Hi there!
Are you an incoming or new student and worried about the pub and club scene in Bath?
Well… not to worry because I’m here to give you the definitive guide to how you can have a fab night out!
My qualifications for being considered an expert in this area:
- 3x a week club warrior throughout the whole of my fresher’s year (minor decreases as my degree got harder ?).
- Social sec of a sports club – Wednesday sports nights dressed up as a Bath superhero go hard.
- More hours in pubs and clubs than contact hours over my whole degree. By a substantial amount.
What we’ve got on campus…
In classic Bath fashion our SU bar on campus is called The Plug and Tub.
The Plug is the general bar area where you can get some cheapest pints in Bath, a fantastic chicken and chips deal (don’t fear we also have vegan options), and sit down on a ridiculously comfy sofa. For some reason I studied here instead of the library whenever I had an assignment to do.
The Tub is the attached area that functions as normal seating, an extra bar when it’s super busy, and then turns into a nightclub on a Wednesday for our Fishies sport night collab – a great night to attend because most people will have a hilarious costume on.
A newer addition is the Waddling Duck which is open by the lake during the summer when the sun is shining, offering a selection of soft drinks, pints, and cocktails so you can chill by the lake and take in the rays.
In terms of events, we have one every weeknight with different deals available:
- 2 Pint Cocktail Pitchers
- The Plug Quiz
- Post Pitch Pints
- 2-4-1 Cocktails
- And my personal favourite, the Happy Hour with insane prices and double pints
We can’t forget about some of our special events that bring the vibes at different points in the year:
- Snowball – the night where the sports clubs swap their ridiculous costumes for black tie and have the opportunity to ride a mechanical reindeer
- Masquerade ball – a night of glamour and dancing for all SU societies, volunteering groups, diversity and support groups, and media groups
- Varsity – an all-day event where we take on Cardiff Met at almost every sport imaginable
- Summer ball – our biggest night complete with fair rides, various music stages, and everyone dressed to perfection
What the city offers…
If you think that because Bath is a super small city, it therefore has no nightlife you are thankfully very wrong!
We’ll start with pubs. If you’re looking for a historic pint then Bath is the city for you. The internet says there’s well over 70 so we’ll trust in that, and I have friends who tried to tick them all off in a year, they failed spectacularly so there’s certainly a lot of options.
The price point ranges in the city so it’s worth scouting out your options, but midweek is ideal for that juicy student discount in a lot of places. Theres a lot of big pub gardens and even a few lovely roof terraces to sit on when the sun is shining!
Now onto the clubs. There are a few nightclubs with a range of events across the week in the city. As a rule weekday nights out (and sometimes Friday depending on the place) are geared towards students so WAY cheaper than a Saturday.
Overall, the majority of nights tend to be girly pop disco type music, pretty basic but definitely never misses. BUT for those of you looking for other types of music there are quite a few events across the year for fans of Indie, House, Techno, Latin, Jungle, Bollywood, and Garage, as well as themed nights like Taylor Swift or Charli XCX.
Looking further afield…
If you want even more than Bath itself has to offer then we’re about a 10-minute train from Bristol which has a massive diversity of different nights and music genres, and again plenty more fantastic pubs.
Getting home is relatively easy, there’s buses all night that take you into the centre of Bath, or if you bring a big group splitting an uber generally turns out to be a reasonable price per person.
Staying safe
Bath is one of the safest cities for a night out in the country, and a big part of that is the various schemes to keep people happy and safe on a night out. My advice to you is never leave a friend behind and stick together because a) you’ll have more fun and b) if something goes wrong its worth having a friend about.
River Safety
With the river Avon flowing through the city, it’s important to keep your wits about you on a night out.
- Avoid the river and riverbanks after dark when drinking - use the SCP River Safety Map
- Stay together around the river if you must pass near the river
- Never enter the water, there’s crazy currents, hidden hazards, and the risk of cold-water shock (not to mention it’s incredibly unclean)
- If someone falls in, call 999 immediately and don’t enter the water yourself. There are River Safety cabinets marked on the river safety map which contain throwlines
Ask for Angela
A load of the pubs in Bath have signed up to the Ask for Angela pledge, a discreet way to ask for support if you need it for any reason. By asking for “Angela” you can let staff know quietly and without a fuss that you need help and they’ll be trained to help you in the way you want.
The Safe Bus
The Bath Safe Bus is parked up on Orange Grove next to Bath Abbey, it runs every Friday and Saturday from 22:30 to 04:00, but also at other busy times such as Freshers’ Week, Bank Holidays, and other big events in the city.
Its purpose is to provide a safe space to deliver welfare support and medical care on a night out so it’s a helpful scheme to be aware of if you or a mate gets into a tricky situation.
I hope this guide helps you have many a fantastic and safe night out in Bath and beyond!
Lots of love,
Tash x