Best parties in New York City
Find the best club nights, DJ residencies and places to go dancing in NYC.
Got the urge to party, but don't know where? Here are TONY's favorite dance-worthy events, with house, techno, dubstep, hip-hop and more all on the bill.
Props
- Price band: 1/4
- Critics choice
Rich Medina and DJ Akalepse, from APT's long-running Little Ricky’s Rib Shack soiree, lug their funk-heavy record crates to Le Poisson Rouge's Gallery Bar for a weekly all-night dance session, with major-league guests rolling through regularly.
- Le Poisson Rouge 158 Bleecker St, at Thompson St
- Wed Jun 19
Roots
- Price band: 1/4
- Critics choice
Two of the city’s veteran house heroes, Masters at Work’s Louie Vega and Blaze’s Kevin Hedge, keep the four-to-the-floor goods coming at their long-running midweek dance party.
Secret Soul Sessions
- Price band: 2/4
- Critics choice
Roger Sanchez, who normally spins in rooms roughly ten times the size of Cielo, is on the decks for the latest edition of this occasional affair. The S-Man tends to bang it out in the big clubs, but he goes a lot deeper when he’s at Cielo, which is just the way we like it.
Catwalk
- Price band: 1/4
- Critics choice
Susanne Bartsch adds to her polysexual after-dark empire with what she's calling "an art-house nightlife experience," complete with human art installations and all manner of immersive, eye-popping activities. The roster of DJs includes the fabulous likes of Johnny Dynell, Sister Dimension (!) and Sammy Jo. R.S.V.P. at catwalkrsvpemail@gmail.com.
I Love Vinyl: LP48
- Critics choice
- Free
The LP format was introduced in 1948, and to celebrate the venerable music-delivery system's 65th birthday (hey, why not?), the vinyl-adoring crew of DJ Scribe, Op!, the Twilite Tone, Jon Oliver (from East Village Radio's The Main Ingredient show), Ge-ology and Kon & Amir’s Amir Abdullah set up shop in the museum's Glass Pavilion. They'll be playing their tunes over Sound Liberation Front's Tower of Sound system.
- Brooklyn Museum 200 Eastern Pkwy, at Washington Ave
- Thu Jun 20
Subdivision: Mike Servito
- Price band: 1/4
- Critics choice
Subdivision is back on the scene—specifically, South Williamsburg's TBA Brooklyn—for more electronic action, with resident DJs Insideout, Patrick Russell, Juan Carlos and their pals selecting Detroit-influenced techno and house, classic material and the various waves. Tonight's party features a guest set from the Bunker's Mike Servito, a man who's considered something of a DJ's DJ in the underground house and techno world.
- TBA Brooklyn 395 Wythe Ave, at South 6th St, 11211
- Thu Jun 20
PAN ACT: The Bunker with Regis + Lee Gamble + Keith Fullerton Whitman + Laurel Halo
- Price band: 2/4
- Critics choice
Issue Project Room and the Goethe-Institut New York join forces with stalwart underground-electronics bash the Bunker to present a night of music makers associated with Berlin's experimentally minded PAN label. Regis is the coleader of the Downwards label and probably best known to serious techno fans through his work with Sandwell District; Lee Gamble is the man behind last year's brilliant breakbeat-sampling Diversions 1994–1996 LP; Keith Fullerton Whitman's music, much of it released on the Kranky label, is largely of the hypnotically droning persuasion; and Laurel Halo offers her beautifully hazy, wavy sounds in a live set. PAN boss man Bill Kouligas completes the lineup.
- K&K Super Buffet 341 St. Nicholas Ave, at Palmetto St, 11385
- Fri Jun 21
Let's Play House and Have a Killer Time: Johnwaynes + Jacques Renault
- Price band: 1/4
- Critics choice
While Subb-an lays down his house sounds in Output's main room, a pair of the city's underground clubbing entities—the party-tossing posse of the Let's Play House label and Justin Miller's Have a Killer Time crew—team up to bring in Portuguese duo Johnwaynes, responsible for some great left-field four-to-the-floor grooves for Compost, Mule Musiq and (of course) Let's Play House. LPH's own Jacques Renault lends top support.
Marquee: Franck Roger
- Price band: 2/4
- Critics choice
Marquee goes deep, with longtime house honcho Franck Roger—basking in the afterglow of his recent Don't U Know EP, released on Tsuba Records—spinning his immaculately crafted rhythms over the club's Funktion-One system. The party's opening set comes courtesy of Holosound.
Output: Subb-an
- Price band: 2/4
- Critics choice
Subb-an makes music (for Crosstown Rebels, Visionquest, Spectral Sound and Culprit, among other notable labels) that's serious and elegant enough for the eggheads, yet warm and fuzzy enough for casual clubbers. Stephanie and Output head honcho Nicolas Matar provide the support sets.
Secret Circuit + Tim Sweeney + Jee Day
- Price band: 1/4
- Critics choice
Earlier this year, Eddie "Secret Circuit" Ruscha released the gorgeous, swirling "Afterlife" on the Beats in Space label. Therefore, it's not hugely surprising that the psychedelic-house maestro will be joined by Beats in Space boss Tim Sweeney at this intimate gathering for fans of off-kilter four-to-the-floor rhythms. Another Beats in Space artist (and touring member of the Juan MacLean), Jee Day, makes some noise as well.
Select Summer Fridays
- Critics choice
- Free
Jules Kim and Katie Longmyer are back for season two of their soiree high above the Meatpacking District—specifically, on the roof of the Standard Hotel—where top local spinners ply their trade while you chug cocktails in the open air. The action ends at sundown.
SOUP: Jordan Peak
- Price band: 1/4
- Critics choice
The gang from Supporting Our Underground Properly is back at Sullivan Room for another night of house and techno action, this one headlined by the U.K.'s prolific Jordan Peak, who's released stomping cuts on One Records, Robsoul, Cadenza, Off Recordings, Morris Audio, Klasse, Tsuba, 2020 Vision—all within the past few years! The lengthy lineup also includes Chris Love, AB Logic, Joe Pompeo, Chris Patrick, Lemar Soulflower and Meshugs.
- Sullivan Room 218 Sullivan St, between Bleecker and W 3rd Sts
- Fri Jun 21
That's My Ish: The Sugar Cuts
- Price band: 1/4
- Critics choice
A Tribe Called Quest’s Ali Shaheed Muhammad brings his throwdown to Bushwick, where the veteran producer (and excellent DJ), along with DJ Beetle, spins a mix of boogie, R&B, disco and, of course, hip-hop. Tonight’s one-year-anniversary celebration features a guest set from J. Period, the longtime beatsmith who doubles as the Nets’ music supervisor.
- The Paper Box 17 Meadow St, between Bogart and Waterbury Sts
- Fri Jun 21
Toca Cielo and Made in Brazil: Brazilian Beach Party
- Price band: 2/4
- Critics choice
Toca Cielo teams up with the Made in Brazil nuts for a tribal-tech beach party—green, yellow and blue bikinis at the ready!—with Luciano Pardini and Eddie Cumana serving as the night's spinners. JustinJustin Toca and the Alé Alé Drummers rev up the action with live percussion, while Vann Godfrey lends his body-painting skills to the fiesta.
Trash!
- Price band: 1/4
- Critics choice
DJ Jess, Matty Glitterati and their guests spin Britpop, new wave, indie material, postpunk and electro for a crowd of reprobate party people, with live bands and lascivious go-go action adding to the allure. Twig the Wonderkid and photographer Santiago Felipe serve as the resident hosts. Go to iwannabetrash.com to get on the reduced-admission list.
- The Studio at Webster Hall 125 E 11th St, between Third and Fourth Aves
- Fri Jun 21
Verboten and Fixed: Simian Mobile Disco
- Price band: 2/4
- Critics choice
The Verboten crew teams with the Fixed fiesta to host James Ford and James Anthony Shaw—perhaps slightly better known as the U.K.’s Simian Mobile Disco, masters of hook-stuffed, full-throttle indie-electro. They'll be laying down a hybrid live-DJ set, with Fixed residents JDH and Dave P opening.
- SRB Brooklyn 177 Second Ave, between 13th and 14th Sts
- Fri Jun 21
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