Drinks by the Ishim: Where Astana Comes Out at Night
Walk down Zheltoqsan Street toward the river on a Friday evening and you'll feel the city shift. Harat's Irish Pub sits at the heart of a cluster of bars where locals and visitors drift between venues as the night deepens—the block near Harat's, a few minutes' walk from the Ishim, becomes the gravitational center of Astana's social life when summer arrives. The crowd here is overwhelmingly local, though the pub itself has cultivated a following among the smaller expat community. Live music runs most nights, and the energy builds as you move toward midnight.
The bar scene ranges widely in style and price. Dark Side, on Prospekt Mangilik Yel, draws young people to an upscale cocktail bar that fills quickly on Fridays and Saturdays, or on Wednesdays when they run 2-for-1 on cocktails—you'll want to book a table on those nights. Line Brew on Kenesary Street transforms as evening arrives: it's a restaurant by day, but shifts into bar territory as night falls, with prices to match its location and quality. For something closer to the budget end, Winners Pub near Baiterek Tower offers reasonable prices despite its prime location, and adds shisha and karaoke to the mix. Nirvana is cheap and cheerful—a basic nightclub that fills most nights, especially around 1 AM, and sits close to other venues so you can bar-hop easily.
When you want serious nightlife, Bla Bla Bar in Abu Dhabi Plaza functions as Astana's premier nightclub. Friday and Saturday nights draw long lines, and the venue enforces face control, with stricter age restrictions for men (though foreigners tend to be exempt). Pinta and Panayehali are popular chain bars scattered across the city, both serving food and drink with live DJs and bands on Friday and Saturday nights. Shisha bars are everywhere and part of the social fabric—you'll find them woven throughout neighborhoods alongside the cocktail venues and pubs.
What to Drink: Local Traditions and Imported Standards
Kumis and shubat are the traditional fermented drinks worth trying if you want to taste the steppe. Kumis is mare's milk, slightly fermented and sometimes a little salty, and contains alcohol. Shubat is the camel milk equivalent, local to the region and also fermented and alcoholic. Both reflect Kazakhstan's pastoral heritage. If you prefer something more conventional, vodka and cognac (brandy) dominate the shelves—supermarkets stock everything from budget bottles at around $2 to premium bottles at $115. When shots are offered at celebrations or gatherings, they're typically drunk without mixers. You don't have to keep pace with every toast, especially given the number of toasts that happen at parties and public events.
Sauna Culture and Winter Refuge
When the winter deepens and temperatures drop below minus 30 Celsius, Astana's sauna culture offers an escape into warmth and tradition. Ak Bulak sauna Complex sits on the main highway to the airport, near the Olympic stadiums, and operates 24 hours. It's built around three private VIP saunas, each decorated in a different geographic style, each with its own swimming pool, Finnish and Russian steam rooms, jacuzzi, hamam, and entertainment hall with a banquet table. You can order billiard and karaoke, and various types of massage at reception. The complex is designed for groups—the saunas fit parties of 6, 9, or 12 people. Food and beverages are included. Rates run from $20 to $60 per hour. This is a genuine way to experience the bathing traditions that matter in Kazakhstan, especially in a city where winters are extreme.
Music, Theater, and Entertainment Venues
Astana Opera, seating 1,500, has acoustic properties designed by internationally renowned architects Enrico Moretti and Maria Cairoli. The Kazakhstan Ortalyk concert hall, next to the presidential palace, was designed by Italian architect Manfredi Nicoletti and shaped like flower petals, with an exterior of glass panels. For cinema, Kinopark 8 on Turan Ave screens films in English on Tuesday nights. The Astana Circus, shaped like a spaceship on Qabanbay Batyr Ave, runs shows from 9 AM to 6 PM daily. Duman is an entertainment complex with an oceanarium (rare for a city 3,000 km from the ocean, housing over 2,000 sea inhabitants from 100 species), a 3D Motion Theatre where you can take an underwater World War II adventure or travel to the dinosaur age, and a dome area with souvenir shops and cafes. The aquarium includes mermaid and shark-feeding shows.
The Festival of the Capital and Summer Timing
The Festival of the Capital takes place on 6 July, marking the city's day with concerts and events. This falls in summer, when the block near Harat's by the river becomes genuinely pleasant, and when Astana's evening life spreads outdoors. Summer temperatures can reach 35 Celsius, and the city comes alive in the long daylight hours. Winter is another matter: from mid-December to early March, temperatures drop to minus 30 or 35 Celsius, and the Ishim River freezes from November through early April. If you're drawn to sauna culture and don't mind the cold, winter has its appeal. If you prefer warm nights by the river and outdoor bars, timing a visit around the summer months, especially around the Festival of the Capital in early July, makes sense.
Astana's evening rhythms are still being written—the city is young and growing. Start with a drink near the river on Zheltoqsan, try a sauna complex in winter, catch live music at Harat's or one of the Pinta locations, and plan ahead for the clubs if you're going on a Friday or Saturday night. The city rewards those who arrive with specific plans and an openness to what's actually open when you arrive.