The city's nightlife at the moment tends to center around the Paradise Rock Bar, which is right next to the Overseas Chinese Hotel on Hubin Road. The drinks in this bar are inexpensive, the decor is simple, the food is tasty and the live music is usually excellent. Hangzhou is currently producing some of China's best live musicians so a night out on the town will probably encounter either an organized or impromptu "jam session". It makes for a great atmosphere in the bars and clubs and there is a welcoming friendship in town among the sizeable foreign student population and the local students. There are numerous bars around town worth checking out including the Lake of Dreams on the southeast corner of the lake and the New L.A. Disco on Qing Chun Road with a flexible bouncy dance floor.

Hangzhou also has a few other entertainment attractions including two championship level tennis courts and a Golf Club. As usual in the smaller cities in China, it's worth checking out the big hotels such as The Shangri-la to see if they have any special events organized.

International Tide-Watching Festival at Qiantang River
Time: September (eighteenth of the Eighth lunar month)
Venue: Yanningguan Town, Haining, Hangzhou
The Qiantang River tides are a major naturally occurring event in the world. During the tidal period, heaven and earth are merged in one and the foaming waves surge forward amidst a deafening roar, heaping up to a height reaching several meters in the shape of steep mountain cliffs. The spectacular scene has resulted in an annual wave-watching festival that dates backs to the Han and Tang dynasties.
The festival opens with a full-length variety show of songs and dances by folk artists and guest performers from minority ethnic groups. During the festival business negotiations are sponsored and folklore shows are organized.

Tolling the Bell at Jingci Monastery on New Year's Day
Time: January 1
Venue: Hangzhou
While waiting for the bell to ring at the Jingci Monastery to usher in the new year, onlookers are entertained to lion dances and acrobatic shows. The waters of the West Lake are busy with luxury pleasure boats in the evening, on which concerts of traditional stringed and woodwind instruments are performed, while a monastery in the nearby Nanping Mountain rings in the New Year with its bells.