Posted by kingaw2 on Friday, June 3, 2016 in Blog posts.

I decided to interview Theo who works at the local discotheque, Club le Vele. He has an Italian heritage and although he was born in the UK he moved to Cefalu at the age of twelve. Apparently his parents were tired of the weather in London so they decided to pack up and move the whole family to Sicily (including him and his older brother). His is twenty years old now and although he spends most of the year in Cefalu his family goes back to London for a few months every winter. He doesn’t go to school but works instead at Club le Vele as an organizer and manager for the VIP section. Club le Vele is a traditional European Discotheque with almost exclusively outdoor space and a division between the VIP section and the general admissions.

The nightlife here is very different here than in the US. Locals only go out on Saturdays. And nothing happens here at all in the winter; even on Saturdays everything is closed. Furthermore, not many young people live in Centro Storico and have to drive in at night which is another reason not much happens in town after dinner. It could be different is that people generally have very late dinners so it wouldn’t make sense to go out afterwards if they have work at 9 in the morning. Most of the people who come to the club during the week and during the day in the peak summer months (June and July) are from out of town/foreign countries. When locals feel like going out during the week they usually drive to Palermo. There are some bars in Cefalu but they aren’t like American bars.

One of the main bars in Cefalu is Masquenada. It is located half way down the stairs by Piazza Garibaldi and is open every night except for Monday. The drinks are relatively inexpensive at a flat five euros. Usually its just the bar and there isn’t much activity there, however as the weekend approaches more people show up and they even set up an outdoor bar with tunes on the steps. Its viewed as a pre-game location for the clubs.

Another place to go out is Club Maljk on the beach. This club used to be more popular and was generally where the cool older people hung out while the less favorable clientele went to Club le Vele. Maljk is open most nights as well as during the day but is never as busy as le Vele. Their main attraction is the pool and the beachfront views. The music here is also much more American and has more throwbacks than Le Vele which is more of an American Pop/EDM vibe.

According to Theo there really aren’t any drug dealers in Cefalu. Drug dealing goes entirely against the culture of the town. Apparently it is far more prevalent in Palermo although sometimes drugs will pop up on a Saturday. Usually that’s because of some one from out of town who brings it in but isn’t a very common occurrence. In general there also don’t tend to be hard drugs in Cefalu itself. This differs from most of Sicily, which is known for heroin and cocaine refinement/distribution. It is possible that drugs are also less common in Cefalu due to the absence of Mafia related activity. This is because Cefalu is protected/off limits due to the tendency of Mafiosi to buy their beach houses here. The closest thing to drug issues that happen with any frequency are the bar fights at Club le Vele. The result takes the form of large intimidating bouncers (usually about twenty five) patrolling the club and preventing issues from arising. On any given night there’s usually at least one fight in the main section of the club and a scuffle or two outside the club but that tend to be the same people each week. Club le Vele also picks up much later than in the US. No one goes out until at least midnight and most of the clientele stay until the 4am close.