Abu Dhabi Nightlife

Nightlife in Abu Dhabi tends to be restricted to the hotels, since the country's licensing laws restrict the sale of alcohol.

Bars: Heroes Diner, in the Crowne Plaza, is a sports bar with regular entertainment, while Mai Tai Bar in the Beach Rotana Hotel & Towers is a very friendly place with live music and a good, welcoming atmosphere. The Mardi Gras is a jazz bar and restaurant in the Capitol Hotel and is great for a cocktail or two. For loud music and dancing, the Filipino bar Ratskeys in the Grand Continental Hotel is the place to visit.

Clubs: The popular Tequilana club in the Hilton International has a variety of themed nights, like R&B nights and salsa nights. Zenith is a nightclub in the Sheraton Abu Dhabi Resort & Towers that often attracts quite a large crowd to its dance floor.

Live Music: Clubs with live music include the Sax Restaurant Club in Le Royal Méridien hotel and The Jazz Bar in the Hilton, both of which have good jazz bands. Bigger music concerts with international stars are often hosted by the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation, Old Airport Road (beside Qasr Al Hosn) (tel: (02) 621 5300).

Music and Theatre: The auditorium at the Emirates Palace, West End Corniche (tel: (02) 690 9000; www.emiratespalace.com), is an excellent concert hall and is often used for big cultural events in Abu Dhabi. Another excellent venue is the modern building of the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation, Old Airport Road, (tel: (02) 621 5300; www.adach.ae/en). With its white colonnades, cool courtyards and peaceful gardens, the foundation boasts a big library, theatre, cinema, lecture rooms, meeting rooms, an exhibition centre and coffee shop. The centre hosts numerous cultural events, including concerts with international and local artists, classic film festivals, art exhibitions and workshops throughout the year.

The creation of a major cultural district on the Saadiyat Island has begun with the groundwork for a US$400 million Guggenheim Museum. The Frank Gehry-designed museum will display a collection of modernist and contemporary art and is scheduled for completion in 2011. The cultural district will also include a performing arts centre that will house a concert hall, opera house and drama theatre.

Cinemas: There are several multiplex cinemas in Abu Dhabi. CineStar (tel: (02) 681 8484; www.cinestarcinemas.com) at the Marina Mall is the largest with nine screens. The repertoire is mainstream, with a lot of Hollywood productions being screened. The same goes for the Grand Cinema in the Abu Dhabi Mall (tel: (02) 645 8988; www.grandcinemas.com), which has six screens. The Grand Cinema in the Hamdan Centre (tel: (02) 633 3000; www.grandcinemas.com) has five screens and shows Indian and Arabic films as well as Western blockbusters.