Take your pick from a top-class selection of entertainment venues in Bury St Edmunds. The Theatre Royal is a sublimely restored Regency playhouse, The Apex is an ultra-modern concert hall with truly world-class acoustics, and the Hunter Club is the local independent option that punches well above its weight with fantastic gigs throughout the week.
It’s far from the biggest playhouse you’ll ever pay a visit to, but the Theatre Royal is one of the most beautiful and historic venues in Britain. It’s the sole-surviving Regency playhouse in the UK and has been painstakingly restored to wow the public as the National Trust’s only working theatre. It’s small but seats an audience of 360 people in a setting of simple beauty for a year-round programme of theatre, ballet, live music and comedy. It’s absolutely worth checking what’s on during your stay. Plus, if you want a drink beforehand, you can make your way to the Greene King Brewery, one of the top activities in Bury St Edmunds, which is just across the road.
The Apex is Bury St Edmunds’ most popular entertainment venue. It’s a renowned concert hall, which books an excellent array of artists from around the world, as well as some of the best comedy acts in the business who will have your rolling in the aisles. The Apex is exceptionally modern, beautifully designed and enjoys an excellent location at the heart of the Arc Shopping Centre. It’s revered among artists for its acoustics, which allow you to catch bigger names than you might expect in Bury St Edmunds. The venue also houses an exciting contemporary art gallery on the first floor.
Even The Apex and the Theatre Royal pale in comparison to seeing a concert at the St Edmundsbury Cathedral. This stunning place of worship dates back to the 11th century and provides quite an incredible setting for its carefully curated programme of classical music.
The Hunter Club is an absolute hidden gem on St Andrew’s Street. It’s a small independent venue with three gig spaces and an always-exciting gig list of local artists spanning every genre. Headhunter jazz nights are top-class. The comedy market is uproarious. Our favourite gigs are booked by Washing Machine, a local promoter with an excellent ear for indie and alternative bands.
Sports fans can make their way to Ram Meadow to see Bury Town FC play their home games. The Blues are the town’s semi-professional football club, which dates back to 1872. While they’ve never played in the Football League, it’s still an entertaining way to kill a couple of hours on the weekend. Tickets are cheap, and the ground is just a 10-minute walk away from our Bury St Edmunds hotel.