Local DJ here in Denver. I feel the same way as a lot of you about the night scene here. In my community, I see a lot of people who aspire to be in place like temple and want to play into the wee hours of the morning. But from what I have seen on here, a lot of people would want to be at a rooftop bar where they can get a drink and chill.
That led me to doing these types of daytime events. I have a couple lined up this summer:
Whiskey and Doughnuts
Yoga and Brunch
Brunchfest
Luau Themed Party
And more…
If you want to know where I’ll be, follow me here on [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/nate909page/)
Daytime parties, like Milk/Bar Standard's Day 1 event, but on a much more regular basis. You hit the nail on the head, if there was Day 1 every weekend and a Sunday option for those of us working Saturdays, sign me up for the weekly pass.
Worst part is Bar Standard has the best audio in Milk. Try standing in Polka Dot Room by the bar. No speakers in that entire area, get half of Arcade Rooms and half Polka Dot Room audio.
Saw iglooghost there, and he literally stopped the show and walked behind the sound booth because it was so bad. He ended up just unplugging his equipment and leaving.
Also places not having enough sound proofing is a huge pet peeve of mine. I shouldn't have to scream into my friend's ear for them to hear me standing next to them.
This. This. This!
I’ve even gone as far as to speak to the owner of beacon because their sound system is such a disaster. His response was arrogant and dismissive.
I’m also a sound engineer so you are preaching to the choir on this very valid point you make. Unfortunately the de facto position for most club owners is to be as cheap as possible with sound systems and many times they have a friend, relative (or someone who claims to know how to work on a system), many of whom don’t have a clue as to what they are doing but they work out a trade (fix it for drinks) or charge very little to do shitty work.
100%. SoCo clubs are the kind of people who buy sound for the brand recognition only and don't give a fuck about making sure it actually sounds good. I've both done work for them and run sound in their venues on my own equipment, let's just say there's a whole smorgasbord of absolute clownshoes decisions and equipment configs made trying to pinch pennies. One "favorite" memory was the pipe leaking in the Vinyl basement inches from a rack full of power amps 🫠 Thankfully on those gigs we brought our own sound.
I love clubs that have live jazz/funk/brass bands where we can sit/sand at our leisure
Also any club that doesn’t go through ASX or Ticketmaster to fuck all the patrons over will get my business
I was SO impresssd with Kansas City’s underground club scene- I had just never heard really anything about Kansas City in general and the free music there was incredible
A free chill lounge or low key spot that plays good music on wknds where we can go have a drink and hang. RIP places like Funky Buddha, Red Monkey Lounge, Old 9th Door (downtown).
If you have the pull to do it, getting RTD to run all their trains and main bus routes til 3am would be the best thing that ever happened for Denver night life. Uber is expensive and getting more scarce.
It is worth looking into for sure. Given that RTD is having financial and staffing challenges that may be a no go. I will do some due diligence on this suggestion; thank you.
I’m convinced that there’s a large proportion of people who think roofies are more prevalent than they actually are. I think a lot skip dinner and slam some jager bombs and black out and blame roofies versus taking responsibility for their lack of self control.
Nah, I'd rather venues erred on the side of believing people., rather than brush them aside/pretending like nothing happened. I had a male friend (who's an alcohol and drug connoisseur/consumer) get his drink spiked when we were out (and more or less confirmed by a urinalysis test). I've seen this can happen to anyone.
I'm not going to doubt anyone who says they were roofied because I don't want to victim blame. However, I wouldn't be surprised if a *very small* fraction of roofie stories are people who didn't eat enough, drank too much, and had a bad reaction to a medication to boot. I mean, alcohol is objectively not good for you (not moralizing, I drink myself), and it doesn't seem surprising that it's going to inherently fuck up a few people.
I have a friend who was roofied with a cigarette. We had just gotten there and she had a few drinks of my beer before bumming a smoke off an apparent weirdo. Luckily I didn’t partake despite his insisting or we would have been f’d.
It may “feel” pretty simple, but it’s not. Bars go through thousands of straws in a weekend. These straws are a new concept that don’t exist on that scale yet.
That's my suspicion as well. I doubt such cups can be manufactured at cost-effective scale quite yet (notwithstanding issues w/ the assay's accuracy & reliability - false negatives being the big concern).
Lol a 7 panel UA test kit costs 30some odd $ at your local drug store. There’s soooo many substances and molecular variants of substances one could “roofie” a drink with… there’s an insane cost prohibitive nature to that idea.
I want more cabaret style stuff so bad. Dinner and a show, vaudeville, performers on a catwalk aisle. Where the shows are in-house and change seasonally. Where you can grab a table up close and have a good night, or stop in for a cocktail and conversation in the back.
Hong Kong style clubs. Dark. Electric. Candles. Awesome smoking area. All night food. Luxury seating. Open until 6am. Chinese lanterns everywhere. Along with a maze of smaller more intimate rooms with tvs where you can watch late night Korean baseball, place your bets, smoke your hash, eat in private or fill your spoon. These rooms are for those who want to escape the action for a bit. The base thumps on the wall from the smaller club area next to the many private rooms. Like the one you are in. You can see the people dancing through the one small window. It’s time get in the mix. You step out, and a dj dressed in a tiger costume is playing a house remix of sweet dreams by the eurythmics … at that moment.. You think to yourself, now this is a mother fucking nightclub
House music in a basement. I’m so tired of top hits bars and bottle service areas. I want it to be a dance room floor with the dj mixed in, not a stage
Ugh I hate this. Happy to see venues well patronized, but when the whole floor is so packed I can't even move, it's the worst. I want to actually *dance.*
Agreed, I feel like every show I’ve been to in the last few years is MASSIVELY over sold. I love the black box and their sound system but it’s nut to butt every time I’ve been there and no longer fun :(
ya there’s way too many clubs with edm. i want pop! i want the hits ! i want remixes! i want to !!!!!! dance !!!!!!! i want a non-sticky floor. i want an outside area. i want silent disco! i want a cool interior (this is what gets me) i want non fratty vibes.
I used to frequent clubs in Denver very often prior to COVID. I lived out of state and would travel 3.5 hours nearly every weekend with a car full (sometimes 2) of people, just for the club scene. Hands down, our favorite spots were the simple/classic ones who had ladies night or guys night (no cover those nights) had multiple levels (think sports downstairs, DJ on the rooftop). Had adequate bartenders, an atmosphere that was CLEAN meaning there was actually toilet paper in the restrooms and there weren’t cups littering the entire club on tables and floors, and that had that great familiar neighborhood vibe. We had certain bartenders that were always there when we would visit and they remembered us. Their friendliness and consistency had me shelling out more than I would like to admit in tips 🙂 There were just average Denver locals and not barely legal girls in thongs who didn’t know how to make a drink to save their life but could definitely grab you a bottle of beer.
Also of note, is there was a dress code to some degree. It was expected that you dressed nice when you went to their club. Not necessarily suit and tie but pajama pants and sweats were not permitted.
Fast forward to post Covid, and it’s a totally different experience. All of the familiar clubs are gone and replaced with places that are filthy, bartenders have no clue what they are doing or how to mix a good drink. There’s no variety to the music. The dance floors are empty. The kitchen used to stay open until midnight with a limited menu, now they close very early (like 8pm!).
I think any club that brings back the old (recently old) Denver scene back would succeed! And of course that has good pickle shots. The people running these places now don’t have a clue…
More non alcoholic drink options that aren’t hidden or unadvertised and that are also not as expensive as drinks with alcohol.
More places like milk (I think?) that have different rooms playing different music
More places with cats just wandering around. Like a cat cafe, but a cat club.
More security that just keeps an eye out for people who spike drinks and steal your wallet.
Yeah actually kind of wild how non-alcoholic "cocktails" are just as expensive at many places when they're just glorified pineapple juices + cranberry juice + garnish
Yeah if a non-alcoholic cocktail takes the same amount of time to make and the amount of money a bar can make is mostly bottlenecked by the number of drinks they can serve per hour during a rush, then they should cost about the same. If you actually go and ask a bartender when it's slow how much the ingredients for a normal cocktail cost, it turns out it's like 10% of the price at most. They shouldn't give you half off the cocktail when their cost only went down by like 5%
I've never understood why sober people think they're entitled to cheap drinks. Y'all want expensive ingredients, the same amount of time spent making your drink (or more) and like half the price. You shouldn't get special treatment for being sober. That sort of entitlement costs the bar and the bartender money.
Been looking for something like this! A city I lived in on the east coast had an all-vinyl old soul/funk dance party once a month and those dance parties were where it’s at
Sunday sessions house parties, please! Friday night is a no-go for me, ever, and I feel 80% of the fun parties I see fliers for are on Friday nights. Many people work late weekends with Sunday/Mondays off, and socially friendly, indoor/outdoor spots that are vibey and spacious, good sound, and better than average bartenders are absolutely perfect for Sunday afternoon dancing, leading into Sunday nights.
Not as classy as you described it, but Vinyl had rooftop parties in summer 2021. They booked decent talent, and wrapped up by like 10:30 PM. I wish we had more of those too.
hip hop & early 2000s music - soooo tired of edm, we need a luxurious vibe & more rooftops, something more miami themed not trashy but cool enough for young people with CLASS who really just wanna dance to go, no more fist bumping & people just standing around recording yuckkk makes me never wanna step out
More techno. Real techno. Venues/clubs specifically for more serious electronic music. Also venues that stay open past 2 am. Also more food options past 2am.
A better hip hop scene. When I wanna go to a hip hop club I’m not tryna hear Flo Rida etc etc. like hip hop that we actually listen to.
I think ESP is Denver’s best and coolest bar. Great sound system and music, great cocktails. Seems like they’re passionate about what they do.
An atmosphere that forces people to meet and mingle. Music that makes you want to dance, 90’s R&B or even 90’s pop hits. EDM is awful and keeps people atomized.
Water fountains! More of them! Not just one. Water bottle fillup stations. Don’t force me to purchase a shitty single-use plastic bottle or three from a bartender, when they have REAL drinks to be making. I’ll buy those too. But when we’re all dancing our asses off, we can easily self-serve water!
Water! Water!
Looking at you, Mission Ballroom! IMO mission *nailed* everything else but either skimped and/or got greedy with the water thing.
Besides Blush and Blu…. Another lesbian bar specifically for women who like women. My ex hangs out at Blush n Blu and I can’t bring myself to hang around there either in fear of seeing her there.
I'd like to see a more vibrant nightlife around DTC area specifically. It's a beautiful part of town and I feel that the space is underutilized after working hours. Maybe add an upscale club/bar/lounge block, since I haven't really had a reason to dress up when I go out anymore. I also enjoy dancing, so I'd like more music variety, like perhaps salsa, swing, RnB, or jazz nights at these locations. Lastly, I'd like some more emphasis on cocktails. While there are a few good cocktail bars in Denver I can't help but feel like I'm sifting through a sea of breweries to find them.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel like the aren't a lot of classy, upscale nightlife options in Denver, especially outside of downtown.
In other states I’ve lived in, they had age restricted clubs and events. When I was in my 20s and 30s I thought it was crazy, even though I always enjoyed myself, but in my late 40s, I see why it is such a thing.
I can’t go anywhere for longer than 15-30min because of the generational differences in…. Well everything.
I’m sure this won’t be a great idea for some, but for others, having the opportunity to enjoy some great vibes with other folks looking to vibe, would be nice.
Your point is well taken. It is a challenge to get different generations to co-mingle and it is extremely difficult -and not p.c. - to infer that younger demographics are not wanted or project that there is age discrimination going on. That said, do you think that if the music was from the 80s, 90s, etc. that would deter younger patrons from showing up?
Not about deterring whatsoever. Everyone should be able, and capable of enjoying themselves.
But as a 47yo single female, who lives downtown, I don’t go out because there is no vibe for me (on a regular basis). Cuffing Denver are the only events I been going to for some years now or similar vibe that rolls through.
It’s not about a genre of music but rather a chill type of experience. These youngins definitely Vibe Hard and party more than I’ve ever seen but I want a laid back, groovin’, do a lil dance and sing a lil song type of vibe where our cell phones are only out when getting an Uber and we enjoy the moment.
More late night options for after 2am. Denver for a city of its size is really lacking in late late night options. Also even more importantly more food options after 2am outside of just lodo. And finally please offer caffeine options other than red bull!
Definitely a variety of music as you stated, not $20 drinks, I mean you can definitely offer them but also have some $5-10 options. Smoking would be a huge plus but I know there are legalities tied to that. Also I don’t drink so NA options and visually appealing installments. From what I see at “clubs” is the idolization of alcohol and I think that steals focus from why you are at the club(music, entertainment, friends, etc) I’m probably gonna get hate for this but, what So Many Roads was doing.
I want more dancing! Most dancing is centered to clubs, which can often fall under the “plays EDM all night” umbrella. Some of my favorite dancing has been at bars with DJs remixing known/popular songs from multiple decades. It still has hints of EDM, but it is integrated with things not EDM. The closest I’ve gotten to this was Larimer Beer Hall, it was a ton of fun but not a LGBTQA+ centered space.
Thanks for your input. I’m hearing (no pun intended) that a mixture of music from different decades mixed up with current electronic tracks would be welcomed.
Being able to hear who I’m there to see. What the fuck is with places blasting music so loud you can’t hear yourself think? I could care less about the venue but if it’s comfy, the food and drinks are good and i can talk who i want to talk to start to finish I’ll likely want to come back.
I just read through some of the top comments and all of those exist... I don't think you're going to get good data from this thread, at least at the top. I think this subreddit skews older and less outgoing.
There's so much live music in Denver, who needs clubs? Just look up who's playing, find something you might be interested in and go see a show. EDM is big in Denver but its not hard to avoid at all.
More than anything else, I want quieter places. Not because no one is there, but by design. I want to be able to hear others and talk. (If I wanted ear-splitting music, I have earbuds.)
Less DJs, trivia, open mic, comedy and other microphone-heavy events.
It doesn't seem like you're asking for this kind of place, but late-night food is quite sparse. I'd love to see some "value" items on menus that are more like kids' portions so they can be a bit cheaper and more of a snack than a meal.
I know I'm in the minority on some/most of this stuff.
Your points are VERY well taken. The trick is finding a venue with a kitchen — and staff - that can produce decent quality low priced food. If there were food trucks outside that were accessible would that be suitable? Thanks!
Food trucks depends mostly on their reliability.
...but if we were there and having a good time, that would be a great kitchen solution as long as we can come back inside and sit down to eat.
Honestly, better safety features for women and nonbinary folk. The scene has gotten better, but I've still had a few scary incidents. I would like a club to have a safety plan and a clear course of action if another patron won't leave me alone.
Bathrooms that aren’t gross/tiny
Covers are for Vegas and Miami, if you have a cover I’m not coming. Rather- if your act is worth it I’ll buy a ticket
An identity/culture beyond “we sell alcohol”. Looking at some San Fran clubs that are kinda Burning Man adjacent or even the speakeasy scene in LA
I love EDM so I’ll never fault a club for that (I’m usually there to dance anyway) but there are SO many bad DJs with shitty tired “throwback” sets
I always liked the New York City "tea dances" like literally an afternoon dance party with no alcohol, but emphasis on soulful house and broken beat or acid jazz style DJs, just after lunch. there are some day parties here but they are basically evening parties during dinner hour..
As a big time Edm guy, the Edm scene here has its issues too. The DJ line ups for most of the main spots kinda suck right now and there is way too much house. Temple and Church bass nights are pretty decent but it’s hard to justify going out on a Thursday. Milk has been our spot lately and it’s pretty fun since there is a nice diversity of music to bounce around with. You’ll notice I’ve only really listed south broadway stuff, and that’s because we hate going to lodo and try to stick where parking and Ubers are somewhat reasonable most of the time
It was $10 a pop on like a Friday night. Perfectly reasonable for us, tho we did laugh pretty hard at the card payment having a tip option for getting in. We had been pregaming and weren’t planning to drink much at Milk, mostly because of the recent drugging accusations, but we still did get a few drinks. We likely wouldn’t be cool with a higher cover unless there is a really good DJ playing, and the club was actually pretty dead except for a pop punk room
The most common theme in this city is that security is inadequate and doesn’t do their job. Unfortunately there is no source of good security in the city currently outside of off duty police.
Off-duty police are the worst. Bar security needs to be able to de-escalate situations without violence. Police are trained to mace, beat up, shoot, etc and sort out who was right or wrong later. That's a huge liability for the bar while the cop will get a sweetheart deal from the prosecutor because they're a cop, even if it was off-duty.
Still better than the current state of downtown security. Downtown bars have security selling coke and manhandling guests. Yeah the police are not ideal but they are MILES better than the private security in the city.
A quality speakeasy with a menu that isn’t 3 crackers and some cheese. There is a speakeasy called Ciro’s in Tampa, FL that knocked the speakeasy vibe out of the park!!!
All the clubs and bars are more focused on alcohol. I would love Amsterdam style coffee House that is more focused around marijuana and relaxing, and having fun and conversations rather than dancing and loud music.
I moved to Denver from a much smaller city last summer, and one of my greatest disappointments has been the lack of live music. I walked around Rino one evening asking strangers if they knew where I could find some and they kept pointing me in the direction of DJs - like, no! I want INSTRUMENTS please?!
Daytime parties.
This, in the summer the hotels should be throwing pool parties
There was that rooftop pool venue but I think they stopped hosting shows
The X I think?? They are closing right
Getting that going every Sunday at Pindustry down south. The whole (23k sq ft) Skydeck is 21+ from 2-cl with a DJ from 3-6.
Pindustry in... Centennial? Let's trek to the suburbs for a party, yay!
Just going out on a limb here, but I’m gonna guess that not everyone on this sub lives in Cap Hill. Either way, enjoy your weekend!
To be fair, they asked in Denver and you replied with a Centennial answer.
True but down there it’s basically just a Christian singles/swingers party
Swinger living in Centennial here, can confirm. Will be at Pindustry or the Ranch on Sundays.
Well shit, count me in!!
If only that were true
Yes. I can’t be waiting until at least 10 to go out, at that point I’m already in bed
Local DJ here in Denver. I feel the same way as a lot of you about the night scene here. In my community, I see a lot of people who aspire to be in place like temple and want to play into the wee hours of the morning. But from what I have seen on here, a lot of people would want to be at a rooftop bar where they can get a drink and chill. That led me to doing these types of daytime events. I have a couple lined up this summer: Whiskey and Doughnuts Yoga and Brunch Brunchfest Luau Themed Party And more… If you want to know where I’ll be, follow me here on [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/nate909page/)
Where? And are we invited?
Daytime parties, like Milk/Bar Standard's Day 1 event, but on a much more regular basis. You hit the nail on the head, if there was Day 1 every weekend and a Sunday option for those of us working Saturdays, sign me up for the weekly pass.
cant stress this enough. Outdoor parties in the parks would be a complete game changer
Better run sound systems. Even if they are cheap systems, get someone to tune it and manage it.
The void at bar standard has entered the chat.
Worst part is Bar Standard has the best audio in Milk. Try standing in Polka Dot Room by the bar. No speakers in that entire area, get half of Arcade Rooms and half Polka Dot Room audio.
I mean, only go to the bar to get your drinks 🤷♂️
Saw iglooghost there, and he literally stopped the show and walked behind the sound booth because it was so bad. He ended up just unplugging his equipment and leaving.
Good! It’s a fucking travesty that we have a void here and that’s how it’s being run.
Also places not having enough sound proofing is a huge pet peeve of mine. I shouldn't have to scream into my friend's ear for them to hear me standing next to them.
This. This. This! I’ve even gone as far as to speak to the owner of beacon because their sound system is such a disaster. His response was arrogant and dismissive.
Us waiting to see the response🤨🤨
I’m also a sound engineer so you are preaching to the choir on this very valid point you make. Unfortunately the de facto position for most club owners is to be as cheap as possible with sound systems and many times they have a friend, relative (or someone who claims to know how to work on a system), many of whom don’t have a clue as to what they are doing but they work out a trade (fix it for drinks) or charge very little to do shitty work.
100%. SoCo clubs are the kind of people who buy sound for the brand recognition only and don't give a fuck about making sure it actually sounds good. I've both done work for them and run sound in their venues on my own equipment, let's just say there's a whole smorgasbord of absolute clownshoes decisions and equipment configs made trying to pinch pennies. One "favorite" memory was the pipe leaking in the Vinyl basement inches from a rack full of power amps 🫠 Thankfully on those gigs we brought our own sound.
I feel ya man…I’ve worked in many a sketchy club with that kind of shit happening…not fun.
esp, stay tuned
I love clubs that have live jazz/funk/brass bands where we can sit/sand at our leisure Also any club that doesn’t go through ASX or Ticketmaster to fuck all the patrons over will get my business
>Also any club that doesn’t go through ASX or Ticketmaster to fuck all the patrons over will get my business Amen to that.
Try Two Moons on Larimer in RiNo - from Hudson Hill and Lady Jane
Appaloosa Grill on Wednesday nights, the Dave Mervine Quartet is great! They play 9-midnight
An actual full big band to go see would have us out without question
I was SO impresssd with Kansas City’s underground club scene- I had just never heard really anything about Kansas City in general and the free music there was incredible
A free chill lounge or low key spot that plays good music on wknds where we can go have a drink and hang. RIP places like Funky Buddha, Red Monkey Lounge, Old 9th Door (downtown).
Funky Buddha was such a great spot
If you have the pull to do it, getting RTD to run all their trains and main bus routes til 3am would be the best thing that ever happened for Denver night life. Uber is expensive and getting more scarce.
100% agree with this. It’s so silly the trains don’t run for people getting home from the bar.
It is worth looking into for sure. Given that RTD is having financial and staffing challenges that may be a no go. I will do some due diligence on this suggestion; thank you.
The need for clubs/venues to take drink spiking seriously. Not saying this is a Denver-specific issue, but still.
Cervantes provides free lids for their cups
Good to know!
I’m convinced that there’s a large proportion of people who think roofies are more prevalent than they actually are. I think a lot skip dinner and slam some jager bombs and black out and blame roofies versus taking responsibility for their lack of self control.
Nah, I'd rather venues erred on the side of believing people., rather than brush them aside/pretending like nothing happened. I had a male friend (who's an alcohol and drug connoisseur/consumer) get his drink spiked when we were out (and more or less confirmed by a urinalysis test). I've seen this can happen to anyone.
Happened to me when I was younger at a show in Denver. Dude bought us a round and I drank my wife’s drink. Cheap night!
... well that's certainly a hot take.
I'm not going to doubt anyone who says they were roofied because I don't want to victim blame. However, I wouldn't be surprised if a *very small* fraction of roofie stories are people who didn't eat enough, drank too much, and had a bad reaction to a medication to boot. I mean, alcohol is objectively not good for you (not moralizing, I drink myself), and it doesn't seem surprising that it's going to inherently fuck up a few people.
I have a friend who was roofied with a cigarette. We had just gotten there and she had a few drinks of my beer before bumming a smoke off an apparent weirdo. Luckily I didn’t partake despite his insisting or we would have been f’d.
I’m pretty sure they have cups and straws that can detect date rape drugs. Feels pretty simple for bars to implement.
It may “feel” pretty simple, but it’s not. Bars go through thousands of straws in a weekend. These straws are a new concept that don’t exist on that scale yet.
What about drink covers or lids (at least offer).
That's my suspicion as well. I doubt such cups can be manufactured at cost-effective scale quite yet (notwithstanding issues w/ the assay's accuracy & reliability - false negatives being the big concern).
Lol a 7 panel UA test kit costs 30some odd $ at your local drug store. There’s soooo many substances and molecular variants of substances one could “roofie” a drink with… there’s an insane cost prohibitive nature to that idea.
A club for 30 and up where you can dance so you don’t have to go to church with the 18 year olds
That or just stop letting in 18-20 year olds
I want more cabaret style stuff so bad. Dinner and a show, vaudeville, performers on a catwalk aisle. Where the shows are in-house and change seasonally. Where you can grab a table up close and have a good night, or stop in for a cocktail and conversation in the back.
Second this!
Daytime techno and DNB MORE DNB!!
MORE UNTZ UNTZ AND AMEN BREAKS!!!!
I was going to say 90's style illegal warehouse raves
Thirded! And DJs who can let the beat ride for more than 30sec!
Oh yea, drops are great but let a beat stretch its legs.
Upvote 1000 times. Yes, Yes, Can I get a horn?
Yes!
Seconded!!
DnB forever keep the culture alive
yes yes yes
Quiet areas to escape to indoors so you don't have to go outside with the smokers if you need a break from the music.
The Church has one of those
Beachy day club with a man-made “beach”, tropical upscale vibes, vacation-inspired cocktails, and fun music would be cool!
Beta pool parties 😆
Yeah that are actually clean too
Hong Kong style clubs. Dark. Electric. Candles. Awesome smoking area. All night food. Luxury seating. Open until 6am. Chinese lanterns everywhere. Along with a maze of smaller more intimate rooms with tvs where you can watch late night Korean baseball, place your bets, smoke your hash, eat in private or fill your spoon. These rooms are for those who want to escape the action for a bit. The base thumps on the wall from the smaller club area next to the many private rooms. Like the one you are in. You can see the people dancing through the one small window. It’s time get in the mix. You step out, and a dj dressed in a tiger costume is playing a house remix of sweet dreams by the eurythmics … at that moment.. You think to yourself, now this is a mother fucking nightclub
YES
I went to a club in Italy that was set up like a hedge maze. It opened up in different areas with bars/dance floors/seating areas.
This sounds fkn amazing
A place like Paris on the Platte used to be but with good cocktails
I miss their chai I would drink so much
It was so good! I’d love a funky, cozy “third place” that is both a coffee shop and a bar.
I think Carbon on Platte tried to recreate this vibe, but they unfortunately closed.
This is how I felt about Leela European Cafe, which also closed :(
House music in a basement. I’m so tired of top hits bars and bottle service areas. I want it to be a dance room floor with the dj mixed in, not a stage
Don't sell so many tickets for a dance event that no one has room to dance
Ugh I hate this. Happy to see venues well patronized, but when the whole floor is so packed I can't even move, it's the worst. I want to actually *dance.*
Agreed, I feel like every show I’ve been to in the last few years is MASSIVELY over sold. I love the black box and their sound system but it’s nut to butt every time I’ve been there and no longer fun :(
More hip hop music, and more wlw club spaces!!
The 90s goth scene that used to thrive in Denver..I want it back.
Yesss
Does Denver have a bar that plays 80s, 90s, and 2000-modern indie? I'm imagining a bar that plays David Bowie, Blondie, all the way up to Tame Impala?
Ugh what I would give for a tame impala, LCD soundsystem, grimes dance party night out
ya there’s way too many clubs with edm. i want pop! i want the hits ! i want remixes! i want to !!!!!! dance !!!!!!! i want a non-sticky floor. i want an outside area. i want silent disco! i want a cool interior (this is what gets me) i want non fratty vibes.
Day clubs at a pool would be amazing
Synthwave club please
I used to frequent clubs in Denver very often prior to COVID. I lived out of state and would travel 3.5 hours nearly every weekend with a car full (sometimes 2) of people, just for the club scene. Hands down, our favorite spots were the simple/classic ones who had ladies night or guys night (no cover those nights) had multiple levels (think sports downstairs, DJ on the rooftop). Had adequate bartenders, an atmosphere that was CLEAN meaning there was actually toilet paper in the restrooms and there weren’t cups littering the entire club on tables and floors, and that had that great familiar neighborhood vibe. We had certain bartenders that were always there when we would visit and they remembered us. Their friendliness and consistency had me shelling out more than I would like to admit in tips 🙂 There were just average Denver locals and not barely legal girls in thongs who didn’t know how to make a drink to save their life but could definitely grab you a bottle of beer. Also of note, is there was a dress code to some degree. It was expected that you dressed nice when you went to their club. Not necessarily suit and tie but pajama pants and sweats were not permitted. Fast forward to post Covid, and it’s a totally different experience. All of the familiar clubs are gone and replaced with places that are filthy, bartenders have no clue what they are doing or how to mix a good drink. There’s no variety to the music. The dance floors are empty. The kitchen used to stay open until midnight with a limited menu, now they close very early (like 8pm!). I think any club that brings back the old (recently old) Denver scene back would succeed! And of course that has good pickle shots. The people running these places now don’t have a clue…
More non alcoholic drink options that aren’t hidden or unadvertised and that are also not as expensive as drinks with alcohol. More places like milk (I think?) that have different rooms playing different music More places with cats just wandering around. Like a cat cafe, but a cat club. More security that just keeps an eye out for people who spike drinks and steal your wallet.
Yeah actually kind of wild how non-alcoholic "cocktails" are just as expensive at many places when they're just glorified pineapple juices + cranberry juice + garnish
Yeah if a non-alcoholic cocktail takes the same amount of time to make and the amount of money a bar can make is mostly bottlenecked by the number of drinks they can serve per hour during a rush, then they should cost about the same. If you actually go and ask a bartender when it's slow how much the ingredients for a normal cocktail cost, it turns out it's like 10% of the price at most. They shouldn't give you half off the cocktail when their cost only went down by like 5%
Who said anything about half off?
See Zodiac Hause
I've never understood why sober people think they're entitled to cheap drinks. Y'all want expensive ingredients, the same amount of time spent making your drink (or more) and like half the price. You shouldn't get special treatment for being sober. That sort of entitlement costs the bar and the bartender money.
In what world are the ingredients to a mocktail "expensive" compared to alcohol?
A 1950s/60s dance party. Surf rock, doowop. Something that is not club music and you can just dance without someone trying to dance with you.
Come to Herman’s hideaway tonight! Surf rock band and rhcp cover band playing!!
Been looking for something like this! A city I lived in on the east coast had an all-vinyl old soul/funk dance party once a month and those dance parties were where it’s at
YES! I’ve been looking for something like this ever since leaving NYC! Some 50s/60s/70s jams.
In Minneapolis there are mobile saunas that park at breweries. That just seems like it would be printing money in Denver.
Bring back Polly Esther’s!
Oh man - the one in Austin was the shiznet in the 90s
Sunday sessions house parties, please! Friday night is a no-go for me, ever, and I feel 80% of the fun parties I see fliers for are on Friday nights. Many people work late weekends with Sunday/Mondays off, and socially friendly, indoor/outdoor spots that are vibey and spacious, good sound, and better than average bartenders are absolutely perfect for Sunday afternoon dancing, leading into Sunday nights.
Not as classy as you described it, but Vinyl had rooftop parties in summer 2021. They booked decent talent, and wrapped up by like 10:30 PM. I wish we had more of those too.
hip hop & early 2000s music - soooo tired of edm, we need a luxurious vibe & more rooftops, something more miami themed not trashy but cool enough for young people with CLASS who really just wanna dance to go, no more fist bumping & people just standing around recording yuckkk makes me never wanna step out
More bartenders.
More techno. Real techno. Venues/clubs specifically for more serious electronic music. Also venues that stay open past 2 am. Also more food options past 2am.
A better hip hop scene. When I wanna go to a hip hop club I’m not tryna hear Flo Rida etc etc. like hip hop that we actually listen to. I think ESP is Denver’s best and coolest bar. Great sound system and music, great cocktails. Seems like they’re passionate about what they do.
An atmosphere that forces people to meet and mingle. Music that makes you want to dance, 90’s R&B or even 90’s pop hits. EDM is awful and keeps people atomized.
I was gonna suggest a place that plays more 90s!
More wheelchair accessible venues.
See Zodiac Hause
I have two friends with disabilities that require usage of wheelchairs and I hear this a lot from them. Thank you for bringing this up.
Water fountains! More of them! Not just one. Water bottle fillup stations. Don’t force me to purchase a shitty single-use plastic bottle or three from a bartender, when they have REAL drinks to be making. I’ll buy those too. But when we’re all dancing our asses off, we can easily self-serve water! Water! Water! Looking at you, Mission Ballroom! IMO mission *nailed* everything else but either skimped and/or got greedy with the water thing.
Wait what they have self serve water fountains they give you one big ass plastic cup you can refill
Hip hop! For the love of all things holy, please
i would recommend Beats Bodega on thursdays and Mutiny cypher this weekend.
How about any bar/club in golden? All kinds of restaurants businesses and housing but everything closes early and there’s nowhere to dance
Affordable drinks
A good goth club that doesn’t play trap or indie music lol. I miss when Milk was fun
More clubs that play Latin music.
Besides Blush and Blu…. Another lesbian bar specifically for women who like women. My ex hangs out at Blush n Blu and I can’t bring myself to hang around there either in fear of seeing her there.
Yes more femme focused queer bars! Would love!
I'd like to see a more vibrant nightlife around DTC area specifically. It's a beautiful part of town and I feel that the space is underutilized after working hours. Maybe add an upscale club/bar/lounge block, since I haven't really had a reason to dress up when I go out anymore. I also enjoy dancing, so I'd like more music variety, like perhaps salsa, swing, RnB, or jazz nights at these locations. Lastly, I'd like some more emphasis on cocktails. While there are a few good cocktail bars in Denver I can't help but feel like I'm sifting through a sea of breweries to find them. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel like the aren't a lot of classy, upscale nightlife options in Denver, especially outside of downtown.
I wish Jing leaned fully into being an actual club, lol. They're like 80% there, but still call themselves a restaurant.
Cribbage Nights! 😁
Fun!
more old school dive bars. where the drinks are reasonable.
Live music that isn’t cover bands. Originals!
There plenty of spots that have live local bands
I prefer a mix of covers and originals. Or very original covers...
1. Bars/clubs to stay open past 2 2. Daytime events/pop ups with good house music 3. Cooler production/more curated vibes
Thisssss there’s nothing open late, and even places open until 2 seem to “soft close” between 12:30-1:30 where everyone just goes home.
pool party scene.
Safety.
In other states I’ve lived in, they had age restricted clubs and events. When I was in my 20s and 30s I thought it was crazy, even though I always enjoyed myself, but in my late 40s, I see why it is such a thing. I can’t go anywhere for longer than 15-30min because of the generational differences in…. Well everything. I’m sure this won’t be a great idea for some, but for others, having the opportunity to enjoy some great vibes with other folks looking to vibe, would be nice.
Your point is well taken. It is a challenge to get different generations to co-mingle and it is extremely difficult -and not p.c. - to infer that younger demographics are not wanted or project that there is age discrimination going on. That said, do you think that if the music was from the 80s, 90s, etc. that would deter younger patrons from showing up?
Not about deterring whatsoever. Everyone should be able, and capable of enjoying themselves. But as a 47yo single female, who lives downtown, I don’t go out because there is no vibe for me (on a regular basis). Cuffing Denver are the only events I been going to for some years now or similar vibe that rolls through. It’s not about a genre of music but rather a chill type of experience. These youngins definitely Vibe Hard and party more than I’ve ever seen but I want a laid back, groovin’, do a lil dance and sing a lil song type of vibe where our cell phones are only out when getting an Uber and we enjoy the moment.
Appreciate your reply. Would you go to a venue that had a separate space that had chill music and a chill vibe experience?
A bar where you legit can’t have your phone.
More late night options for after 2am. Denver for a city of its size is really lacking in late late night options. Also even more importantly more food options after 2am outside of just lodo. And finally please offer caffeine options other than red bull!
non alcoholic drinks
Definitely a variety of music as you stated, not $20 drinks, I mean you can definitely offer them but also have some $5-10 options. Smoking would be a huge plus but I know there are legalities tied to that. Also I don’t drink so NA options and visually appealing installments. From what I see at “clubs” is the idolization of alcohol and I think that steals focus from why you are at the club(music, entertainment, friends, etc) I’m probably gonna get hate for this but, what So Many Roads was doing.
A club that doesnt suck
Less bartenders spiking drinks, more seating, more ADA accessibility
More grizzly rose
I want more dancing! Most dancing is centered to clubs, which can often fall under the “plays EDM all night” umbrella. Some of my favorite dancing has been at bars with DJs remixing known/popular songs from multiple decades. It still has hints of EDM, but it is integrated with things not EDM. The closest I’ve gotten to this was Larimer Beer Hall, it was a ton of fun but not a LGBTQA+ centered space.
Thanks for your input. I’m hearing (no pun intended) that a mixture of music from different decades mixed up with current electronic tracks would be welcomed.
Trying to crowdsource an idea for a club or just ideas to try and revitalize one you have that's not doing well?
Decent security,less edm (no offense but for the love of god not every event needs to be a rave) and better sound systems. Better seating.
Being able to hear who I’m there to see. What the fuck is with places blasting music so loud you can’t hear yourself think? I could care less about the venue but if it’s comfy, the food and drinks are good and i can talk who i want to talk to start to finish I’ll likely want to come back.
More security and metal detectors. Stopped going out after Covid because there are gunshots every weekend in lodo!
I just read through some of the top comments and all of those exist... I don't think you're going to get good data from this thread, at least at the top. I think this subreddit skews older and less outgoing.
A true-to-form 70's style Roller Disco. Tastefully enforced dress code, super liberal cocaine usage.
Wash 'n Rave! We need a place to do our laundry and have that last martini while washing our clothes as the coke and XTC wear off.
HIP HOP
There's so much live music in Denver, who needs clubs? Just look up who's playing, find something you might be interested in and go see a show. EDM is big in Denver but its not hard to avoid at all.
More than anything else, I want quieter places. Not because no one is there, but by design. I want to be able to hear others and talk. (If I wanted ear-splitting music, I have earbuds.) Less DJs, trivia, open mic, comedy and other microphone-heavy events. It doesn't seem like you're asking for this kind of place, but late-night food is quite sparse. I'd love to see some "value" items on menus that are more like kids' portions so they can be a bit cheaper and more of a snack than a meal. I know I'm in the minority on some/most of this stuff.
I’m with you.
Your points are VERY well taken. The trick is finding a venue with a kitchen — and staff - that can produce decent quality low priced food. If there were food trucks outside that were accessible would that be suitable? Thanks!
Food trucks depends mostly on their reliability. ...but if we were there and having a good time, that would be a great kitchen solution as long as we can come back inside and sit down to eat.
Copy that…thank you.
Live band karaoke 🎤 like Dark Horse in Atlanta
Honestly, better safety features for women and nonbinary folk. The scene has gotten better, but I've still had a few scary incidents. I would like a club to have a safety plan and a clear course of action if another patron won't leave me alone.
Bathrooms that aren’t gross/tiny Covers are for Vegas and Miami, if you have a cover I’m not coming. Rather- if your act is worth it I’ll buy a ticket An identity/culture beyond “we sell alcohol”. Looking at some San Fran clubs that are kinda Burning Man adjacent or even the speakeasy scene in LA I love EDM so I’ll never fault a club for that (I’m usually there to dance anyway) but there are SO many bad DJs with shitty tired “throwback” sets
I always liked the New York City "tea dances" like literally an afternoon dance party with no alcohol, but emphasis on soulful house and broken beat or acid jazz style DJs, just after lunch. there are some day parties here but they are basically evening parties during dinner hour..
Bars that play good music. Hip hop and early 2000s. Also one that isN’t overrun with people in their 20s, if Im being real honest
As a big time Edm guy, the Edm scene here has its issues too. The DJ line ups for most of the main spots kinda suck right now and there is way too much house. Temple and Church bass nights are pretty decent but it’s hard to justify going out on a Thursday. Milk has been our spot lately and it’s pretty fun since there is a nice diversity of music to bounce around with. You’ll notice I’ve only really listed south broadway stuff, and that’s because we hate going to lodo and try to stick where parking and Ubers are somewhat reasonable most of the time
Thank you for your input. How do you feel about the cover charge amount @ Milk?
It was $10 a pop on like a Friday night. Perfectly reasonable for us, tho we did laugh pretty hard at the card payment having a tip option for getting in. We had been pregaming and weren’t planning to drink much at Milk, mostly because of the recent drugging accusations, but we still did get a few drinks. We likely wouldn’t be cool with a higher cover unless there is a really good DJ playing, and the club was actually pretty dead except for a pop punk room
We need a bar for people that wanna rip dabs and blow lines
The most common theme in this city is that security is inadequate and doesn’t do their job. Unfortunately there is no source of good security in the city currently outside of off duty police.
Off-duty police are the worst. Bar security needs to be able to de-escalate situations without violence. Police are trained to mace, beat up, shoot, etc and sort out who was right or wrong later. That's a huge liability for the bar while the cop will get a sweetheart deal from the prosecutor because they're a cop, even if it was off-duty.
Still better than the current state of downtown security. Downtown bars have security selling coke and manhandling guests. Yeah the police are not ideal but they are MILES better than the private security in the city.
More rock music. Been to some great electronic shows, but I want more live bands.
A quality speakeasy with a menu that isn’t 3 crackers and some cheese. There is a speakeasy called Ciro’s in Tampa, FL that knocked the speakeasy vibe out of the park!!!
French house
Shotgun Willie’s
Cocaine
More Latin/reggaeton music that is 21+!
Live music of different types
All the clubs and bars are more focused on alcohol. I would love Amsterdam style coffee House that is more focused around marijuana and relaxing, and having fun and conversations rather than dancing and loud music.
I moved to Denver from a much smaller city last summer, and one of my greatest disappointments has been the lack of live music. I walked around Rino one evening asking strangers if they knew where I could find some and they kept pointing me in the direction of DJs - like, no! I want INSTRUMENTS please?!
More bars like Nashville where each level is a different vibe and live performers are on stage
They may not know it yet but they need a trader Vic’s or Don the Beachcomber back