Geek Culture

😮 50% OFF EVERYTHING AT AYRA TONIGHT UNTIL 6PM! 😮 Ayra are still running their happy hour seven days a week between 4pm and 6pm! During these times EVERYTHING will be 50% off - that's ALL food AND drink! Making Ayra likely more cost effective than eating at home 😂🤯 On top of that, they have a brand new menu they have launched recently too! And there will STILL BE FREE FOOD & FREE ENTRY! (read to the bottom to find out more)🍔... Along with our main venue opening hours of Tues, Thurs & Sat at The Mercury Mall, and after the huge success of the last few Weds at Ayra, we have made it our second home & are running official DWL sessions there every Weds for the foreseeable future! We will always keep running our main sessions at The Mercury Mall but our next Ayra session is tonight from 5pm-11pm (join us anytime during these times). You can find Ayra here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/rqMM1rkcK8UEfRfb8 Ayra 101 Brentwood Rd, Romford RM1 2EH In case you haven't been yet, Ayra's space is perfect for gaming - it's very large with many big tables (ideal for all types of games), full lighting & heating. Plus the food & drink options are exceptional. EXCITING FREE & DISCOUNTED FOOD!🍔🍛... After the 50% off offer ends at 6pm, they are still willing to offer us all 10% off all food every Weds plus another 10% of all your food orders will go to DWL. AND! They will again do a free sampling of food during the session - including free tasters of things like chicken tikka, onion bhajis, their legendary naan bread, samosas & possibly more! Vegi & Vegan options will be available too. Ayra does have a Bangladeshi & Indian themed menu but it also has plenty of more Anglicised options as well including, but not limited to their signature burger - one of the best burgers I've ever had! No lie. Plus all their food is homemade with 100% fresh & natural ingredients & yet is still excellent value for money. ☕GREAT SOFT & ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AVAILABLE AT AYRA🍺 Including their legendary Karak Chai! We again won't charge an entry fee for this session (feel free to put that towards a drink or food) & kids are allowed too (well behaved ones of course 😉) The pub is a 10min walk from Romford station, has plenty of free parking, & buses 165, 193 & 294 stop right outside with 370 & 496 stopping nearby too. We will have a small range of popular items in stock as well as a library of games! So please join us again this Weds & support DWL as well as a lovely local business whilst enjoying the usual fun & games. Hope to see you there, Dan ❤️🎴🎲🦐🍻

Join OverBoard to play the brilliant social deduction game Blood on the Clocktower in person at the brand new board game cafe Otter Chaos in Brixton. If you haven’t heard of Blood on the Clocktower before it is an evolution of classic party games like Mafia/Werewolf where a hidden evil team takes on the good team by lying and killing. The good team has a few tricks up their sleeve but will have to work together to deduce who the evil doers are in their midst. **This is a beginner friendly event so no experience with the game is necessary.** Please note that a gaming cover charge of \~£5 will be payable by each attendee to the venue so that we can make use of the space. We also encourage you to buy food and drink from the bar so we are supporting the business (I can highly recommend their pizzas!) If you want to know more about the rules of the game check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-aZP47Nm9g

On Wednesday 15th April at 6:30pm, we will be having a Midweek Coffee Evening! It's a chance to meet and chat with others in the group in a relaxed setting over a hot drink. On the day, come up to the cafe on the 5th floor, grab a drink and come and join us. The cafe closes at 8:00pm and the bookshop closes at 9:00pm. Hope to see you there! Robert 07905 901 834 (prefer text) or email: [general@cultureseekers.org](general@cultureseekers.org) ***On the day, if you can’t make the trip, just change your RSVP to No or text me to say you can’t make it.*** ***Please don’t post any messages in the comments that you can’t make it, as this generates spam for everyone else.*** ***Please make sure you are aware of the group rules here before RSVPing - [https://www.meetup.com/london_cultureseekers/photos/22974682/523578875/Group_Rules/](https://www.meetup.com/london_cultureseekers/photos/22974682/523578875/Group_Rules/)***

***Enter the live meeting room here: [https://discord.gg/5wgxtr4c2u](https://discord.gg/5wgxtr4c2u)*** ***Download the engine here: [https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/download](https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/download)*** Welcome to the **Unreal Engine Workshop!** In each session we'll tackle essential game design discussions, then transition into hands-on project creation. Participants will build and expand their skills continuously as we explore every aspect of game development. From basic blueprints and interactive mechanics, to advanced rigging, animation, environment design, and lighting, we'll work our way up to creating small complete games. We encourage experimentation and peer teaching, so whether you're a beginner or experienced developer looking to deepen your expertise, our sessions provide a supportive environment to learn, create, and innovate together in Unreal Engine 5.

🎉 Come along to the London Scala Talks! 🎉 In this event you'll hear from Haoyi Li, Martin Durchov and Adam Deegan. **Agenda** 6:00pm - 🥤 Doors open. Come along and grab a drink! 6:35pm - 🗣️ Introduction 6:40pm - 🗣️ Haoyi Li: Scripting on the JVM with Scala 7:20pm - 🍕 Intermission: Join us for some free food and drinks! Vegan, vegetarian options are provided. Let us know if you'd like something special - we'd be happy to accommodate. 7:50pm - 🗣️ Martin Durchov: ScalaMeta: Treating Scala code as data 8:10pm - 🗣️ Adam Deegan: Practical Java Interop for Scala Effect Systems 8:30pm - 🥤 Socialising: Grab a drink and let's discuss the talks. 9:00pm - 🍻 Join us in a pub to discuss the talks! 🌐 **This event may have a live stream** Watch this space for more details. **🗣️ Haoyi Li: Scripting on the JVM with Scala** This talk will explore the use of Scala as a scripting language, replacing the Bash and Python scripts common throughout the industry. ⭐ Haoyi Li ⭐ Li Haoyi graduated from MIT with a degree in Computer Science and Engineering, and since then has been a major contributor to the open source community. His projects have over 10,000 stars on Github, and are downloaded over 20,000,000 times a month. Haoyi professionally built distributed backend systems, programming languages, high-performance web applications, and much more. **🗣️ Martin Durchov: ScalaMeta: Treating Scala code as data** Scala source code is usually something we write and hand off to the compiler. But what if we could parse it, inspect it, build it, and transform it all from regular Scala code? ScalaMeta is the metaprogramming library that makes this possible, and it underpins a lot of modern Scala tooling ecosystems: Scalafmt, Scalafix, and Metals are all built on it. In this talk we'll look at what ScalaMeta is, how its AST models Scala programs, and the core operations it provides: parsing, quasiquotes, tree traversal and more. We'll then turn to how we use it at Quantexa, where it powers code generation for our clients. Along the way we'll cover practical patterns that make code generation manageable at scale, and the rough edges you should know about before adopting it yourself. ⭐ Martin Durchov ⭐ I graduated from UCL in 2019 with a MSci in Theoretic Physics and started work in TxOdds, a small company focused on ultra-fast data streaming and processing, where I first encountered Scala, working with Typelevel libraries. Since January 2025 I have been working at Quantexa in the team responsible for data ingestion and processing also relying heavily on the Scala functional libraries and ScalaMeta. **🗣️ Adam Deegan: Practical Java Interop for Scala Effect Systems** Interfacing with a highly autonomous Java library in a functional manner is difficult. In this talk we'll explore the ways in which we've approached this; issues we found along the way; and the trade-offs between purity and pragmatism when there's a runtime which isn't yours to control. ⭐ Adam Deegan ⭐ Adam Deegan graduated from the University of Bristol with a degree in Computer Science in 2021 and has worked at Quantexa ever since. He started off as a Data Engineer and moved into software engineering a couple of years ago, working on the addition of a case management capability. His first true programming love was making Minecraft mods. ———————————————————— 🗣️ Would you like to present, but are not sure how to start? Give a talk with us and you'll receive mentorship from a trained toastmaster! Get in touch through [this form](https://forms.gle/zv5i9eeto1BsnSwe8) and we'll get you started 🏡 Interested in hosting or supporting us? Please get in touch through [this form](https://forms.gle/3SX3Bm6zHqVodBaMA) and we can discuss how you can get involved. 📜 All London Scala User Group events operate under the [Scala Community Code of Conduct](https://www.scala-lang.org/conduct/). We encourage each of you to report the breach of the conduct, either anonymously through [this form](https://forms.gle/9PMMorUWgBnbk1mm6) or by contacting one of our team members. We guarantee privacy and confidentiality, as well as that we will take your report seriously and react quickly.

**Ready for a new challenge?** 🌍 Why not learn **the second most spoken language in the world**? Spanish will open the doors to a **fascinating world** full of culture, history, and traditions. Through this language, you’ll discover the **richness of its countries, the deliciousness of its cuisine, the passion of its music, the depth of its literature, the brilliance of its art, and the warmth of its people**. If any of these things excite you, **this course is the perfect opportunity** to immerse yourself in the incredible Hispanic world. **Start today and take your first step toward a world without borders!** This course is designed for complete beginners who have never studied the Spanish language before. **Class Information** Maximum 8 students. Students must be 18+ years old. All our Online Spanish language lessons take place via **Zoom**. **Price - £200**. Payment method - Bank transfer. Once we have the minimum of students, we’ll send you an invoice. For this course we'll use the book **Aula Internacional Plus 1 ( Editorial Difusión)**. **If you are interested in joining this group, please send an email with the course title to irene@aprendeahoraconirene.co.uk** **Class Schedule** * **Wednesday 4th March-27th May 2026** * 17:30 PM -19:00 PM (UK time) * 15 hours over 10 weeks **Communication goals** * Greeting people * Introducing yourself * Asking and giving personal details * Talking about where you want to go and what you want to do * Talking about reasons. * Talking about your language skills. * Describing places * Expressing existence (*hay*) and location * Talking about the weather **Grammar** * Gender * The present tense: the three regular conjugations:-*ar, -er, -ir* * Verbs: *ser, llamarse, querer* * Some uses of *hay* * Other verbs: *Ser* vs *estar* * Personal pronouns * Some uses of *por*, *para*, *porque* * The articles * Superlatives * Quantifiers: *muy, mucho, mucha, muchos, muchas* * Interrogatives: *qué, cuál/cuáles, cuántos/cuántas, dónde, cómo* **Vocabulary** * Leisure activities * Numbers * Professions * Places of work * Nationalities * Languages * Geography * Tourist attractions * Seasons * Cardinal points * Weather [www.laescuelaspanish.com](https://laescuelaspanish.com/)

Okay! The Clapham monthly meetup is back to it's usual time and place. We now have TWO evening meetups each month in different areas of London. The monthly indie pub night is relaxing social with other indie game devs in London. Chat about all things game/tech related, make new friends and test out some demos from community members. Look out for the group with laptops and tablets out. Venue: https://www.fourthieves.pub/

**Geekstraveganza** is a fun, friendly gathering for good company, tasty vegan food, and board/card games! We’ll have plenty to play, but feel free to bring your own. 🎟️ **Free entry**, just RSVP! 🗓 **Sunday** 19 April 2026 🕐 13:00 – 19:00 📍 **[Karamel N22](https://www.musicglue.com/karamel/ "https://www.musicglue.com/karamel/")** 🗺️ [4 Coburg Rd, N22 6UJ](https://maps.app.goo.gl/zpTxkxzajZkGmKaq9 "https://maps.app.goo.gl/zpTxkxzajZkGmKaq9") *💬 [Group chat](https://londonvegannetwork.netlify.app/Geekstraveganza) in the London Vegan Network community on WhatsApp* 🤓 Everyone’s welcome — regulars are happy to teach, and hosts can introduce you or suggest games. **Drop in anytime**; new games start as people arrive. 🤤 The venue hosts us for free, so please grab some food or drinks from the **100% vegan kitchen and bar** to support them. Don’t miss **Kath & Roger’s legendary Sunday roast** with all the trimmings! 🚉 Closest stations: **Wood Green** and **Alexandra Palace**. ➡️ Find us in the **room behind the bar** (and sometimes also in the main area). ♿️ **Step-free access** and a **wheelchair-accessible toilet** are available. 🐶 **Dog-friendly venue**, so furry friends are welcome too!

**Geekstraveganza** is a fun, friendly gathering for good company, tasty vegan food, and board/card games! We’ll have plenty to play, but feel free to bring your own. 🎟️ **Free entry**, just RSVP! 🗓 **Thursday** 16 April 2026 🕕 18:00 – 22:00 📍 [Pipoca Vegan](https://www.instagram.com/pipocavegan) - [224 Brixton Rd, SW9 6AH](https://maps.app.goo.gl/Vw8KjrFg6XNCuxeH6) *💬 [Group chat](https://londonvegannetwork.netlify.app/Geekstraveganza) in the London Vegan Network community on WhatsApp* 🤓 Everyone’s welcome — regulars are happy to teach, and hosts can introduce you or suggest games. **Drop in anytime**; new games start as people arrive. 🤤 The venue hosts us for free, so please grab some food or drinks from the **100% vegan kitchen and bar** to support them. 🚉 Closest stations: **Stockwell** and **Brixton** 🐶 **Dog-friendly venue**, so furry friends are welcome too!

meetup at Dragonmeet https://dragonmeet.co.uk/

If you're looking for a laid back Saturday playing some board games and talking nerd stuff in a pub with some awesome people, this is the meetup for you! Whether you're new to London or just want to get some long-lost in-person socialisation, we're a friendly community and welcome you all. **What to expect:** We officially play from **2 PM to 7 PM**, but we keep it casual. Show up when you can, and stay as long as you like. If you’re having a good time, there’s usually a group that stays late for a few extra pints and chat. **Some house rules:** * We aim to ensure these events are friendly, welcoming and safe, and so we ask you abide by our [Code of Conduct](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YEl0gv61SkBFN-YF6fyVvuQYicWbWhRL/view?usp=drive_link) * We have a community box of games we keep in the pub, but please feel welcome to bring your own games along. Just be prepared to teach us how to play! * We don't charge a cover fee, so please help support the pub by ordering food and drink throughout the afternoon. * Please keep your RSVPs updated so we can manage numbers and ensure we can reserve enough tables.

Akira is a landmark in animation, endlessly influentual both inside and outside Japan. You've probably seen it. A teen biker gang in Neo Tokyo (as it was called after the nuclear blast) get caught up in a secret military project that involves psychics and mutants. Things end up getting really out of hand. I wrote more or less the same intro when I put this on [three years ago](https://www.meetup.com/london-alt-gigs-repertory-film/events/292097241/?eventOrigin=group_calendar), when it was showing in 4K in cinemas for the first time in this country, and guess what: it ruled. The colours, movement and sound are all stunning, and now it's showing in IMAX, essentially a cinematic fairground ride for the senses. Wanna reminder in trailer form? SURE you do: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gPnyUo-OXg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gPnyUo-OXg) Tickets are [here](https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/imax/Online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::article_id=F2917FDE-32A6-45A6-8E77-5662BB791478&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::context_id=0146424F-FF2C-4CF1-86EB-CB55E12950B3), I'm in H12. We can watch the movie, meet outside and digest it over a drink somewhere nearby afterwards. Hey, it's not like Waterloo is short of pubs.

If you love anime & manga then please join us for our weekly meetups, where we basically just sit, chat and read anime & manga! We usually sit in the back of the pub. If the weather is nice we may sit outside at the back of the pub, or even outside on the downstairs floor. In this meetup, you can BYOM (bring your own manga) or read one from the selection we will bring. See this as an opportunity to discover, recommend or simply enjoy Japanese comics & anime with like-minded people! Note: This is not a book club. Also, the TCR bar is kind enough to allow us to use their space to host this meetup, and has asked if possible for attendees to support the venue by purchasing a drink or food while you're there. Please don't bring your own food or drink to consume at the venue, as the venue does not allow this! You can also join our discord group: [https://discord.gg/nDMBbQ2CKu](https://discord.gg/nDMBbQ2CKu)

**Join us on a visit to the [Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends exhibition](https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/inside-aardman-wallace-gromit-and-friends) in London.** In Aardman’s 50th anniversary year, go behind the scenes of stop-motion animation and explore how Aardman’s iconic characters such as Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep and Morph are brought to life. **MEET DETAILS:** **2:30pm: Meet in Town Square Café - Young V&A Museum, Cambridge Heath Rd, Bethnal Green, London E2 9PA** Meet in the Town Square Café located on the ground floor of the museum. **3:00 pm \~ ENTER THE EXHIBITION** **4:30 pm \~ Late: PUB SOCIAL** We'll head to a pub, [Bethnal Green Tavern](https://maps.app.goo.gl/YB3m2PmX25Gp1R2v8?g_st=ic) for a social chit chat over drinks. Address: 456 Bethnal Green Rd, London E2 0EA **TICKETS:** **Book your ticket** **[here](https://www.vam.ac.uk/shop/ticket?cgid=455)** and select the 3:00 pm time slot (or around that time). NB: all tickets for Saturday 18 April 2026 are sold out. Tickets are £11 or 50% off for Art Pass holders. [https://www.artfund.org/national-art-pass](https://www.artfund.org/national-art-pass) **GETTING THERE:** [https://maps.app.goo.gl/pNWhxPkbfstvnvtJ7](https://maps.app.goo.gl/pNWhxPkbfstvnvtJ7) Tube: * Bethnal Green: 2-minute walk * Cambridge Heath (Overground): 5-minute walk * Whitechapel: 18 min walk - nearest station with step-free access Bus: * 106, 254, 388 and D6 stop nearby **EVENT WHATSAPP GROUP:** **If you are on the 'Going' list only,** please join the event WhatsApp group to help you find the group on the day. **The link will be published a few days before the event.** Please let a host know if your WhatsApp name is different from your Meetup name, otherwise we'll assume you're a spammer! **If you are on the waitlist**, please join the WhatsApp group ONLY if/once space frees up and you are moved to the 'going' list. *Joining this WhatsApp group will make your phone number visible to other members in the group.* **GROUP RULES, PLEASE NOTE:** LoMAZ events are run by volunteers. We limit event numbers as we prefer a smaller, friendlier group. **If you can no longer attend, please change your RSVP as soon as possible.** We remove members from the LoMAZ Meetup group who: * RSVP as ‘Going' but then do not show up (without changing their RSVP) three times in a row. * RSVP as ‘Going' but then change their RSVP to 'No' five times in a row. * Turn up at an event without being on the 'Going' list (i.e. members who have not signed up or are on the waitlist). **Thank you for your interest in the group & being part of LoMAZ.** Image credit: Young V&A museum - photo taken by event host, Bobo Liu, on 20 April 2024 for the J is for Japan: Myths to Manga LoMAZ event.

Let's grab some coffee/food and share a morning chat! The East Market has an ample parking lot and outdoor and indoor seating. Grab a cup of coffee from Winston's Coffee & Waffles or on your way to East Market and meet us on the second floor - table behind or east of the elevator. Per what this group is about: "Everyone is welcome! International transplants to Columbus who want to improve language skills, Columbus residents who want to discuss international travel and culture, and anyone who enjoys getting together for good conversations."

AI is changing how art is made. But when does it stop being your work and start being the machine’s? This month we're going to be doing a panel with with digital image, music, and written word artists, talking about at what point, while using AI in the creation process, does the work become not the artist creation? We encourage audience participation during this event that will be moderated by Chris Slee. Whether you’re deep in the field or just getting curious, come connect with others building and exploring AI in Columbus. Sponsored by [Transform Labs](https://www.transformlabs.com/services) Sign up also accessible via [Transform Labs Luma](https://luma.com/55umjqta)

**PLEASE NOTE:** This event does NOT guarantee your ticket to the event. This is an information only promotion. Come join the *Columbus Clippers* on Video Game Night at *Huntington Park* with *COGG* members showcasing their games! SATURDAY, APRIL 18: Video Game Day! Enjoy an appearance by the one and only *Sonic the Hedgehog*! [https://www.milb.com/columbus/tickets/single-game-tickets](https://www.milb.com/columbus/tickets/single-game-tickets)