Birmingham Entertainment

After a day filled with sightseeing, many visitors choose to unwind in one of Birmingham's several entertainment venues. In the evening, several restaurants play live jazz and blues to accompany a good Southern meal. Several dance clubs and late-night bars are open after-hours. The Alabama Theater also showcases productions year-round.

Nightlife

There is a long list of things to do in Birmingham after the sun goes down. Local entertainment covers a broad range, to appeal to visitors and locals of all taste. Live music and local cuisine can all be sampled before diving into dance beats. Whatever your tastes, there's a venue to suit your interests, from high-energy dance clubs to laid-back lounges and more intimate places to unwind.

The 22nd street Jazz Café offers live music along with a full bar and menu. The Blue Monkey is a martini club that's open late. This is a more cosmopolitan place to hang out and features nightly live music in the piano room. Retro music and dance plays at Bell Bottoms, on the corner of Highland. On Tuesdays, this venue transforms into an amateur boxing ring. For a more relaxed environment, Zydeco offers a Cajun and Creole menu, live music and a laid-back lounge. There is an upstairs with pool tables and arcade games here. 

Theatre and music

Birmingham has long been host to a great variety of musical and theatrical productions. The Alabama Theater was built by Paramount Studios in 1927. This movie palace is the only one of its kind still standing. It was originally built as a venue for silent films, and contains a Wurlitzer theatre organ.

This model is one of only 25 originals, and today, there are only three still standing in the place they were originally installed. The theatre was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and now shows many classic movies and live shows throughout the year.

Meanwhile, the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex is home to a concert hall, a theatre and a concert arena. The Alabama Ballet performs here, as do several touring concerts and sports teams. Likewise, the Birmingham Ballet performs at Samford University at the Wright Center Concert Hall. 

Festivals

Several festivals take place during the summer and autumn in Birmingham. Some of the highlights include:

• Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival was founded in 1999 and features independent short films, feature films and documentaries. The festival takes place at several venues, all within walking distance of each other. The most prestigious venue is the Alabama Theater. The festival is held every year on the final weekend of September and lasts three days.
• City Stages Music Festival takes place on Father's Day weekend in the area surrounding Linn Park. Music acts play for three days on 11 separate stages.
• Southern Heritage Festival was founded in the 1960s as a venue for African-American arts, and features music, entertainment and a variety of art exhibits.
• Schaeffer Eye Center Crawfish Boil is a music festival in May that benefits local charities. It lasts two days and attracts upwards of 20,000 people.