Whether you're after "high culture", live music, a disco or just a bar to hang out in, you won't have much of a problem in São Paulo. There are four main centres for nightlife in São Paulo:
Bixiga
, with good bars and live music;
Jardins
, with some good neighbourhood bars;
Itaim Bibi
and
Vila Olímpia
, best known for its flashy nightclubs; and
Vila Madalena
and adjoining
Pinheiros
, fast becoming known for its trendier, slightly "alternative" scene. Some ideas of where to go are detailed below, but for the full picture of what's on and where consult the weekly
Veja,
the daily
Folha de São Paulo
(especially its Friday
Noite Ilustrada
supplement), or the
Guia Internet São Paulo
Web site (
www.guiasp.com.br).
Places come and go in São Paulo at a bewildering speed and so on-the-spot advice is vital.
São Paulo has a large gay population but clubs and bars tend to be mixed rather than specifically gay, with the scene mainly in the Jardins area
Bars
The bars that you'll find scattered throughout the city depend largely upon the neighbourhoods that they're in for their character. Some of the liveliest, a few with live music, are found around Rua 13 de Maio in Bixiga (Bela Vista), and in fashionable...
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Live music and dancing
São Paulo has quite an imaginative
jazz
tradition. The
Bourbon Street Music Club,
Rua dos Chanés 127, Moema, has a consistently good, though very expensive (entrance is $17), programme including visiting international artists and...
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Cinema, theatre and classical music
In general,
films
arrive in São Paulo simultaneously with release in North America and Europe, and are subtitled rather than dubbed. Charging around $4, most cinemas are on Avenida Paulista, but there are also several downtown on Avenida São...
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