Manila at Night: The Five Types of People You Meet at Bars and Clubs

“In nightlife, you can become a star, while in the daytime you can just be a nobody.” –Eddy de Clercq

Of all the cities in the Philippines, the nightlife is no brighter and more colorful than in the country’s biggest metropolis, Metro Manila. Over the years, Manila’s vibrant nightlife has continuously served the public’s demand for a more diverse experience at night, and it has adequately delivered through a variety of exciting bars and clubs. Today, a typical night out in Manila is not only limited to pre-gaming at a pub or bar, dancing the night away at the club and wrapping it up at a coffee shop. In these days, Manila nightlife is more expansive and would include themed and sports bars, gaming clubs and the like. As a result of this development in Manila’s nightlife scene, bars, pubs, and clubs would now cater to a more varied and inclusive set of partygoers and revelers.

In fact, it is not uncommon to come across a zany or interesting character in one of your nocturnal excursions. After all, in a perpetually bustling cosmopolitan such as Metro Manila,  you would be hard-pressed to find an empty bar or club—even on weekdays. Given this rather busy lifestyle, expect and be prepared to bump into some individuals who are seeking a little relief (and breathing room) from a hard day’s work. Although they might be different from one another, expect to find similar characteristics among them.

Here are some of the common individuals you would bump into on any given night at the bar or club:

1.)    The Cool Kids 

You might have spotted them gingerly waiting their turn to get inside at the queue leading to the club. More often than not, their presence baffles you because for one, they look far too young to be partying (and drinking for that matter) and secondly, they are definitely up way past their bedtime. As a result of this rather rebellious behavior, you might even wonder (and question) their parent’s moral scruples and leverage on disciplinary control over them.

2.)    The Group Taking Shots 

There is no doubt that in one of your nightly excursions; you are definitely going to run into that all-male or female boisterous group. Usually, they are somewhat easy to spot not only because of their crazy antics but because one of them has had too much to drink and would most likely need help just standing up.

3.)    The Group of Girlfriends 

Just one look at them reminds you of an episode of Sex and The City. From the get-go, they seem to be catching up—either on the latest gossip or the comings and goings of their lives. However, while this might seem like a sound idea at first, the club is not exactly an ideal place to hold a conversation. Crowds of people converging on the dance floor, music blaring from the stereo and drunk people all-over are definitely things that do not make an ideal ambiance for a catch-up. Besides, no one really feels like shouting just to be heard by their companions. 

4.)    Foreign Nationals and “Friends”

This is not to say that a foreigner’s companion would immediately be his date, but more often than not, that is the case. Most trendy bars will have their fair share of foreign nationals. In fact, you can rank a bar or club’s popularity based on the attendance of foreigners (and their companions in tow).

5.)    The Scouts 

These individuals are males, and they can come in groups or alone. They have a singular purpose for hitting up clubs: To score dates with women. If a man’s flirting game is pretty strong, he usually would not require a coterie of other men. However, if a man is a novice at the dating game, he might need a few wingmen with him.

Image Source