St Pancras is leaning hard into one of London's most iconic pop moments: the Wannabe music video, shot in the grand surroundings of the St Pancras Renaissance hotel back in 1996, when five unknowns from London strutted through the building and accidentally made it one of the most recognisable interiors in Britain. Now the station-cum-hotel complex is marking that legacy with a run of free Spice Girls-themed cocktails.
The premise is simple and very shareable: turn up at the bar inside or beside the Renaissance hotel — the very corridors where Geri, Mel B, Mel C, Emma and Victoria once caused chaos — and claim a themed drink without paying for it. For anyone who grew up with the single on repeat, sipping a Spice-inspired cocktail in the same Gothic Revival stunner of a building is about as fun as free stuff in London gets.
Even beyond the promo, St Pancras is worth a proper look if you usually just sprint through to the Eurostar. The Renaissance hotel front is the red-brick, pointy-roofed masterpiece that featured in the video, and the station itself packs in bars, restaurants and shops under the vast iron-and-glass train shed. It's one of the few places in the capital where you can go for a free cocktail, catch a train to Paris, and admire Victorian architecture all in one afternoon.
The catch, as always with free giveaways, is that these things run while stocks last and typically on specific days — so check the details with the venue before making a special trip, and be prepared to queue or show up early. Bring a friend who knows all the words to Wannabe; the occasion practically demands it.
For travellers, this is a nice low-cost add-on to a London itinerary rather than a reason to visit on its own. Pair it with a wander along the Regent's Canal to Granary Square and Coal Drops Yard just behind the station — King's Cross has quietly become one of the city's best areas for food and public space, and it's all within a five-minute walk.
Full details are over at Secret London.
