The nightlife scene in Spain

The night life here in Spain is lots of fun! I have found it to be a bit different than it is in my home country of the United States.

1. The schedule. Spaniards go out later and stay out later. As most of us know, dinner happens at 9-10 p.m. Then after that you drink either at a bar or someone's house. Spaniards typically don't arrive until about 2:30 a.m. If you arrive at midnight or 1 a.m., the place will be empty. The place stays open until about 7 a.m.
2. Spaniards seem to know how to drink. I've never seen a Spaniard sloppy drunk. They seem to stick to one drink all night as well. In the end, it seems to be more about having fun with your friends than getting obliterated. I love that. Being a sloppy drunk will out you as a foreigner.
3. It seems to be an unspoken rule that you switch to copas after midnight. This just means a mixed drink rather than beer. However my Spanish roommate drank beer when we went out well into the night, so who knows?
4. The majority of the night clubs will play reggaeton. The bigger cities have more variety. I live in Granada, and we have one alternative club and two clubs that draw more of a hippy crowd. Everything else is reggaeton and "typical" for Spain.
5. Some clubs have a dress code. Just be sure to check on that before going.

I wrote a blog post about a typical night out in Spain with my Spanish friends. It was written in diary style. You can read it here if you want: http://aworldofdresses.com/a-night-out-in-spain/

Nina pretty well says it all. As a gay guy I look for a gay nightlife. It is there but only in the larger cities and, again, a late start and early morning finish. Torremolinos is good but 90mins drive. One or two bars in Granada, 1 hour from where I live, but nothing in my home town of Alcala La Real, although there is an 'underground' gay scene!!

Keith

Hello does anyone know if El Campello is a place for English
people to have good social life - would anyone have advice
for single lady intending to buy house there..   
or recommend any alternative town on the coast..

Not quite the same, not about "los barrios" or the places with "mucha marcha" but there is lots and lots of free or really cheap live music to be had too.

I think the comment about drinking cubatas, mixed drinks, is true. It's always appropriate to drink beer but spirits and a mixer are much more common when you're out "on the town."