The Knowhere Guide

Going Out in York, North Yorkshire*

York, North Yorkshire Clubs, Music Venues, Cinemas

Clubs (Dance Music) and Music Bars

• Stone Roses bar - A bar open to 2am with small dance floor and 80s/90s indie music (...hence Stone Roses)
• slap mac's (macmilans) fridays best especilly if ur on the pull and beer goggles on!!!!!! oh and CHAVS youll love ZIGGYS free b 4 11 and your feet will stick to the floor....
• Toffs is a great place to seek out alternatives to the usual disco cheese. The Cafe bar does Kinki Indie on Tuesdays (NUS required) and Thursdays (Everyone) A rock and metal night on Wednesdays, And all sorts of other alternatives on the other week nights. Thursdays also has the best of York bands on in the live lounge upstairs. www.kinkiindie.com
• Again, the srone roses bar, king street
• After the closure of the Arts Centre some years back, people scattered. The best underground music night is Freakin' which used to go on at the Arts Centre. This is held at The Junction on Leeman Road, and has been successful enough to get other people on the case again, all promoting a plethora of underground music nights. Find out more at www.freakin.org
• dudes.....dont be totally dissing gallery formerly silks......it's got so much better in the last few years....When I lived in York, i used to go there all the time and then i went off to Uni in notts and travelled for a year after that in which time they refurbed the gallery. I came home to York and went to the gallery on sat the 18th of Feb 2006 and it was really good...well downstairs was anyway....you still get the chavs, kids and random peeps upstairs but downstairs was awesome......met some people who i have not seen for a long time so it was brill. The r&b room would be no where if it was'nt for Mark.. the resident dj who has been there since i was at college dude....and a fucking awesome one at it too.....Cant wait to go this weekend too....bigup to you Mark....you are one cool dude
• FIBBERS is now running club nights. Up The Racket indie night on Fridays and Blackout Rock Night on Saturdays. good crowd in there, chav types don't get in
• Kinki Indie at Toffs every Tuesday (Students only) and Thursday (Everyone)
• 2 Good Music Pubs CERT 18 and Fibbers. Fibbers Is The Best. Fibbers is near Exit.When you go to the zoo from exit you will go past it
• Why are there no good Dance music venues in York, why why why why why why why why why, go to Leeds instead. Mint's cool, and there's a few big ones 2.
• THE ARTS CENTRE is now THE PARISH a gr8 bar and restaurant! since the ARTS CENTRE closed over 3million as been spent on the venue! wow its gr8 with Dance and Rnb most nites come and have a look!
• Gallery monday night alternative downstairs. libertines, art brut, maximo park etc. wednesday is not bad either. tuesday/thursday toffs, alternative room, some good music
• mellidies
• Every Tuesday night since the dawn of time...!!! Blackout Alternative Rock Night Every Tuesday @ Ziggys, York 10pm – 2am £2 Pints: Budweiser/Kronenbourg/Fosters/John Smiths/Guinness £1.50 Bottles K2 ice/K2 orange/Carlsberg £1.70 Bottles Becks Adm: £2 before 11pm £3 otherwise top tuneage from the likes of: The Used, Placebo, Goldie Lookin Chain, Music, Taking Back Sunday, Lostprophets, SOAD, Metallica, Killers etc etc its been running sixteen years and is still full of the best alt totty in the town!! fancy a little goth girlie or a tattoed love godess this is the place to go!
• R3TOX lands in Selby.....Techno, house, breaks, prog, trance, disco, hip-hop the lot. Three rooms of mayhem brought to us be www.r3tox.co.uk & www.club7.co.uk
• For Metal you're struggling really - Fibbers on Stonebow focuses on metal but is more of a live music venue with a medium size dance floor. Cert. 18 claims to be a metal bar but isn't really anything of the sort - it has a widescreen that plays Kerrang TV non-stop but that's really as close as it gets.
• Yeah, sorry, but after nearly 25 years in this shithole, there are no 'good' clubs. There are not even any moderately bad ones, there all shite! With egotistical monkeys manning the doors! Your writer was right ... Go to Leeds! its chaep, its chaerful, its fun ... and there are far fewer wankers!
• City Screen Basement Bar - Friday eves. No late licence but v. friendly 20s, 30s, 40s crowd. Tickets must be purchased in advance as it only has a 100 capacity! City Screen is on Coney Street.
• IKON AND DIVA is like TOWNY CENTRAL in clifton u better watch out if u want to keep ur money and not get jumped
• York is a shit night out Ikons good on a thursday night but thats cos its all you can drink for £8 BARGAN but any other time you may aswell just go round leeds it would be cheaper anyway
• Ikon and Diva, Clifton Moor
• i did used t occaisionally go to SILKs downstairs, i've never been since they changed the name to the gallery - the clubs in york have always been utter crap, especially tiny "toffs" and brawl-tastic "ziggies".
• Nexus Its actually a bar but a late bar open till 1.20am on thursday, friday and saturday nights. Its fairly new to York, having once been Merlins, but you would'nt know that to look at it there are no similarities. Its better than the cafe style bars, it has more class, its the biggest bar in York, has great DJs playing a mixture of music including chart, party and pop, and there is always a drink offer. If you haven't tried it yet, my question is why not, my weekend wouldn't be a proper night out without a visit to Nexus.
• Flairs is a laugh
• hunting drivin range
• The Gallery isn't all that bad when you're hammered. Plus it's not even that hard to score with da fine cheeky cheeckies. the eye full of spunk and weener (icon and diva) Sux ass although again, the birds can be quite tasty, especially with fresh home made soup.
• monday night in ikon, wednesday in toffs, other than that i'd probably not bother.
• I love haxby workin mens clud!
• don't ever go to icon and diva- unless you like townies
• of the great choice of clubs(three!!!unless you count ziggys)the gallery is the best in my opinion, but you have to go on a day when they are playing r+b in the downstairs room because all the other days are quite appalling(unless you are going on a cheese fest but then you would go to ikon or toffs wouldnt you).toffs always seems to be the last option to everybody unless they are very drunk so that could be taken as either a good thing or a bad thing
• Toffs and the gallery are shite, Ikon is good but too far out of town
• go to ziggy's on a tuesday night for alternative rock music its excellent!! every other night it is meant to be pretty crap. the stairs are very confusing though, especially after a few too many beverages and u may find yourself breaking your neck!
• Ikon is a) not closing down, b) not a pain to get to, with the free bus service they provide from town, or the uni and back. Oh, and students //are// a good thing.
• I can't believe how many people are even giving Ziggys a mention! so i'm not cos its shite! Ikon and Diva is full of kids - tuck shop is served at 10.30, the drinks are over priced and the staff are just down right rude. Can't really comment on Toffs as I haven't been for years, our regular spot is the Gallery formally Silks, the queue at 11pm should speak for itself so get in early! The music is varied and there is R&B played downstairs where people come from all over on a regular basis - the only problem with the gallery is that it is a bit too small for the amount of people who want to go but this increases the great atmosphere of the place. The door staff aren't morons just doing their jobs - would you wanna do it! I haven't seen any real violence like I have in Ikon and Diva and Toffs cos everyone is having a good time. And who ever made the comment about the Art Centre - oh my God what were you thinking.
• Toffs is a good night on a wednesday if you like cheap booze and general all round cheesiness!!!! A bit of a pit if u don't though!
• Respect - The Arts Centre ... anyone remember the time someone set off cs gas at that drum n bass night?? often boring but sometimes..just sometimes quite special ... (Normal anyone??)
• the famous IKON + DEVA is the worst club ever and is only made for townies.
• Ziggys, The Gallery, Toffs, Ikon and Diva. This is not an advert, that is all. p.s - neither are bad as all seem to interchange nights so you can visit all in one week if you fancy. I do!
• Clubs let York down. None are that good, the peoples choice is the Gallery but I personally think its shite. I recoment Inon and Beaver an a monday and Toffs on a wednesday ( ok, so Toffs is a bit of a shit hole but it is a good laugh on wednesday when everyones sparkoed after their sports socials)
• Gallery, Toffs and Ikon/Diva are all owned by Northern Leisure and hence are all crap. You can still have a good night is you get completely trolleyed first, they have student nights which are VERY cheap- 50p to get in 50p a drink all night. IKON/DIVA joint club is newest but furthest out of town - stick to the Gallery or Toffs. Ziggy's is a kind of big house but is a good alternative and free to get in many nights.
• Generally all bad. I would like to point out that the best dance venue in York, the York Arts Centre, has now been shut down.
• It's been a while but this is how it used to be : Silks - over-priced and ultra-tacky. Toffs - way way way over-priced and ultra-tacky, and by god you wouldn't believe how remarkably young some of the girls are. Get them before 10pm or they'll have spent their pocket money !! Another one at the bottom of Micklegate - rough as hell, but reasonably priced and students are too scared to go there (that's a good thing by the way).
• Hardon and Beaver(Ikon and Diva)- Good but the bouncers are morons.Ziggys- Go there at your own peril. If you follow a similar life style to Gary Glitter then this is the place for you to go. Toff- Crap. Gallery- OK, long wait.
• fibbers (ask locally)
• TRY ICON AND DIVA
• "Divas" or Ikon and Diva as its officially called is now closing down. Mind you it was cack anyhow. Silks aka The Gallery is by far the best club in York, but the management and dooor staff are morons! Toff's, a pit! need i say more? Ziggy's is OK if you cant get in anywhere else, can be quite cool if your plastered though.
• The clubs are generally pretty bad, however go to student nights at The Gallery or Toffs and get wasted as it's only 50p for any drink... soon you will forget how crap the clubs are.
• Don't bother they're all crap
• A new club has just opened in york called "Divas" and so I have heard, is going to be considerably better than any other of the clubs already there. It is situated on the clifton moor comercial estate to the north of the city.
• the nightclub previously called silks has now changed its name to The Gallery and is owned by the same people as Toffs
• York Arts Centre: Uplifting house, techno, ambient, trance. As well as occasional hip hop nights and alternative stuff. Can seem biased towards the LGB community, never overwhelmingly so and makes for a refreshing change to the nights offered by the towns other spots. Great 'bedroom DJs' that really shine in the trance, house and techno areas. Only downside is its a bit shite in terms of bar and venue, dingy inside an old converted church/church hall. Expensive compared to the commercial clubs like Toffs, Silks and Ziggies, but at least dancing is still encouraged here. Best you'll get without going to Leeds. JMG 1997
• Ziggys, Micklegate.
  Pokey Labyrinth of stairs, and bars. Confusing at first but a good club for students. Wide range of music and relatively low prices. Has an alternative night on a Tuesday which is superb.
• Silks, Clifford Street.
  Big and boasting two (yes TWO!) dance floors and several bars. Good mix of tunes, particularly on a Friday night. Get there as early as possible as the queue stretches round the block!
• Toffs, Toff green/Micklegate.
  Low end club catering for young people. Average age must be about 17/18 at most. Has a 'rock' night every Friday which can be good.

Live Music Venues

• the juncition, fibbers, cert 18, ziggies, the cresent etc
• Fibbers is a pay to play venue but if you get enough folk in it's a great venue with a fantastic PA. You will make your money back with 50 people in. The Junction is a great venue with a great PA and a nice big room. The Stone Roses bar do gigs but you have to provde your own PA, Hire one from Dan @ the White Rooms for £40. Same with the Roman Bath, town centre venue. You'll get paid at both these venues or you can charge on the door.
• The stone roses bar is getting a reputation for being a fantastic place to play. The acoustics are good and everyone always seems to be having a great time. another great place is the Junction on Leeman road. the function room has now got a purpose built stage and Pa System. When you book to play here, the cost includes and engineer for the night. the only drawback to this venue is if you don't advertise and promote your gig really well you could be disapointed with the turnout.
• The Junction, Leeman Road.
• City screen basement bar. only one good venue really, but if good bands play in the other venues (fibbers, cert 18) they are good for the night. just look out for good bands. ask people in the street if anything good is on tonight.
• Fibbers now has air-conditioning, so it's not as sweaty as it used to be. But it is still in the most horrid building in the universe.
• Fibbers is great - black night crash are really good.
• fibbers junktion
• I get dragged to The Junction about once a month to hear my mates band play (Evelyn) and its a good atmosphere if nothing else, you can't hear the person next to you speak, but if u like the music and the people that you're there with its a good nite!
• Fibbers is now part of the barfly group and is still attracting some ace bands to the town!
• The Junction, just passed the railway museum. Metal, punk/ska and most alternative. Sum thursdays, most fridays and some saturdays £3 entry, 14 age limit.
• Fibbers. Ignore the haters, it's a great venue.
• Fibbers, Roman Bath, anywhere on a Tuesday night for an aray of tatty guitar and singer combos
• You get really good bands on at Fibbers on the Stonebow such as Badly Drawn Boy, Coldplay have been there and loads of other great bands. The Junction has great bands on every week, 4 hours of entertainment for 4 pounds
• Fibbers (a small venue for live music) and the Barbican Centre (a larger venue)
• Black Swan Peasholme Green...good beer...Jazz Nights....Blues Nights......wonky stairs....log fires........
• Fibbers is on the wane. City Screen has some good nights in the basement bar.
• banks in town near free spirit its proper ard
• fibbers is the best place for live gigs, check out the basement at city screen
• The Grapes in york has a free rock/metal night every tuesday, can't remember where it isa, but if you ring them thy should tell you, plus they have an ad in free spirit, on the back wall.
• Fibbers
• when i was younger it was the bondage whorehouse, then fibbers. and the art centre. nowt much really, i never felt i was getting my moneysworth.
• Fibbers, of course. Fibbers hosts awesome metal bands, such as the local favourites- RSJ (http://www.rsj.info).
• Fibbers is amazing, not for your commercial pop stuff, but punk and indie and stuff, real music plays at fibbers!
• Dunno, thats the only thing i'm trying to find out.
• Ah, Fibbers :-) Alas, the "Fish Finger & Mushy Pea" sarnies have gone, but the beer and music are just as good as ever.
• There aint any!
• Unfortunately Fibbers closed on Monday 12th August so there'll be no more moshing in there for the foreseeable future. You'll have to get your cheesy chips elsewhere.
• fibbers very cute place
• fibbers! its cute there
• hmm well...there arent many really.its not as if york has a hopping music scene but i think if you look hard enough you can find something interesting.fibbers is quite good for a bit of a mosh..the barbican has more'mainstream'artists
• Manchester Academy
• will miss the smelly sofa/smoking room/listening room @ Depth Charge (quality stock of Undaground tunes too)RIP to the Ultramagnetic DC boyos
• York Arts Centre has closed. De Grey rooms not operating at present (08/01). A decent size venue is needed. But good pub rock can be found at Roman Baths most weekend evenings and Monday & Thursday and also at Old White Swan, Goodramgate on Sunday and Tuesday evening. You may be very lucky and see Mostly Autumn a simply brilliant prog. rock band, other great fun bands are Huge, Dufflegoats, Goosehorns.
• Fibbers is always a good place to hear nearly ever form of music but can some1 tell me where i can find some hip hop in the town
• fibbers rules for pissups and good music
• De Grey Rooms, dont know anywhere else. Oh yeah, fibbers as well.
• Fibbers!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we love fibbers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Cells was good but is now gone. The Bonding warehouse sometimes has something on. The Barbican has some of the larger names. The best by far is which has lots of big names and is a cool hangout.
• You've gotta keep your eyes open for posters, millions of pubs have live music, but you have to be selective. Fibbers is lways a good bet,has the widest range of acts. The annual Battle of the Bands is always worth hanging around for. Go elsewhere (Leeds) for big name bands.
• Fibbers, man, where else ? And the Sainsbury's car park once upon a time.
• Rock 2000 - Every Saturday night at the Rock Church in Priory Street - This is Church friend but not as you know it!
• The fun never stops onboard YorkBoats Summer Noghts Afloat - themed cruises with entertainment. Every Thursday and Saturday Night enjoy a floodlit evening cruise with a choice of live entertainment or disco and a delicious barbecue buffet. Themes include Caribbean inc. Steel Band, Irish, inc Ceilidh Band, Greek inc Bouzouki player, 60's/70's Disco and Saturday Night Fever both inc professioal disco. Call YorkBoat on 01904 628324 for details. Pre booking essential!
• many of the pubs have live music - not all of it involves two middle-aged types singing Queen songs - York fosters a lot of 'original' talent
• If you want well-known bands playing live music I suggest going somewhere other than York. A good big venue is non-existant.
• YorkBoat Summer Nights Afloat Themed Floodlit Evening Cruises with food and entertainment Choose from; Caribbean Calypso, Irish - including live Ceilidh Band, Finnegans Wake, 60's and 70's Disco, Greek including live Greek Bouzouki music and Death on the Ouse Murder Mystery Cruise. Every Thursday, May - September 1999 (Other days are available for private parties) Call 01904 628324 for details
• The Cells, opposite the fountain must be one of the best unknown live music venues in York. They've got a good jazz night on a Sunday and if you're lucky enough to get in there before 11:00 on a Friday or Saturdy night it's the only place that serves after hours without having to go to one of the shitty clubs
• Fibbers is cheap and cheerful, but you may find that you are the only punter there. Try Leeds or Hull.

Cinemas

• City Screen York is one of the best cinemas I know - great films, nice cafe and even a comedy club inthe basement
• City Screen is ok.I go there.its cheap.But vue is the best but its VERY expensive food
• City Screen. expensive but very good. you may fall asleep in the comfy chairs
• city screen Vue
• If you're in the City Centre don't go to the Odeon in Blossom Street. It's tacky and sticky and chock-a-block with Chavvy Kevs and Kappa Slappers, and further away than you think. City Screen off Coney Street is your best bet. More expensive, but better value, it has biggger screens, better refreshments, a Net cafe and seats comfier than your Granny's lap. Outside is also good for skating, apparantly.
• the city screen is gorgeous
• I travel about 15 miles to the warner village cinema at clifton moor (its fantastic).
• City Screen is ace. Loads of other stuff going on like comedy club, art gallery and stuff. Odeon is about to be knocked down.
• WARNER BROS IS THE BEST AND CITY SCREEN IS WANK
• cuty screen is cool, odeon is cheap n cheerful but warner brothers is so expensive n miles out the centre.
• the odean, then came warner village - designed for upper working class and lower middle class clusters of bland noisy americanised teenagers.
• odean, its cheap and you can sneak in warner bros is good if u are too young to see a film (i.e you can lie about ur age and they beleive u) but its bloody expensive!
• odeon
• Get to Clifton Moor (Just outside the North of York). It's got most things you can think of. E.g. Warner Brothers, Ten-pin-bowling, Quasar, Pool/Snooker halls etc.
• City screen plays the randomest bag of shite ive ever seen and the odean came out of the arc.
• The Odeon on Blossom street is really good & cheap, but dey onli hav 3 screenz so dey sumtimez dont show all films. City screenz gud 2!
• city screen has damn nice seats - go there
• odeon is cheap but townie infested ( the male ones of which throw popcorn @ the back of ur head thru the film) City screen is nice but expensive
• city screen, worth the price with some interesting indie films. odeons the cheapest though- if u dont mind havin male townies throw popcorn at your head sometimes
• City Screen shows independent and non-mainstream films as well as the occasional blockbuster - easily the best cinema in York
• the cheapest cinema is the odeon but that it very depressing. the city screen has some good films on, it plays old films(it recently had a showing of the Exorcist)and art house stuff
• the odeon smells. and its full of townies. and has amazingly uncomfortable seats. city screen is good if u r feeling rich enough!
• CITY SCREEN
• The Warner Cinema on Clifton Moor Ind Est. Best place to catch a movie. There is the Flying Legends pub for a drink before (and) after and a restaurant for quick, fast food. The pub is ok in the evening, i used to work there when it was a great pub but now its riddled with kids ! Enjoy the cinema !
• City Screen coz you can go shopping AND see a film in town on the same day.
• Over priced - don't get change from a tenner!
• Cityscreen is in town so good (bit posh - subtitles etc). Warner village has umpteen screens so is also good. Odeon is old.
• Bowling is cheap out on the ringroad. £6 + shoe hire and you can bowl from 12-6. Warner Village at Clifton moor (out of town) is good but quiet expensive. Odeon in town (just past Micklegate Bar)is cheap but crap. City screen has a new venue and shows some of the more arty films as well as the usual stuff.
• The City Screen is currently the best cinema in York. It has moved from the Museum Gardens to a giant new building on Coney street. It carries a wide range of films from art house and foreign movies through to the mainstream. Big, new and clean, it has a juice bar and an internet cafe. The seats are big and comfy too!
• Odeon - flea pit, dead cheap. Warner Bros - Rip off, but more films.
• Make sure you go for the better seats if you go to the Odeon - The normal ones are nothing more than a thin bit of foam stretched across plywood - much more reasonably priced than Warner Village though
• TRY THE ODIEN CHEAP AND CHEARFULL
• 12 screen Warner multiplex at the Clifton Moor Centre - good choice of films (art-house to blockbusters) but expensive. 3 screen Odeon on Blossom Street (near the station) cheap (under £2) but only 1 decent sized screen - the other 2 are like watching big-screen TV's. Also there's the City Screen in the Museum Gardens, specialising in art-house and second-run films.
• Big, Warner job on the outskirts - almost impossible to get to in less than a week unless you have a car (absolutely impossible to get back from after the sun goes down!).
• That place on Micklegate (no, Sorry, Blossom St) where you can have a beer then go watch a movie...

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Last updated: 2008-07-06