This September, Lebanon will get its first Ice Bar! It’ll officially open on September 15th at the Blueberry Square Mall in Dbayeh.
Ice bars are made in large part out of ice, with furniture, bars, cups, sculptures and other items carved out of solid ice slabs. Ice bars are usually kept at around 5 degrees below zero, so your time enjoying a drink inside is usually limited to around 20 minutes. Even staff working there will do shorter, alternating time shifts to accommodate for the cold weather inside.
I’ve personally never been to one, so I’m looking forward to trying out the infamous ice-cold vodka shots and cocktails in goblets made from ice. I’ll make sure to post about it when I go!
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know I’m spending this weekend in Turkey’s Izmir province, with Middle East Airlines (MEA) for their yearly networking event.
The second we got to the delightful Swiss Hotel Izmir, a stone’s throw away from the Aegean Sea, MEA chairman Mohamad El Hout revealed to us several bombshell announcements about MEA’s fleet and headquarters.
MEA will purchase 15 new airplanes between 2019 and 2021
11 of the airplanes will be Airbus A321, and the other 4 will be the “wide-body” variants
All MEA planes will be equipped with WiFi
MEA will now fly directly to Madrid3 times a week starting June 16, 2018 (Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays) at takeoff and landing times that would be perfect for La Liga fans who want to jet off to watch a game.
Apart from that, MEA will expand its headquarters even further in the area surrounding its recently inaugurated training center. Massive 150x95m hangars will be constructed for maintenance purposes, a green office building and more. You can check out how the MEA campus will look like by 2021 below.
Source: MEA Chairman Mohamad El Hout, Izmir 2018
The Airport Expansion
Being delighted with news of expanding the MEA fleet and getting its passengers connected at cruising altitude, I had loads of questions about the planned expansion for the Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport.
The current capacity of our international airport is around 6 million passengers a year, but in 2017 more than 8.3 million passengers made their way through it.
This has prompted Public Works Minister Youssef Fenianos to begin “urgent expansion” of the airport, allowing it to handle 2 million extra passengers within the next 9 to 12 months. By 2030, the airport is scheduled to welcome 20 million passengers.
Now, after a lot of digging, I was finally able to get the renders of what the Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport will look like, courtesy of MEA and Lebanon’s Public Works minister Youssef Fenianos.
So, I present to you the renders made by Dar Al-Handasah, who won the contract to design the expanded Beirut Rafic Hairir International Airport. You guys are the first to see this outside Dar, the ministry and MEA!
As you can see, the first phase will be adjacent to the seaside runway, and the second phase of the expansion will be on the opposite side flanked by Beirut’s southern suburbs.
The expansions will include additional baggage conveyor belts, inspection stations, power generators, flight docking systems and cooling systems.
Stay tuned for more, I will be following MEA’s fleet expansion, as well as Beirut’s airport expansion over the coming weeks and months.
PPP Plans
Below are screenshots I took from a presentation given by Dr.Omar Kaddouha, Director of Flight Safety at The Lebanese Directorate General of Civil Aviation on March 6, 2018. It was part of a session titled “Showcasing of PPP-Candidate Infrastructure Projects” at the Four Seasons in Beirut last month.
The presentation highlights that the project’s construction and financing will be handled by the private sector, signaling a good example of a PPP project (Public-Private-Partnership).
The government’s job is to manage the project, and make sure the tenders are transparent and have the taxpayers’ best interest heart. It’s also their job to attract financing from the right private sector entities.
The private sector will finance, build, operate and maintain the new terminals (and maybe the entire airport).
Personally, I’m glad this estimated 500 million USD project will not be funded from taxpayer money. I also hope that the private sector being a partner, means more diversity in what’s offered in Beirut’s terminals that doesn’t immediately have to do with airplanes and flight (food, shopping, etc.)
As for where the 20 million passengers will come from, the region is seeing a steady increase of around 5% in air travel, and in Lebanon’s first 2 months in 2018, passenger numbers spiked 10%. So, don’t just think Gulf tourists, think Lebanese expats, layover passengers, Lebanese who are traveling more for leisure and business and tourists from non-traditional locations.
Also, I really hope the tender process next year for the 2 phases is transparent and fair, so that the specter of corruption stays away from this ambitious project. I also hope the airport will be run more efficiently with the private sector operating it. Lastly, I hope the government will cut taxes they keep hiking up on travel, and that prices of tickets outbound from Beirut become more affordable, as more and more people fly more often, with more planes to take them to more destinations, making flight a necessity that’s met efficiently in Lebanon, not just a luxury many struggle to afford.
Phase 1
Phase 2
Special thanks to MEA for inviting me on this trip. It was awesome meeting everyone, exploring this Turkish province that I hadn’t visited before and working on getting this story in tandem. Also, special thanks to my dearest Lea Mehanna for the invaluable help in compiling this, and Nadine Mezher for helping me find a presentation that had extra information from what I was able to gather.
It’s like with every event, TeknoAnd keep answering my prayers to the Techno gods and bringing us acts I would have never thought I’d see in Beirut.
On Thursday February 8, 2018 TeknoAnd will be transforming CLOSR into a veritable temple for Techno with none other than Boris, an artist very dear to my heart, and Amotik, supported by Raphael Merheb and Archetype b2b with Elie Kozah.
Why I Love Boris
We all have those nights that stay with you even years later. The ones you can get flashbacks of on command, and smile at the good time you had. For me, one of those nights was my first ever weekend spent at Berghain in Berlin. It was years ago, during my first trip to Berlin. And, you guessed it, Boris (a long-running Berghain resident) started his gargantuan 4-hour set only minutes after I had checked my coat and warmed myself up for an unforgettable weekend in a club I had been daydreaming of being at for the longest time.
I’d say the set was life-changing, but I don’t wanna sound cheesy. The venue, the sound system, the people, the surreal vibe all fell into place when he began. It was rough, uncompromising and gorgeous. If I focus hard enough, I can still feel the kicks from that set. That was when I fell in love with Berghain and the culture it represented. While living in Berlin, I’d check the Berghain lineups every month and check when Boris was playing to try and catch a glimpse of that very first night that solidified my everlasting love for Techno, Berlin Techno especially.
Anyway, I’m gonna stop here cause I could keep going for hours. In short, I’m super fucking excited that Boris is coming to my beloved Beirut. Here’s a set to help you get a feel of what’s in store!
AMOTIK’s Uncompromising Techno
It’s crazy that Amotik released his debut EP only 3 years ago, because his Berlin-drenched raw, hypnotic and relentless brand of Techno scratched a very particular itch hardcore Techno heads had. As if it wasn’t enough having Boris come all the way from Berlin, TeknoAnd have summoned another Berlin Techno heayweight, and TeknoAnd resident Amotik.
I will let his set below illustrate what I mean by uncompromising, raw and hypnotic.
We’re Hooking 4 of You Up with Guest-list Passes
For the occasion of Boris and Amotik coming to Beirut, and the first TeknoAnd night at CLOSR, we couldn’t help but sweeten the deal even more by letting 4 of you skip the line and enjoy your night on us.
BONUS- You don’t have to, but if we see you post something or share the event link on your Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #ComeCLOSRtoTeknoAnd, I’ll personally make sure we enter your name into the draw twice.
I’ll announce the winners on my Instagram account on Wednesday afternoon, so make sure you stay tuned, and see you all there!
Please note, this is a 20+ event, so if you’re younger, you will not be allowed to enter at the door. Thanks for understanding!
I don’t know about you, but I love Halloween. Everyone dresses up, they can be as scary, slutty and funny without anyone making a huge fuss, you know, cause it’s Halloween. Of course, you’ll always have the MTVs and Tony Khalifehs of the world thinking Halloween parties are “satanic rituals”, but what else can you expect from people like that? For me, it’s even funner that there’s a chance a hapless MTV crew might come and do a documentary about a costume party, or that annoying friend on your list that complains that “St Barbara is on December 4th, stop indulging in Western satanic stuff”.
Anyway, now that my rant against conservatives is over, let’s get down to business:
I don’t know about you guys, but I miss Thursday nights at AHM. I almost ordered an Uber to go down there the other week, forgetting they were taking a 2-week break before this Halloween banger.
All the usual fun of Love Night, only with even more props and extravagant outfits. Yes please!
TeknoAnd are back at B018 to continue their epic series of bookings this year, this time with none other than DAX J! I had the pleasure of seeing this man destroy Gashouder in Amsterdam during Awakenings, and given his marathon 10-hour set at Berghain, this man is a living Techno legend. Friday night, wear your costumes and head down to B018 for a Halloween party with DAX J ❤
Skin City are opening up their 3 rooms this Friday, with 6 artists making sure your costume will be able to do that dance routine you’ve been practicing in it the past week or two.
Papa Sven and Maurizio Schmidt are in town this weekend, in what’s arguably one of the biggest bookings at a Lebanese club this year. Who better than the vinyl-armed Techno deity to celebrate this Halloween with? Fuck, yes!
There’s a couple of cool private events to, but respecting the hosts’ wishes, I won’t say where and when exactly, but ask your cool friends about them, and get yourself on those guest lists!
Summer maybe technically winding down, and the effect of that has been felt, with no Decks on the Beach this Friday, following the season finale of Electric Sundown a week before. However, the nightlife scene isn’t stepping on the brakes just yet, and AHM is hosting Stephan Bodzin live along with Luna Semara, while The Garten is hosting Maceo Plex along with Raxon, making it quite the difficult decision for Beirut’s clubbers this weekend. As always, I will curate the best events this week in Beirut!
Wednesday
Discotek’s Disco Banana
Discotek is almost closing for the season, so tonight and Friday is one of your last chances to party in the pyramid disco inferno. The weekly disco, pop and house extravaganza will feature Monokultur and Romax tonight, and don’t go too bananans tonight y’all!
Ever since Love Night at AHM started, my weekends have been starting on a Thursday, and they’ve been epic ever since. Nothing like a good warming up on a Thursday night to make your Friday and Saturday night even better. It’s free entrance if you come between 9:30 and 10:30PM, so you don’t have an excuse not to take your date on a Thursday night there.
Adonis are celebrating the launch of their third album, “Nour” this Thursday at RAW in Dbayeh. The local sweethearts that have captivated the indie scene with their soulful lyrics and emotive tunes will be performing live this Thursday. Tickets are for 20,000LL, doors open at 8PM and show starts at 9:00PM!
If you’re in the mood for a sound you will not hear anywhere else in the city, then Frequent Defect might be just what you’re looking for. The heavy, industrial Techno that has become their signature, much to my delight, starts off in the usual BPM range we love, and becomes faster and faster is the night progresses into morning. This Friday, the lineup includes three live or hybrid sets, from Antrho (NL), Taka (PL) and Safa (LB). Necrostate, HWGA, June and Renata will also be playing sets on the night. Tickets are for 20,000 LL and party starts around 10PM.
The Beirut International Beer Event and Cloudnine are adding a Techno flavor to this year’s BIBE at the gorgeous Beirut Hippodrome this Friday sunset till late. The lineup includes some of Beirut’s favorite decknicians, including Gunther, Stamina, Nesta, Ziad Ghosn, Eli and Krys & Rita. Entance is 10$ and party starts at 5PM and stays going strong till past 1AM. Enjoy the copious amounts of beer and Techno everyone!
Yukunkun this weekend hosts the second edition of “i am not a robot”, and to my absolute pleasure, it’s the “play techno” edition. The night starts at around 11PM, and entrance is just 10,000 LL. On the ticket are Tamira Soufic, Ziad Nawfal and Essabbagh, playing their unique flavors of Techno ❤
I love Stephan Bodzin so much. I was lucky enough to be at The Brooklyn Mirage when he started playing live again after years of crafting his new live experience for “Powers of Ten”. Unfortunately, last time he was here, the airport security didn’t let him get his custom-made, otherworldly looking equipment through customs. This time though, there will be no such mixup, and he’ll be playing live with all his glory at AHM! As if the deal wasn’t sweet enough, Luna Semara will also be at AHM that night. See you between the ship masts on Saturday for some legit Bodzin live!
Maceo Plex is back in Beirut, and this time at The Garten! The last time I saw him (before his Grand Factory show) was at a Van Gogh museum in his hometown of Amsterdam in front of the iconic “The Starry Night” masterpiece. It was legendary. He’s coming to the pyramid this Saturday, and to make things even better, Raxon is flying in from Dubai to support, along with our own beloved dutchman, Romax!
Here’s one of my favorite Maceo Plex remixes to get you warmed up:
The weekly hip hop ritual is back for a 6th edition at Skin City this Saturday! This week, Ram and DNK are on the 1s and 2s, with Chyno MCing the night!
It’s mid-September, and summer should start to wind down. Unfortunately, the heat hasn’t let up, and the massive acts and nights are aren’t winding down either. This Friday, Decks on the Beach closes this epic season, and a lot of other not-to-miss nights are in store all across the city.
I haven’t exactly hidden how much I love this night at AHM. It’s the perfect place to get warmed up for each weekend. The mood is happy and dancy, and the club gets packed, but not enough to make moving around or dancing a hassle. Put something sexy on, and go down and dance to the beats of Rea, Tala, Wass and Jade. Oh, and by the way, tonight you get a free drink with every drink you buy till 11PM.
This party is without a doubt Friday’s most important. Decks on the Beach is one of the longest running nights in Beirut’s summer. The crowd at Decks is my favorite in Beirut, and the diverse selection of music throughout the summer is guaranteed to hit your sweet spot sometimes, and help you discover something new at others. Decks is wrapping up this summer season with Yuksek, the act that in 2011, kicked off the first ever Decks party! See y’all there ❤
I became friends with Marco because last summer, I saw him at B0, then at Fusion Festival, then at Garbicz Festival and finally at Berlin Atonal Fesival. Fourth time was the charm I guess, and he’s one of the coolest people you’ll meet and have commanding the decks at a club or festival. As if that wasn’t enough, my local heroes Three Machines will be mixing too, along with Monokultur on the lineup as well. I’m excited to see Marco, Three Machines and Monokultur when he’s playing some of that darker, harder stuff we love.
It’s been quite a while since the froghopper appeared, but they made the wait worth our while by inviting Atomic Circus to perform this Friday at The Notch in Faqra. Atomic Circus is an awesome new collaboration that focuses on live performance, and I for one really enjoyed 3LIAS’s new project. The lineup includes Joey Akl, a set by 3LIAS and a live performance by Atomic Circus. Perfect excuse to escape the city heat this Friday!
This weekly rendezvous at Skin City with Off & On starts early, and ends really late. Whether you want a nice sunset drink, or a banger till the sunrise, this place stays happening all night long. This week, Aaryon is coming to Beirut, supported by Jean J, Nadi and Wael!
Many of us went and had their Ibiza therapy this summer, but those of us who can’t afford to take the time off and fly to the awesome Spanish party island, one of the island’s titans is coming to our side of the Mediterranean this Saturday! Anna, German Brignate and Luca Donzelli will be at AHM this weekend, bringing the Ibiza Amensia experience right here to Beirut! Oh, and 10 to 10:30PM, entrance is free. That’s right, you can get into an Amnesia Ibiza party, right here in Beirut, with no charge if you come early, and 22$ if you’re a bit late (but you get a drink or two with that).
I love Matthew Dekay. I know Techno is all I babble on about, but House music has a special place in my hear too, especially Dekay’s emotive, melancholic brand of it. Phil and Space K will be on the ticket as well in the pyramid this Saturday! Entrance is free fro 7 till 9PM, then entrance is 15$ with no drinks all night long.
The weekly urban music rooftop party is back for a fifth edition this summer, with DJ Ram on the 1’s and 2’s and my homeboy Chyno live! Party kicks off around sunset, and the dance floor keeps grinding till late into the night.
The Sandance weekends at the beach are back this Saturday and Sunday, with a huge Techno lineup with two Psy artists coming from abroad as well! Personally, I’m excited to see Rabih Rizk again, along with Ziad Ghosn, Hampy, Rolbac and all the other great names on the ticket! If you’re into camping by the beach, along with Djane Gaby and Dalton Trance Teleport, supported by many of Lebanon’s finest, then consider a day, or two at Sandance.
After 10 shows in Akkar and Tripoli, MARCH is finally bringing “Habib El Kell” musical, comedy play to Beirut! The show is at Tournesol Theater (Douwar El Shams) at 7:00PM sharp this Saturday! Entrance is free, you just need to call or email to save your spot. Simultaneous translation will be available for our friends who don’t speak Arabic! Call 01208101 or email info@marchlebanon.org too book your spot ❤
This week, the hottest events are Recondite at AHM and the annual Wickerpark Festival in Batroun. However, it’s far from all of what Beirut has to offer this week!
I’m really enjoying Thursday nights here. For one, it’s still packed, but not as heavily as Saturday nights, meaning it’s much easier to walk around and dance without elbows, lit cigarettes and drinks hitting you every step. Rea’s also been doing an awesome job, along with Tala, Wass, Jade and whoever is on the lineup each Thursday. The mood is quite happy and upbeat, I’d highly recommend for a date night.
For the last instalment of Electric Sundown this summer, the boys have teamed up with Miami-based Do Not Sit on the Furniture, to bring a beautiful lineup that includes Behrouz, Monolink LIVE, Timujin and Zone+. I’m really excited about seeing Monlink live personally, as well as Behrouz for the first time. It’s the last Electric Sundown this year, so make sure you head there at sunset time!
This month’s Glitter instalment is the official Wickerpark Music Festival pre-party at Soak in Batroun! The monthly rendezvous that merges fashion with clubbing, is back, with a killer lineup that includes several good friends who are also part of Wickerpark! Philvader b2b with Zoza, Semanesco and Lous are on the ticket. There are camping spots available if you plan on staying in Batroun for the weekend!
Decks is back, and this week German-based The Robot Scientists, with Raphael Merheb wrapping things up around sunrise by the iconic beach venue! Entrance is free before 10PM, so start your night early and skip the long queue for another epic Friday at Decks!
The Off & On Friday bangers are back at Skin City this week, with Animal Picnic, 3LIAS, 2Third and Wael on the lineup! This party starts early, just around happy hour, and is going hard till way past your normal bedtimes. Free entrance before 8:30PM!
It’s refreshing to see old school hip hop making a comeback in Beirut this summer, and the second edition of “Catch The Soultrain” is happening at Trainstaion Mar Mikhael this Friday. T will start things up with old school hip hop anthems we all love grinding to, followed by some yummy House music with Ralph Nasr.
Any true friend of mine will know that my all-time favorite artist, one artist that “I’d choose if I was stranded on a deserted island”, is Recondite. I cannot count the times I’ve traveled to see this man perform, but they are far too many, and all were mind blowing.
I’m extremely happy he’s finally coming to Beirut, and can’t fucking wait to see him destroy a club right here at home! I’ll leave you with some of my favorite tracks of his:
and his re-work of part of Plastikman’s EX performance!
RSVP Here and see you all on the dance floor!!! ❤ ❤ ❤
This annual gathering of all things alternative and indie has become something to look forward to towards every end of summer. Every year, thousands of folks from all over Lebanon converge on Batroun for Wickerpark.
This year, I’m excited to see Hello Psychaleppo on the ticket, along with local sweethearts Who Killed Bruce Lee, Kinematik, Alko B, The Bunny Tylers and my boy Chyno x Rajul Al Adidi! Quite the diverse mix of amazing, live music! Ziad Nawfal and Roland Ragi will also be spinning DJ sets during the festival!
This week at the pyramid has a true taste of Germany, with Dusseldorf’s Superlounge and Berlin’s Mira & Chris on the ticket! I love Mira, every time I’ve seen her at a festival somewhere in Europe, or at KaterBlau, has been special. My favorite is perhaps her set at Bachstelzen right after Fusion last summer!
The weekly Saturday hip hop rendezvous at Skin City is back, with DJ Ram, YSF and Chyno making sure you have a blast from sunset till sunrise. I haven’t seen YSF spinning hip hop in a while, and I miss Chyno’s MCing terribly, so looking forward to the 4th edition of The House Party!
Projkt has been a serious contender for most intense after-parties this summer. The seaside venue opens at midnight, and the party stays going strong will well after sunrise. This week, Dennis Cruz, who has been working miracles on Beatport this year, is flying into Beirut, with Gunther, Jason Kaakoush and Soapbass supporting!
Maher Iskandar is a good friend, and he’s taken up a new hobby of aerial photography. I tried to fly a drone for the first time this month, and I must say, it was quite the exhilarating experience, and I keep checking AliExpress every couple of days toying with the idea of buying my own! Till then, if ever, enjoy these awesome drone shots from Maher.
Batroun Coast
Who among us hasn’t walked on the massive ancient Phoenician Wall on the old part of Batroun? It’s also the area where most of us like to get our toes wet in the Mediterranean!
Mar Mikhael
Everyone’s favorite happy hour street for the past few years, as seen from above!
Jbeil (Byblos)
I love this shot of Jbeil, where you can see one of my favorite churches in the world, St. John with it’s gorgeous courtyard full of ancient mosaics, as well as the ancient “mina” port and the blue stuff are the seats for Byblos Festival!
Downtown Beirut (Place De L’Etoile)
Most of out childhoods involved a lot of time spent with family and friends here. Sadly, for the past few years, it’s been the scene of several crimes by Lebanon’s government against unarmed, peaceful protesters with righteous demands. It’s sad this place is a ghost town now, but what else would you expect with politicians like this? You do get a glimpse of Capitole on the bottom left though!
Jaziret El Araneb (Rabit Island, Off the Coast of Tripoli)
As far as hidden gems ago, this is one of my favorites. It’s a small archipelago right off Tripoli, a few minutes boat ride away. It’s sandy beaches are usually nice, clean and quiet, but try to stay away from them during the weekends if arguileh and Lebanese folk music isn’t your thing.
St Georges Hospital (Achrafieh)
Above Mar Mikhael, and beneath Sassine, you can see lots of neighborhoods of Achrafieh in this gorgeous shot from above, with the St Georges Hospital’s helipad clearly visible at the bottom.
The New Sky Bar
Most of you have probably seen endless hours of Instagram stories of the new Sky Bar, here’s a view from above!
Metn (Beit Chabeb, Bikfaya)
This is a view I’m very fond of. I grew up and went to school in Metn, and spent a lot of time in towns like Beit Chabeb, Bikfaya and many others you can see in this shot. In the distance, you can even see parts of Kesserwen, like Ajaltoun and Ballouneh!
I know I say this every week, but that’s because it’s honestly true. Every week, it’s like the entire clubbing and events scene in Lebanon outdoes itself this summer. With places like AHM and the new pyramidal Garten, as well as a host of impressively good party crews, it’s no surprise that this summer has been pretty insane, with everywhere filling up several days every week.
I’ve been to this night in AHM three times now, and each time keeps getting better and better. This week’s edition is even more special, since Friday’s off and everyone can stay later than they usually do on a Thursday night. Jade, Tala, Rea and Wass will be on the 1s and 2s, and the energy of them all on the decks, often back-t0-backing it suddenly, is awesome. Nothing too heavy, and you won’t hear any Techno kicks, but the funky, housy, sexy vibe is strong with this night.
I love COYU! I had the pleasure of interviewing him back in 2015, and he’s as awesome a human being as he is a DJ. The Barcelona-based Suara Music powerhouse always knows the right blend of Techno and House to leave both die-hard fans of one side of the spectrum, as well as light-hearted aficionados of both, equally happy. I’m even more excited about Fabrizio, who will be performing live at Skin City this Thursday. This man combines my two favorite genres: classical music and Techno. So, there’s no doubt I’m missing his live performance!
The second I saw that Three Machines were playing one of their legendary live sets, I immediately clicked “going” without even reading where or why. Reading the where and why though, and everyone else on the Onyx Music Festival lineup, made me certain I really did want to click “going”. The venue is amazing, nestled between the beautiful rock formations in the heights of Keserwen’s Feytroun. The lineup is jampacked with awesome local talent, like Rolbac, Eli, Mayhm, Whoisbibz and Patch.
Apart from this mouthwatering lineup, there will be a campsite to chill and take disco naps, as well as plenty of kiosks and games to try out between sets and live performances. MoonMonkey are also getting their SkyBench, so if you love heights, up in the mountains, then you’re in for a treat.
Escape the heat and traffic, and make sure you don’t miss Three Machines’ live set. Trust me, you’ll be forever changed if you still haven’t had the pleasure of seeing them live!
During my time in Berlin, I grew very fond of the Stil vor Talent crew. Many of my closest Berliner friends work at SVT, and the artists on that label are some of my favorite discoveries in the past 2 years, and a constant feature on my SoundCloud likes and playlists.
This Friday, Teenage Mutants and Niko Schwind are flying in to Beirut to do an SVT showcase at b018. Our beloved bunker will give us a taste of Berlin right here at home.
6 Beirut born and raised heavyweights are coming together on the Skin City rooftop this Friday. Our boys holding it down for us in the DXB Jixo & Danz will be joined by Kaytek, Wael, Raphael Merheb and Jool for another Off & On the Roof banger. The last two Fridays at Skin City have been insane, and lasted way into the early morning hours despite starting just before sunset!
I love Aya Metwalli’s work, and I’m looking forward to her pre-birthday bash at Yukunkun this Friday night, where she will debut some new songs as well as performing some of her favorite ones we already know and love. Khodor, Mouka and Essabbagh will be playing DJ sets throughout the night as well!
I was getting goosebumps while uploading the AHM x Richie Hawtin cover photo above. Techno God Richie Hawtin is coming to Beirut’s AHM, with his Model 1, to officiate the plot of land at the Beirut Waterfront as a true Techno temple on Saturday. There are no words that can describe how excited I am about this booking. It’s arguably one of my most anticipated this year. I’ll be getting my Richie Hawtin and Plastikman vinyls for Richie to sign. Ultimate fangirl mode: ON!
As if having the M_nus label boss at AHM wasn’t enough, one of my favorite artists signed to Richie Hawtin’s label is also in Beirut on Saturday at The Garten! I still remember the first time I saw him perform, at the top floor of the Tannous Group building in Karantina. It was sublime, with his flavor of Techno ushering a beautiful sunrise above Beirut before all the skyscrapers had ruined it…
I love Liliane. I love Hamed. I love it even more when they collaborate. Liliane’s mastery of live electronic music, coupled with Hamed’s voice and lyrical choices, means this part-planned, part-improvised collaboration at the beautiful Metro Al Madina venue is something you don’t wanna miss.
With such a massive Saturday night lined up, why not start it by the pool, drinking and being serenaded by Ronin, Patch, Rise 1969, Padawan, Soapbass and Ledwarf at Soak in Batroun? The 12-hour affair starts at 10AM and will wrap up before you need to head back down to the city for this epic Saturday night in Beirut. The diverse lineup means fans of every part of the electronic music spectrum will have their fair share of the daytime pool party!
Hip hop lovers have been finally recognized and acknowledged by Lebanon’s primetime event organizers. For the third week straight, urban music lovers have a place to come together, grind and shuffle at the Skin City rooftop with Fifteen20 Ave! This week, DJ RAM, DNK and my homeboy Chyno are on the ticket! I miss seeing Chyno live, I don’t think I have since he played at Fusion Festival in Larz last summer! Anyway, he’s back in Beirut after a tour in Eruope, and if you like them baggy pants and caps, then you know where to be this Saturday.
It’s a long weekend, jampacked with awesome stuff happening. The must-go-to after party this season is hosting Ezara this Saturday night (Sunday morning? :P) with Kaytek, Pablo and Fady Ferraye! If you still feel like you’re not all danced out, then head down to one of Beirut’s most inclusive crowds and dance away till the sun has risen to almost mid-day levels!
With the long weekend, full of insane parties and lineups, you’ll need to ground yourself again and unwind a little. This Saturday, in the beautiful town of Naas, above Bikfaya, Serah is back at it with Yoga Circus. The day starts at 10AM, and will go on till the gorgeous sunset from up in the mountains. Several teachers will be providing their own flavors of Yoga, with mandala coloring, meditation and a rhythmic flow sunset with Serah.
Check out the day’s schedule on the FB event, and snack and munch on guilt-free snacks and meals throughout the day!
If you’re anything like me, the time you really love Beirut the most is at night. After all, it’s less hot at night, there’s definitely less traffic, you can usually find a free parking spot somewhere on the street and all in all it’s a lot less chaotic than daytime Beirut.
But, we’re also a city that likes to party, almost every day of the week, then later have a hearty breakfast at a restaurant that stays open till late. This means that driving at night is dangerous and stressful, and that the hundreds of young people who die on the street each year, do so at night…
That’s why I absolutely loved the new Uber promo codes you can get from some of your favorite clubs and 24/7 restaurants. Each venue’s promo code gets you a 20% discount on your ride to and from your nocturnal (or early morning!) destination
The Venues
Bar Du Port
Located in Saifi, right after Freddy’s.
Caprice
Located on the Dora seaside
Discotek
At The Garten venue on the Beirut Waterfront
Iris
On the Annahar building rooftop
The Garten
At the Beirut Waterfront
Zaatar w Zeit
ZwZ Sodeco, Bliss, Zalka and Gemmayzeh branches.
Why It’s Better to Uber When Out Clubbing
Cars are the worst hassle when you go clubbing:
You’re always a bit worried about how much you drink, and how late you stay out.
You always have to put up with the valet, then spend way too much time waiting for your car to arrive as you stand outside the club in the heat/cold. And of course, hope your seat and radio settings are still the way you left them when you handed them the keys…
The valet occupies most of the reasonably-distanced free parking spots, and in other places, the city or landowner doesn’t let you park on the side of the street, like at the Beirut Waterfront.
You’re always anxious about that friend you’re worried had too much to drink, with a dead phone battery, who you’re not sure got home safe after the club.
Accidents and checkpoints mean you sometimes spend time stuck in traffic, even in the middle of the night, which only bums you out on the way to or back from wherever you want to go.
All that could be solved by just cabbing it. No 10,000 LL parking 1000 meters away. No valet that you can’t really trust your car with, which makes you wait when all you wanna do is just get home and into your bed. No driving through traffic. No getting a fine for speeding or parking. No worrying if you can have those two extra shots and still be ok to drive home at night with drunk drivers all around you…
I’ve posted the promo codes from most of the venues below. You could always just ask them for it too. These promo codes are valid through the summer!
Please, don’t drink and drive. Focus on having an awesome night, and don’t risk your life or the lives of other people by driving while intoxicated. Why stress yourself out with parkings, valets and walking to the venue when someone can drop you right at the line into a club and then pick you up so you can get back safe and sound to your bed? Most nights I go clubbing, I Uber, and I don’t even drink that much, it just saves me the hassle of parkings and valets (and the long drive home after 6AM!)
If you still aren’t an Uber user, make sure you also use my promo code: “prnib” and that way we each get $5 of Uber credit ❤
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