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Bermuda Nightlife
Bars, Night Clubs and Pubs
So you are looking for the best of nightlife in Bermuda.
I have heard people saying that Bermuda nightlife is quite sedate. But after many visits to the Island and having seen the nightclubs, bars, and live performances in Bermuda, I tend to believe otherwise.
Bermuda does offer nightlife options like dancing to DJs' music till the wee hours, enjoying drinks while listening to live bands, or watch performing arts and lot more. If there is one thing missing in Bermuda, that is Gambling and Casinos.
They are not allowed in the island and it has a long cultural bearing with the conservative background of Bermudians, particularly so with the churches and some sections of Bermuda Government. However, the Government has been debating the issue and exploring the possibility of running Casinos in Bermuda. I doubt if that's a possibility in the near future though.
Here are my selections of the top nightlife activities in Bermuda. I have categorized them under Bar & Pubs, Night Clubs, and Evening Celebrations.
1. Top Bermuda Bars and Pubs
All the bars and pubs of Bermuda that are listed below are highly rated by both locals and visitors, and most offer night time entertainment in high season like live bands.
Price Categories:
$ = Budget; $$ = Mid Range; $$$ = Upscale; $$$$ = Expensive
Here is my favorite list in alphabetical order:
Bermuda Bistro at the Beach ($, Bermudian Cuisine): This casual bar located on Front Street of Hamilton is open until 3am. They self proclaim to be "The shame of Front Street" due to their late night operations when every other bar is closed. The bar menu is quite extensive and includes some nice innovative drinks. There is a DJs music on Fridays and Saturdays, and dance nights on Sundays. There are happy hours on other days of the week starting from 4pm.
Bonefish Bar & Grill ($$, Seafood): It's located at the dockyard in Sandys Parish near the ferry terminal. The open patio has a great view of the water and it's an excellent people watching place while you enjoy a draft beer. There is live music on some days of the week.
Cafe Cairo, Bermuda ($$, African Cuisine): Located on Front Street in Hamilton City, Cafe Cairo is an Egyptian themed top bar and a dance club in Bermuda. It also has an excellent restaurant serving Middle Eastern dishes.
Flanagan's Irish Pub, Sports Bar & Restaurant ($$, Irish): Flanagans is the only Irish pub in Bermuda located in Hamilton with beautiful harbor view. It's also a sports bar and offers live musical entertainment during high season.
Frog and Onion Pub Bermuda ($$ British): This pub has a long history. Once it used to be a barrel making workshop in the dockyard. Now it's the biggest pub in the island and located at the Royal Naval Dockyard, Sandy's.
Henry VIII Restaurant and Bar ($$$, British): Henry VIII is one of the well known pub and restaurants in Southampton parish offering a relaxing ambience with night-time entertainment.
Hog Penny Restaurant & Pub ($$, British): This is Hamilton's oldest pub operating since 1957 and has a typical British decor. This is a favorite for locals and tourists. This cozy oak paneled bar inspired the Bull and Finch pub in Cheers.
Part of hotel Fairmont Southampton, the earlier French fine dining restaurant has been converted into a combination of pub and restaurant offering wide selection of wine, beer and food.
North Rock Brewery ($$, Bermudian): Great place to sample fresh handmade beer. My favorite is Somers Amber Ale. It's located on South road at Smith's parish.
Pickled Onion ($, Bermudian): This is an upscale pub & restaurant with its classy, fun martini-style bar. Featuring live entertainment in season, the award-winning Pickled Onion overlooks the harbor on Front Street. With friendly atmosphere, good food and music, this is one of the most popular bars in the island.
Robin Hood Pub ($, International): Robin Hood pub in Hamilton City is extremely popular with the locals. It is also a premier sports bar in the island.
Somerset Country Squire ($$, British): Located at the western end in Somerset Village, it has a wooden balcony having great view of the Mangrove Bay.
Swizzle inn Bermuda ($$, British & Bermudian cuisine): Located in Hamilton Parish, this is the oldest pub in Bermuda. There are thousands of business cards and graffiti pasted all over the walls. They are the inventor of the famous island drink - The Rum Swizzle.
The Veranda Bar and Lounge ($$$$, International): This vintage bar combines the decor of a cozy jazz club with the energy and music of the Caribbean tropics.
White Horse Pub and Restaurant ($$, Bermudian): White Horse Pub & restaurant in St. George Bermuda provides a great option for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner with night-time entertainment.
2. Top Bermuda Night Clubs
LV's Piano and Jazz Lounge: The former Splash Nightclub in Bermuda has reopened as LV's Piano Jazz bar and lounge. It's located in Hamilton city and offers Jazz and other live music.
Hubie's Jazz Bar: This has been the Mecca of Jazz in Bermuda and has showcased many local and overseas talented musicians over the years. Smooth drinks and mellowed live jazz have entertained hundreds of locals and tourists over decades. UPDATE: Hubies, which closed down in 2010, has reopened under a new name The Loft At Hubie's.
Light Nightclub Bermuda: Located in St. George, this is a relatively new night club and is part of the White Horse Pub & Restaurant.
Moon Nightclub: Located at the heart of Hamilton City on Front Street, Moon Nightclub in Bermuda offers a safe, relaxed and high end social clubbing experience. Their highlights are open air dance & music, and exceptionally good security measures.
Spinning Wheel Night Club: Located in Hamilton Bermuda, it features four bars, a nightclub, a sports bar and a restaurant. With classic soul, reggae and soca, the DJs keep the dance floor busy. Spinning Wheel is a locals favorite and has evolved as an evening entertainment center.
Level Nightclub: Located off Front Street at Hamilton, this is essentially music and dance club having both inside and outside space.
3. Bermuda Evening Celebrations
Island Beach Parties: Held in the Snorkel Park Beach venue at the dockyard between 7pm-10pm, it gives a great option for a high-energy nighttime entertainment in Bermuda.
Other than beachside dinner, you can enjoy whole host of entertainment including dancing and singing contests, congo lines, limbo dancing, DJs and steel pans.
Bermuda Nights: Initiated by Bermuda Department of Tourism, this open-air musical and dance program features some of the best local talents from the island. It is held between June and October twice a month at Barr's Bay Park in Hamilton City, and complete with nice food offerings. Admission is free.
Bermuda Folk Club organizes musical nights usually on the first Saturday of the month. They bring in local talents as well as overseas performers. The events are open to both members and non-members including visitors. Check out the above link for details about the event.
Chewstick's Neo-Griot Lounge: The Chewstick Lounge is Bermuda's unique open-mic jam session where Singers, Musicians, Rappers, Writers and artists from all facets of life perform. Anyone is welcome to participate or join as audience.
Harbour Nights: This is a Wednesday celebration in Hamilton Bermuda and you can have great fun with families and kids. The whole Front Street gets closed to vehicles and becomes live with lights, dance, music, vendors and fun.
St. George Market Nights: This celebration is held on every Tuesday evening at King Square. It includes entertainment, local arts & crafts, music and a lot more activities.
Destination Dockyard: On every Monday, Kings Wharf or the Royal Naval Dockyard in Bermuda offers nightly festival celebrations with fun filled activities known as Destination Dockyard.
Heritage Nights: From May-end, Heritage Night is celebrated at the dockyard on every Thursday for 18 consecutive weeks. The event showcases the traditions and heritage of the island and includes demonstrations of kite making, Bermuda's traditional game of Cricket and lot more. There are performances from local dancers and musicians. Vendors set up stalls for food & beverages.
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Visitors' Reviews & Comments
David McDonald (Boston)
Great website chock full of very useful information. My wife and I will be cruising from Boston to Bermuda next Friday and will be at Kings Wharf from the 25th to the 27th. If you would, please name 3 pubs, not jammed with tourists (like us), where locals stop in for a pint or two. On all of our vacations we try to search out pubs where we can meet some local folk. Also, would it be too much of an undertaking to go from the ship to the Black Horse Tavern in St. David's for dinner? Thanks so much for your assistance!
Raj (bermuda-attractions.com)
Hi David, on your first question, Swizzle Inn is the oldest and the most popular pub in Bermuda. But for obvious reasons, that is likely to be jammed with tourists like yourselves. My favorites are Henry VIII (where you will mostly find locals), North Rock Brewery (a typical British style pub offering hand crafted fresh beer) and Hog Penny (Hamilton's oldest pub of traditional British style but likely to be a bit crowded due to its location). You will find details of all these above under the section "Top Bermuda Bars and Pubs". On your second question, Bermuda is really small and no distance is a big distance. Take the direct ferry from Kings Wharf to St. George (the Orange Route). It takes about 35 minutes and then take bus #6 to Black Horse Tavern. Easy! Have a great time in Bermuda!!
Tina DaBella (New York)
Hi, You have an excellent and informative site. I have a group cruise (about 8 cabins) going to Bermuda 9/23-30/2012. Do you know if the Harbor nights will still be going on this last week of Sept? Also, I am trying to put together a "pub crawl" for them do to. I was thinking maybe trying 3 or 4 pubs in Hamilton then heading to the Dockyard for 3 or 4 pubs (their ship will be docked at the dockyard so wanted to end them there. Do you have recommendations for pubs in those areas that I might map out an itinerary for them? I'm looking to keep it easy...walking in each area with either ferry, bus or taxi from Hamilton to Dockyard. I would love any recommendations you could give. Thank you for your time.
Raj (bermuda-attractions.com)
Hi Tina, Harbor nights in 2012 is scheduled from April 25 for 20 consecutive weeks. So going with this plan, the last harbor night for the year should take place in the last week of September.
There are plenty of good pubs & bars in Hamilton, and they are all mostly within walking distance. Here are some that I like: Hog Penny, Docksiders, Robinhood (10 mins walk from Front Street), Flanagans, Pickled Onion, etc. In Dockyard area try Frog n' Onion, Bonefish bar & grill. Some of the best pubs of Bermuda are in other parishes (not in Hamilton or Dockyard area), like Swizzle Inn, North Rock Brewery, Henry VIII etc. See if you can accommodate one of them in your 'Pub Crawl'.
One question though... having consumed drink in so many pubs in your 'pub crawl' plan, do you think your guests would be in a position to walk up and board the cruise ship finally, or crawl up? :-D. Would appreciate if you let me know how it goes. I would like to create a separate section on my website based on your experience. Thanks,
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