Top 10 nightlife things to do in Glasgow

Traditional Celtic music, a cosmopolitan café culture and underground rock gigs make up the melting pot of Glasgow nightlife. Book a Glasgow hotel close to this welcoming city centre.

Traditional music at Babbity Bowsters

For a true Celtic night out, head to lively Babbity Bowsters pub on cobbled Blackfriars Street off Glasgow High Street. Hearty Gaelic pub grub fills stomachs before an evening of whiskies and traditional Scottish ceilidh tunes.

16–18 Blackfriars Street, Glasgow, G1 1PE.

World beers at Blackfriars

Unusual continental and world beers are poured from the pumps at Blackfriars, a central Merchant City gastropub. Head down to the basement for eclectic evenings of music and dance – soul, rock’n’roll and even tango.

36 Bell Street, Glasgow, G1

A taste of Scotland at the Ubiquitous Chip

Perthshire game, haggis and Scotch steak and lamb are local treats served in the nooks and crannies of this stylish West End restaurant. Dine in the airy mezzanine, covered roof terrace or leafy courtyard. The tiny adjoining pub – the Wee Chip – draws discerning drinkers to sample some of its 150 malt whiskies.

8-12 Ashton Lane, Glasgow, G12 8SJ

Bands at Barrowland Ballroom

Undiscovered acts rub shoulders with successful bands at Barrowland Ballroom music and market venue – a 10-minute walk east from Glasgow Central Station. Teens get their chance to bop on the ballroom floor at special booze-free ’14-plus‘evenings where indie sounds test the acoustics in the old dancehall.

244 Gallowgate, Glasgow, G4 OTS

Gay Glasgow

Cosmopolitan Merchant City hosts “Glasgay’s” lively scene. Fun-loving Delmonica’s bar is the place to go for quiz nights and karaoke, while laid-back Revolver Bar is far from cheesy with indie and electronic music. Pop videos ring out from the big screens at the Waterloo Bar, a city-centre gay institution.

Waterloo Bar, 306 Argyle Street, Glasgow, G2 6AY

Asian tapas at Mother India

This three-storey, Dickensian townhouse in Glasgow’s west end is home to a little India in Strathclyde. The wooden panelled walls and tall leather seats are the stylish setting for dinners of tantalising dosas and curries.

28 Westminster Terrace, Glasgow, G3 7RU

Theatre nights in Glasgow

Watch the Scottish Ballet pirouette at performances at the grand Victorian Theatre Royal. Kids love the winter pantomime at the redbrick King’s Theatre on Bath Street. See weird and wonderful fringe theatre and off-the-wall comedy at The Arches, a Victorian arts venue under Central Station.

Theatre Royal, 282 Hope Street, Glasgow, G2 3QA

 

Classical at Glasgow Concert Halls

The lofty cast-iron arches that once sheltered Victorian fruit and vegetable sellers are now the setting for an elegant concert hall – the Old Fruit Market. Hear the strings of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra fill the huge auditorium at the contemporary and central Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. 

2 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, G2 3NY 

Designer cafés in Merchant City

See a slice of fashionable café culture in Glasgow. The Beer Café serves Belgian beers on its terraces in Merchant Square, while Café Gandolphi on Albion Street is famed for its carved furniture and stained glass windows. 

Café Gandolphi, 64 Albion Street, Glasgow, G1 1NY 

New music at Nice’n’Sleazy

Rock’s best-kept, unsigned secrets play gigs downstairs in the small and dimly lit basement at Nice’n’Sleazy’s music venue in the city centre. Upstairs are all the ingredients that make a great British pub – a jukebox, pool table, hearty pub grub and cosy sofas. 

421 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, G2 3LG