Nightlife in Beirut merits a special note. The city is brimming with restaurants, beach clubs, centers for performing arts, music venues, movie theatres, a casino, and a number of discos, pubs, and bars. The best approach may be to get warmed up for your evening at one of Beirut's state-of-the-art health clubs, such as Lifestyles, near the Corniche, or the Spa Intercontinental, at the Phoenicia Hotel. Then check out the performance schedules while sipping a Lebanese espresso or enjoying a cocktail at a café in trendy Solidère.

Music
If it's live music you're after, try the Blue Note on Makhoul Street next to AUB, or the bar, Strange Fruit, also located downtown. As its name suggests, the Blue Note specializes in jazz and hosts a variety of local and international talent. Strange Fruit is a funky establishment serving nouveau cuisine and headlining an eclectic mix of artists, from jazz to local alternative music bands. Head to Achrafiyé for atmospheric piano bars. Folkloric music and dance is the specialty of the restaurant Nahr Al-Founoun on the Pont de Nahr El-Kalb. The Lebanese National Conservatoire performs classical pieces, as well as classical Arabic and jazz music, at the Charles Khater Theatre at St. Joseph University. For seasonal big ticket performances, check out the schedule at the UNESCO Palace.

Theater
Theater is making a comeback in Beirut. The city boasts a number of theaters (Al-Madina, Monot, George V, Beirut Theater, Athenee) that showcase plays, music, dance, poetry and other theatrical arts. The Al-Madina Theater in Clemenceau was opened in 1994 by a well-known Lebanese actress, Nidal al-Achkar. The Beirut Theater is known for its avant garde approach, interweaving the dramatic arts with multimedia. At all the theaters, performances are in Arabic, French, or English, depending on the particular performance.

Art
Lebanon has long been the center of the contemporary art world in the Middle East, renowned for the eye and skill of its artists. Nowhere is this more aptly displayed than at the Sursock Museum in Achrafiyé. The museum houses a collection of modern and contemporary Lebanese art and presents themed exhibits and international collections. If you're interested in starting your own private collection or just browsing, be sure to take in a gallery opening or view a collection. Beirut's galleries are too numerous to mention, but Galleries Zaman, Janine Rubeiz, and Aida Cherfan are a few of the well respected.

Nightclubs and Casino
For late night activities, try your luck at the Casino du Liban or "see and be seen" at one of Beirut's many happening nightclubs. Rue Monot in Achrafiyé is a hot spot for clubs and bars and the latest fad restaurants. Put on all your finery and dance to techno house, hip hop, or Arab Latin music until the wee hours of the night.