Nightlife in Dubai

Dubai, has an excellent nightlife scene with a large choice of bars and nightclubs for you to be able to enjoy whilst there. You will need to know that most of the bars that can serve alcohol are only in hotels, there are though a few exceptions. Dubai also has some interesting laws regarding clubs; they all must close at 3 am, you must be 21 to drink alcohol, 25 to enter a nightclub, and interestingly they are not allowed by law to refuse entrance to anyone, including at members only clubs.

There are no specific nightlife districts as many of the best bars are in the big tourist hotels, which are situated throughout the city. Many of these are open until 1 or 2 am. A cheaper and livelier option is the independent bars that are dotted around town. Happy hours are common, with Thursday and Saturday as the biggest nights for going out.
Tuesdays and Sundays are often 'Ladies Night', with female revellers receiving free drinks.
A beer is generally in the region of Dh15-20.

The club scene is a curious one, with nightclubs often delineated along ethnic and national lines. Increasingly, big name DJs are being attracted to Dubai, as a Western-style clubbing scene starts to develop.
Dress codes for bars are generally relaxed, although some bars and all clubs insist on no jeans, trainers or sandals. A more mellow night out can be had at one of Dubai's coffee houses, where you can smoke apple-flavoured tobacco from a shisha pipe.

Some of the more popular nightlife places includes:

Hard Rock Cafe: Popular with locals, expatriates, and families. The building itself is worth travelling to and makes a great holiday picture. The bar area is relatively small, with more space being offered to seating arrangements, for dinner etc.

Planetarium: The Planetarium has very strict membership and entrance regulations allowing entrance only to Members, Ladies and Couples. Entrance is free except on special occasions. The club is located next to the Pyramid centre. The busiest nights are Sunday (two drinks for the price of one, Tuesday, and Thursday with Tuesday being Ladies night, where ladies are offered two free drinks before 1am and all cabin crew get a special 50% discount all night. The club is closed Saturday's.

Atlantis: Located right next door to the Hard Rock Cafe, this popular disco gets busy around midnight. They have performances such as dancing girls and drum masters, that add to the lively atmosphere. They have ladies night Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday. The crowd is young and hip.