Barcelona Entertainment

  1. Distrito Diagonal

    It's long and narrow, with a wee, elevated dance floor at the back. What makes the place is the weekend opening hours. And if you wander in before , it's free. You can drink quietly enough at the bar or shake your thing until breakfast time.

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  2. Dot Light Club

    Ever since the late 1990s this infamous club has been one of the hippest hang-outs for the beautiful people to be seen at in this part of town. From night to night the DJs change the musical theme, ranging all the way from deep funk to even deeper house and beyond.

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  3. Harlem Jazz Club

    Deep in the Barri Gòtic, this smoky dive is the first stop for jazz aficionados. Sessions include traditional and contemporary jazz along with creative fusions from around the world. They usually put on more than one cosy session an evening.

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  4. Jamboree

    This cavernous place with multiple low-ceiling spaces has been bringing headline jazz and blues acts to Barcelona for decades. Gigs tend to start at and end by , at which time it converts into a club cranking out mostly funk and hippety-hop.

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  5. L'Auditori

    The permanent home of Barcelona's symphony orchestra (OBC) is a starkly modern pleasure dome for serious music lovers, designed by renowned architect Rafael Moneo. Its comfortable (and acoustically unrivalled) main auditorium hosts orchestral performances, as well as occasional world-music jams. Chamber music is performed in a small, cosier and acoustically fabulous auditorium.

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  6. La Cova Del Drac

    Run by the Mas i Mas group that owns Jamboree, this is a good, if awkwardly located, spot for jazz sessions most nights of the week. In the rather cosy atmosphere, you can stumble across anything from local solo vocalists to Dixieland, from Afro blues to avant garde. Start times vary, but tend towards the late side.

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  7. Luz de Gas

    Anything goes at this large and happening music hall that hosts residencies and big international names from the worlds of soul, country, salsa, rock, jazz, pop and cabaret in a beautiful belle époque setting. The versatile place converts into a thumping club with something of a meat-market reputation. Next door, in Sala B, the pace is slower and the bars plentiful over two floors.

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  8. Manchester

    Feeling nostalgic for the sounds of Manchester? This is the place to fill up on Depeche Mode, The Smiths, Radiohead and other bands associated with the city. Inside, red is the predominant shade and cocktails the principal tipple. They have a sister joint in El Raval.

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  9. Maria

    For a great rock 'n' roll atmosphere, step back in time to this Gràcia classic. Play pool at the back or elbow your way to the bar for a beer or cocktail. Musical nostalgia takes care of the rest in this cramped but agreeable little bar.

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  10. Metro

    Both dance floors here are absolutely heaving at weekends (and on weekday theme nights), when a 90% gay crowd thumps to top-of-the-range house and techno. During the week it's dance-club pop and handbags ahoy, with strip nights, bingo events and other animation, if you need any.

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  12. Razzmatazz

    Five clubs are crammed into one huge warehouse space to make this one of the most popular dance destinations in town. You can enjoy anything from rock and indie to garage, techno and '60s nostalgia. Headline acts also perform here regularly.

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  13. Sala Apolo

    This former music hall is the scene of a fiery and eclectic dance and concert scene. Gigs range from world music to touring rock bands that you'll never again see in a venue so cosy. After the encores, the hall is cleared for the Nitsaclub dance bash (a DJ team doing house, electro, neo-trance and more) on Fridays and Saturdays, Powderroom DJs on Thursdays and a mix of others on other nights.

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  14. Zac Club

    A top location for jazz, soul and blues fans, this uptown basement has undergone several name changes but remains true to its origins as one of the oldest live-music venues in town.

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