By evening the malecón fills with walkers and the beach bars along the hotel strip switch on their music, while in the centro the pace is slower and the crowds thinner. Later, the party moves to the clubs of the Zona Dorada and the Marina, where the music runs until the small hours.
Mazatlán has a reputation as a party city with an exceptionally good nightlife, and the range is wide: seafront bars for visitors, inland bars where locals go, and nightclubs for those who want to dance late. It suits anyone who wants a choice between a quiet beer and a loud night, and the atmosphere is at its most intense during American spring break and Semana Santa.
Where to go out in Mazatlán
1. The seafront and the hotel strip
The bars facing the beach are where tourists tend to gather, and they are set up for an evening that starts with a sunset and a beer and can turn into dancing later. Joe's Oyster Bar, at the Hotel Ramada, is a palapa bar on the beach with two-for-one beer, a volleyball court, and a nightclub atmosphere at night; it stays open until 2am on weekdays and 4am at weekends and charges a small cover on busy Friday and Saturday nights. Gus Y Gus, in the Golden Zone, is a restaurant and bar with a house band playing classic rock in the evening, and people get up to dance when it is busy.
This is the easiest area if you are staying in the resort zone and want dinner, drinks and music without travelling far.
2. Punto Valentino's and the surrounding bars
The bars around Punto Valentino's are named among the city's popular drinking destinations. Valentino's itself is described as the largest landmark in the city, which makes the area easy to find and a useful reference point if you are meeting people.
Suits a night of moving between several bars rather than settling in one place.
3. The centro
Inland and away from the seafront, the centro has a smaller, later scene. Delorean Bar on Calle Libertad is described as a dark and artsy after-party bar, open Thursday to Saturday from 20:00 to 02:00 and Sunday from 20:00 to midnight. La Querencia Bar on Heriberto Frías serves decently priced beer with outdoor seating and live music on Saturdays, open Tuesday to Sunday from 17:00 to 02:00.
Good if you want a later, less tourist-oriented drink and are willing to take a taxi away from the beach.
4. The Marina district
The Marina has both bars and nightclubs. El Perla Negra is popular among locals, open Wednesday to Sunday from 18:00 to 02:00. Cotorritos, open daily from 14:00 to 04:00, is a bit cheaper than the bars nearby and so attracts a younger crowd. Privé Mazatlán is described as very popular and very pricey, open Friday and Saturday from 22:00 to 04:00, and Classico Mazatlán, part of a nightclub chain, keeps the same weekend hours.
This is the area for a late, loud night, and the one where prices vary most between venues.
5. Inland bars where locals go
Away from the seafront, locals head inland, and the atmosphere there can be excellent. The sources do not name specific inland streets, so treat this as a direction rather than an address: ask where people from the city drink rather than following the beach crowds.
Suits travellers who want a cheaper, more local evening and do not mind a taxi ride.
6. Comedy and dinner theatre
For an evening that does not revolve around drinking, the Mazatlán Comedy Club at the Hotel Playa Mazatlán runs monthly between November and March, and you book through the hotel concierge. A murder mystery dinner theatre is put on by Murder in Mexico at the Las Flores Beach Hotel on Tuesday nights.
Both suit an early, seated evening, and the comedy club is seasonal, so check before planning around it.
7. Sports in the evening
The Venados baseball team plays in the winter league at Estadio Teodoro Mariscal, where prices for tickets, food and beer are described as cheap; there is no parking lot, so take a bus or taxi. The Mazatlán Futbol Club plays at Estadio El Encanto across two seasons, so a game can fall at almost any time of year.
A good option for an early evening with a group, particularly if you want to eat and drink cheaply.
8. Pacífico and the local beer
Pacífico is brewed locally and sold everywhere, at around M$15–20, or M$10 for a can from a deposito. Trying it is part of a night out here rather than a venue in itself.
How a night out unfolds
The sources do not set out a fixed timetable for dinner, but the pattern they describe is a long evening: bars such as Joe's Oyster Bar open around noon and run until 2am on weekdays and 4am at weekends, La Querencia opens at 17:00, and the Marina clubs do not open until 22:00 and close at 04:00. In practice that means an early sunset drink, dinner in the Golden Zone or the centro, and then a choice between an early finish and a club that runs until four in the morning. The city is at its busiest during American spring break and during Semana Santa, when the beaches are packed for the whole week.
Festivals and events worth timing a trip around
- Carnaval de Mazatlán — a five-day festival held in February, described as one of the largest in the world, with a large part of the street in Old Mazatlán closed and filled with live bands and vendors.
- Semana Santa — Easter week, when Mexican visitors fill the city and the beaches are jam-packed for the entire week.
- American spring break — the city is flooded with American students looking for fun, and the nightlife is at its most intense.
Frequently asked questions
What time do bars and clubs close in Mazatlán?
It varies by venue. Joe's Oyster Bar closes at 2am on weekdays and 4am at weekends; La Querencia and El Perla Negra close at 02:00; Cotorritos stays open until 04:00 daily; and the Marina clubs Classico and Privé run from 22:00 to 04:00 on Friday and Saturday.
Where do locals go out, as opposed to tourists?
Tourists occupy the seafront bars, while locals head inland, where the atmosphere can be excellent. El Perla Negra in the Marina district is also described as popular among locals.
Is there anything to do in the evening that is not a bar or club?
Yes. The Mazatlán Comedy Club at the Hotel Playa Mazatlán runs monthly between November and March, a murder mystery dinner theatre takes place at the Las Flores Beach Hotel on Tuesday nights, and you can catch Venados baseball in the winter league or Mazatlán Futbol Club games through the year.
When is the busiest time to go out?
The city gets crazy around American spring break, and during Semana Santa it is flooded with Mexican tourists and the beaches are jam-packed for the whole week. Carnaval in February also closes streets in Old Mazatlán and fills them with bands and vendors.
Decide whether you want the beach bars, the centro or the Marina clubs, check the hours of anywhere you plan to finish the night, and build your evening around it.