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Nightlife and entertainment
Edinburgh offers an exciting and varied social scene, with hundreds of bars, clubs, cinemas, theatres and music venues throughout the city.
Bars and pubs
Edinburgh’s liberal licensing policy means it’s easy to fill in your time until the wee hours with loads of bars, pubs and clubs open way (way) past midnight.
There's something for everyone here, from old time, traditional pubs full of character and history, to trendy cocktail bars with drinks menus that are pages long.
Nightclubs and live music
Franz Ferdinand play in Princes Street Gardens
The nightclub scene is vibrant, with venues hosting a combination of regular clubs and one-nighters by international DJs.
Edinburgh is also a regular stopping point on tours for both major and upcoming artists and has a lively local music scene.
You can catch gigs at tiny, old school venues dotted throughout the city, while Princes Street Gardens and the castle sometimes play host to bigger acts.
The easiest way to find out what's on is to pick up a copy of The List, a fortnightly listings magazine covering both Edinburgh and Glasgow (only 50 minutes away by train).
Comedy, theatre and cinema
There’s a huge range of entertainment available with something happening pretty much every day of the year.
From comedy open mike nights to the best in contemporary theatre, you’re bound to find something to suit your taste.
If it's films you're into, you can head to one of Edinburgh's big multiplexes for popular new releases, or one of the smaller filmhouses for all the latest in independent and arthouse cinema.
At the University
Edinburgh University Students' Association ( EUSA) runs the city’s biggest student nightclub, Potterrow.
Teviot, the largest union building, has five bars over seven floors. It offers stand-up comedy, pub quizzes, ceilidhs, and indie music.
The Pleasance is a prime venue for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and hosts regular comedy nights for students the rest of the year.
King’s Building campus also has its own union.
This article was published on Jul 7, 2009