Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Clubs
The dancing scene in Shanghai will be eerily familiar to anyone who's been
clubbing in any Western capital - you won't hear much in the way of local sounds
- but at least the door
prices
are much cheaper, and never more than ¥100. One
Chinese innovation is the addition of
karaoke
booths at the back; another, much
less welcome, is the annoying practice of having to pay to sit at a table - a waitress
will soon shoo you off if you blanch at the (often ridiculous) price. There isn't
really a club zone - though they tend to be near the bar clusters - with the one
exception being
Fuxing Park
, which hosts several of the more upscale venues.
Most places have international
DJs
and plenty of famous faces have popped
in for a spin of the decks. Wednesday is ladies' night, Thursday is hip-hop night
and of course the weekends are massive. Most places open at around 9pm, get
going after midnight, and close at 4am or later. Venues move in and out of
fashion; at the time of writing the hottest party spot was
Attica
. Note that there
are also dancefloors in
Windows Too
and
Zapatas
, reviewed in Bars.
megaclub Bonbon is packed with a young
crowd even on weekdays - it's particularly
popular on Tuesdays, when they often host
international guest DJs, and it's hip-hop on
Thursdays. Cover is ¥40-100, with a ¥100
open bar most nights.
California
兰桂坊
lán guì f
The Bund and Nanjing Dong Lu
Attica
爱齐多
ài qí duō
11F, 15 Zhongshan Dong Er Lu, near Jinllng
Dong Lu
www.attica-shanghai.com.
The
trendiest club in town, with an awesome
view of Pudong from the terrace for when
the dancefloors (one house/techno, one
R&B) get too sweaty. ¥100 cover gets you
one drink at the bar; women get in free
before midnight. Doesn't really get going till
1am, then it's party central till 5am.
W
f ng
2A Gaolan Lu, inside Fuxing Park
W
www
.lankwaifong.com. Mon-Thurs & Sun 8pm-2am,
Fri & Sat 9pm-late.
So red inside it's like
being inside a liver; not inappropriately then,
it's a meat market. This house club is more
upscale than most and popular with both
locals and expats. It's in upscale entertain-
ment complex Park 97.
Guandi
官邸
guān d
The Old French Concession
Bonbon
2F Yunhai Tower, 1329 Huaihai Zhong Lu
W
www.clubbonbon.com.
The home of
clubbing franchise Godskitchen, gaudy
d
2 Gaolan Lu, inside Fuxing Park.
Brash hip-hop
Gay and lesbian Shanghai
These days, China is fairly relaxed about homosexuality; at least it's no longer on the
official list of psychiatric diseases. Shanghai is the Chinese city most accepting of
alternative lifestyles, though anyone used to the scene in a Western capital will find
things tamer here; venues are still somewhat low-key.
The best gay club in town is Deep at 1649 Nanjing Xi Lu, inside Jing'an Park (
深度
俱乐部
; shēn dù jù lè bù;
W
www.clubdeep.cn). International DJs keep the music
eclectic and there are male model shows. Just outside Fuxing Park at 18 Gaolan Lu,
Pinkhome (
W
www.barhome.com) is a stylish venue, the envy of many of a straighter
bar, with decent music and reasonably priced drinks. Eddy's on Tianping Lu, just off
Huaihai Lu (
W
www.eddys-bar.com), with no dancefloor and rather oppressively dark
decor, draws an older crowd. Finally, Frangipani fēi)
凡居潘林咖啡
; fán jū pān lín kā fēi) at
i
399 Dagu Lu, near Shimen Yi Lu (
W
www.frangipanibar.com), is a promising new
arrival that's also a charming café during the day; there's a lesbian night on Tuesday
and an open bar on Thursdays.
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