Best Edinburgh Nightlife for Students

Send My Bag is here to tell you where the best Edinburgh nightlife is to help make your decision between doing your university work or going on a night out that little bit easier. With so many local and international students choosing to live and study in Edinburgh, you’ll not be short of fun nightspots and opportunities to meet new people! In the 2018 QS best student cities list, Edinburgh ranked 16^th  in the world, beating cities like Manchester, New York, and Brisbane.

All of us are guilty of going out on a week night and then going into a morning lecture feeling a little fragile. After all, university isn’t all about the books, assignments, exams, and so on; sometimes a break from deadlines is needed. There is such a thing as too much stress about exams and assignments. If you’re already in the mood to go out and enjoy yourself, and are looking for even more of a reason to do this and ignore university work, then you’ve come to the right place as we share the best Edinburgh nightlife for students that you likely can’t say no to.

Cabaret Voltaire

Located on Blair Street in Edinburgh’s Old Town, this basement club has been built in the historical vaults of Edinburgh. Here, you can dance under the old brick arches, or book a club booth where you can sit and enjoy the industrial-chic vibes, and listen to the best of electronic dance music. The club is a haven for lovers of edgy electronic and techno music, as it showcases a mix of resident and guest independent DJs. Every Thursday night students can benefit from £3 entry, and enjoy a vodka and red bull for £3.00, shots for £2.00, and a beer for £2.50.

The Hive Nightclub

This is a club that wins on cheapness, rather than style or character. Student nights run every Sunday-Thursday with hard-to-beat drinks deals, such as £1.00 spirits including mixers, £1.50 shots, £2.50 cocktails, and £1.00 for bottled beers! On top of this range of cheap deals, you can choose from a mix of music, from chart to cheesy pop, to rock, to indie and alternative.

Brass Monkey

This bar offers something a little more chilled and casual, for when you want to have fun with your friends but without the dancing, shoving, and sweating of a club scene!  Brass Monkey has a cinema room with daily film screenings and a bring-your-own drinks policy. They also have games, cheap drinks, and a weekly pub quiz with a chance of winning money.

Edinburgh Pub Crawl

This pub crawl has been up and running since 2013, seven nights of the week. During the tour you’ll be guided around the most historical and cultural pubs that line the cobbled streets of Edinburgh’s Old Town. A pub crawl ticket for £7 gets you to 7 bars, and guarantees you some free shots, a free cocktail and other drinks discounts ‒ and not forgetting the chance to meet tonnes of other students. This is definitely a night for socialising and enjoying Edinburgh’s pub culture.

Why Not

If you’re looking for a more stylish spot, then why not try this nightclub, which is one of the oldest and most established clubs in Edinburgh, having opened its doors back in the 90s. This historical club has been vamped up quite recently, as it underwent refurbishment in 2013. It now has four stylish club rooms and Edinburgh’s only late-night outdoor garden. If you’re getting together with a bigger group of friends and want a VIP experience, why not split the price with your friends for a VIP package which include table booths, premium drinks, and premium service from waiters all night.

Frankenstein

This different and funky venue is one of a kind in Edinburgh. Frankenstein is a gothic-themed pub located in a 19^th-century church at the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town on George IV Bridge. It’s more than just gothic themed, though; it’s also monster themed, as it brings to life Mary Shelley’s famous Frankenstein book. They have monster shows with bar-top dancers and a large screen that plays the original black and white Frankenstein movies. For all the beer lovers out there, the pub has the best Bierkeller in Edinburgh, serving steins and bottles of German and continental beer.

The Liquid Room

As one of the UK’s leading venues, and one of the longest-running venues in Edinburgh (having opened back in 1997), this gig and club night hotspot has showcased lots of artists and DJs. Over the past 10 years bands like Black Eyed Peas, Kaiser Chefs, and Snow Patrol, DJs like Calvin Harris and Deadmau5, and rappers, such as Dizzee Rascal have all played here. As well as running weekly club nights from Thursday-Saturday, The Liquid Room is now a top pick if you want to listen to live performances by independent artists and DJs.  

Maybe you just want a break from university but without the party atmosphere and the booze. You may want to just catch up with friends over a tasty meal. Check out our blog on the cheapest food finds in Edinburgh.

Heading to one of Edinburgh’s Universities as a fresher and ready to go out, party, and meet new people during fresher’s week? Or returning to university and your friends after the holidays? Use our luggage forwarding service to ship your luggage, allowing you to travel light and avoid the high costs involved in using student storage. With your luggage taken care of, you can kick back, relax, and enjoy the food, drink, and entertainment choices on offer in Edinburgh.