Illinois State UniversityNightlife Summary

Written by Elizabeth Nelligan

Elizabeth Nelligan

Hometown

Lake Zurich, IL

Major

Journalism

View all previous student authors

Great nightlife is very important to ISU students, and Bloomington-Normal offers just that. There are a number of bars around the Bloomington-Normal area for upperclassmen to enjoy, starting every Wednesday night and on through to the weekend. The Pub II, a bar located in Uptown Normal, has specials each Wednesday and lines to enter out the door. The weekend starts on Thursday for most other students, with fraternity parties and bar specials at places like Daddios and Six Strings country bar. Most fraternities are welcoming to underclassmen and have parties every weekend. There are also a number of house parties or apartment parties that occupy much of campus. Students are bound to find a party to go to while walking down streets such as Willow, Fell, and Cherry. There is a large block party every May on Cherry Street called May Day in which a lot of students partake.

Those over the age of 21 will most likely be found at the bars in Downtown Bloomington. While the main strip of bars is located on Main Street, there are also many bars around Bloomington that fit students' interests. For example, Daddios has live bands each weekend; plus, there are themed bars like the Bistro (local gay bar) and Elroy’s (a popular sports bar), just to name a few. Since downtown Bloomington is an eight-minute drive from the ISU campus, most students take a party bus downtown, which costs $3 each way. This is an easy way to ensure that no one will drink and drive or need to have a designated driver. Uptown Normal is home to several bars, including a sports bar and an Irish pub. Bars close at 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday and are open until 2 a.m. on the weekends.