Entertainment

Alternative Nights in Nottingham: What To Do Instead of Clubbing

Clubbing not for you? We have some great alternatives for a night without intensive dancing.

While a night out on the town is a classic pastime for any university student, the sticky floors and ear-numbing music is not always the most appealing way to spend your evening. Fear not, you are not destined to sit in your room alone. Nottingham offers a wide variety of things to do that aren’t just Rock City, be they free (because student loans haven’t dropped yet), on campus, or having you in bed before 4am.

Ghost Tours:  £6 per adult – every Saturday @ 7:30pm

If you love Buzzfeed’s Unsolved series, these ghost tours are a great way to discover Nottingham, learn some history and get a little spooky with your new mates.

It’s scary how fun this is : https://www.thenottinghamghostwalk.co.uk/

Skating disco: £5 for students – every Friday and Saturday @ 7:30-9:30

You don’t have to be an ice hockey player to show off your cha-cha slide on the ice. This disco is great fun with plenty of throwback tunes to cheer you up as you fall over for the 50th time.

Have a n-ice time at: https://www.national-ice-centre.com/

Though the university offers various bar crawls, creating your own can also be rather fun

Pub/bar crawl: however much you like

Though the university offers various bar crawls, creating your own can also be rather fun (you could even make your own t-shirts). Some of my favourite haunts include Bunk (chicken wings and cocktails, sometimes ping pong), Pit & Pendulum (dungeon-esque, gothic themed drinks), Cookie Shake (cookies and cookie shots), ‘Spoons (both Beeston and Nottingham have a Wetherspoons for a chilled night and cheap drinks) and if you’re feeling fancy, The Boilermaker has expensive but very creative drinks (just don’t be put off by the uninviting exterior).

Uni bar crawl:

Many of the University halls have their own bars as well as the SU classic, Mooch, all of which have different themes and specialty drinks for a chilled night on campus (vodka slushies at Derby Hall’s Echo are a personal favourite).

https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/hospitality/cafesbars/campus-bars/campus-bars.aspx

Pub quiz: free to £6

Pubs in Nottingham offer a variety of quizzes to test your knowledge and impress your flatmates. Bierkeller commonly hosts themed quiz nights requiring pre-booking and obligatory bench-dancing, but other pubs such as the Rose and Crown (Monday 8:30) or Annie’s Burger Shack (Tuesday 7:30) offer weekly quizzes at a max price of £1.

Bierkeller- https://thebierkeller.com/nottingham

The Rose and Crown – https://roseandcrownn16.co.uk/pub-pub-quiz/

Annie’s- https://anniesburgershack.com/events

Live Music: free/drinks cost

Nottingham’s live music scene is well-known from the reputation of Rock City and the Bodega, but many pubs and bars also offer live music from new artists (it makes you seem very cool and edgy if you can reel off unknown music names), otherwise it’s a fun time discussing the not-so-great music. Just don’t knock it ‘til you try it! Some big walk-in music spots include Pit & Pendulum and The Lord Roberts. Get groovy at:

Pit & Pendulum- https://www.eerie-pubs.co.uk/pit-pendulum

The Lord Roberts- https://whatpub.com/pubs/NOT/140/lord-roberts-nottingham

Note: many of these places have Twitter and Facebook pages which are great to follow for upcoming events.

Movie: £5 for students @ The Savoy in Lenton

A cute little cinema in central Lenton, the Savoy is great for midnight screenings of new films or for catching up on the latest releases (the popcorn is a lot cheaper than in London which excites many). Fresher’s releases include It: Chapter Two and the new Downtown Abbey film.

Check our what’s on at: https://www.savoyonline.co.uk/SavoyNottingham.dll/Home

bowling is a relaxing way to get to know people.

Bowling: £8.25 for one game

Whilst a little on the pricey side, bowling is a relaxing way to get to know people. You can show off your mad skills or bond over your lack thereof (there is no shame in putting the barriers up…)

You’ll be bowled-over by the fun… https://www.tenpin.co.uk/our-locations/nottingham/

Chess, ping pong and walks: free (other than some ping pong bats)

The university has adorned its grounds with a giant chess-set, ping pong tables and the lovely lake, all of which are great to appreciate at any time of the day for free! Say hi to the geese on a late-night walk by the lake with friends, or get competitive with an intense chess game, Harry Potter-style.

Nottingham and the University have a vast array of places and activities to fill your evenings that will sooth everyone’s inner grandma

Clubbing and late nights can be daunting prospects, but as can be seen, Nottingham and the University have a vast array of places and activities to fill your evenings that will sooth everyone’s inner grandma. If none of these take your fancy, wandering around the city as a group can be a fun way to discover your own little favourite places: Old Market Square at night offers some great photo opportunities.

Phoebe Raine

Featured image courtesy of Dun.can via Flickr. Article images courtesy of Tobias Abel, Do u remember and Sumeet Jain via Flickr. Image use licence here.

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