Sri Lanka Nightlife

  Beachfront Restaurant
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  • Beachfront Restaurant
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  • A night out with the boys
      A night out with the boys
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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Bars, Karaoke bars, Night Clubs: Nightlife. What nightlife?

by richardlevett

Colombo doesn’t really have any nightlife (that is happening.) For single males there are the usual "male orientated nightlife activities" that is common in Asia (hostess bars and worse) but for women, couples and men seeking a good night out - especially dancing - just forget it.Seen some argument over this matter before so it is relevant to say I have clubbed in Bangkok, KL, Jakarta, Singapore, Vientanne and Indian cities and even little old Vientanne (capital of Laos) is far more exciting than Colombo.There are basically;- Karaoke bars: family type places (ok for a sing along) and the "brothel bars" types with hostesses. Pier 3 is listed as a nightclub BUT is extremely dodgy Tamil hostess bar. Beware of the tourist boards silly books that listed this as a nightclub!- Casinos – as I never gamble not bothered to look in one but they look expensive from the outside! Most are clustered...

Confifi Beach Hotel: Snake Charmer

by freya_heaven

As you can see, there are snakes being charmed out of baskets. I assume they have had their venom taken out or are drugged. I have recently been informed by a VTer who is a friend of the snake charmer cobras are not drugged or had their fangs taken out , its just that usually in the evening cobras are naturally docile and easier to handle.

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everywhere: Try some arak

by trisanna

Coconut Arak is the local alcoholic drink of Sri Lanka. You can drink it straight or have it in cocktails. In Kandy, i had a nice cocktail with coconut arak, pasionfruit juice, and soda water. Quite nice after a hard day of sightseeing. I recommend you picking up a bottle of coconut arak before you leave. We bought an extra two bottles for friends. They cost around 390 rps, about 4 usd each.

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Echelon Pub and Blue Elephant nightclub: Colombo

by call_me_rhia

How can I best describe this well-known Colombo Pub? Let's try fishing opinions off the net. Opinion 1: this can be a fun watering hole. Pool table and live music on weekends.Opinion 2: this is a colonial-style ''English'' pub. It has that convincing atmosphere. This ornate bar is where Colombo's night-time action can be found.What can I say, except: "oh, really?". Reality as I experienced it is quite different: a european couple in their 60ies, 6 British gals and guys busy getting drunk, 4 local lads of the upper class with a couple of body-guards and a score of whiskey bottles, two western men in their late 70ies and two badly dressed over-50 prostitutes. The Blue Elephant nightclub was just as boring as the pub, and with a similar cllientele, minus the old men and related prostitutes Smart casual - officially

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Ballys: Slave to the dollar

by curtis-star

If your in need of a free drink and cigarettes and your into gambling then it's well worth checking out one of Colombo's many casino spots. My favourite happens to be Bally's. The majority of the clientele here tend to be Chinese so don't go there with the expectation of bumping into some fellow Brits - cause you won't!I usually find the time flies here and being the night owl I am i end up catching first light down at the ocean front at Kinross beach. Makes for a pleasant night. casual

Oh no... karaoke!

by mafi_moya

The aural nightmare that is karaoke arrived in Sri Lanka pretty late and it's probably still at the height of it's popularity. There are karaoke bars pretty much everywhere and it's a common destination on a night out. There are two main types of places that I went to:First up there's the family places where kids and couples and grandparents come, have something to eat, and have a good old family sing-song. If they don't serve alcohol you can usually bring your own but some people do what I never thought was possible - sober karaoke. There's usually a mix of Sinhalese and Western music to sing along to. As the western music is often mostly Backstreet Boys and Celine Dion I'm quite pleased that the Sinhalese stuff is generally most popular!Then there's the late-night karaoke bars, open till the early hours and often for men-only. Here the singing is usually dominated by one or two drunks...

Put it all on red

by mafi_moya

An integral part of Sri Lankan nightlife, particularly in Colombo, is the casino. Sorry for the stereotype but Asians are generally tremendous gamblers and Sri Lankans are no exception. Rich Sri Lankans anyway, as poor ones won't get past the doormen. The casinos vary wildly from serious high-stakes glitzy halls to cheap, fun dives - some friendly, others a bit intimidating. Overall the casinos, often open 24 hours, are very fun places - somewhere I spent a considerable amount of night time (and money!) For more info see my Colombo pages

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Nights are for sleeping!

by mafi_moya

Sri Lanka isn't generally the liveliest country in the world. If it's 24 hour beach parties you're after or wild hedonistic raves then it's probably not the place to come. But things are changing.Two decades of war and curfews have meant a generation of Sri Lankans got used to going to bed early and staying at home. But the peace process has meant more people are venturing out at night, and more places are opening for them to go. Colombo obviously has the greatest choice in terms of nightlife and there are now all night casinos, nightclubs open until 6am, even coffee shops on Galle Road open until the early hours of the morning. New bars are opening with increasing regularity, although most nightclubs are still connected to large hotels. It's not exactly the most happening place in Asia but it is getting better.

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Blue Water hotel: What Night Life

by Lucy-

I am afraid that if you are after night life then i am afraid Sri Lanka is not for you. We amused ourself in the bar most nights and playing pool! My dad went to a so called night club once that only had 4 people in so I didnt bother!A few nights the hotel put on traditional dancers or crab races but that was it. Usually we dragged dinner in the restaurant on as long as possible! which was OK as the food was great! The restaurant does have one policy that men must wear long trousers for dinner but there was no code for the women.

Kandy Fire Walkers: Fire Walkers

by freya_heaven

After the Kandy Dance show, we all moved to an outdoor area, next to the theatre. Here we saw impressive firewalking. I understand in theory why they do not get burnt feet, But I still find it hard to believe firewalking does not hurt!

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Nightclubs and bars in Sri Lanka

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Nightlife: Cities in Sri Lanka
  1. Colombo Nightlife
  2. Kandy Nightlife
  3. Negombo Nightlife
  4. Nuwara Eliya Nightlife
  5. Hikkaduwa Nightlife
  6. Galle Nightlife
  7. Unawatuna Nightlife
  8. Polonnaruwa Nightlife
  9. Beruwala Nightlife
  10. Mirissa South Nightlife
  11. Wadduwa Nightlife
  12. Kalutara Nightlife
  13. Badulla Nightlife
  14. Matara Nightlife

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Popular Regions in Sri Lanka

Western Province Nightlife  Southern Province Nightlife  Central Province Nightlife  North Central Province Nightlife  North Eastern Province Nightlife  Province of Uva Nightlife  Province of Sabaragamuwa Nightlife  North Western Province Nightlife 

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Questions and Answers

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Q:  Thinking of traveling to Sri Lanka in the end of March for 3 weeks. I will go with my 6 yr old. Will take Medical precoushns bu... 

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A: Any special reasons why you want to stay in Colombo for 3 days. Everywhere in Sri Lanka is child friendly, but as you want to end up in Trinco (and spend part of your... 

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