Rio de Janeiro Nightlife & Entertainment

Bars and clubs

Rio nightlife is young and vivacious. Lapa is a current hotspot at weekends, once down-at- heel and still not entirely safe but undergoing a great renaissance, with a string of clubs along Mem de Sá and Lavradio with dance steps from samba and forro to techno and hip-hop. Similarly busy, even on Sun and Mon, is Baixa Gávea, where beautiful 20-somethings gather around Praça Santos Dumont.

Wherever you are in Rio, there’s a bar near you. Beer costs around US$1.50 for a large bottle, but up to US$5 in the plusher venues, where you are often given a card that includes 2 drinks and a token entrance fee. A cover of US$3-7 may be charged made for live music, or there might be a minimum consumption charge of around US$3, sometimes both. Snack food is always available. Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon have many beach barracas, several open all night. The seafront bars on Av Atlântica are great for people-watching; but avoid those towards Leme as some may offer more than beer.

Clubs on and around Rio’s beaches are generally either fake Europe, eg Melt and Bunker (although decent DJs like Marky play here), or fake US, eg Nuth and 00. Santa Teresa has the most interesting bohemian bars and is a good place to begin a weekend night before heading down the hill to Lapa, Rio’s capital of nightlife, with a plethora of samba venues undergoing a steady renaissance.

Lapa, Santa Teresa and increasingly, the city centre, have Rio’s most interesting, bohemian nightlife and shouldn’t be missed if you are in Rio over a weekend. Ideally come early on a Sat for the afternoon market and live street tango on R Lavradio, eat in Santa Teresa and sample the bars on the Largo dos Guimarães and the Largo das Neves before returning to Lapa for live samba or funk. Although it is easy to walk between the 2 bairros, never walk alone. Always be wary of pickpockets....read more