Things to Do in Balham, London: 968 events this week (24 Sept to 24 Sept)

Balham sits between Clapham and Tooting on the Northern line, and it's worked out its own identity: less loud than Clapham, more grown up than it gets credit for. The high road runs from the tube station down past Bedford Hill, and most of what's worth knowing about happens off that spine rather than on it.

Bedford Hill is where the evening trade lives. Bars and restaurants line both sides, and it fills up steadily from early evening rather than in one rush. If you want food before a show or a set, this is the street to walk down and see what's got a queue.

The old Du Cane Court end and the streets around Balham station have a handful of small venues doing comedy nights and live music on a regular rhythm, usually midweek as well as weekends. Nothing here is trying to be a destination venue. That's part of the appeal: you can turn up without a plan and still find something on.

For a weeknight out, Balham works well because it doesn't demand a big night. A meal, a set, a pint after, home by half eleven. Weekends shift later and busier, especially once Clapham overflow starts drifting down the high road looking for a table.

Getting around is easy: Balham station covers Northern line and National Rail, so you're rarely more than twenty minutes from central London, and buses run late along the main road if you're heading home after.