Entertainment in Highlands & Northern Islands
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Helgi’s
There’s a traditional cosiness about this place, but the decor has moved beyond the time-honoured beer-soaked carpet to a comfortable contemporary slate floor and quotes from the Orkneyinga Saga plastering the walls. It’s more find-a-table than jostle-at-the-bar and serves cheerful comfort food. Take your pint upstairs for quiet harbour contemplation.
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Eden Court Theatre
The Highlands’ main cultural venue, with theatre, art-house cinema and conference centre, Eden Court stages a busy program of drama, dance, comedy, music, film and children’s events, and has a good bar and restaurant. Pick up a program from the foyer or check the website.
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Captain Flint’s
This lively bar – by some distance Lerwick's best – throbs with happy conversation and has a distinctly nautical, creaky-wooden feel. There’s a cross-section of young ’uns, tourists, boat folk and older locals. There’s live music some nights and a pool table upstairs.
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Bothy Bar
In the Albert Hotel, the Bothy looks very smart these days with its modish floor and black-and-white photos of old-time Orcadian farming, but its low tables provide the customary cheer and sustaining food: think sausages, haddock and stews – good pub grub.
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Bar Pivo
This Czech-themed pub – half of the industrial-chic bar area is made up to look like a Prague metro station – offers no fewer than three Czech beers on draught, plus another six in bottles, as well as Scottish-made Belhaven real ales. Gay friendly.
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Hootananny
Hootananny is the city’s best live-music venue, with traditional folk- and/or rock-music sessions nightly, including big-name bands from all over Scotland (and, indeed, the world). The bar is well stocked with a range of beers from the local Black Isle Brewery.
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Scottish Showtime
From June to early September the Inverness Suite at the Ramada Jarvis Hotel stages ‘Scottish Showtime’, an evening of traditional Scottish music, song and dance aimed squarely at the tourist market. Tickets available from the tourist office.
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Phoenix
This is the best of the traditional pubs in the city centre, with a mahogany horseshoe bar, a comfortable, family friendly lounge, and good food at both lunchtime and in the evening. Real ales on tap include the rich and fruity Orkney Dark Island.
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Torvhaug
Style cats slink into the ultracool Torvhaug with its sleek, dark leather and moody red lighting in the bar downstairs and club with DJs upstairs. Shadowy nooks are good on a stormy night –it has a real nightspot feel about it.
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Fusion Nightclub
A rocking club catering to most musical tastes – from retro and cheesy chart numbers to soul, funk and hip-hop. Local DJs also spin the latest dance tunes and the club sometimes hosts live gigs. The dress code is smart casual.
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Clachnaharry Inn
Just over a mile northwest of the city centre, on the bank of the Caledonian Canal just off the A862, this is a delightful old coaching inn (with beer garden out back) serving an excellent range of real ales and good pub grub.
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Johnny Foxes
Stuck beneath the ugliest building on the riverfront, Johnny Foxes is a big and boisterous Irish bar, with a wide range of food served all day and live music nightly. Part of the premises, The Den, is now a smart cocktail bar.
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Ferry Inn
Every port has its pub, and in Stromness it’s the Ferry. Convivial and central, it warms the cockles with folk music, local beers and characters, and pub food that’s unsophisticated but generously proportioned and good value.
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Castle Tavern
Under the same management as the Clachnaharry Inn and with a tasty selection of real ales, this pub has a wee suntrap of a terrace out the front, a great place for a pint on a summer afternoon.
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Lounge
A hospitable local bar patrolled by Andy Capp characters during the day, Lounge features a variety of live music performances several nights a week, including informal jam sessions.
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Baroc
A slick spot that becomes the island’s lounge bar at nights, there’s plenty of the younger set around to keep you on your toes.
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Ironworks
With live bands (rock, pop, tribute) and comedy shows two or three times a week, the Ironworks is the town’s main venue for big-name acts.
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Posers
At the Grand Hotel, Posers is Lerwick’s only nightclub. Show the locals your latest moves to the booming, dated dance music.
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Isles Inn
The Jacobean bar, with its flagstone floor and open fires, pulls in a lively mix of young locals, backpackers and tourists.
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Vue Cinema
This is a seven-screen multiplex cinema way out on the eastern edge of the city, just south of the A96 to Nairn.
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Pier Hotel
You can almost guarantee a weekend sing-song at this nautical-themed waterfront bar.
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