Whether it’s date night, or the dreaded first Tinder meet up, dating in Glasgow doesn’t have to break the bank to be fun. As Summer rolls around, there’s room for all of us to have some summer lovin’, even us broke students, because frugality’s sexy, right? So here’s my guide on how to woo and be wooed in the city with 15 cheap date ideas near the University of Glasgow!
Pick up some bird feed from the local pet store for a pound or two, and head to Kelvingrove Park. You can feed some ducks and show yourself as the compassionate, do-gooder gem you are. Your date will be impressed, I promise! Also, Kelvingrove Park brings out the city’s best buskers, so treat your date to some free reggae/funk performances to really set the summer mood. Failing that, you can both bond over pointing and laughing at the questionable ‘sports’ which go on in the park.
If ducks weren’t enough to appease the animal lover in you, pop over to Inn Deep, a bar/restaurant just off the park, which welcomes all dogs, big and small. Grab a pew with your date, and possibly a discounted drink (Inn Deep offers a 10% student discount) and pet some dogs in the name of love. Also, for the long-term lovers, discussing what dog or pet you and your partner might want is always fun.
The West End is home to many vintage, thrift and charity shops which are often open six days a week. Grab your date and have a dress up challenge, to either pick up a hidden gem or produce the most hideous outfit they can imagine. The Glasgow Vintage Company and Glorious are a good place to start, the former offering a student discount.
Maybe it’s time to introduce your significant other to that movie you can’t imagine a world without. The Grosvenor Cinema and Glasgow Film Theatre, regularly show old cult movies at discounted prices. Throughout August, GFT is showing Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, good if you want to want to rip the heart right out of your date. Or if not, keep it cheap and cheerful check out Terminator 2, to ensure ‘you’ll be back’ for date two.
Visit Kelvingrove Museum for free, pick out your favourite paintings or bring a pencil and paper and try your hand at recreating them. Plus, you could throw in some cheesy lines about your date/relationship being a masterpiece if you’re feeling heroic.
Laughter is the way to most people’s hearts. Comedy is the best medicine and cheap nights out are what dreams are made of. So, check out the Stand, Glasgow’s best comedy club. Open mic night, Red Raw, cost as little as £3 and you can book in advance to see bigger acts like Kevin Bridges test out material.
Try out some fancy teas at Tchai Ovna, a hotspot among Glasgow University students, and hipsters alike. Offering 10% student discount, and 20% on Mondays, you can try out some cheap as chips vegetarian/vegan food. You can experiment with your tea choices, play some chess and overhear some dubious conversation in the process. Flanked by a cool record store and bookshop, it is worth trying out that hipster life at least once. Also, be sure to look out for resident cat, Maxwell.
For the spooky folk out there, take a stroll over to Glasgow’s Necropolis. A stunning Victorian cemetery which is a bit of a walk, but worth it for the view, and for how brave you’ll look. A quick jaunt amongst the graves, is also a perfect opportunity to grab your dates hand, for safety of course.
Pack a picnic or grab an ice-cream cone from the resident ice cream truck, and go marvel at the plants and flowers in Botanic gardens. Only a five-minute walk from the University, it’s a cheap, fun and insta worthy date idea.
Bring out your inner foodie and challenge your date to trying a new cuisine or food. With the vast range of cheap options available in Glasgow’s West End, you’ll be spoilt for choice.
Test out your compatibility as a singing duo in karaoke bar, Cosmopol. Because hey, if it worked for Sonny and Cher it may work for you. You may not be the next big thing, but you’ll definitely have fun sipping cheap cocktails and serenading each other. Plus, a karaoke song choice can be make or break, so it’s better to know early.
Or if you and your date prefer the real thing, check out a gig at Glasgow’s King Tuts, which NME describe as “quite possibly the finest small venue in the world”. Serving cheap food and drink, you and your date can bond over music while bumping into strangers and sweating on each other.
Beat the crowds and book a spot at Glasgow’s first cat cafe. Yes I know more animals, but Purple Cat Cafe, situated in the city centre, is sure to make you a hit in any dates eyes.
If your choice of date is a breakfast lover, like all proper people are, Byres Rd houses various cafe’s which offer all day breakfast deals. The best of which is Avenue Coffee, perfect for ambiance, coffee and your first ‘brinner’ date.
Or failing all of this, have a swim date at the University’s gym, that way you can release some endorphin’s and really get to see what you’re working with. Chill out after and break a sweat in the facilities steam room or sauna.
Happy dating!
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