São Paulo Entertainment

  1. A Lôca

    Still the reigning queen of trash chic, this sprawling club is the point of reference for Sampa's alternativos - gay, straight, male, female and various combinations thereof. Music varies from punk to electronica to classic disco.

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  2. ABC Bailão

    The Bailão is definitely 'brega' ('tacky'), but that's the point. Basically just one big dance floor, it features everything from Whitney Huston to forró - the music of the Northeast, where many of the patrons were born. Crowd is refreshingly multiracial and multigenerational.

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  3. All Black

    For your dose of Guinness, fish, chips and Irish good cheer check out Sampa's best approximation of a Dublin pub, with live music most nights.

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  4. Bar Balcão

    With good wine, excellent light meals and a simple but elegant design built around a cleverly serpentine bar, this Jardins delight is especially popular with well-heeled designers and artists.

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  5. Bar Brahma

    A Sampa classic near Praça da República with a well-preserved wood-panelled interior, Brahma remains a popular after-work hangout for professionals, and offers up live music (sometimes with cover) most nights after .

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  7. Bar da Lôca

    Presided over by Saddam, beloved for his kind attention as well as his myriad gold chains, this simple place attracts a mixed gay-alternative-punk crowd until very late. Located just off the Rua Augusta corridor.

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  8. Bar do Unique

    Dress up at least a little for the rooftop bar on the top floor of the Hotel Unique, whose sleek design and unparalleled views make it the perfect place for a sundown cocktail.

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  9. Barretto

    Hands down one of the best places to see live music in the world, this bar inside the Hotel Fasano recalls prewar Milan and attracts top jazz and popular Brazilian musicians that normally only play large venues. Entrance fees match the glamor levels.

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  10. Bienal de São Paulo

    Modeled on the Venice Biennale, the Bienal de São Paulo , founded in 1951, has grown into one of the world's most important arts events. Many of the participants are working artists who have been nominated by their home country. In addition, a guest curator chooses a theme and invites his or her own favorites. At its best, the Bienal offers the world a chance to view mind-bending contemporary art. Certainly it cannot fail to impressive for its sheer size and diversity.

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  11. Bourbon Street Music Club

    The top spot for live jazz and blues in Sampa, Bourbon Street has hosted the likes of BB King and Ray Charles.

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  13. Cachaçaria Paulista

    Serving more than 300 kinds of cachaça (high-proof sugarcane alcohol), Brazil's national drink, plus live Brazilian music on weekend nights, this Vila Madalena institution is remarkably relaxed and convivial.

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  14. Café Floresta

    With its antique murals, excellent brew and location on the ground floor of Niemeyer's Edifício Copan building near Praça da República, this stand-up-only café is a favorite of traditionalists.

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  15. Café Suplicy

    Santo Grão's rival is smaller, with a refined industrial-chic feel and also outrageously good coffee and pastries.

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  16. Canto da Ema

    For a break from São Paulo's upmarket danceterias, this relaxed, intimate club specializes in forró universitário, a more approachable version of the high-octane dance music from Brazil's Northeast.

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  17. Cinesesc

    Features excellent retrospectives.

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  19. Clube Gloria

    A church remade into a temple to house and play electronic music, Glória is inspired by '80s-style European discos and attracts an upscale-alternative crowd.

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  20. Clube Vegas

    Hidden in a basement in a seedy area just north of Av Paulista, neon-lit Vegas delivers a varied program, from jazz to rock to electronica, attracting an eclectic, mixed crowd of die-hard night owls, both gay and straight.

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  21. D-Edge

    With one of the city's most remarkable sound systems and a roster of world-famous DJs, this mixed gay-straight club is a 'don't miss' for fans of electronica.

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  22. Disco

    So fancy it doesn't need a proper a name, Disco is fitted out with glittering, futuristic decor by the same firm that designed Hotel Fasano. Music is more electronica than disco. Dress up and bring plenty of money - drinks are expensive, as is the cover.

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  23. Farol Madalena

    One of the city's top lesbian clubs, this smallish place packs in the young ladies for dinner as well as both live music and DJs as the evening progresses.

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  25. Fran's Café

    Fight the local boys for an outdoor table at this cozy and very gay branch of a classic Sampa café.

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  26. Funhouse

    Get close and groove. With its good sound system, though diminutive dance floor, this little club regularly attracts indie British and American bands.

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  27. Geni

    Geni serves up live music, private upstairs rooms, stylish but low-key decor, freshly prepared snacks and an attractive younger crowd - all in a handsome old mansion.

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  28. HSBC Belas Artes

    Six screens showing new, high-quality foreign and domestic films.

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  29. Lotus

    Complete with its own heliport, Lotus is the place where wealth and beauty meet amid glossy, sleek decor. Music varies from electronica to bossa nova. Very expensive.

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