Nightlife in Kerala

Nightlife Options

Kerala, with its beautiful beaches, meandering rivers, historic palaces, ancient temples, tea and spice plantations, Ayurvedic heritage, and mouth-watering cuisine has a lot to offer visitors.  It is an ancient state with a rich cultural heritage that is quickly becoming the preferred destination of many medical tourism travelers.  However, the city has yet to embrace night-time activities with the same fervor as neighboring states.  Bigger cities and towns like Cochin, Thiruvananthapuram, and Kovalam offer the best range of options, while smaller towns usually only have bars and a few clubs cloistered around the 5-star hotels. 

Exploring the Nightlife in Kerala

Nightlife in Cochin is slow when compared to other Indian cities, but it is vibrant and gives medical tourism visitors a chance to familiarize themselves with the culture of the state.  Experience the colourful, rhythmical Kathakali (the ancient dance form of Kerala) at a traditional Kathakali venue.  This dance form depicts events in the Indian epic, Mahabharata, and the performance is characterized by gorgeous costumes, heavy make-up, huge masks, and elaborate jewellery.  A Kathakali performer uses exaggerated facial expressions to convey emotions in time with the rhythm of the music.  There are daily shows at the Kerala Kathakali Centre, Cochin, and if you go in early in the evening, you can catch a glimpse of the elaborate make-up ritual that takes place prior to every performance. In fact, the colourfully made-up face of a Kathakali performer is perhaps the best known icon of the state of Kerala.   

Medical tourism visitors can also spend evenings catching performances of Kalaripayattu, (Kerala’s traditional martial art) at one of the many venues scattered across the region.  Thiruvananthapuram offers a comparable selection of cultural events for tourists.  However, it is at the beach resort of Kovalam that you’ll find a more contemporary version of night life. There are frequent beach parties, and most star-rated hotels have in-house bars, and discotheques to cater to visitors.