Mons Nightlife

Hey, this is new and I like it! A Moroccan teahouse and chicha place! Original, especially for Mons! The interior, staff and music are Moroccan so no problem imagining yourself in this place of the world. On the menu: mint tea (which is delicious), coffee and all sort of juices. No alcohol of course. If you're into it, you can smoke a chicha with apple, strawberry or some other flavours. Mint tea for two costs 4,50 euro and a chicha 7 euro. Not expensive. Great place to spend some quality time with friends!

The Cubar is a nice place to start your evening. As the name tells you, the place has a lot of links with Cuba and wants to bring some Cuban atmosphere in Mons. It's situated in a cellar. The interior is quite nice (photo of Che, publicity for Bodeguita del Medio, salsa music, ...), but the plastic benches are ruining it a bit. On the menu: cocktails, rum, cigars, ... A bit expensive and the quality of the cocktails are average.

The TamTam is an exotic cocktailbar not far from the Grand'Place. The cocktails are delicious, though somewhat expensive. Watch out for the happy hours to get a cocktail for free!
The TamTam is a nice place to start or end an evening with friends. Calm, relaxed atmosphere.

You know how you get into the cellar of Chin Chin, but God knows how you'll get out of it!
Once you entered this old, medieval pub and once you tasted the liquor with the same name as the café, you are ready for one hell of a night!
Be careful when entering the cellar, some steep steps. Very cosy atmosphere, but very smoky.

" Le Chin Chin" is especially crowdy during the Doudou festivities (see local customs)

If you like Irish pubs, you'll surely like this one ! Nicely decorated with a round counter in the middle of the room. Often crowded, but a side room with benches and two tables is at your disposal if you want to avoid the crowd for a while...
Be sure to order snakebites, the specialty of the house ;-) This beverage is made of beer, cider and grenadine... 4 euros for a pint, and 2,50 for a small one. Too good :-))

Dress Code: No dress code required

This was a place where I used to hang around a lot when I wanted to escape from the university area. I usually went tho this India film complex to find some loneliness.

My University years there were the first time I lived with strangers in a campus pavillion. At some time, I always needed to escape the exciting and lively communautarian life and immerse in my lifestyle in Brussels: a bit of shopping (or at least, window-shopping), walking around the center, browsing bookshops and Indie films to end with.

Be it for French films, Dogma films, Japanese tales, Ken Loach works, British films (The famous "East is East"), you can expect some interesting selection there. The selection comprehends lots of Indie films of the preceding months (6-10 months)... or even ones from preceeding season.

Dress Code: Presentation (French)
http://www.mons.be/mons.asp?GUID={E710BCD6-22D8-11D8-9AF8-0002A58CB319}

Program:
http://www.cinebel.be/fr/cine.asp?count=103

Fax: 065/84.52.84

When I first hit K.Fee in 2000, it just opened. Friends brought me there after an Opera evening. I was still in my Opera mood, impressed by the quality music that filled my ears and being. Then, I landed in another musical place. Another live music place, a man played piano whilst audience enjoyed the moment.

If I recall it well, it was (and should still be) a cosy place to hang around, with friends appreciating good music.

It is a place dedicated to culture with cabaret nights (live music), jazz concerts, theater (they say) and Latino nights (lessons and perf shows).

Apart from that, you can also go there, just to here some live music with your drinks. It's a cabaret style. You listen, you can laugh, clap your hand, sing along. As far as I know, it is the only place in Mons to epxerience live music this way. "Soirées K.baret": on last Thursdays of each month, from 8.30 pm

For concerts program, check hereafter link:
http://users.skynet.be/monsculture/program.htm

Anyways, before coming, it may be useful to call them to know about the program of the day. I ensure you, even without music, the place is inviting and your bunch will have a good time.

Also, for Latino dance lessons (tango, salsa...), I advise you to call them or browse the website. Lessons on Wednesdays and Sundays at 7pm. Parties on first Sundays of each month. You have to book at 0900-10 115 or via kfee@skynet.be

Check here to see the setting (then click on the thumbnails to browse the website, in French only):
http://users.skynet.be/monsculture/kfee.htm

Dress Code: "No rotten jeans".. doesn't it make sense ? :-P

Well, usual formula for cabaret is about either stillettos + garter belts either smoking + ball gowns. Here, it's rather casual cabaret evenings.

If you happen to be an exchange student who stays at Fucam university, you would likely to attend those "soirees pavillon".

Basically, those are parties organised by pavillon inhabitants. At Fucam, freshmen who wants to live in the campus use to be "parked" in what we call the "tours" or "peda". Those are tall buildings that could bear 25 rooms per storey and there were about 4 storeys in both Peda garcons (for guys) and Peda filles (for girls). In each storey, a big kitchen. Thank God, I've never inhabitated the tours. Too ugly !

Once you pass 1st year, you can choose between "pedas" and "pavillons". Pavillons are buldings with 10-12 rooms, with a kitchen and a lounge (and a small mezzanine if one manages to arrange things. There were 7 pavillons, some for boys, other for girls. First pavillon I lived in was a boy pavillion, very hectic.

Once in a while, throughout the year, inhabitants of one or two host-pavillons invited the others to party. In that case, everybody contributed: the Spanish Erasmus people made sangria , Belgians brought packs of beer :), Djs are most of times Black (some African nationalities there). Arabic music (rai) managed to sneak in the program. Indeed, very international, a lot more international than the usual Tuesday phrat parties. [Side notice: Maybe a reason to that: Erasmus exchange students use to be housed in pavillions. Also, one doesn't need to be member of phrat clubs to join in. Most of times, "Erasmus students" are not members of phrats, neither "Gradues" . Gradues are students who obtained a 3-year-degree (graduat) before joining Fucam. Gradues integrate Fucam at 3rd year. They have special program for having missed some lessons, those they haven't had at 1 & 2nd years. So, no time for joining phrats. ]

Dress Code: Pavillon parties used to be hosted in our dining-rooms, the kitchen was requisitioned as a bar. The mezzanine is where CDs were piling up, where the mixing table (sometimes) and DJs played...

Those were the times yours truly was the life and soul of pavillon parties. Improvising belly dance, taught by a Moroccan friend. Those were the times one just danced like nobody was watching. OK.. I was thinner back then :) and in fact, everybody was watching each other. My bunch watched the other bunches, we just mixed up.. having fun.

Soirees pavillon are parties organised as phrat parties. Still, we organized them because we, as non-phrat students, couldn't get into phrat parties. Unlike phrat parties, we invited whoever wanted to join in. Big fun... Even non-Fucam students went to our parties. Some Fucam-PHDers attended too.

Yep! Those were the times....

No dress code, and given the amount of liquid poured in, you'd spare your smoking pants and ball gown. Well, even rotten jeans would fit in. Sneakers are OK. OK, just don't tell pavillons-people that I advised you not to wash yourself. I hadn't said that !!!! :)