10 min readIf you're lucky enough to have chosen Bristol as your university city, you've got plenty of choice for going out, from live music to comedy, magic and of course the city's world-class club scene.
We've rounded up the need-to-know club nights and venues around the city. Let us know what you think over on Instagram and TikTok and include #VisitBristol in your Bristol adventures.
Skip to: Student Nights | Clubs | Late Night Bars | Stokes Croft & Gloucester Road | Safety
Student Nights
Park Street and Park Row are some of the most popular areas for student nights in the city, home to Reina Bar, Antix, Gatsby's and The Juke Box. Students can also enjoy great deals during the week at Zero Degrees microbrewery, The Ship and The White Hart if you're looking for somewhere to go beforehand!
The Clifton Triangle is home to a collective of cheap and cheerful late-night bars and clubs, whether you opt for the groovy club nights at Daisy's, cheesy hits at The Brass Pig and La Rocca, or tiki lounge vibes and cocktails at Lola Lo.
Clubs
Lakota
One of Bristol's most famous and longstanding clubs, Lakota has welcomed many famous faces over the years, including Carl Cox, Eats Everything, Congo Natty, Gentlemen’s Dub Club, My Nu Leng, Calibre, Stormzy and more. You'll find a range of music across the four rooms as well as the Lakota Gardens courtyard, from disco to dubstep, as well as the UK's largest psytrance night, TRiBE of FRoG.
Trinity
An established part of Bristol nightlife for over 40 years, Trinity hosts a range of live music and community events as well as regular sound clashes and club nights.
Image: Trinity
Circuit
Dance along to two rooms of essential music every Friday and Saturday, with drinks offers and free entry before 11pm.
The Prospect Building
This former factory in St. Philips hosts everything from all-day parties and raves to food festivals, jazz, metal, country music and more.
Image - The Prospect Building
The Fleece
Music venue The Fleece is known for putting on weekly club nights as well as gigs, including every Saturday's Propaganda event with rock, pop punk and indie bangers where you can expect an audio-visual experience, featuring a mind-blowing mix from Arctic Monkeys to The 1975, Paramore to The Killers, Bring Me The Horizon to Sam Fender, Avril Lavigne to Wet Leg and much more.
Image - Propaganda at The Fleece
Loco Klub in the railway arches underneath Temple Meads hosts everything from genre-bending club nights to day parties and cabaret shows. The Lanes on Nelson Street is more than just a bowling alley, this bar also hosts gigs and regular club nights, from the pop punk parties at Fat Lip to Late Night Funk Club and Motown night Motorcity. Nearby, both The Island and Clock Factory are also home to popular club nights.
Other iconic clubs in the city include DOCUMENT, Sawmills, The Jam Jar and Lost Horizon in St Judes, all in former warehouses and factories, with huge indoor and outdoor spaces to host raves, club nights and courtyard sessions.
Image - DOCUMENT
Over on Frogmore Street in the city centre, just under Park Street, the subterranean Basement 45 is best known as a drum and bass club, but the decks are regularly handed over to DJs playing anything from garage to techno. Across the road, Queenshilling hosts everything from karaoke and drag nights through to DJs and themed parties, while a few doors down, OMG describes itself as one of the city's 'most euphoric gay venues' and is the largest in Bristol's LGBTQ+ scene. It hosts weekly student nights, pop parties and themed events.
Thekla is one of the most iconic and best-loved venues in the city, it doesn’t get much more Bristol than a club on a boat! Thekla hosts gigs throughout the week before continuing into the early hours with a selection of popular club nights, many of which are hosted by Dazed Music.
Image: Thekla credit David Jeffery Hughes and Thekla
Late Night Bars & Pubs
The Old City is a great spot for cocktail bars and pubs, focused mainly around Corn Street and St Nicholas Street, with popular bars including rock bars and gig venues The Crown and Mother's Ruin. Mr Wolf’s is a a late-night Bristol favourite, depending on the night you could find an acoustic open mic night, jam night or DJs playing into the early hours, while around the corner, Brozen does nitrogen frozen cocktails – we’re talking, passion on ice, gin and tonic sorbet and lots more creative flavour combos!
Just a short walk away located right near the Unite Students Harbourside accommodation, King Street is a popular favourite for a pint (especially in summer). King Street Brewhouse do 10% off drinks for students too. If you're planning a night out at Circuit or the other waterside bars, head into Barbara's Bier Haus to get the party started.
If you want to start your night off with a bit of competition, Bristol has plenty of fun games & activity bars, where you can play everything from arcade games to electro darts, mini golf, bowling and more.
Bambalan is one of Bristol's best-loved drinking, dining and music destinations, boasting one of the best roof terraces in town with views across the city. You can also listen to music from some of Bristol and the UK's best DJs on the terrace every weekend in summer.
Image - Bambalan
There are also several cocktail bars nearby, which you can visit beforehand to get in the party spirit, including Be At One and Browns.
Just outside the city centre, Cosies in St Pauls turns into a lively club for lovers of reggae, funk and dub from 10pm, with entry usually around a fiver. The Black Swan in Easton is a pub by day and one of the biggest rave venues in the city at weekends, hosting breakcore, dubstep, electronica and more.
Over on Old Market, The Old Market Assembly has become a cornerstone of the alternative LGBTQ+ scene in Bristol, and hosts regular live music gigs, themed parties and cabaret nights.
Image: The Old Market Assembly
Stokes Croft & Gloucester Road
Gloucester Road and Stokes Croft are great spots for getting outside the uni bubble. Head out for drinks and music at The Full Moon, with its large beer garden and sister venue Attic Bar, or cocktails at nearby Café Cuba.
Stokes Croft institution The Canteen is a chilled bar-restaurant in the day, before turning into a lively gig venue at night, with queues stretching down the street. If you’re looking for something of a warm-up before hitting the nearby clubs, this is the place to be, or nearby you'll also find The Bell Inn with its DJs and buzzing beer garden.
Run by the team behind dance festival Love Saves The Day, The Love Inn is one of the busiest venues on Stokes Croft – and with good reason. During the day it’s a chilled bar offering good cocktails and food from award-winning local burger legend, Danny's Burgers, before going on to host some of the city’s best DJs in the evening, playing everything from dub and electronica through to ska and soul.
The Gallimaufry on Gloucester Road hosts free live music and DJs throughout the week, while The Blue Lagoon next door also hosts free music throughout the week. You'll also find some great student deals at pubs up and down Gloucester Road.
Image - Deems Experiment at The Gallimaufry credit James Koch
Late Night Food
If you’re looking for somewhere to grab a bite to eat after a night out, Taka Taka has multiple locations across the city centre serving quick wraps and Greek snacks, while Jason Donervan is a long-standing student favourite up towards the Bristol University campus on Queens Road. Let Visit Bristol know over on Instagram if we missed any of your top munchy spots.
Night Safety
Bristol Rules is a night time safety awareness campaign, produced by Bristol Nights, which aims to remind everyone heading out for the evening of how to have a great night out and feel safe.
Designed in partnership with the city’s universities, colleges and venues there are six key messages, which we encourage students to follow:
- Out together, home together. Check in with your friends. If they look like they’re struggling, it’s time to act. Make sure you all get home safe, share your location and look after one another.
- Call it out. Inappropriate behaviour, especially when it comes from your mates, needs to be called out. Be an active bystander; make sure your friends know what they’re doing isn’t OK.
- Don’t be a creep. Put yourself in their shoes. They don't want you to tell them they're fit. If someone tells you they're not interested, they're not playing hard to get. And remember everyone's allowed to change their mind. If your words or actions are making someone feel uncomfortable or threatened – it's not ok. Touching, grabbing or groping someone without their consent is a criminal offence.
- Respect differences. Our differences are what makes Bristol such a brilliant place. So regardless of how someone dresses, how they speak, what they look like, who they date or how they dance, leave them to it.
- Keep away from the edge. Don't be tempted to sit by the harbourside at night. Be extra careful near the water and keep away from the edge. Cold water shock and getting out are even harder when you are intoxicated.
- Take it easy. Understanding the effects and risks of alcohol and other drugs is important. Read up; pace yourself; and remember it's OK to say no. The best nights are the ones you can remember.
Additional information and resources are available on the Bristol Nights website:
It’s Not OK - Sexual harassment
Harm reduction and Drug Safety
Bristol Safe Space at Night
If you need somewhere safe while out in the city centre, Bristol Safe Space at Night is open every Friday and Saturday, 10pm–4am, on the central promenade opposite Bristol Hippodrome. Staffed by a first responder medic and a security marshal, it offers first aid, phone charging, drink spiking test kits, and a friendly, non-judgemental person to talk to, alongside signposting to further support if you need it.
This is not a replacement for emergency services, for urgent help, always call 999.
Read more:
Bristol for students
Top 10 music venues
Gigs and concerts
Events Calendar
Things to do at night in Bristol
And here are a few more useful nightlife and event listing websites in Bristol...
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