Moscow Entertainment

  1. 12 Volts

    The founders of Moscow's gay and lesbian movement opened this welcoming cafe-cum-social club, tucked in behind the club Bunker (enter from the courtyard). Besides good food and cheap drinks, the place offers a consultation service for individuals facing homosexual issues. This is one of the few hangouts that attracts lesbians as well as gays.

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  2. 16 Tons

    This club is widely believed to be the hottest live music venue in the capital, attracting top local and foreign bands, who almost always play to a packed house. The brassy English pub-restaurant downstairs has an excellent house-brewed bitter.

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  3. 911

    This used to be a straight bar with a gay night, but it has grown into a gay bar with some straight guests - `gay expansion' as described by one local in-the-know. Although the place has a small dance floor and a drag show on Saturday nights, it is more of a cafe scene. Look for the entrance down from Studio Casino.

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  4. A Priori

    To strut your stuff on the dance floor, head to this progressive house club. It has a huge bi-level dance hall, as well as an exclusive `sofa zone'. Resident and visiting DJs host dance parties on weekends. It's a new experience every time, as the interior is redesigned every few weeks. Strict face control, so dress your best.

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  5. American Cinema

    This huge theatre is where you can see the latest from Hollywood. Besides the two daily screenings, there are additional shows on Saturday and Sunday. Russian-speakers can listen to voiceovers on headphones.

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  6. Art Garbage

    Extremely friendly, alternative night spot popular for gigs and late night parties and hugely popular with students and arty types.

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  7. B2

    This huge, four-storey entertainment complex has long rated among Moscow's favourite nightlife hot spots, probably because it offers something for everyone. Take your pick from several dance floors, a `chill-out room', an airy courtyard, billiards, karaoke and more. The place holds over 1500 people, which makes it an excellent venue for top music acts. This is a branch of the original club, Bunker, on Tverskaya ulitsa.

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  8. Bar 30/7

    This slick bar on the Boulevard Ring is somewhere to see and be seen in Moscow. If you can snag a seat in the attached 'sun room' seating area, you will enjoy a lovely view of the boulevard promenade. Good luck, as the place gets packed on weekends.

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  9. Billionaire

    Word is that you have to show your last pay check and the figure has to be more than six digits for you to gain entry.

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  10. Body & Soul (Chance)

    The sheer size of this place is its most notable characteristic. This mammoth gay club offers nearly limitless entertainment possibilities: two dance floors - one techno, one pop - billiards, internet, live entertainment. This chic place is becoming popular with a mixed crowd, but the dark room is for men only.

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  11. Bolshoi Theatre

    Sadly the main Bolshoi Theatre is closed for renovation until the end of 2008. In the meantime performances are held in the building next door. Unless you specifically want to see the Bolshoi troupe, consider going to the ballet in St Petersburg instead. Tickets are available online and through travel agencies at a premium, although the kiosks around the city (teatralnaya kassa) often offer some good bargains.

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  12. Bunker

    The smaller, original version of B2. This more intimate setting also has an impressive calendar of local bands and DJs. There is not too much room for dancing, but those who are moved by the music manage to make do.

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  13. Cabaret

    Like the name suggests, it's a fancy club with all of the requisite luxury cars and drivers parked out front. But don't feel bad about not getting in, because upstairs in the same building is Sky Bar, which offers one of the best rooftop patios with views of the capital and a smart, atmospheric interior.

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  14. Chekhov Art Theatre

    The city's most famous dramatic venue is still known to most Muscovites as MKhAT, where, under Stanislavsky, method acting was born at the turn of the last century. It sometimes has performances in English.

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  15. Chinese Pilot

    The 'Chinese Pilot' is relaxed and unpretentious, has nightly concerts and is generally held to be the city's most reliable after hours hang out.

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  16. Club Forte

    Nightly concerts range from swing-jazz to Latin-jazz to golden oldies. The atmosphere is more formal than some of the other places, attracting a sort of pseudo-intellectual crowd. Thursdays and Fridays are reserved for the local band Arsenal, which plays rather bland big band. Book ahead.

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  17. Dome Cinema

    There are a few cinemas in Moscow that show films in the original language (usually English). One regular favourite is the Dome Cinema.

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  18. Doug & Marty's Boar House

    Run by Doug, the creator of the legendary Hungry Duck (once the wildest bar in Europe due to its famously hedonistic ladies night), the Boar House is busy throughout the week and attracts an expat and local crowd devoted to serious debauchery. Monday and Thursday are particularly busy (on Thursday women drink for free).

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  19. First

    This club has posh written all over it. When Will Smith was in Moscow for the premier of I, Robot , he and his pal Jazzy Jeff spun a set here at the after party.

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  20. Gelikon Opera

    Named for famous Mount Helicon, home to the muses and inspiration for musicians. This 15-year-old opera company is unique in Moscow for its innovative - even experimental - opera performances. Director Dmitry Bertman is known for `combining musical excellence with artistic risk', according to one local dramaturge. The Gelikon's 250-seat theatre is an intimate setting that allows for interaction between the performers and the audience.

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  21. Gifts Of The Sea

    This divey, smoky bar feels like the underground gay club it once was. The crowd is mostly regulars - older than at most gay bars (or any Moscow bar for that matter). Cheap prices, red tablecloths and dirty, dingy bathrooms give it its retro Soviet feel. Enter through the courtyard behind the restaurant Meeting Place and look for the dark brown door.

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  22. Great Moscow Circus

    This huge circus has five rings and holds 3400 spectators. The company includes - literally - hundreds of performers, from acrobats to animals. It is a great spectacle that is certain to entertain and amaze.

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  23. Hungry Duck

    An infamous bar, often described as the wildest in Europe. Its reputation is that most people lose most of their clothes by midnight, with every woman dancing on the bar. This may have something to do with the policy of free drinks for women till on some nights. Everybody agrees, for better or for worse, that this place is `not as the same as it used to be.' Enter from the courtyard next to the metro station.

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  24. Illuzion

    The location inside one of Stalin's `Seven Sisters' is appropriate for the repertoire, which focuses on old-school Soviet films. Sometimes also features foreign films.

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  25. Jazztown

    Moscow's newest jazz venue is this flashy club, hosting Russian and international acts on most nights. The gigantic club includes a restaurant and a casino. The 'jazzcothèque' makes for a fun night out, if you don't mind the Las Vegas atmosphere.

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