World: the rooms we are watching

For a lot of people in Manila, the biggest nights of the year are a flight away. Bangkok, Singapore and Bali set the standard our rooms get measured against, and the region's festivals are close enough for a long weekend. This column is where we keep track. One note on sources: Mixmag Asia covers Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, Bangkok and more, and we saw no Manila coverage there. That gap is part of why this magazine exists.

The openings worth a flight

Bangkok had the biggest year. FVTURE opened on 30 December 2025 in RCA with a capacity of 6,000, and Time Out Bangkok called it Southeast Asia's first hyperclub. Atlas Superclub, production-led and outside RCA, opened in late 2025 and debuted around No. 50 on DJ Mag's Top 100 Clubs.

Singapore got Zouk back after a multimillion revamp. Capital reopened on 12 March 2026, with Mainroom and Phuture following on 17 June, on a lease that runs to 2031. Zouk is back at No. 17 on the DJ Mag list.

Ibiza has [UNVRS], which opened on 30 May 2025 on the old Privilege site, from The Night League and Yann Pissenem. It was voted No. 1 in DJ Mag's Top 100 Clubs 2026.

London has three. Palais in Peckham is a 2026 revival by The Background Group, and Time Out named it the most anticipated opening of the year. Coven arrived in Soho around mid-2026 in the former G-A-Y space, a sober café by day and cabaret and techno at night. Club Cheek opened in Brixton in September 2025, an arches club with custom four-way sound, and placed No. 2 on Time Out's list of new clubs.

New York has Signal in Brooklyn, a 210-capacity warehouse club with a no-phones dancefloor that opened in May 2025, per Mixmag. And Schmuck, ranked No. 11 on the world bar list, took Time Out New York's Best New Opening award.

The lists, and where Manila sits

DJ Mag Top 100 Clubs 2026, published in April, as reported: [UNVRS] Ibiza, Green Valley Camboriú, Ushuaïa Ibiza, Hï Ibiza, Savaya Bali, Echostage DC, Laroc Valinhos, Fabrik Madrid, Illuzion Phuket and Surreal Park Camboriú. In Asia, Savaya is No. 5, Illuzion No. 9, INS Land Shanghai No. 12 and Zouk No. 17, with Atlas Bangkok around No. 50. Thailand has eight clubs on the list. We could not find a Philippine club on it.

Asia's 50 Best Bars 2026, announced on 28 July in Macau: Hope & Sesame Guangzhou, Zest Seoul, Bar Leone Hong Kong, Dry Wave Bangkok, MO Bar Shenzhen, Bar Us Bangkok, Lennon's Bangkok, Boilermaker Goa, Jigger & Pony Singapore and Obsidian Shenzhen. For the Philippines, Problem Child in Makati is No. 44, and The Spirits Library, also Makati, is No. 98 on the extended list.

The 50 Best Bars 2026, the world list, announced on 7 October in Milan, opens with Bar Leone Hong Kong, Moebius Milano, Alquímico Cartagena, Bar Us Bangkok, Line Athens, Handshake Speakeasy Mexico City, Zest Seoul and Connaught Bar London. No Philippine bar made it.

Time Out's best cities for nightlife 2026, from a survey of more than 24,000 residents weighted 70% locals and 30% editors, puts Bangkok at No. 1, then Berlin, New York, Melbourne, São Paulo, Medellín, Johannesburg, Brighton, Beijing and Amsterdam. Las Vegas, last year's No. 1, dropped out of the top 10.

Where to be, November to April

Date	Event	Where
3 to 7 Dec 2026	Wonderfruit	Chonburi, Thailand
11 to 13 Dec 2026	Tomorrowland Thailand	Pattaya, Thailand
11 to 13 Dec 2026	Djakarta Warehouse Project	Jakarta, Indonesia
30 to 31 Dec 2026	Savaya NYE	Bali, Indonesia
29 to 30 Jan 2027	Zamna Phuket	Phuket, Thailand
26 to 28 Mar 2027	Ultra	Miami, USA
9 to 11 and 16 to 18 Apr 2027	Coachella	Indio, California

A few notes before you book. Wonderfruit's five-day pass is THB 10,900. Tomorrowland Thailand is sold out, with a waitlist. The Djakarta Warehouse Project has not confirmed its lineup or tickets yet. Savaya's New Year's Eve has Carl Cox, with general admission at Rp 5 million. Zamna makes its Phuket debut at THB 3,200 a day for general admission, though one outlet gives the dates as 23 to 24 January. Sources disagree on Ultra's general admission price, so check the official site.

What we bring home

We read these lists for one reason: to see what Manila's rooms are up against, and where they already hold their own. Problem Child and The Spirits Library show the city's bars can make the regional list. The clubs have further to go, and we would like to be in the room when they get there.

If there is a room abroad you think we should cover, or a Manila room you think belongs on these lists, DM us at @partylifemnl.