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Panama City's after-dark offerings range from a quiet drink on historic Plaza Bolívar to dancing until dawn at one of the clubs on Calle Uruguay, with plenty of options in between. Although there are bars everywhere, nightlife is concentrated in Casco Viejo, El Cangrejo, and Calle Uruguay, though there are also a few options in the Area Bancária and Punta Paitilla.
Casco Viejo is the city’s nightlife epicenter, with a variety of bars and clubs that rock into the wee hours on weekends. The Calzada de Amador is the place to head for a quiet drink with lovely ocean views. The streets around Calle Uruguay are packed on weekends, when a predominantly young crowd fills its bars and dance clubs. There are also a few night spots in El Cangrejo and Punta Paitilla, where a couple of hotel bars have amazing views.
The nicest casinos are in, or next to, the city's big hotels, namely the Panama Marriott, Veneto, Trump Ocean Club, and El Panamá, and often have excellent bands performing Latin music in their bars.
The city's dance clubs play a broad mix of music that includes pop, salsa, reggaetón, and house music. Cover charges run between $5 and $10, and sometimes include a drink.
There are also strip clubs, locally called "nightclubs," scattered between the Area Bancária and El Cangrejo, which have traditionally catered to business travelers, but are becoming a bit of a tourist attraction in their own right. Prostitution is legal in Panama, but streetwalking is not, so representatives of the world's oldest profession gather at a few of its bars and casinos.
One of Panama's hottest dance clubs, Altabar has DJs from Wednesday to Saturday and a sleek decor of white sofas and a black tile floor. There's a mezzanine for those who prefer to watch the bodies moving to the techno beat from a safe distance.
This spacious dance hall (formerly known as Habana Panamá) hosts a variety of DJs, live music, and musical styles, from rap to salsa to electronica. They also screen sports events, so call or check their Facebook page to find out what's happening. Musical groups and DJs perform on a large stage at the end of a long dance floor lined with plush booths, at the opposite end of which is a massive bar stocked with a wide variety of alcoholic refreshments.
Platea may not have much of a dance floor, but the club—which is open only on Friday and Saturday nights—books hot salsa bands and is packed most Friday nights, when people dance in the aisles or wherever else there's room. The bartenders and waiters, dressed in black with Panama hats, are part of the show, as they dance while delivering mojitos and Cuba libres. On Saturday, Latin jazz, rock, and other types of live music are featured, so call ahead.
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