Entertainment and Nightlife in Nepal
Nepal is an agricultural based society. This means locals go to bed early and get up with the sun. You will have to find your entertainment, after 9 PM, in the touristic areas, mainly Thamel. Most restaurants in Thamel close after 10 PM and a number of bars that stay open until after midnight. Kathmandu has a couple of discos, and there are cultural shows, and 4 of west Asia's few casinos.

On the Town
Casinos - 24 hour nightlife does take place in the 4 Casinos of Nepal. You'll get free food and sometimes a disco if you put some money on the tables. The main games offered are roulette and blackjack, and the main clients are Indian.

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Culture Shows - Almost every restaurant and hotel that caters to the non-backpacking, up-scale market hotels, hosts a nightly culture show complete with local dances, music, songs and costumes.
The Himalchuli Cultural Group is a Classical and Folk Dance group, which performs nightly, at The Festival Restaurant and Bar in Lazimpat. The restaurant serves excellent Nepali and Newari cuisine.
In Pokhara many restaurants have a cultural dance show on every night. Signboards outside the restaurants advertise what's happening.

Local Bands, the Bar Scene and Dancing - Look for local bands in the cities of Kathmandu and Pokhara. Discos are becoming popular and dancing sometimes breaks out at local bars. There are several bars scattered around Thamel in Kathmandu, all close to each other. Each one has its own style so have a look in each one to choose which appeals to you.

Tom & Jerry Pub - upstairs, opposite to Pilgrims Book Store, has been open for along time, it's noisy and has pool tables. Close by on the same side of the road is the New Orleans Cafe - a popular place to eat good food and often has live bands. In the same area is the Jump Club - a popular bar with DJ and a small dance floor. Further north is the Tunnel Club - a popular top-floor place with very loud music and open late hours. Almost opposite is Sam's Bar - a small place with good music that opens after 5 PM.

A well known bar is the Rum Doodle Restaurant & Bar - it's a favourite meeting place for mountaineering expeditions, and you can eat here free for life, but only if you conquer Everest first! The Pub Maya, which is associated with Maya Cocktail Bar - has remained a favourite for along time. Close to Thamel Chowk is the Underground Bar, which always has its music up pretty high. Further along on Tridevi Marg, Studio 54 is currently popular.

Right near Yin Yang Restaurant is Paddy Foley's Irish Bar - a very popular place, especially on St. Patricks day!

Kathmandu has a couple of discos, popular with the more wealthy Nepalis. The Moon Sun Disco - at the Heritage Plaza in Kamaladi, Club X Zone near Durbar Marg. Both are open late every night but are probably not ideal for visiting tourists. If you want to dance, bars in Thamel are a lot better.

Movies - The only theatres in the country play popular Hindi movies from Bollywood, mostly without English subtitles. But catching a Hindi movie is worth it since understanding the language is not essential to enjoy these comedy-musical spectaculars. Recently, a few local venues have popped up serving English language movies that are about 6 months behind their market release.

A number of restaurants in Thamel offer videos or laser discs on TV's, almost as soon as they are released at the cinemas in the west. These places usually require you to eat at the restaurant and the movie is included. You'll see the movies written up on chalk boards on the pavements.