Dringking & Nightlife Travel in Singapore

Dringking & Nightlife in Singapore

Step aside, New York City. Once-boring Singapore has stolen your ‘city-that-never-sleeps’ mantle. From small, poorly lit watering holes where characters straight out of Tom Waits ballads might meet to exchange tales over whiskey sours to thumping all-night clubs where fashionistas gather to dance until the birds are twittering, this city has something to offer people of every taste and inclination seven nights a week.

WHERE TO DRINK

In Singapore, what’s hot and what’s not changes as regularly as the seasons (if Singapore actually had seasons) meaning that this month’s happening club may well be next month’s old news. That and the sharply rising price-per-square-metre of commercial space mean that a club can open, gain and lose hipster status, and close down in a span of time slightly less than the career of your average boy-band. Neighbourhoods, for the most part, tend to retain their character for a bit longer, and for this reason we’ve gone ahead and expanded our listings to include a bit more verbiage about the streets and alleys surrounding the bars and clubs, which might still be hot (or even there) by the time this book goes to press.

How Much?

Barring Brunei, Singapore is probably the most expensive place in Southeast Asia for drinking and nightlife. A combination of liberal licensing laws and free-market economics breeds high prices, especially in some of the city’s trendier joints, where an evening’s libations can set even a casual drinker back a hefty sum. Those who are looking for spirits on the cheap, and don’t mind plastic tables and fluorescent lights, can hang out at hawker centres and coffeeshops, drinking $6 bottles of Tiger to their hearts’ content. A beer at most city bars can set you back between $10 and $15, ditto for mixed drinks, and many of the more upscale clubs have entrance fees of $20 or more (though these will usually include a drink).
If you’re looking to save on libations, hit the bars early to take advantage of the happy hours; these typically stretch from around 5pm to 8pm, sometimes later. At these times you’ll generally get two of most drinks for the price of one and cheaper ‘housepours’, which are the bar’s selections of spirits or wine. On Wednesday or Thursday night, some bars offer cheaper (sometimes free) drinks to women, presumably on the assumption that drunk women attract paying men. Of course, if you’re really tight, you can always drink $5 beers in your hostel.

Opening Hours

While the government maintains tight controls on many aspects of life in the Lion City, Singapore’s licensing laws are positively laissez-faire, and many bars and clubs stay open until the early hours, some right through to breakfast. Generally speaking, expect most clubs to open around 5pm, and stay open until 1am or 2am from Sunday to Thursday, and until about 3am on Friday and Saturday. We’ve made note of bars and clubs that keep hours vastly different from this.