Hong Kong Nightlife

Dress to impress at this hip Hong Kong hangout where ridiculously beautiful people and movers and shakers come to dance and down pricey cocktails. When top-name DJs come to the city, this is where they headline.

Cliq opened with much fanfare in December 2007. Its vast 7,000-square-feet is comprised of mostly dance-floor, while its perimeter is lined with large booths and tables that are perfect for people-watching. Massive, plasma TVs line the walls and display silent, creative color shows.

The proudly “alternative” Fringe Club has long been a great place to see live music – from jazz to folk to blues – or to just grab a drink and catch up on the open-air, roof garden.

The Excelsior Hotel’s rooftop bar is a perennial favorite for its champagne cocktails and panoramic Victoria Harbor views. Renovated in August 2007, it lives up to its acronym (Talk Of The Town) and offers live music by an in-house band most nights of the week.

Famous for allowing – nay, encouraging – its patrons to dance on the bar, this Hong Kong landmark all but guarantees a good time. As a side note, they don’t just have Happy Hour, they have Crazy Hour (6-7pm), when all drinks are spectacularly cheap (less than $3.50).

Its tucked-away, side-street location makes this cozy venue feel like a well-kept secret. With regular live music (heavy on the jazz), it’s a perfectly laid-back spot to catch up and wind down.

Beijing Club is one of Hong Kong’s biggest nightlife emporiums with a total of three floors occupying more than 12,000 square feet. The locals and expats who come to this club – which is open to members as well as non-members (cover charge for non-members ranges between $13 and $26 on any given night and includes one drink) – are here to dance. Go up to the third floor to view the large outdoor projection screen, where dance and pop music videos play; LEDs located liberally throughout the dance floors ensure that indoor partiers appreciate the dance scenes as well. Wednesday nights are Ladies’ Nights, when ladies enjoy free champagne (and a lot of attention – not all of it desirable – from men).

Glowing blue lights, loud music, and a big-screen TV are the hallmarks of Aqua Spirit, the bar counterpart to the restaurant Aqua. The views from this 29th floor bar, located inside the architecturally outstanding 1 Peking Road building (an office masterpiece by the China-based design company, Rocco Design Ltd.), are so spectacular, it looks like the bar itself is set among the twinkling lights of Hong Kong’s skyline. Reserve a table as this hip-hop spot is extremely popular, particularly on clear nights and when guest DJs spin until the wee hours.

The Hong Kong Cultural Centre is home to the city’s largest orchestra, the Philharmonic. This Western-style orchestra has been delighting audiences since 1975 and performs regularly from September to July; it also provides live accompaniment to the Hong Kong Ballet throughout the year. Western classical pieces are the Philharmonic’s stock-in-trade but its repertoire is also enriched by works from Chinese composers. Conductor Edo de Waart heads up this unique blend of Eastern and Western talent.

Picture velvet sofas and a curved bar bathed in red lighting – this is C Bar. There is no cover Monday to Thursday, as it’s on Fridays and Saturdays that this basement club really packs people in and lines stretch around the block – it’s no surprise then, that the cover is $26 on these days (price includes one drink), and that the place rocks until 4:30am. The rest of the week you’ll only be able to party until 1am (midnight on Sundays). Funk, Latino, soul, and R&B make up the house music regardless of the day. Club C is also known for its late weekday happy hour which goes from 5-9pm daily.