Your Hatters Hostel

So you’re sitting at home looking at the calendar and realising there is only one week until New Year! Where has 2009 gone?! Until now we have all been praying for a white Christmas and a reason to phone the boss to say ‘‘There is too much snow outside to get to work!’’. You may have been working your donkey off, or studying so much you could write your own encyclopaedia. Now is the time to get your glad rags on, let your hair down and pile into Birmingham for some of the best New Year celebrations you will find this side of Europe! We have events going on to cater for everyone’s needs. From the inaugural Centennary Square fireworks at midnight, to some of the most famous and original UK Dance events.

At the top of our list, the biggest UK New Year’s Eve dance music event and is going to be immense. The NEC plays host to five massive arenas of hardcore, trance, house, and of course drum ‘n’ bass, with state-of-the-art lighting and sound technology. Not only is d ‘n’ b master Andy C going to be there, but so will Goldie, DJ Hype and DJ Sky, with an exclusive 2-hour midnight set from Tidy Boys. Check out www.slamminvinyl.com for tickets and further details.

Also not needing much of an intro, Godskitchen @ Air is always a favourite within the rave world, and the New Year’s Eve offering is no exception, with trance legends Tall Paul, John 00Flemming and Big Al sending you into a euphoric whirlwind of New Year cheer in the Oxygen Room, the Nitrogen Room pumping out all those massive house tunes you want to hear, and a host of other stuff going on in between.

Brum’s central arts hub Custard Factory is being taken over by Belgian electro-giants, 2 Many DJs, who’ll be bringing their cutting edge mixes and headlining the lakeside marquee. Alongside these legends will be a DJ set from Simian Mobile Disco, Plump DJs, with their bouncy mix of breaks and beats, and a whole gang of other electro and indie/alternative artists.

Lest we forget Brum’s very own Ibiza! Gatecrasher will be home to a collective mix of Dance, R’n’B, and Indie across four rooms. With acts like Deadmau5, Calvin Harris and Lost Prophets very own Ian Watkins, they are bound to satisfy the gathering of music lovers! www.gatecrasherbirmingham.com/

If you would prefer dining with friends whilst watching some of the UK’s and international best comedy talent, the Glee Club NYE party is the one for you. For just £30 you can laugh your way into 2010 and enjoy the late bar and disco after the show. Check out: www.glee.co.uk for tickets and more info.

If Classical music is more your thing… Try out the Symphony Hall for your NYE celebrations. With guest appearances from the London Concert Orchestra, music conductor Anthony Inglis, and soprano Claire Wild, it’ll be sure to get those hairs raised off the back of your neck! Check out: www.thsh.co.uk/view/new-years-eve-gala09 .

And where better to accommodate yourself than our cosy Hatters Hostel! Be quick though as spaces are filling fast….

WoW WoW WoW WoW WoW WoW

Festival of Quilts we love your quilty goodness and warmth on cold winter nights and can’t wait to cuddle up with you again in the NEC in August.
How about exploring your undiscovered love of the quilt? Do some research here and find the quilt right for you.

Fancy some action and adventure this weekend?

Are you an outdoor enthusiast who wants to get ideas on what to do this summer? Or are you simply interested in trying out different things and want a day full of action and fun? Come to the NEC this weekend for the Outdoors Show 2009! It is a fantastic opportunity to try out as many different activities as possible, all under one roof! If you’ve always wondered whether a particular adventure sport is the right thing for you but never had a chance to try it out – the Outdoors Show is your place to go, try as many things as you can and get free advice from experts! The show is divided into four areas, an Outdoors Zone, Adventure Sports Zone, Watersports Zone and Adventure Travel Zone. Activities to try out include high ropes, scuba diving, climbing walls, canoeing, a mountain bike trail, surfing, woodland trails, a wilderness camp for practising outdoor and survival skills, … and much, much more… There is also a small music festival hosted by Kerrang! Radio and if you need a bit of a rest after all the action, sit down at the Cumberland Arms Pub and try their fantastic ale from the Lake District! One of the highlights is the SkyMasters climbing competition. Watch international star climbers racing head to head on  spectacular overhanging routes suspended from the NEC ceiling. The cycling experts from MB7, who operate the mountain bike area, are staying at Hatters Birmingham this week, go and check them out at the Show, watch one of their cycle stunt team’s exciting displays, try out one of their bikes on their track yourself or learn some tricks from the experts! The Hatters will be present on Sunday afternoon at the stand of the Independent Hostel Guide. Make sure to drop by and say hello, you can even enter a prize draw with a chance to win free nights at any of our Hatters hostels and various other accommodation throughout the UK! Show Opening hours for tomorrow and Sunday: 28 March: 9.00am – 6.00pm 29 March: 9.00am – 5.00pm Information about ticket prices and discounts can be found here.

See you there!

No plans for tonight yet? No idea what to do with the rainy Sunday afternoon tomorrow? Love music?

There are some fantastic events for you going on in Birmingham this weekend!

Music Live is the biggest exhibition of musical equipment and instruments in the UK. Come to the NEC today or tomorrow for a variety of gigs, seminars, demonstrations, exhibitions and other special features!

As they state on their website:

“The show attracts music junkies on all levels; from those who are playing professionally through to wannabe rock stars! They come from all four corners of the UK to see, try and buy the latest products in the market.”

If you are interested in pure live music only or prefer to stay in the centre of Brum – the Gigbeth festival is on as well this weekend! Gigbeth is Birmingham’s biggest annual music festival with loads of bands playing in various venues all around Brum’s famous Digbeth area! Plenty of gigs and club nights down there today!

Additionally, the Eastpack Antidote Tour 2008 stops at the Carling Academy tonight! Headlined by Flogging Molly with support from Skindred, Street Dogs and Time Again this is going to be a fantastic evening at the Academy!

Have fun, enjoy all the music and if you don’t know how to get back home after your night out we’d love to welcome you at our brand new Hatters Hostel Birmingham! We are only a 15-20 minutes walk from all the events in the centre and New Street Station, from where the NEC is only one train stop away!