Nightlife Culture In Baguio City

The night is chilly but people are sweating. Despite the perspiration and smoke all around the room, people, mostly teens, college students and young professionals, do not seem to mind the movement of time, space and noise. Rather, they are comfortable dancing and exerting their energy by whooping and in a chorus, shouting the expression “CHEERS!”.

Sound, smoke and sight are suspended by glass doors and panels from the inside to separate this little social world from the rest of the society. The sound in the room, characterized by a constantly thumping bass or an accompanying drum beat, is not allowed to dissipate lest be heard by the people on the streets, the neighbors, and the police. These people are not part of the scene. They are not

The entertainment industry is very much alive in this City of Pines. Sometimes, people even attribute the interest of people in drinking to the cold climate. Because of the lively and diverse entertainment industry in this part of the Philippines, many clubs and bars have come and gone through the years. Despite the intermittent appearance and disappearance of clubs and bars in the city, nightlife culture is an important element of Baguio City and its contemporary culture for tourists and residents alike. And because of my inclination towards understanding people and their experiences and motives in doing what they do in everyday mundane practice, the nightlife scene triggered an interest for me to understand the phenomenon

Strobe lights guide the clubbers through the tables and to the dance floor. The place is dim but is illuminated by the lights from the stage and the strobe lights at the dance floor and the walls. My first encounter with the clubbing experience dates back to 2004 when a friend from Manila came to Baguio City and wanted to get a feel of how clubbing happens in the city. Being an enthusiast of creating and playing music rather than an interpreter of music through dance, I just sat in a corner seeping my drink and observed the people and the place. I guess that was where my anthropological lens was first used in clubs. I did not enjoy the experience because I was unwilling and defiant about the idea of dancing in a public place without a clear objective of why I am doing it. Fast forward a decade later, the same feelings came to me. But because of my inclination towards keen observation brought about by the social anthropologist in me, I was able to focus my lens in areas that are of interesting in understanding the phenomenon of clubbing. I wanted to stay inside the club to observe how the process interactions between people transpire, and how the place, music and lights interact with the people. They stay up all night, drink until they sleep where they sit, and get out of the place and either cherish the moment or hate the consequences. I am also fond