By: Shazanah

Boatquay Nightlife in Neon

Put together an authoritarian government, repressed people, a highly competitive, capitalistic system, lots of money and what do you get? Oddly enough, a vibrant and exciting nightlife, as is the case in Singapore.

On any given night in Singapore, the streets of Clarke Quay, an area that begins from the financial district (Boat Quay) and lands somewhere in ghetto housing (Robertson Quay), are filled with people indulging in booze. For a first time visitor to the city, this would be a good bet for a good time. The efficient public transport makes getting there simple and the combination of yuppies sipping wine in upscale bars and poor students drinking out of bottles on the bridges is quite pleasant for the contrast connoisseur.

Singapore Nightlife Itinerary for the Thirsty:

In fact, one could even spend a whole drunken day in Clarke Quay. A sample itinerary that I would recommend would be:

Brewerkz, a haven for beer lovers

Start at 1pm at Brewerkz, a small microbrewery that sells tasty beer for cheap in the afternoons. Beers at half-price from 12pm – 3pm | Beer of the week: $1 off before 6pm & $2 off after 6pm!

Brewerkz Riverside Point
30 Merchant Road #01-05/06 Riverside Point
Tel: (65) 6438 7438

Continue onwards to Central Mall or Liang Court for delicious Japanese eats. When evening falls, you’d want to check out Home Club for some live music and $5 glasses of Asahi.

Home Club
20 Upper Circular Road, #B1-01/06
The Riverwalk
Tel: (65) 6538 2928 (1pm onwards)

Zirca, part circus, part club

As the party atmosphere deepens, Zirca would be the club to dance at. It’s called Megaclub for a reason and the visual entertainment provided by acrobats and performers makes this place part club, part circus.

Zirca
Blk C The Cannery, River Valley Road
#01-02 to 05 & #02-01 to 08
Clarke Quay
Tel: (65) 6305 6768 (Mon to Sat, 11am to 7pm)

And there’s nothing like capping off the night, high above the city at Helipad, a club hidden at the top of Central Mall. In land-scarce Singapore, where density is 6,500 people per square kilometre and high-rise buildings dominate the skyline, those in need of a tipple are scaling new heights to rooftop bars.

Helipad packed with people, By: REUTERS/Candida Ng

Helipad
#05-22 The Central,
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
Tel: (65) 6327 8118 (Mon to Fri, 12pm to 6pm).

After recovering from your inevitable hangover, head back to Public House at Boat Quay for some quiet ales and intelligent conversation. The owner is a magician and a mentalist who might give you a show if you’re lucky.

Public House
42 Circular Road,
Singapore 049398
Tel: (65) 6533 3545

1Altitude, the World’s Highest Alfresco BarAnother lovely place in the area is 1 Altitude. Located at 1 Raffles Place, it offers a magnificent view of the city and, unlike the New Asia Bar, the service staff are polite and competent.

1Altitude, the World's Highest Alfresco Bar

1 Altitude
1 Raffles Place
Singapore 048616
Tel: (65) 6438 0410

For those who would like to go off the beaten track, though, there are some bizarre nooks and crannies that offer a somewhat different experience. Orchard Towers, a place that has earned the deft nickname ‘Four Floors of Whores’, is exactly what it says on the tin. Catch some live covers of pop music with choreographed dance by scantily clad Thais at Naughty Girl.

Naughty Girl, 'Where naughty is nice'...

Naughty Girl
#02-46 Orchard Towers
400 Orchard Road
Tel: (65) 6732 5925

Thai Disco (actually called Thai Disco), at Golden Mile Complex, also offers this but turned up a notch or two. At the fringes of Little India, there is Club Giorgio, which is an analogue of this geared towards a female audience. In this ‘host club’, scantily clad Thai men sing and dance for garlands from women. A refreshing inversion, indeed.

Thai Disco

5001 Beach Road #02-85/92
Golden Mile Complex
Tel : (65) 6295 1611

Club Giorgio
217 Lavender Street
Tel: (65)6745 9555

Zouk, Industrial warehouse club

For those who would like to follow the heavily beaten path, Zouk and Butter Factory offer consistently good dance music and bring in great international DJs on a regular basis resulting in massive crowds and zero space for movement almost every night of the week.

Zouk
17 Jiak Kim Street
Tel: (65) 6738 2988

Ladies Night at The Butter Factory

Zouk is an industrial club, while Butter Factory is more of a Hip hop and RnB dance club.

Butter Factory
1 Fullerton Road,
#02-02/03/04
Tel: (65) 6333 8243

Oh the nauseating amount of fun you’ll have!