Birmingham Hen Do Help

OK I am local-ish and work as a paramedic in Birmingham so have a fair idea of nightlife there. I can't really help with daytime activities, but for the night I would base yourself in the Arcadian centre and NOT Broad Street. They are the 2 big pub/club areas anyway. Arcadia has much much less trouble, it borders the gay quarter and therefore has a more laid back, less macho vibe (hence less trouble!). There are a few bars there, Las Iguanas is a nice mexican/tapas bar/restaurant where you can either get a table or just have cocktails in the bar area (big cocktail menu). For a cheap and cheesy club, Reflex is also in the Arcadian and is a fun 80s club complete with glitterballs and poles for dancing. Cocktails there are pretty cheap as well. You wouldn't be out of place there even if you went in full 50s dresses.

Avoid Broad Street at all costs. It's full of chavvy bars, lots of trouble spilling onto the streets, and much more "young people going out to get drunk and show off" rather than "people going out to have fun and a few drinks". Put it like this, both we and the police have decicated teams to cover Broad Street since it gets so bad.

HTH x

Hey,
I second the vote for Arcadian and Reflex. I've been in Reflex when there has been hen parties in there, there is a bookable 'VIP' area, which might be an idea.
Here's the link to the arcadian website, it lists bars/restaurants etc available there and contact details if you want to ring and book anything.

https://www.thearcadian.co.uk/

When I've been out with friends in Brum some have stayed at Etap on Bristol St (next to O2 acadamy) which is walkable to arcadian, its nothing fancy though, literally somewhere to drop after a night out. Alternatively, this link below is for rooms/apartments by StayCity, which from the map seems ideally located.

https://www.staycity.com/birmingham/leisure/?gclid=CN_DhYuChrMCFaTJtAodVTYA1w

For other entertainment etc, you could check out whats on at the hippodrome or glee club (comedy club)

HTH

x

THANKS! We've provisionally booked this place for afternoon T - looks awsome!

Thanks ladies looks like Arcadian seems better, but are there any clubs there? We do want a proper club not just a bar, and somewhere cheesey and fun, we're not too trendy kids!

Am checking out website now

S x

Yes, Reflex is an 80s nightclub. Open until 3am I think

I can vouch for Reflex, we went there after seeing Dirty Dancing at the theatre. We had a VIP area, , it was fab.

My SIL to be, had her HenDue in Birmingham it was an amazing night. We went to https://www.thehighlight.co.uk/ where we saw a couple of comedians we had some free drinks. You can have food too. And after the comedians you're able the venue opens up into a club and you're able to dance the night away in a 2 floor club, with rooms with different music on.. one R&B, 60's etc i think there was 4 or 5 rooms that had different music on. It's a large place. And a very good night out!!

My friend had her hen do recently and we went to https://www.bar-island.co.uk/ which was great for cocktails, although it wasn't exactly cheap, but if you're only popping in for one or two and not planning on being in there all night it's worth it. We then went for karaoke at http://www.padthai.co.uk/karaoke.html which is a dedicated karaoke bar, they do have private rooms you can book in there but I think half the fun is watching other people sing badly!

My brother's always telling me that https://www.purnellsrestaurant.com/gingers-bar is amazing for cocktails (their website says something about a lamb and mint cocktail ?) but again, I reckon they're probably on the pricey side!

I'd echo the sentiments of avoiding Broad Street unless you want somewhere really lively. If you do end up on Broad Street the least chavvy places are probably flares and reflex just because they attract a slightly older crowd (ie people in their 20s rather than their teens!).