The ‘City of Life’ lives by night – most hot in-town venues don't even get going until midnight. Enterprising sinophiles can try to get invited along to a local karaoke evening and warble into a mike, over buckets of beer, to Cantonese pop videos, or head for one of the unbelievable local discos in darkest Kowloon. Others seeking ex-pat drinking at its most intense should head for Lan Kwai Fong, a tiny area of Central with relaxed drinking hours and a vast concentration of bars and restaurants. Soho (‘South of Hollywood Road’) is a slightly more chic and relaxed concentration of leisure spots, just off the mid-levels escalator. Chinese locals tend to favour Opening hours in Hong Kong vary by location. Some Lan Kwai Fong venues stay open all night, whereas in Soho, the authorities placate local residents by compelling bars to close around 0200 at weekends and around 2400 on weekdays. Bars often compensate with happy hours, with two-for-one or half-price deals before 2000 or 2100 common. There is no minimum drinking age in Hong Kong.

Bars in Hong Kong
Escalator watchers can spectate in terrace-like comfort at Stauntons, the prime Soho-watching venue. Mes Amis, is the most relaxed and civilized of the Wan Chai bars. Drinkers wanting a more raw experience should try Dusk Till Dawn. The staple venue of Lan Kwai Fong, Insomnia, creates an air of quality with its stonework and Florentine-style loggia, then promptly contradicts it with Filipina girl bands and relentless disco. Its newest rival, The Fong, a few doors down at is a far more chic bar-restaurant. Over in Kowloon, Rick’s Café, 4 Hart Avenue, has some of the longest queues on Saturday night, which must count for something.

Casinos in Hong Kong
Hong Kong does not have any casinos; instead they are all a 50-minute jetfoil ride away, in Macau, which is famous as a gambler’s paradise. Jetfoils run all night just to service the Chinese love of gambling. Passports are needed the for both trip and the casinos – the age limit is nominally 21 years – gambling in Macau is not a sport for the young or the faint hearted. Macau boasts nine casinos in all, with dress code ranging from smart casual to formal. The best casinos include the Hotel Lisboa and Casino, 2-4 Avenida de Lisboa, Macao City, the Mandarin Oriental Macao, Macao City, and the Hyatt Regency and Taipa Island Resort, 2 Estrat Almirante Amrquesa, and Taipa Island.

Clubs in Hong Kong
Hong Kong clubs are almost invariably cramped but the DJ action can be world-class. C Club, 30-32 Lan Kwai Fong, is currently the hottest joint in Central and certainly has the longest queues. Queen’s, 31 Queen’s Road, inside the Queen’s Theatre, has had a makeover to remove its former Q-shaped bar and clear the dance floor . JJ’s, in the Grand Hyatt Hotel, 1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, has a similar rep and crowd. Club Ing, 4F Renaissance Harbour View, 1 Harbour Road, is a very inconsistent glass and chrome hotel disco but its Thursday hip-hop ‘Ladies Night’ is a staple for ex-pat teens and the businessmen who love them.

 

Hong Kong Live Music
What passes for stadium rock in Hong Kong is usually found at the Hong Kong International Trade and Exhibition Centre (HITEC), 1 Trademart Drive, Kowloon Bay, or the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, 1 Expo Drive. Filipina live bands, from brilliant to unbearable, swarm across Hong Kong – Dusk Till Dawn, 76 Jaffe Road, has some of the best, while its strongest nearby competitor is The Wanch, 54 Jaffe Road. The Jazz Club, 34-36 D’Aguilar Street, plays far more than just trade and offers a more civilised ambience.

Other Hong Kong cultural mainstays are the major touring shows such as Les Miserables or Phantom of the Opera, international performers ranging from diva Dame Kiri Te Kanawa to rock star Sting, and the territory's own acclaimed orchestras and dance companies. Traditional Chinese opera and cultural shows are also popular.