Bongo Club, Edinburgh

Home to some of the craziest nights in Edinburgh. Excellent sound system, jumping atmosphere. Guaranteed good night

The last time I came here (drum n bass night) my party ended up going back to a house party with some Spanish strangers we met inside so the people that come here are friendly!
The time before that I cant remember before the club or afterwards but one of my friends jumped off a big bass speaker, ripped his trousers off and had to go to hospital the next day.

Great club, if like me, you are in your early thirties and dont want to go to a club where 95% of revellers are teenagers!

Strange venue, well not really just not what I expected. Its quite tucked away and difficult to find really you would never know its there.

I have only been here during the Edinburgh festival and it served its purpose quite well, they had divided it into two seperate areas, a student bar type area for drinks that was kind of shabby but comfortable and had enough seating, I kind of liked it.

Then there was a completely different room which was almost like an old gorgeous church building with a bar at the back. Absolutely fab, I loved it, lots of character and would be a great bar for a night out or a band I think it would be brilliant. Really unexpected but cool.

My favourite club in Edinburgh!

There are so many good nights on at the Bongo that it's difficult to mention them all, but suffice to say that it is a Mecca for all lovers of good dance music in Edinburgh - you have to go there at least once.

I love its dubstep, drum n bass and dub nights, but it also hosts great nights for lovers of hip hop, reggae and funk.

Check it out.

The Bongo Club is a veratible institution in Edinburgh. In its previous locale, in the now demolished New Street, it was a favoured hangout of the cooler members of the local music scenes and hosted a number of diverse gigs and clubnights. Little changed in the move its current location at Moray House.

The Bongo Club has an amazingly varied list of regular nights and, arguably, the best soundsystem in the city. With regular Reggae, Indie, DNB and Cabaret nights - Long may its diversity continue!! The upstairs cafe is pretty ace too!!

Ess

The Bongo Club is somewhat of a clubbing institution and a prime Edinburgh spot to check out the latest Beats, Funk, Hip hop, House, live percussion, Disco and Jazz. Owned entirely by an Arts charity, The Bongo Club is available for hire both day and night be it for exhibitions, conferences or rehearsal space. The intimate café is open daily from 1 – 7pm and offers free internet as well as being fully licensed. Truly an innovative space where live music meets theatre meets clubbing and a good time awaits for the hip kids.

In my opinion the Bongo Club has had possibly the most eclectic mix of different live music anywhere in Edinburgh in my four years of living here.

Its a good place to chill out during the day too, with internet and a cafe upstairs. Downstairs is the 400 capacity main room, complete with an excellent sound system, a large stage in the corner (big enough for a 10-piece band but not so big that it'll drown just a couple of performers) and a bar.

Its the sort of place, as i always say, that you go to for a specific night, rather than just popping down, so check out the website or a flyer first to se what's on.

I've mixed emotions about the Bongo Club as I've experience both the good and bad of the place. I think you just need to pick your nights.

Probably it's strongest point is that it's a versatile venue available for hire, being used as a gallery space, eating/drinking hole (good food and drink specials too), Salsa dancing (Monday nights) and live drawing (Sunday avos).

It's great that Bongo supports such a range of local production groups putting on regular club nights from dnb to ska, psytrance to breaks and hip hop but just don't count on EVERY one to be a hit.

We got stung with some ridiculous cover charge cos it was the weekend and it was a totally useless investment - boring. So best thing you can do, is check their website and make sure what you're heading to is right up your ally.

The Bongo Club is located just by the Parliament and Dynamic Earth. It is often rented out by big well known bands as well as small time DJ's. The entry cost is usually around £5 and the drinks are not too expensive so it compares well with other clubs in the Cowgate. The venue itself is quite good...its not the biggest club but it does get a great atmosphere if it fill up. The lighting is one of the better aspects of the club as there are often strobe lights for the dance acts which can be brilliant fun. This club is often used as a venue for younger people (18-21) so it can be good for networking if you are that age.

The venue has improved a lot since the smoking ban has come into force. The huge clouds of smoke that used to fill the dance floor is no more. Since the ban the club has in fact become much more busy. Its another club that is worth frequenting.