Mara Club

My experience at the Carnival event at Mara Club was quite disappointing. The party was advertised as an organized event, with an open bar and a wide list of drinks. However, in practice, the drinks available were of very low quality, and several of those advertised were simply not available. This is frustrating because it does not match what was promised. For those who do not consume alcohol, the experience was even worse. There were no adequate non-alcoholic beverage options. Basically, it was only possible to get a small glass of water served in a coffee cup, which is extremely uncomfortable and inconsiderate. In addition, it was necessary to queue several times just to get a little liquid, or to be forced to buy the house cup. Another very negative point was the heat inside the venue. The temperature was practically unbearable. The air conditioning units were not turned on, making the environment stuffy and uncomfortable. This directly impacted the experience of the night. Regarding the service, the staff were excessively strict with rules that are not appropriate for a nightclub night or carnival event, which ended up generating even more discomfort. There were also comments about overcrowding, mentioning more than a thousand guests and entry control. However, in practice, the crowd was concentrated on only one or two of the four floors, increasing the feeling of tightness and disorganization. I also believe that if the parties are geared towards a gay audience, the staff should also be gay, or at least be professional and not just making faces and laughing at what is happening at the party, as this makes the audience extremely uncomfortable. Overall, it was a very negative experience, mainly due to the excessive heat, the low quality and absence of the advertised drinks, and the lack of consideration for the audience.

The venue is spacious, but needs significant improvement. The parties are poorly advertised, lacking strong marketing on the club's page. The parties are repetitive and always feature the same lineup. Several points for improvement: Air conditioning - the air conditioning is insufficient even when the place is empty. It gets unbearably hot. Lighting - the venue lacks Instagrammable spaces like other clubs in the city center. The stairs are dangerous, without signage, and very dark. Open Bar - the open bar at the party doesn't include beer, making it the only LGBT club in Lapa that offers this option. The open bar costs $60 (a reasonable price), but there's no beer and only basic drinks. Caipirinhas are only made with lime; there are no other flavors. The saving grace is the space: it's a truly large venue, with 4 floors. However, I've never seen it full. They're always empty.

First and last. Visible disorganization. Exuberant heat, dishonest advertising, and dubious preparation.

I went to the CarnaBear event and the experience was extremely negative. The event was advertised as Open Drinks starting at 11 PM, but before 1 AM, the limes for making caipirinhas had already run out. The problem was only solved because a staff member had to go out to get limes and even crossed the entire club with bags to make up for the lack of limes. Curiously, the caipirinhas were served at only one bar, which generated even more lines and confusion. The lack of planning was visible all night. Employees were constantly going in and out with bags of ice, passing through the crowd and bumping into people. Considering that the drinks came with a minimal amount of liquid and an excessive volume of ice, it's understandable why the ice replenishment was practically continuous. THE HEAT WAS ABSURD AND INHUMAN. Just look at the stories and photos posted by the public: everyone was drenched in sweat. If you're going to venture out, bring a fan or do as most people in the bar queue do: use the drinks menu itself to fan yourself. The Instagram profile posted a video in its stories of the crowd in line that was listed as "sold out," but in practice this was not the case. Despite the number of people present, the upper floors were completely empty, and the music had to be concentrated only on the ground floor. Underutilized structure and advertising that did not reflect the real experience. Another nonsensical point: water could not be served in a large glass (the glass used for ice drinks), only in a small glass. An arbitrary and inconvenient rule for the customer. At the end of the night, the staff collected trash using the same ice bag used to sell drinks, a completely inadequate practice from a hygiene standpoint. They also left a single container of salt on the counter for everyone to share when drinking tequila. In short: disorganization, poor resource management, unbearable heat, hygiene failures, and delivery far below what was advertised. A chaotic and disappointing experience.