One of the reasons why people chose their university is without doubt for the nightlife. It is safe to say that Belfast has an atmosphere like no other at night with their incredible Irish pubs and a wide variety of clubs. Every time I have visited my friends at other universities, it is obvious how privileged we are in Belfast with our nightlife and how much I take the access to the Irish pubs for granted.

Those students coming from Ireland and Northern Ireland do not understand how amazing the pub culture is over here compared to the rest of the UK.

Here I have laid out my ideal nights out weekly for both those who like clubbing and then for anyone who is more into pubs and bars or a mix of all. I have been in Belfast for years now and have tried out multiple places and so cutting everything down to come up with a few of my favourite places was hard but here they are!

^{Commercial Court, Belfast}

A Week of Club Nights

For a week of club nights I would start off on a Monday with Warehouse Mondays. This is a new concept as it only started this year in Belfast. It is different to other nights out as there is a bus which picks everyone up from a number of locations to take you to the Warehouse. Essentially Warehouse Mondays are located at Common Market outside of the city centre in a giant warehouse which is a good change of scenery.

Are you up for beer pong?

For a Wednesday night, I would recommend Remedy Wednesdays at Filthy McNastys along the Dublin road. Filthies has lots of beer pong tables in the outside courtyard which is a great activity to play with everyone and the best way to make new friends especially in first year. I cannot count how many hours I’ve spent their with friends mastering beer pong.

^{Charlotte and friends on a night out}

Are you a cheeser or a raver?

For a Thursday night, Babba Thursdays at Limelight are a must. Limelight, along Ormeau avenue, hosts Scratch Mondays, UFO Wednesdays and Babba Thursdays all 3 of which sell out weekly and are amazing depending on your music taste. UFO is for those who are into rave music whereas Babba is for cheesy hits and scratch is a mix of the two. Limelight has 2 dance floors with a connecting music bar in between the 2 meaning that if you don’t like the music in one room, you can go to another.

Value for money

For a Friday the Queen’s SU Club Fridays are always a go to. The SU not only has cheap drinks (a fiver for a cocktail!) but also great food. The pizzas are always tasty and you get a good size for the money.

On a Saturday to finish off the week I always love a visit to Kremlin. Kremlin is along Donegall street and hosts Revolution Saturdays which are always popular. Kremlin is a further walk than any other club however the distance is well worth it.

^{Rainbow umbrellas in Commercial Court}

The Pick of the Pubs

More importantly, the reason why everyone loves Belfast is because of its pubs and bars. The best thing about all of these are their live music. Nowhere quite matches the vibe of everyone in a pub of any age getting up and dancing together to a man strumming his guitar.  

Get it for the 'gram

It was hard to pick a favourite for this one however the Duke of York will probably take my number one because of the amazing memories of nights out I have there. It is famously instagrammable with a street of lit up umbrellas to dance under holding a pint. Even if you don’t drink any of these pubs are worth a visit to experience the atmosphere and to learn some new Irish songs.

^{The Duke of York}

Amazing live music

Other pubs with live musicians that are amazing include the Points, the Parlour, Boneyard and the Dirty Onion. Boneyard and the Dirty Onion are both outdoors with heaters and lots of room for dancing around tables. The Points is decorated in a very authentic way and is well worth a visit to see a traditional Irish pub. The Parlour is a bit smaller but is still just as exciting as the others.

^{The Bone Yard}

Don't be shy hi!

The most important thing to remember when visiting these pubs is to just get up and dance without caring who you are dancing with. I look forward to going to the pub now every time to have a nice dance along to Belle of Belfast City or any Gerry Cinnamon song as before coming here I had never heard of them and now they are essential to a typical Belfast pub night out.

Find out more

VIDEO: My Favourite Rooftop Bars and Beer Gardens in Belfast

VIDEO: Belfast's Live Music Scene

The Best Places for a Pint of Guinness in Belfast

Navigating Belfast's Nightlife: A Guide to Safe Fun

How to Enjoy a Night Out in Belfast

Charlotte Jennings  Politics and International Relations | Undergraduate Student | London, England I'm a Politics and International Relations student in my second year at Queen's. I am from London and currently live in student housing but lived in Elms BT9 last year. I love to be a busy person and am a member of multiple societies and teams at Queen's. I am also undertaking a charitable project at Queen's called the Zambia project where we host fundraisers in order to collect money and aid for our missionary trip to Zambia. In my spare time I teach water sports in Bangor and so far I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in Belfast even though it is very different to London. I would highly recommend the university to anyone as I have had the best experience here so far and have fallen in love with this country.