Nightlife in Birmingham

9 clubs, live music venues and late-night spots in Birmingham.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

Buy
Alabama Farmers Market
49 acres (20 ha) of homegrown goodness, the Alabama Farmers Market has been in business since 1921, and since 1956 at their current location on the north end of town. No live music or food trucks or other hoopla here, just a consortium of over 200 area farmer-owners coming together to offer their fresh, natural, and delicious wares to the buying public at prices that handily beat what you'd pay at the supermarket.
Daily 5AM-8PM
See
Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame
Founded in 1978, the museum part opened in 1993 with exhibits from instruments to dresses on display. Of course you also get to experience the music itself in jazz performances, workshops and courses.
Tue-Sat 10AM-5PM (guided tours Mon-Wed Fri 10AM-1:30PM)$3/2 (guided/self-guided)
Do
Alabama State Fair
Like most state fairs, what began as a way for Alabama farmers to show off their livestock and produce has evolved over the years into a much larger spectacle. The fair lasts ten days and attracts visitors with exciting carnival rides, yummy food and drink, a petting zoo, live music performances mostly in the country & western genre, and even a full-fledged circus with parading elephants and acrobats on the flying trapeze. The venue is the Birmingham Race Course at the far east end of town.
Mid-September; check website for hours of operation$10; children 5-12, seniors over 62, and active military $5; ride passes $25
Eat
Hot and Hot Fish Club
Reservations recommended. Try to get a seat at the "chef's table" to watch your food as it's prepared.
Tue-Sat 5:30-10PM
Do
Taste of 4th Avenue Jazz Festival
The end of August sees the Historic 4th Avenue Business District, once the most prominent African-American commercial center in the city, swing to the strains of jazz music courtesy of a bevy of acts both locally-based and nationally-known. Bring the youngsters down to the Kids' Zone, learn to swing dance, or tuck in to a meal from one of Birmingham's best food trucks (they don't call it the "Taste" of 4th Avenue for nothing!)
End of August
Drink
The Nick
"Birmingham's Dirty Little Secret" is a grungy out-of-the-way dive bar famous for hosting late night rock shows.
Daily 2PM-4AM
Do Not mapped
Birmingham Artwalk
Much like the Magic City Art Connection, art is only the beginning of the story at the Birmingham ArtWalk: it's a multifaceted street party that takes over the Loft District in early September with art, live music, food and drink, and street performances. But by comparison with its springtime counterpart, the ArtWalk seems to not take itself so seriously: there's no competition pitting artists against each other, but rather a convivial and notably family-friendly vibe, with lots of activities for young folks.
Do Not mapped
Do Dah Day
If you're a pet lover, Birmingham's longest-running annual shindig is for you. The Do Dah Day festivities begin with a parade down Highland Avenue — a joyous cavalcade of pets, pet owners, whimsical floats, marching bands, synchronized dancers, clowns, mimes, and more — then settle in to where the focus shifts to live music, food, and general revelry. And don't forget to fill out your ballots for this year's Pet King and Pet Queen!
Mid-May
Do Not mapped
Magic City Art Connection
Not just a juried art festival showcasing the work of nearly 200 artists from Birmingham and across the nation working in a wide variety of media, but also a multifaceted extravaganza that takes over every last full weekend in April with live music, a "Corks & Chefs" event where local culinary talent takes center stage, and an engaging slate of kids' programming.

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Birmingham (CC BY-SA 4.0).