Picture from BeirutNightLife

Looking at the pictures of the event, it doesn’t look like it was that successful. It’s strange because Lebanese usually like to watch sexy, yet lousy, artists showing off their boobs and asses. We have quite a few of those in Lebanon.

Fashion Show Before the event: Picture from BeirutNightLife

When I was in Lebanon over the weekend I tried to book a table at MAD but it was fully packed so we ended up going to Life instead. When we first got there the music wasn’t so bad but that’s probably the only good thing I have to say about the place.

I basically didn’t like it.

Firstly the majority of the people there were either men and women aged 40 and up or really old men in their 60′s and 70′s with young bimbos or Eastern Europeans. The style of people kinda reminded me of Medusa in Jounieh. If you’ve never been to Medusa by the way that’s a good thing so don’t worry about it.

The music also went downhill or maybe I’m just old and lame but the kinda music they started playing would make even Skybar’s seem better. There was a “show” around 1AM where they two girls got up on the cat walk to dance. It was girl on girl action and it lasted for maybe one full song or two and then it was over and they were gone. Too short of a show and there should have been more girls (preferably also stripping).

Then there were a bunch of little things that stuck out as well. I thought the place looked a lot better when it was dimly lit (like in the photo above) but most of the time they had bright lights flashing and so the general ambiance was too bright and it looked tacky. When the girls were dancing they had these bright lights on behind them which brought to notice a huge dirty smear all over the glass window behind the girls. It was so distracting that I was noticing the glass more than the girls! Out table was up on a balcony and there was a horrible make shift bar underneath us. It looked like it was built after the place was finished and it looked cheap, old, broken and dirty. It really wasn’t a pleasant sight to see. The waiters also dressed like those in Lebanese restaurants (black pants, white shirt and black vests) which isn’t very cool. When we ordered a bottle of whiskey they brought us 18 years instead of the regular 12. When we ordered a bottle of vodka they got us the larger 1L bottle instead of the regular .75L. Doesn’t sound like a big issue but it felt like they were trying to get all these extra charges off us whenever they could.

On the other hand their roof is actually pretty cool. It’s similar to BO18 and opens up and closes so it’s an outdoor and indoor place at the same time. Their sound system was also pretty good with a lot of deep bass but if they only used it to play some decent music…

Anyway you can check out the place for yourself, they’re located behind BO18 right next to Sleep Comfort.

I second that!

Source

Via @JessyGeagea

[YouTube]

I’ve been to MAD twice in the past 2 weeks and I must say it’s one of the best indoor clubs I’ve been to lately. It’s spacious and very nice from the inside, has good music and its location is adequate for all.

In fact, I used to worry about its location (Nahr el Mot seaside) as there’s no parking space and I hate giving my car to the Valet, but I was informed by a friend that I can park my car on the side of the road and pay the Valet 5000LL (There’s some agreement between MAD valet parking company and the police). Added to that, they opened a new parking lot next to MAD where anyone can park and it fits up to 600-700 cars if not more. Traffic-wise, there’s not much at the moment but things will get worse during the summer.

The club from the inside is divided into two main areas, with the bar in the middle surrounded by small tables and high chairs, and then on the left and right sides small lounges on a more elevated level. Once it gets crowded, you can barely stand though and it could get a bit uncomfortable but that’s how it is in all night clubs in Lebanon with few exceptions such as Buddha bar where you really have your own space.

I had a funny incident the first time I went there. It was around midnight and the place was already full. My friends’ table was on the left side overlooking the middle area, so I headed there and put my stuff on the small couch. As I was talking to some friends around the table facing the couch, I thought of pouring myself a drink, but then I saw a guy giving me the weird looks. Turns out I was pouring from someone else’s table even though all my friends were around it! I apologized to the other table but that’s just to tell you how crowded it could get. We were around 20-25 on a table that could barely fit 5 seated people.

The music is a mixture of house music, followed by commercial pop & RnB songs remixed, with old remixed songs in between. Things pick up around 12:30/1am up until 4/5am. Added to that, and similarly to White, sexy female dancers entertain the crowd for around half an hour by dancing on the bar. [See Video above]

Money-wise, you will end up paying between 75-100$ per person if you have a table and around 50$ or maybe less if you find a spot on the bar without reservation.

Mad club is located on Nahr El Mot-Seaside Road, right before Pier7 if you are heading towards Jounieh. You can reserve by calling this number: 03 060090.

Weddings are getting more and more expensive in Lebanon and every year I see tens of new venues opening up, most of which are gardens in distant locations or up in the mountain. Solea V however is not a garden, neither a glamorous venue with an old Lebanese house up in the mountains or in some faraway village, but instead a warehouse located in the heart of an industrial area in Beirut.

It’s located in Jisr el Wati- Sin el Fil on the way up from Souk el Ahad. There’s Fattal right after it for those who know it.

I must say it’s quite daring to open a venue in such a location, whether it’s for events or weddings, but it seems like people are loving it as I heard there are already 5-6 scheduled weddings for the summer. I don’t think it will be any cheaper than other venues but it is an original venue that “has a very New York feel to it and is a great blank canvas for you to paint your event on.”

Personally I would rather go for traditional and outdoor venues, mainly because It’s much easier to plan and arrange and I don’t have enough time to plan such an event, but I could think of a few themes that would fit perfectly into that venue, such as a Middle Age tavern (or Asterix & Obelix theme) with beer containers, wooden chairs etc …

You can check out pictures of the awesome wine tasting party SoleaV and Riedel did to launch the venue.

You can check out their Facebook page [Here].

[Source]

It seems to me that Lebanese are more worried about getting food or alcohol-poisoned this year than paying 200$+ for an NYE party. Some friends and colleagues I’ve talked to booked their NYE party in restaurants and pubs where they knew the owners, in order to make sure the alcohol being served is not bad.

“Mna3rif Sa7ib el ma7al. Ma binazzelna bda3a madroube”

“3al 2aleele mna3rif el owner. Binazzelna Vodka mazbout”

“Sa7ebna el owner. Ma be3tal ham tkoun el 2aneene madroube 2awou fi chi bil akel”

Watch out what you’re drinking and make sure the bottle is sealed. To stay on the safe side, drink Almaza. Nazzalo el Chatawé!

MTV: A blast targeted the Senses health club and spa in Kaslik, causing material damage

Future News: An explosion shook a nightclub in Kaslik, causing material damage only.

I just read this news on Naharnet. Why would anyone target Senses in Kaslik? Even though the blast only caused material damage, its timing and location are worrying.

Let’s just hope it’s some personal matter not more.

Update: According to VDL radio, the bomb explosion at the senses club was due to a personal dispute between the investors.

The first explosion was on November 16 targetting a night club and a liquor store, then on November 23 targetting a weapons’ stock pile, and the last one occurred today at 5 am targetting a restaurant that serves alcohol.

Since explosions have been targetting liquor stores and pubs in Tyr, why didn’t the minister of interior send few units to guard those places in order to prevent future bombings?

Despite all that, the restaurant’s owner Zuhair Arnaout insisted that “he will fix the damage, go ahead with the celebrations and serve alcohol”. I’m not sure how many people will be ready to risk their lives though and go to his party.

I finally got to experience nightlife in Hamra tonight for the first time since back in 2000 (I’m old and live abroad so don’t hate me). Last time I partied in Hamra, Blues Alley was kicking ass and I’m not even sure if the place is even around today. The night started off typically with me lost in Beirut. I was trying to get to the main Hamra Street and didn’t know where that was. Finally spotted two guys walking on the side of the road so I pulled over and asked for directions. Turns out they were European tourist but were still able to point me towards Hamra Street. Embarrassing to say the least.

I was supposed to meet up with a friend at a pub called Black Lilly but I got there early and decided to kill time walking in Hamra. Noticed some people walk into an alley and decided to follow them and to my surprise I ended up surrounded by around 6 to 8 pubs. I was in heaven. I called my friend up and told him where I was, he told me to wait for him at a place called Colon. Once he got there we went pub hopping and I have to say Hamra is way cooler than Gemmayze. Going back tomorrow night!

I am not sure if it’s a nightclub/pub or a restaurant but it’s a risky investment if you ask me to open a nightclub/pub on the road facing ATCL. The only pub that opened and survived in that area is Estredite and we all know why.

There’s an army base nearby as well, so don’t expect the soldiers to be very happy if there’s noise and traffic.

I’ve been hearing for quite some time on Mix FM about the 80′s night they organize every Thursday at B018.

Can anyone give me a feedback on it? Is it as good as it sounds?

The only inconvenience I found is that it’s on a Thursday but it apparently kicks off around 11 pm, which is reasonable.

That’s some great news but a bit hard to believe to be honest. I wish they could provide more information as to what criteria are being considered when ranking those towns?

According to this list, Beirut is ahead of Las Vegas, Rio de Janeiro, Ibiza, Budapest and many others.

But in spite of its history of violence, Beirut puts great stock in having a good time. And there’s no shortage of trussed-up beautiful locals keen to be seen in Beirut’s bars and clubs.

Don’t even think about going out in Beirut before 10pm – and even then, it had better be for dinner. Dancefloors are dead until around 1am.

While there are a raft of upmarket clubs around town – such as Sky Bar, the ultra-glam venue affording a panoramic view of the Mediterranean coastline and boasting a filthy rich clientele of local celebs – we prefer the quirkier nightspots. [TNT]

Looks like it wasn’t all work and no play for Richard Quest. CNN just aired a segment on the Beirut Night Life scene covered by Richard Quest. Pretty cool. [YouTube]

Thanks Caline

I have cousins who just came in from LA and I want to take them out to either Skybar or White tomorrow does anyone know how I can get a table? We’ll be around 10 people.

If any blogger knows about the nightlife in Lebanon and follows it closely, it’s Gino and I must agree with him that SkyBar Beirut is not worth the visit anymore, not because of its music or atmosphere but because of the way they treat you. I haven’t set foot in SkyBar this year and am not planning to. You need “wasta” to book a table, you need “wasta” to go in even if you have your table, you need an hour from Biel’s entrance to get to it because of the traffic and on top of all that, you are left waiting in endless lines and arguing with brainless bouncers.

Let’s not forget about the bill of course.

If you are looking for more reasons to stay away from SkyBar, read Gino’s post [Here].