h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

No mention of the, err... varied nightlife available in Cambridge. From the 'Towny' Rock Cafe, to the Arts Cinema, to the 'alternative' Junction. Something for everyone? or not, I'm not sure.

The nightlife in Cambridge is truly shocking. You would have thought that with the large abundance of students with grants/trust funds to spend that there might be on offer (apart from the risible 5th Avenue). The only place I can recommend is Boogie Wonderland (held periodically at the Junction) which plays lots of 70s type stuff. However be warned, I was felt up by a woman old enough to be my mother. Yikes.

On another note, the newly opened Arts Cinema has a nice bar in it, very civilised.

Good tip, I enjoy a 70s boogie now and then. And don't knock the feel, some guys would love that! LOL.

I neglected to mention that the odd good band does play in Cambridge so we can forgive the town when that happens. But not that often.

Don't forget the wonderful Po-Na-Na's underneath the Pizza Express at 7a Jesus Lane, an intimate club decorated in "Moroccan Souk" style which serves cocktails and plays an eclectic mix of music, themed each night, from Salsa to Seventies. Its sister club, The Fez, on Market Passage, offers funk and mroe current grooves, and has a student night on Tuesdays (so one can avoid the awful Cindy's/ 5th Avenue). Both serve excellent cocktails, and happy hour is a good time to visit for a relaxing drink seated on a fluffy leaopard print sofa.
There's the tiny dancefloor at La Margherita on Rose Crescent, which can be a fun alternative. La Margherita is usually a restaurant, but plays music until midnight and welcomes people who come to dance and drink only. They also have live jazz evenings, and have had some great acts recently.
I can't praise the new Arts Cinema enough for its wide range of viewing choices and its very pleasant bar. The two new "Superpubs", The Regal on Regent Street and the Rat and Parrot on Downing Street offer surprisingly pleasant surroundings, a comfortable ambience, and in the case of the Regal, some of the cheapest booze in Cambridge. They're best avoided on friday and Saturday nights, when the whole of Cambridge tries to cram inside, but on midweek evenings or weekend lunchtimes, they're pleasant places to be.
The Boat Race pub on Burleigh Street offers live music most nights, including some well-respected if small-scale acts from the national gig circuit. You can catch good gigs at The Junction and, less acoustically perfectly, the Corn Exchange.
The Corn Exchange and the Arts Theatre both offer theatre and dance performances. The ADC theatre specialises in student productions.
As well as the Arts Cinema, there's also a Multiscreen Warner Village cinema at the Grafton centre, where you can catch up on the latest releases. They often have late showings at the weekends. Most colleges show films in the evenings as well - and members of the public are welcome to attend. Prices are very cheap.
The Junction has a number of club nights, additional to Boogie Nights mentioned in a previous entry - Havana Nights is a salsa evening, preceded by classes taught by Nelson Battista, an excellent salsista, and including cheap shots of tequila all night. The Dot Cotton Club is a LesBiGay friendly night, but many people go just to soak up the cheesy ambience.
There's also the Cambar club, a very cute sized club on two floors in Wheeler Street, with two bars, two dance floors, and a range of musical styles played every week.
So, don't just sit around of an evening thinking there's nothing to do in Cambridge - seek it out and enjoy!

went to a club a few weeks back - but can't remember what it was called... it was having a goth night, and apparently it alternates goth and heavy metal - it was down towards the station, about 5mins walk from it, and near that junction with a big column type thing on it...

Anyway - it was good fun... though being a goth halloween night it would have had to do pretty badly to fail...

Nowdays, the junction still seems to get some good bands, the Corn exchange sometimes has the ocasional group you might want to watch, but its still got an awful bar ; The bar at the junction isn't exactly great, but they do serve a drinkible pint of guiness, which seems to be more than the corn exchange can offer They get some good bands in some of the local pubs; The Boat race, has quite a few good national bands, and some local bands of varied quality, and there is always the jazz at the Elm Tree, I think thats where they have that... *thinks and the Blue Ball, over in Granchester has some rather blues groups on different nights, though they can be a little hit and miss...