Plymouth Entertainment

Plymouth has some good all-round entertainment on offer thanks, in part, to the large student population. There are plenty of pubs and bars to discover as well as a lively club scene at weekends. The last few years has seen an upturn in the cultural and arts scene, so there should be something to keep everyone happy.

Nightlife

The local university ensures that the nightlife is lively and varied. In total, there are more than 200 pubs spread around the city from traditional English pubs through to a new generation of sleek and upmarket drinking establishments, popular with the younger crowd. You won't need a guide to find somewhere if you are only after a drink; just head straight to Union Street for a wide choice of bars. Some of the older pubs in the Barbican are worth seeking out for their atmosphere, especially the impressive cocktail lounge in the Black Friars Distillery. Licensing laws have recently been relaxed throughout the UK, allowing bars and clubs greater flexibility to decide their opening hours.

The city's club scene is varied and accommodates most tastes including commercial dance tunes, hip-hop as well as more specialist nights such as Indie and trance. Venues come and go and a place that may have been popular one week and can soon find itself out of favour. The best way to find out what's on is to pick up a copy of the local paper for complete listings and reviews.

Theatre and music

Cultural entertainment continues to thrive in Plymouth and there are several all-round venues for entertainment and the arts. The Theatre Royal is the premier venue in south-west England and many popular and widely acclaimed productions are shown here. They recently opened a production and education centre on the waterfront at Cattedown, helping to build and sustain a comprehensive events programme for the region. Other venues include the Plymouth Pavilion on Millbay Road, which stages regular music concerts to suit all tastes from rock and pop to ballet. The Barbican Theatre offers some high quality drama productions while the Athenaeum Theatre and Devonport Playhouse are known for their amateur dramatic societies and schools of dance.

The live music scene is also well established and several pubs in the city centre and surrounding areas have regular slots for house bands, playing everything from rock to jazz. There is usually something on every single night of the week and during the afternoons at the weekend.

Festivals

There is a wide selection of festivals held in Plymouth throughout the year. Some of the most popular ones are:

• Plymouth International Festival in September brings together an array of international classical and world music celebrities. For eight days, Plymouth becomes the concert platform for a cast of musicians from America, Britain, France, New Zealand, and Russia. With more than 10 events, the festival provides an exciting mixture of regional musicians alongside high profile shows.
• Festival of Music Speech, Drama and Dance in November is held in the Athenaeum Theatre and Wesley Methodist Church. There are classes for poetry, prose recital, bible reading, drama, singing, instrumental music, classical, popular, folk and jazz.
• The Plymouth Folk Festival in May aims to add colour, contrast and fun to the city centre and Barbican quayside areas, while at the same time promoting traditional music and customs. The festival is a platform for showcasing some of the best local artists, dancers and bands.
• National Fireworks Competition in August is a unique festival with some colourful and spectacular pyrotechnics. Every year, six competitors show the best displays their company can produce. Both locals and tourists gather on the Hoe in their tens of thousands to watch the spectacle which is held over two consecutive nights.