Brazilian Clubs

Let's Go Clubbing!

 

I wanted to take a moment to write a bit about the club scene in Brazil.  We didn't really do a lot of clubbing in other cities here in Brazil other than one club in Salvador, one club in Belo Horizonte and a few bars here and there in other cities.  Rio was the first place we really went out and did a lot of clubbing in Brazil.  Having Chris there was certainly a factor.  It's always nice to go out with a group of friends and Chris is great fun to go out with.  He and I actually went out more together than I did with Sean or Marcin, so I guess you could call us the experts on where to go and what to skip.  Normally, I think I've reached a point in my "old age" where it's hard for clubs to maintain my interest.  I'm more a bar type of guy.  Give me a few beers, some chill music and a nice crowd and I'm happy.  Clubs are great here and there, but I'm finding more and more that I'm getting over the scene.  The fact that I don't do any party drugs is one factor; it's hard to have fun when everyone around you is in a completely different world created by what I like to refer to as the alphabet drugs.  Nevertheless, there's always beer and with a few (or ten) of those, I can have just as much fun in a club as the next guy... as long as the music is good.  If not, the club better have a darkroom if they ever want me to come back. 

 

Rio de Janiero

Rio has a decent club scene, although certain places seem to be crowded with tourists.  Rio, like most of Brazil, is also more about street parties.  Why spend $15-20 on cover and $3 on beers when you can buy $1.50 beers from street vendors and just party outside?  The clubs are still worth checking out; you just have to be prepared and know what to expect.  We checked out a few of the more popular places while we were there, both before and after Carnival and here is what we observed. 

 

Le Boy

Our most frequented club in Rio and the only one open every night of the week, Le Boy, located in Copacabana, had decent music and reasonable drink prices.  It was usually R$25 to get in, which is a little more than $10 USD and their drink prices were pretty standard for a club in Brazil: R$5 for a beer, R$12 for a caiparinha.  There is a small bar and lounge area when you first walk in and a small room with a dance floor off to the side on the first floor.  The main dance floor is downstairs and has one of the most extensive laser light systems and the largest disco ball I've ever seen.  They have a small stage fronting the dance floor and we actually had a chance to see a drag show on one of the nights we were there.  It was nothing compared to the shows in Santiago, but there was one performer who really stood out; she really knew how to shake her ass!  Le Boy also has a dark room, which is a small area above the stage with stairs leading to it on either side of the dance floor.  The interesting thing about Le Boy is that you cannot smoke inside until after about 2:00 a.m.  Don't ask me why, but before that time, they make you go out to a small alley way between the club and the building next door, which is a small bar they also own.  Le Boy also has a sauna, accessible from inside the club and they offer discounts on entry for club patrons.  Finally, they have another bar on the same block called Le Girl, which is obviously for Lesbians.  We didn't check that one out for obvious reasons. 

 

Bofetada

Our most frequented bar in Rio and one of the most popular for just standing on the street and drinking.  This place is located in the heart of Ipanema on the same street that leads to the gay section of the beach.  It's actually a full service restaurant and is busy most nights, but rather than ordering food, most people just stand around drinking on the sidewalk in front of the bar since the small outdoor seating area only has about five tables.  They also have club/dance music playing, which can be heard from a block away.  During busy times, they actually have a keg set up outside and sell beer to people on the street, but if you're smart, you'll just buy your beer from one of the street vendors that linger around and will sell it to you for half of what the bar is charging.  This is a good place to meet people and everyone is pretty friendly.  A lot of guys seem to pre-party here, but on weekday nights, this is just where they hang out for a few drinks.  It can get pretty crowded and one night, there was a street party going on and the whole block was closed off.  Definitely worth checking out on a night you don't want the expense or hassle of a club. 

 

The Week - Rio

This is Barbie Land.  Sean or I may have mentioned it before, but Barbies is the term most commonly used in Rio to describe what gay guys back home call Muscle Mary's.  And Rio is FULL of them.  The Barbies are usually more attractive than the guys back home, but they are still just pumped up, drugged up bodies with no personality to go along with them, so they end up just taking up too much space with all their muscles.  Their sole purpose in life is to look their best, whether it's hanging on the beach of partying in the club.  The gay section of the beach in Ipanema is full of them, and while some can be nice to look at, it can get a bit annoying after a while.  Sometimes, you just want to be surrounded by normal people, and there is such a thing as "too much".  Anyway, The Week International is a franchise in Brazil and has locations in Rio, São Paulo and Florianopolis.  They are known as the most upscale nightclub with valet parking, international DJ's, extensive VIP areas, etc.  Again, for those of you familiar with San Diego clubs, think On Broadway, but full of cracked out magazine models.  I was expecting much more out of this place since it's known as THE place to be on Saturday nights.  In fact, I don't know if they are open any other night of the week.  The club however, was essentially one big rectangular room with a long bar on each side.  They had VIP sections upstairs overlooking the dance floor, but from what we could see, no one was up there.  They also had a smaller room to one side which looked like a private room judging by the security guard standing outside the door, but you could see inside and no one was in there the entire night.  The music was good, not the best given the international DJ line up, but I could at least dance to it.  The sound system was great, although all the speakers were at the front of the room next to and above the DJ booth, which was set up on a stage above the dance floor.  This was where all the Barbies danced.  The Week also has the most staff of any club I've ever seen.  They have at least four different lines to get in: one for regular entry, one for members or those with passes, one for VIP, and who knows what the other one was for.  It was only R$45 to get in, which is not too bad, and the drinks were only a little more expensive the most places, but not the most expensive club we've been to.  Each entry line had at least five or six people checking ID and giving out cards, which were used to order your drinks and such.  Then there were tons of security, even guards posted at each bathroom, obviously keeping an eye out for drugs, sex, etc.  There was no darkroom, which was a big disappointment for me in the sense that, at least if I can't have fun with the crowd, I can get a little action to keep my entertained. 

 

Galeria

Expensive and tiny, yet supposedly one of the most popular.  The first time we tried to check this place out, it was so crowded they had reached capacity and were only letting people in as others left.  There was no point in waiting around given the line, so we ended up at Le Boy.  Chris and I, curious to check out a club where people stood in line waiting to get in, decided to check it out another night and were completely confused as to why anyone would even bother.  For those of you familiar with San Diego bars, this place was smaller than Flicks... much smaller.  There was a small upstairs area overlooking the dance floor and where the cashier was also located, but the ceiling was so low, I was able to touch it with my head just by standing on my tippy toes.  There was enough room upstairs for about 20 people max.  Downstairs, you may be able to squeeze 100 people in, but they wouldn't be able to move around much.  The music sucked, big time.  I don't even know how to describe it other than unrecognizable 80's music that was never even popular.  Perhaps it was just the DJ or the night, but I certainly wouldn't take a chance on it again, especially given the cover charge.  The drinks were also very expensive compared to other places.  I have no idea why this place is popular.  Yes, it's in Ipanema, but there are so many other places to go if you want to have a good time. 

 

São Paulo

Think of Sao Paulo as the New York or Miami of South America.  This is where the real partying and clubbing begins and ends.  It can be a little expensive going out since most places charge a cover of about R$45, which is about $20 USD, and you usually have to take a taxi to get back and forth from the club.  Drinks are not so bad if you stick to beer, but with any other kind of alcohol, things start to add up pretty quickly.  The Consolacão neighborhood, which is where our hotel was located, is a great central area for clubbing since it's more in the center of the city and the clubs are somewhat spread out, as opposed to all being in the same neighborhood.  I already mentioned two of the clubs in Sao Paulo that Marcin and I checked out when we were there during Carnival, one of which I went back to on my birthday with Sean and Chris.  A Loca and Blue Space are both great clubs and definitely worth checking out. 

 

BuBu Lounge

The Friday night spot.  We took a taxi to BuBu the first Friday we returned to São Paulo.  The club was pretty large, with a large lounge and sitting area when you first walk in, a main dance floor on the first floor with balconies overlooking it on three sides, plus another decent-sized dance floor in a room upstairs.  The music was pretty good on the night we went and the crowd was pretty nice as well.  Very mixed as far as age, but fewer Barbies, although most people still seemed to be on one party drug or another.  The guys were much friendlier and it was easier to meet people, or at least find someone to dance with or make out with, compared to other clubs.  Sean didn't stay very long the night we went, but Chris and I stayed for a while and had a great time.

 

The Week - São Paulo

The Saturday night staple.  Since we weren't so impressed with The Week in Rio, we had to check out the São Paulo version since it's supposed to be bigger and better.  São Paulo is the original location and also the largest nightclub in South America.  It was definitely the largest nightclub I've ever been in.  Like it's Rio counterpart, there were at least four different entry lines and dozens of staff just to manage the hoards of people coming in.  The lines were pretty quick though so I have to give them credit for pushing people through.  When you first walk in, there is a huge outdoor area with a couple of bars, seating areas, and even a pool (yes, there was a pool in the nightclub).  This area alone is larger than most nightclubs, but was only the beginning of The Week in São Paulo.  Adjacent to the outdoor area was the main dance floor which was about the size of The Week in Rio.  It had a similar set up with a bar along one side and the DJ stage up front.  They also had VIP areas upstairs overlooking the dance floor, but there seemed to be much more people up there compared to the VIP area in Rio.  On the other side of the club, separated by a long hallway, was another room with a large dance floor, a couple of bars and a small sitting area.  Again, this room was a full club by itself and larger than many clubs I've been to.  The music in both rooms was pretty good most of the time and alternated throughout the night between electronic/house, happy fag pop, and other familiar club beats, depending on which room you were in.  In the outdoor area, there was a section separated from the main area which consisted of a long hall with men's urinals on the exterior wall of the building.  There was also a small corner past the urinals which served as the dark room.  Overall, the club was very well designed and they obviously put a lot of money into it and into maintaining it.  I was impressed and had a good time with Chris.  And, it was the first time in South America that I stayed at a club until closing... at 8:00 a.m.  The crowd obviously started to thin out once the sun started coming up since such a large part of it was outdoors and even if you were indoors, you could see outside how late (or early) it was.  Not a bad way to spend a Saturday night in São Paulo and a completely different experience from The Week in Rio.