Primed and Ready... Preston, here we come!
Once known as ‘Proud Preston’, and for good reason, the Lancashire city retains a strong personality and a vibrant nightlife. With around 32,000 students, the city’s historic market centre, for the most part of the year, takes on a youthful atmosphere that drives the city’s growing nightlife. Heres our guide to what’s hot…
Boasting a wealth of bars, clubs and live music, Preston has it all. What better place to start than the infamous Revolutions. With many a city now having at least one Revs, Preston is no exception. Perfect for a few drinks with friends or indeed a full-blown night out, Revolutions caters for private parties with their range of tantalising cocktails and heady mix of music. For all your Old school and party anthems with a twist of house, the venue’s middle floor is the place to be on a Saturday with regular resident DJs providing the soundtrack to your weekend with RnB taking centre stage in their upstairs Attic clubroom. With two for one deals on cocktails and various beers, you may well find yourself here all night. Hosting midweek nights such as Epik! on Wednesdays and Big Beat Thursdays, Evoque is a weekly staple for Preston students. Their enticing drinks, including £2.30 Jaeger-bombs, never fails to attract a big crowd. Expect the best in classic Rnb and Hip-hop on Wednesday, House and Bass music on Thursdays drifting into current chart hits at the weekend. What's more, if you want to make your weekend that extra bit special be sure to check out their range of packages including tables and champers.
Split across three rooms, Squires and New York New York combines musical variety and cheap drinks in order to fuel your weekend. Their blend of plush décor and musical styling is a winner. With the refreshing sounds of classic Motown and Soul coming from their disco inspired second room New York New York, this place is guaranteed to produce some all round good times. Since their launch back in 2006, venue Lava & Ignite has established itself as one of the key players on the Preston social scene. Another spacious venue spread across three floors, each with their own distinct feel, Lava & Ignite also accommodate private parties and large bookings, and in the past have hosted dance music heavyweights Roger Sanchez and Calvin Harris.
Nowhere encapsulates the city’s mix of people better than Baluga Bar. With nine-to-five workers sharing the dancefloor with students and local celebs in this opulent settings, Baluga Bar transforms into a laid back cocktail bar during the dayand into a underground playground at night. Their slightly stricter dress code may be a turn off but it ensures a tone of class and sophistication to your night out.
On the live music, the somewhat space age looking 53 Degrees is a must. With their two rather large spaces, 1200 and 400 in capacity respectively, they attract some of the biggest names in live music,including Gary Numan, comedy and more recently have ventured out into the world of amateur boxing and mixed martial arts. Their dedication to diversity has to be admired. For a more intimate feel, The Adelphi prides itself on unearthing the best in new live music. Located in the heart of the student area (don’t let this put you off) The Adelphi hosts a ludicrously cheap ‘Quids’ night every Thursday after eight.
If you’re looking for a bit of history to accompany your weekend activities, look no further than The Warehouse. Acting as ‘the’ venue for all things punk in the seventies and once being the hangout of Joy Division, this place is steeped in history and continues to live by it’s musical heritage. Open on Tuesdays and weekends, The Warehouse, in truth, does offer more than rock and punk, having evolved with the ever shifting musical trends. But they stay true to their roots every Friday with a mixture of Rock, Pop Punk and Indie spread across three floors.
By Jack Evans