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Singapore’s late-night options have expanded in recent years to include more highbrow lounges with million-dollar views, mixologists shaking up the trendiest ingredients, and bars tapping into some of the beers from all over. After work, professionals and expats typically congregate at watering holes on Club Street and pubs in Boat Quay, as well as at some of the cocktail bars that have been popping up around Chinatown and Haji Lane.
Nightclubs featuring electronic dance music have a massive following here, and that's been true since the opening of Zouk, back in 1996. Additional clubs can be found around Clarke Quay and throughout the CBD.
First-time visitors should be prepared for the exorbitantly expensive prices that clubs charge. Beer guzzlers on a budget are best off sipping on a few at the hawker centers, one of the only places to find reasonable rates.
Be aware that although the once-bawdy Bugis Street has been sanitized, a seedy underworld still exists elsewhere in town. Red-light districts, which are mostly found in parts of Geylang, have buildings that really are lit by red lanterns. Soliciting for prostitution is illegal, but the deed itself isn't; it's actually tolerated, monitored, and contained, with most prostitutes registered and subject to regular medical checks. If karaoke is what you seek, keep in mind that it is common for "KTV" lounges to be a cover for prostitution.
This five-floor film, food, and bar complex is part of a cluster of trendy shophouse bars and restaurants. A lounge area takes up the basement and first floor, but the biggest draw is on the third floor, where there's a small, funky theater with its own bar. Classic films from around the world are shown, and menus are created to match the theme. (The film schedule is online, and reservations can be made via email or phone.) The rooftop bar attracts a cool after-work crowd.
The Chinese Theatre Circle (CTC) is a nonprofit organization that's been cultivating an appreciation of Cantonese opera since 1981. Check out one of their dinner performances every Friday and Saturday night from 7 to 9 pm and gain some insight into this particular art form (translations are provided). For S$40, you can dine on a set Chinese dinner with special-brewed tea while you watch, or for S$25 you can simply sit back and enjoy the show. There are daily karaoke singing concerts held in the afternoons, as well. The Theatre Circle is set up along a stretch of Smith Street that transforms into a pedestrian zone nightly and brings to mind the hustle and bustle of the street hawkers from the 1970s.
