Live Music
Hong Kong does not have the kind of jazz-, rock-, or blues-club scenes that many other cities do. On the other hand, live music is such a standard feature of many hotel cocktail lounges and bars, it would be hard not to hear live music in the SAR. A few places levy a cover charge, but most charge absolutely nothing.
Bars, lounges, and clubs offering live music most or every night of the week include All Night Long, Dada Bar + Lounge, Lobby Lounge (in the InterContinental Hong Kong), Ned Kelly's Last Stand, Salon de Ning, and Sticky Fingers, all in Kowloon; the Captain's Bar, the Cavern, Insomnia, Joyce Is Not Here Artists' Bar & Cafe, Peel Fresco Music Lounge, and Q88 Wine Bar, in Central; Rockschool and the Wanch in Wan Chai; and ToTT's and Roof Terrace in Causeway Bay.
Otherwise, the Fringe Club, 2 Lower Albert Rd., Central (tel. 852/2521 7251; www.hkfringeclub.com; MTR: Central), Hong Kong's best-known venue for alternative events, offers live music most Fridays and Saturdays from 10:30pm at its Fringe Gallery, including jazz, funk, classic rock, folk, Canto-pop, alternative, and blues, as well as other musical programs other days of the week. The cover for Friday and Saturday night music is usually HK$100 to HK$120 in advance (add HK$20-HK$30 the day of the show) and includes one drink. Note that atop the Fringe is an open-air bar, decked out with Astroturf and palm trees, serving weekend brunch for HK$99, a weekday vegetarian lunch for HK$90, tapas Monday to Saturday from 4pm, and happy hour Monday to Thursday from 3 to 9pm; it's open Monday to Thursday noon to midnight, and Friday and Saturday noon to 2am. Call for an updated listing, visit its website, or pick up the Fringe Club's monthly calendar.
Dance Clubs
With only a couple of exceptions, most dance clubs in Hong Kong are small, simple bars that morph into miniature discos late at night or on weekends, as well as trendy clubs that cater mostly to their in-crowd members but may occasionally allow nonmembers on slow nights. (The best plan of action to get into a membership club is to dress smartly, come on a weeknight or early in the evening, and be nice to the doorman.) But many clubs are "member" clubs in name only, giving them license to turn away those who don't fit their image. Discos and dance clubs in Hong Kong generally charge more on weekend nights, but the admission price usually includes one or two drinks. After that, beer and mixed drinks are often priced the same. Bars, whether with DJs or live music, only rarely charge cover.
Establishments listed here as bars & pubs that offer a dance floor or transform into a place people dance -- either to live bands or a DJ -- are: Aqua Spirit, Bahama Mama's, Delaney's, Salon de Ning, and Sticky Fingers in Kowloon; Al's Diner, The Cavern, Club 97, Dragon-i, FINDS, Insomnia, Propaganda, Red, Solas, Yumla, and Zinc in Central; Carnegies, Joe Bananas, and Rockschool in Wan Chai; and ToTT's and Roof Terrace in Causeway Bay.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
