10 Alternative Date Night Activities In Birmingham
Whether it’s a chilled session with friends or spending time with that special someone, we’ve got you covered with 10 awesome activities to while away the hours in Birmingham city centre.
Think funky 18-hole crazy golf (featuring an actual bus) mixed with cocktails, street food and late night DJs. This fun course feels far from the traditional mini golf, especially when you can have cocktails delivered straight to you whilst playing. Decorated with fantastic street art (my personal favourite is the neon section at the end; spoiler alert – wear white!), this is perfect for a friendly, competitive game.
Three floors of themed pinball machines (including Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Wars, Ghostbusters and Game of Thrones) feature in this independent coffee and craft beer bar. Hosting a selection of speciality coffee produced from the finest quality coffee beans in the world, alongside UK, European and American craft beers, this really is a laid back venue where you can reminisce the arcade games of youth.
Who knew boutique bowling existed? Well, now you do. This is the premise for sophisticated fun in The Cube, part of Birmingham’s stylish Mailbox. Not only are there 9 state-of-the-art bowling lanes, you can try your hand at beer pong, shuffleboard, retro arcade games (including Pac-Man) and sing your heart out in their UV-lit karaoke booth. If you didn’t think it could get any better, think again, as the burgers, fries and light bites on offer are supplied from Marco Pierre White’s restaurant on the top floor of The Cube.
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You have 60 minutes to escape a locked room - will you succeed? Now featuring four escape rooms, you can turn detective in their Sherlock Homes-style ‘Dr Wilson’s Office’, rescue Amy from the terrors of a locked room in ‘Room 13’, secure ‘The Lab’ from a toxic gas leak and break out, or fix the glitch in Jamie’s ‘Time Machine’ in order to save yourselves from being lost in time. For groups up to 6, this is perfect for a unique day out with friends.
There’s a reason this street food venue is so popular. With award winning burgers, pizzas, noodles, curry, peri peri chicken, waffles, pancakes, churros, shakes and so much more, there is something to suit every palate and pocket. Swing by in the evening to experience the pulsing atmosphere as live music and DJs augment the culinary delights every Thursday to Sunday.
Image by Digbeth
Described as a “six story playground for all ages”, this really is the destination for unusual activities. Highlights include the Rage Room – get smashing a selection of flat screen monitors, speakers, phones, bottles and more with a baseball bat, in a completely safe environment. You can even bring along your own playlist to be the soundtrack to your destructive session (anyone else feel this is a perfect post-breakup strategy?). There is also HADO, the collision of sports and augmented reality (AR), with up to 6 players battling against each other to deflect AR projectiles seen through headsets.
The new way to ping pong. More sophisticated than your average game in the local pub, think craft beers, cocktails and champagne in a stylishly contemporary setting. Add in burgers, pizzas, sharing platters and regular DJ features, and this turns into a great night for friendly battles.
If you’ve ever wondered what a party in the form of a music quiz would be like then this is the event for you. One Thursday each month, the UK’s best music quiz (officially) comes to Mama Roux’s in Birmingham and throws on a musical extravaganza. With 8 rounds covering 100 songs, from the likes of Bruno Mars, Whitney Houston, Wham! and Tinie Tempah, there’s something for everyone. As if that isn’t enough excitement, there are also prizes for the top three scorers and the team with the best name, so get your thinking caps on! By the end of the night you’ll be dancing on the tables (this is known to happen) and singing at the top of your lungs.
This independent cinema offers a more intimate cinematic experience with a capacity of 100. Showing movies of all genres, from classics to new releases, there is unbeatable variety. Look out for their theme nights with quizzes and movie marathons too, where fancy dress is encouraged. Pre-show, the kitchen offers an excellent range of burgers, sandwiches, waffles, wings and more, with the added bonus of a takeout option for the cinema.
For guaranteed laughs, visit the award winning Comedy Carousel every Thursday, bringing spontaneity and on-screen comedy delights with three comedians and audience participation. Fridays and Saturdays each offer four different comedy sets to be enjoyed alongside fish and chips, or your choice of curry. Some of the UK’s favourite comedians, including Michael McIntyre, John Bishop and Sarah Millican, have stopped by on their comedy tours too so be sure to keep an eye on their guest comedian listings.
This is just a taste of what the UK’s second city has to offer, with hundreds more bars, restaurants and activities to have the perfect date night, be it festivities with friends or a romantic outing with your significant other.
Written by Hannah Bird, who can be found as @thehbird on Instagram.