Visit Subic Bay

Olongapo and Subic Bay Freeport Night Life

Olongapo has a wide variety of entertainment venues, The most visited by tourist are those on the Subic Bay Freeport, those along Magsaysay ave. of olongapo and those along National highway in Barrio Barretto. Barrio Barretto has mostly "Gentleman clubs" that cater mostly to the international male guest. More information here.

There is a wide variety of nightlife available in the Subic Bay area. At the height of the US military presence in Subic, most Filipinos generally looked at Olongapo with disgust. They saw that it was there mostly to cater to the carnal needs of the American sailor. There was hundreds of clubs located outside the main gate, in Barrio Barretto, or in nearby Subic. When the Navy departed the Mayor of Olongapo started to clean up the image of the city. Faced with lack of customers and government pressure, the establishments that provided such services soon were gone from downtown Olongapo. Added to these buildings are the Navy recreational services activities that were deserted. With the economic recovery of the area and a healthy population of young people, many of these empty buildings have reopened to meet the needs of the young Filipino.

Filipino’s love music and many are very talented. Every year thousands of Filipinos travel to other Asian countries as musicians and singers. In the navy days musicians looked upon Olongapo as almost a Mecca. The many clubs offered opportunities that were unmatched in any other part of the Philippines. If a band was lucky enough to get a gig at a club on the base and the sailors like them, they might get a contract to tour military clubs around Asia. Olongapo has long been known for it’s live music and that tradition continues. Today a large number of Clubs in Olongapo offer live music. Live music is not just in the clubs some dinning facilities such as Sam’s Pizza are also known for its live entertainment.

Pier One at Moonbay Marina, SBMA, has become the number one club for live music. Located on the waterfront the restaurant/club plays host to some of the countries top stars. As you listen to the music, you can also enjoy the sea and ocean breeze. The venue openness is also a disadvantage during poor weather.. The Neptune Club also has live entertainment most weekends. The clubs on SBMA are generally more expensive than those off base.In Olongapo city just outside the SBMA main gate are a number of clubs offering live music. Here are some of the most popular. The Subic Hard Rock café (not affiliated with the famous chain) offers continuous live music every night. Two bands alternate sets. The café serves a menu of pizza, light meals and snacks with a full bar. The café generally starts to full up around 10 on weekends. Across from Hard Rock is Cal Jam. The Cal Jam is a larger club also with live entertainment. They host one band that alternates with a DJ. This is a good place to come for a “disco” type dancing.

A club with a lounge type of atmosphere is Willies. It has two bands each night that alternate through out the evening. The bands play a variety of music and perform many requests. The club has also seemed to become very popular with Filipino movie and television stars. Frequently stars drop in unannounced when they are in town and join the bands on stage.

A place that deserves a special note is Sam’s Pizza. It offers live music in a family atmosphere, offers a variety of foods and even has children’s game room. This love of music also shows itself in the many Karaoke bars in all parts of the country. Olongapo also has a large selection of them ranging from simple places to elaborate clubs with private rooms. There are also a number of discos in the area.

Many clubs have signs that say disco but most are not. Many of them are just clubs with GRO’s and makes no attempt to be a disco. Gigolo is a popular club that is a disco. It is a large club near the end of Magasaysay near Rizal Street. It is a very popular spot with the young college crowd. Empty till around 10 pm and than rapidly fills on most nights. Large dance floor, interesting lighting and new music gets everyone’s attention.. Next to Gigolo is another disco type venue. Called Tech 3 it is noted for its techno music. Not as popular as gigolo it still gets a good and young crowd. On SBMA, Neptune has a disco as well as karaoke rooms.

Casino Filipino is located on Magasaysay St. just outside the SBMA. Part of the government chain of Casinos, it is normally crowded, with little room to move around and very smoky.

While there are things to do around the entire area, most of the better establishments exist in the central business district of SBMA and along Magasaysay Ave. in Olongapo. A small entertainment district also exists along National highway in Barrio Barretto and around Baloy long beach.