The best way to fill a Friday night in Rotterdam with a group is to build it around one fixed programme item that everyone attends together. At BonTon Rotterdam on Oostplein that is a live male dance show lasting an hour and a half: the early show starts at 20:00 on Fridays and the late show at 22:30. Around it you plan dinner and drinks in the city centre and a safe journey home.
What can you do on a Friday night in Rotterdam?
Rotterdam offers a group more than just a pub. According to Rotterdam Tourist Information, nightlife ranges from glamorous cocktail bars and classic pubs to dance clubs and intimate concert venues. The site calls Witte de Withstraat one of the most popular nightlife areas, where tourists, locals and colleagues out after work mix on Friday and Saturday nights. If you would rather have something with a fixed time and place, a show suits better.
Friday at BonTon Rotterdam
The club is open on Fridays from 19:00 to 01:00 and runs two shows. Doors open 30 minutes before each show:
- Early show: 20:00–21:30 (doors 19:30)
- Late show: 22:30–00:00 (doors 22:00)
Show times can change, so check the ticket page before you book. Prefer Saturday? The early show is at 19:30 and the late show at 22:00.
Friday or Saturday: which suits your group?
The two nights differ in timing. On Friday the early show starts at 20:00 and the late show runs until midnight. On Saturday the early show starts at 19:30 and the late show finishes at 23:30. So on Friday you have a little more time to eat first and you come out later. On Saturday you are done earlier, which helps if the journey home is long.
How to build the Friday night
Work backwards from the doors. With the early show: eat around 18:00, be at the club by 19:15 and have a drink somewhere afterwards. With the late show you have more room: dinner around 19:30, a drink beforehand and at the door by 22:00. The show uses strobe and flashing lights, which matters if you have photosensitive epilepsy.
Signature cocktails are on the menu inside the club. Plan your meal well before the doors open, so the group does not arrive in a rush.
Dinner and carrying on after the show
For dinner, head to the city centre. Rotterdam Tourist Information writes that an interesting concentration of nightlife is also emerging around Rotterdam Central. If you want to carry on after the show, the same site mentions Toffler, a house and techno club in a former metro tunnel. Check opening times and entry conditions for places like that yourself before you plan them in.
If not everyone fancies a show
Ask beforehand. A Friday night works best when everyone knows where you are going, and here that means a show with male dancers. Nobody has to do anything they do not want to. A lap dance is an extra, and according to NL Times the dancers do not push if you say no. Anyone who is unsure can simply come along to watch.
A group of up to 30
You can book up to 30 tickets online in one go. For a bigger group, contact the club. Tickets cannot be moved to another date or time after purchase, although you can resell them through the ticket platform. Let one person book and agree up front that everyone pays straight away.
Who can come?
Everyone aged 18 and over, whatever their gender. That makes it suitable for a mixed group or a group of colleagues too. Everybody should bring valid photo ID. The dress code is "dress to impress": stylish, sexy and ready for a night out, with no sportswear or beachwear.
Getting home after Friday night
Oostplein has its own metro station. According to Wikipedia, lines A, B and C stop there, although line A does not run in the evenings. Plan your journey home in the 9292 planner beforehand, check the last regular connection and agree who is travelling with whom. On Friday and Saturday nights RET also runs night buses from Rotterdam Centraal, with the first departures between about 00:30 and 01:00, according to Rotterdam Style.
Book your tickets
Check the show times and tickets to see which Friday shows still have space. You can add a lap dance for the guest of honour while you book; spots per show are limited. More practical details are on the plan a visit page.