New York City Dance Clubs & Nightclubs

If you were just too young to appreciate the days of Warhol's Factory or you were a regular there and now you're just jonesing for a nostalgia fix, then hit up the 205 Club to see a rough recreation via tinfoil on brick, kitschy faux water damage, mismatched furniture and a freight-elevator entrance. The DJs keep with the Warhol-esque spirit and crowds of fashionistas and hipsters, who look like they just raided the ultimate clothing thrift store, populate the dance floor regularly. The basement lounge nails a sultry suave vibe with flickering candles and dark electronica music, resulting in a much more Euro-lounge type crowd. While sipping your cocktails in the basement, remember check out the walls—they're covered in texts from Craigslist personals ads.

New York nightlife's new destination, Cain is the spot to see and be seen. Behind the velvet rope awaits a swank, African-themed game lodge that boasts the hottest Djs from around the globe, strong beverages and New York's beloved celebrity nightlife veterans. On a good night, expect plenty of door drama, and long lines for the bathroom and bars. Dress to impress, or risk being denied entry, or worse, being judged by an Olsen Twin.

Cielo gets its name on this list of clubs by virtue of its reputation for regularly dosing out some of the best house music this side of the Atlantic from some of the world's best DJs. The only drawback about this fantastic Meatpacking District nightclub is that it's in the Meatpacking District, and we all know what that means—VIP door drama. If you can slip past the velvet rope (a feat worth awarding if accomplished), you'll be in the mix with an a-list crowd and hanging out in one of the hottest clubs around.

To not include this legendary Manhattan nightclub on any nightlife list would be an affront to the entire world of dance clubs. Copacabana is one of the most well known names in the city for hot, spice-it-up and shake-it-down Latin music that packs the dance floor seven nights a week. There are three dance floors where everyone, from novices to flashy superstars, gets their groove on regularly. The music here is some of the best around, courtesy of DJs or live bands; the beats are infectious, too—even if you don't dance, dress to move and wear comfy shoes because you'll more than likely find yourself summoned to the floor.

Dirty Disco is a bi-level mini-club where the fashion of the '70s rules and the style is sleek and sexy; huge artsy photos of models in their birthday suits and the classic less-is-more décor style could lead folks to mistake this nightclub as one of the hippest art galleries in the city. The main level has ample space flanked by cushy leather banquettes, and the intimate lower level is a sexy subterranean lounge. The music is nice change from traditional thumping dance clubs, offering an eclectic mix of eighties, rock and house.

Creatively decorated and drenched in jewel color from flashing lights or in amber hues from flickering candles, Element might just be one of the most beautiful venues in New York. For kicking back in style, there's the Romanesque lower level Vault that's a den of sexy enclaves and seductive lounge space; dancers will want to stick to the main floor, a stunning and massive hardwood heaven with a world-class, frenzy-inducing sound system; the third floor—the mezzanine—looks down onto the dance floor and includes more lounging space, the DJ booth and a roped-off plush VIP corner. Every level of this historic old building has a full bar, so let the dancing and debauchery begin.

The sprawling basement of the Radisson Hotel seems an unlikely place for a mega-club, but Midtown's LQ enjoys this funky location almost as much as it enjoys the throngs of people who populate the sunken dance floor every night. This posh and popular nightclub is 15,000 square feet of beautiful nighttime play space decorated in a Far East-meets-Latin-America style. The main music nights boast salsa, merengue and reggaeton; trendy hip-hop lovers pile in on Sunday nights.

A $2 million makeover to the massive space that formerly served as the home of the Pink Elephant has resulted in an atmosphere that looks like something out of an Architectural Digest issue on how to blend hunting-lodge-suave with nightclub-chic. Rich woods, sprouting cherry blossoms, Japanese cabinetry and beautifully alluring lighting schemes give The Manor a unique style that draws in the pretty folks clad in ridiculously expensive clothing. DJs spin a soundtrack of hip-hop, house and eclectic rock.

Ibiza-based megaclub Pacha is one of the biggest, most popular clubs in all of New York City; this stunning venue of body-shaking binge dancing has even become world-renowned. At five floors, you almost need a map and a checklist to make sure you see everything. Basement: coat check, merchandise store and bathrooms. 1st Floor—Main Room: full bar, massive disco ball, DJs. 2nd Floor—Mezzanine: another full bar, birds eye view of the 1st level dance floor, the best tables in the house. 3rd Floor—The Funky Room: vibrant lime room with mirror lounge, yet another full bar, the infamous shower booths where bikini-clad girls dance in a rain of sprinkling water and colored LED lights. 4th Floor—Pachita: elegant attic hideaway for the VIP folks, beautiful lounge space, DJ and—you guessed it—another full bar.

We know what you're thinking, and the answer is, "no, it doesn't stand for that—it stands for Sounds Of Brazil." One of the city's premier venues for world music, S.O.B.'s has become a legend since it opened in 1982. Salsa nights, world-beat nights and wild parties that take you from Haiti to Brazil in the space of a few hours make this an incredible venue for anyone who loves to dance. There are always people on the dance floor, shaking it to the infectious beats of world-renowned DJs or live performers bringing their best Samba, Baile Funk, Afro-beats, Reggae and Hip Hop to the stage. The menu is all about Brazilian fusion, and totally worth tasting from when energy is running low.

Minimally furnished to encourage dancing, Sapphire Lounge clearly doesn't want anyone to just lounge around… why is it called Sapphire Lounge then? We don't know. The DJs regularly keep the dance floor filled with people of every shape and size shaking their stuff to R&B, '70s funk and disco, and it's not uncommon to see breakdancers showing off at various intervals. The fact that the cover here is five bucks—tops--makes it one of our favorite little haunts for late night dancing.

Catering to true-blue nightlifers of every social style, Sway is a SoHo hotspot for amazing weekly parties and consistently good DJs. Decked out like a sultry Moroccan harem, the space is lit with amber hash den lamps, smoky mirrors, beautiful fabrics and mosaic tables. The club is made up of three rooms: the narrow bar area, the boxy dance floor area flanked by banquettes, and the rear lounge. The big nights at Sway are Thursdays (legendary '80s night party BeavHer) and Sundays, which play host to the wildly popular Smiths/Morrissey party.

One part rebellious rock venue and one part mega dance club, Webster Hall truly has something for everyone. This East Village institution has four floors of entertainment space, from dance floors to lounge areas to a stage that has seen the likes of The Killers, Alicia Keyes, Evanescence, Wu Tang, the Misfits and even Queen. The regular dance parties bring in droves of carnally driven nightlifers who want to get their grooves on and eye the scantily clad jailbait-looking dancing girls. Parties vary and special events like burlesque shows are often; reliably, every Saturday is the Awesome '80s Prom night, which is incredibly popular.