City Guides
Birmingham
Nightclubs
Birmingham city centre boasts more than forty nightclubs and live music venues, along with an extensive array of pubs and bars, making the city a popular choice for clubbers, drinkers and weekend tourists. And with the largest student population outside of London, it is perhaps no surprise!
Subway City is an underground dance music venue, based on Water Street under the arches. The club has a capacity of a thousand, and boasts seven rooms, five bars, three dancefloors and a snack bar! The club has a 4am license for Sunday through to Thursday, with a 6am license for Fridays and an 8am license for Saturdays.
There are a variety of nights hosted at the venue, including ‘99p Thursday’, where entry is £3, all drinks 99p, and music is Bassline Urban Electro; Resurrection on every other Friday, with indie, electro and Motown, or Anarchy, the rock night; and various other events on the eleven hours the club is open on Saturdays.
The club attracts an impressively diverse clientele, with clubbers ranging between 18 and 40 years old! Contact the venue on 0121 233 0310.
With state of the art sound systems, lighting rigs and plasma screen visuals, Air nightclub is regarded as the most technologically advanced in the country. The venue has three rooms, including raised dancefloors and chillout areas, holding a total of 1650 people. The club presents internationally renowned DJs, spinning trance, techno, hard dance and house tunes, and is the regular host of the much-loved Godskitchen.
The main room is ‘Oxygen Arena’, with a large dancefloor, and soft fabric and leather seating; ‘Nitrogen Room’ contains another dancefloor and chillout area. ‘Carbon Lounge’ tends to feature the more relaxed side of the music, and comprises plenty of seating for relaxing and talking as well as a third dancefloor.
Air is located on Heath Mill Lane, and can be contacted on 0121 766 5100.
Carling Academy is a popular rock/alternative club and live music venue, downstairs from Bar Academy, a pre-club bar. The first of nine branches around the UK, the nightclub has a capacity of 2700 people, yet live music events are frequently sold out months in advance.
Every Friday night is the award-winning ‘Ramshackle’, a night of break beats, hip-hop, funky classics, indie and Northern Soul; and on Saturdays is ‘Subculture’, the rock night voted second best in the country by Kerrang! readers in 2004. Dozens of major acts have performed at the venue, from Kanye West and Joss Stone to Franz Ferdinand and The Pogues.
Tickets for events in the main club or pre-club bar can be booked over the phone by calling 0870 771 2000.
The Nightingale is one of Birmingham’s most popular gay clubs. Situated in the heart of the city centre, in the Chinese Quarter. The club is open six nights a week, with a 4am license for Fridays and a 6am license for Saturdays.
The first Sunday of every month features ‘The Comedy Collective’, stand-up comedy by four comedians from 8:30pm; and every Sunday night is ‘Sunday Diversion’, with house, electro and pop, and drinks £1. Tuesdays are free admission to ‘Club Classics’, with pop and house tunes; Karaoke on Wednesday; and free entry on Thursday. The club also has a restaurant and takeaway service.
Other popular Birmingham clubs include The Medicine Bar and The Custard Factory.
Subway City is an underground dance music venue, based on Water Street under the arches. The club has a capacity of a thousand, and boasts seven rooms, five bars, three dancefloors and a snack bar! The club has a 4am license for Sunday through to Thursday, with a 6am license for Fridays and an 8am license for Saturdays.
There are a variety of nights hosted at the venue, including ‘99p Thursday’, where entry is £3, all drinks 99p, and music is Bassline Urban Electro; Resurrection on every other Friday, with indie, electro and Motown, or Anarchy, the rock night; and various other events on the eleven hours the club is open on Saturdays.
The club attracts an impressively diverse clientele, with clubbers ranging between 18 and 40 years old! Contact the venue on 0121 233 0310.
With state of the art sound systems, lighting rigs and plasma screen visuals, Air nightclub is regarded as the most technologically advanced in the country. The venue has three rooms, including raised dancefloors and chillout areas, holding a total of 1650 people. The club presents internationally renowned DJs, spinning trance, techno, hard dance and house tunes, and is the regular host of the much-loved Godskitchen.
The main room is ‘Oxygen Arena’, with a large dancefloor, and soft fabric and leather seating; ‘Nitrogen Room’ contains another dancefloor and chillout area. ‘Carbon Lounge’ tends to feature the more relaxed side of the music, and comprises plenty of seating for relaxing and talking as well as a third dancefloor.
Air is located on Heath Mill Lane, and can be contacted on 0121 766 5100.
Carling Academy is a popular rock/alternative club and live music venue, downstairs from Bar Academy, a pre-club bar. The first of nine branches around the UK, the nightclub has a capacity of 2700 people, yet live music events are frequently sold out months in advance.
Every Friday night is the award-winning ‘Ramshackle’, a night of break beats, hip-hop, funky classics, indie and Northern Soul; and on Saturdays is ‘Subculture’, the rock night voted second best in the country by Kerrang! readers in 2004. Dozens of major acts have performed at the venue, from Kanye West and Joss Stone to Franz Ferdinand and The Pogues.
Tickets for events in the main club or pre-club bar can be booked over the phone by calling 0870 771 2000.
The Nightingale is one of Birmingham’s most popular gay clubs. Situated in the heart of the city centre, in the Chinese Quarter. The club is open six nights a week, with a 4am license for Fridays and a 6am license for Saturdays.
The first Sunday of every month features ‘The Comedy Collective’, stand-up comedy by four comedians from 8:30pm; and every Sunday night is ‘Sunday Diversion’, with house, electro and pop, and drinks £1. Tuesdays are free admission to ‘Club Classics’, with pop and house tunes; Karaoke on Wednesday; and free entry on Thursday. The club also has a restaurant and takeaway service.
Other popular Birmingham clubs include The Medicine Bar and The Custard Factory.
Entertainment