Essex University offers some of the best nightlife to be found in the UK. Bars and clubs found throughout Colchester city, where the University is based, offer a variety of night time activities that will keep any student dancing all night long. In this guide, we provide insight and reviews into some of the best bars and clubs in Colchester, as well as some alternative options to keep your evenings varied.
Does Essex Uni have good nightlife?
Absolutely! Colchester is well-known for catering to students, with a host of clubs, bars, pubs, and other evening activities to keep you entertained until the early hours. It’s not all partying though, Colchester offers a host of cultural entertainment, like theatre productions, stand-up comedy, live music, and more. Students should also keep an eye out for specific student discounts, to make that night out go just a little bit further!
Each of the below venues are based in Colchester or on the University of Essex campus, so transport links are very available from private student housing, like Avon Way House, or on campus housing.
The best bars and nightclubs in Colchester
Colchester plays host to some of the best bars and nightclubs in the country, each of which offer their own events and activities to keep you entertained throughout your time at University. While we won’t be touching on Colchester’s pub scene in this article, you can learn more about that in our 10 Best Pubs for students blog, or our Colchester Nightlife blog.
Rubix Bar & Nightclub
Rubix Bar & Nightclub offers some of the best student nights in Colchester, with a range of music to keep you going until closing time!
Friday Nights
Friday night is party night at Rubix! Expect an incredible blend of music from their resident DJ, covering Pop, Party, Cheese and Dance. Students can also enjoy free entry and 2 cocktails for £10 before 11pm.
Saturday Nights
Get nostalgic at Rubix on Saturday night when two floors go to war! On the ground floor, you can enjoy a host of 80’s classics, while the upstairs provides those 90’s floorfillers. The DJs on each floor must battle to see who has the busiest dance floor. Which floor will you choose?
Students can also enjoy 2 cocktails for £10 before 11pm on Saturday nights, and dressing up for the event is absolutely recommended!
Sub Zero
The Sub Zero nightclub provides the easiest way for students living in University of Essex dorms to enjoy that Essex Uni nightlife, and is a part of your SU Membership.
Nightclub on campus
One of only two nightclubs on campus, Sub Zero offers an amazing range of student event nights throughout the week, from royal rave nights, sports social nights, and DJ appearances from the likes of Fuse ODG. Freshers events are on every year at Sub Zero too, helping new students settle into the campus with evenings of fun and socialising.
Sub Zero nightclub also boasts fair prices for all students, with the aim to provide students with a great night out without breaking the bank.
The In-between Bar
The In-between Bar describes itself as more than a bar, but not quite a club. Still, this on campus location offers some great nightlife activities for students.
The Campus Bar-Club combo
Thanks to its multifaceted offering, the In-between Bar can put on a host of event nights all completely in keeping with its vibe. Students can enjoy Rock Vs Indie nights, Latin Vs Reggaeton nights, Disney Party nights, and Pride Agenda nights!
This bar wants every community on campus to feel welcome, and as such provides fantastic international meetup nights, LGBT nights, and much more.
Yates
Yates, based in central Colchester, provides a fantastic assortment of activities throughout the day and night.
Bar and restaurant by day, nightclub by night
Yates boasts delightful food and drinks, acting as a bar and restaurant throughout the day. Evenings at Yates though are all about making the most of the night time through karaoke, dancing, and 2-4-1 cocktails!
Yates also hosts a range of sports fixtures, making it the ultimate place to relax before a great night out.
The Silk Road Lounge & Cocktail Bar
Part bar, part lounge, and part club, this beautiful cocktail bar is one the best places to get a drink in central Colchester, and provides a wonderful and classy atmosphere that you can enjoy from Wednesday to Monday each week.
Walk the Silk Road
The Silk Road Lounge & Cocktail Bar has a fantastic range of beers and cocktails on offer to help you unwind after a long day at University. Students will also enjoy theme nights like Tipsy Tuesdays, Thirsty Thursdays, and epic DJ sets on Fresh Fridays and Saturday Nights.
With everything The Silk Road has to offer, it has quickly become a Colchester favourite for students.
Walkabout Colchester
This popular chain bar/club in central Colchester offers everything from food and drinks, to partying and relaxing!
The place to watch sports
Walkabout is first and foremost a sports bar, showing games from the Premier League, Champions League, Rugby World Cup, Premiership Rugby, and Boxing fixtures, throughout the year.
Walkabout is also the perfect place to grab a bite in the evening, offering a relaxed atmosphere and a great range of beers and cocktails. Stick about long enough at Walkabout, and watch it transform into a fantastic space to enjoy dancing the night away as well.
Don’t forget about the pub quiz every Sunday evening too!
Top Bar
The Top Bar, based on the University of Essex campus, offers some of Essex’s most relaxed nightlife, with an excellent atmosphere designed to help you find maximum enjoyment for your evening.
Get competitive while enjoying top class drinks
Get competitive at the Top Bar over a game of pool or darts, while enjoying a cocktail, beer or fine wine. The Top Bar also hosts Wine Wednesday and Fizzy Friday every week, so you can enjoy some amazing student deals on your drinks.
Don’t forget about the Italian Society Mixers at Top Bar, which happen on a weekly basis.
Colchester’s cultural nightlife
There are many other activities to enjoy in Colchester outside of bars and clubs! Colchester has a thriving cultural scene, making it one of the best places to enjoy everything from live music to theatre productions throughout Essex.
The Mercury Theatre
The Mercury Theatre in central Colchester offers a fantastic range of theatre productions to expand your cultural horizons.
What’s on at the Mercury Theatre?
There’s always something to see at the Mercury Theatre, such as:
- Theatre productions from Dracula to Around the World in 80 Days
- Stand up comedy nights from The Comedy Network and comedians like Stewart Lee
- Movie nights, showing films like The Birdcage
- Live performances, like the Global Voices choir, and G4
There’s plenty more to see throughout the year as well, so be sure to check their website to see what’s on and what’s coming up.
The Colchester Arts Centre
This unique space in central Colchester offers a range of acts against a beautiful backdrop, that being the St Mary’s at the Walls church, which boasts beautiful roman tiling, and a blend of 15th Century and Victorian architecture.
What’s on at the Colchester Arts Centre?
The Colchester Arts Centre is the home of music and comedy in Colchester, and is a great stop for students looking for an alternative night out.
The Colchester Arts Centre proudly hosts bands like Blur, Limehouse Lizzy, and Tristan, covering musical genres from brit-pop to indie, folk to jazz, and more. It also acts as a space for Colchester’s best new bands to introduce themselves and perform before an audience, so students visiting will truly be at the forefront of the local music scene.
You can also find a host of comedy nights from some of the best comedians in Essex and across the UK, including Suzi Ruffell, Tom Davis and Angela Barnes.
Tenpin Bowling
This student friendly bowling alley in Colchester offers a great alternative to a night of drinks and dancing!
What’s on at Tenpin Bowling?
Tenpin Bowling is the perfect place for a chilled night out with your uni friends. Alongside bowling, it also offers:
- Arcades
- Beer pong
- Bowling
- Escape rooms
- Karaoke
- Laser tag
- Pool
- Hyperbowling
- Table tennis
- Climbing Wall
With all this choice, there’s almost no end to what a student can get up to!
When bowling, money-savvy students should also be aware that there are great deals on Thursdays and Tuesdays to help you enjoy a budget friendly night out!
Valhalla Lanes
Feel like spending your evening slightly differently? Why not try the Valhalla Lanes with your friends?
Axe Throwing Fun for students
At the Valhalla Lanes, students are asked to come along and unleash their inner viking! At the Valhalla Lanes, you have the choice of axe throwing or knife throwing at targets. Make sure to book ahead of time so you and your friends get a space!
Escape Colchester
Stretch your mind with one of Colchester’s best Escape rooms – Escape Colchester!
Escape room fun for students
Escape Colchester has a host of different escape rooms for students to escape from:
- Witchcraft and Wizardry – This escape room requires you to master tricks, challenges, spells and puzzles, to escape the evil professor!
- 221B Baker Street – This Sherlock Holmes themed escape room sees you working for Sherlock’s rival, Moriarty. You must break into Sherlock’s flat, overcome his puzzles, and steal his most prized possessions!
- The Cabin – This mysterious and spooky escape room requires you to escape the cabin… but what horrors lurk inside?
- Escape the Seven Seas – Break free of your prison as part of a pirate crew, and steal the treasure from the Captain’s quarters!
- Demon Barber – Solve the mystery of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street in this cut throat escape room.
- Boudicca’s Uprising – Retrieve the Eagle Standard from the Roman Legion’s commander, and return it to the Queen of the Icenian rebellion, Boudicca.
- 8 Year Later – This post-apocalyptic escape room will see you trying to find a cure for the virus that nearly wiped out humanity. Solve the puzzles before the infected find you!
Keep an eye on the Student Union for events
The University of Essex Student Union will keep you updated on all kinds of events throughout Colchester! The events they share tend to be student-friendly as well, so if you’re keen to be a budget-savvy student and keep on top of your living costs while in Colchester, the SU can help keep you on track.
Keep an eye on their website throughout the year, and make the most of your time at uni.
Live in Colchester, and experience the nightlife!
As you can see, the nightlife for an Essex University student can take you on all kinds of twists and turns! To make the most of your time in Colchester though, you need to find the perfect place to live – enter Beyond the Box Student’s student-built accommodation.
Our Colchester student apartments at Avon Way House were designed with you in mind. They offer fantastic transport links into Colchester central for those nights on the town, while Avon Way House itself offers an on-site cinema room, pool room, gym and more.
Get in touch with our team to discuss your Beyond the Box Student room, or view our available listings now.