Nightlife in Kamloops for University Students
As important as saving, budgeting and studying may be as a university student; another crucial aspect of accelerating your university experience is socialization. This could include interacting with classmates, or meeting people around campus, however, going for a night out on the town is by far one of our favourite motives of getting together to enhance our experience as stressed-out university students.
Our mission was to find a night out on the town for everyone, and Downtown Kamloops nightlife made that easy for us. Whether you want a chill night with a close group of friends, or a rowdy night dancing your heart out on the dance floor; Kamloops had it covered.
Our first stop was catering to the folks that aren’t exactly ready for a crazy and unpredictable night. We visited the Columbia Diner, a late-night food stop with an atmosphere perfect for getting together with friends, and having some great eats. The Columbia Diner is open until 10 on weekends, which gives university students the perfect opportunity to head out later into the evening, and still be able to make it home on-time to wake up for a morning weekend shift the next day. The staff mentioned that there isn’t usually a large crowd on weekend evenings, which is exemplified in the wonderful customer service and excellent meal preparation, for reasonable prices. We were all happy to gather around, talk about school, friends, relationships and everything else from our week without fear of being overheard or having to run into people we are usually excited to avoid. The Columbia Diner offers an excellent environment for anybody that doesn’t typically enjoy the party-life and we are most definitely excited to return.
The next stop was for the half-way crowd. Somewhere that didn’t necessarily require a full social-battery, but also allowed us to mix and mingle ever so slightly, while also having access to an abundance of alcoholic options, if thats the weekend route you’re looking for. Bailey’s Pub offers Friday Trivia night, as well as Saturday Karaoke, leaving plenty of room for fun and excitement while still maintaining a comfortable and laid-back environment. Once again, the staff at Bailey’s Pub was more than happy to provide us with a great experience. After we filled up at Columbia Diner, we opted to skip the food but from the looks of it, boy did it look good! And although we chose to maintain a respectable level of sobriety, we sure had a good time watching the passionate performances of the Kamloops karaoke stars that maybe didn’t take the same route as us. Bailey’s Pub was filled with people looking to have a great time and as university students, we felt safe in the hands of the staff at this establishment, which isn’t necessarily the case for other local bars and pubs. The unfortunate part however is a lack of student deals or happy hour pricing, which is an important focus for us when it comes to enjoying the Kamloops experience, however, it was still easy to have a great time without racking up a big bill.
Finally, for our university friends ready to have a wild, unpredictable and presumably liquor-filled night, Kayla stopped at The Nightshift, as she does most weekends to give the rundown on Kamloops’ hottest nightclub.
The Nightshift tends to be the most popular destination for Thompson Rivers University students on any given Friday or Saturday night, and usually fills up at around 11pm up until closing time of 2am. Now, The Nightshift is surely not for the faint of heart. With an entry fee of $10.00 and drinks ranging from $9.00-$15.00, it is not entirely budget-friendly either. Upon visiting The Nightshift, you can expect an abundance of unpleasant and unwanted interactions, music ranging from country to EDM to rap to throwback pop and typically some alcohol-induced bar fights, it is surely not a night on the town for beginners. As for the more specific details of The Nightshift, the customer service is very rarely a pleasant experience and you are limited to simple nightclub drink recipes. Aswell, despite being filled with security personnel, an eary feeling that something is going to go wrong seems to always be present.
It is not an unusual occurrence for paramedics or police to make an appearance, but to give the benefit of the doubt, the security in place is thorough to ensure to the best of their ability a safe environment for the young university students in attendance. Although The Nightshift offers a nightclub atmosphere that is significantly toned down from other big-city clubs, it still provides an exciting night for someone ready for a wild night that they may (or may not) remember for years to come.
After our experiences at the three locations, we ultimately decided that Bailey’s Pub offered the best experience for a fun night with friends and provided the best opportunity to create lasting memories. The laid-back dive bar environment was the best destination to fill our evening with laughter, bonding and drinking, and despite a lack of deals to help a students wallet, we definitely got the best experience for our money. Although we were only focused on three locations of varying levels of intensity, Kamloops offers a plethora of bars, restaurants and venues for a night out that we have yet to conquer. Whether you’re looking for live-music, a comedy night or a late-night movie, our best suggestion is to walk around and see where the streets of Kamloops take you. While exploring, we came across several flyers for events and shows that we unfortunately couldn’t get to in time, so take the time to look around and see what Kamloops has to offer!
