Sunderland Nightlife

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The Nightlife in Sunderland is pretty decent, though it is often overshadowed by the nightlife of nearby Newcastle which is generally considered to be better even though the rubbish licencing regulations in Newcastle mean that Tyneside drinkers are turfed out of pubs at 11 and clubs at 2, a situation not to be found in the much improved Sunderland nightlife.

The major action areas of an evening are to be found in a roughly contiguous area: beginning at the top of high street; continuing past the Empire theatre; past the Travelodge hotel and up Green Terrace; the top of Vine Place; finishing in Park Lane. Though there are other minor hotspots such as the bottom part of Holmside and along Fawcett street, the plethora of new boozing and boogying establishments in and around the 'top' end of the city centre have diminished the popularity of these areas.

In the last few years licencing regulations in Sunderland have meant that rather than being a pub-then-club-when-the-pubs-shut-at-eleven type of affair there is more variety to choose from after 11pm in that a bunch of newer places which serve food during the daytime and are essentially pubs with a DJ of an evening are now open usually til around 1am. Quiet a few clubs are open til 4am on weekeds, and some pubs (mainly the pubs in The Point - Arizona, Purple Bar, and the one nobody can remember the name of) are open til around 3. If you're in one of the bars in The Point you can usually skip upstairs to Union without having to pay on the door.

There isn't a huge variety of nightclubs to be had in Sunderland but there are enough of them with enough variety to keep your average cock-about-town (or ladette-about-town) entertained, but don't expect anything too fancy as the majority are your run of the mill random chart dance music or that mixed with cheese type.

Cabs in Sunderland are a bit of an arse sometimes - if you find yourself rolling out of Beach at 2 am expect to wait quite a while in a long queue at the top of Green Terrace while a bitter wind rips you apart. UPDATE: the taxi situation is not so bad now, as it is well policed and the later opening hours means there isn't a mad rush at 2am.

Sunderland is quite cheap in terms of pricing in comparison to Newcastle and is definitely cheap on a national scale. Expect to pay £5 or £6 for entrance to a club (apart from Union which is outgrageously priced at £8). Everywhere else (i.e. pubs and the late opening cafe bars) are free entrance. Expect to pay around £3 for bottles and shortswith mixers, and £2.50 for pints, though some places have cheaper deals I like to pay top whack to appear rich.

Some places to watch out for:

• Idols - Decent sized pub at the very top of High Street underneath Annabel's. Has sticky carpets, scantily clad bar staff and an annoying DJ. Can get outrageously packed and for reasons unexplained is always roasting hot.

• Brogans - Eatery by day, boozer by night. Has doormen after a certain hour but they seem more interested in having a nice chat than actually halting the constant flow of bodies milling in and out. Gets very busy so you might have more joy at the back bar. Has annoying DJ who plays mp3s from a laptop and tries to chat up your girlfriend if you stand near him.

• Bar:Me - One of those student-oriented yellow-coloured places. Contains drunk students trying to dance whilst drinking out of fish tanks. Has a decent selection of booze and is quite cheap.

• The Point - Sunderland's answer to The Gate in Newcastle is in fact just a bunch of pubs and a nightclub. The nightclub, Union, is in fact the most expensive in the city but is probably the best. It tends to boast minor celebs making 'guest appearances' at the weekend. The music in Union is outrageously loud and will most likely perforate your eardrums. It is very spacious inside, large dancefloor, has plenty of bar space and has a quieter area where waitresses will wait on your every alcohol requirement.

• Diva - One of the most popular nightclubs if not the most. Plays cheesy tunes sometimes. Gets rather crowded which can be annoying.

• Privilege - Upstairs from Brogans. Quieter than it used to be but still ok.

• Ku Club - Plays horrible indy music, full of students, small.

• Flares - Avoid unless you like dancing with middle aged and slightly less than attractive women.

• Annabel's - Upstairs from Idols. Boasts both the world's smallest dancefloor and the world's stickiest carpets.