A holiday is all about letting your hair down and having some fun, and if you like to party until the early hours - or even beyond! - Then Barbados is the place for you. 

There are plenty of places on the island where you can stay for a quiet and tranquil break but if you want something slightly livelier, then St Lawrence's Gap and Bay Street are the spots you want to head for.

Here's a closer look at Barbados nightlife and what's on offer. 

As the sun sets, the party's just beginning in Barbados, with the island famous for its dancing, music and entertainment. 

A-list singer celebrity Rihanna is from Barbados, and while you might not bump into a rock star, the people back home on the island are just as hip and groovy as their more famous compatriot. 

Whether you want a dinner with music or a full-blown nightclub, Barbados will have exactly what you want. 

The harbour waterfront is often a popular spot with yachts lit up at night but there are all kinds of nightlife to be found, with everything from street parties to hardcore dance clubs open and ready for action. 

Rum is an ever-present part of Bajan life and rum shops nestle alongside cocktail bars with flashing neon signs, ready to party until the sun comes up once more. 

Oistins Fish Fry

It may sound like a dubious party venue, but Oistins Fish Fry is arguably the biggest street party on the island, with both Bajans and guests alike eating and dancing until dawn.

Just along from the fish market, there's an array of wooden huts when vendors can be seen grilling and frying seafood delights such as snapper, flying fish, mahi-mahi and swordfish. There's not just seafood, there's plenty of traditional Bajan side dishes too and of course, the magic ingredient, alcohol.

Partying at Oistins Fish Fry, Barbados

Every age range from OAPs to teenagers comes along to the weekly event where there's reggae and calypso music on the performance stages, and a real festival atmosphere. 

To experience this street party, you should visit Oistins Fish Fry on either a Friday or a Saturday. You might find it open on other nights of the week, but it's more of a local hang-out, with dominoes being played and a few bars open in the vicinity, nothing like the carnival atmosphere which erupts on the weekend. 

Harbour Lights

A large nightclub which backs directly onto the beach just south of the capital, Bridgetown, Harbour Lights is an open air affair.

An exotic blend of hard-core dance nightclub and open air festival, there's a whole host of different music nights, with Mondays and Wednesdays hosting The Beach Extravaganza Dinner. This involves a meal and post-dinner entertainment with live acts such as limbo dancing, juggling and fire eating. Be ready to be pulled out of the crowd though as there's plenty of audience participation required!

On the other nights it's open, Harbour Lights is more like a conventional club with DJs and thumping beats which go on until late. 

John Moore's

It would be impossible to provide a list of nightlife venues in Barbados without mentioning at least one rum bar, and John Moore's is possibly the best of the bunch. 

Rum shops in Barbados are typically small but very sociable bars and John Moore's is no different. However out of possibly the hundreds of rum shops on the island, it's this one which has the most picturesque location.

John Moore's Bar, Barbados

The front bar is nothing special, facing out onto the main road along the west coast; the rear of the bar has a hidden gem. Although the setup is casual, it emerges onto a strip of beach, largely undiscovered by the crowds. 

The chance to relax in a friendly rum shop while in such an idyllic location is one in a million, and that's what makes this otherwise run of the mill bar quite so special. 

Harbour Master

For an evening's entertainment with a twist, the Harbour Master takes guests on a twilight cruise, with roundtrip hotel transfers arriving back at 11pm.

With cocktails and a sumptuous buffet, guests can watch the sun set as they take to the water. 

The Calypso Deck offers open seating, and there's also the Starlight Deck to enjoy the best of the balmy evening air. 

On board entertainment guarantees the guests will enjoy a true party atmosphere with limbo dancers, belly dancing and tropical dancers putting on an impressive floor show. Once the performers have finished, guests can dance the night away to the hottest tunes either from a live band or an onboard DJ. 

The dress code is smart casual; there are no jackets or ties required on board this evening cruise so you can relax and be comfortable while enjoying some of the best nightlife on the island.