Nightlife

If Sinatra had known about São Paulo, he would never have given the "city that never sleeps" title to New York. Most Paulistas won't even set foot in a club until midnight. Take a cab into Vila Olímpia around the witching hour, and you'll find yourself in a traffic jam formed by everyone just heading out for the evening.

Less casual than Cariocas, Paulistas love to dress up when going out. Women, especially in winter, are partial to black or other dark colors. Men are less formal. Good casual is fine, but jeans and running shoes likely won't make it past the door wardens in many clubs.

For those looking to catch the big names in popular Brazilian music, São Paulo is the place. The city gets more of the stars, performing more often, than any other city in Brazil. São Paulo also offers a variety of theater, dance, opera, and classical music. The São Paulo symphonic orchestra plays regularly, and the city attracts many foreign companies as well.

Where to Go For Info -- An excellent source of arts and entertainment information is the Guia da Folha, an entertainment guide published in the Friday Folha de São Paulo newspaper. In addition to theater and concert listings, it includes bars and restaurants (with updated hours and phone numbers) as well as exhibits and special events. On the first page is a useful overview of all the free events that week, titled in Portuguese é gratis. The guide also includes details on upcoming concerts (shows in Portuguese) and events at nightclubs (casas noturnas). Veja magazine (Brazil's equivalent of Newsweek) comes out every week on Sunday and includes a separate entertainment guide called Veja São Paulo; many hotels provide this insert for free. For sale at newsstands is a bilingual tourist publication called Este Mês São Paulo or São Paulo This Month. It features maps, listings, and contact information for R$4 (US$1.30). For vultures of high culture, the cultural department of the state government puts out a listing magazine every month, Revista Cultural, with details on classical music, dance, theater, and exhibits.

In São Paulo, Know Your Club Lingo!--The word boate or boite used in Rio for a nightclub or dance club refers in São Paulo almost exclusively to a strip or sex club.

The Performing Arts

São Paulo is considered -- both by Paulistas and grudgingly by Cariocas -- to be the cultural capital of Brazil. The classical music scene is excellent, and the theater scene positively thriving. The majority of high culture takes place at just two halls. The Teatro Municipal is the more traditional and arguably the more luxurious of the two. Built in 1903 in the heart of the old downtown, this Parisian-style opera house is said to have near-perfect acoustics. The Sala São Paulo is the main hall in the recently renovated Estação Julio Prestes, a grand old Victorian railway station that has been completely restored and adapted for use as a cultural center. Both halls put on a rich program of classical music, dance, opera, and theater. For free performances, check for the "gratis" listings in the Revista Cultural.

Happenin' Hood: Vila Olímpia

The most happening night-time neighborhood in São Paulo is currently Vila Olímpia. Packed with clubs and bars, it's always busy, even on weeknights. Some of the more popular bars concentrate along the Rua Prof. Atilio Innocenti. MonteCristo (Rua Jesuino Cardoso 194, corner of Atilio Innocenti; tel. 011/3846-7483) doesn't charge a cover, and as a result is often packed with patrons spilling out onto the sidewalks. Further down at Atilio Innocenti 780 is the Buena Vista Club (tel. 012/3045-5245). Despite the Cuban-sounding name, the music is mostly Brazilian from Wednesday to Saturday. Bar Favela (Prof. Atilio Innocenti 419; tel. 011/3848-6988) is anything but downscale. This hip bar attracts a happening crowd that come to see and be seen. Athilio Music (Rua Prof. Atilio Innocenti 618; tel. 011/3044-0206) is a split-personality kind of place, with a sports bar in the front and a dance club hidden in back (just in case the urge to dance strikes after a couple of beers with friends). The cover is R$5 to R$20 (US$1.65-US$6.60). A few streets over, you'll find the new and intriguing Café Folklore (Rua Quatá 579; tel. 011/3842-1280). Quite a change from the packed smoky bar scene, Café Folklore takes up all of a large sprawling house. There are two dance floors, often with different bands performing and a large patio and outdoor bar in between. Expect a variety of Brazilian music and pop/rock. Cover varies from R$5 to R$30 (US$1.65-US$9.90) and on most nights you get two bands.

Music & Dance Clubs

Large and varied, São Paulo's nightlife scene is also quite spread out, with little entertainment clusters in neighborhoods all over town; barhopping is really more like car hopping. Best to pick a neighborhood, enjoy dinner, and then grab a drink or catch a show at a club nearby so you don't waste time and cab dollars stuck in one of São Paulo's famous late-night traffic jams. Vila Olímpia has recently emerged as the new hot spot for nightlife, with a number of large dance clubs located here as well as some of the city's best bars.

As in most cities in Brazil, many bars and clubs charge a drink minimum instead of or sometimes in addition to a cover charge. Patrons receive a little card or slip of paper on arrival. All your expenses are recorded on the card and tallied up when you leave. Lose the card and you get charged a ridiculously steep maximum fee (the assumption is you've been on a bender all night and dumped the card to escape the consequences).