Light up Lantern
Beijing weekends seldom fall short of epic standards due to a good party crowd and an array of locations to choose from. Luckily, the “posse” i am with this semester is comprised of diverse nationalities all born to be nocturnal, relentless creatures of the night. Your party crowd/comrades will definitely affect your Beijing nightlife experience and it also depends on each persons preferred genre of music. If you haven’t noticed yet, I’m not a great fan of mainstream pop or hiphop though, i shamefully know most lyrics from hearing the same singles being played like a broken record, in the past 2 years.
They are still playing Black Eyed Peas “I gotta feeling” and all i can say is: no.
Beijing has a variety of club venues which usually have more than one dance floor to cater to electro and hiphop lovers. However, it is still quite mainstream and crowded. The classic examples are: Vics and Mix (notice the rhyming scheme eh? ) which are opposite each other at: Worker’s stadium, North gate - Gong Ti Bei Men (mer) 工体北门
Both clubs require entrance fees which range from 50-90RMB. The lowest price for a typical mixer is 40RMB. If you feel like being extravagant, you can book a table for 1000RMB which includes Grey Goose or Smirnoff Vodka with chasers, shisha and even a random fruit platter.
Now, time for my favourite: Club Lantern
Free entrance, Free coat/bag check except for special events. Music: House, techno minimal.
Lantern is located at the Worker’s Stadium West gate - Gong Ti Xi men (mer) 工体西门. If you happen to be around Vics or Mix and are up for a walk, you can walk in the opposite direction of Sanlitun (bar district) and turn left once you reach the end of the block. If you’re terrible with directions jump into a pedi-cab with a couple friends and negotiate a 15-20RMB ride, no higher or they’ll be ripping you off. Some taxi drivers will charge less if you’re lucky but are usually reluctant to travel such a short distance.
You will be able to identify the club from the gleaming, white light box exterior with this logo:
This underground club/lounge has a fantastic sound system and bass which almost goes right through your chest. Its high ceilings and long interior feels like a safe hideout and the spacious dance floor gives you comfort knowing you have an escape route, if you have a grease bag attempting to grind on you. The best time to head over to Lantern is around 1am onwards. I would also recommend pre-drinking before heading over as the drinks list is quite pricey with mixers starting at 50RMB and beer ranging from 20-30RMB.
