Bath’s nightlife, from the mainstays of Spoons and Labs to the quaint spots we try to gatekeep from our friends.
Bath’s nightlife, from the mainstays of Spoons and Labs to the quaint spots we try to gatekeep from our friends. Love it or hate it we’re all here for the same reason, to procrastinate those assignments, skip the 9ams and awake the next morning ready for the debrief with your flatmates to fill in your blank memories. But how does Bath compare to other cities, from the titans of the game like Liverpool and Manchester – is Bath a hidden gem?
The Capital on Tap blog seem to think so as they’ve ranked Bath SECOND, yes you read that right second, for having the most vibrant nightlife in the UK only beaten by southern superpower Brighton and above the likes of Bristol, with Sheffield, Nottingham and the northern powerhouses not even making the list. This may leave you confused as Bath holds the exact opposite reputation, a small city with limited nightlife not worth the time, money or effort. For me this is overexaggerated fallacy, I’ve enjoyed the nightlife in Bath and every now and then you might even spot a celebrity from Rufus Rice to A listers like Maya Jama, so surely it can’t be that bad? This doesn’t mean Bath isn’t flawed, I’m sure by now we have all sat in the queues that seem to go on for miles and gasped at the price of shots. This doesn’t even consider the fight for tickets between the resellers and bots, to FAME selling out a month in advance – it’s truly a great feat when you get those tickets only to turn up past your entry time on the night, thanks First Bus! This left me pondering the larger question, whilst the blog uses google business reviews and venues per 100,000 people, I wanted to see what you thought, so I did my own quick research and here is what I found.
Well, it is safe to say you do not quite agree, when asked the simply question of how you would rate Bath’s nightlife the answer was conclusively mediocre with a 3.13 out of 5, not good but not bad either. The issue is this is about as good as it gets and its only downhill from here so buckle up. When it comes to affordability you scored Bath a dismissal 2.47 out of 5 and it is clear why. Over the past few weeks, I have spoken to people who have paid £22 for bridge tickets for Halloween week and when questioned the most others had paid, I got answers consistently in the double digits. This doesn’t even consider how much resellers will sell for on the night, an all-too-common practice only inflating cost, no wonder we all live off pot noodles when a club ticket costs the same as a weekly shop! However, the possible reasons for this issue become apparent through my conversations where one issue stood out: a chronic lack of choice in Bath. With just a 2.31 rating people felt they had few options and overall your feelings can be summed up through one person’s comments, “It’s very expensive and there are very few options.” This has not been helped by the closure of Moles in December 2023 a beloved venue and one that’s, “absence is felt in the clubbing scene” one respondent said. So, with expensive prices and 60% of respondents saying they often find it difficult to get tickets, what is there that can even allow Bath to be considered one of the best places for a night out in the country? Well, it’s possibly the most important factor: you feel safe with a score of 4.47. The Bath Safe Bus plays a key role in this, and is so unique to Bath and having supported 33 people in freshers week this year it’s serving its purpose. Or it could be down to Bath as a city being so safe, rated second for safety in 2023, either way it leaves a question is the safety worth paying for?
Ultimately the conclusion is easy to find, is Bath the second-best night out in the UK no, absolutely not. Does it crack the top 10? The answer is still no. But is it our city we have all slowly fallen in love with – yes. As well as feeling safe, there is some good news on the horizon. After the closure of Revolution last year, we are finally getting a second Spoons in its place. Whilst yes, it is a chain, one of the biggest in the country at that, maybe let’s hope a little competition can lower some prices elsewhere. My conclusion is to enjoy Bath while you can take the opportunity of such a safe city to have a good time, and if other people hate Bath and you love it anyway don’t listen to them and just dance the night away.