Discoteca Chocolate: the 'Cathedral' of the Ruta del Bakalao Today

Discoteca Chocolate is the club that opened in the summer of 1980 in Les Palmeres, a coastal village belonging to Sueca, south of Valencia, Spain, and became one of the landmarks of the Ruta del Bakalao: today it doesn't open every weekend, but holds one-off parties, mostly anniversaries and hard dance nights, announced on its social media. In October 2026 it was celebrating '46 years of the cathedral making history' on Instagram.

Open for events only (be clear on this)

Don't turn up on a random Saturday. Chocolate's own FAQ explains that the next date is announced during the current party and on its social media, and that you can buy reduced-price tickets for the next one at the box office. Between dates the club is closed. So the first step is always to check what's announced, or ask us and we'll tell you the next confirmed date.

Electronic: remember and anniversary parties · Les Palmeres (Sueca)See Discoteca Chocolate →

Why they call it the cathedral

The story, as told by Valencia Bonita and the club itself: it opened in summer 1980 as 'Chocolate Cream', a name shortened soon after, in an old rice-drying warehouse a few metres from Barraca. It was the first club to programme concerts from seven in the morning. In the 1980s its sound turned dark: gothic pop-rock, industrial and EBM, with bands like Bauhaus and Throbbing Gristle, under resident DJ Toni Vidal, 'Toni el Gitano', and later José Conca, resident from 1986 to 2002. The slogan stuck: 'Don't say Saturday, say Chocolate, the Cathedral of music'.

Closures and comebacks

Chocolate has closed and come back more than once. The club recalls another golden period between 1997 and 2000. On 6 November 2004 it held a big farewell party and then opened only once or twice a month. Valencia Bonita dates the definitive closure to December 2007; a new owner relaunched the space as QoQoa in 2008, which closed in 2012. From 2012 to 2020 the brand lived on with events at other venues, including Don Julio and Spook. After the pandemic the building was redesigned and reopened with special events on 3 September 2022.

What it sounds like now

Don't expect a museum. The club says today's programming focuses on hard dance, hard house and hard trance, among other current electronic styles: harder and more forward-looking than the gothic 1980s. Guest artists usually play between 01:00 and 04:00, and there's an opening ceremony with the club's anthem at around 01:00.

Age, dress code and tickets

Chocolate's FAQ sets the minimum age at 16, with a signed parental authorisation form that you download from its website. Under-18s can't drink alcohol and get a different wristband. The dress code is relaxed: wear what you're comfortable in, tracksuits included, as long as you look neat. Tickets go up in tiers and usually start at €15; the door price is higher than advance, and there are no refunds.

Getting there: the Chocobús

Les Palmeres is on the coast of Sueca, well outside Valencia, so think about transport before the night. The club runs its own bus, the Chocobús, on two routes, with no booking: seats go to whoever is at the stop first, so get on at the first stops. You need an event ticket or can buy one on board. The bus page gives €7 return, paid on the bus, while the FAQ mentions €5, so take the higher figure as the safe one. The club's FAQ gives the address as the Sueca–Palmeres road, no number.