Entertainment

There is more to Southampton than ships, sailing and shopping. The city offers a host of entertainment options, ranging from mainstream cinema and West End style shows to huge pop acts and a bona fide clubbing scene, both in the city itself and in neighboring Bournemouth.

Cinema

A feast of entertainment can be found at Leisure World, which includes two night-clubs, a restaurant and a 13-screen multiplex Odeon Cinema that shows all the latest Hollywood blockbusters in modern and comfortable surroundings. Virgin Cinemas offers five screens of film entertainment in Ocean Village, while the nearby Harbour Lights Picture House shows more alternative and art-house films to an enthusiastic audience.

Theater

The main theater in Southampton is The Mayflower on Commercial Road. It features a huge number of productions every year, some of which come direct from London's West End. Opera, comedy, concerts (classical and pop), ballet and serious drama make up the playlist at the theater, as well as a popular big-name Christmas pantomime. Behind the Mayflower you will find the Gantry Arts Centre, which is a popular venue for more contemporary theater productions, as well as music and comedy performances.

Theater lovers can also see a wide selection of plays at the Nuffield Theatre on University Road, while a little further afield the Pavilion Theatre in Bournemouth is another fine venue for theater productions, catering for all niches and needs. Other excellent theater venues in the region include the Salisbury Playhouse, the Tivoli Theatre and the Chichester Festival Theatre.

Music

A few minutes walk away from the Mayflower is the Guildhall, which is part of the Civic Centre complex. This is the venue for larger pop and rock concerts, as well as light entertainment, and attracts chart-topping live acts. Live music can also be enjoyed at the Turner Sims Concert Hall, which specializes in smaller classical shows and jazz ensembles. The town has many smaller venues that provide live musical entertainment. Amongst these are The Joiners Arms in St Mary's Street, which specializes in small independent bands, and Jumpin Jaks at Leisure World, which has live bands and tribute acts every week. Elsewhere, the Bournemouth International Centre is just a half-hour's drive away and features big shows by acts ranging from Shirley Bassey and Tom Jones to Oasis and Blur.

Comedy

Southampton was one of the first cities outside London to be chosen as a site for a Jongleurs Comedy Club, which regularly attracts top acts from the countrywide comedy circuit. It is situated at the Bargate Centre in the heart of Southampton and offers live comedy from Thursday to Saturday. The Gantry Arts Centre also hosts comedy evenings, while the large theater venues have occasional big-name shows from the likes of Lee Hurst and Steve Coogan. A little further out of town, near the University, Talking Heads regularly has alternative comedians, as does The Brook next door.

Night Clubs

Southampton has a lively club scene that suits many tastes. Ikon & Diva are based next door to each other at Leisure World, but cater for different markets. Ikon hosts a mix of garage, dance anthems and club classics, while Diva provides more of a retro experience with music from the 70s, 80s and 90s. In the city center The Beach is an over 20's venue geared towards fun and socializing, New York New York spins commercial and chart sounds for a lively crowd until 3a at weekends and Four-2-6 offers party tracks and cheap drinks, while The Academy and Lennon's both cater for a student crowd. Other clubs worth investigating include The Rhino Club in Waterloo Terrace, Kaos in St Mary's Road and The Dungeon in Bevois Valley.

However, it is neighboring Bournemouth that arguably boasts the best club scene in the region. The Opera House is just one of many venues attracting thousands of clubbers to Bournemouth each and every weekend.