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Belgium

Music entertainment in Belgium

  1. A

    Video

    Oude Beestenmarkt is where some of Ghent's best DJs got their start. The string of little venues here includes Video, a tiny boutique club that attracts a like-to-be-seen clientele. It's big on everything from techno to drum'n'bass.

    reviewed

  2. B

    Chocolat

    Chocolat is a little venue that is big on everything from techno to drum'n'bass.

    reviewed

  3. C

    Caroline Music

    Music shop and ticket agency for contemporary live gigs, festivals and club nights.

    reviewed

  4. D

    Space

    Down near Centraal Station, this is the after-club club. Dancing starts when the streetlights go out.

    reviewed

  5. E

    Silo

    High-tech club that rates highly among Belgian clubbers, down by a canal in a former industrial building.

    reviewed

  6. F

    Café Beveren

    This time-worn treasure is a favourite with sailors, students and retro fiends for its antique jukebox and organ.

    reviewed

  7. G

    Café Trefpunt

    Run by the organisers of the Gentse Feesten, most of the week this is a laid-back pub, but on Mondays there are DJs, jam sessions or live concerts.

    reviewed

  8. H

    Kaaiman

    Alternative types flock to this small club occupying a converted red-brick garage in 't Eilandje. Music is eclectic with a lean to house and drum'n'bass.

    reviewed

  9. I

    De Nieuwe Linde

    Cheap beers and local artworks hung on the walls and painted on the ceiling make this a popular hangout for artists and writers. There's good background music, if you can hear it over the animated conversations.

    reviewed

  10. J

    Video

    Oude Beestenmarkt is where some of Ghent's best DJs got their start. The string of little venues here includes Video, a tiny boutique club that attracts a like-to-be-seen clientele. It's big on everything from techno to drum'n'bass.

    reviewed

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  12. K

    Soundstation

    Soundstation is a former train station that now sports house parties and live rock, jazz and blues. It hosts a restaurant done up in 1930s decor, a cafe for lovers of live acoustic music, a recording studio, and the main dance area for thumping electronic beats.

    reviewed

  13. L

    Stereo Sushi

    Hipsters head to this anime-adorned, fuchsia-tinged place for platters of sushi before grooving to DJs like the Milkshakerz and the Breakbeatles. Just how strict the door policy is depends on how busy things are, but glamming up is de rigueur here in any case.

    reviewed

  14. M

    Cactus Muziekcentrum

    Though small, this is the city's top venue for contemporary and world music, both live bands and international DJs. It also organises festivals including July's Cactus Music Festival (www.cactusfestival.be), held in the Minnewater park at the southern edge of the old city.

    reviewed

  15. N

    Dirty Dancing@Mirano

    Clued-in clubbers know the area for Dirty Dancing@Mirano. DJs here include the likes of Cosy Mozzy and the atmosphere is electric. However, locals caution against walking through the poorly lit streets late at night and advise visitors to catch a taxi instead.

    reviewed

  16. O

    De Republiek

    Set around a courtyard, this big, buzzing space is a favourite with Bruggelingen (Bruges locals), located in the same smart premises as the art-house movie theatre, Cinema Lumière. DJs hit the decks on Friday and Saturday nights and there's also a great range of well-priced meals, including vegetarian options, available until midnight.

    reviewed

  17. P

    Café d'Anvers

    Well over a decade old and still going strong, this legendary club does funk and house, disco and soul in a refurbished church in the city's red-light district. Many of Belgium's top DJs started here, and more are breeding. Every Friday night in July and August the club puts on Free Vibes, free dance nights featuring new, resident and visiting DJs.

    reviewed

  18. Q

    Bar Tabac

    Tiny bar that looks like it was plucked from an obscure village in rural France and plonked in 't Zuid. The odd thing is it has been going for years and is always packed. The décor's no more than a faded Michelin map and two old cigarette vending machines, plus a hotchpotch of old metal tables and chairs. In summer there's a terrace section for relaxing on crusty cinema seats; in winter everyone's jammed inside. 'Drunk Wednesdays' see beers going for around €1 and a DJ spinning tracks.

    reviewed