Things to do by night...

By night head for the Yumbo Centre, the main shopping/commercial centre in Playa del Inglés. Unless you want to get there in time for dinner (you can't miss the gay restaurants because they display the gay flag though in and around the Yumbo literally everywhere is gay friendly) there's little point in arriving much before 10pm. On the lower level is a huge open-air area with all kinds of stalls and shops to have a look at for the early part of the evening. Also on this level are the two main cabaret bars always pulling in large crowds. Currently "Rickey's Cabaret Bar" has taken over and had done even before the competition burnt down. Unfortunately the once hugely popular La Belle's SHowbar was taken over by a company from Manchester who tamed the whole thing down, camped it all up and tried to entice families to come in but in theprocess they ruined the whole thing and rode pretty fast down the road to bankruptsy so sold up and left early 2008. Another Manchester company have taken over the large space on the ground floor where La Belle used to be and it is currently a chill-out bar.

Bars fill up from 10pm onwards and the shows start around 11pm or midnight. Different shows each night of the week and karaoke beforehand. From early evening (after dinner) the terrace bars on the lower level fill up, from 11pm onwards a few people are in the rest of the bars but most go to see the shows downstairs or people-watch on the lower terraces. Not long after midnight, the rest of the disco/music bars start to fill up. The top floor bars (4th floor) are all located in a circle and people tend to work their way round, having a drink in each. The last bar you come to on the top level is also a nightclub (Mantrix) and is open from 2am until around 5am or 6am. If you go past that and down the stairs you'll see the sign and entrance to the newest club "Heaven". It's one of the largest clubs on the island and is a huge hit with all the locals, hundreds of which come every weekend to party there so it gets very packed Saturdays and busy on a Friday with a mixed crowd (open from 1am until 6:30am - 7am) but a bit too quiet (or closed even!) every other night of the week.

The leather and "dress-code" bars which are the places to cruise are all at the other end of the center (1st and 2nd floor). Also at the other end of the shopping centre you'll find a sex shop, and another nightclub "XL" which is open until around 6:30am though doesn't get going until around 3am.

If you're still in a party mood once the clubs close then there's often an "after-hours" club at week-ends. Currently it's Cockring (Feb 07) in the Cita Center, basement level. The Cita Center is a 15 minute walk from the Yumbo or 3 minutes in a cab. So, another destination by night to head for is the CITA center, basement level. Several establishments have recently opened (during 2005) and according to the gay magazines, geared towards uniforms, bears and a slightly older crowd. There's a couple of clubs, several bars, shop, sauna .....

NEED MORE DETAILS?

Links and/or info on bars and clubs - Playa del Ingles

Saunas & Cruising

Las Palmas City