You might know about Reading for its annual music festival, but there’s a lot more to the town itself, a great place for students from all over the world. The nightlife in Reading is vibrant and exciting, a range of different types of music genre and night’s out to suit over 27,000 students in the town. If you’re moving to Reading next term to study at the University, one of the main things that you want to know is how good the nightlife in Reading is. If you’re after pubs for a quiet after uni pint with mates, clubs to dance the night away, or just some time at the Students’ Union, there’s plenty on offer in Reading. Let’s take a look (in no particular order) at some of the best nightlife in Reading for students in 2025. Your Guide to Nightlife in Reading

Market House

Market Place. RG1 2EQ Market House Website Market House is always up there as one of the best student haunts in town. It’s a chilled hangout spot where you can get a pint and a burger, a cocktail and a sourdough pizza. If the weather is nice there’s a little suntrap rooftop bar that’s worth checking out. You’ll find quizzes, lively bingo, rooftop cinema, karaoke, darts and Ping pong, comedy nights, and they even show live sport on the telly.

Milk

Merchants Place. RG1 1DT Milk Instagram If you’re a fan of rum, get on down to Milk. It’s the best bar for rum and cocktail heads, with over 100 rums on the shelves! Every Wednesday is Rum Club, a 1/3 off all rum. Happy hour in the week is another good shout, with four Estrella, Red Stripe, and Asahi for £12. It’s a great place to drink but there’s also regular comedy nights to get your belly laughs in.

Mojo’s Bar

University of Reading. RG6 6UR Reading Students’ Union Website When you don’t want to spend a fortune, a good SU bar is worth its weight in gold. Mojo’s Bar at the University of Reading Students’ Union is such a place. Cheap drink and food, live music, karaoke, live sports, live music, a pool table, outdoor patio seating. There’s just loads to like about the place, a cheap haven where you can hang out and meet other students. Every Friday from 6pm, Mojo’s Exchange is a stock market of drinks with fluctuating drinks prices to take advantage of and a DJ until midnight!

Oakford Social Club

Blagrave Street. RG1 1PZ Oakford Social Club Live Music Review One of the best live music venues for up-and-coming bands, Oakford Social Club offers more than just a night out at a gig. There’s a beautiful outdoor space that’s packed when the sun is out. A wide range of craft and cask beers, cocktails, spirits, pub food menu like burgers and wings. It’s a social place for relaxed social gatherings with friends. On a Sunday, head on down for the weekly quiz. Reading has some great live music venues

Reading has some great live music venues

ZeroDegrees

Bridge Street. RG1 2LR Zero Degrees Website ZeroDegrees is a chain of breweries that is known for award-winning wood-fired pizza, a magnificent range of in-house beers, and frozen 2-pint steins. Every Friday you can get 2-4-1 on the steins alongside live music, and DJs playing until late on a Saturday night. The Reading site has a balcony, a terrace, and a beer garden to find the right spot for you and your mates. A bottomless pizza with beer or prosecco is on offer every Saturday and Sunday for £30 per person.

The Nag’s Head

Russell Street. RG1 7XD The Nag’s Head Instagram A proper old man’s pub, a simple and traditional CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) award-winning spot that is close to the centre of town. Alongside the specialist keg and craft ales, there’s a changing rotation of ciders and continental lagers to suit all tastes. If you’re looking for a quiet spot for a pint with your book or to catch up with mates after uni in the covered beer garden (if you’re lucky you’ll be there when the BBQ comes out), The Nag’s Head is an institution. enjoy good food and great sport at the pub

enjoy good food and great sport at the pub

Sub89

Friar Street. RG1 1EP Sub89 Website Since 2009 Sub89 has been bringing the noise. An underground club that hosts touring bands and local gigs, raves, comedy nights, and tribute act nights, it’s a favourite on the student scene in Reading. Club nights include the best of DnB, indie rock, metal, trance, reggae, dub, and techno music.

Lola Lo

Friar Street. RG1 1EP Lola Lo Instagram Skint Thursdays at this Polynesian-inspired bar is one to look out for when you’re short on cash but want that night out! The two rooms have a different vibe, so rock music on the one side and alternative, electronic, and RnB in the other. Pints for £3 and shorts for just over £2 are hard to turn down. The discounts continue at Waiola Fridays with 2-4-1 drinks until midnight.

The Purple Turtle

Gun Street. RG1 2JR Purple Turtle Website Every student who passes through Reading will have stories of the Purple Turtle. It’s just a place that every student must go to. For over 30 years it has been a staple on the student map of nightlife in Reading. Open until 3am every night, and half hour extra on Friday and Saturday nights, there’s loads of beer to drink, resident DJs keeping the atmosphere going, and live bands. There are rock nights, afrobeats and afro house, reggae nights, and much more.

Gun Street Garden

Gun Street. RG1 2JR Gun Street Garden Instagram The best RnB night out in town, Gun Street Garden is a good time every time. An urban-jungle theme spread across two parts of the place. If you want pop, hip-hop, house music, garage, and RnB, the tunes are blasting all night. It’s one of the coolest places in Reading, a place to be seen. When the dancefloor gets a bit too sweaty and heavy, head on up to the rooftop bar for some fresh air and a cocktail.

Club Era

Friar Street. RG1 1DB Club Era Website Club Era only opened its doors as recently as 2023 but has already become a firm favourite for Reading students. It’s right in the centre of the town, so it’s easy to find. It’s open until 4am and has a big capacity of a 1,000 people. Three bars and two rooms of music, state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems, confetti cannons, CO2, and LED screens, it’s the place to be for an epic night out! there is more to Reading than the festival

there is more to Reading than the festival

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Your Guide to Nightlife in Reading

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