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Nightlife & the Arts in Vancouver

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Vancouver Nightlife

Vancouver may not be known as party town central, but there's lots to do if you want to go out at night. Options for having a drink range from comfortable neighborhood bars with draft beer to upscale wine bars or funky hotel bars, and if you're looking to dance, there are choices in several parts of town. The city also continues to churn out great local musical talent: check the local papers for whose playing. You never know if you're going to catch the next big band.

The legal drinking age in British Columbia is 19, and you'll need two pieces of ID to prove it. Some upscale clubs ask that patrons be at least 23. A bylaw bans smoking indoors in all public places in Vancouver, including pubs, bars, and dance clubs. The pubs listed here are good places for casual meals. Many have both an adults-only pub and a separate restaurant section where kids are welcome.

The city's gay community is centered in two distinctive neighborhoods: the West End (www.davievillagebia.com), with its flashy bars and flamboyant shops on Davie Street, and the thriving lesbian community of Commercial Drive (www.thedrive.com), where authentic Italian cafés, Greek delis, and chill restaurants set the come-as-you-are vibe.

Hours

Don't expect New York City hours on a night out in Vancouver. Indeed, while the city's bars, pubs, and lounges are usually open seven nights a week, they do close at a respectable 1 AM. Dance clubs get lively at about 10 PM and, depending on the Vancouver Police Department's ever-changing regulations, stay open until 3 AM on weekends; many are closed on Sunday and Monday.

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