SmartShanghai's Essential Guide to
Nightlife & Clubbing in Shanghai
Visitors to Shanghai might be surprised to discover that the vast majority of clubs are filled with expats and tend to be Western in theme. Even though you're in China, on a given night you could walk into a diluted version of an Ohio State frat party, an Ibiza rave, a London pub, a New York hipster dive or a French lounge. With the local Chinese, KTV is king (as the saying goes) in terms of nightlife recreation, and the amount of KTV (Karaoke TV) bars dwarfs any other genre of club. KTV caters to a vast demographic, from couples, to business colleagues, to friends, and even families -- groups not necessarily interested in consuming vast amounts of alcohol and narcotics.
In recent years, though -- and with the world financial eco-crisis thing creating a mass exodus of expats -- Chinese clubbers have become the dominant purchasing demographic, and the Shanghai nightlife industry has responded accordingly. Clubbing has caught on somewhat with Shanghai's youth and new-moneyed middle class, and the specter of the "Chinese club" looms large over Shanghai's nightlife. The Chinese-managed clubbing franchise Muse currently sets the standard in Shanghai nightlife as the most lucrative and successful set-up and orientation, and has created a whole host of imitators in its wake. Pretenders to the Muse throne open and shut weekly in Shanghai, and the franchise has a total lock on their demographic and what they want. On any given night of the week and at any of the Muse venues, visitors can expect a full house -- models and bottles -- along with hip hop and/or mash up and/or electro on the system.
"Chinese clubs" are great places to search out if you're not a snob about the decor, are accepting that it's different strokes for different folks and are looking to travel to where most Westerners fear to tread. The current be-all-and-end all for the true Chinese clubbing experience is No.88, a China-wide franchise with their Shanghai location on Fumin Lu. We shan't say more. Alternatively, a long-running success story is Richbaby, a club franchise with several venues in China, hosting frequent appearance by world famous DJs. Out on Hengshan Lu is Phebe 3D, an absurd club that throws it all against the wall: live bands, DJs, sexy dancers, open bar specials and, more, more, more. One Pub out on Huaihai is another that operates according to the golden 100rmb all-you-can-drink rule, and, for your consideration, there's also there's one of the several MT venues, which are basically one-step removed from KTV.
And for the truest grit in the city, one word: Bobolia.
Shanghai is one of the world's most frequented cities for "Top 100" DJs. In the past few years Armin Van Buuren, Above and Beyond, Deep Dish, DJ Dan, Sven Vath, Carl Cox, Tiesto, and John Digweed, to name a few, have all played sets in Shangers. If big name international DJs are your thing, check out whose playing at Muse and M2 -- the Muse empire has in recent years emerged at the head on the pack for big-name bookings. Other options are Circus, G Plus and Richbaby.
SmartShaghai's ticketing service, SmartTicket sells tickets for virtually all of the big-name DJs shows in Shanghai. Click here to see what we've got on.
SmartShaghai's ticketing service, SmartTicket sells tickets for virtually all of the big-name DJs shows in Shanghai. Click here to see what we've got on.
"Chinese clubs" are great places to search out if you're not a snob about the decor, are accepting that it's different strokes for different folks and are looking to travel to where most Westerners fear to tread. The current be-all-and-end all for the true Chinese clubbing experience is No.88, a China-wide franchise with their Shanghai location on Fumin Lu. We shan't say more. Alternatively, a long-running success story is Richbaby, a club franchise with several venues in China, hosting frequent appearance by world famous DJs. Out on Hengshan Lu is Phebe 3D, an absurd club that throws it all against the wall: live bands, DJs, sexy dancers, open bar specials and, more, more, more. One Pub out on Huaihai is another that operates according to the golden 100rmb all-you-can-drink rule, and, for your consideration, there's also there's one of the several MT venues, which are basically one-step removed from KTV.
And for the truest grit in the city, one word: Bobolia.
Read On: Live Music in Shanghai »
Most clubs and bars in Shanghai have a loose closing time of 4am but usually stay open as long as people are in them buying drinks. In terms of clubs that pick up when the others leave off, despite many pretenders to the crown, Dragon Club has been, for the last couple years, the go-to destination for clubbers looking to get serious with their nights out, and keep them going well into the next day. Another noteworthy mention is MAO, a relatively larger, Euro-styled club that stays open and gets hopping late. If you're looking for a ritzy all-night crowd, stop by Velvet Lounge -- another venue that never stops.
And, of course, we would be remiss in not mentioning the late night success story of 2010: Shiva Lounge. Popular with Shanghai's arty Euro community, Shiva caters to a late night, never-say-die crowd and keeps it flowing well beyond the bed times of other Shanghai nightlife destinations.
If you're looking to keep it going more in a bar-type setting, try I Love Shanghai or Windows Scoreboard -- open as long as people are there drinking. And they usually are.
And, of course, we would be remiss in not mentioning the late night success story of 2010: Shiva Lounge. Popular with Shanghai's arty Euro community, Shiva caters to a late night, never-say-die crowd and keeps it flowing well beyond the bed times of other Shanghai nightlife destinations.
If you're looking to keep it going more in a bar-type setting, try I Love Shanghai or Windows Scoreboard -- open as long as people are there drinking. And they usually are.