Nightlife in Belgrade

Night view on Belgrade, from the Sava river
Bohemian quarter of Skadarlija. With its mix of old-style kafanas and modern clubs, it is the second most visited tourist attraction in Belgrade after the Belgrade Fortress
Typical appearance of the splavovi, barges and houseboats adapted into the kafanas, restaurants, clubs and cafés, central venues of the modern city nightlife
One of the clubs on the splavovi at night (2011)

The vibrant and dynamic nightlife in Belgrade achieved international prominence in the early 21st century. Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, gained a reputation both due to the traditional nightlife, mostly represented by the kafanas, and the contemporary, modern nightlife, especially including splavovi, barges and floats adapted into the clubs and cafés.[1][2][3] Belgrade often makes the lists of the cities with best clubbing and partying,[4][5][6][7] discreetly shaping itself into the fun and accommodating metropolis.[8]

The splavovi (singular splav) are located along both banks of the Sava, with numerous clubs along the shores of Ada Ciganlija, and the right bank of the Danube. Despite the modern nightlife developed in time into various varieties to appeal to the foreign visitors and younger demographics, Skadarlija, a Bohemian quarter with traditional kafanas still remains one of the most visited Belgrade attractions, second only to the Belgrade Fortress.[9]

The city is especially popular in the surrounding region, with numerous weekend-visitors. The main appeals to the tourists include: generally good knowledge of foreign languages or lack of language barrier in the case of the former Yugoslavia; friendly atmosphere; abundant number of venues (bars, clubs, cafés, kafanas, restaurants); quality cuisine; relatively low prices of the alcohol, especially from the perspective of foreign visitors; lack of the nightlife regulations or the poor enforcement of the existing ones.[8][10][11]

The growing popularity of Belgrade as fun and entertainment hotspot, especially the "crazy splavovi", garnered criticism in time. Though still described as having the "legacy as an intellectual hangout",[6] and including the successful artistic revitalization of quarters like Savamala or Dorćol,[12][13][14] the prevailing image of Belgrade, even officially advertised as such, is that of a city of cheap fun. This typecast promotion made Belgrade's nightlife a focal point for the people searching for low-priced hedonistic, carefree distraction, having a much wider social impact: heavy drinking, drug abuse, crime, prostitution, influence on teenagers and youth and a development of the "reality TV shows influenced splavovi-culture".[15][16][17]

  1. ^ Eve-Ann Prentice (10 August 2003). "Why I love battered Belgrade". The Guardian Travel. London. Archived from the original on 15 May 2007.
  2. ^ Seth Sherwood (16 October 2005). "Belgrade Rocks". The New York Times.
  3. ^ Barbara Gruber (22 August 2006). "Belgrade's Nightlife Floats on the Danube". Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on 16 June 2007.
  4. ^ Liza Weisstuch (6 January 2023). "Want to eat your way through Europe? Belgrade should be on your radar". The Washington Post.
  5. ^ Gareth Scurlock (4 November 2008). "Europe's best nightlife in buzzing Belgrade". The Times. London.
  6. ^ a b Lonely Planet (9 November 2009). "The world's top 10 party towns". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  7. ^ Neomam (31 January 2022). "Which City in the World Truly Never Sleeps?". Simple Ghar.
  8. ^ a b David Farley (21 November 2019). "36 Hours in Belgrade". The New York Times.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Politika was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "Slovenci dolaze u jeftin provod" [Slovenes come for cheap good times] (in Serbian). Glas Javnosti. 21 December 2004.
  11. ^ "U Beograd na vikend-zabavu" [To Belgrade for weekend-fun] (in Croatian). Večernji list. 6 January 2006. Archived from the original on 6 January 2006. Retrieved 15 June 2007.
  12. ^ Will Coldwell (7 February 2015). "Belgrade's Savamala district: Serbia's new creative hub". The Guardian.
  13. ^ "Doviđenja, Savamala: Mixer House se seli na Dorćol" [Goodbye, Savamala: Mixer house moves to Dorćol]. Blic (in Serbian). 24 January 2017.
  14. ^ Daliborka Mučibabić, Dejan Aleksić (15–16 February 2015). "Savamala – četvrt umetnosti i tri četvrti noćnog života" [Savamala - quarter of arts and three quarters of nightlife]. Politika (in Serbian). p. 21.
  15. ^ Gojko Vlaović (2 October 2018). "Grad zabave" [City of fun] (in Serbian). Danas.
  16. ^ Jelica J. Marković. "Имиџ Београда и Новог Сада у перцепцији страних туриста" [Image of Belgrade and Novi Sad in the perception of the foreign tourists] (PDF) (in Serbian). Geography Institute "Jovan Cvijić".
  17. ^ Bane Gajić (21 December 2018). "Kako su splavovi postali važan deo Beograda" [How splavovi became important part of Belgrade]. Vice (in Serbian).