If you like your clubbing, you will love Birmingham. I grew up in Birmingham so I know all about where to go! For choice in clubs I don't think you can beat Birmingham. London may have more clubs, but they are more expensive and further apart. The majority of clubs in Birmingham are in the city centre and close together.

A lot of people have been put off going out because of the car bomb and I just want to say that this should not put people off visiting Birmingham! In my opinion, many people think badly of Birmingham, often when they have never even been there! They think of Birmingham and think of brummy accents (what aboue Essex, Liverpool and Welsh accents?)and the Bull Ring (which has been knocked down). Give it a chance! There has been a lot of development in and around Birmingham in recent years and you may be surprised at it!

There are two main clubbing areas in town-Broad Street and China Town. Broad Street has a huge number of clubs and late opening bars. The clubs range from Bakers, a serious dance music venue, to Surfer's Paradise, a more poppy venue. In the week many of the clubs do student nights and special promotions but at the weekend they can be quite expensive. The cheapest entry fee is around £4-5 going up to £10. Many of the bars charge less, or nothing. The Sports Cafe, Bar 260 and the Figure of Eight are all free before 9 pm. Broad Street gets very busy on Thursday-Sunday nights, and has a great atmosphere.

There is a venue to suit everyone, from quieter bars like Edward's to full on dance fests such as Stoodi Bakers (very trendy). Stoodi Bakers gets very crowded but it has a great atmosphere, with dancers and laser shows. Most places have a dress code of smart/casual at weekends and sometimes the bouncers can be fussy about who they let in, eg. no big groups.

Just around the corner from Broad Street is Brindley Place, a more upmarket area by the the canal with restaurants and bars. If you don
't like mainstream music (dance/pop), you probably won't like Broad Street though. If you like 70's music and styles, Flares (many towns such as Cardiff and Liverpool also have Flares) is the place for you. It's on Broad Street, situated in an old church. I like the Rat and Parrot, which plays RnB/garage on Friday and Saturday nights. It has big sqaushy sofas and a nice interior with plants. The drinks aren't too expensive wither (for Broad street anyway!)

Luckily there are alternative nightclubs too. If you like Indie music, try Snobs, on the corner of Paradise Place, or The Academy, opposite Toys R Us on Dale End, which sometimes has bands playing. On Saturday nights they have Ramshackle, a full on indie fest with a casual dress code.

If you like rock and metal, then Edwards is the place for you. This is next to the Alexandra Theatre, opposite the new Mailbox complex. Round the corner from Edwards is the "superclub" DNA, a huge club which is quite cheap compared to Broad Street and tends to attract Kevins and Sharons. It's ok if you like that kind of thing..

In China town is Hurst Street, which is the gay quarter. I have been into a few of the bars down there with friends. One was Route, which had a great atmosphere and cheap drinks, and I pulled (which is quite strange really as I am straight and it's a gay bar, but there you go..)!

It's not all gay bars in that area though. There's McCluskys, which used to be favourite club as an underage-er, Exile. McCluskys is aimed at the older person and is styled like an American diner. There is Zanzibar, which used to be Pulse (that got closed down due to drugs). The staff wear leapord (how do you spell that word?) skin clothes and it has fake palm trees! It's quite a laugh though to go with your mates and get merrily drunk!

If you are a serious clubber, there is God's Kitchen at CODE in Digbeth, it's supposed to be gre
at. There is also the Hush, an after hours club, and the Steering Wheel, both of which I recommend from when I used to go there.

Well, I could go on as there are more clubs! Those are the main ones though. There's a great atmosphere when you go out in Birmingham, the people are friendly and I think you will have a great night!

For after clubbing munchies, there are plenty of chippies around the centre (mostly on Smallbrook Queensway, near New Street station), and of course balti houses, which Birmingham is famous for! Many balti houses are open late into the night. The best and cheapest ones are in Balsall Heath, balti town. This is only a few minutes drive from the city centre. You could also try Shimla Pinks on Broad Street which is lovely but expensive so probably best for a treat. My fave chippie is 2000 Fish Bar but last time I went home it had closed down and was boarded up, boo hoo!

Birmingham also has a great night bus service for those of us who are too skint to pay for taxis. It costs £1.50, and you usually end up having very random conversations! If you want to get a taxi, there are many dodgy minicabs around that I wouldn't recommend, although I admit to having used them myself on occasion. (tut tut tut)