Beyoğlu by night
İstanbul has an amazing night life. I even tend to think that İstanbul looks so much nicer in the evenings due to the fact that darkness covers it all up and relaxes even İstanbulites who are the most tense people round the globe. What is nicer is that İstanbul is one of the safest cities in the evenings across the world even for women who are hanging out with other female friends.
There are a couple of venues I would like to recommend for music lovers who love to dance.
On the top of the list is Babylon. The venue has great concerts and is so spacious that allows one to dance freely! It is in Bomonti in an old industrial complex which is extremely cool. Check out its list of concerts that are coming up.
Babylon venue during a concert
One other place I will suggest is for those who are wondering about a venue with a local taste. 45’lik only plays nostalgic Turkish songs. The venue is small and the place is packed with people. The music is amazing for someone like me who likes nostalgic Turkish songs that get under your skin! 45’lik is in Beyoğlu close to the Galatasaray square.
Another favourite spot is in Asmalı mescit in Beyoğlu. The name of the place is Novo. It is neither a bar nor a venue but a great place for good music and dancing. It is rather small so be ready for close contact. The people who hang out are usually very cool, people you would enjoy meeting.
IF Performance Halls in Beşiktaş is also great venue for concerts.
One last place I will recommend is on the Anatolian side in Kadıköy. It is called Dorock XL. It is a huge venue with lots of cool groups on stage.
Dorock XL hosts a range of very successful Turkish groups. Just make sure that you see one of them. Duman is one of the best examples of Turkish music groups.
Another great musician I suggest you get a chance to see in live performance in İstanbul is Gaye Su Akyol. She is definitely one of a kind and one of the most talented of young musicians in Turkey.
Turks are warm blooded people who like to have a good time regardless of all the troubles suffocating the country and İstanbul is a great place for a night out for those who would like to put on their red shoes and dance the blues!
I want to end with a foot note to history and pay tribute to Araf which was an incredibly fun location with its wonderful music, amazing live performances and intimate atmosphere. Unfortunately the owners decided to close it down due to many challenges in 2017 but Araf will always be remembered as a very joyful venue in Beyoğlu!
