The most exciting after-dark activity is seeing a performance of the folkloric troupe Les Grands Ballets Martiniquais.
The popularity of individual bars and dance clubs in Martinique rises and falls almost monthly. Many of them charge a cover between 10€ and 15€ ($14-$21), although that's often ignored if business is slow, and if you're a particularly appealing physical specimen. A nightclub and restaurant where anyone can be a star, at least for a few minutes, is Le Karaoke Café California, Immeuble Les Corneaux, Lamentin (tel. 596/50-07-71).
If you're on the party circuit around Martinique, you are likely to find the most action at Crazy Nights, Ste-Luce (tel. 596/68-56-68), a wild dance parlor that on weekends can attract hundreds of patrons, each bent on having one "crazy night." Jazz is showcased at the Calembasse Café, 19 bd. Allègre Le Marin (tel. 596/74-69-27), which sometimes features its own Billie Holiday clone. Meals are served, and the place is packed on Saturday nights. Live performances on Thursday around 10:30pm are a regular feature at Les Soirees de l'Amphore, Anse-Mitan (tel. 596/66-03-09), a small restaurant and minibar. Funk, disco, and soul are all featured. Fort-de-France's most animated and busiest piano bar is Le Club Piano-bar Privé, 24 bd. Allègre (tel. 596/27-93-19).
If you want to gamble, head for Martinique's major casino, Casino Bâtelière Plaza, at Schoelcher (tel. 596/61-73-23), a 10-minute drive from the center of Fort-de-France. You'll need a passport and 11€ ($15) to enter the gaming rooms (men do not need a jacket and necktie). A special area reserved just for slot machines is open daily, without charge, from 10am to 3 or 4am. A more formal gambling area, with strip poker, roulette, and blackjack, is open daily from 8pm to 3am. There's a restaurant on site. This is the larger, newer, and more crowded of the two casinos in Martinique, with 140 slot machines, compared to the 40 slots at the Casino des Trois-Ilets. But that might change if and when the new casino at Trois-Ilets opens.
On a cultural note, L'Atrium, boulevard Général de Gaulle, Fort-de-France (tel. 596/70-79-29), is the venue for major island cultural events, including dance and music. The theatrical presentations, of course, are in French. You can ask on island what might be happening at the time of your visit. For a not-always-up-to-date rundown on what's cooking entertainment-wise, click on www.martiniquescoop.com.
