All guidesEdinburgh Nightclubs: Where to Party on a Stag or Hen Weekend

Edinburgh Nightclubs: Where to Party on a Stag or Hen Weekend

Edinburgh's clubs are refreshingly easy to work with. Most of them sit along one street, the Cowgate, so a group can club-hop on foot, and there is a clear split between the cheap-and-cheerful end and the smarter George Street rooms. Here is where to point a stag or hen group.

The Cowgate: cheap, central, always open

This is the party core, and most nights start and end here.

  • The Hive on Niddry Street is the classic. Underground caverns, cheap drinks, two dancefloors, and it is open seven nights a week. It is the default stag and hen club for a reason: always on, always busy, easy on the budget.
  • Cabaret Voltaire on Blair Street is a vaults venue with credible club nights, more electronic and techno than chart hits, for a group that takes its music a bit more seriously.
  • La Belle Angèle, tucked off the Cowgate, is a live-music and club space that is great for a gig-then-club night.
  • Stramash, a 700-capacity live-music bar in an old church, runs bands until the early hours and even ceilidh nights. Free entry and a brilliant big-group option.
  • Sneaky Pete's is tiny but seriously credible, better for a music-led crew than a big rowdy stag.

George Street: the smarter night

  • Why Not, beneath The Dome, is the upmarket New Town club: multiple rooms, chart hits, and a dressier crowd. Popular with hen groups. Mind the dress code, trainers can be a problem.

Practical bits

  • Dress code: the Cowgate is relaxed. George Street clubs are stricter, so no sportswear if you are heading there.
  • Queues: weekends get busy after 11pm. A guided night skips the worst of it.
  • Keep the group together: a party bus between venues stops a big group from splintering, which is how people get lost.

Make the night effortless

Clubbing with fifteen people is a logistics job. We do that job for you: a guided pub crawl to warm up, then the clubs, all handled. See the best bars guide for the earlier part of the night, and let us build the rest into a package. Get a quote or talk to a planner.