Good to know
Good to Know
- Tbilisi's serious techno clubs (Bassiani, Khidi) operate strict face control and expect calm, plainly-dressed (often all-black) attendees who can explain they're there for the music — arriving visibly drunk or aggressive is the fastest way to get turned away.
- Phones and cameras are banned on the dance floor at Bassiani and Khidi; staff will ask you to stop if you try to film or photograph.
- Cash in GEL is strongly preferred at club doors and cloakrooms — card machines are often slow or unavailable during peak hours.
- Clubbing really gets going after midnight and peaks 2-6am; arriving 'on time' for a European club schedule (10-11pm) usually means an empty room.
- Many bars and clubs still permit indoor smoking, so expect a smoky atmosphere in older venues.
- Rooftop bars are best visited 40-60 minutes before sunset for the light, but bring a light layer — it cools off quickly at height even in summer, and a 10-15% service charge is often already included on rooftop bills.
- Tbilisi Open Air (TOA) is the standout event on the calendar and the main reason electronic/rock fans plan a summer trip around Tbilisi — book accommodation early since the city's hotel/hostel stock gets squeezed during the festival.
- Festival dates shift year to year (sometimes May, June, or July), so always confirm current-year dates on the official festival site rather than relying on 'usually held in X month.'
- Most large festivals (TOA, Black Sea Jazz) are held at outdoor venues on the city's edge rather than downtown, so factor in a taxi/transport ride even though they're marketed as 'Tbilisi' events.
- Smaller, genre-specific events (folk, jazz, classical 'Open-Air Music Weekend') tend to be free or low-cost and are a good low-key alternative if a big festival isn't your scene.
Dive Bars
Warszawa (Warsawa)
- Type
- Dive bar
- Location
- Near Freedom Square, busy central street
- Age Skew Verified
- Genuine mixed-age dive-bar crowd of locals, expats and travelers rather than a student club.
- Description
- A tiny, chaotic Polish-themed bar with walls plastered in 1980s Polish Solidarity-era newspapers and a basement wine room; drinks are famously cheap and it gets loud, packed and sweaty with people spilling onto the street.
Sakhelosno Bar
- Type
- Underground dive bar
- Location
- Central Tbilisi
- Age Skew Verified
- Mixed, conversation-focused adult crowd rather than a youth/student hangout.
- Description
- An underground bar decorated with graffiti and vintage items, enforcing a 'no wi-fi' policy to encourage conversation, popular on weeknights when clubs are closed.
After Hours
Bassiani Sunday Morning Sessions
- Typical Hours
- Fri-Sat from midnight, continuing into Sunday morning
- Description
- Bassiani's techno program extends into Sunday morning sessions starting around 8am, a local institution for post-club after-hours dancing.
Khidi and Left Bank Late Finishes
- Typical Hours
- Peak 2am-6am, closing as late as noon on weekends
- Description
- Major clubs including Bassiani and Khidi often run until 9am-noon on weekends, with the real peak of the night between 2-6am.
Rooftop Bars
Sky Bar (Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel, Also Referenced As Oxygen Bar)
- Location
- 18th floor, Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel, Rose Revolution Square
- Age Skew Verified
- Polished hotel-rooftop setting attracting an adult, often well-heeled crowd rather than students.
- Description
- Tbilisi's most upscale rooftop, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering panoramic views of the city, the Mtkvari River and surrounding mountains; drinks lean international with a solid cocktail selection and Georgian wines.
Art-Cafe HOME
- Location
- Betlemi Street, Old City
- Age Skew Verified
- Draws an international and diverse adult crowd for its art-and-DJ format rather than a student night out.
- Description
- A multi-level creative space spanning three floors combining bar, art gallery and nightclub functions, with a rooftop terrace named among Europe's hottest rooftop bars by The Guardian.
Rolling Stone Rooftop Bar
- Location
- Atop the Telegraph Hotel, Rustaveli Avenue
- Age Skew Verified
- Branded as an upscale, curated-experience venue aimed at adult travelers and locals rather than a youth spot.
- Description
- The world's first Rolling Stone-branded rooftop bar, positioned as an exclusive, sophisticated destination.
Amodi
- Location
- Private apartment, 8th floor of a residential building, Vedzisi neighborhood
- Age Skew Verified
- Loyal local following described as relaxed and authentically local rather than youth-oriented; works best as a pre-dinner or early-evening spot.
- Description
- A reservation-only rooftop terrace with direct views of Rike Park and the Mtkvari River, offering Georgian wines, local craft beer and chacha shots, with live music on Thursdays.
SKY7 Terrace & Lounge Bar
- Location
- 6th floor, Mercure Hotel, Vakhtanga Gorgasale Street
- Age Skew Verified
- Positioned for both intimate gatherings and larger celebrations, drawing an adult lounge crowd.
- Description
- A contemporary rooftop pairing panoramic city views with curated cocktails and live music or DJ sets ranging from jazz to contemporary sessions.
Rum Roof Kitchen Bar
- Location
- Central Tbilisi
- Age Skew Verified
- Gastronomic-rooftop format aimed at an adult dining-and-drinks crowd.
- Description
- A rooftop combining cosmopolitan cocktails with a food-forward concept and panoramic views of the city's churches, fortresses and the Mtkvari River.
Cocktail Bars
41° (41 Degrees / 41gradus)
- Type
- Speakeasy cocktail bar
- Location
- Galaktion Tabidze Street, basement, central Tbilisi
- Age Skew Verified
- Cocktail-connoisseur adult crowd (roughly late-20s to 40s); not student- or under-25-oriented — founded via a charity-linked crowdfunding project and known for a serious mixology focus rather than a party scene.
- Description
- A hidden basement speakeasy behind an unmarked metal door, seating around 25 people, with a handwritten notebook menu that changes every couple of weeks and cocktails built around Georgian ingredients like matsoni and tkemali.
Price Typical Cocktail
- Low
- GEL 18
- High
- GEL 35
Barbar'a
- Type
- Cocktail / gastrobar
- Location
- Near the Bridge of Peace, city center
- Age Skew Verified
- Dressed-up, adult date-night and professional crowd rather than a student hangout.
- Description
- An Art Deco gastrobar with white interiors and floral touches that earned finalist status in Georgia's Best Bar Award 2022, known for creative signature cocktails like the Pop Sour and Spicy Summer.
Apotheka
- Type
- Retro cocktail bar
- Location
- 8 G. Leonidze St, Sololaki
- Age Skew Verified
- New-opening buzz drew a mixed adult clientele of locals and expats rather than a youth-club crowd.
- Description
- Opened in October 2024 inside Tbilisi's first-ever pharmacy building, retaining original 1902 painted ceilings and medicinal-plant frescoes, now serving vinyl-era retro cocktails.
The Gin Corner / House of Juniper
- Type
- Dedicated gin bar
- Location
- Petriashvili St / Chugureti
- Age Skew Verified
- Family-run, connoisseur-focused venue attracting an adult gin-enthusiast crowd rather than a young party scene.
- Description
- Tbilisi's first dedicated gin bar, stocking more than 220 gin varieties including Georgian-distilled brands, run as a family business with its own house gin.
Fabrika Bar Cluster (House of Camora, Saamuri Natural Wine Bar, Courtyard Bar)
- Type
- Hipster multi-bar hub
- Location
- Fabrika complex, Chugureti / Egnate Ninoshvili St
- Age Skew Verified
- Mixed creative-professional and expat crowd; described as a long-standing hipster hub rather than a teen/student venue.
- Description
- A retrofitted Soviet factory complex with several bars sharing one courtyard, including a barbershop-by-day/bar-by-night, a natural wine bar, and a tiny courtyard cocktail-and-beer bar.
Chacha Time
- Type
- Spirit bar / cocktail bar
- Location
- Old Tbilisi
- Age Skew Verified
- Caters to adult travelers and locals seeking a chacha education rather than a youth party crowd.
- Description
- Stocks over 40 varieties of chacha (Georgian grape brandy) plus more than 25 chacha-based cocktails, with tasting flights for newcomers.
Cocktail Factory / Kikodze Bar
- Type
- Cocktail bars inside a converted wine factory
- Location
- Wine Factory N1, northwest of city center
- Age Skew Verified
- Adult mixology-focused clientele, part of a broader entertainment complex rather than a student bar.
- Description
- Launched in 2018 by three bartender friends inside a 19th-century wine production facility, known for the Tbilisi Mule served in a ceramic jug.
SNOBS
- Type
- Cocktail bar with live music
- Location
- Central Tbilisi
- Age Skew Verified
- Adult social crowd based on venue positioning; not documented as student-dominated.
- Description
- A cozy bar offering a variety of cocktails alongside live music performances.
Ambavi
- Type
- Hidden speakeasy
- Location
- Unmarked door, second floor of a residential building near Freedom Square
- Age Skew Verified
- Intimate speakeasy format draws an adult crowd rather than a student night-out scene.
- Description
- A no-signage speakeasy with two rooms (smoking and non-smoking) and a short, creative cocktail menu at reasonable prices.
Babel Bar
- Type
- Cocktail lounge
- Location
- Central Tbilisi
- Age Skew Verified
- Elegant-lounge positioning skews toward an adult professional/date-night crowd.
- Description
- Known for its elegant ambiance and a menu blending classic cocktails with innovative signature drinks incorporating Georgian elements.
Live Music Venues
Lucy Tattoo Studio
- Type
- Tattoo studio and live-music bar
- Location
- Under the Saarbrücken Bridge
- Age Skew Verified
- Alternative/creative adult crowd rather than a student venue.
- Description
- An unusual combined tattoo studio and bar bringing local and international performers every Friday and Saturday across genres from hip-hop to jazz and electronica, with a small entry fee after 11pm.
Dedaena Bar
- Type
- Live music bar
- Location
- Near Dedaena Park, riverside
- Age Skew Verified
- Described as attracting a hipster/diverse adult crowd rather than teens.
- Description
- Hosts live performances and hip-hop nights, split between a rooftop terrace with panoramic views and a ground-floor space opening onto Dedaena Park.
Bauhaus
- Type
- Open-air live-music bar
- Location
- Central Tbilisi
- Age Skew Verified
- Broad adult crowd rather than a youth/student night out.
- Description
- An open-air bar and live-music venue playing hits from the late '80s to present, popular for pre-parties before the seating area turns into a dance floor later in the night.
Drama Bar
- Type
- Live music / dance bar
- Location
- Art Nouveau residential building, city center (unmarked, third floor)
- Age Skew Verified
- Door policy explicitly screens for age as well as attitude, and the crowd is described as an indie adult scene rather than under-25 students.
- Description
- A no-signage venue reached through a hallway next to the Pantomime Theatre, with face-and-age-control door policy and several rooms for dancing or chilling, attracting an indie crowd.
Dance Clubs Techno
Bassiani
- Type
- Techno nightclub
- Hours
- Fri-Sat from ~midnight, often running until 9am-noon; Sunday morning sessions
- Location
- Beneath Dinamo Arena stadium, Vake-Saburtalo area
- Age Policy
- 18+, valid ID/passport required
- Age Skew Verified
- Serious techno/electronic-music crowd skewing mid-20s to 40s rather than an under-25 party scene; the club's Horoom room hosts dedicated LGBTQ+ focused nights.
- Description
- Tbilisi's flagship techno club, built into a drained Soviet-era swimming pool, often called 'the Berghain of the Caucasus'; hosts international and Georgian DJs, with a strict face-control door policy and mandatory online registration.
Cover Charge
- Low
- GEL 20
- High
- GEL 50
Khidi
- Type
- Techno nightclub
- Location
- Beneath Vakhushti Bagrationi Bridge, riverside
- Age Skew Verified
- Attracts a hardcore techno-focused adult crowd rather than students; face control screens for attitude, not age per se, though clientele skews mid-20s and up.
- Description
- Bassiani's darker, industrial counterpart, spread across three floors in the technical spaces of a Soviet-era bridge, focused on heavier, harder techno with an emerging-artist stage.
Cover Charge
- Low
- GEL 15
- High
- GEL 40
Mtkvarze
- Type
- Club / riverside venue
- Location
- Riverbank, former Soviet glass-box restaurant
- Cover Charge
- GEL 20
- Age Skew Verified
- Relaxed, artsy crowd described as more laid-back than Bassiani/Khidi, still an adult clubbing crowd rather than teens.
- Description
- A house, disco and melodic-electronica venue with panoramic windows over the Mtkvari River, considered the friendliest and easiest entry point into Tbilisi's club scene, with sunrise views.
Left Bank
- Type
- Electronic music club
- Location
- Left bank of the Mtkvari River
- Age Skew Verified
- Spacious, non-snobby adult club crowd rather than a youth-targeted venue.
- Description
- A relatively new, large venue focused on quality sound and a broad spectrum of electronic music, enforcing strict anti-discrimination policies.
Adult Entertainment
Diva Strip Club (Diva Show Girls)
- Format
- Western-style strip club / gentlemen's club with a stage show program and private areas
- Neighborhood
- Vera / Mtatsminda border, M. Kostava St. 37 — a few minutes' walk from Rustaveli Avenue
- Notes
- Long-running, publicly listed venue (appears in Tbilisi's In Your Pocket city guide directory and local listings sites) at a fixed street address on Kostava Street, close to the central Rustaveli/Freedom Square area. As with most Tbilisi strip clubs, online tourist reviews warn of aggressive upselling, inflated drink bills, and touts on the street steering visitors toward specific clubs — agree on prices before ordering and avoid anyone hustling you outside.
Dolce Vita
- Format
- Strip club / adult night club with dancers and VIP seating
- Neighborhood
- Central Tbilisi, M. Javakhishvili St. 2 (formerly Elbakidze St.), just off Rustaveli Avenue
- Notes
- Listed with a fixed address in Tbilisi's In Your Pocket adult entertainment directory. Located in the same central strip as several other adult venues near Rustaveli Avenue. Same general caution applies as with other Tbilisi strip clubs: confirm drink and 'private dance' prices upfront, as overcharging and pressure tactics are a recurring complaint in visitor reviews of this venue category citywide.
Music Festival Scene
- Overview
- Tbilisi's festival calendar is anchored by one major international electronic/rock festival, supplemented by jazz, folk, and classical events staged in or near the city; several other named festivals in Georgia (e.g. Tsinandali, Batumi Jazz) take place outside Tbilisi in other regions.
Festivals
Tbilisi Open Air (TOA)
- Venue
- Lisi Wonderland, a field near Lisi Lake on the outskirts of Tbilisi
- Genres
- Electronic and rock, with some pop and indie acts
- Attendance
- Historically the biggest music festival in the Caucasus region, with attendance that has ranged widely by year but has drawn as many as roughly 80,000 attendees over a multi-day run in peak editions, and never fewer than about 10,000
- Typical Dates
- Usually held in June or July each year; the 2026 edition is scheduled for July 4-5, 2026
- Notes
- Format, number of stages, and total attendance have varied significantly year to year depending on venue and lineup; the festival was cancelled in 2020 and skipped in 2021 due to COVID-19.
- Description
- Tbilisi Open Air is an annual international music festival, with the emphasis on electronic and rock music, widely considered the biggest music festival in the Caucasus region. It began in 2009 as an alternative to that year's Eurovision Song Contest and has since hosted acts including Deep Purple, Placebo, Tricky, Modeselektor, and DDT alongside emerging Georgian artists. The event typically runs as a multi-day outdoor format with camping available on-site.
EchoWaves
- Venue
- Outdoor location with a natural backdrop (specific venue varies by year)
- Genres
- Electronic music
- Typical Dates
- Varies by year; check official channels
- Description
- A festival known for its focus on electronic music, featuring a mix of international and local DJs in a scenic outdoor setting.
Black Sea Jazz Festival
- Genres
- Jazz, hip-hop, soul
- Typical Dates
- Annual, usually mid-year
- Description
- One of Georgia's biggest music festivals, bringing together local and international acts across jazz, hip-hop, and soul; the 2026 edition marks its 19th year, and past headliners have included The Jacksons.
Art-Gene Festival
- Venue
- Open Air Museum of Ethnography, Tbilisi
- Genres
- Traditional Georgian folk music and dance
- Ticket Price
- GEL 60
- Typical Dates
- Summer, typically July
- Description
- An annual folk and heritage festival bringing together folk ensembles from every region of Georgia plus international guests for evening concerts, alongside a daytime market of food, wine, and crafts.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.