Madrid gay nightlife is a pretty serious phenomenon. This is one of the few cities in Europe where you can get caught in traffic jams at 4am, when the clubbers are either going home or moving on to the dance-past-dawn discos.

As with everything madrileño , there is a bewildering variety of nightlife venues - all of which are covered, to some degree, in the area reviews following. Most common are the discobares - bars of all musical and sexual persuasion, whose unifying feature is background (occasionally live) rock, dance or salsa music. These get going from around 11pm and will stay open routinely to 2am or 3am, as will the few quieter cocktail bars and pubs .

Discotecas - which we've separated in the listings - are rarely worth investigating until around 1am (the madrugada - early morning). Most of them pick their clientele through a dress code exclusivity and you may at times need to ingratiate yourself with the doorman. Being foreign, oddly enough, seems to make it easier to get in. Entry charges are quite common and quite hefty (€3.50-18) at discotecas (and some of the more disco-like discobares ) but tend to cover you for a first drink. Free entries can sometimes be picked up from touts in the streets, in tourist offices or bars. Be aware that many discotecas in Spain are fairly ephemeral institutions and frequently only last a season before opening up somewhere else under a different name, so it's a good idea to consult La Guía del Ocio or Metrópoli for the very latest information.

Boite (Tetuan 27) is the new place in town and is proving popular. Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays are full and are hosted by club promoters Victor Pallas and Jose Lupe. This duo also host the popular Prive.

Griffin's Dance Club (Mqués de Valdeiglesias 6) is a longtime favorite with shows Sundays through Wednesdays and disco party ambiance Thursdays through Saturdays.

Two big parties from the Trip Family Group have kept Madrid dancing for years: Ohm Dance Club (Plaza del Callao 4) takes place on Fridays and Saturdays from midnight, and "Goa" at Fabrik (Avda. de la Industria 82, Humanes de Madrid) has electronic sessions every Sunday from noon to midnight. It is a classic gay dance party held at Salsa Bash every Friday and Saturday night, though the crowd is increasingly more mixed these days. If you enjoy house music, go-go dancers and good ambience, this is the place to be. There are shuttle buses from Plaza de España.

Into the Tank at de Nombre Público (Garcia Molinas 11) is a pervy dance bash with a strict dress code of leather, rubber, military, uniform, jockstraps, or naked with boots... the last one was in July for Gay Pride. Keep an eye on the blog for details of the next event.

Royal Dance Coolture (CalleIsabel la Catolica, 6; +34-91-542-3439; ) is held at the event venue/ballroom known as Cool, and is just a five-minute walk from Ohm. The venue is glamorous. It is one of Madrid's nicest with two floors (a huge main dance floor and smaller rooms), sleek décor and retro lighting. Upstairs it's pop music and trashy sounds; downstairs the glamorous go-go's strut their bodies to hard house. The entrance and stairway alone will grab your attention as you come in. The crowd is somewhat mixed, with the greater majority being gay men on Saturdays. Don't stop there if the sun isn't up yet, go instead to Pasapoga (Gran Vía, 37; +34-91-532-1642).