Qué Pasa, the official visitor's guide, has listings of events in San Juan and out on the island. For up-to-the-minute listings, pick up a copy of the English-language edition of the San Juan Star, the island's oldest daily. The Thursday edition's weekend section is especially useful. You can also check with the local tourist offices and the concierge at your hotel to find out what's doing.

From Thursday through Sunday, it's as if there's a celebration going on nearly everywhere in San Juan. In Old San Juan, Calle San Sebastián is lined with bars and restaurants. Salsa music blaring from jukeboxes in cut-rate pool halls competes with mellow Latin jazz in top-flight night spots. Well-dressed visitors and locals alike often mingle in the lobby bars of large hotels, many of which have bands in the evening. An eclectic crowd heads to the Plaza del Mercado off Avenida Ponce de León at Calle Canals after work to hang out in the plaza or enjoy drinks and food in one of the small establishments skirting the farmers market.

East of San Juan, funky Piñones has a collection of open-air, seaside eateries that are popular with locals. On weekend evenings, many places have merengue combos, Brazilian jazz trios, or reggae bands. In the southern city of Ponce, people embrace the Spanish tradition of the paseo, an evening stroll around the Plaza las Delicias. The boardwalk at La Guancha is also a lively scene. Live bands often play on weekends. Elsewhere en la isla, night-time activities center on the hotels and resorts.

Wherever you are, dress to party. Puerto Ricans have flair, and both men and women love getting dressed up to go out. Bars are usually casual, but if you have on jeans, sneakers, and a T-shirt, you may be refused entry at nightclubs and discos.