Again, expect to pay - men are typically required to spend a minimum 20€ inside no charge for women until 01:30. In the summertime, Swag On becomes an open-air event, taking advantage of the venue’s massive outdoor space alongside the Tagus, but the party still pops beneath a massive tent in the winter months. Peep upcoming events on their Facebook page, like the monthly Em Família, featuring resident DJ Progressivu, and the newish Saucin’ nights from Portuguese label Real Caviar.įor an even bigger turn-up, head to Lust in Rio on Wednesday nights for Swag On, a weekly hip-hop and r&b party featuring DJs spinning a heavy rotation of early-aughts crowd-pleasers and club bangers. Expect a small, packed space and a cover charge to get in on weekends (6 euros on a recent Friday night, for example), but you’ll be treated with high-energy DJs and even the occasional live performance. Pink-street partiers in search of a dance floor and a more clubby vibe should head to Copenhagen Bar, Lisbon’s quintessential hip-hop spot.
While you can expect to hear real hip-hop no matter when you go, we recommend following the bar on Instagram to get the heads up on featured DJs and special events like Big Ups, a recurring tribute to influential artists that in recent months paid homage to Slum Village, Mac Miller, and Death Row Records. The size of the venue forces the party to spill into the street, where you can still hear the music, packing the small intersection. The vibe is uber-chill as party-goers wander in and out, greeting the DJ on their way to get a beer, you get the sense that everyone is friends - and in many cases, they are. True hip-hop heads will find their niche at o36 in Bairro Alto, a tiny, unpretentious bar that feels a lot like being at a house party. To save you from drowning in a sea of house and techno, we’ve searched far and wide for the best spots to hit for hip-hop (and r&b, and rap, and trap) in the city. In a rock-and-electronic music mecca like Lisbon, transplanted hip-hop fans can find themselves lost in the party scene if they don’t know where to look.