The Best Nightclubs in Edinburgh for Students
Edinburgh nightclubs are exciting, varied, and make up part of an excellent nightlife scene in Scotland’s capital city. We all know about the festivals, the history, stunning architecture, and diverse cultural scene that the city has to offer, but what about the best Edinburgh nightclubs? We’ve put together a guide of the best clubs and student nights in Edinburgh for 2025.
What Makes Edinburgh a Popular Student City?
Edinburgh is an extremely popular student city for several reasons. With over 74,00 students in Edinburgh across four main universities and a college, it’s a bustling place that has plenty on offer from students who come from the local area, the rest of Scotland, the UK, and from around the world. It’s a very safe city, with a low crime rate, which helps to make the nightlife even better. There is a plethora of interesting and important festivals throughout the year, no more so than the Edinburgh Fringe Festival every summer that brings in theatre, comedy, and musical acts from across the world. The city boasts great cuisine, sport, a thriving local and historic music scene, and there is always something going on, no matter what your interests are.
The Best Edinburgh Nightclubs
Here are some of the best Edinburgh nightclubs around, to suit a wide range of tastes.
Sneaky Pete’s
Cowgate. EH1 1JW
A tiny, tiny club that has a massive, legendary reputation, Sneaky Pete’s holds about 100 people max. It’s got its reputation for a reason though, the place to be for maximum pleasure and everything electronic. A night out at Sneaky Pete’s is like going to a party in your best mate’s living room, except the sound system is world class, the vibes are perfect, and the drinks are great. World famous DJs play here regularly and it’s often in the top 100 clubs in the world ranked by those in the know. If you want to sneak into Sneaky Pete’s, you’ll have to be ready to buy those tickets immediately.
The Hive
Niddry Street. EH1 1LG
Open every day until 5am, if you’re looking to dance the night away to pop bangers, the latest chart hits, and the best in RnB from across the decades, this is the dancefloor for you. It holds around 400 people, it gets crammed and sweaty on the dancefloor, and it’s one of the best places to go for a night out on a student budget in Edinburgh. Great drinks deals are on offer every day, cheap entry (often free entry with student ID) is standard, and the Jägerbombs are really cheap!
The Liquid Room
Victoria Street. EH1 2HE
There’s something special about a club in a converted church, it just has a different feeling about it. This is an institution in Edinburgh, a place where Clavin Harris played before he was world famous, where bands have played on their way up, like Franz Ferdinand. For the club nights, you’ll get that mix of dancefloor fillers from indie classics to retro smash hits and the best in house and dance music. It’s open every Thursday until Sunday, 3am close every night.
Cabaret Voltaire
Blair Street. EH1 1QR
‘Cab Vol’ as it is affectionately known by the locals is an underground music venue that’s literally built into the old brick arches under the city. It’s a sound system that’s been designed to blast out house music, techno, experimental dance, and is one of the most iconic and historically important music venues in the whole country. Open till 3am Wednesday to Sunday each week, the entry is cheap in the week, just over a fiver, and although it is between £10 and £15 on the weekend, the lineups are always worthwhile!
The Bongo Club
Cowgate. EH1 1JX
If you’re looking for something a little different to the mainstream Edinburgh clubs, The Bongo Club is certainly that. It’s run by an arts charity, so there’s an events space, nightclub, gig venue, and exhibition space all in one building. You can feel those creative vibes at every turn, and the club nights rotate to fill different sectors, so you might want to head down to 90s Chicago House night, drum and bass, African funk nights, and so much more.
Planning a Safe Night Out
It’s important that you have a plan for any night out. Edinburgh is a city that is well connected by public transport and by foot. Around Cowgate and Edinburgh University, most things are walkable, there are night buses that run until 3am most weekends for those of you on a big night out, and taxis/Ubers are always a good option. Wherever you go, make sure your friends know where you are and vice versa, that you have a group chat so you can stay in touch with everyone on WhatsApp during the night out, and stay aware of your drinks at all times, and your tolerance.
The Different Seasons of Celebration for Edinburgh Students
Alongside the specific pubs, bars, and clubs, Edinburgh is such a famous and popular city with students, locals, and tourists alike because of the different seasons of celebration that it has throughout the year.
August
August is the busiest time of the entire year in Edinburgh. This is Festival and Fringe Festival month, so every venue and accommodation are booked out months in advance, there are parties and special festival club nights everywhere you turn.
September
When new students arrive in town and Freshers’ Week is in full-flow, there is loads for you to do. The universities partner up with clubs and bars to put on welcome events and you’ll find plenty of student deals, discounts, and big student club nights.
December/January
Hogmanay is the celebration to end all celebrations over New Year. The prices are at a premium this time of year, as tourists flock from across the world, and there are ticketed events at venues around the city that sell out well in advance. It is a spectacular time to be in Edinburgh though!
Into the Night
What do you think? There are loads of fun things going on in Edinburgh isn’t there? Our list has come from our sources in Edinburgh, scouring reviews of new locations, and finding out what events are student-friendly in the city this year and beyond. Whether you already live in Edinburgh, you’re moving there to study next year, or you’re visiting this summer and want to know all about the brilliant bars in Edinburgh city centre and beyond, we hope that we’ve covered everything that you’re looking for. It’s all about the student-friendly city in all its glory, providing you with a pub crawl and night’s out to remember in Scotland!
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