I cannot stress enough just how much the nightlife in Sucre surprised me. After being underwhelmed by the nightlife in La Paz, I was expecting an even quieter scene in Sucre. Nope. I found the nightlife in Sucre to be much more enjoyable than La Paz, for a number of reasons. Despite Sucre being smaller, it is also safer and trendier. Thankfully, that doesn’t take away from how crazy the nightlife can get. The party rages hard in Sucre and I always found myself dancing well into the morning.
When partying in Sucre, most nights start off with drinks at any of the city’s amazing bars before moving on to find a nice spot to dance. There are plenty of those. Although Sucre lacks the variety that a bigger city might have, many of the clubs often have themed nights. While you may not get a consistent electronic scene every night, you are bound to find a rave-like party at least once a week. For example, Imaynalla, O’Finnigans, and KulturBerlin all had electronic DJs during my two weeks in Sucre, although none are particularly known for being electronic hot spots.
Another thing to note, the hostels in Sucre are where the party is at. In other parts of South America, it is common for backpackers to begin the night at a party hostel and then move on to a nightclub. The thing with Sucre is that it was often the other way around. We would start at another bar and then move to one of the party hostels for the late night scene. Of course, there are plenty of places to party that aren’t hostels. However, don’t discredit a night out at one of Sucre’s crazy hostels just because it is a hostel.
KulturBerlin
KulturBerlin is one of the most consistent spots for a good party at any given time. If you have no idea where to go or what to do, your best bet will be to hit up KulturBerlin. On the weekends, it gets absolutely packed. During the week, they host a variety of events. During my stay at KulturBerlin, they hosted everything from beauty pageants to cultural dance shows. Once those shows are over, the real party starts.
The dance floors open up and the crowds start pouring in. The owner even told me that typically, on New Year’s Eve, an estimated 1,500 party-goers come ring the New Year in at KulturBerlin. It was almost enough to tempt me to stay that extra week. I can personally vouch several times that KulturBerlin is the place to be, and not just because my bed was simply upstairs whenever the night out wrapped up.
O’Finnigans Irish Pub
Despite O’Finnigans being only a block away from my hostel, I didn’t visit O’Finnigans until my last night out in Sucre. My local friend told me they were throwing an electronic party and after being devoid of anything besides reggaeton for the last couple of weeks, I eagerly welcomed the change of tunes. It was a rager of a party. The dance floor was small but it was a classic rave setting. It was musky, smoky, cramped, and hazy and I would 100% highly recommend a night out at O’Finnigans.
Joy Ride Cafe
One of the more centrally located bars in Sucre is Joy Ride Cafe. Don’t let its name fool you. Cafe by day, discoteca by night. On the first floor, Joy Ride appears to just be a typical, quiet and cozy bar. However, the real party is on the second-floor patio. I wasn’t able to experience one of these parties since we visited on Christmas Eve when the crowd was quite small. Based on the location and setting though, we could tell that the party had a lot of potential. It was the only place that was about as crowded as KulturBerlin at the time.
Brewcraft
Although not really a dance spot, Brewcraft is a great place to have dinner and then kick off the night. Happy hour will get you two pints of delicious craft beer for 30 BOBs ($4 U.S.), and their pizzas and burgers are to die for. The owner is from Boston area, too, which is a big plus for my New Englander self. The New Hampshire “Live Free or Die” flag was one of the last things I was expecting to encounter in the heart of Bolivia.
Brewcraft has a great, modern and trendy vibe and it is an ideal spot for drinks and a game of billiards. The walk over to Brewcraft can seem sketchy at first since there doesn’t appear to be anything else in the area. My friends kept wondering if I was taking them somewhere to get mugged, but just trust the map and you will eventually stumble into it. It almost seems weird running into a place this nice in the middle of nothing-ness within the city.
Florin Bar and Restaurant
We came here for our Christmas dinner and the drinks were flowing to start the night. This is definitely more of a sit-down place than a dance place, but with a good crew, it is a great place to kick off the night. It is a bit pricier than most places but well worth the quality. I splurged here, and by splurge, I mean I paid $13 for a steak and drinks. Sure, that can go a long way in Bolivia where bottles of Singani are as low as $4. But hey, treat yo’self.
Imaynalla Hostel and Resto Bar
Although I stayed loyal to KulturBerlin for my entire stay in Sucre, I’ll admit that I thought about swapping to Imaynalla quite a few times. This hostel, like KulturBerlin, also doubles as a restaurant, bar, and nightclub. It is about a half-minute’s walk away from the Plaza de Armas, making it as convenient of a location as you can imagine. It is also one of the newer spots in Sucre’s nightlife scene, so well worth a visit for a fun and exciting night out in Sucre.
Shisha Bar
I was with my local friend when she recommended we visit her friend’s bar. Although I’m not actually sure what that place was called, I did remember seeing “Shisha Bar” on the menus, so let’s just go with that. This place had a live band, cheap drinks, hookahs, and a terrace with a stunning view over the city. Admittedly, the hike up to here was more difficult than I would have liked after a few drinks, but it was definitely worth coming up. It is past La Recoleta, so when you’re looking up Shisha bars on the map, make sure you go to the right one.
Tabaco’s Soul Bar
I never actually ended up here but I was told that once all the bars within the city shut down, this was the late night spot. It is a taxi ride away, so a bit inconvenient. That’s the main reason I never actually went but if you’re desperate to keep the party going past 3:30 AM, Tabaco’s Soul Bar is your best bet.
Overall, while the party in Sucre doesn’t come close to other South American iconic party cities like Rio, Sucre is arguably the best party city in Bolivia. Although it might not be as crazy and chaotic as La Paz or Santa Cruz, my nights out in Sucre were a great mix of fun, affordable, and safe. Sucre is a very safe city to party in, and it is easy to keep costs down on a night out. I’d compare it to a city like Cuenca, Ecuador or Arequipa, Peru when it comes to partying. You can get wild, but anything past 3 AM and you’re asking a bit too much.
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