Ghent nightlife runs on a student city of more than 66,000 students and a centre small enough to walk. The Vlasmarkt is the hub, with Charlatan, Kinky Star and Funke a minute apart. The Old Town and the Groentenmarkt are for beer, jenever and jazz, and the Overpoort packs more than 35 student cafés into one street. The big techno nights are out at the Oude Dokken, where Kompass Klub runs on Friday and Saturday until 07:00. Club entry is mostly €10–20, and many gigs are free. Worth knowing: the trams stop around 02:15 on Friday and Saturday nights and there is no all-night bus, so plan to walk, cycle or take a taxi home.
Ranked by popularity. Tap a card for opening hours, door tips, getting there and tickets.
For the drinks before and after. Hours, prices and the best nights are on each page.
Two nights covers it, and they should feel different. One in the centre, moving on foot between the Vlasmarkt, the Groentenmarkt and the Old Town. One out at the Oude Dokken, where Kompass Klub and Chinastraat run techno until seven in the morning.
The students set the weekly rhythm. More than 66,000 of them study here, and Thursday is their night on the Overpoort, a street of more than 35 cafés. Term time is loud and busy. In July the Gentse Feesten take over the squares of the centre for ten days instead.
It is good value if you plan the end of the night. Club nights at Funke and Chinastraat cost €10–12, a big name at Kompass €20–25, and Kinky Star and Hot Club Gent put on free concerts most weeks. The trams stop around 02:15 at weekends, so the taxi home is often the biggest single cost.
Kompass Klub books names such as Stephan Bodzin, while Funke and Chinastraat run smaller, rougher nights until 07:00.
De Dulle Griet has more than 500 beers, Het Waterhuis aan de Bierkant 165 plus three of its own, and 't Dreupelkot 215 jenevers.
Mostly free gigs at Kinky Star, free jazz at Hot Club Gent from September to May, and blues at Missy Sippy.
The Overpoort's cafés are cheap and full from Thursday, and the centre costs nothing to get around on foot.
The Gentse Feesten fill the squares for ten days in July, free, from the Vrijdagmarkt to the Graslei.
The Vlasmarkt to the Graslei is under ten minutes on foot, and the Overpoort about twenty.
Not for you if you want big, glamorous clubs in the centre. The biggest rooms are out at the docks, the centre is bars and small venues, and the trams stop at 02:15.
A first beer on the Vrijdagmarkt or the Groentenmarkt, or a cocktail at Jigger's.
Gigs start at Kinky Star, Hot Club Gent and Missy Sippy.
Club doors open at Funke, Kompass and Chinastraat. Charlatan has been open since 22:00.
The Vlasmarkt and the Overpoort are at their fullest.
Last trams on Friday and Saturday. From here it is walking, cycling or a taxi.
Kompass, Funke and Chinastraat close. On weekend mornings the flea market sets up at Sint-Jacobs.
Friday and Saturday from 23:00 to 07:00 in a former factory near Dampoort, at €20–25. Buy on Paylogic the moment sales open.
A free gig at Kinky Star, then Charlatan across the square, then Funke by Sint-Jacobs church until morning.
A litre of beer in a boot-shaped glass, with one of your shoes as deposit. On the Vrijdagmarkt, from midday.
Hidden in an alley off the Groentenmarkt, with concerts from Sunday to Thursday between September and May. Free, no reservations.
Ten days of free music and street theatre on the squares every July. The 2027 edition runs from 16 to 25 July.
The student night, on a street of more than 35 cafés. Loud, cheap and very young.
The postcard Ghent: De Dulle Griet on the Vrijdagmarkt, cocktails at The Cobbler on the Graslei, blues at Missy Sippy and house and disco at Club Sauvage.
Charlatan, Kinky Star and Funke within a minute of each other. The best area to go out in Ghent if you only have one night.
't Dreupelkot, Het Waterhuis aan de Bierkant and Hot Club Gent around one square by the Lys, and Jigger's for cocktails on the Oudburg.
More than 35 cafés side by side, busiest on Thursday in term time, with Decadance for afterhours.
VIERNULVIER's club nights in De Vooruit and Club Wintercircus underneath the Wintercircus, both a short walk from the Zuid.
Kompass Klub, Chinastraat and Amigo near Gent-Dampoort station. The clubs open late, until 07:00, are out here, so use the taxi rank at Dampoort to get back.
Most clubs are 18+ and check ID; Amigo and Club Sauvage set the limit at 20+. Big nights at Kompass and Chinastraat sell in advance, and some Chinastraat nights have no door sale at all. Kompass runs a zero-tolerance drugs policy with security and a medical crew on site. In bars, beer and wine are served from 16 and spirits from 18.
About €10–12 at Funke, Chinastraat and Decadance, €15 at Amigo, €16–28.50 at VIERNULVIER and €20–25 at Kompass. Most Kinky Star gigs and all Hot Club Gent concerts are free, and Charlatan is free on many nights.
Trams run until about 01:30 on weeknights, 02:15 on Friday and Saturday and 23:30 on Sunday. A ride costs €3 and covers changes within the hour, and you can tap a contactless card on board. De Lijn's late LangerGent buses run past midnight, but there is no all-night network. After that you walk, cycle or take a taxi from the ranks at Korenmarkt, the Zuid, Gent-Sint-Pieters or Gent-Dampoort. Taxis charge €10 plus €2.60 per kilometre, with a €3 night supplement.
| Club entry | €10–25 |
| Beer in a bar | €3–7 |
| Cocktail | €12–17 |
| Cloakroom locker | €2–3 |
| Tram or bus ticket | €3 |
| Taxi across town at night | €20–26 |
| Late-night food | Under €10 |
| Gig at Kinky Star | Usually free |
A free gig at Kinky Star, a €12 ticket at Funke, three beers and the walk home.
Two beers in the Old Town, a €20 ticket at Kompass, four drinks, a locker and a shared taxi.
Cocktails at Jigger's, a headline night at Kompass or VIERNULVIER, drinks until 07:00 and a taxi to yourself.
The Overpoort is at its fullest on Thursday in term time. Pick another night if you want it calmer.
Around 02:15 on Friday and Saturday, 01:30 on other weeknights and 23:30 on Sunday. Plan the end of the night before you start.
Korenmarkt, the Zuid, Gent-Sint-Pieters and Gent-Dampoort. Dampoort is the one for Kompass and Amigo.
Kompass releases tickets at a set time, and some Chinastraat nights have no door sale.
The lockers at Decadance take one; Club Wintercircus charges €3 for the whole evening.
Kinky Star gigs are mostly free, and Hot Club Gent's concerts are free with no reservations.
In 1995, in De Vooruit, to about 700 people, on a bill with Jeff Mills and Richie Hawtin.
De Vooruit was built for Ghent's socialist movement. Flanders is putting the complex forward for UNESCO World Heritage status, with the dossier due in 2026.
At De Dulle Griet the deposit for the one-litre Max glass is one of your shoes.
The Gentse Feesten are recognised as Flemish intangible heritage, and the clean-up afterwards takes the city about three days.
The big clubs run late: Kompass Klub, Funke and Chinastraat go until 07:00 on club nights, and VIERNULVIER and Amigo until 06:00. Smaller rooms such as Club Sauvage close at 04:30.
The Vlasmarkt, with Charlatan, Kinky Star and Funke a minute apart. For beer and jazz, the Old Town and the Groentenmarkt; for students, the Overpoort; for techno, the Oude Dokken.
Trams run until about 02:15 on Friday and Saturday nights and 01:30 on other weeknights. There is no all-night network, so after that you walk, cycle or take a taxi.
Club entry is usually €10–20, with big Kompass nights at €20–25, and many concerts are free. A taxi across town at night costs around €20–26.
18+ at most clubs, with ID. Amigo and Club Sauvage are 20+. Bars serve beer and wine from 16 and spirits from 18.
Ten days in July. The 2026 edition ran from 17 to 26 July, and 2027 runs from 16 to 25 July. Entry is free.
See which clubs and bars are open right now, who is playing and where to get tickets. Live in four cities, with more on the way.
