Evening in Dazhou settles in early over the river and the mountain ridges that ring the city. Street stalls and small restaurants fill with diners, shopfronts light up along the main avenues, and the bars and lounges that cluster in the newer commercial blocks begin to open their doors.
Nightlife here is low-key and spread out rather than concentrated in one entertainment strip. It suits visitors who prefer a quiet drink, a tea house that stays open late, or a live-music room to a large club district, and who are happy to move between a few separate addresses in one evening. Venues come and go, so it is worth confirming that a place is still trading before you set out.
Where to go out in Dazhou
1. Renhe New Town
A modern shopping and commercial area on East Baqu Road, with retail buildings and adjoining food and drink outlets. It draws an early-evening crowd that comes for dinner and stays for a drink afterwards, and it suits a relaxed, unhurried night rather than a late one.
One bar listed in this area is ANTHONY, at the Renhe New Town Shopping Center on 318 East Baqu Road.
2. Jinlan Road and Lo Fu Plaza
A commercial cluster of shops and dining with drinking spots attached, convenient if you want dinner and a bar within a short walk of each other. It suits small groups and couples looking for one or two stops rather than a full night out.
SEE YOU is listed at Gate 4, 1D-12, Lo Fu Plaza, Jinlan Road.
3. Golden Dragon Avenue
A long avenue lined with commercial premises, including bars, that works well if you are staying nearby and want somewhere within easy reach of your hotel. The character is that of a neighbourhood strip rather than a nightlife district, so expect a calm atmosphere.
Black• stone is listed at 483 Golden Dragon Avenue.
4. Shili Water Street
A waterfront-style commercial street with buildings given over to food, tea and drink, including multi-floor premises. It suits an evening that starts with tea or coffee and moves on to a bar without changing location.
Sa Wild Tea Cafe • Bar occupies four floors of Building 1, Block 1, on Shili Water Street.
5. Laifeng Road and the Binjiang area
The riverside part of the city, where upper-floor venues look out over the water. This suits visitors who want a view with their drink and a quieter setting than a ground-floor bar.
Roof Tavern (Center Square) is listed on the third floor of Binjiang International Trade on Laifeng Road.
6. Live-music rooms
Small live houses stage performances for seated audiences, making them the best option if you want to hear music rather than talk over it. They suit a night built around one set rather than a crawl between venues.
Hanyu lives House is listed on the first floor of Building 3, Arashiyama, Joongdi.
How a night out unfolds
The sources do not describe local dining or going-out hours in detail. What they do show is that the drinking venues listed are scattered across several commercial areas rather than gathered in one quarter, so an evening usually means choosing one area and staying in it, or taking a taxi between two or three. The dated events in the sources fall in the evening-heavy holiday periods of early October, late December, January and February, when venues are likely to be busier than usual.
Festivals and events worth timing a trip around
- National Day and the National Day Golden Week holiday, early October, with the holiday running across the first week of the month.
- Double Ninth Festival, in October.
- Christmas Day, in December.
- New Year's Day, in January.
- Spring Festival Eve and Chinese New Year, in early February.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of night out does Dazhou suit?
A quiet one. The venues named in the sources are bars, lounges, a tea-and-coffee bar and a live-music room, spread across shopping centres, commercial streets and riverside buildings rather than a single nightlife district.
Where can I find several places to drink close together?
The commercial clusters are your best bet: Renhe New Town, Lo Fu Plaza on Jinlan Road, Shili Water Street and the Binjiang area on Laifeng Road each combine dining and drinking premises in one place.
Is there anywhere to hear live music?
Yes. Hanyu lives House is listed as a live house, on the first floor of Building 3, Arashiyama, Joongdi.
When are venues busiest?
The sources point to the holiday periods around National Day in early October, Christmas, New Year and Spring Festival in January and February as the dated events in the calendar, so expect more people out during those stretches.
Check the current status and location of any venue before you go, then pick one area for the evening and let the night take its own pace.