If there are twenty-two of you, Clays will not give you a second peg. You asked, they said no, and they are right.
“Our pegs have been designed to accommodate up to 22 players for a 90-minute booking. Therefore, we will not offer multiple pegs for groups of 22 guests or less.”
Every other competitive socials venue in London works the other way. Flight Club splits you across a second oche at 13 people. TOCA Social needs a second box at 13. Clays will put twenty-two of you in one place and refuse to sell you more.
Which makes it, by some distance, the best room in London for a group of fifteen to twenty-two who want to stay together. Above 22 you get two adjacent pegs.
From £8 a head, which is the cheapest of the lot
“A shooting session costs from £8 per person. The price is determined by the time and date of the chosen session.”
That is below Flight Club at £9, TOCA Social at £10, Swingers at £12 and Puttshack at £13.
You get 40, 60, 75 or 90 minutes of gameplay, depending on your group size. Not on what you pay: on how many of you there are. The time is shown during the online booking, and extra shooting time can be added at booking or in the venue, subject to availability.
So the single thing to check before you pay is how long your group size actually buys, because 40 minutes and 90 minutes are the same product at different headcounts.
The three London branches differ on Monday
The rest of the week is nearly identical. Monday is not.
Canary Wharf is closed on Mondays entirely, excluding bank holidays. Tuesday to Friday midday to midnight, Saturday 11.30am to midnight, Sunday midday to 8pm.
The City opens Monday 4pm to 10pm. Tuesday to Friday midday to midnight, Saturday 11.30am to midnight, Sunday midday to 8pm.
Soho opens Monday 4pm to 10pm. Tuesday to Saturday midday to midnight, Sunday midday to 8pm.
Two smaller differences follow. Soho opens at midday on a Saturday, where the other two open at 11.30am, so it is the only one without an early Saturday. And all three close at 8pm on Sunday, which is early for the category.
One honest flag: checked on 6 October 2026, the City and Soho venue pages still publish dated closures from the summer, naming 27 July and 3, 17, 24 and 31 August. Those dates have passed and the notices have not been cleared, so treat any dated exception on those pages with suspicion.
Children only on a Sunday, and only with someone over 25
The most restrictive age policy of any venue in this category, and the one most worth reading in full.
Clays is primarily an over 18s venue.
Guests aged 13 to 17 are welcome at Family Sessions, which run every Sunday, accompanied by a responsible adult aged 25 or over.
During school holidays under 18s are permitted until 6pm and must leave by then.
Under 18s are not permitted on Saturdays, or in The Hide, at any time.
Note the 25. Not 18, not 21. An older sibling of nineteen cannot bring a fifteen year old, which is unusual enough that it catches families out. And the minimum age is 13, so there is no under-13 option at all.
Valid physical ID may be required on entry.
Cake yes, balloons no
An inversion of the usual rules, and the reason is technical rather than fussy.
You can bring your own birthday cake, with a waiver form signed on arrival and kept at the front desk.
Balloons and decorations are not allowed at all, because they interfere with the gameplay technology.
So Clays is the opposite of Flight Club, which allows balloons away from the board, and of Puttshack, which allows a cake only with a package and charges £15 for it. Here the cake is free and the balloons are banned.
You do not need to play, and you cannot book a table
You are welcome to come and simply enjoy the food and drinks without booking a peg.
But tables in the bar cannot be reserved, at any venue, which means a group arriving to drink rather than shoot is taking their chances on seating. There is a large bar area and plenty of tables, but no way to hold one.
Walk-ins for shooting are accepted but you may not get a peg immediately.
And if you are running late, just come. Your session may be shortened rather than cancelled, and they will extend it if the schedule allows.
What the game is actually like
Useful if anyone in the group is hesitant, because the answers are more reassuring than the premise sounds.
Virtual clay targets only. No animals or people in any game.
There is no kickback. A small motor in the gun vibrates when you shoot.
It is not loud and you do not need ear defenders. You hear the gun shooting and reloading, nothing more.
Pregnant guests can play, with the note that the gun may feel heavy.
Colour blind guests can play, because every game works on the same principle of seeing a clay and shooting it.
The games do not strobe or flash, and are mostly static with particles and movement. Clays still publishes the standard video game epilepsy warning and advises anyone with an epileptic condition in the family to consult a doctor first.
The game asks for a nickname, an email address and a selfie at the start. Photos, video and game data are stored on AWS, and a photo can be removed from their website but not from social media.
Pegs are semi-private: your own space, but you can see neighbours and the bar through the peg walls.
The discounts, and what they do not cover
Blue Light Card holders get 20 per cent off food and drink in venue, at all times, across all venues.
Read the limits, because they are tight. It does not apply to peg bookings, only food and drink. It covers a table of up to four with one cardholder. It cannot be combined with Night Play, Bottoms Up or any other offer.
Gift cards start at £25 and can only be redeemed on food and drink in the bar, not on a peg. You do not need a booking to use one.
There is a bottomless upgrade from £35 per person adding pizzette, fries and bottomless beers, wines, spirits and signature cocktails.
Practical notes
Cashless. All cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Clays gift cards and promotional vouchers.
No dress code.
DJs on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings.
Halal food is served. Kosher is not, though it can be arranged for an event.
Fully accessible with lifts and ramps throughout.
Outdoor terrace at Canary Wharf only, by the water and heated. The City and Soho have a designated smoking area outside but no outdoor seating.
Clays Arcade, the shared five-station space where you play strangers, exists at Soho only of the London venues, alongside Birmingham.
The Hide, the private room with its own self-service bar, cocktails on tap and a four-player peg, takes up to 35 at Soho and up to 30 at The City. Soho also hires out entirely for up to 500.
Service animals only. Arrive 15 minutes before your booking.
How to plan it
Group of 15 to 22: book one peg and stay together. They will not split you, which nowhere else in London does.
Check your gameplay minutes before paying. Group size decides whether you get 40 or 90.
Monday: not Canary Wharf, which is closed. The City and Soho open at 4pm.
Bringing a teenager: Sunday only, 13 or over, with an adult 25 or over. Never on a Saturday.
Birthday: bring the cake, leave the balloons.
Only drinking: you can walk in, but no table can be held.
Blue Light Card: 20 per cent off the food, nothing off the shooting.
Clays The City
- Address
- 55 Moorgate, London EC2R 6LL
- Nearest
- Moorgate, three minutes
- Hours
- Monday 4pm to 10pm. Tuesday to Friday midday to midnight. Saturday 11.30am to midnight. Sunday midday to 8pm
- Booking
- Online. Walk-ins accepted but a peg may not be immediate. Bar tables cannot be reserved. Events of more than 20 go through the enquiry form
- Price
- From 8 pounds per person for a shooting session, varying by time and date. Bottomless upgrade from 35 pounds per person. Gift cards from 25 pounds, redeemable on food and drink only
- Standing
- Virtual clay target shooting in semi-private pegs, with a bar, DJs on Thursday to Saturday and The Hide for up to 30
How to get in
A single peg takes up to 22 players and Clays will not sell a second one to a group of 22 or fewer, which makes it the best room in London for a large group that wants to stay together. Gameplay is 40, 60, 75 or 90 minutes depending on group size rather than price. Under 18s only at Sunday Family Sessions, aged 13 to 17, accompanied by an adult aged 25 or over, and never on Saturdays or in The Hide. Own birthday cake allowed with a signed waiver, but balloons and decorations are banned because they interfere with the gameplay technology. Cashless.
Clays Canary Wharf
- Address
- Unit B1, One Cabot Square, London E14 4QJ
- Nearest
- Canary Wharf, two minutes
- Hours
- Closed Monday, excluding bank holidays. Tuesday to Friday midday to midnight. Saturday 11.30am to midnight. Sunday midday to 8pm
- Booking
- Online. Walk-ins accepted but a peg may not be immediate. Bar tables cannot be reserved
- Price
- From 8 pounds per person for a shooting session, varying by time and date. Bottomless upgrade from 35 pounds per person
- Standing
- Virtual clay target shooting in semi-private pegs, with the only heated outdoor waterside terrace of the three London venues
How to get in
The only one of the three London branches that closes on Monday altogether, where The City and Soho open at 4pm. The only one with outdoor seating, on a heated terrace by the water. A single peg holds up to 22 and a second will not be sold to a group of 22 or fewer.
Clays Soho
- Address
- 77 Brewer Street, London W1F 9ZN
- Nearest
- Piccadilly Circus
- Hours
- Monday 4pm to 10pm. Tuesday to Saturday midday to midnight. Sunday midday to 8pm
- Booking
- Online. Walk-ins accepted but a peg may not be immediate. Bar tables cannot be reserved. Full venue hire for up to 500
- Price
- From 8 pounds per person for a shooting session, varying by time and date. Bottomless upgrade from 35 pounds per person
- Standing
- Virtual clay target shooting in semi-private pegs, plus Clays Arcade and The Hide for up to 35, with DJs and late night opening
How to get in
The only London branch with Clays Arcade, the shared five station space where you play against people outside your group. Opens at midday on Saturday where the other two open at 11.30am. The Hide here takes 35 against 30 at The City, and the venue hires out entirely for up to 500. No outdoor seating, only a designated smoking area.
Where to go next
Flight Club, TOCA Social, Puttshack and Swingers are the other competitive socials, and all of them split a large group where Clays does not.
Soho, Canary Wharf and activities for adults cover the areas and the category.
Questions we get asked
How much does Clays cost?
From £8 per person for a shooting session, with the price set by the time and date of the slot and shown when booking online. That is the cheapest of the London competitive socials. A bottomless food and drink upgrade starts from £35 per person.
How many people fit on one peg at Clays?
Up to 22, for a 90 minute booking. Clays explicitly will not offer multiple pegs to a group of 22 guests or fewer, so a party of twenty stays in one place. Groups of more than 22 are allocated two adjacent pegs.
How long do you get at Clays?
40, 60, 75 or 90 minutes of gameplay, decided by your group size rather than by what you pay. The time is shown as you book online, and extra shooting time can be added at booking or in the venue subject to availability.
Can children go to Clays?
Only in narrow circumstances. Clays is primarily over 18. Guests aged 13 to 17 are welcome at Family Sessions, which run every Sunday, when accompanied by a responsible adult aged 25 or over. In school holidays under 18s are permitted until 6pm. Under 18s are never allowed on Saturdays or in The Hide.
Which Clays venue is open on a Monday?
The City and Soho, both 4pm to 10pm. Canary Wharf is closed on Mondays entirely, excluding bank holidays. The rest of the week is near identical across the three, except that Soho opens at midday on Saturday where the other two open at 11.30am.
Can you bring a cake or balloons to Clays?
A cake yes, balloons no. Guests may bring their own birthday cake provided a waiver form is signed on arrival. Balloons and decorations are not allowed at all, because they interfere with the gameplay technology.
Is Clays loud, and is there recoil?
Neither. You can hear the gun shooting and reloading but it will not damage your hearing and no ear defenders are needed. There is no kickback; a small motor in the gun vibrates when you shoot. Pregnant guests can play, though the gun may feel heavy, and colour blind guests can play normally.
Can you go to Clays without shooting?
Yes, you are welcome to come just for food and drinks without booking a peg. Note that tables in the bar cannot be reserved at any venue, so a group coming only to drink takes its chances on seating.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 322 in the guide.
Last checked 6 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
