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Things to Do in Cubao That Are Not a Mall Lap

The things to do in Cubao that do not involve a table are bowling and billiards until midnight at Paeng's Gateway Bowl, an arcade with karaoke rooms at Timezone Gateway 2, two galleries, a 3D art museum a short ride away, and a flower market that never closes. Most of it is inside Araneta City and on foot, and a good share of it is free. If you are asking what to do in Cubao tonight, start with the closing times below.

Play: bowling, billiards, arcade, karaoke

Level 3 of Gateway Mall 2 has both.

Paeng's Gateway Bowl has 24 lanes and six billiard tables, and it is open from 10 AM to midnight daily, later than the mall around it. It costs under ₱500 a head and takes group and occasion reservations. Details on booking are in bowling in Quezon City.

Timezone Gateway 2 has arcade games, short-lane bowling, private karaoke rooms, photo booths and VR on one floor, and it takes party bookings. It keeps mall hours: until 9 PM from Sunday to Thursday and 10 PM on Fridays and Saturdays. The rooms and the timing are in the guide to the arcade and its karaoke rooms.

Both are loud. If both are on the plan, do the arcade first and the lanes second.

Look: two galleries and a museum

Gateway Gallery is on the fifth floor of Gateway Tower on Gen. Aguinaldo Ave. Its SiningSaysay exhibit tells Philippine history through art. It is free, quiet and open from 10 AM to 6 PM daily.

Pablo Galleries in Cubao Expo shows contemporary Filipino art from noon to 7 PM, Tuesday to Saturday. It is about an 8-minute walk from Gateway Tower, so do the free gallery first (it closes at 6 PM) and walk over before Pablo closes at 7 PM.

Art in Island is an interactive media art museum built around 3D art and projections, at 175 15th Ave. It needs a short ride from Araneta City and a ticket. It is open from 11 AM to 6:30 PM on Tuesday to Friday and until 7:30 PM at weekends, closed on Mondays, and about 90 minutes inside is enough. Expect ₱500 to ₱1,500 a head.

Watch: films and shows

Gateway Cineplex 18 is an 18-screen cinema with Dolby Atmos and recliner seats on Level 4 of Gateway Mall. On the same level, Wolfgang's Premiere Lounge is a dine-in cinema with La-Z-Boy recliners. Check the schedule for either before you head over.

Two venues open only on event nights, with ticket prices that vary by show. Smart Araneta Coliseum is the arena for concerts and for PBA and UAAP games. New Frontier Theater is a 2,325-seat theatre for concerts and fan meets. If there is a show on, it decides the whole evening. Each has its own plan: before and after a show at the arena and where to eat and drink on a theatre night.

Browse and wander for free

The Cubao Expo shops. Good Vibrations Records is a vinyl shop with a listening room, open until 10:30 PM from Tuesday to Sunday. John's Antique Shop has old komiks, typewriters and radios until 7 PM. WCHA Fashion Haus sells pre-loved clothes, shoes and bags until 8:30 PM. All of them are in the guide to Cubao Expo ukay, vinyl and antiques.

Two photo stops. The convex mirror by the Cubao Expo entrance is where groups line up for a mirror selfie. Quantum Skyview is an atrium under an LED ceiling on Upper Ground B of Gateway Mall 2.

A roof garden. Sensory Gardens is on Level 5 of Gateway Mall 2, beside the 1,000-seat Sagrada Familia Church. It is outdoors and quiet, so go in daylight.

The flower market. Farmers Garden, beside Farmers Market, has flower shops open 24 hours and plant shops open from 6 AM to 10 PM. Walking the stalls costs nothing, and a bouquet runs under ₱500.

Board games. The Brewman Coffee in Cubao Expo keeps board games and books to borrow, to go with a coffee.

By closing time

Mondays are thin for looking and browsing: the 3D museum, the Expo gallery and the vinyl shop are all closed. Bowling, the arcade and the free gallery in Gateway Tower are unaffected.

Where the food is

Restaurants have their own pages. Start with restaurants in Cubao by budget. To have two or three of these activities joined up with dinner in a sensible order, use the night-out planner's Cubao date night guide, or read how it handles a group in the barkada night out guide.

Questions

What is there to do in Cubao at night?
Paeng's Gateway Bowl has bowling and billiards until midnight, the shops in Cubao Expo stay open as late as 10:30 PM, and the flower shops at Farmers Garden are open 24 hours. On event nights there are shows at Smart Araneta Coliseum and New Frontier Theater.
What are free things to do in Cubao?
Gateway Gallery is free to visit until 6 PM daily. Good Vibrations Records, John's Antique Shop, Quantum Skyview and the convex mirror at Cubao Expo are free too.
Is there karaoke in Cubao?
Timezone Gateway 2 on Level 3 of Gateway Mall 2 has private karaoke rooms alongside its arcade games, and it takes party bookings. It keeps mall hours.
What can you do in Cubao when it rains?
Most of this list is indoors: bowling at Paeng's Gateway Bowl, the arcade at Timezone Gateway 2, the cinemas on Level 4 of Gateway Mall and Gateway Gallery.

Sources

Every place above is in the checked venue list. These are the pages its details came from.

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