Polish music festivals are increasingly held up as some of the best Europe has to offer. But with international headliners resulting in expensive ticket prices, the events can be prohibitive to locals, and a costly attraction for tourists visiting from abroad. Much like the capital offers a variety of architectural styles β from the Stalinist Palace of Culture and Science to the meticulously reconstructed Old Town β Warsaw has venues for all tastes when it comes to nightlife.
Housed in a historic building still bearing the marks of the Warsaw Uprising, the capacity underground space is a sprawling labyrinth of concrete softened by stylish soft furnishings. While committing a whole night to Smolna is no bad move, its eclectic mix of regulars often move onto Luzztro. Another centrally-located techno mecca that also runs a record label, Luzztro is a year-old Warsaw afterparty institution.
Housed in an square-metre space with high ceilings and oversized windows, it delivers aesthetically , but has a good sound system too. Offering a mixed programme of live music gigs as well as club nights, the opulent space is a popular daytime spot as well, with a Hawaiian restaurant, cultural happenings, markets, and food pop-ups. No trip to Warsaw should conclude without a jaunt to Praga. Case in point: the medieval basement that houses Prozak 2.
It might be an underground cave, but it never feels claustrophobic thanks to its size , square metres split over three dance floors and four bars. Within the exposed brick interior, which boasts a Funktion One sound system, expect to find a mixed crowd of locals and tourists enjoying house and techno courtesy of internationally-renowned DJs like Damian Lazarus and Marcel Dettmann. Szpitalna 1 enjoys a similarly historic location. Built during Communist rule, the Brutalist building was once an opulent complex featuring a casino, swimming pool, and miniature golf course.
Now, Soda Underground Stage continues these legacies. More counterculture can be found at OFF , which takes its name from its location just off the main thoroughfare of Piotrkowska, on the site of a former cotton mill. An intimately-sized space, the venue, which opened in , was the brainchild of a cooperative of likeminded underground artists β hence its stylish design, incorporating a dramatic light wall.
