Put in a little effort, and drink up the rewards

Being made to work for something often makes you appreciate it that much more -- also true when you work for some Thing, which is why the shape-shifting alien from John Carpenter's 1982 horror film gets so hurt when you don't call or write. Making you work so you have an even better time at their booze-up: Search Party, on July 23rd.

Inspired by an annual, clue-driven Parisian treasure hunt that now attracts over 40k Frenchies, Search is digging into 2012 funding to throw an epic shindig in a secret location; it's totally free, but you can only attend if you find it, so pray it's not being held in a cab at roughly pub-closing time. There are three possible routes to the merriment (Shoreditch, Canary Wharf, Hackney), each of which should take +/- 3hrs to complete, taking you through side streets and hidden gardens with cryptic directions revealed by, among other things, decoding unusual street signs, actors masquerading as passersby, and "taking taste tests" (if you don't want to fail, don't wear blue with green!). There's a heavy interaction element too, possibly including rapidly translating rhyming slang in the back of a black cab, learning the tango on a roof garden, herding sheep, and being taken to a lockup garage to play poker, where the animal being fleeced will be you.

The party itself will take place in a grandiose building of "huge historical importance", with cocktails and food for everyone, live music, masterclasses in swing dancing, and lessons in cookery from Jamie's Ministry of Food -- though if you're a poor student, Mr. Oliver might simply point at your work and say "what is that thing?".