Belgrade is home to several alternative venues. Today, we present some of the places that could be worth your while. So, let’s start with the most famous one…
KST or Klub Studenata Tehnike is a “living corpse”, an iconic Belgrade alternative club, which opened up as a bar back in the 50s. Book “Foggy years” describes it as ”A club in which time has stopped, a country where everything has stopped.”
KST is located in the basement of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering. Space itself looks quite neglected: one long corridor and one large and one small room always packed with people. In the summer the yard area is open as well. Along with the club Akademija, this was my favorite, back in the days when I was a teenager. KST is made for a mostly younger, alternative crowd, basically teens and students. The music selection ranges from alternative rock and Yugoslav new wave to EBM and Gothic.
Address: 73 Bulevar Kralja Aleksandra, 11000 Belgrade
DIM
Dim is a brand new venue situated in the bar district of Cetinjska St. It’s a twin brother of techno cathedral Drugstore and therefore visitors can expect lots of different kinds of electronic music and local performers. The bar itself is situated in the space that used to be a brewery, which provides a unique industrial appearance and a sense of underground culture.
DIM works every day from 6 pm until 1 am. The music stops at midnight.
Address: 15a Cetinjska St. 11000 Belgrade
POLET
Within walking distance from DIM, but a little ‘up’ in that direction there is one we really like called Polet which is more like a mixture of a culture centre, gallery, and a bar. Here you can get a feel of some retro music, jazzy sounds, and literary nights to name but two and grab a coffee during the day.
Address: 15a Cetinjska St. 11000 Belgrade
NIXON & TELMA
Nixon bar is a hidden gem located in Misarska street close to SKC. It offers a closed part during the winter and a lovely summer garden. The prices are decent and the people are cool and friendly. You can enjoy some nice music ranging from deep house and disco to techno in this bar. It’s definitely a place we would recommend.
Right next to Nixon, stands Telma-a bar and a restaurant. Apart from delicious food specialties, visitors can enjoy live jazz music. Space is often packed, so you should better make reservations.
Address: 7 Misarska St. 11000 Belgrade
STROGI CENTER (Strict downtown)
Last, but not least in our short selection is Strogi (Strict). As the name describes it- Strogi stands in one beautiful old building, in a heart of downtown Belgrade. Spacious apartment, whose walls are covered in drawings, turns into a real club during the evenings. Strogi reminds me of Belgrade in the early 2000s when people were super friendly and ready to dance all night long. On Wednesdays, music lovers can often listen to jazz sessions. On Thursdays, as well as during the weekend’s music programme ranges from local jazz artists to DJs and various bands.
Address: 43 Gospodar Jevremova St. 11000 Belgrade
KVAKA 22
Not far from Drugstore club in Palilula, a group of young enthusiasts established Kvaka 22 in 2015. This empty and neglected space was accidentally discovered by one of the guys from the group. After the squatters who lived there left 22 door handles (Kvaka) were missing from the doors and that fact triggered the idea for the name of the space. Kvaka’s programme includes art exhibitions, Kvaka 22 museum with exhibits from the period of former SFR Yugoslavia (Military Orchestra of SFRJ), concerts, DJ gigs, and live performances.
Address: Ruzveltova 22, 11000, Belgrade
Writer. Blogger. Traveler. Researcher. Electronic Music Lover.
