If you go out in Thamel on a Friday night there is a good chance you will bump into at least one of Bhushan, Mandil and Robin. Everyone loves a good party, but these three enjoy it so much that they decided to make a career out of it.
It's five years this month since they founded Party Nepal. In the meantime the brand name has become almost synonymous with Kathmandu's nightlife, and its website (www.partynepal.com) has become the most visited, with 25,000 visits every day.

Back in 2003, Mandil had the idea of setting up a web portal to provide up-to-date information about what was happening around town. The problem was that the party scene was so dry that they soon ran out of content to fill their website. So the trio decided to make their own news by hosting parties, organising functions, club nights, concerts and corporate events.

After becoming a household name in Nepal, they went on to expand their business to other countries, promoting and organising international tours for Nepali artists like the band 1974 AD, who have toured Asia and Europe.

"We aim to promote Nepali music and culture, so that when people think of Nepal, they don't think it's just mountains and rivers," says Bhushan.

Kathmandu is a much more happening place than most of Nepal, but even here sometimes the scene can feel small. Some regulars of the party circuit told Nepali Times that they see the same people all the time at these events, which could be taken as a sign that the party scene has reached saturation.

Mandil laughs this off, saying that the entertainment industry in the country is growing fast, and Party Nepal has started to meet more competition in recent years than in the time when it started. Some have called the trio's career path frivolous, given the dire state of the country in the last few years. To this Mandil replies, "People need avenues to relax all the more."

Apart from the party circuit, Party Nepal has put a lot of energy and investment into helping local talent break into the music industry, cutting albums for bands such as ByPass. "Our local musicians are not lacking in talent, they just need chances for exposure," says Robin.

Their website has become a coveted publicity space for advertisers such as clubs, breweries and clothes retailers. Some advertisers, such as a Malaysian university, may seem slightly out of place on a party website. But Bhushan explains, "Our audience is exactly the market they want to target."

Even with all their business concerns to take care of, the three guys make sure they still take enough time to do what they set up the company for in the first place: having a good time. Muses Mandil: "That's the whole point."