On any given day of the week, you will find a different and exciting nighttime activity in Rio. There is something to please every crowd. So much so that if Rio de Janeiro was your wife or husband, monotony would never be a reason for divorce. Like any major city, Rio’s nightlife assimilates different cultures and follows new trends, making it difficult to predict what will be hot in the coming months. But there are some classics that are inevitable favorites and will never go away.

Rio’s more affluent south zone acts like a sponge for international trends. Several nightclubs all across this zone play basically the same type of music, while attracting only marginally different crowds. Leblon and Ipanema, with nightclubs (also known as boates) such as Melt, GuapoLoco and Sky Lounge, are popular from Thursdays through the weekend, and have the best DJs in the city, playing American and Brazilian hip-hop hits and pop music. Cover charges are much higher than elsewhere in Rio therefore attracting an “exclusive” crowd. The music quality and the ambience are the highlights of these bars, though none of them really emphasize a Brazilian-theme. Sophisticated drinks and beautiful people make these locations in Ipanema and Leblon definite eye-catchers. Unfortunately, bar fights can occur from time to time depending on who hit on whose girlfriend. But don’t worry - the best thing to do is to move as far away as possible and let the bouncers handle them. A fight in Rio hardly ends a party. Everything goes back to normal after the trouble is cleared away.

Rio also offers a large range of nightclubs for the alternative scene, from Botafogo to Downtown. Clubbers and other “non-mainstreamers” gather in small places, like Casa da Matriz (Botafogo), where they dance all night to several music genres. Fights are rare around here, as the majority of the crowd is composed of peaceful, hippy-like people, mainly university students. Covers are also more affordable than those in Leblon or Ipanema. Rio’s alternative nightclubs are known for bringing together tourists (mainly English-speaking) and Cariocas of all sorts. It is very easy to make friends at these places.

Downtown Rio, including Lapa, is also very trendy. There are so many choices here that you risk spending your whole night trying to choose the ideal place. The tip is to relax and just go with the flow. Rio Scenarium is an excellent call, where the very best of Brazilian and Carioca music is presented all week long with various shows. Samba, pagode (a softer samba variation), chorinho (a unique Carioca style of Samba mixed with a little blues), jazz, bossa-nova, forró (music style from the northeast, sort of like the Brazilian salsa), chote (a forró variation) may all be on the menu depending on where you go. Lapa itself is complex, unique and entertaining. Just don’t get too caught up in the wonder of it all and take off on your own. Be sure to stay where the crowd is, as it can be quite dangerous to be alone in dark and empty places around here. Fundição Progresso and Circo Voador, just below the arches of Lapa, both hold great shows that range from Brazilian hip hop to samba.

However, the best of Rio is found beyond the nightclubs, and that’s what makes the city so unique. Sometime ago, botequins (also known as botecos or pé sujos) reigned in Rio, where all the working men would team up at the end of the day and drink away their sorrows. Because so many people felt the urge to participate in this ritual it became common to drink standing up. It is easy to see this reflected still today, where hundreds of bars pack thousands of people everyday who would much rather be standing, drinking and talking, than sitting down. If you’ve never been to a place like this, make a point of checking out bars like Devassa, Belmonte or Clipper, and you’ll definitely get the idea as the majority of the patrons are standing in the middle of the streets, where the cars respect the drinkers. Beer, as in all Rio, is the number one drink at these places. Try a unique experience and visit Baixo Gavea from Thursdays to Mondays. The sheer number of people here forces 4 streets to close as patrons talk and drink without an end in sight. This is not the type of place you’d go to eat--you’ll quickly get frustrated with the wait and lack of seating, so be sure to eat beforehand! If you feel hungry late at night after all that drinking, go to any juice bar in Leblon or Ipanema. This is the after bar scene where everyone gathers to eat a hamburger or have a big bowl of açaí. Failing a juice bar, keep in mind that anywhere there is a street gathering, there is always a hotdog/hamburger stand nearby.

If you plan on visiting all of what Rio’s nightlife has to offer, you should plan on staying in the city for ten years or so. If there is one strong law in Rio at night, that law is to have a good time, no matter who you are. Rio certainly pleases ALL crowds, from clubbers to the sophisticated, from new-culture admirers to the sex-driven, Rio’s got it all.  Everyday there is something fun and different to do in Rio de Janeiro, making the city known for having one of the world’s best nightlife scenes.