Cardiff City Guide - Nightlife

For its size, Cardiff offers a vast range of nightlife options. The city's club scene is innovative and constantly changing, with a wide choice of venues. There is a huge choice of bars, cafe-bars and restaurants - traditional, 'trendy' or both at once. All the action happens in the city centre and at Cardiff Bay. The weekend nightlife scene centres around St Mary Street with its wide choice of bars, pubs and clubs. Bohemian-style Mill Lane, otherwise known as the 'Cafe Quarter', offers a good choice of eating options and bars. Gay venues are generally to be found in Charles Street and elsewhere on the city centre's southern fringe. Wednesday night is busy, when the university crowds descend on the town for student nights at various venues. Fridays and Saturdays are the traditional evenings for painting the town red. Several bars and clubs, however, are making a concerted effort to liven things up during the rest of the week, with cheap drinks, late licences, live theatre, band nights and poetry sessions.

Pubs and bars are normally licensed for the sale of alcohol Monday to Saturday 1100-2300 and Sunday 1200-2230, but many places, particularly in the city centre, now have late licences and stay open until 0200 or even as late as 0400 every day of the week. Nightclubs remain open until at least 0200 and many close as late (or early) as 0600, depending on the venue and day of the week. Casinos usually close between 0300 and 0400. All casinos and some bars and clubs may refuse admission to those less than 18 years, which is the legal drinking age. Some venues do not admit anyone under 21 years.

A good source of detailed information is available online at What's On in Cardiff (website: www.metroplex.co.uk), which has links to most clubs, cinemas and other entertainment options.

Bars: It is said that 'there are more Brains in Cardiff' than elsewhere and The Old Arcade, 14 Church Street, an old-fashioned pub serving food and the locally-made Brain's beer, is a good place to test this theory. A wide choice of traditional beers and food is also available close by at the Owain Glyndwr, also in Church Street, opposite St John's Church. A more unusual and eclectic mix of beers and lagers can be enjoyed at Waterguard, Britannia Park. In the bay area, The Wharf, 121 Schooner Way, Atlantic Wharf, has good views across the water and cheap food, while live music (and great food) can be found at The Packet, Bute Street. Ba Orient, Mermaid Quay, is one of Cardiff's most stylish bars, serving imaginative cocktails and delicious dim sum. For a livelier evening, try Zync, 63 St Mary Street, in the Café Quarter, a bar/club crossover with live band events. Also on St Mary Street at number 41 is Soda Bar, a chic watering hole open Thursday to Saturday only. The Old Monk, St Mary Street, is a popular and trendy venue offering excellent value drinks and good food, while Bar Essential, 35 Windsor Place, is the choice of the city's young professionals and visiting businesspeople. The Model Inn, 14-15 Quay Street, is a lively and enjoyable restaurant-bar.

Clubs: Clwb Ifor Bach, 11 Womanby Street (website: www.clwb.net), is considered one of the 'coolest' clubs in Cardiff. It is situated over three floors and is one of the few clubs to offer action throughout the week. It showcases an eclectic mix of live music and DJs. The Wednesday night mix of new music, funk, Britpop and indie music is hugely popular. Other mainstream venues include Liquid, Imperial Gate, St Mary Street, and Creation, Park Place. Cardiff's biggest gay/mixed venue is Club X, 35 Charles Street.

Housed in the cavernous UCI building on Atlantic Wharf, Cardiff Bay, Evolution is the biggest club in Cardiff and offers a menu of mainstream house, dance and party anthems. A shuttle bus collects partygoers from the New Theatre in the city, every 15 minutes from 2115. Wednesday night is student night, with house and party anthems. Fridays are for over 18s and Saturdays are for the over 20s. Only those in smart clubbing dress will be admitted.

Live Music: Live music is easy to find in many bars around the city - Cardiff has a very active music scene. Entry is often free and where admission is charged it is rarely expensive. Cafe Jazz, in the Sandringham Hotel, St Mary Street (tel: (029) 2038 7026; website: www.cafejazzcardiff.com), is home to the Welsh Jazz Society and hosts top local performers as well as international acts. As well as at the excellent Clwb Ifor Bach (see Clubs), live acts can be found at The Point (tel: (029) 2046 0873; website: www.thepointcardiffbay.com), on Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff Bay; Barfly (tel: 0870 907 0999; website: www.barflyclub.com), Kingsway; and the University Students Union, Park Place (although many events are restricted to NUS card-holders only) (tel: (029) 2078 1400; website: www.cardiffstudents.com). For really big acts, Cardiff International Arena, Mary Ann Street (tel: (029) 2022 4488), and occasionally the Millennium Stadium, Westgate Street (tel: (029) 2082 2040; website: www.millenniumstadium.com), are the prime venues.