Is Under Over?

Club Underground - AUBG’s famous Thursday night go-to place. Located just 15-20 minutes from campus, Under offers mainstream music, cheap drinks, and an American dive bar atmosphere. For decades now, the club has been a staple in every AUBGer’s experience, with each generation forming its own traditions. 

 

However, recently, students of upper standings have expressed their dissatisfaction with the club. In this article, we examine different people’s opinions and experiences of Under. 

 

We surveyed AUBG students, and one of our respondents says, “Right now it seems that fewer and fewer people are going, the atmosphere is not what it used to be.” 

 

The survey received a total of 101 responses. Some of the questions included ranking Under from one to ten, explaining on what occasions respondents usually go there, and what their first impression of Under was. 

Source: AUBG Daily survey

First vs Current Impressions

Ivan-Asen Enchev (‘22) says that his first expectations of Under were that it would be a quiet bar - a spot for every AUBGer to chill and socialize. However, Under turned out to be wilder than he imagined. 

 

Dimitar Vitlyanov, a fourth-year student at AUBG, shared another point of view, “At first I hated Under, and my reason was that it was too full,” he shares. Over time, he realized that most people in the club were his friends. This created a great atmosphere and made his experience more enjoyable.

 

Same Music, Same People

When asked to describe the major issues with Under, many students say that the music needs to be improved. According to 70% of people who participated in the survey, the problem is not the genres or the songs themselves, but how repetitive the playlists are. One of the suggestions is to play more recent tracks.

 

According to Ivan-Asen, he can practically guess the next song. “It is almost the same thing every night, I see the exact same things [people and music],” says Lisart Mella, a fourth-year student at AUBG.

 

Paul Rother, an exchange student from Germany at AUBG, shares his opinion: “It's really repetitive … I think over time it just loses its sparkle.” 

AUBG Community Feel

Before 2022, “everyone in AUBG from freshmen to seniors were there,” explains Ivan-Asen. You could see the board of your club, your orientation friends, even faculty and staff. The presence of the AUBG community created a sense of safety and belonging.

However, a recent problem in this regard has been the housing crisis. Some students in the survey believe that a problem can be found in many students of higher standings living off-campus and not gathering together to go to Under like before.

 

Despite this, a total of 50 people state that they like the AUBG community in Under. Paul emphasizes the importance of the social aspect. “It's a small place, and it really depends on who's going. If the right people are there, then I really enjoy it,” he states.

 

Safety and Locals in Under

Ivan-Asen shares that safety is Under’s best attribute. He explains that even if you get absolutely drunk, there will always be someone to take care of you and bring you back to your room, due to the larger AUBGers’ presence. 

 

On the other hand, Deni Luca, a freshman from Albania, says that Under is not a safe place for girls to go alone. He mentions creepy guys who hang around the club, and that girls feel threatened by them. “Security doesn't react at all,” he adds.

 

Nevin Boshnakova, a bartender at Underground and a third-year student at AUBG, shares that people from Blagoevgrad prefer visiting Under on Fridays and Saturdays. “Because if you're from Blago and you go to Thursday night there, it's people from AUBG, and you don't know anyone,” she says.

Growing Number of Chalga Clubs in Blagoevgrad

One of the major reasons for Under’s downfall is the growing number of AUBG clubs that partner with “Chalga” clubs. For example, some of the main events of the AUBG Griffins club are the parties they organize in another nightclub - Billion.

 

Dimitar Vitlyanov shares that student clubs prefer to visit Chalga places like Billion, as there are not enough international members, and most of the club members are Bulgarian. The root of this problem is the insufficient admission of international students in AUBG. For example, only around 17% of the current freshmen are international students, according to official Orientation data.

 

Some of the Chalga clubs’ advantages are the fact that they are more spacious, you have a table to put your drinks on, and more places to sit down, according to a fourth-year student at AUBG, Georgi Badalov. 

 

When talking about his standing’s preferences, Deni says that most freshmen prefer Billion over Under. The reason is that Billion has something new every week, while Under is repetitive.

 

Issues and Areas for Improvement in Under

Nevin states that the club recently made improvements in the lighting and the speakers. She also said that refinements in the ventilation system were being discussed.

 

Additionally, she provides a suggestion for Under to appeal to more people. “I think if there are more thematic parties, maybe people will be attracted,” she said.

 

One of Under’s main issues is the lack of space. As Georgi puts it, “going outside or to the bathroom or to the bar is a challenge.” He also adds, “sweaty people step on my shoes, spill drinks on me, and shove me all the time.”

 

29 people in the survey list affordable drinks as Under’s best attribute, but 32 people said that the alcohol lacks quality. Deni says, “When you don't have money, you go to Under. When you have money, you go to Billion. But overall, in Blagoevgrad, alcohol sucks.”

Is Under Dying?

The survey shows that 83% of people have not visited Under in the past two weeks as of November 11. 80 people state that they go to Under only when someone “makes” them go.

 

74% of people believe that the quality of Under has fallen, but Ivan-Asen believes that “Under is certainly not dying.” What seems to be the issue is the lack of hype.

 

Dimitar shares that recently, people do not go to Under without a reason, and the recent word-of-mouth about Underground “dying” is his main explanation for this.

 

Despite the fact that he “feels disgusting there,” Georgi would visit Under one last time before graduating in May 2026. He does not plan on going anytime soon, but going to Under right before graduation would be an appropriate thing to do to close this chapter of his life.

Editors: David Mitov & Kaloyan Ivanov