The 11 best nightlife spots in Liverpool

We treasure this under-the-radar outdoor spot in the Baltic area, but for the greater good we will let on and tell you it’s one of the best places to hang out come nighttime in Liverpool. Sip on one of many fab cocktails or gins, and enjoy tasty Mexican nosh. At weekends DJs provide a laid-back soundtrack.

A café, restaurant, bar and club in one, this massive multi-purpose venue in a converted warehouse boasts a killer drinks menu and an ace live events programme. By day it’s an excellent place to relax with a coffee, and pop-up bars and food trucks make it great for a spontaneous drink or meal. But go for an evening ‘happening’ and you’ll see why Camp and Furnace has so quickly established itself as an essential stop on any night out in Liverpool.

Set in a converted nineteenth-century building that once housed Liverpool’s Arts and Science Institute, the aptly named Arts Club is one of the city’s finest live-music venues. Different rooms host bands of varying stature, so you might see John Grant one night and an unknown local band the next. Drinks may be on the pricey side, but the atmosphere makes up for it.

For a truly alternative night out, try the brilliantly inventive Invisible Wind Factory, from the team behind Kazimier Productions. This is a striking space where music, nightlife and art come together in ‘a cultural theme park for the future’. The programme is an eclectic mix of live performance and artsy themed parties.

Liverpool’s original alternative drag dinner cabaret and club night is everything you want queer culture to be, and then some. It’s definitely not for everyone which is, in itself, a huge recommendation. But if you like your drag, poetry and performance with more edge than the cliffs of Dover, then take the plunge. Radical, diverse, experimental, tremendous fun and absolutely bound to offend while also being super-inclusive.

All-day venue Modo’s three rooms are always popping, but it’s at night that this place really gets going. For the best vibes, head to first-floor Paradiso, with its buzzing rooftop terrace, or the Underground club, with its expansive dance floor and out-there line-up of guest and resident DJs. Expect crowds at weekends.

If you like your drinking with a side order of sports (well, pseudo-sports), then Lane7 should be your go-to late-night Liverpool haunt. A first-rate cocktail bar that’s also home to bowling lanes – you guessed it, seven of them – this place also boasts pool tables, ping pong, darts and the like. Time to get creative with your drinking games.

If you’re after a one-stop-shop of a night out, Concert Square is a city-centre destination brimming with fab places to eat, drink and dance the night away. Slap in the centre, this handy grouping of venues means you don’t have to wander far for your next adventure. Things get lively from around 10.30pm, and expect to be out till late.

It may not be all that unique, but make this chain bar’s Liverpool outlet worth a visit is the setting. A welcome addition to Albert Dock’s nightlife – open until 3am at weekends – this two-storey space also features an outdoor terrace overlooking the water and a specialist rum bar, all inside a beautiful dockside building. Live music keeps the party going until your heels won’t let you dance any more.

If you enjoy an eclectic night out, let Sonic Yootha call for you like a beacon in the fog of tired mainstream clubbing. First, there’s the music. On any given set you’ll be bouncing along to Wendy and Lisa via Bowie and Goldfrapp. Then there’s the crowd, an extremely diverse and inclusive gaggle of people whose focus is on having a ball. The feel of the night is frivolous fun, with a snob-free art-school sensibility behind it.

Sure, it’s a former Unesco-protected heritage site, but these days Albert Dock is just as closely associated with shopping, restaurants and culture (the Tate Liverpool being the massive draw). And it’s a great nightlife destination, too, with a gaggle of venues all within staggering distance of each other. So nighttime revellers should definitely consider dipping their toes in the water. Just not literally.