Tel Aviv Nightlife

Tel Aviv is the social hub of Israel, and its range of entertainment from highbrow to hip cannot be matched anywhere else. Young people especially like to party with all their energy, especially those under 21 who are consigned to the army during the rest of the week (Israeli men and women continue to serve a mandatory three-year period of service until they reach their 21st birthday).

There is little evidence in Tel Aviv of Shabbat as a time of quiet rest and prayer: in fact, nightlife is at its most vibrant after Shabbat starts on Friday night (the working week runs from Sunday to mid-afternoon Friday), while Thursday is another big night out. It may seem strange to those from other countries, but drunkenness is extremely rare - most Israeli kids think it is sad and uncool to drink alcohol. There is no bar-hopping or pub-crawling and while there is plenty of exuberance and noise, violent behaviour is almost unheard of in Tel Aviv.

Allenby Street is the central spot for bars and clubs, with more than 20 clubs within one small area, offering house, funk, disco and techno. There are a number of gay venues.  As a rule of thumb, most clubs in the city start to warm up after 0200 and do not peak until 0400. The legal drinking age in Israel is 18 years, but drinking to excess at any age is generally unusual in Israel.

To find out about upcoming gigs and events, and which clubs are hot visit www.telaviv4fun.com and www.telavivcity.com/eng.

The official Tel Aviv website (www.tel-aviv.gov.il) has a full guide to current and upcoming cultural events in the city. The English-language daily Jerusalem Post and the English version of the daily Ha' Aretz newspaper both include listings and reviews, as does fortnightly magazine The Jerusalem Report.

Tickets for all events can be bought in advance from box offices, ticket agencies and sometimes from hotels and tourist offices. Reservations for several venues can be made at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center box office (tel: (03) 692 7777) at 19 Shaul Hamelech Boulevard, open Sunday to Thursday 0930-2030, Fri 0930-1300.