Southampton Entertainment

Theres plenty more to Southampton than the port and maritime history, and visitors having exhausted all the sightseeing possibilities will enjoy the opportunity to exploit the many other entertainment options available, particularly those designed to be enjoyed after the sun has gone down.

Nightlife

In an evening, Southampton has pretty much everything that one would find in a big city. The Leisure World centre is a reasonable place to start, being home to a 13-screen cinema complex, a restaurant and two popular nightclubs. Alternative cinema facilities can be found at Ocean Village and at the Harbour Lights Picture House, with the latter leaning towards independent and art-house releases.

If its nightclubs you are looking for, then aside from Ikon and Diva at Leisure World, there are popular spots such as The Beach, Four-2-6, The Academy, Lennon's, The Rhino Club, Kaos and The Dungeon; all located within the city centre region. Pubs can meanwhile be found throughout the city, with everything from traditional local pubs to chic and classy bars.

Theatre and music

The citys premier theatre venue is the Mayflower on Commercial Road, an establishment that offers a wide selection of performances, with everything from London West End productions to comedy, ballet, drama and musical concerts. The nearby Gantry Arts Centre meanwhile leans more towards contemporary theatre productions. Other theatre venues include the Nuffield Theatre on University Road.

Close to the Mayflower is Guildhall, the citys main venue for live music, with big names from the world of pop and rock regularly gracing the billing. Smaller acts from genres such as jazz and classical can meanwhile be found at the Turner Sims Concert Hall. A number of pubs in the city also offer live music and include the Joiners Arms in St Mary's Street and Jumpin Jaks at Leisure World.

Festivals

There are a number of annual summer festivals that are popular in Southampton and the Hampshire county area among which are:

• Bournemouth Music Makers Festival has been running annually since 1986 and has hosted musical acts from countries such as America, Canada, South Africa, Germany, Norway, Sweden and Denmark, with everything from choirs to orchestras to jazz and wind bands (June/July).
• Hampshire Food Festival is an annual celebration of fine local food and drink produced in the county. The event runs for two weeks, during which time more than 140 events are conducted (June/July).
• Held in the suburban town of Southsea in the neighbouring city of Portsmouth, the International Kite Festival is a chance for kite makers and fliers from all over the world to showcase their skills and the unique kite designs at this popular one-day event (August).
• Newmarket Heritage Festival is held annually in the small town of Newmarket and is a festive celebration of history, culture and heritage with performances and displays of music and dance as well as craft demonstrations and more (September).