A new bunch of 24 hour party people is heading out in Manchester this September as the universities welcome their latest intake of students.

The city has one of the biggest student populations in Europe and with so many students to entertain, Manchester's nightlife more than fits the bill with a whole host of bars and clubs which cater for every mood and music taste.

And if you're worried about making your loan last, you'll want to know all about the places with the best drinks offers, happy hours and cheap entry too.

Here's our run down of the best places for a big night out in Manchester city centre.

Northern Quarter

(Image: Courtesy of Mint Lounge)

The Northern Quarter (NQ) is home to many bars and clubs, and although it's not known for being one of the cheapest areas to go out in town, there are some great options and drinks deals -if you know where to go.

Students should get to know the area's many happy hours which will give you more bang (or booze) for your buck.

Every day between 4pm and 8pm, Trof on Thomas Street offers great drinks deals, including Trof lager for £3.50, cocktails for £5, bottles of prosecco for £20, and gin and tonics for £3.50.

For cocktails that won't break the bank, head to Turtle Bay on Oldham Street which offers 2-for-1 cocktails every day until 7pm and from 9:30pm until close.

Dive also offers 2-for-1 classic cocktails from Sunday to Thursday and happy hour deals from 5pm until midnight from Sunday to Friday with drinks from just £2.50.

Tusk and Walrus on Corporation Street offer two cocktails for £10, two beers for £5, bottles of house wine for £10 and bottles of prosecco £15 at selected times.

For something a bit different, play your mates at ping pong at Twenty Twenty Two or shoot some pool at Black Dog Ballroom on Tib Street, which is open until 5am, with food served until 1am.

For a classic club experience in the Northern Quarter then head to basement space Mint Lounge and its regular non-stop pop shop, Top Of The Pops.

From 10.30pm to 4am every Friday, and for a trifling £4 on the door, you can listen to a soundtrack of mega hits all night - from Taylor Swift to T-Rex.

It's a broad church, alright.

Gig lovers should check out the upcoming shows at NQ Stalwart venues Band on the Wall, The Ruby Lounge and Night and Day.

There's also Soup Kitchen on Stevenson Square which has lots of gigs, DJs and club nights to enjoy throughout the week.

Mondays is their student-friendly Remake Remodel night, playing classic rock n roll hits.

They are even hosting a freshers special of the event on September 17 billed as an alternative freshers where there'll be free face painting and glitter in the upstairs bar too.

The Printworks

The Printworks is a massive food, drink, and leisure complex, located right right next to Manchester Arndale, the Corn Exchange and Manchester Victoria railway station.

The party palace is packed full of bars, pubs and clubs including Walkabout, Wetherspoons, Yates and Bierkeller.

One of the biggest student draws here is certainly Tiger Tiger, which has eight themed rooms all boasting dancefloors and pumped full of different musical styles - from pop and R&B to hip-hop and dance.

Plus there's Manchester's new, Ibiza-inspired late night music venue, Lazy Lizard, with a line up of house DJs playing Ibiza club classics until 3am.

Their student night is on Fridays where it's free entry for students with an NUS card.

Alternatively, pay £3 for entry and one drink, £5 for entry and two beers or £100 for entry for 4 people, a reserved table and a whole bottle of spirits with mixers.

They have a full programme of events throughout freshers week including a Love Island special with Wes and Charlie on Monday September 17.

VIP tickets for the event include a priority meet and greet with the pair and a professional photo posted on the Lazy Lizard social media.

Deansgate

Deansgate is one of the main roads through town, leading from Manchester Cathedral at one end to Castlefield at the other.

Along this stretch and in the many streets shooting off it, there are some of best and cheapest club nights in the city.

Let's start - as all good student adventures in town should - with 42s.

This old girl of the club scene opens on Tuesdays for indie anthems fest Blowout, on Thursdays it's funk focused Skint?, dress down Dirty Dancefloors on Fridays and retro fest Urban Legends on Saturdays.

There are drinks from £1.30 and discounted entry with an NUS card or flyer.

Nearby, The Venue on Jacksons Row is another great spot for students, playing indie classics with drinks from £2 and discounted entry with an NUS card.

The Venue's Monday Mixtape night is our favourite - an eclectic musical affair that'll cost you a quid on the door to get in before midnight, and £1.20 for a beer.

Grab a cocktail first at 17 below, an 80s-style cocktail bar hidden in the basement of Dogs and Dough on Cross Street, for just £5 during happy hour, every day 5pm to 8pm.

Intersecting Deansgate is Peter Street where students can find cuban cocktail bar, Revolucion de Cuba, which offers 2-for-1 cocktails and £3.50 pints of Mahou lager during happy hour, every Monday to Friday from 3pm to 7pm and Saturday from 5pm to 7pm.

Across the road at the Great Northern is All Star Lanes where you can take your friends for a game of bowling with 2-for-1 cocktails, prosecco for £19 and 5 bottles of beer for £16 during happy hour - Monday to Friday, 3pm to 7pm.

At the bottom of Deansgate is Deansgate Locks - about a dozen party spots built into the old railway arches including Revolution and Lola Lo where students can get drinks offers and free entry with each of the venues' loyalty cards.

Piccadilly and Princess Street

(Image: Gary Brown)

We're beginning to head deep into student territory now in the streets behind Piccadilly - Manchester's main railway station.

The city's biggest and best known club night is The Warehouse Project - located on Store Street, beneath Piccadilly Station.

It's not cheap and it's not just for students, but the crowd is young and dynamic and it attracts some of the biggest names in music right now.

While you're living in Manchester, check out their calendar and go at least once.

Still affectionately known as "Fifth Ave" to most Mancunians, Fifth Nightclub at 121 Princess Street has been a student Mecca for donkeys years with a firm policy of dance floor fillers and cheap drinks.

Their Made in the 90s night on Tuesdays is touted as Manchester’s top student night, playing 90s and noughties music, with £1 entry and 90p drinks.

Just across the road is The Garratt, a pub with a jukebox, a pool table and drinks deals running throughout the week and a extra 10% off for students - it's the perfect place to start the night off.

There are few places in Manchester capable of offering you a top night out as cheaply as F//CK TH//RSDAY, Manchester's longest running student night at FAC251 on Princess Street.

It's 99p in before midnight and all the drinks are £1 all night, and for that you get DJs on three floors playing an eclectic mix of cheesy dance, classic indie, hip-hop, and R&B.

To be honest, you can party at FAC251 in the former home of legendary label Factory Records all week if you like: Mondays are Quids In (£1 entry and £1 drinks until 11.30pm), Tuesday are Trumps House (same deal), and the Friday #FRI251 party has 99p entry and 99p drinks until midnight.

Across the road from 'Fac', there's Joshua Brooks, a bar with club nights and live music, and up at 101 Princess Street is metal and rock club Satan's Hollow - Manchester's only dedicated rock venue with live gigs and drinks deals.

Oxford Street

(Image: Jack Kirwin)

Oxford Street is the corridor on which most of the universities are based and so, there are lots of bars and clubs operate along here.

Starting at the top by St Peter's Square, you'll find another Turtle Bay as well as The Paramount - a Wetherspoons pub, known for cheap drinks.

On Whitworth Street West, check out Gorilla which has a full programme of club nights - none of them are particularly cheap but there are lots of top acts on.

It's the O2 Ritz across the road that'll deliver you the cheap social experience, our favourite regular night there being rock ballad fest Ultimate Power.

On New Wakefield Street, you'll find another Black Dog Ballroom and Revolution, as well as bargain cocktail bar The Font, which offers 2-for-1 on selected cocktails every Friday and Saturday from 11pm to 1am, as well as a can and a shot for £5.

Under the railway arches by New Wakefield Street is the Thirsty Scholar, a student staple of a pub with a club upstairs.

Just down the road by the University of Manchester's main campus is The Footage pub with lots of beers on tap and cocktails from £4.95.

Also worth a look is The Salutation, owned by Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) and just behind the Royal Northern College of Music, but a very traditional type of pub.

Around Grosvenor Street, close to the MMU campus, you'll come across The Deaf Institute.

It's not only one of Manchester's best bars and events spaces, but it's made for students.

The big student night is Gold Teeth, a Tuesday party (well, Tuesday might as well be Friday when you're a student) from 10pm to 3am with a hip-hop, garage, house, grime, funk, and Motown vibe and drinks promotions all night.

Down the road from Deaf Institute is Sandbar, a pub serving a selection of Belgian and local beers - a great hangout so close to the universities.

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