New York Nightlife

The Bowery Ballroom has been open since 1998 and has emerged as one of the top midsize venues in the city. The sound is excellent and the architecture is classy. A former vaudeville hall, the space retains much of its original Beaux Arts construction such as the brass rails, the brass and iron exterior metalwork, the mahogany lined VIP rooms and the coffer-vaulted plaster ceiling of the mezzanine bar. The original stage offers plenty of room for just about any act, and is ideally suited to the bars main space which includes a wide open floor plan with a wraparound balcony. The two bars that serve the main room, provide both the balcony and the floor with ample alcohol and cute bartenders. There is also a comfy lounge downstairs where you can sit and await your friends who are late to the show. And with the speakers downstairs, you will not miss a beat of your favorite acts like David Byrne, Stereo MC’s, and Stephen Malkmus.

Trading in cannonballs for vats, this Red Hook factory has become the Red Hook Winery, a new venture from owner Mark Snyder, winemaker Chris Nicolson, and Napa Valley native Bob Foley.

National Sawdust, is an unparalleled, artist-led, nonprofit venue, is a place for exploration and discovery. A place where emerging and established artists can share their music with serious music fans and casual listeners alike. In a city teeming with venues, National Sawdust is a singular space founded with an expansive vision: to provide composers and musicians across genres a home in which they can flourish, a setting where they are given unprecedented support and critical resources essential to create, and then share, their work.

Lit Lounge is a place for painters, musicians, writers, and performers whose visions are not accepted by the mainstream to hang out and build a community. Lit offers a two level immersive experience featuring a spacious two thousand square foot lounge and a fifteen hundred square foot basement. The basement offers nightly music and features an alternating roster of local, national, and international DJs dedicated to an eclectic and experimental mix of styles. Lit's design is based upon the pre-existing stone arch and brickwork architecture of its original tenement status, highlighted by rusted steel and suffused with dark candle-lit ambiance.

The Iridium is a musical landmark famously known as a destination for intimately experiencing the best rock, jazz, and blues artists in the world. Over the last 20 years, The Iridium has built up a reputation for attracting iconic instrumentalists and vocalists seven nights a week, and as a result has grown in the diversity of its music offerings as emerging songwriters seek to join in the room’s rich history of music discovery. Among the superstar acts that have graced The Iridium stage are Les Paul, who played weekly at The Iridium until his passing in 2009, Jeff Beck, Steve Miller, Buddy Guy, Joe Walsh, Zakk Wylde, Joe Satriani, The Rolling Stones’ Mick Taylor and Charlie Watts, Max Roach, Michael Brecker, among many others. Today, in addition to its consistent draw of legendary rock guitarists and jazz and blues musicians, The Iridium regularly showcases next generation talent spanning a variety of genres including folk, indie pop, alt rock, R&B, cabaret and world music. Les Paul, revered as a pioneer in electric guitars and music recording, has influenced The Iridium becoming one of the only NYC concert venues to double as a live recording studio boasting its own music label – IridiumLive. Since 2011, notable releases on the IridiumLive label have included Grammy-winning guitarist Albert Lee’s ‘Live At The Iridium’ and ‘Les Paul Trio And Friends: A Jazz Tribute to Les’ featuring Les Paul’s band performing with special guests Nels Cline of Wilco, jazz guitar legend Stanley Jordan, Jane Monheit, and Bucky Pizzarelli. Jeff Beck’s Grammy-nominated ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Party Honoring Les Paul’ is also among the historical recordings at The Iridium. A 180-capacity venue centrally located at 1650 Broadway, The Iridium is available for private events and offers upscale contemporary cuisine along with one of the finest wine lists in the city with its 450-bottle cellar.

City Winery New York City at Hudson River Park offers excellent views of Little Island NYC, is next to Chelsea Market, close to The High Line, and a short walk to The Whitney Museum. Complement your visit to these iconic New York sites with brunch, lunch, or dinner in their restaurant and wine bar where the cuisine is meant to be paired with a great glass of wine. City Winery is the brainchild of Michael Dorf, founder of the iconic Knitting Factory, one of New York’s longest running music venues, who wanted to create a space in Manhattan where he could combine his shared passions for wine and music. After making his first barrel of wine in California with his brother Josh and wine maker David Tate, formerly of Ridge Winery and now at Barnett Vineyards, Michael caught the bug: "For a long time I'd been enjoying wine as a fan - drinking it, taking classes, attending wine dinners - but it was not until I actually started participating in the process of working with the grape, turning it into wine, putting it into a bottle, and watching it develop over time, that I really started to understand wine. And when I would give my friends a bottle of wine with my name on it, most would respond by saying: 'I wanna do that too!' It was this experience that led Michael to conceptualize and start working on the City Winery business plan in 2006. The core target audience of City Winery - urban wine enthusiasts who desire the experience of making their own wine, but who are not going to leave their comfortable Manhattan lifestyle to decamp to a vineyard - immediately became clear. But Michael wanted to create more than just a custom crush facility. Beyond making wine, Michael also wanted to focus on the enjoyment and satisfaction that comes from sharing wine with friends, and to capture the unique social bond that occurs when communities of like-minded people gather over a bottle of quality Cabernet, while dining on a freshly-prepared meal and listening to their favorite artists perform.

Warsaw's robust history is reflective of the evolution of the northern Brooklyn neighborhood Greenpoint, where the building it is housed in has stood and served the local community and beyond for over a century. In 1914, the building was established as the Polish National Home, a cultural hub where the Poles of NYC gathered, celebrated, and preserved their rich heritage throughout the 20th century. It wasn’t until 2001 that the space became known as Warsaw and began hosting punk and indie rock shows as a means to raise funds for community events. These shows became a cornerstone of the venue, earning Warsaw the treasured tagline ‘Where Pierogis Meet Punk.’ Today, Warsaw persists as a historic staple of the Brooklyn music scene, where people from all walks of life can come together in an intimate, unpretentious 1000-person venue to experience their favorite emerging and established artists across all genres. As Warsaw’s musical ethos evolves along with the cultural landscape that surrounds it, one thing remains constant – hot pierogies will always take the stage. Warsaw serves food and drink in their on site Bistro, offering a great selection of your favorite beers from local breweries and national brands. Handcrafted cocktails are available at every bar in the space and be sure to grab a plate of their signature pierogis.

The Village Vanguard is one of the coolest places to check out jazz in New York City. Always attracting top quality musicians like Geri Allen, the atmosphere is intimate. Check out their own weekly jazz orchestra on Mondays.

The awe-inspiring decor is not to be ignored, but 1 Oak is not for the light-of-wallet or those lacking in hipness. A state-of-the-art sound system elevates DJs to vibro-therapists, and the drinks are well-made and cost accordingly. 1 OAK , born of the namesake catch phrase, “1 of a kind,” has endured continuous waves of competition and outlasted the rise and fall of countless nightlife trends. Located on 17th street in the heart of Chelsea, it remains at the center of New York City nightlife culture. Boasting a rotation of world-renowned DJs and surprise performances, a captivating interior and a stellar standard of service, 1 OAK provides a nightlife sensibility that caters to even the worldliest of partygoers.

Avant Gardner is an enormous 80,000 square foot complex occupying an entire city block of industrial Bushwick in Brooklyn. Comprised of a plethora of stages and full-service event spaces, Avant Gardner’s diverse calendar celebrates community and culture, offering a range of experiences enhanced by the space’s unrivaled audio visual features. The vast complex includes The Brooklyn Mirage, The Great Hall, The King’s Hall and The Lost Circus, all serving as individual locales, or combined to make Avant Gardner the second largest entertainment venue in Brooklyn.

Immerse yourself in the vibrant comedy scene at St. Marks Comedy Club, nestled in the heart of NYC's East Village on St. Marks Place. Their diverse calendar features hilarious programming in English and occasionally they even do shows in Spanish & Mandarin! As the only Latin-owned comedy club in the city, their unique space sets the stage for unforgettable moments. They offer a speakeasy style venue, accompanied by a fantastic selection of drinks and snacks. They are also the home to the unique tech comedy show "Snark Tank" where founders and entrepreneurs do real tech pitches to a crowded room of investors and audience and then a panel of comedians roast them!

The Brooklyn Mirage is a breathtaking open-air sanctuary in the heart of the Avant Gardner complex open May through October. The inner courtyard is a totally immersive space, surrounded by towering walls lined with evergreen plants and captivating 200 foot LED wall. A singular catwalk connects a network of expansive outdoor environments and rises to surround the venue, offering views of the iconic city skyline and bustling courtyard below. An exciting selection of refreshments, an ever-changing food menu and a stunning sound system complete this elusive summer paradise.

Superior Ingredients is dedicated to showcasing the vast and varied offerings of dance music from artists and DJs from around the globe. Located at the iconic Wythe Ave and N 12th Street, Superior Ingredients is a storied independent nightlife venue – now evolved and reimagined – with two unique spaces known as The Roof and The Room. With multiple street-level entrances and a custom mosaic inlay paying homage to the space's history as a spice factory called Superior Ingredients, The Room offers a premier split-level nightlife space. Subtly highlighting its industrial warehouse architecture from the late 1920s, all décor elements are authentic to the year in which it was built creating an Art Deco space with a contemporary twist. The Roof is a 5,000 square foot, multi-level experience with beautiful and unobstructed views of the New York City skyline – one of the better places in the city to experience warmth, sound and sight.

Heaven Can Wait, formerly East Berlin and Lola NYC, is a leading small music venue in New York City. Located on Avenue A, with its rich musical history and cultural significance, Heaven Can Wait brings the next wave of great bands and musical genres to the East Village. With a premiere backline, full bar and ample space, they have become a sought after music establishment for bands and fans alike. On weekends, they are one of the city's premiere night club destination for dance and house music. Their dance parties feature the city's top DJs, pumping high energy tunes every weekend night until 4am.

Currently housed in a former 1920’s printing press warehouse, Littlefield has been one of NYC’s premier independent live venues since 2009. It has showcased some of the best comedy, live music, dance parties, podcasts, art, film and theater.

Music & arts venue with a performance space, bar/lounges & outdoor patio, also hosting events.

With state-of-the-art sound and a full, premiere backline, Berlin has become one New York City’s best music venues for seeing up and coming acts and discovering new artists. Established acts have come to know Berlin as a perfect intimate venue to reconnect with fans. The curtained, rounded stage provides great sight lines from any area of the venue. Berlin is situated beneath 2A, a dim low-key dive that has occupied the corner of Avenue A and 2nd Street corner for decades. Berlin’s space has arched stonework, three chandeliers and dark banquettes and offers the perfect vibe for partying and dancing.

Brooklyn Made is a unique 500-person capacity live music venue. Inside you will find Standing Room, a coffee house/café during daytime hours and a full kitchen cocktail/tapas bar from the afternoon to late evening. At night, a connecting bar named Connie’s, which features an indoor section and outdoor courtyard/rooftop. The venue is a 2 minute walk from the Jefferson Street L train station, and less than a mile walk from the Knickerbocker Avenue M train station. Most shows are 21+, though occasionally they are 18+. Please check their website and click on the actual date of show you are interested in, the age requirements for each show are listed there.

Small intimate live music venue. Former Highline Ballroom. Offers a 700-capacity standing, 400-capacity fully seated venue and is located in the heart of Chelsea, nestled beneath the High Line. The Ballroom boasts a state-of-the art sound and light system, a balcony, seated wings and a variety of floor setups. The venue’s pristine production quality allows for superstar stadium acts to play a more intimate show for their fans without compromising the level of sound or performance. SEATING POLICY: Seating for all shows is First Come, First Seated; The earlier you arrive, the better seat you can get. Racket does not take advance table reservations, except where noted as a condition of a VIP ticket or Show Package reservation. They cannot seat incomplete parties. Standing room for all shows is available at our bar.

While the Oak Room itself is closed for the time being, the Oak Bar continues to serve well-crafted drinks with an even hand to an upscale clientele amidst the beauty and glamor of the historic space.