Nightlife | Abr-ossip Girl

As an American student studying abroad, I had to evaluate multiple factors before deciding on Barcelona above any other European city to live for three months of my life. Besides the rich cultural experience I pitched to my parents and advisors, one outstanding factor put Barcelona way above all the rest. All my friends who had previously studied here came home with one definitive word that was unanimously “inexplicable:” nightlife. The nightlife in Barcelona is world renowned and I can now say with confidence that it is rightfully so that Barcelona claims the title of “best nightlife” of any city. Several factors differentiate the nightlife here from any I have seen in the world (saying a lot coming from Miami myself). First of all, the hours and scheduling. In Barcelona, my friends and I typically do not go out before the hours of 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. This is ideal, because in America, where we go out by 10:00 p.m., you often choose not to go out if you have had a tiring or busy day, because you are not allotted any time where you could nap, get ready, and mentally prepare for the night. Furthermore, if you nap prior, you can stay out until later without tiring. Second, specific days have specific clubs designated to that day, which makes narrowing down the “place to be” very easy. For example, George Payne’s for football and beer on Sundays and Suite 191 for the musical stylings of Dj Papis on Wednesdays. The night is guaranteed to be packed with people to socialize with and drink specials to boot. Next, the musical stylings. As the electronic and house music genres have begun to massively grow in popularity in the states, the excitement and utter amazement at the music in Barcelona is simply unbelievable for Americans to set their ears on. The Dj’s are nothing less than phenomenal in every club in Barcelona and it is impossible not to dance the entire night away any night here. Furthermore, it is very commonplace for clubs here to regularly schedule appearances by world famous Dj’s like Afrojack, David Guetta or Avicii. Its truly a dream come true to have these options available every night of your life for three months. The music that is standard any night here would be the most exceptional night in America. People here appreciate the diversity and talent required to produce such magnificent sounds, and the music is appreciated without enhancement by drugs or alcohol as well here. Next, the aesthetic design of each club. Every club in Barcelona is a magnificent sight for the eyes. The architectural set up designates specific areas to dancing, smoking and socializing, or watching the DJ from afar. The clubs are beautiful, spacious, and intricate. Magnificent LED and neon lights drape the entirety of the clubs, with chains on the walls or fountains in the middle of the clubs. Furthermore, impersonators like Edward Scissorhands or Dani Vi with his electric neon violin or incredible dancers painting the stage or the man wearing the transformers-esque light up suit robot-ing through the crowd are nightly occurrences. The eyes are always pleased every night and you simply can’t believe that this is a regular occurrence in your life. Next, the people. Everyone in the Barcelona clubs are beautiful and outgoing, and seem to love every second of being there. They dance and drink and socialize and make you feel at home. I cannot not mention the alcohol situation. Typically, promoters have some sort of all you can drink special before certain hours for a certain price, or free champagne for ladies. One quality that cannot be ignored is the amount of alcohol you get for your buck. In America, a red bull vodka might have 2 shots maximum in the drink. In Barcelona, you are given half a glass of vodka, with a red bull on the side. 12$ for about seven shots is nothing to be distraught about. The nightlife in Barcelona is difficult to describe in words. But the consensus between my friends and I seems to be that every night of our life is the best night of our life. The music will keep you dancing and the visuals make you unable to tear your eyes away. When friends are visiting from other countries, they simply cannot believe what we have at our disposal. Two months later I now can offer my insight on some of the best clubs here. First of all, the clubs can be divided into districts, so wherever you are staying you have something that you can do until the sun comes up. The club scene here is much bigger than the smaller bar scene in America, so you better be ready to go hard every night of the week, as their is ALWAYS something going on. El Born district boasts Cat Bar, one of my favorites, a guaranteed good time. Raval is home to 7sins lounge, with a basement dance floor that is a great spot to pre-game the night. My favorite area by far is Port Olimpic. CDLC is a must see for out of towners, I saw Paris Hilton there last week! Shoko is perfect for Friday nights for the first half off the night. The red fountain-walls and outdoor VIP section always make for an amazing night. The music ad dance performers are standard there. Opium Mar defines saturday nights. It doesn’t get more definitely Barcelona than here. The club is large with a large dance-floor and great music. The outside deck is also large, a great place to take a breather or talk to your friends. The multiple bars make access to drinks easy and the music is always great. The VIP section boasts its own bar as well. The Ice Bar is a cool sight for tourists to see. Everything including the furniture and the glasses are made of ice. The bar is held at a temperature of sub-zero and coats are provided to guests to keep warm. Also, if you aren’t in the mood to dress up and battle the lines, there are multiple chiringuitos near the beach, a slurry of smaller beach bars where you can get instant access and a more low key night. Other cool places include Chupitos, a shot bar that boasts flaming shots and a list of hundreds to choose from (try the monica lewinski for a real sight to see). At Sutton Club, girls dress like movie stars and the people seem to be outstandingly beautiful here. Otto Zuts has some of the best music in Barcelona and a cool multilevel vibe. Razzmatazz is a must see for out of towners/ Five stories of all different genres of music packed with THOUSANDS of people. The bar and pub scene is much smaller. Dow Jones is a cool bar where prices of drinks change with demand, and every so often the “market crashes” and drinks are near nothing. Obama bar has a karaoke hour, and George Payne karaoke/football Sundays are a favorite. Go to any local bar, and you’ll have a good time sipping Barcelona beer or sangria brewed in house. The nightlife in Barcelona is difficult to describe unless you’ve seen it yourself. My friends and I go out at least four times a week, and simply cannot stop. Every night is different from the one before it, and the music and aesthetics of the club are enough to fuel stories for hours to tell at home. The nightlife is much different than in America, and sometimes its too much to handle. Barcelona boasts the coolest clubs I have ever laid eyes on and every night is unforgettable. If you love music, having fun, partying, and socializing, Barcelona nightlife cannot be avoided. It is truly a breed of its own.