The Best Student Nights Out in Brighton for 2026

About the author: Hi! I'm Shiqin Ong, a Geography and Anthropology student at the University of Sussex in Brighton. I love travelling, hiking, and music alongside writing! I'm also involved in uni sports including rugby, as well as the Photography Society and the student newspaper :)

When you live in Brighton, student night out options run far and wide. Whether your preferences are a pub quiz night, a cheeky trip to a cocktail bar or a boogie to 2000s club music, rap or indie rock, we’ve got something for you.

Top pubs in Brighton

Many pubs in Brighton often advertise pub quizzes, themed nights, or live music, and The Green Dragon is one of them. Located right in the North Laine in the city centre, the quaint green-tiled exterior provides entrance to a cosy pub that hosts live jazz every Tuesday.

If you’re looking for a bigger and more popular student locale, however, Hobgoblin and The King and Queen may be your new evening favourites. Both boast drink deals throughout the week with pints ranging from £5-6, so it’s common to see their heated gardens full on student nights out.

Pub quizzes are a popular evening activity for many uni social circles, and can be found almost any day of the week. Popular pubs for quizzes include Lewes Road Inn and The King and Queen, as many students live in nearby Hanover. Entry fees usually cost £1-3 per person, making it an excellent group activity for hanging out, and chance prize wins whether you’re drinking or not.

Special niches can be challenged at The Walrus in the South Lanes; whilst they admittedly have a higher entrance fee of £5, they host themed quizzes with topics including Star Wars, Friends, and Rick and Morty.

Brighton also features various pubs with pool tables; you'll often walk into pubs like The Admiral or Caroline of Brunswick and see students playing. The Admiral, in the Hanover area itself is a popular student spot, with pizza deals, darts, and board games alongside the free pool table. As a student, it is also quite common for birthdays, sports socials or other events to go pub golfing or pub crawling. Various societies especially usually host pub crawls throughout the year, including the University of Sussex’s Snow Society.

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The best clubs in Brighton

For those who prefer their nights out to be a little less laid back, Revenge, Mash Tun, and Casablanca are classic student venues. The LGBTQIA+ community at Revenge provides a lovely yet chaotic night out, with entry from £0-6 depending on the day; you’ll often hear 2000s pop/club music alongside drag performances in the colourful multi-storied seafront building.

Mash Tun's slightly more expensive drinks are countered by free entry basically every day of the week, and the venue feels more like a house party than a club. Also located in the North Laine area, this club often hosts various DJs on its first-floor dance floor. A student classic, it can really pick up on the weekend.

Last but not least in my feature is one my personal favourites, Casablanca – Brighton’s longest-running independent bar/club, predominantly playing disco, funk and pop. With a varied playlist depending on the night but one including live bands playing covers, Casablanca (or ‘Casas’ as it is more fondly known) is a popular with students on Thursdays nights. With £4 entry and canned beers at £4, as well as £5 doubles depending on time, Casas is always a good option for a dance with friends.

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Brighton's best bars

Newly opened (but already a student favourite for sports societies), the après-ski themed Barbara’s Bierhaus features a free photo booth, karaoke room and decently priced drink/beer-tower.

For those solely interested in karaoke, Bar Broadway hosts musicals (or whatever your go-to karaoke song is!) sessions every Sunday. Alongside this, they host weekend cabaret shows, and its location on the edge of Kemptown marks the stretch of venues who host drag shows throughout the week.

Moving north from the seafront and up London Road, Shuffle Bar is definitely one of the most well-known student bars in town (if not the most popular!). Known for 2-for-1 cocktails Monday to Thursday (1 cocktail is £10-12), whether you’re with friends before a night out or simply catching up over drinks, Shuffle also includes a shared listening feature where you can queue tunes of your choice while enjoying the heated pub garden or people watching by the window. While it does lead to a slightly haphazard vibe depending on who has chosen what, its reputation as a popular student evening means a buzzy crowd.

As I am sure this article shows, there are seemingly endless options when it comes to nights out in Brighton. As a Brightonian resident, I find that the city’s bustling and eclectic nature is truly represented in its venues that are always packed with live gigs, open mics, quizzes, readings and, well, whatever interests you most.

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Need a bed to head back to after your night out in Brighton?

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Whilst you’re out having fun in your new uni city, remember that UniHomes promotes responsible drinking, and any alcohol products featured within this article are for ages 18+.

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