Nightlife

Nightlife

Dubai has an excellent nightlife scene with a large choice of bars and nightclubs to be enjoyed. The bars that are allowed to serve alcohol are mostly in hotels, though there are a few exceptions.

Dubai also has some interesting laws regarding nightclubs; they all must close at 3 am, 21 years and over is the legal drinking age but there are even some clubs that can refuse entry to anyone under 25 years of age.

At some of the most prestigious nightclubs in the city, doormen tend to be a little strict, but as long as you have at least one girl in your group then you should be fine.

Bars and Nightclubs that contribute to Dubai’s nightlife

Alamo

At the Dubai Marine Beach Resort and Spa is a Tex/Mex restaurant, with more emphasis on the bar. It is popular with both nationals and expatriates, and can especially get busy at the weekends from 10:30 onwards. The crowd can let off steam by dancing to an eclectic combination of music which is played live by the in-house Cuban and Costarena.

Apartment Lounge & Club

Located inside the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, opened from Tuesdays – Saturdays, this lavish nightclub offers some of the best music flavours. Friday nights tend to get busier as they are reserved for R&B, hip hop and soul.

Atlantis

Located right next door to the Hard Rock Cafe, this popular nightclub gets busy around midnight. They have performances such as dancing girls and drum masters, that add to the lively atmosphere. They have ladies night on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. The majority of the crowd tend to be younger.

Barasti Bar

This is located at the Le Meridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina. This is one of the top bars along the seaside, where you can go and relax on a hot afternoon with a cool drink. DJ’s play music indoors so you can always sit inside for a change of scenery.

Boudoir Nightclub

Located at the Dubai Marine Beach Resort and Spa, this Persian club has one of the best reputations in the city of Dubai. It attracts mostly a Lebanese crowd who can enjoy a variety of music, and quite strangely when a bottle of champagne is brought to the table the music is switched off to celebrate its arrival.

Buddha Bar

Situated at the Grosvenor House West Marina Beach Dubai, this bar/nightclub is accompanied by a large Buddha statue and has a bar that serves a mixture of cocktails. It is a very chic bar but prefers to stay down to earth with a warm and friendly atmosphere.

Carter’s

This is a very stylish restaurant/bar and is located inside the Pyramid complex, at Wafi City. It opens for lunch at 12pm and closes its doors at 1am, and 2am on Thursdays and Sundays. As the evening progresses the restaurant slowly transforms into one of the hottest bars in the Dubai and the DJ starts playing at around 10pm.

Champions

Located at the JW Marriott, it is an excellent place to go to watch major live sporting events such as Football (or soccer as Americans call it), Rugby, and large boxing matches. The bar is open daily from 12 until 2 in the morning, except for Fridays when it is open from 6pm until 2am. The bar area is large and is surrounded by TV screens. This venue is popular with resident expats and locals.

Chi Nightclub

Located at the Al Nasr Leisure-land, near the American Hospital, this club is very popular with the younger generation. It is especially known for having funk, house and hip-hop nights and also organises many theme nights to keep the youngsters interested. The nightclub has four large rooms, a semi outdoor dance area with a garden, and a VIP room to chill out in providing you have made reservations. It is a good idea to arrive early in order to avoid the massive queue.

Ginseng

This is located inside the Wafi City mall in Bur Dubai and is a good place to begin the night. The bar serves up the finest range of cocktails and plays a variety of chilled out music. It is known to have the air-con on quite high so be sure to bring a wrap to keep warm.

Ikandy

Located on the Sheikh Zayed Road, the bar is set on the fourth floor of the Shangri La Hotel at the pool deck. It has a funky reflecting pink light which makes white clothes glow and is a perfect location for pool parties.

Issimo

Located in Deira, at the Hilton Dubai Creek is this modern designed sports and martini bar. It is predominantly popular with middle-aged men who come to relax on comfortable leather sofas and watch live sports.

Jimmy Dix

This bar/club is located at the Movenpick Hotel in Bur Dubai and attracts the real party animals that drink themselves silly. The resident DJ and band play some of the best pop, rock and dance music. It is also a venue for comedy nights which are held monthly.

Kasbar

The nightclub is located at the amazing Royal Mirage Hotel and is a Moroccan themed venue. The club is built up on three levels with terraces that overlook the dance floor below. The music varies, with some of the best DJ’s in the city playing all the latest dance hits. The upper level is the place to be seen and has comfortable Arabian style sofas that allow for an intimate evening. The club opens at 9:30pm and the cover charge is Dh50 which includes one drink.

Ku-Bu

Located at the Radisson SAS Dubai in Deira, this bar with its African-inspired decor is a small and darkly lit chill out zone. It is a good choice to start the night off in, with a DJ playing international hits and funky beats.

Malecon

This live music venue located at the Dubai Marine Beach Resort & Spa. It is a salsa bar with an in-house Latino group. It is a restaurant in the early hours, but transforms into a lively dance spot in the late hours and on some occasions hosts some of the best house DJ’s.

Mix

This nightclub is located at the Grand Hyatt, Mix used to be Dubai’s very first club and is still a very popular venue especially with the Middle Eastern crowd. It hosts top international DJ’s which play a mix of Arabic pop, house and R&B. It has a huge dance floor, an elevated bar and podium dancers to admire.

Peppermint Club

This is one of Dubai’s top nightclubs, great for those party lovers. The promoter imports some of the best international DJs including Paul Van Dyk. Over 2000 clubbers dance away on the overheated dance floor. There is often an admission charge for men but women usually get in free.

Planetarium

The Planetarium is located next to the Pyramid Centre and has very strict membership and entrance regulations allowing access only to Members, Ladies and Couples. The busiest nights are Sunday and Thursday (two drinks for the price of one). Also Tuesday being Ladies night is particularly hectic, where ladies are offered two free drinks before 1am and all cabin crew get a special 50% discount all night. The club is closed on Saturdays and entrance is free except on special occasions.

Scarlett’s

Located at the Emirates Towers Hotel, this bar is a great place to go for a drink after work, and is very popular with expat corporate types and expats on business as well. The bar is open from 12:30pm until 3am and last orders are at 11.15pm. The upper section of the bar becomes a nightclub with a resident DJ playing a mixture of classic and new popular songs. The bar also doubles up as a restaurant which serves American cuisine.

Tropicana

At the Dubai Marine Beach Resort and Spa, is an Arabic style nightclub with mainly an Arabic crowd, which makes for a very enjoyable evening. They play a mixture of the latest International hits and Arabic popular dance music. It does not get busy until around 11:30/12:00 and is definitely worth a visit when you are in Dubai.

Trilogy

Located on the Jumeirah Beach Road, this is one of the biggest and trendiest nightclubs in Dubai. It has three floors and the roof top bar is the best spot to glance at the stunning views of the city. The club features many big named DJs and hosts a considerable amount of VIP bashes. Trilogy is a fascinating club which will definitely offer a night to remember.