FrugalMonkey Discount Travel News

Tag: nightlife

  • Party for Less in Sydney – Australian City’s Best Free Nightspots

    We all know that Australians love to party, but enjoying an evening out in Sydney can often cost you much more than your cocktails. Hefty cover charges are instituted at many of the top nightspots, and they can put a serious dent in your vacation budget. However, with a bit of know-how you can avoid those sneaky fees and save some cash for an extra drink or two! In this article we round up some of the city’s best free club nights for partygoers of all tastes.

    They start the party early in Sydney with AND waiving the cover charge on Wednesday nights. The crowd is very young, which can get tiring if you’re a bit long in the tooth. But that junior clientele keeps the drink prices down. Hit the dance floor or lose your inhibitions in one of the karaoke booths!

    Why pay $25 to party at ARQ on the weekend, when you can do it for nothing on Thursday nights? It’s Mardi Gras all year round here with some of the best drag talent the city has to offer. Arrive early to see the amateurs strut their stuff before the main show, You Are Soul, an extravaganza of glitter and glamour!

    If you prefer something a bit more traditional you’ll find it the Lansdowne Hotel. This pub is opposite Sydney Uni, so it’s used to catering for folks living on a shoestring. It’s also the venue of choice for some of Australia’s best independent musicians. It might just become your local while you’re in town, as there’s free live music every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night.

    Music lovers will also appreciate the Excelsior Hotel in the trendy inner-city suburb of Glebe. The place is a local institution famous for nurturing Sydney’s talented singer-songwriters. There are free live bands from resident musicians and acoustic artists every Thursday and Friday night.

    As locals and tourists prepare to usher in the weekend, you’re spoiled for choice on Friday nights. The folks at edgy underground promotions company Niche Productions are behind Movement, Friday night’s entertainment at Bondi’s Beach Road Hotel. A revolving door of DJs pumps dubstep, future beat, and leftfield house music until the early hours.

    If you prefer something a bit more retro, step into Yo Grito! Every Friday night Sydney’s GoodGod Small Club converts its front bar into an authentic rock’n’roll mess hall. Expect an eclectic mix of guitar-driven surf music, punk, garage rock, and soul.

    If you enjoy your beats thumping, Strange Fruit at Ultimo’s Abercrombie Hotel is the place for you on Saturdays. The sound system is far from perfect, but the techno tunes sound better after a few of the bar’s reasonably priced drinks.

    Don’t confuse the Abercrombie’s Strange Fruit for the goings on at Freda’s in Chippendale. This restaurant and bar caters for a totally different crowd with its own Strange Fruit night every Sunday. It’s a much mellower affair, with calypso, jazz, reggae, soul, and other cruisy choices to help you wind down after a boozy weekend.

    Fireworks over the Sydney Opera House (Australia)
    And no matter what day of the week it is, you can enjoy free live music at the Opera Bar near the iconic Sydney Opera House. Don’t let the name fool you; the cool jazz, funk, and soul sounds ensure this place is far from stuffy. The drinks are pricy, but it’s worth paying a premium for those enviable harbor views.

  • Party on Ladies Nights in India – Free Drinks for Female Travelers

    No matter where you go in the world it’s refreshing to know that there are some universal similarities.

    You'll probably be able to find a Big Mac, the capitals will be crowded and overpriced, and young people love to party. So while tourists flock to India to see the Ganges River and eat authentic Indian cuisine, they also head to nightclubs once the sun goes down. A few nights out can be expensive for male travelers, but females are in luck! Many bars and nightspots in India's tourist centers have ladies nights. Admission and drinks are usually complimentary, so make sure you go easy to avoid a nasty hangover. These midweek events encourage more women to frequent the establishments, which in turn increases male patronage! Women can enjoy free drinks and girl power music on Tuesday nights at New Delhi's Café Morrison. The nightspot even offers cab-drops for patrons who've indulged in a few too many cocktails. The mojitos and vodkatinis flow freely for women at nearby Turquoise Cottage each Monday.cool cocktail photo Plenty of Mumbai establishments also join in the fun. They blast retro tunes and keep the free drinks flowing at Firangi Paani on Mondays, Zenzi, and Zenzi Mills do the same thing on Tuesdays, and if you're up for more you can do it again at the Wink Bar or Vie Deck and Lounge on Wednesdays. Local entertainment guides including Time Out Worldwide have details of all these events, so grab one when you're in town and prepare to party!

  • Sky High Drinks at Lilo – Rooftop Bar in Cairns, Australia

    Rooftop bars first became popular in Miami, Florida, but these days they’re popping up all over the world. Now Australia has gotten in on the act with the launch of Lilo at the top of the Rydges Plaza in Cairns, north Queensland.

    Lilo makes the most of the warm weather that Queensland’s top end is famous for.


    Sun streams into the indoor lounge and dining areas, and shines on the folks lounging in the cabanas or by the pool outdoors. Once the sun sets the music starts pumping and candlelight bathes the bar in a romantic glow. Breakfast is served daily from 6 am, but the main draw cards are the burgers served for lunch and dinner. If you've got an appetite, prepare to take on the challenge of the Big Ass Burgers. Each one has more than 2.7 kg of beef with salad, cheese, and mayo, so prepare to share them around amongst your friends! If your palate is a bit more delicate you could order a tiny burger known as a slider, or a serve of delicious asparagus fries. The wet bar opens in the afternoon at 4 pm. The dress code is relaxed, with people enjoying drinks in their swimsuits as the sun sets. For all the cool of Miami with a distinctly Australian flavor, make sure you find time to enjoy a couple of drinks at Lilo on your next Aussie vacation.

  • Hit Hong Kong’s Bars and Nightclubs on a Budget

    Hong Kong has some of the most exciting after dark entertainment on the planet, but it can get expensive to enjoy a big night out.


    But that doesn’t mean you need to spend your Asian vacation holed up in your hotel room. You just need to know where to go to enjoy Hong Kong’s nightlife on a budget.

    To entice people out through the week, most bars in Wan Chai have special ladies nights. If you’re of the female persuasion you won’t pay a door charge and you’ll enjoy free standard drinks all night. The area has a reputation for being a red light district, but you shouldn’t be bothered if traveling in a group. For your security, avoid the strip joints and opt for upmarket bars like the Agave.

    Lan Kwai Fong in central Hong Kong isn’t generally as inexpensive as Wan Chai, but if you visit the bars midweek this isn’t a concern. The popular Beijing Club slashes its regular $300 HKD entrance fee to $220 HKD for men and absolutely nothing for ladies on Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you’re planning on a big night, you may want to visit Cliq across the streets. You’ll need to pay the $200 HKD cover charge, but it always has an open bar for girls. Men enjoy the same privileges on Thursdays.

    While most drinks promotions benefit women, everyone can enjoy happy hours. Between 5 pm and 9 pm, most restaurants and bars in major Hong Kong business districts will offer discounted drinks and two-for-one deals.

    budget travel

    To ensure you’re not drinking on an empty stomach, look for cheap eats before you hit Hong Kong’s bars. Cul-De-Sac and Ebeneezer’s Kebabs & Pizzeria serve up inexpensive pizzas and kebabs, while the country’s first 24-hour breakfast diner, The Flying Pan, dishes up authentic English bacon and eggs.