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Best Nightlife in Addis Ababa (2026)

Nights out in Addis Ababa revolve around live music rather than clubs. The essential experience is an azmari house, where singers improvise verses to the one-stringed masenqo while dancers perform eskista, the shoulder dance. Fendika, led by the dancer Melaku Belay, is the best known, with azmari nights every evening and Ethio-jazz bands on alternating Fridays; it moved into a space at the Hyatt Regency on Meskel Square in late 2024, so check where performances are held before you go.

Ethio-jazz, the sound created by Mulatu Astatke in the late 1960s and early 1970s, can be heard at the Africa Jazz Club in the basement of the Ghion Hotel, which has hosted a resident band on Thursdays. For something more traditional, Tobia Tej House behind the Axum Hotel serves tej, the honey wine poured from small round flasks, with kitfo in a garden setting. Tej can be stronger than it tastes, evenings are cool at this altitude, and carrying small notes is useful for tipping musicians.

3 places · Updated November 12, 2026

Our top 3 nightlife in Addis Ababa

  1. Fendika Cultural Center Azmari music house and cultural centre, Meskel SquareThe city's best-known azmari house and cultural centre, led by dancer Melaku Belay, with nightly traditional music and dance and regular Ethio-jazz nights.
  2. Africa Jazz Club at Ghion Hotel Ethio-jazz clubMulatu Astatke's jazz club in the basement of the historic Ghion Hotel, where a resident band plays Ethio-jazz on Thursday nights.
  3. Tobia Tej House Traditional tej houseLong-running tej house behind the Axum Hotel, named after its owner Tobia Mamuye, with garden seating, murals of tej drinkers, honey wine and kitfo.