Nightlife in Bowling Green

14 clubs, live music venues and late-night spots in Bowling Green.

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

Do
Black Swamp Arts Festival
BSAF
Bowling Green's local artists come and share their work with the community to help celebrate the arts. Fine arts and crafts throughout the Downtown area. Children's activities, live music, demonstrations, and various art events all weekend.
Annually in early September - Fri 5PM-midnight, Sat 10AM-midnight, Sun 11AM-5PMFree. Parking shuttle may require cash, but it is possible to park and walk for free
Drink
Brathaus
Known for its "Legal Joint" - a sweet cocktail with orange juice and some kind of alcohol.
Drink
Campus Quarters
The southernmost local sports bar, next to campus near the Greek Village. Known for their shot club.
Do
Cherry Blossom Festival
O-hanami
The Cherry Blossom Festival is held annually in April by the Japanese Club at BGSU. The Cherry Blossom festival hosts Japanese cultural programming, origami and shodo brush writing workshops, a Taiko drum performance, Martial Arts demonstrations, a bon-odori dance, kimono try ons, Japanese game tables, and free Japanese snacks including sushi and green tea. The event started as a small gathering of 75 people in 2001 to thank the support of Tokyo Alumni, and hosts over 800 people as of 2018.
Free
Do
City Park
City Park features the city pool and waterpark, skate park, rollerskating rink, the historic Needle Hall, and golf course at the adjacent country club. The waterpark includes a waterslide, lazy river, diving boards, and splash playground.
Free
Buy
Farmers Market
A market of local farms and businesses. Besides general produce a few specialty items and services can be purchased at the Farmers Market, such as Asian vegetables, freshly picked oyster and shiitake mushrooms, raw honey, blade sharpening, and handmade soaps. May have live music present.
Meets every Wed downtown during the summer from 5PM to dusk
Do
Firefly Nights
Mini summer festivals held downtown featuring live music, local crafts, and food. Occasionally hosted in the fall as well.
Jun-Aug third Fri of the month in the evening
Do
Heritage Days
Annual event held the second full weekend in June. Step back in time and get your hands on history with soap making, rope making, fresh butter churning, free blacksmith and farm demonstrations, farm-themed activities, farm animals, historic games, swap meet, kiddie pedal pull, Power of Yesteryear antique tractor show, BBQ and live music. All set amid the rustic historical museum grounds.
Drink
Howard's Club H
Howard's
One of Bowling Green's oldest bars, and a bit of a dive. It's most notable for its strong focus on bringing in bands and live entertainment. Since it opened in 1928, it survived prohibition as a speakeasy and it's since hosted a variety of music acts, including John Scofield, The Ramones, 21 pilots, and Fall Out Boy.
Do
Oktoberfest
BGSU's German club hosts an annual Oktoberfest celebration featuring polka music, and merryment. There is a buffet as well as a cash bar with beer.
late OctoberFree admission, buffet costs $5 for students, $10 for general public in advance, and $15 for the general public at the door
Do
STEM in the Park
Wood County Air Fair
Annual event to promote science, technology, engineering, and math to youth. Exhibits include robotics, food science, digital media, water science, and demos from Toledo institutions such as the Toledo Zoo and Imagination Station. Features live music with local bands. Operates jointly with the Wood County Air Fair, which showcases and flies current and historical aircraft, helicopters, hot air balloons, and rockets.
late SeptemberFree
Do
Stone Ridge Golf Club
A private 18-hole golf course in a quiet residential neighborhood on the edge of town. Has a restaurant at the clubhouse.
6AM-7PM$46 regular, $20 super twilight
Do
Stroh Center
BGSU's primary basketball arena, replacing Memorial Hall for most events. The Stroh Center also houses the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame, practice courts and the Anderson Club.
Do
Wood County Fair
The fair typically includes concerts, a car show, a demolition derby, tractor, truck and semi pulls, championship horse and pony pulls, dances, a cheerleading competition, live music, food, games, rides, industrial arts, woodworking and carving demonstrations, cookie decorating, balloon artists, livestock, flower show, quilts, needlework, karaoke, 4H projects, baked and canned goods, ice cream, wine competition and a parade of floats.
Annual event held the last weekend in July until the end of the first week in August$7, children under 9 are free

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