Hong Kong Nightlife – When the sun dips behind the metallic skyline, the neon lights take their cue and blaze from every tower block, reflecting off the still waters of the bay and illuminating the hawker stalls with their simmering broths and crispy reptile-skin snacks. This city certainly knows how to party and has done so with relish throughout its colonial rule and right into the twenty-first century.

Going to any big city and trying to find a good nightspot isn't an easy task. Luckily, Hong Kong is small and nightlife is concentrated in pockets - jumping from place to place is standard.

If you are a Party person Hong Kong Island is the place to be, there are many bars, discos and night clubs in the Lan Kwai Fong and Wan Chai areas.

Lan Kwai Fong's street are almost lined with bars and restaurants that have been popular with westerners for years. One bar renowned for plenty of expat British clientele is the English style pub "Bull Dogs". In fact there are several theme bars around Lan Kwai Fong, like the German "Schnurrbart" and the "Californian" in the "Californian Entertainment Complex".

Wan Chai was once a seedy red light district of Hong Kong, today there still are a few questionable venues that have strippers and the like. Generally these places are a rip off and its not uncommon for someone to pay more than 10 times what they expected for a beer, even a conversation with a topless barmaid at a hostess club can empty your wallet quickly. Having said that, there are plenty of decent bars and restaurants in the Wan Chai area and it’s a fun place to Party.

Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island also has a a good nightlife scene that is a bit quieter than the previous mentioned areas.

Over in Kowloon there are a number of bars spread all across Tsim Sha Tsui. Popular venues include the "Hard Rock Cafe", the Australian "Kangaroo Pub" and the Kowloon "Delaneys". While you are in Tsim Sha Tsui at night a good walk around the Temple Street night market and down neon lit Nathan Road are popular things to do that wont cost you a cent.

Bars tend to open at lunchtime and close when the last punter staggers out of the door which can be anytime between 1am and 8am – some are even open 24 hours. Unfortunately sampling the after-dark delights of Hong Kong can be expensive and you may have to pay an admission charge if there is a DJ playing or a club night going on, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights. Expect to tip 10 per cent in trendier places.

Find out about what’s going on in free local listings magazines BC and Hong Kong Magazine which are available  in most cafés, bars and restaurants.

The minimum drinking age in Hong Kong's public bars is 18 years. Some clubs enforce a minimum of 21 year age limit.

Lan Kwai Fong has become the home of the Hong Kong party and features a den of streets packed with bars, clubs and restaurants. Establishments run the gamut from spit and sawdust joints to chic wine bars and it's here that you'll find most of Hong Kong's more up market drinking spots. At the weekends the place bulges with expats and tourists who spill out onto the surrounding streets and the buzz is irresistible. Nightlife kicks into gear at around 9pm and carries on well into the morning.

Many of the bars are under the same ownership, and selecting one is like going to a buffet—just pick the most appealing crowd. Despite the occasional drunk in the street and the young women dressed in wisps of clothing, this is a relatively smart area (not red light). Lan Kwai Fong’s success has begun to spread to a small area known as Soho, which is just up the Mid-Levels escalator and easy to find.

Veteran drinkers often treat Lan Kwai Fong as an extended warm up before stumbling into the Wan Chai area later in the night. If it's clubbing your after, Lan Kwai Fong hosts the city's best.

MTR Station “Central” Exit D2. Walk along Theatre Lane and uphill to D'Aguilar Street. About 2 minutes walk to Lan Kwai Fong.

G/F 17 Lan Kwai Fong
Central

British Pub style bar with friendly service and good food. Has a balcony where you can observe the action on Lan Kwai Fong below. Large screens to follow all the Sporting events too. Has a second location in Wan Chai.

1/F 34-36 D'Aguilar Street
Lan Kwai Fong

Good place for Happy Hour drinks after work. Upper floor is quieter and has comfortable sofas to sit on.

G/F 44 D'Aguilar Street
Lan Kwai Fong

Live music bar. This place is almost always packed after 11 PM. Can be really loud, but they have a quieter bar area at the entrance.

G/F 29 D'Aguilar Street
Lan Kwai Fong

German style pub with good beer on tap. Excellent german food aswell.

G/F 10-12 Staunton Street
Soho

Most prominent Bar in Soho. Directly at the Mid Levels escalator. Great place for people watching

G/F & 1/F, 48 D'Aguilar Street
Lan Kwai Fong

At the very top of Lan Kwai Fong. Lively corner bar with good food. Late at night the people spill out to the streets.

Ezra Lane
Lower Hollywood Road

Small and cozy Bar. Its hidden, so ask around if you don’t find it. Live Jazz on Wednesday and Thursday.

UG/F The Centrium
60 Wyndham Street

Favored by Hong Kong's models, aspiring starlets and the rich, Dragon-I has long been part of the city's social scene. They have a big outside sitting area aswell.

Bsmt, On Lok Mansion
39-43 Hollywood Rd

Small but famous club playing House music. Good atmosphere and great Cocktails, but come early, before 11 PM to have a good chance to get in.

2-3/F & 5/F Wellington Plaza
2-8 Wellington Street

Huge club spread out over three floors. Majority are local Chinese.

Lower Basement, 79 Wyndham Street
Central

Very small club hidden between Lan Kwai Fong and Soho. But worth the effort to find, some say it’s the best electronic music in Hong Kong.

Wan Chai is Hong Kong's resident red light district. Home to Filipino hookers, seedy strip clubs, & the occasional American sailor. But there are also a lot of legitimate nightlife establishments here; it is one of the most popular party areas in the city, offering a much better weekday alternative to Lan Kwai Fong.

Ladies Night is Wednesdays in most bars.

Warning: Don’t let yourself being pushed inside one of the many Strip Clubs on Lockhart Road. It’s a rip off. If you do decide to go in, ask exactly how much everything costs and try to keep track. Even talking to one of the Strippers costs a few hundred HK$ for a short time.

MTR Station “Wan Chai”, Exit “Lockhart Road”

Bridge
A-B Beverly House
93-107 Lockhart Road

The hardcore drinker's 24 hour paradise. Even when every other club is shut, Bridge is still going strong, in fact it doesn't start going at all until the other club's are all shut.

The crowd here is a mixture of Filipino hookers who had no luck scoring a John that night, John's who had no luck scoring a Filipino hooker that night & people who just refuse to go home without a few more drinks. Come around 6 AM.

Carnegie's
G/F 53-55 Lockhart Road

Home to the notorious "10$ Vodka Tuesday" where the vodka flows – yes, you guessed it – for 10 HK$ per drink all night. Other promotions going on at different days of the week aswell.

And if you’re drunk enough, it is allowed to dance on the bar.

Mes Amis
83 Lockhart Road

This is where the middle aged professionals choose to drink in Wan Chai. And everynite they come in flocks to dance, mingle, & flirt with everything that walks. The bars highlight is its late closing time somewhere in the proximity of 5AM on the weekends when the crowd tends to be younger too.

Typhoon
37-39 Lockhart Rd

Typhoon has one of the better locations and layouts, however the crowd is only interesting on Wednesdays and Fridays. The bar has an open air feel it's a good option when you're in Wan Chai.

New Makati
100 Lockhart Road

An upstairs dive joint, frequented by hookers & strippers, this bar is respected for only one thing: 15 Dollar mixed drinks & pints before 9 PM Monday - Friday.

Full of hookers and men looking for them. Quite big with a dance floor. But come Sunday afternoon this place is packed with Filipina maids enjoying their day off and local expats looking for a Freebie.

The most famous (but not best) Bar frequented by Filipina and Thai hookers. Girls can be a bit aggressive in here (“Buy me a drink”) but its still fun and packed almost daily. Live Music is played during certain times.

My favorite of the “Girlie” bars in Wan Chai. Tends to have more Thai girls working there. They also have Live Music on certain times.

Yes, the famous Joe Bananas is still around, but not worth going to. Maybe for a quick drink at Happy Hour.

The most famous Live Music Bar in Wan Chai. This place is always packed. Interesting mix of locals, hookers and tourists.

If you're looking for something a little more local then you'll have to venture off Hong Kong Island and its well worth the visit. Chinese locals tend to favour Tsim Sha Tsui and the place is riddled with bars and clubs.

Knutsford Terrace in Tsim Sha Tsui is a strip of bars and restaurants which offer a more diverse mix of locals, expats and tourists, while still delivering plenty of choice on the bar front, meaning Knutsford has all the ingredients of a good night.

Most of the bars here are packed out a little earlier than Lan Kwai Fong and Wan Chai, from 8pm onwards; they also wind up a little earlier, around 12am. One of the added bonuses of Knutsford is that almost all the establishments have an al fresco option.

MTR Station “Tsim Sha Tsui”, then ask for directions. Knutsford Terrace is a bit hidden.

2-3 Knutsford Terrace
Tsim Sha Tsui

Sister bar of Insomnia in Lan Kwai Fong and From Dusk ‘till Dawn in Wan Chai. Quieter than the bars on Hong Kong Island.

4-5 Knutsford Terrace
Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon

Beach-themed bar seems to keep the crowd firmly in party mode

2/F Knutsford 10
14 Knutsford Terrace
Tsim Sha Tsui

Half restaurant, half bar, this Balalaika ist less of a drinking hole than its Lan Kwai Fong  sister. Many obviously come simply for the ice room where you can sample Russian vodka while freezing your ass off.

29-30/F One Peking Road
1 Peking road
Tsimshatsui

High-class Bar / Lounge with one of the best views of Hong Kong Island

G/F Shop 61-63 & 67-70 Tsimshatsui Centre
66 Mody Road
Tsimshatsui East

Located in TST East, seems to be busy most of the time. Some Filipina hookers inside. Live Music everyday.

G/F & 1/F Silvercord
30 Canton Road
Tsimshatsui

10 Salisbury Rd

Tsim Sha Tsui

Tel: +852 2734-2009

For theatre, classical music and dance, consult the Cultural Centre's reliably good programme. On the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, the centre is next to the Star Ferry terminal, so you will pass it on a trip to Kowloon. The ugly complex (inexplicably considered one of Hong Kong’s architectural landmarks) includes a concert hall, a theatre, an arts library and a gift shop.

1 Gloucester Rd

Tel: +852 3128-8288

With a full schedule of concerts, dance recitals and others, this venue offers entertainments that cut across Western and traditional Chinese cultures.

So, there you have it: An Introduction into Hong Kong’s Nightlife!