Paris_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Lonely Planet [213]
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CLUBBING
Paris is not London, Berlin or New York when it comes to clubbing, and hardcore clubbers from other European capitals might be surprised by the pick of Paris clubs. Lacking a mainstream scene, clubbing here tends to be underground and extremely mobile, making blogs, forums and websites (boxed text) the savviest means of keeping apace with what’s happening (loads of clubs/events are on MySpace). The best DJs and their followings have short stints in a certain venue before moving on, and the scene’s hippest soirées clubbing (clubbing events) float between a clutch of venues – including the city’s many dance-driven bars (Click here).
But the beat is strong. Electronic music is of particularly high quality in Paris’ clubs, with some excellent local house and techno. Funk and groove have given the whimsical predominance of dark minimal sounds a good pounding, and the Latin scene is huge; salsa dancing and Latino music nights pack out plenty of clubs. R ‘n’ B and hip-hop pickings are decent, if less represented than in, say, London.
Club admission costs anything from €5 to €20 and often includes a drink; admission is usually cheaper before 1am and men can’t always get in unaccompanied by a woman. Drink prices start at around €6 for a beer and €8 for amixed drink or cocktail, but often cost more.
CITHÉA NOVA Map
01 40 21 70 95; www.citheanova.com, in French; 112 rue Oberkampf, 11e; admission free; 9am-5am Sun-Thu, 10pm-6am Fri & Sat; Parmentier or Ménilmontant
Beefing up the kitchen (it does all meals and brunch at the weekend from 11am to 4pm) and sticking ‘new’ at the end of your name doesn’t always work when times are hard, But these guys have done it and what was a pub-meets-concert-hall with quality bands is now a stylish resto-bar with same. Concerts usually run from 10.30pm, with DJs from 1am on Wednesday to Saturday.
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DIGITAL CLUBBING
Track tomorrow’s hot ’n’ happening soirée with these finger-on-the-pulse Parisian nightlife links (in French).
www.gogoparis.com (in English)
www.lemonsound.com
www.novaplanet.com
www.parisbouge.com
www.parissi.com
www.radiofg.com
www.tribudenuit.com
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FOLIE’S PIGALLE Map
01 48 78 55 25; www.folies-pigalle.com; 11 place Pigalle, 9e; admission €7-20; midnight-dawn Mon-Thu, to noon Fri & Sat, 6pm-dawn; Pigalle
Folie’s Pigalle is a heaving place with a mixed gay and straight crowd that is great for cruising from the balcony above the dance floor. There are theme nights and concerts (usually at 2am) throughout the week. Sunday evening is the ‘Original Gay Tea Party’, followed by the after ‘La Grande Soirée Trans’, Paris’ only transsexual theme night, with R ’n’ B, dance, techno and house. It’s Latino night on Monday.
LA DAME DE CANTON Map
01 53 61 08 49, 06 10 41 02 29; www.damecanton.com, in French; opp 11 quai François Mauriac, 13e; admission incl 1 drink €10; 7pm-2am Tue-Thu, to dawn Fri & Sat; Quai de la Gare or Bibliothèque
This floating boîte (club) aboard a three-masted Chinese junk with a couple of world voyages under its belt is moored opposite the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. Called Cabaret Pirate and Guinguette Pirate in previous lives, it re-adopted its maiden name – ‘The Lady from Canton’ – in 2008 to mark its 30th birthday. Concerts (8.30pm) range from pop and indie to electro, hip-hop, reggae and rock; afterwards, DJs keep the young crowd moving.
LA FAVELA CHIC Map
01 40 21 38 14; www.favelachic.com, in French; 18 rue du Faubourg du Temple, 10e; admission free-€10; 8pm-2am Tue-Thu, to 4am Fri & Sat; République
It starts as a chic, convivial restaurant (open for lunch and dinner to 11pm) and gives way to caipirinha- and mojito-fuelled bumping, grinding, flirting and dancing – mostly on the long tables. The music is traditionally bossa nova, samba, baile (dance) funk and Brazilian pop, and it