What to Wear to a Club in London: Every Dress Code, Venue by Venue

For most London clubs, wear what you would dance in: clean trainers, jeans or trousers, a T-shirt and one thin layer. That meets the written rules at fabric, Ministry of Sound, E1, FOLD and Drumsheds, and at Egg too if the trainers are smart and carry no sports brand. What changes from door to door is the list of exceptions, and the venues contradict each other. fabric bans business suits. Egg sends suit blazers and ties to the cloakroom and bans sport brands. Ministry says sports trainers are fine but advises against sportswear and caps. Gallery in Kensington turns away ripped jeans and dirty trainers. Here is every stated rule in one table, where they clash, what I would wear for eight hours on a concrete floor, and how to dress for a warehouse in November.

London club dress codes at a glance

• The safe outfit: clean trainers or boots, dark jeans or trousers, a plain T-shirt or shirt, a thin layer.
• The items venues name most: sportswear, tracksuits and football shirts.
• The loosest doors: Drumsheds has no set dress code, fabric says dress as you like, and FOLD publishes nothing.
• The strictest: the West London and Mayfair rooms, where the door decides and smart beats casual.
• Bags: nothing bigger than A4 at Drumsheds and Ironworks; Egg sends man bags to the cloakroom.
• Not clothes, still stopped: masks, hi-vis, light-up headwear, flags, perfume and umbrellas.

Every venue's stated rule

The rules as each venue publishes them on its own FAQ or ticket listing, at the time of writing. The door can still refuse entry anywhere, so the written rule is the minimum, not a guarantee.

Where the rules contradict each other

Take one navy suit jacket around the city. At fabric, as part of a business suit, it does not get in. At Egg it gets in and goes straight to the cloakroom with your tie. At Dear Darling, whose only written rule is to dress for the occasion, it is probably the safest thing you own. Same jacket, three outcomes. My read is that none of the three is being unreasonable: fabric is keeping out the office party, Egg wants smart but not stiff, and a members' room off Piccadilly is selling a look.

Trainers split the same way. Ministry says outright that sports trainers are fine. Egg accepts smart trainers but bans sport brands, which rules out a lot of what people call smart trainers. Gallery turns away dirty trainers, so the pair you wore to a festival is the problem, not trainers as such. Sportswear is the one thing the venues agree on: Ministry advises against it, E1 may refuse it, Egg bans the brands, Gallery bans tracksuits and The Warehouse Project bans football clothing. A big logo on a hoodie is the item I would leave at home first. The two big institutions are compared properly in fabric vs Ministry of Sound.

The strictest rooms also commit to the least on paper. Dear Darling's whole published dress code is one sentence, and Gallery's list opens by saying entry is always the door team's call. My advice for anywhere in Mayfair or Kensington is smart shoes, a shirt or a good knit, and no sportswear at all; a door that will not write its rule down is keeping its options open. The West London rooms themselves are profiled in the best London clubs guide.

What I would wear, and why

• Shoes first. A club night is six to eight hours standing on concrete or wood. Wear broken-in trainers or boots with grip, cleaned the day before. New shoes end nights early. Nothing open-toed: someone will stand on you.
• Trousers with a real pocket. Ideally zipped. Phone, card, ID and keys are all you need, and Drumsheds and E1 take no cash at all, so there is no wallet to carry.
• A top you can sweat in. A full room is hot by 1am whatever the weather. Cotton or merino, dark if you care how it looks at 4am.
• One thin layer. Something that packs down or ties round the waist, for the smoking area, the walk to the station and the half hour after close.
• The smallest bag you can live with. A small crossbody or nothing. Drumsheds and Ironworks refuse anything bigger than A4, and Egg's man-bag rule means a bag there costs you a cloakroom ticket.
• Earplugs in a pocket. They weigh nothing, and the rooms with the best systems are the loudest; the numbers are in the hearing guide.

Winter warehouse nights: dress for outside too

From October the big warehouses are a different outfit problem, because part of the night happens outdoors: Drumsheds has bars, food traders and toilets outside, as the Drumsheds season guide explains, and at Ironworks the smoking area, the info point and a welfare hub sit outside the warehouse, on the river.

The answer is layers, not a big coat. A coat means a locker or a cloakroom queue: Ironworks' medium locker is £10 and, by its own description, fits two puffer jackets, and Drumsheds' comes to about £10 with the fee and, the venue says, is expected to sell out. Share one between two and book it with your ticket. Leave the umbrella at home, because Drumsheds, Ironworks and The Warehouse Project all ban them; a hooded rain jacket does the same job. Wear shoes that can get wet. And plan the cold walk out, which the getting home guide covers.

Things that are not clothes but still get stopped

• Face coverings and masks. Banned at Ministry and The Warehouse Project, and Drumsheds bans costume masks. At Halloween that matters: Ministry's Hell Is A Nightclub on 31 October encourages costumes, so do the face paint and leave the mask. Ministry's full season is in the Ministry of Sound winter guide.
• Hi-vis. Banned at Ministry, Drumsheds, Ironworks and The Warehouse Project, so the reflective jacket stays at home.
• Anything that lights up or waves. fabric bans glow wear and flags; Drumsheds bans light-up headwear, glowsticks and flags.
• Perfume. Ministry, Drumsheds and The Warehouse Project take liquids and sprays at the search, and Ironworks bans glass, perfume bottles included. Put it on before you leave.
• Smart glasses. KOKO does not allow them inside, prescription pairs included, so bring ordinary glasses.

ID and the door, in one line each

Every venue here that publishes an ID policy wants physical photo ID, and Egg, Ironworks and Gallery say in writing that photos or screenshots of it are refused; the full list of what counts is in what ID London clubs accept. fabric's queue, last entry and search are in how to get into fabric.

FAQ

What should I wear to a club in London?

Clean trainers or boots, dark jeans or trousers, a plain T-shirt or shirt and a thin layer. That meets the stated rules at fabric, Ministry of Sound, E1, FOLD and Drumsheds, and at Egg if the trainers are smart and unbranded. Avoid sportswear, tracksuits and football shirts, which are the items venues most often name.

Can you wear trainers to clubs in London?

Yes, at almost every club. Ministry of Sound says sports trainers are fine and Egg accepts smart trainers without sport branding. Gallery in Kensington turns away dirty trainers, and in Mayfair smart shoes are the safer bet.

Does fabric have a dress code?

A light one. fabric encourages people to dress as they like but can refuse outfits it feels do not suit the night, and it does not permit business suits, flags or glow wear.

What is the Ministry of Sound dress code?

Ministry says its code is not strict. It advises against tracksuits, sportswear and caps, bans football shirts, football clothing and face coverings, allows smart shorts but not sports shorts, and says sports trainers are fine.

Is there a dress code at Drumsheds?

No set dress code. Some toilets, bars and food traders are outdoors, so the venue advises a warm layer, and bags must be no bigger than A4.

Can I wear a football shirt to a club?

Not at Ministry of Sound or The Warehouse Project, which both ban football clothing, and E1 says it may refuse one. It is the easiest refusal to avoid, so leave it at home.

Can I wear a Halloween mask to a club?

Usually not. Ministry of Sound and The Warehouse Project ban face coverings and masks, and Drumsheds bans costume masks. Face paint is the safe option.

What size bag can I take to a London club?

At Drumsheds and Ironworks, nothing bigger than a sheet of A4 paper. Egg sends man bags to the cloakroom, and bags are searched at the door, so the smallest bag you can manage is the right one.

What should I wear to a warehouse rave in winter?

Layers rather than a big coat, shoes that can get wet, and a hooded jacket instead of an umbrella, which Drumsheds, Ironworks and The Warehouse Project ban. If you bring a coat, book a locker in advance.

Sources

• fabric FAQ; Ministry of Sound club FAQ; Egg London FAQs; E1 London info page
• Drumsheds FAQs and essential info; Ironworks key info; KOKO FAQs; FOLD ticket listings
• Gallery's event FAQ on its official ticket listings, linked from galleryclublondon.com; Dear Darling FAQs
• The Warehouse Project information page

This guide is part of House of MNEEMO's ongoing coverage of the electronic and club music scene, written by London-based DJ and producer MNEEMO, with millions of streams to his name and a party series running through some of London's best clubs. For which of the big rooms suits your sound, read FOLD vs fabric vs E1 vs Drumsheds.