The best clubs in Miami to party all night long

Space reigns supreme as Miami’s dark, after-hours club of choice. Over the last couple of years, the 24-hour Downtown venue went through a programming renaissance too, with more eclectic offerings than straight techno on its infamous open-air terrace—though rave remains the dominant flavor. Riding solo? Check the club’s Instagram and read the comments section, which is seemingly operating as the classified ads for single clubbers.

This 24-hour Downtown stronghold is part nightclub, part performance venue, part strip club and part rooftop restaurant. Dripping in neon, with ultra-flexible trapeze artists dangling from ceilings and jiggling burlesque dancers perched in all directions, there’s perhaps no nightclub in the world as over-the-top as E11EVEN. After an extensive recent renovation, most of the furnishings you see are brand-new, but the crowd is as wild as ever.

You’ve heard it in songs, seen it on TV and possibly dreamt about it during your workweek. LIV is Miami Beach’s most famous club, and for good reason. This Vegas-worthy spot at the famed Fontainebleau Hotel has seen no shortage of TMZ-worthy moments throughout the years, especially at the famous weekly gathering known as LIV on Sunday. If you’re willing to dress up and shell out, you’ll love spotting celebs in the VIP section.

This little club sits at the ground floor of Space, a sort of hip younger brother that books acts that dance music aficionados drool over. The place is intimate and DJs perform right on the floor next to the crowd. Floyd is great if you’re not quite up for a mega-club but you’re still itching to get lost in the music and dance with friends until late.

A historic staple of Miami Beach’s nightlife scene, this space has seen the likes of David Guetta, deadmau5 and Skrillex grace its decks, hosted parties for P Diddy and Jay-Z, and featured live performances by Prince and Velvet Revolver. The recently reopened club M2 maintains much of the glamor of its former life as a theater, albeit with a multi-million dollar facelift under the direction of homegrown, global EDM powerhouse, Ultra Worldwide. With a massive, bleeding-edge centerpiece lighting system designed by the same folks behind Ultra’s mainstage and Megastructure, M2 recreates the award-winning Ultra Resistance Ibiza clubbing experience in the heart of Miami Beach's Art Deco Historic District.

Welcome to Basement, where your options are wonderfully all over the place. Want to bowl with friends on neon-lit lanes? Go ahead. How about some ice skating on an adorable indoor rink? That’s an option. And dancing? Duh. It’s the perfect trifecta that’s made even better by a rotating list of DJs. You’ll have two bars to choose from, plus the option of bottle service for a true VIP experience.

Story, the younger cousin to LIV (both clubs are owned by the same team), resembles its counterpart in both scale and scope but has managed to carve out its own identity too. Huge hip-hop acts like Travis Scott stop by often and big-name DJs tear the house down on a weekly basis. Though the dress code is still enforced, Story is a bit more accessible and for-the-people than LIV, which means it comes with a rowdy crowd ready to get down till last call.

Miami’s iconic gay mega-club remains a staple for the city’s LGBTQ set while also welcoming any tolerant and dancing soul through its hallowed doors. Twist is a great place to let your hair down without worrying about the South Beach posturing that goes on at other velvet rope clubs. (True to its tagline: “Never a cover, always a groove.”) There are two levels, three dancefloors and seven different bars inside serving two-for-one drinks daily from 3 to 9pm. It’s never a dull moment at Twist.

Designed more for dancing than sitting (hence the name), it’s packed tight and kept very dark, except for those moments when the gorgeous light fixture flashes and illuminates everything around you. Helmed by internationally renowned DJ-producer Behrouz and his partner Megan, Do Not Sit has earned a reputation for offering top-tier guest acts and underground sensibilities in a less pretentious setting and with a more accessible cover.

It’d be impossible for us to know what you consider “cool,” but we’re pretty confident Medium Cool fits the bill. You’ll find this moody, windowless bar in the basement of the Gale South Beach, an Art Deco hotel erected in an era when sub-sea-level basements still seemed like a good idea. The vibe here is ’70s glam, and the music programming is stacked with vinyl DJs plus mellower moments like live jazz and samba in the evenings. Solid cocktails come courtesy of Naren Young (Sweet Liberty, Dante NYC). The place is open from 6pm until basically whenever, but late nights are reserved for the cool kids, and the cool kids in Miami definitely dance.

Wynwood’s super-popular Asian-themed food hall leans in hard to its alter ego as a nightclub (they have a record shop in front, after all). As the sun sets, staff here are swift to clear the outdoor dining tables and chairs to make way for a spacious dancefloor that typically gets packed by 11pm on most nights. DJs are eclectic and always on point, spinning everything from lowkey disco and house cuts to hard techno, EDM and trap. Everyone from Boize Noys and Claude VonStroke to Diplo and Walshy Fire has graced the decks here.

Hollywood style found its way to South Beach in June 2012 when the SLS Hotel opened at the corner of Collins and 17th, and brought the ultra-exclusive Hyde nightclub with it. The indoor/outdoor space, which includes a popular pool area that overlooks the ocean just steps away, gets the party started early. DJs create a poolside party scene that is neither quiet nor subtle. From Thursday to Sunday, the action continues well past sunset, when scenesters hunker down within the whimsical, Philippe Starck-designed club.

A new center of gravity on North Miami Avenue, the Oasis swung for the fences when it opened as a hybrid indoor/outdoor bar, club, music venue and food hall. With multiple areas to dance, lounge in the turf, grab drinks or grub and vibe out, it’s an ideal spot for groups. Check the events schedule for weekends and late nights, when the Oasis can get swarmed. DJs like Tiesto and Honey Dijon have already graced the stage, and Travis Scott hosted his Rolling Loud after-party here.

Open since 1991, Mango’s is a touristy nightclub in South Beach that hosts dinners with a show and salsa and bachata lessons along with nightly open format DJs. Ideal for large, rowdy groups like birthdays and bachelorettes, Mango’s has multiple themed rooms for dancing the night away. Depending on the day, find live acts like the Cuban Conga Show and the Mango’s Dancers. Just be sure to check their calendar and book your reservation in advance. Otherwise, it’s just the typical club pop hits for you.

This O.G. Wynwood club remains one of the most approachable spots on the strip, with no door fee or dress code to speak of. There's an outdoor patio and two separate rooms that play hip-hop, rap and a mix of Latin hits. From flaming to dessert to classic, you'll find just about every type of shot ever created on the menu, and part of the fun of ordering here is watching the bartender shake up and serve each concoction. Word of warning: these little sippers pack a punch.

This is Wynwood’s go-to spot if you’re looking to dance to a solid mix of contemporary hip-hop, Latin and trap hits. The indoor-outdoor space opens early on Saturdays (2pm) and Sundays (1pm) for popular day parties kept cool by rows of massive fans and drink specials like $5 Modelos and mimosas on Social Sundays. If you’re attending with a group, table service will get you the best value—and let you skip the line. A nice perk when it’s a steamy 90 degrees out on the sidewalk.

This huge, airy cocktail bar takes over a warehouse on one of the booziest streets in Wynwood: NW 24th Street, sandwiched between Gramps and J. Wakefield Brewing. Rácket features two adjacent rooms, each slightly different in terms of cocktails and ambiance. The atrium is a bit more laid back. Couches sit in front of bar specializing in tiki-influenced tequila, rum and mezcal cocktails. Past the atrium bar, the main room feels more like a lounge for the late-night crowd, with pool tables and a more intimate mezzanine level.

Step one, take a club. Step two, put it on the beach. And that’s the simple yet efficient recipe for Nikki Beach. This place is the undisputed champ of day parties, with a crowd that prefers dancing in the sun at 2pm over a dark club at 2am. Speaking of day drinking: Ever wondered what would happen if brunch and a nightclub had a baby? Stop by Nikki Beach’s bumpin’ Sunday brunch and brace for costumed models and champagne sprayed over tables of pancakes and eggs.