Birmingham Gangs Night Tour with Pub Stops: 3 Hours

Walk the streets where slogging gangs ruled, then drink at four pubs along the way

A three-hour nighttime walking tour of Birmingham led by a guide in character as Edward Shelby, a distant cousin of the real-life gang members who once controlled the city. The tour covers how gangs used the canals, the role of alcohol in their rise, and the city's efforts to control them, with stops at four drinking establishments (real ale pubs, gin palaces and cocktail bars), where you'll participate in drinking games and a pub quiz. Minimum age is 18. Public transportation is available nearby.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Birmingham gangs and pubs

• Learn about gangs using canals
• Visit two unique drinking establishments
• Learn about skinhead gangs at hotel
• See Birmingham Gangs art installation

The Experience

Three hours on foot through the streets the slogging gangs once ruled, led by a guide in character as Edward Shelby. The tour walks the routes these gangs controlled at night and explores parts of the city the daytime version skips. You'll learn how the gangs used the canals to their advantage, what role alcohol played in the problem, and what the city actually did to try to stop them. The guide teaches you the history as you move, so the walking itself becomes part of the story.

Four stops break up the route: each one is a different drinking establishment, from real ale pubs to gin palaces and cocktail bars. At each stop, you participate in activities (drinking games and a pub quiz) that tie back to what you've learned about the gangs and the city's relationship with alcohol. The stops are spaced across the three hours, so the pace is built around the drinking, not rushed through it.

One stop includes a visit to a Birmingham Gangs art installation near the station, where the guide explains how the characters in the TV show differ from the actual historical gangs. The tour is built for hen and stag nights, birthdays, team-building events, or anyone looking to meet people while learning something unexpected about the city. You'll need at least a moderate level of fitness for the walking. Public transportation is available if you need it to reach the start.

What’s included

• Live guide in character as Edward Shelby.
• walking route through the streets the gangs once controlled.
• visits to four different drinking establishments.
• participation in drinking games and a pub quiz.
• access to the Birmingham Gangs art installation near the station.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelPublic transport nearby

Operated by Top Tours Global

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want a night out that doubles as a history lesson, or if you're organizing a hen, stag, birthday or team event and want something that gets people talking. The three-hour length fits an evening without taking over your whole night, and the pub stops give you a reason to stay in one place long enough to actually absorb what the guide is telling you.

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Top questions

How did Birmingham's slogging gangs actually use the canals?

The gangs used the canals as routes through the city and as places to hide and organize, according to the guide. The tour covers this as one of the key ways they maintained control over different neighborhoods.

What happens at each of the four pub stops?

Each pub is a different type of establishment (real ale pubs, gin palaces, cocktail bars), and at each one you participate in drinking games and a pub quiz. The activities are tied to what you've learned about gangs and alcohol's role in the city's history.

Is this tour the same as the daytime Birmingham gang walking tour?

No. The nighttime tour covers different parts of the city and explores streets the daytime version does not. It also includes the four pub stops and activities, whereas the daytime tour does not.

What is the Birmingham Gangs art installation, and where is it?

It's an art installation near the station that depicts characters from the TV show Peaky Blinders. The guide explains how those fictional characters differ from the real historical gangs that actually operated in Birmingham.

Do I need to bring money for drinks at the pubs?

The tour includes the guide and activities along the way. Drinks at the pubs are not included, so you'll want to budget for beverages at each of the four stops.