The main venue for non-mainstream theatre is The Fringe. The
premier spot for orchestra, music and ballet and where all visiting
international big names head is the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. The Hong
Kong Academy for Performing Arts always has something going on, check their
calendar. Check with the Hong Kong Tourist Association for Chinese opera
performances, which are scheduled at various venues throughout the city.
Bars and clubs
The Fringe
Part avant-garde art gallery, part experimental theatre venue and part bar
and live music joint, The Fringe has it all. Home to Hong Kong's
non-mainstream theatre and arts community, this eternally happening and very
chic venue has become the place to be seen. There's a very stylish
restaurant M at the Fringe and The Fringe Club Bar has interiors bearing
new art works, live jazz bands on weekends, a casual and relaxed crowd.
▪ Address 2 Lower Albert Rd, South Block, SoHo, Hong Kong Island.
Petticoat Lane
Plush pink interiors that are oh-so-Moulin-Rouge meet Paris lounge. This
trendy nightspot is the hangout for the young and the hip. Eclectic music, a
fabulous cocktail menu and a very chill ambience if only the prices weren't
a tad high, this place would be perfect.
▪ Address 2 Tun Wo La, SoHo
▪ Location Off Central-Mid-Levels escalator exit for Lyndhurst Terrace
▪ Timings Till 2.30 am weekends, midnight weekdays
Staunton's Wine Bar and Cafe
Smooth jazz, wood-accented hallways and two very spacious floors make up
this delightful, cheery and relaxed live music restaurant / bar. The crowd
is mellower than those at the nearby bars of Lan Kwai Fong and the large
windows offer great people-watching potential.
▪ Address Staunton St, SoHo.
NU
The newest kid on the block and the current season favourite. The NU bar and
lounge is the place to dance in Hong Kong, spread over a lounge-y first
floor and basement dance area. Soul, R&B, trance, Latino nights, live music
whatever you like, it's here. Dress to impress, though this isn't the
place for your torn jeans and sandals.
▪ Address 1 Elgin St, SoHo Location Opposite 69 Hollywood Road.
▪ Timings 5 pm till late night.
The Grand Stage
On the top floor of a grand Edwardian building in Western Mkt in Sheung Wan,
The Grand Stage is the kind of place where Cinderella would lose her glass
slipper. The sloping roofs and stained-glass windows enclose a huge hall and
a dance floor to match. It's a restaurant, but it does dinner-and-dancing
like no one else. A live band plays jazz and waltz as couples of all ages
sway to the music. Nothing goes thump and your ears don't hurt. So leave the
clubs aside for one night and come to the ball. Who knows, maybe some prince
will find your platinum card er... glass slipper?
▪ Address Fourth Floor, Western Mkt, New Mkt St, Sheung Wan.
▪ Timings Open till 2 am on weekends.
Club 64
It's small, cosy and packed with character. One of the rare places in Hong
Kong where 'dress code' means jeans and your favourite old T-shirt, this is
hands down the best place to sit, enjoy the jazz and blues played at a
(gasp!) non-decibel shattering volume, sip a chilled beer and read the
notices of events and perf¬ormances at alternative venues around the city on
the notice board.
▪ Address 13 Wing Wah Lane, Lan Kwai Fong.
▪ Timings Till 2 am.
Club 97
Once the vanguard of the city's ultra elite, Club97 has undergone a
transformation. What used to be a raging disco with fiercely high standards
for entry is now a relaxed, chic lounge bar where the entryway literally
and otherwise is open to all. There's still a dance floor, but the mood
has changed and most think it's for the better. There's the very popular gay
happy hour on Fridays (6-10 pm) and a happening reggae night on Sundays. An
institution on Lan Kwai Fong, this one's a must-party-at.
▪ Address 9 Lan Kwai Fong, Central
▪ Timings Till 4 am Mon-Sat, till 3 am Sun
For cheap booze HK$ 19 for standard drinks get to The Groovy Mule
(Corner of Lockhart and Fenwick) between the unearthly drinking and very
happy hours of 4 and 6 pm.
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