With the city revving up again after the holidays, here’s a few night-time ideas.
You can never have too many tips for a night out – particularly if you don’t want to hit the same old pubs, or trust the typical, recycled travel guides. This certainly holds true for anyone who may be new to town, have a special occasion to celebrate, or just be in need of a night out with friends. For that reason, we put together a little guide to some of the highlights you can’t miss on the Birmingham nightlife scene. Hopefully it will give you a few new ideas, or a few reminders to refresh your evenings out!
Perhaps the most popular nightlife district in Birmingham is Broad Street. Here you can find a wide range of bars and clubs suitable for a late night out with friends. The three-time winner of the annual Best Bar on Broad Street Competition is Players, a late-night basement spot that functions as both a cocktail bar and dance club. One of our favorite things this places offers is the “cocktail masterclass” wherein you can learn how all their exotic drinks are made so that you can impress your friends at your next house party. Simply put, if you’re traveling with a group and want a fun way to start out a long night on Broad Street, this could be the perfect fit.
Also located on Broad Street is Pryzm, which is the biggest nightclub in Birmingham. In our opinion, if you’re just looking for a relaxing opportunity to chat with your friends over a couple of drinks this probably isn’t the place for you. But if you love to dance and sing along while you do it, be sure to stop by and strut your stuff on each of the four active dance floors!
One of our other favourite places to spend a night out in Birmingham is the Chinese Quarter, given how different it feels from the rest of the city. There you can find a lot of nightlife options outside of the typical bars and dance clubs, our favorite of which is Glamorous Show Bar. While this bar puts on a variety of performances nightly, it is best known for its impressive drag artist shows, which are on par with the best of London. Performers come from all over the world, and the best drag artists in the country are known to do shows here. If you’re just stopping through the area, you don’t have to worry about timing your visit with a weekend: Glamorous is open every night of the week until 2am, with happy hour running until close. Regardless of if you’re a visitor or a local, it’s a great stop on a night out in Birmingham.
Another rather unique and entertaining spot in the Chinese Quarter is the Genting Casino, conveniently located right across the street from Glamorous. You can find pretty much any casino game you’d want there, whether you’re looking for a traditional poker table experience or a touchscreen option more similar to the online gaming options that are so popular around the UK these days. Indeed, with these sites getting more and more prominent, and introducing appealing methods of pay, they’ve actually seemed to take over for real casinos to some extent. But they can’t completely replace the fun of the real thing, and Genting offers the best of both worlds. You can have a charming, vintage gaming experience alongside friends, or you can zero in on something more video game-like, but sip a few cocktails while you’re at it!
Our last recommendation, particularly if you’re just looking for a pleasant cocktail bar, is the Sherborne Wharf area. Our favourite place here is Aluna, where the cocktails may prove to be the most Intagram-worthy sight on your trip. Think drinks served on fire, oozing smoke, and vibrantly colored. You may well not want to ruin your beverage by taking a sip, but trust us when we say they taste as good as they look! And they are surprisingly affordable given their glamour.
We hope that with these recommendations you’re ready for a big night out in Birmingham!
