since 2020, a loss of about 800 establishments. This rapid growth in experiential offerings highlights how the City is becoming a model for adaptive retail use that extends well beyond traditional business hours.

Hilton, whose previous venture Gymbox attracted celebrity clientele before he stepped down in 2016, currently owns just over two-fifths of Fairgame, with investment coming from growth capital provider BGF and other co-founders. Although he believes the model could succeed in other major cities such as Manchester or Dublin, his immediate ambitions are focused internationally. He sees New York as the natural next step, observing that US markets are adopting competitive socialising at pace, albeit from a less mature starting point.

Plans are under way for direct operation in major North American cities including New York, Las Vegas, Chicago and Boston, with Hilton actively seeking further investment to power expansion. He aspires for Fairgame to become a global leader in the competitive socialising phenomenon, a market segment rewriting the rules of urban leisure and transforming how professionals spend their downtime.