Entertainment - English

Getting it cheap

Ask your institution if it has a student’s union which is part of the NUS (National Union of Students). If so, you can join and buy an NUS card, either from your institution or the NUS website. You can get a significant discount in many stores with this card. You can also use it as proof of your being a student, as many bars, clubs and museums have a lower entry fee for students.

Nightlife

Bars and clubs are mainly in cities and towns. The legal drinking age in the UK is 18, and you may be asked for identification when buying alcohol. Sometimes only a driving license or passport is accepted. Most clubs and bars are for people of over 18, and therefore you may be asked for identification before you enter. If you are under 18, ask your institution about special under-18 nights in your area.

You may have to pay when you enter a bar or club. Entrance fees range from £1 (mainly student nights) to £25, if you are living in London. The price of drinks also varies. In provincial towns, drinks are likely to be cheaper, while in London you could pay as much as £5 for a glass of house wine.

Clubs and bars in the UK are extremely varied, and they will often play different types of music on different nights. If you live in a city, you’re likely to find club nights to suit every music taste- whether that might be hip-hop, metal, alternative, drum ‘n’ bass or house. To find out what’s going on in your area, check posters in your student union or search for listings on Ents24.

Pubs

The UK is famous for its pubs. Short for “public house”, a pub is similar to a bar. However, pubs occur more regularly in villages as well as cities, and the furnishings are usually very traditional. The typical British pub will have brick walls, a roaring fire, pots and pans hanging from the walls and old wooden furniture. Many are open all day, and serve a range of traditional British food. They may even have a special house ale.

Although pubs serve a lot of alcohol, they tend to be family-oriented, and it’s not unusual to see three generations sitting down to eat a roast dinner on a Sunday afternoon. All in all, these can be cosy places to spend a few hours, especially if you live in a small village where everyone knows each other. Other pubs are not so friendly and can be rough, so ask around before hitting the town. To read consumer reviews, go to: british pub guide.

Eating out

You’ll find just about any kind of food in the UK, especially if you live in a city. Indian, Chinese and Italian are the most popular, but international food is becoming increasingly diverse.

If you want to try British food, the best place to get it is in an old-style pub. If you’re lucky, the menu may include traditional dishes such as:
• Roast beef, vegetables, gravy and Yorkshire pudding (which is a small batter cake)
• Shepherd’s pie (beef or lamb mince topped with mashed potatoes)
• Bubble and squeak (sausages with mashed potatoes)
• Toad in the hole (sausages in batter)
• Apple crumble (baked apples with breadcrumbs)

Britain also has its own special take-away dishes. Go to a fish and chips shop to buy traditional battered cod and chips (or fries). These are often sold wrapped in newspaper. You can also get sausages, pickled onions and “mushy peas” (mashed peas). Other famous British fast food includes the Cornish pasty. These are pastry parcels filled with meat or vegetables and are very tasty. You can sometimes find these in bakeries, or even special pasty shops.

If you are in a restaurant or café, it is customary to give a tip to a waitress or waiter if you receive good table service. After you have paid for your meal, you should leave 10 per cent of what you paid on the table in coins. In some restaurants, the service charge is included in your bill and you don’t need to leave a tip. There’s also no need to tip bar people or attendants at self-service restaurants.

A meal and a drink in a mid-range restaurant will cost about £10, but you can find cheaper restaurants if you look around. To search for restaurants in your area and reviews, go to squaremeal or toptable.

Cultural activities and shows

The UK attracts shows and exhibitions from around the world. Your local town will probably have a theatre where you can see dance, music and drama productions. Call the box office for information and tickets.

If you want to be a little more extravagant, London’s west end is famous for theatres, where you can see world-famous musicals like Chicago and The Sound of Music. To find out more, visit londontheatre. There is also the Globe theatre in London, which is a replica of the original Globe, where William Shakespeare put on his plays. You can see plays at the Globe in the traditional way- either standing at the front or seated at the back.
Visit shakespearesglobe for details.

Most cities have museums, and many are either free or offer discounts to students. To search for museums.

Comedy clubs and live music are popular in the UK. For information on comedy. For music, or for music festivals

Top days out

Here is a list of great places to visit in the UK. See our travel section to find out how to get there.
• Stonehenge – ancient ceremonial stones in Wiltshire
• Brighton- beach town with exotic pavilion, quirky shops and lots of clubs
• Bath – site of the ancient Roman baths
• Cambridge – acient university town where you can tour the colleges and go punting
• Oxford – ancient university town where you can tour the colleges and go punting
• Edinburgh – home of the magnificent Edinburgh castle and Edinburgh festival
• Cornwall – surfing capital of the UK
• Loch Ness – scenic lake in Scotland and home of the mythical Loch Ness Monster
• Snowdon – the highest mountain in England and Wales
• London – capital of the UK
• Yorkshire – home to the historic city of York and the Bronte sisters’ house
• Angel of the North – giant sculpture near Newcastle upon Tyne

London

There are many great places to visit in the UK, but most visitors would not want to miss the British capital. London has a selection of fantastic museums, including the National Gallery, The Tate Modern and The Natural Science Museum. There are also many famous monuments. You should not miss out on Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace and the Millennium Wheel. If you’ve got a strong stomach, you may want to find out about London’s gruesome past at The Tower of London and the London Dungeons.

When you are visiting tourist attractions, you should plan carefully. Some attractions have specific opening hours, and you may have to queue for several hours. It’s best to arrive very early, or book tickets in advance, if possible. There are guided tours of London with transport provided, if you don’t want to go it alone. Go to websites like the original tour for details. London’s tourism site, visit london, will have more information.

If you’ve got spare time, you may want to sample the shopping at Oxford Circus or Covent Garden, which have all the usual high-street shops. For a more unusual experience, try Camden Market or Spitalfields Market (mostly clothes), Portobello Market (mostly antiques) or Borough Market (mainly food). There are also countless bars and pubs. Some of the most famous are Ministry of Sound, Fabric, The End, Egg and Turnmills.

For listings of things to do in London, pick up a copy of Time Out magazine, or go to: timeout or thisislondon.

Be safe

Socialising in bars and clubs are a great way to interact with the locals. However, you should not let your guard down. Always keep your belongings with you, or if you are in a club, you can pay to keep them in the cloakroom. Pubs in Britain can become rowdy, and some people become violent after drinking. There have been some horrible injuries and even deaths resulting from pub fights. If an individual behaves aggressively towards you, it’s usually best to back away or even leave the pub. Do not respond to their behaviour.

Female students should be especially careful in bars. Never leave your drink unattended; there have been many incidents of “date rape” drugs being slipped into drinks. You should also never leave a bar or club alone with a stranger.