Night Clubs in Carfax (Oxford)

Purple Turtle

The Purple Turtle is attached to the Oxford Union and is essentially a student bar. During term time, you need to be with a Union member or have a Union card yourself to get in. However, during the vacations anyone can get in. Once inside, the décor is overwhelmingly - but not surprisingly - purple. Long tunnel-like rooms lead into the bar area where drinks are served at knock-down prices and the dance floor can get quite busy. Obviously, The Purple Turtle is primarily aimed at young people of student age, but a night there is always one to remember.

Clementine's

Formerly Club Latino, Clementine's has transformed a lifeless nightclub into a trendy hotspot popular with Brookes and Ox Uni students. Centrally located, the nightclub is clean with contemporary decor and a friendly atmosphere. Although the dance floor is small, Clementine's has great music and drinks. It is the perfect place to visit for a night on the town.

PoNaNa

Set in a fairly small basement, PoNaNa has an air of intimacy about it. Leopard skin sofas and Moroccan tables make this seem more like a late-night bar than a club, but the music is still the main attraction: for a range of eclectic break beats, PoNaNa can't be beaten. The absence of draught beer may come as a disappointment to those used to student nights elsewhere, and you may have to turn up near the 9pm opening time to avoid queues, but once you're in, you can stay until 2a. There are branches of this club in London and other university towns.

The Cellar

Part of Oxford's modern folklore from its days as The Corn Dolly (and later as simply The Dolly), The Cellar has now been reborn as a bright, modern, shiny cocktail bar which calls its staff "independently different drinking consultants". Originally a medieval cellar, The Cellar opened as a rock music venue in 1975 and remained largely unchanged until its recent refurbishment. For a while in the 1980s, the pub offered lunchtime topless dancing. Now a popular late-night attraction, The Cellar bar is well worth the detour.

Escape

Situated in the heart of the city, this is really a great escape. Wine, dine, dance or just observe the scene at Escape. With Thai, Morroccan, Japanese, and Mediterranean cuisine to choose from, the restaurant will surely please everyone's palate. Plonk yourself on one of the sofas while you enjoy your beer; or hangout at the bar sipping cocktails. Celebrating something special or just in the mood to splurge? Then, opt for some fine wine or finer champagne, both of which are brought from all over the world. Groove to the beats of hip-hop and R&B at the very hip nightclub. Certain nights are dedicated to jazz too.

Lava & Ignite

This is Oxford's biggest club, where recent refurbishments have added a touch of class. There are five bars and three dance floors, which means that on most nights you can find something a little more underground than the norm, if that's what you're looking for. The club follows the usual format of cheap beer and middle-of-the-road music during the week, with higher prices and House at the weekend. There's also a little snack bar, something you don't always find in clubs. Prices are higher if you arrive after 10.30pm

Spin Jazz Club

Spin Jazz Club at The Wheatsheaf is the place to be on a Thursday night, when contemporary jazz and funk come to town. Subdued lighting and bar and table service combine to make Spin Jazz Club a welcoming venue for up to 100 enthusiasts. The house trio consists of Pete Oxley (guitar), Mark Doffman (drums) and Raf Mizraki (bass), and guests have included Butch Thomas on tenor sax and Adam Glasser on harmonica and keyboards.