Locomotiv Club ★ 4.3
$$BologninaWed-Sat 22:00 to 04:00, programming Sep to May
Locomotiv Club has run a small but active concert room on Via Serlio since 2007, programming indie, electronic and alternative touring acts alongside its own record label and recording studio in the Bolognina backstreets.
Tip: Eight euro Arci card required at the door even with a paid ticket. The room holds around 500 and the late DJ floor opens once the headline set finishes.
Numa Club ★ 4.0
$$BologninaFri-Sat 23:30 to 05:00
Numa Club fills a warehouse near the Fiera with a large central dance floor and a multi-level layout, programming techno, house and hip hop nights through the weekend with both Italian residents and touring DJ names.
Tip: The Fiera district is north of the centre with no easy public transport after midnight; plan for a cab back. Drink prices climb on table service.
Kindergarten ★ 4.1
$$BologninaFri-Sat 23:00 to 05:00
Kindergarten sits a couple of streets from the Fiera in a warehouse space, programming Italian electronic residents and visiting techno acts on a tight Friday and Saturday schedule that runs until dawn.
Tip: The club is small and the floor fills past 01:30; arrive earlier if you want a counter spot at the bar. Arci card at the door.
Estragon Club ★ 4.5
$$BologninaShow nights doors 20:00, sets from 21:30
Estragon Club has run a Parco Nord concert hall on Via Stalingrado for more than thirty years, programming indie, electronic, reggae, ska and rap touring acts across a calendar that books from September well into the following autumn.
Tip: The Parco Nord site sits north of the ring road; bus 11 from Centrale or a cab is the route in. The hall is standing-only and the headline runs around 22:00.
Cantina Bentivoglio ★ 4.6
$$UniversitaDaily 20:00 to 02:00, sets from 22:00, Sun lunch
Cantina Bentivoglio runs the Via Mascarella jazz cellar in a 16th-century palazzo basement, programming live jazz six nights a week, an Emilian kitchen and a list of more than 500 wines on the cluster of music venues by the Belle Arti.
Tip: Sets start around 22:00 so book a dinner table for 20:30 if you want one near the band. The cellar can run slow on busy nights; order the tortellini in brodo to anchor the table.
Bravo Caffe ★ 4.4
$$$UniversitaTue-Sun 19:00 to 02:30, sets from 22:00
Bravo Caffe runs the busy corner of Via Mascarella, pairing a small live room with a restaurant kitchen and programming jazz, soul and songwriter sets on a nightly bill that brings touring names through the university quarter.
Tip: Reserve a dinner table for 20:30 to hold a sightline of the stage. In summer the music spills onto Via Mascarella as part of the Salotto del Jazz street programme.