Poznan nightlife

Poznan nightlife guide

Poznan might be a centre of business, entertainment is everywhere around the corner and nightlife is thriving. Approximately 60,000 people which means some 10% of the population, studies at the university or another institute which ads a special young and vibrant spirit to Poznan. The combination of international business travellers and the city’s huge student population has created a distinctive vibe that is rather independent of tourism. As everywhere in Poland bars in Poznan are flexible and no matter the official closing times most bars and clubs open their doors until the last customer has stumbled out. The central hub of Poznan nightlife is the old Market Square (Stary Rynek), an excellent place to sit down during warm summer evenings and watch the entire city walk by including a parade of stunning local girls. Nowowiejskiego and Taczaka street are a major draw to local students and also worth checking out.

Nightclubs, discos, clubs and bars

According to connoisseurs of the Polish clubbing, nightlife in Poznan can compete with or even beat the scene in Warsaw, Gdansk and Wroclaw. Actually Poznan is considered to be trend setting in electro and dance music in Poland, and many of the nation's top DJs and producers have their roots in Poznan. The formidable Eskulap club which contributed to Poznan’s status of the nation's electronic music capital has been closed meanwhile but has found in SQ a respectable successor. SQ (Polwiejska street 42) has almost every weekend an international top act on the flyer and Cassius, Kiki and Futureshock did already their gig in SQ.
 
For the finest and latest house-tunes in town you should should head to Club Cute located in an old town cellar beneath Stary Rynek (Wielka street 27/29 Stary Rynek 37). When descending the stairs in Cute you will find a labyrinth of rooms with archways and low ceilings where an outgoing crowd dances to house, techno and trance. Taking into account the lovely ladies on the dance floor one might think the club’s name refers to its female clientele. Another Poznan nightlife legend on the Market Square is Lizard King (Stary Rynek 86). The name refers to Doors’ lead singer Jim Morrison and Lizard King is the place to go when you want to listen to old time rock classics. Lizard King is also famous for its life performances and good kitchen serving tasty local meals throughout the day.
 
Poznan’s meat market is Tuba Club (Male Grabary street 6) which offers chart music, pulsating lasers and many, many girls. Another great venue for dancing the night away is Bunuba on Szewska street 20. This always busy club features two levels, with a chill-out atmosphere on the ground floor and a bouncing crowd on the downstairs dance floor. The music in Bunuba is very varied generally with house, electro, funk and reggae on the menu and themed nights on offer on regular basis. 7th Heaven on Mielżyńskiego street 14 is another great club in Poznan with several dance floors, interesting DJs and an excellent venue for watching beautiful local girls. Czarna Owca on Jaskółcza street 13 is another nightlife legend in Poznan. The crowd is cheerful and the atmosphere usually very outgoing. After some warming up booz at the bar upstairs you can descend to the dance floor on the underground level for a wild night of partying.
 
If your plan is to mingle with students Déjà Vu is one of the best picks in Poznan. Mainly because of its beer discounts (‘piwo studenckie’), this small pub on Wozna street 21 is a major draw to the local student crowd. For drinking cheap prized piwo in a laidback atmosphere amongst a cheerful young crowd there are not much better places than Déjà Vu. Another popular watering hole permanently packed with students girls is Dragon on Zamkowa street 3. Dragon houses a basement club as well as a beer garden and the vast number of cute college girls are a magnet to expats and staggers in Poznan. Being ‘dragoned’ is local lexicon for being wasted after a whole night of partying in Dragon and that tells all about the thriving and crazy atmosphere you can expect to meet. There are also on regular basis live concerts of interesting local acts and on quiet evenings arty films are projected on the walls.
 
In case you are looking for a more bohemian atmosphere and alternative music you should head to Czytelnia (Marcin street 69) or Kisielice (Taczaka street 20). Kisielice offers musical diversity and great atmosphere and you can expect to see local alternative bands alongside some national and obscure international acts. Art movies and exhibitions are also on the menu. Resident and guest DJs offer a variety of alternative electronic music and the lack of a proper dance floor does not prevent Kisielice’s visitors to push back the furniture and build a little party until the sun rises again. Another legend in the alternative scene of Poznan is Kultowa. This club on on Wrocławska street 1 has a group of devoted followers which are just as colourful and eccentric as the décor and graffiti inside. Kultowa is named after the Polish rock band Kult, whose legendary anthems can be heard on regular basis. For having fair prized beers with cheerful company in a genuine alternative watering hole Kultowa is one of the best picks in Poznan. As so many cities in Central and Eastern Europe also Poznan has its communist-retro bar. On Wroclawska street 9 you will find Proletaryat, a cosy bar decorated with the obligatory Lenin statue and portraits of communist leaders. Proletaryat is the best place in Poznan for having a vodka or more served with a pickle.
 
For meeting your local date in an intimate lounge setting the Terapia Restaurant on Wroclawska street 16 is an excellent venue. During the week, Terapia's is a perfect place for lounging meanwhile at weekends Terapia provides the ultimate clubbing experience with great resident and guest DJs playing tunes that keep the dance floor bouncing all night long. Also the nearby Cuba Libre on Wrocławska street 21 is a great place for dating with its stylish Cuba-themed interior, chilling atmosphere and delicious cocktails. For a more wild experience you should visit the popular Latino disco nights in Cuba Libre on Fridays and Saturdays.