From nudist beach parties and wild bashes hosted by the likes of Paris Hilton, to gay clubs and showgirls, Beirut is rapidly earning a reputation as the sin city of the Middle East.
From nudist beach parties and wild bashes hosted by the likes of Paris Hilton, to gay clubs, gambling and showgirls, Beirut is rapidly earning a reputation as the sin city of the Middle East.
Clubbers don’t bat an eye in popping $1,000 for a bottle of champagne to guarantee attention at a trendy nightspot, where less is more as far as women’s wear is concerned, and fireworks displays regularly light up the skies.
Lebanon has seen it all: a bloody 1975-1990 civil war, military occupation, high-profile assassinations, and unending political instability.
Four years ago, Beirut’s seaside Riviera Hotel saw an assassination attempt targeting a leading anti-Syrian minister. Today it is keeping the neighbourhood awake as partygoers drink and dance the night away.
“We have clubs in Cairo,” said 26-year-old Wafiq, as he swayed to the beat on a hot August night holding a glass of whiskey and puffing on a Cuban cigar. “But nothing beats this,” said the Egyptian, a finance consultant. “I need to come here to unwind.” A record one million-plus tourists visited Lebanon in July alone, according to the tourism ministry, which is expecting more than two million tourists by the end of 2009, a figure roughly equivalent to half the country’s population.
Many of those flocking to Beirut are Lebanese expatriates, but Arab nationals have also arrived en masse to take advantage of Lebanon’s glamourous nightlife and glitzy shows like “Hot Legs” at the Casino du Liban, featuring “striptease-style dances”, according to the casino’s website.
While Lebanon often flirts with the borderline of civil war — sectarian strife in May 2008 resulted in the deaths of more than 100 people — any sign of a political detente is quickly followed by a boom in tourism. Sami, 30, flew in from Germany for a brief reprieve this summer, which he says turned out to be more exhausting than he had anticipated.
Nursing a sunburn, he described how he had negotiated his way past scowling bouncers into Sky Bar, dubbed the hottest club in Beirut, before stopping at a 24-hour eatery for breakfast at 3:00 am and hitting the beach a few hours later.
“I’m on three hours of sleep,” he said. “I had barely started on my coffee when I got to the beach and my friends threw my coffee away and replaced it with vodka.” “This city is so diverse,” chimed in his girlfriend Yasmine. “There’s something for everyone. It’s just one big non-stop party.”
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