Preston is a Partying Paradise
The City of Preston is well known for a few reasons. Wallace and Gromit creator, Nick Park, was born here as well as legendary former England cricketer Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff. Preston is also the rainiest city in the country, it’s home to Preston North End — the first ever Football League Champions back in the 1888–1889 season (they lifted the title without losing a match and won the FA Cup in the same season without even conceding a goal), the first concrete road in the UK was built here as well as the first KFC in Britain.
Preston is also where the main campus of UCLan (The University of Central Lancashire) is located; which is ranked 19th out of the 163 universities in the UK for most amount of students enrolled. In a city with more than 25,000 students, it’s no surprise to know that Preston is home to quite a few pubs, bars and nightclubs.
In fact, nightlife in Preston is so good that this year it had acquired a ‘Purple Flag’ accreditation, an honour bestowed only to places with excellent nightlife which show ‘safe, vibrant and inclusive nights out’. How did the city celebrate gaining this status? They threw a huge party, of course, including DJ appearances by Craig Charles and BBC Radio 1’s Mistajam, which 5,000 people turned up to get ‘turnt up’ to.
Preston City Centre is chock full of nightclubs, bars, pubs, and places where you can enjoy a night out. UCLan’s halls and the majority of student flats and houses are basically a stone’s throw from the heart of the city, and if you believe the stereotype that all university students are drunken party animals, then you can see how Preston’s nightlife is so exciting when there are so many places to go out on the doorstep of over 25,000 students.
Being a promoter for clubs in this city must be an exciting job. Chris Davidson works for the management team of Blitz nightclub and has had his say on the city’s colourful nightlife.
You may be asking yourself: What does the average club-goer think of Preston as a night out, where do they like to go in the city for a drink (or several)? Why are these places so dear to them? Worry not, their answers can be heard below.
A very popular watering hole seems to be The Warehouse, or as most people simply call it, Warehouse. Some people even affectionately refer to it as ‘Warey’. Regardless of what you want to call it, this alternative nightclub has been seen as a jewel in the crown of the city. Opened in 1972, it used to be a gig venue and nightclub, but now serves only as a nightclub. The three floors have their own genres of music that’s played: indie, chart, and metal, which means there is a place for everyone to let loose inside the club.
Another often-mentioned place was Evoque. Evoque is Preston’s biggest nightclub and is usually the most packed-out place in the city. The club has attracted DJs such as Pep & Rash and Nick Coulson to perform there. Ex-Mr Ireland and controversial Celebrity Big Brother contestant, Jeremy McConnell, has also hosted an event at the club before. The music they play here ranges from old-skool hip-hop and R&B, and grime on the small top floor, to chart and EDM anthems on the huge, but always crammed bottom floor.
Even the people who hadn’t heard of Preston’s ‘Purple Flag’ status have agreed that is is deserving of it. You truly are spoilt for choice in this city.
Want to put on some ‘wavey garmz’ and let out your inner hipster indie-kid, with your night soundtracked by the likes of Bloc Party, Foals, Pulp, Talking Heads, The Smiths and everything in-between? then get down to Warehouse!
Fancy singing along to all the songs of your childhood? Popworld’s the one for you!
Or do you just want to go to a club and have a great clubbing experience? Well take your pick from Evoque, Cameo, and Baluga!
With so many places to choose from to go out, there seems to be a place for everyone to let their hair down for a night on the town.
This poll shows what you thought of the town’s nightlife, and it seems to speak for itself.
