Netherlands nightlife on a budget

Anna Blake, Studying at the University of Groningen, Netherlands

Wise asked me: ‘How far can €10 get you on a night out in Groningen?’

Ah, my area of expertise.

I live in an international student house with 44 fellow foreign students. When I told them about my task, I was taken aback by the number of people keen to join in. I guess what student doesn’t love a bargain?

First thing’s first: getting to the pre-drinks. We hopped on our bikes and cycled to the nearest jumbo supermarket (renowned for its cheap wine to high alcohol content ratio) and stocked up. I, being born with the economic blessing of being a lightweight, knew one bottle of wine would sustain me for the majority of the night.

I picked up a bottle of South African wine for €2.79. Saving money and broadening my cultural taste buds simultaneously…kind of.

€10 – €2.79 = €7.21 to go!

We headed back to the house where we are allowed to have drinks until midnight.

Wine started flowing, music became louder. Next thing I know, I’m being sworn into a three person deal in which I promised to wear a floor length woolly, heart-splattered dressing gown for the entire night. This was provided one of my housemates wore a fluffy jumper with sheep ears sticking out the top and my house manager wore a full-sized minion onesie.

Once shaken upon, there was no turning back. We would be the pyjama gang for the rest of the night.

Two glasses of wine later, the clock tower on top of our residence (so Dutch) struck 12 and we all flocked out to the clubs.

If you are to ever retain one piece of advice in your lifetime, please, let it be this: do not try to go clubbing when dressed as a sheep.

It’s all fun and games until the bouncers - who don’t even allow entry to those in trainers - turn you away, while all your friends head inside and you spend the rest of the night trying to find a place to hide the bloody thing.

In the end, we managed to stuff the fluffy attire into our coats and edge inside to Sunny Beach, Groningen’s club renowned for its €1 shots of every flavour. We headed to the bar and true to the festive season, bought ourselves a Christmas shot: apple flavoured vodka with cinnamon.

So good that we got another!

€ 7.21 – €2 = €5.21 remaining

After dancing for hours in a club/makeshift beach, stumbling around town towards the next club, the one after that, then losing the majority of the people I arrived with; I was starving.

Arriving in the chip shop was like arriving at the pearly white gates of heaven. I ordered the salvation food of every night: chips drowned in Dutch seasoning (kruider) with a big pot of mayonnaise for dunking.

€5.21 – €2.20 = €3.01 still in tact

The challenge: spend only €10 on a night out.

I, Anna Blake - AKA the budget champion - managed to spend just €7.

Anna Blake is in her first year studying International Law at the University of Groningen.