June-July 2015, June 2016

I have been to Amsterdam, Budapest, Dublin, and lived for over a year in New York, and I can confidently say that the nightlife in Tbilisi easily puts them all to shame. Because unlike those other places, when you go out at night in Tbilisi, and it can be any night of the week, you enter into an entirely new world of amazement, where your wildest dreams are possible. In this world, there are no obnoxious groups of tourists. There are no British bachelor parties destroying everything is site or Americans staring stupefied at how not everyone is speaking English. Nor are there overpriced drinks or tacky attractions.

The Tbilisi nightlife is alive seven days a week and exists in a way that cannot be fully described in words. It is a world where punk rock bands go crazy near giant out-of-place bicycle statues, where liters of wine pour out of bar taps, and where friendly underground karaoke raves manifest in smokey, windowless basement. Here, cats will kindly rub up against your bar stool while you take a $1/0.97 euro shot of liquor served from a plastic water bottle. And best of all, it is entirely welcoming.

Unlike the other countries in the region like Armenia and Azerbaijan, nightlife is much more heavily entrenched in the Georgian culture, and they always seem to be excited to share it with foreigners. Overall, it just seems like people are out to enjoy themselves. The nights are lively and energetic, but more fun than intense. No matter what, if you happen to be going out, you've got a good night ahead of you.