The death of Big Cheese: 96 per cent of students believe the night has lost its charm

Billed by Edinburgh University’s student association, EUSA, as “Edinburgh’s biggest student club night for over 20 years”, Big Cheese is meant to pull in the hordes of students that find themselves in need of a bit of end of week tomfoolery, opening its doors to all students – yes, even the under eighteens.

However, the iconic student club night, infamous for its cheesy classics, VKs and questionably themed nights, has suffered a fall from grace in the eyes of students in recent years.

The event may have gotten too cheesy, with Nancy, a second year chemistry student telling The Tab: “Very quickly into the first time I went, I realised it was the kind of place people only went to ironically – it was kind of tacky.”.

This decrease in attendance comes after a growing sentiment among students of a declining relevance for Big Cheese in student life, with Nancy saying its become somewhat of a “non-event”.

A survey of over 1,500 people carried out by The Edinburgh Tab revealed that 96 per cent of students feel as though Big Cheese has lost its popularity and charm, while 91 per cent said they would not choose Big Cheese over the other Saturday club nights on offer.

Gregor, a first year Sport Science student, explains that the event seems to be missing out on the lucrative fresher market, saying it “[has] no idea who their actual demographic is”, and that other club nights are more appealing, especially when considering some Big Cheese marketing decisions. They said: “Last thing I saw they were running a Squid Game Paint Party. I mean?”

When describing their peer-group’s thoughts, they said: “People think it’s a bit cringe: it’s a bit KidzBop”

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While it may not be for everyone, Gregor did say: “For people who are a bit anxious, or a bit anxious about going out clubbing, it’s maybe a safer alternative”, but overall maintained that the club night is not particularly relevant to new students, beyond its Freshers’ Week events.

Sarah, a Sociology graduate who attended Edinburgh from 2018 to 2022, claims Big Cheese was once “the place to be on a Saturday night”, saying that attendance was often spontaneous. “You’re at the library until 10, then you meet your friends for a drink at 11, and then you’re like, ‘Who cares? Let’s go.’”

Sarah attended Big Cheese “almost every week” during her final year, a stressful time in which her part-time waitressing job finished late at night and she needed “a cap on [her] week that was fun, and Big Cheese was predictable fun”.

Respondents to the survey carried out by The Edinburgh Tab echoed this sentiment, with many saying it should “change its name” and needed a “full rebrand”. Others questioned the themes of the club nights, critiqued them for being “cringe”, while others called for different DJs and music styles.

As a Student Union subsidised event, Big Cheese offers cheaper drinks than many other sites across Edinburgh – an especially appealing prospect with the city’s status as one of the most expensive to be a student. The rising prices of clubs elsewhere in Edinburgh was a recurrent complaint among interviewees, with the primary draw of Big Cheese appearing to be its comparative affordability.

Some respondents to The Tab’s survey disagreed with this, with one saying: “It should be way cheaper for what it is” and another saying “it’s literally just too expensive for it to be the student night”. For certain events last year, on the door tickets could cost upwards of £8. The next Big Cheese event, “Massaoke”, will cost £4 for early bird tickets, £5 for Edinburgh University and Napier students pre-sale tickets, and £6 on the door.

In response to the survey, Dora, the Student Association’s President said: “As a Students’ Association, we are led by and for students. We are always keen to hear feedback from our members, so thank you to those who took the time to share their thoughts.

“Throughout the last academic year, we undertook our own research to understand students’ thoughts, opinions and preferences regarding Big Cheese and our late-night entertainment programme more broadly. Based on the results, we have partnered with Club Cartel to revamp branding, themes and DJs for Big Cheese. Hangar 5 will also be getting a makeover this semester

“Big Cheese has been an Edinburgh institution for 24 years, and now it’s evolving. We always aim to deliver what our membership is looking for across all our services, and our late-night entertainment is no different.

“We hope those who took part in the polls, and others, will come and see what we have done with Big Cheese in partnership with Club Cartel.”

Concerning the possibility of a comeback, interviewees were mixed in their responses, first year student Gregor said it could work “If they grew up a bit with the events, got some more local culture . They’re trying to compete with actual venues and clubs, places like the Jazz Bar, and that’s never going to work for them”.

However, Sarah remains optimistic, saying: “What is ‘cheesy’ music now is not going to be to the next generation, especially with such a diverse student community – it’s going to be hard to make Big Cheese work for everyone, but I think it is possible”.

This Friday, EUSA published a press release announcing its collaboration with club promoters Club Cartel, the organisers of BROKE!, most well known for BROKE! Fridays at Liquid Rooms.

The partnership is scheduled to commence with MASSAOKE on 18th January, Big Cheese’s first event of 2025, described by Club Cartel as “throwback heaven”.

In response to a Tab survey asking if students’ believed the BROKE! partnership would increase Big Cheese’s popularity, opinions were varied, with many hoping for its success but also expressing doubt over its likelihood. 

“It can’t get any less popular sooo yes”, said one respondent, “Hopefully”, said another.

However, many students appeared to be unfamiliar with Club Cartel’s events, with one asking “What is broke?”, and another responding “Dude what even is that”

EUSA maintained that Big Cheese would continue to be “strongly connected to the University of Edinburgh experience” in spite of the new partnership, and that their profits would “continue to be reinvested back into students”.