Semarang Nightlife: Bars and Clubs (Updated 2021)
By
Tibs
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Updated in April 2021: I removed Babyface (+ several other venues) and I added Blackroom. Semarang is the 5th largest city in Indonesia with almost 2 millions inhabitants. Yet, its nightlife is not very developed apart from a few male-oriented bars and clubs. As a friend from Semarang told me, the problem is that most young people fall into one of these categories: - They are single but they still live with parents - They are conservative or not interested with clubbing - They married young and already have kids - They left Semarang for Jakarta, Surabaya or Bali - They cannot afford partying In the end, the few people you see in clubs are local businessmen/government employees, some Indonesians on business trips or traveling, very few expats and occasionally, students.
I have always enjoyed Surabaya nightlife even though the options for nightclubs and bars are limited and somewhat provincial. 3 million people live there, making it the second largest city in Indonesia. Compared to Jakarta, it still feels laid-back and unsophisticated. The streets are rather clean, you can walk on the sidewalks and the traffic is not horrible. There are several modern malls, but none of them as chic as Plaza Indonesia or even Grand Indonesia. Few expats live in Surabaya and even fewer tourists visit it. As a result, you may get more attention than usual from locals. I remember being at McDonald's and people were pointing at me as if I was some sort of curiosity. Since COVID happened, a lot of places have closed down in the city and the opening times may be shorter now. It can be a good idea to make a phone call to the venue you want to visit beforehand. If you are completely new to Surabaya, the best way to start your night out is to go to a mall li
Malang is one of the nicest cities I've been to in Java. It is a mid-sized mountain town just 2 hours from Surabaya, relatively clean (for Indonesia standards) and with pleasant weather (though it can be rainy). As you would expect, Malang nightlife is not the most happening. The current hotspot is actually the brand-new Starbucks, in front of which you may surprisingly see a couple of Ferraris. If you want to party, you have a few good bars and nightclubs though, enough to keep you busy for a weekend. Most bars are laid-back beer houses or live music cafés that are popular with students. These venues are not so sophisticated and their prices are as low as they can get. There are some reputed universities in the city (Universitas Negeri Malang in particular), so the crowd is rather educated and you can easily make friends if you are not shy to socialize. Clubs are more diversified. The best ones are modern, with a rich crowd, sexy girls and decent entertainment (DJs
Desperados Bar is one of the few expat bars in Surabaya. If you are on a business trip, it is a convenient place to have a few drinks and kill your boredom. The concept is similar to BATS in Jakarta , though it is much less happening. Located in the basement of the Shangri-La, it has a daily live band (Indonesian playing Top 40 songs from the past 40 years), some working girls, and a grill/Mexican restaurant attached to it. Most of the action is around the circular bar where you can easily meet other expats.
Colors Pub is one of the most famous bars/clubs in Surabaya. Centrally located on Jalan Surabaya (next to the Society Complex), it is part of the same group behind Eclectic and Our Bar. It is mostly a live music venue with a large performance stage and tables all around it. They are opened every day of the week, with a different event each night (see their Instagram below for the updated schedule).
Coyote Club in Surabaya is one of the most infamous party spots in the city. It is owned by a group that owns several other clubs, bars, and spas in the city.
Kowloon International Palace is a one-stop entertainment complex in Surabaya. It features C-bar (live music), Kowloon (nightclub) and a Chinese restaurant. They also do weddings and concerts in their function hall. It is located on the 5th floor of the mid-class mall Plaza Surabaya. The first time I went there, the taxi dropped me off at the lobby, but there is no lift so I had to walk through the parking to get there. Make sure you get dropped on the 5th floor.
I was disappointed with Yogyakarta nightlife. As a city famous for attracting students and tourists, I was expecting a fun party atmosphere with busy bars and nightclubs. On the contrary, Yogyakarta is quite conservative: Most girls wear the jilbab and you can see all over the city some aggressive banners against gays or Shia Muslims. I've read also about some incidents against a feminist group just a few days ago. This gave me the impression to be in Saudi Arabia more than in "tolerant" Indonesia. In spite of this, I still had fun but I had to try quite many venues before figuring out which ones were crowded and which ones were boring. The objective of this guide is to save you some time and give you the best tips to enjoy Yogyakarta nightlife if you are a single traveler there. If new bars and clubs open, please mention them in the comments to help me keep this review up-to-date. Last update: September 2018. Hotels in Yogyakarta Near the Nightlife:
Osmosis is a live music bar and nightclub located in Cirebon, about 3 hours by train from Jakarta. It is inside the Aston Hotel and Convention Center on Jalan Brigjen Dharsono. I was surprised to see that there are several clubbing options in the city: You also have Rockstar Mixology or Mithas Pub for instance. None of these is as happening as what you would find in Jakarta, but at least they provide decent entertainment. Osmosis is a clean, modern, and intimate space with live bands and DJs every night. They have a different theme every day (though they may change it from time to time): Monday is a student night, Tuesday is for old school music, Wednesday is for special event/open format, Thursday is for classic rock, Friday is for hip-hop/Rn'B/trap. On Saturday, they'll often have a more famous live band or DJ, sometime from Jakarta.
I've been living in Tangerang for over a month now and I've had a few occasions to visit the bars and nightclubs there. This review will give you a short overview of the nightlife in Tangerang and more precisely in the new cities Bumi Serpong Damai (BSD) and Gading Serpong. Note : If you need a hotel, please check Serpong Hotel Deals and Tangerang Hotel Deals (I make a small commission on every booking but the price does not change for you and it helps me maintain Jakarta100bars). Overview of Tangerang Enigma Nightclub in Gading Serpong
Small in size but touristy, Solo (or Surakarta) is often considered the little sister of Yogyakarta. I was in the city to visit a French friend who lived there for 8 years. He showed me the nightlife on a Friday and a Saturday night. Hotels in Solo near the Nightlife The city is home to plenty of hotels, but beware as many are conservative and may not accept if you are staying with your boyfriend or girlfriend. As a rule of thumb, avoid small family guest-houses and any hotel with the name "syariah" on it (obviously).
Jember nightlife is very quiet as you could imagine. The only decent nightclub I could find is E-Club which is located about 1,5km from the city center (I was staying in Aston Jember ). It is a small venue with a 200 pax capacity. Nothing luxurious there, just the walls, a stage, a bar and high tables on the dance floor. Entry was free but some busy nights it can reach Rp50,000. The crowd was mostly made of guys, not particularly dressed up for the occasion. There were less than 10 girls. A band was playing a mix of Indonesian and famous English songs. After midnight, it stopped and was replaced by a DJ (house music).