Kolkata Nightlife

Kolkata is a big, sophisticated city with its nightlife scene offering a broad array of evening entertainment on offer from the swish to the sleazy.

There are many bars in restaurants around Park Street, good for a few drinks albeit in slightly boozy all-male environments (lone women should exercise judgment), and a few trendy clubs in upmarket hotels, but little in between. Kolkata is short on a middle ground of mainstream pubs popular with a mix of people, the like seen in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru (Bangalore), but there is a slowly growing number and variety of venues.

Most nightclubs have a mix of music styles, with variations of reggae, blues, disco, hip hop, trance, Hindi pop and remixed bhangra (Punjabi dance music). Dress code for hotel nightclubs is strictly smart casual; single males are often denied entry unless they are staying at the hotel in which the nightclub is located.

Check local listings in The Telegraph, The Times of India and Kolkata This Fortnight. Cal Calling, a handy monthly booklet with listings of exhibitions, retail outlets, bars, restaurants and more, is available from some of the more upmarket hotels, or you can buy it in the West Bengal Tourism Centre. Not quite as thorough (but still useful), CityInfo comes out every fortnight, available at major hotels.