Jamaica - NightLife

Kingston offers a variety of nighttime entertainment. Most events are listed in the daily press, along with a host of other attractions, including colorful carnivals and festivals that are held island-wide throughout the year. In nearly all the after-dark establishments of Kingston, foreign visitors are only about 3% of those in attendance. Most Kingston places, except for the bars in first-class hotels, are patronized mainly by locals.

Caution: The city is very unsafe at night. Take taxis everywhere.

The Performing Arts--Kingston is a leading cultural center of the West Indies. Notable theaters include Ward Theatre on North Parade Road and the Little Theatre on Tom Redcam Drive near the National Stadium . Both stage local and imported plays and musicals, light opera, revues, Jamaican dance and choral groups, and pop concerts. Ticket prices vary. From downtown Kingston (Parade and Cross roads), buses 90A and 90B run here.

The Club & Bar Scene--Within the relatively sedate premises of one of Kingston's best-established hotels, Mingles (in the Courtleigh Hotel, 85 Knutsford Blvd.; tel. is a rich-looking-and richly popular-bar and disco. Sheathed with full-grained mahogany panels, with uniformed bartenders whose look might remind you of Jamaica during the era of Noël Coward, it's a clubby-looking but often rocking site known for a revolving combination of reggae, pop, soca (a danceable form of reggae), and Latino meringue. Folk here tend to flirt, talk, and gossip on Friday night, and dance, dance, dance on Saturday night. The bar here is open Monday through Friday 5pm to midnight and Saturday 5pm to 3am. There is no cover charge except on Saturday, when it's J$200 (US$3.30).

One of the hottest new venues after dark is Asylum, 69 Knutsford Blvd. where the program changes nightly. Some nights are devoted only to reggae music, other nights to various contests, sometimes to the old hits of the 1970s and 1980s. A crowd, mainly of locals in their twenties or thirties, flocks here to enjoy the music, the dance, the entertainment, and even karaoke. It's very tropical and very happening, Tuesday to Sunday from 10pm to 4am, charging a cover ranging from J$200 to J$300 (US$3.30-US$5).

The open-air Carlos Café, 22 Belmont Rd. is all the rage with its flamingo-colored tones and Caribbean decor. There's a whimsical feel here, attracting a crowd of men and women in their twenties and thirties. You can also dine here-on Monday, crab is featured on the menu. On Friday it's a fish fry and karaoke. On any night something is happening, perhaps a show by Cuban salsa dancers. There's no cover, with a Red Stripe beer costing J$100 (US$1.65). Hours are Monday to Friday 5pm to 2am, Saturday 3pm to 2am.

BEST NIGHTLIFE IN JAMAICA

Time 'n' Place (Falmouth, east of Montego Bay;): A raffish beach bar built of driftwood, this place looks as though it might blow away in the next storm. The setting is so authentic that many fashion magazines, including Vogue, have used it for background shots. The bartender makes the island's best daiquiris.

Mingles (Kingston; ): In the Courtleigh Hotel, this is one of the best places-and the safest-to be after dark in the capital of Jamaica. Filled with Jamaican youth, it is both a bar and a dance club, with uniformed bartenders and the constant beat of reggae, pop, and soca.

Jamaic'N Me Crazy (Ocho Rios; ): The most popular club in this resort area, this hotspot may have the best lighting and sound system on the island. In winter the aura is virtually that of a New York club, so don't come for an authentic Jamaican experience.

Hedonism II (Negril; ): For the hottest night at this resort, don your toga and head for the most notorious all-inclusive resort in Jamaica, a place known for its wild and raunchy parties. If you aren't already a guest, you'll have to purchase a night pass for $75, entitling you to all the food and drink you can consume.

Margueritaville Sports Bar & Grill (Montego Bay; ): If you're macho, or at least grow hair on your chest, head for the most popular sports bar in Jamaica. Overlooking the sea, across from the Coral Cliff Hotel, this hangout also serves the best margaritas on the island and features the best sports broadcasts on satellite TV.

Kingston has legions of great places to get a drink, and many of them also double up as restaurants; Carlos, JamRock, Red Bones, Our Place and the Grog Shoppe are all good bets, as are hotel bars uptown. There are scores of clubs around town, ranging from state-of-the-art places featuring big-name DJs to more sedate in-hotel affairs. Anticipate a cover of around J$300. It's also worth keeping a lookout for posters advertising one-off club nights at places such as Mas Camp Village, or summer all-inclusive parties staged at private outdoor venues throughout the city; these are usually well attended and invariably lots of fun.

Live music in the capital is less predictable; some of the best shows are the annual round of Heineken Startime concerts, featuring the best of Jamaica's vintage artists. Kingstonians celebrate Carnival each April; it's similar to the Trinidadian event but on a far smaller scale and with a bigger ratio of reggae to soca. For more on Carnival, contact the JTB (tel 876/929-9200).