Lights Out, Nights Out: What is Nightlife Like in Ann Arbor?
Winter 2026
Legally Gone
By Chanel Champagnie
Turning 21 marks a big milestone in a person’s life. You can rent a car, book hotel rooms, and, most excitingly, legally get drunker than a skunk. This gets even more exciting when you turn 21 in a college town, especially one with a bustling nightlife like Ann Arbor. But with great power comes great responsibility, and the biggest task becomes where do you go? Fraternity parties get stale as you get older, and after freshman year, they start to feel like a nightmare. The sticky floors, no ventilation, overcrowding, and frat flicking are akin to a bout of sleep paralysis that I wouldn’t wish on my mortal enemy. Not to mention the cheap booze that is definitely not fit for human consumption; I’m looking at you, Natty Light.
Now, the importance of deciding a place can be daunting, but it all depends on what you’re looking for. The most popular introductory bars can be split into two categories: casual and partying. Casual bars include Good Time Charley’s, while partying is more catered toward Cantina, Skeeps, and Necto. Now, within the partying category, it can be further split into 18+ and 21+ bars. Although you cannot drink (and don’t even think of trying, you criminal), bars such as Necto and Cantina are viable options for those who genuinely love the culture of college nightlife.
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Cantina is a popular taqueria bar during the day, and turns into a dance club at night. This bar is often frequented by freshmen, with lines wrapping around the block during peak times such as Halloweekend or St. Patrick’s Day. Although Cantina is extremely popular as an 18+ bar, it isn’t the best vibe for 21+ . Many people complain about the young crowd, making it more akin to an upscale frat party with better alcohol, which most of the frequent patrons can’t consume. If you are 18-20 years old and tired of the frat parties, which are usually regarded as “yuck”, Cantina is a good option with pretty good food, but if you are legally allowed to drink, a different bar may be up your alley.
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Next, Necto is a dance club known for its special events and elite drag nights. Although it is more catered towards the LGBTQ+ community, those who do not fall under that category are absolutely welcome and are known to frequent Necto for its unique style. It is popular all throughout Michigan, and even those from out of state travel to go to Necto. The Pride Fridays are wonderful, the dance floor is colorful, the drinks are fun, and the music is amazing. Not to mention, if you are a UMich student, the cover is free at around 10:00pm, which is an amazing deal for us broke college kids. This is absolutely a great option for partying for all adults, and personally, one of my biggest recommendations when getting into Ann Arbor nightlife.
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Now, if you go to UMich, you have definitely heard of Scorekeepers, or Skeeps for short. It may be the single most popular 21+ bar at UMich, and as one of the cheapest bars near campus, it gets extremely crowded during peak hours and resembles more of a club at night. The sheer popularity of Skeeps makes it notorious for running into everyone you know and those you’ve tried to forget. Your TA? Better have turned in all your assignments. That one ex you had a messy breakup with? Yeah, they’ll be there, too. Have estranged relatives? Better get ready for a family reunion. Even if going to Skeeps means throwing all your plans for the night out the window, it is definitely an experience everyone should have at least once in their life. Although it is hectic, your first time at Skeeps is never usually your last time at Skeeps. People have their gripes, but Skeeps is probably the best introductory bar for partying, and it will lead to many memories, for better or for worse.
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The last, but certainly not the least, prime introductory bar is Good Time Charley’s. A more casual, sit-down sports bar, it is probably the best place to start with as a 21-year-old. GTC is amazing in terms of food and drinks, with their beer-battered cheese curds to absolutely die for and their fun drinks like Purple Rain being a well-deserved fan favorite. The party-centered nightlife usually gets less frequented the older you get, but GTC is an absolute gem of a bar and a great staple, introductory or not. Like Necto, they have really fun events such as trivia night and karaoke, which makes GTC a great place to go.
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Most people only get to experience college once, if at all, and making the most of your experience is kind of the whole point. Even if you’re sober, these introductory establishments to nightlife can be extremely fun with the right friends and mindset. Ann Arbor nightlife is unique in that wherever you go, you will be surrounded by your peers here at UMich. No matter if you like partying the night away on the dance floor or housing a beer while watching the Wolverines score a touchdown, Ann Arbor nightlife has something for everyone. So go live it up and remember: drink responsibly, party animals.
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The Elusive Appeal of Brotherhood
By Ella Nestingen​
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I don’t like Greek life. I am not drawn to the sweaty, sticky-floored basements, and I’ve never been keen on joining the gaggles of girls ushered in to maintain the highly sought-after 8:1 ratio. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good college party. There are a few things I love more than dancing my heart out into the early hours of the morning. But what I didn’t understand going into college was how interconnected a good night out was with Greek life. Within days of starting college, I found myself trying to detangle the complex, and to me, largely confusing and nonsensical social hierarchy of Greek life, something I had entered college hoping to wholeheartedly avoid.
To me, the wonder and magic of the flashing lights and loud music lasted about two weeks. But to many, being a part of these groups is a foundation for their college experience. I was curious to hear from an outside perspective. Greek life is a distinctly American part of the college experience. How did Greek life come off to those who had not grown up surrounded by either love stories or horror stories? What can Greek life at American universities tell us about our cultural values?
To try and answer these questions, I talked to Massimiliano Maimone, a Sophomore at the University of Michigan from Sicily, studying International Relations and Economics. The University of Michigan was Max’s first real exposure to American culture. I was curious: what did untrained eyes make of frat flicks, kegstands, and the cutthroat social hierarchy that came with them?
Greek life had a bad reputation in Italy. It was a legend, brought back from the States through stories from exchange students. All Max had heard was “oh, they are crazy,” and this made him wary. However, starting at Michigan, Max couldn’t resist checking it out. After all, there is nothing more American than a frat party.
During the first week of school, Max stepped foot into his first frat party. “It was Welcome Week freshman year. Actually, I was super sick.” Through his cough and runny nose, he persisted. And despite the extenuating circumstances, he was impressed. The lights, the thumping bass, the frat flicking, he was captivated. Even as he continued to explore the wealth of options in Ann Arbor nightlife, that unforgettable experience of a frat party still stuck out. “It’s probably the most similar you can get to a European party. But just the vibe of it.”
Something that neither Max nor I expected going into college was the preoccupation many students had with every element of Greek life. Max told me “I thought everything was surrounding classes.” In Europe, college is focused on immediate specialization. There are usually no general education requirements, and you are expected to enter college having a distinct notion of what you want to do with your life. In contrast, the American education system places a strong emphasis on the Liberal Arts education. Intellectual Breadth is built into the curriculum, and you are given four years rather than the typical European three to complete your degree. This is part of what enticed Max to go to college in America. “I believe to be very successful at school, you have to be able to balance social experiences, which is something that Europe lacks.”
Talking to Max helped me realize the unique wealth of social opportunity at American universities. Many aspects of Greek life are dependent on a close-knit college campus, and a campus environment where you frequently meet people studying in different fields. He told me, “Of course, I prefer my home nightlife, but here you have space to do whatever you want.” Max is right. Greek life is a raucous scene, but it also encourages a college environment that finds meaning beyond academics. To me, one of the most important parts of college has been meeting people completely different from me, and making friends who I connect with better than I could have imagined.
Max was so enticed by the social element that he joined a different form of Greek life on campus: a professional fraternity. “It was one of the best things about my experience at UMich because it’s one of those things that is super unique about the US.”
Even for those not involved, Greek life encourages the development of friendship and excitement outside of the classroom. Even though I despise most aspects of Greek life, I can appreciate that it creates a unique environment for American universities that treats college as a development of a professional career alongside lifelong friendships.
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The Third Place Dillema
By Jackson Coates and Hana Kim
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The construction on South U is an omen of a dying third-place culture in the Umich community. Third places are places where people can socialize and engage with their community, such as Pinball Pete's, but they are being pushed out in favor of high rises and luxury apartments. This effect is further exacerbated by many of the remaining third places on campus closing early in the day, so even the few third places we have aren’t available at night. The only gathering places that have withstood the onslaught have been bars or clubs, which present a sobering problem: There is a lack of third places, open late, in Ann Arbor that don’t involve alcohol.
We interviewed multiple students about how they spend their weekends, especially their nights. Many answered along the lines of: “going out Fridays and Saturdays”, or “going out with friends”. The term “going out” can refer to several things, but we can look to the rest of this issue's articles to see exactly what “going out” entails. Going out to bars or clubs on campus, such as Good Time Charley’s, Necto, and Skeeps, is a popular option among students. Alternatively, students go out to frat parties or house parties hosted by the clubs or organizations they frequent. It’s important to note that all of these options often involve drinking as an important part of the experience.
Drinking can be a major draw for many who go out to these places, but at the same time, it can be alienating for those who do not wish to drink. From underage students to students who may abstain from drinking for religious or personal reasons, there is a serious lack of options. When asked what students who may not want to drink can do, we got a wide array of activities. One junior said, “You can get together with friends, play board games, just hang out, go on a drive, take a walk.” Another junior added, “Chill at your friends’ house. Watch a movie. Order Domino's and not get paid back. You have to be creative.” While this seems to address the need for sober activities on campus, it presents two problems: you need a group of friends to do these activities, and they are often confined to private spaces like a dorm or house.
Almost half of the undergraduate population is from out of state, which often means they leave their friends behind and have to make new ones here. This can be a daunting task, especially as more people are spending time online rather than interacting in person. One of the few ways left for people to meet in person is by “going out”. As we mentioned earlier, there are many reasons why “going out” is not an option for some, which makes it even harder to socialize and make friends. So, what can be done to make Ann Arbor nightlife more conducive to these people?
As mentioned earlier, the solution is non-alcoholic third places on campus. We asked what kinds of places people would like to see more of, rather than just bars or clubs. One junior said, “Hangout spots that are lowkey. Little coffee shops open at night,” and another junior added, “Karaoke bars, snooker lounges, or a recreational building.” None of these places requires alcohol, but they are still enjoyable and create a fun social atmosphere. The sentiment for these places was echoed by a junior who commented, “More communal areas where you can congregate without partying.” Third places offer a space where groups of friends can hang out, instead of their homes or dorms, which many interviewees expressed a desire for, and be a more social experience. This also allows people to meet and form new friendships, which can help many students who may not have a close-knit group of friends.
A great example of this phenomenon is the growing popularity of Yemeni coffee shops on campus. These coffee shops are open late, often until midnight, and offer a relaxed, friendly environment for socializing. Bun Chai is one of these newly opened coffee shops, and it is the closest to campus, sitting right off the corner of State and Liberty. Bun Chai only opened this September but has already garnered praise and attention, with a 4.9-star rating on Google, showing the demand for third places on campus.
Third places foster and grow communities. One freshman we interviewed posited, “I don’t think there’s a Michigan community. Besides football games and school stress, there’s no unified sense of a Michigan Community.” If people were able to congregate in more social spaces on campus, it would help greatly in regaining a sense of community that has been lost. As much fun as “going out” can be, it can’t be a one-size-fits-all solution to nightlife in Ann Arbor. Third places offer a different kind of socializing, one that helps create friendships, spread positivity, and bring people closer together.
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The Last Word
by Jenna Hausmann and Gigi Alaish
You know you are in the home stretch at the University of Michigan when you find yourself standing outside Rick’s American Cafe on a Thursday night or crammed in a Bab’s booth discussing post-grad plans. After years of humid frat basements and packed house parties, the bar scene opens a whole new world. Senior nightlife becomes a meeting place for every version of your college life, where freshman-year friends, club acquaintances, and roommates all somehow end up in the same room.
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After passing the gray brick walls covered in student signatures, reaching the end of the yellow chain-lined walkway, and walking down the sticky black stairs, you finally reach your intended destination: Rick’s. Flat screens glow with football and basketball games, LED lights flash over a packed dance floor, and the DJ rotates through the greatest pop and rap hits of the last decade. You beeline to the bar, craving a Mind Probe after what felt like centuries waiting in line. Pinkish and deceptively sweet, the mix of gin, rum, tequila, and pineapple juice feels like a senior-year staple. Drink in hand, you and your friends walk onto the platform and look out at a sea of people just like you, voices blending into one loud, familiar chorus.
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This is what no one tells you about Rick’s: it makes a campus of 50,000 feel microscopic. On Thursdays and Saturdays, it is essentially the entire senior class packed in a basement. You can’t take more than five steps without running into someone from your freshman year dorm, a partner from a sophomore year biology lab, or a familiar face from a club you haven't attended in months. It’s chaotic, loud, and strangely nostalgic. You go to Rick’s when you want to see everyone. When you want to feel, for just a few hours, like the last four years exist in one shared space. In a year filled with “lasts,” Rick’s becomes a constant. A place where time feels suspended, even as graduation looms closer.
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But some nights call for something quieter. Sometimes you want to sit down, play card games, listen to live music, shoot pool, or simply really talk with your friends and actually hear the person sitting across from you. And that’s what Main Street is for. Seniors rotate between staples like Bill’s, Babs, and Mash, each with its own rhythm. For a speakeasy vibe with creative cocktails, you can head to Bab’s or go down the Rabbit Hole. For cider or sangria at wooden picnic tables under string lights, you can check out Bill’s or Dom’s. For live music and an underground feel, there’s Mash. These bars usually contain a mix of seniors and graduate students, making us seniors feel grown up—a preview into our post-graduate lives and the routines we are slowly stepping into.
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As graduation approaches, a huge part of what we’ll remember isn’t lectures or exams but the nights spent on South U and Mainstreet with the people who shaped us over these past four years. Nightlife in Ann Arbor represents a place to connect outside of school, not just with your closest friends but with the acquaintances who quietly became part of our routines. Each conversation, each unexpected reunion, reminds you how interconnected college life really is and how quickly these moments passed.
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As freshmen, we were thrown into a massive university, surrounded by unfamiliar faces, trying to find where we fit. Senior year reveals the answer: our community was forming the entire time. Now, a single night out can include dorm friends and someone you met outside Joe’s one night sophomore year. The campus hasn’t gotten smaller—our place within it has grown.
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Whether you’re at Rick’s, Bab’s, or Mash, you can count on a night being surrounded by familiar faces, and there is something incredibly comforting when the future can feel so uncertain. In the hum of music or flashing lights, there is a quiet sense of gratitude and an awareness that this is what you’ll miss. Maybe not the long bathroom lines or sticky floors, but the closeness and transformation these nights represent. Senior nightlife isn’t about the drinks or the destinations; it’s realizing how much Michigan gave you, and carrying those memories long after the last call or the Last Word.