Ladies Nights used to be a staple of Shanghai nightlife. It was an opportunity to help keep the party-vibe alive throughout the weekdays. Special deals for women, with men joining in on the fun as well. However, with China's borders still closed, Ladies Nights events across town have become either hits or duds.

Meet Caitlin Gates, SmartShanghai's 21-year-old intern. We sent her out to test out which places were alight with the crowds in the middle of the week. Like a champion, she rocked through Shanghai with a fiery spirit and always made it to the office for the following mornings. Now that's what we call real journalism training. What follows along are Catilin's own words. All opinions expressed (especially on music taste) are hers.

Bar Rouge

Bar Rouge’s Ladies Night is on a Thursday, which has its advantages and disadvantages.



The music is amazing, there is this DJ that plays tracks from Beyonce to Rihanna to even the Pussycat Dolls. His tunes are so good he’ll have people flocking to the dance floor in droves.



There is this free-flow cocktail that’s only available for women from 8pm-11:30pm. It’s this delicious pink passionfruit concoction that isn't heavy on the alcohol, something which perfectly works for a lightweight like myself.



However, because this deal is on a Thursday, the club is either completely packed or empty. In my case, it was completely barren, only around 20 people were there. Interested in having the floor all to yourself? Then this place is for you.

Revolucion Cocktail

Want to party hard in a sweaty jam-packed venue? Then Revolucion’s Unicorn Party Ladies Night is the one for you. While it wasn’t as full as it usually gets, it had enough people to keep the dancefloor a buzz.





They offer a free special cocktail to all the ladies from 7pm until 12am on every Thursdays, sadly enough, I had only just arrived right as the deal ended. Fingers crossed that it was just as good as Bar Rouge’s. People should definitely come and check out this Ladies Night, not just for the free cocktails, but also for the amazing music that’s a mix of Hip-Hop, Pop and Reggaeton.





Extra point awarded for those adorable decorations. Revolucion brought out the big guns for their Unicorn Party with unicorn balloons, unicorn headpieces and complimentary unicorn marshmallows.

Gin & Juice

Gin & Juice was the exact opposite of Revolucion, in the sense that their Ladies Night takes a classier approach, with their brands of special Gin and calm atmosphere.



They offer a deal of buy 2 Gin & Tonics, get 1 for free on every Wednesdays from 6pm-2am, and the cost is based on which tier the Gin comes from. The lowest price is 68rmb. I tried out their Crimson Pangolin G&T from Tier 1. I for one am not a fan of the bitterness of a G&T, but wow, it was good.



The place is really pretty with its warm-toned walls, beautifully decorated shelves and mosaic layered bar.



It’s a great place to go for a chill, relaxing ladies night, plus the yummy G&Ts are a win. The 68rmb deal is a bit expensive, as folks are going to have to pay a minimum of 140rmb, just to take part of the deal.

Perch

I found the Perch’s Ladies Night to be alright.



The atmosphere was great with people everywhere and all these little doggies, so cute.





However, wow the drinks were not to my liking. It's 88rmb for free-flow Prosecco, cava, house wine or cocktails, from 7-10pm on every Thursdays. I tried their Winter Menu butterbeer, which did not remind me of Hogsmeade at all, and their Ladies Night free-flow Moscow Mule, which did not taste good at all.



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Looking for a place to share some drinks with the gals on a free evening? Head to SmartShanghai's Ladies Night Events Page to see what is up.