Nightlife & Entertainment in Chennai

A traditionally conservative city, Chennai has blossomed in the last decade into a burgeoning cosmopolitan metropolis, brimming with gleaming malls, chic restaurants, and buzzing bars and clubs. If you’re looking for a lively place to hang out on a rainy day, Chennai’s also scattered with cinemas.

 

Cinemas

 

As Chennai is home to the vibrant Tamil film industry, there are over a hundred cinema screens to choose from across the city. You can catch a traditional Tamil language film, opt for a major Bollywood screening, or check out the latest international blockbuster.

 

 

This state-of-the-art multiplex offers plush armchairs and an array of vast screens including a 3D cinema. Spread over 6 levels, it's also home to restaurants as well as an exciting gaming centre where you can get stuck into the action from the comfiest of seats.

 

8 Thiru-Vi-Ka Road, Chennai 600014.  

 

Escape Cinemas

 

Arguably the coolest of Chennai’s cinemas, Escape has 8 individual screens, each designed to create a unique sensory experience. It's housed in the Express Avenue Mall, and you can head for chic dining or soothing spa time after catching a film.

 

Whites Road, Chennai 600014.  

 

Traditional dance

 

Chennai may be a city for contemporary pursuits and pleasures, but it’s also a bastion of traditional Tamil culture. Mylapore – Chennai’s long-standing cultural centre – plays host to a cluster of authentic Carnatic music, classical arts, and Bharatanatyam dance venues. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

 

Founded with the endorsement of Gandhi himself, this is an esteemed educational centre which also happens to have a diverse programme of music and dance performances. Ideal if you fancy a taste of real Chennai culture during the early evening.

 

East Mada Street, Chennai 600004

 

 

 

 

A much respected cultural institution, Sri Krishna Gana Sabha is one of the best places in Chennai to enjoy a traditional dance and drama. Its burgeoning calendar of events provides a menu of distractions for anyone wanting a taste of Tamil exuberance.

 

20 Majarajapuram Santhanam Road, Chennai 600017.  

 

Clubs

 

If you fancy dancing until the early hours to the city’s top DJs, Chennai has a handful of top-notch clubs in glitzy venues. The city’s club scene is focused on its luxury hotels, where you can party into the early hours with the urban elite.

 

 

One of Chennai’s liveliest party spots, this high-energy hangout is a favourite haunt for the city's party animals. Here you can munch on tapas while buzzing electronic and house tunes fill the air under the opulent glass skylight.

 

Clubhouse Road, Chennai.  

 

Bars

 

Fancy sipping cocktails on a roof-top bar? Or perhaps you’d prefer to relax with a whiskey on a plush leather couch? Chennai’s bars are gleaming, high-end spots with boutique decor and luxurious drinks.Q Bar

 

A place to chill in the balmy night air, Q Bar has a stunningly sleek roof-top setting overlooking the lit-up evening streets below. Find yourself a spot under a gazebo to sip on a delectable cocktail, while listening to mellow music floating across on the evening breeze. It's a bit like being on the beach – except in the heart of the city.

 

124/1 J.N. Salai, Chennai, 600032.