It's tough to take pictures of the nightlife but I'll try to provide an idea of how it works.
The weekend starts on Thursday night but you can find something to do on every night if you are interested. Many bars host a happy hour from 9-10 where you can get 2x1 drinks, and a few select bars extend that an additional hour to 11.
One of my favorite aspects of Bolivian nightlife is Cacho, a Yahtzee-like dice drinking game that you can play in many of the local bars. Every Tuesday night Cafe Amsterdam hosts a Cacho tournament that draws a fun mix of Bolivians and Foreigners. Unfortunately, despite my impeccable attendance record I continue to finish at the bottom of the rankings.
Discotecas start to fill up around 1:00am. There are a variety of discotecas that with a substantial range of amenities... here are the extremes: The most expensive club in Sucre, Mooy, provides a posh roof-top experience with an amazing view of the city, a marble bar where you can buy 40b ($~6) red-bull vodkas (obviously this is very cheap compared to the US, but this is the Sucre equivalent to NYC prices), extensively made up clientele that dance in restrictive groups, incredibly clean bathrooms, and plays modern Latino salsa/dance music.
Nanos, on the other hand, boasts a wonderful basement entrance, casually attired clientele that are very friendly, reeks of an atrocious odor, does not have a marble bar but beers are 15bs ($~2), has a bathroom with one very wet floor that I discovered was caused by the quizzical concept of a urinal that wasn't actually connected to anything, and plays modern Latino salsa/dance music.
I prefer the middle ground, Mitos. Attire is still casual, there is a fun blend of locals/gringos, everyone wants to dance and have a good time but you can stick with your own group if you so chose, the building is clean but not egregiously so, and the music is modern Latino salsa/dance music AND some western hip-hop and electronic music.
By Sucre law all clubs are supposed to close at 3am. That seems to be arbitrarily followed but I cannot figure out the pattern... most do end up closing at 3 but some will stay open until 5 or later. The ones that do stay open are completely random, so you never really know what is going to happen when the clock strikes 3.
Regardless of where you decide to spend the night it is going to be a fun time. People are incredibly friendly and love to dance, and even at Mooy I met new friends. Multiple times I have showed up to places as the only non-Bolivian and never felt like an intruder or an unwanted guest.
One final thing worth mentioning is the current anthem of Sucre. Every place has an anthem, a song that when played causes everyone to cheer, dance with more excitement, etc. I first discovered this phenomenon while studying in Salamanca, where Ozone's Dragosta Din Te raged throughout the clubs (later that year it would catch on in the US, more commonly known as the Numa Numa song). And anthem's aren't specific to international destinations... as I was leaving the states Avicii's Wake Me Up seemed poised to grab the banner. Sucre's anthem is Marc Anthony's Vivir Mi Vida. When this comes on it's time to find someone to dance with.
The weekend starts on Thursday night but you can find something to do on every night if you are interested. Many bars host a happy hour from 9-10 where you can get 2x1 drinks, and a few select bars extend that an additional hour to 11.
Best mojitos in town
Discotecas start to fill up around 1:00am. There are a variety of discotecas that with a substantial range of amenities... here are the extremes: The most expensive club in Sucre, Mooy, provides a posh roof-top experience with an amazing view of the city, a marble bar where you can buy 40b ($~6) red-bull vodkas (obviously this is very cheap compared to the US, but this is the Sucre equivalent to NYC prices), extensively made up clientele that dance in restrictive groups, incredibly clean bathrooms, and plays modern Latino salsa/dance music.
Mooy by daylight
The Louvre, or Sucre?
You were warned...
By Sucre law all clubs are supposed to close at 3am. That seems to be arbitrarily followed but I cannot figure out the pattern... most do end up closing at 3 but some will stay open until 5 or later. The ones that do stay open are completely random, so you never really know what is going to happen when the clock strikes 3.
Regardless of where you decide to spend the night it is going to be a fun time. People are incredibly friendly and love to dance, and even at Mooy I met new friends. Multiple times I have showed up to places as the only non-Bolivian and never felt like an intruder or an unwanted guest.
One final thing worth mentioning is the current anthem of Sucre. Every place has an anthem, a song that when played causes everyone to cheer, dance with more excitement, etc. I first discovered this phenomenon while studying in Salamanca, where Ozone's Dragosta Din Te raged throughout the clubs (later that year it would catch on in the US, more commonly known as the Numa Numa song). And anthem's aren't specific to international destinations... as I was leaving the states Avicii's Wake Me Up seemed poised to grab the banner. Sucre's anthem is Marc Anthony's Vivir Mi Vida. When this comes on it's time to find someone to dance with.
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