Singapore - Nightlife

Dance on the tables until the wee hours around Boat Quay or enjoy a cold beer in a Peranakan shophouse bar in Emerald Hill.

Take in waterfront views as you party on the banks of the Singapore River. The renovated warehouses of Clarke Quay are now home to stylish themed nightspots. For a more casual night out, try the lively bars housed in 19th-century shop-houses at Boat Quay.

Nightbirds come to the small street of Emerald Hill Road, off Orchard Road, more for the cold beer than loud music. A string of restored Peranakan shop-houses make cosy venues where you don't have to wear designer togs to get in.

St James Power Station is a vast space on the Harbourfront encompassing nine venues. Indecisive music-lovers use their ticket to hop between live bands, Middle Eastern singers or hardcore dance music all in one night. Just across the water, Sentosa Island is home to Ibiza-style beach bars.

Drinks are expensive so most people make the most of a 2-4-1 happy hour, usually somewhere between 5pm and 9pm. Many of the top hotels have decent bars and clubs, frequented by non-guests.

Browse the backstreets of Chinatown to On a Little Street in Singapore by the inimitable Manhattan Transfer.