Club 77
Photograph: Supplied | Club 77
Photograph: Supplied | Club 77

The best nightclubs in Sydney to get on the dance floor

Sydney's top clubs – all the best night-time destinations to lose yourself on the dancefloor

Written by: Winnie Stubbs
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Say what you like, but Sydney sure loves to party. We can find our boogie on the roof, in the basement, by the pool, even every once in a while in a suburban bowling club. But if you're looking for somewhere to "go clubbing", we've got that covered.

Yep, the Harbour City is still finding her dancing feet again in the wake of lockout laws and lockdowns. But if you’re after some dancefloor reverie, you just need to know where to look. For example, while Kings Cross has undergone a total vibe shift from its grungier past, Kings Cross Hotel still offers a multi-level dancefloor bonanza. Or, a pub crawl along a funky strip like Newtown’s King Street might be more your speed, and you can cap it off by falling down the rabbit hole at the purple-hued, 4am-licence-having Pleasure Club. Otherwise, the student crowd should be happy to know that your typical “clubbing” experience can still be found at venues like Cargo Bar. Nostalgic elder millienials will also be stoked to know that Chinese Laundry is back to peg you up on the line. 

If you’re seeking a particular vibe or a niche subculture thing, then it is worth seeking out events run by particular producers and party collectives that can scratch the itch for you – for example, the ultra cool club kids of Angels Only Inc. curate surprisingly-welcoming shindigs and wholesome amateur strip clubs, and Raw Gadigal is one of a handful of spaces for authentic techno rhythms that will see your night melt away. Meanwhile, Sydney’s queer community has never let the dancefloor go cold for long – Oxford Street’s ‘Pink Mile’ packs a handful of incredible gay clubs ruled over by local drag royalty, while the basement of Erskineville drag palace The Impy is still a great den for dancing the night away. 

An excellent night out means different things to different people, hot new club nights rise and fall like nobody’s business, and we also reckon that the right after-dark subculture for you will find you. This list has been curated as a jumping-off point with a little something for everyone.

Here’s a hot tip: whoever you are, a great night out starts with actually leaving the house. (Hey buddy, yeah you – if you haven’t gone out on a Saturday night since emo was king and Universal was still called Midnight Shift, shut up about Sydney nightlife being over!) If you are heading out to cut a rug, we do declare: stay hydrated, look out for your mates, keep it consensual, and don’t do anything we wouldn’t do!

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Not sure you're quite club-ready? These are the best dancefloors in Sydney.

Want something more lowkey? These are the best bars and pubs open late in Sydney.

After a late-night feed? These are the best late-night eats in Sydney.

Sydney's top clubs

  • Clubs
  • House, disco and techno
  • Darlinghurst
  • price 1 of 4
77
77

Best for: Techno, disco and rave-cave weirdness

The CBD’s infamous former home of electroclash has gone through a few changes over the years, notably changing from a rave bunker to a swish underground bar. The rogue spirit lives on in their music programming, with local legends playing bangers well into the evening, encouraging very late dance-offs from Sydney’s guardian tastemakers. 

  • Bars & Pubs

Best for: Old skool raves, but also the chance to duck upstairs to Casa Rosa for a late-night meal

Returning bigger and better, the multi-level heritage-listed Abercrombie has undergone an incredible transformation, with three venues now under the one roof to create one big party palace that's open 24 hours. On the ground floor is the Abercrombie’s incredible performance and club space, public bar and beer garden, which should flood a few elder millennials' brains with memories. The rave-cave of yesteryear plays host to some of the best party crews in Sydney – including House of Mince, Sweat it Out, Future Classic, Purple Sneakers and Motorik – to put on an incredible roster of events curated by the wizards behind beloved Sydney venue Freda's.

Caitlyn Todoroski
Caitlyn Todoroski
Branded Content Writer
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  • Darlinghurst

Best for: raving away to a thumpin' state-of-the-art sound system in a cocktail den

This funky late night haunt on Oxford Street brings the thumping vibe of Ibiza’s clubbing scene to a lush retro cocktail lounge – with top notch DJs and club acts, and carefully curated cocktails to boot. Carousel Bar is the new favourite child from Sydney’s long standing, techno-forward party collective, S.A.S.H – the same group behind hot-pink Darlinghurst bar Stanley’s on Stanley and the dearly departed Sly Fox Hotel. A relatively new addition to the scene, Carousel was the only Aussie club to rank on Nightlife International's top 100 list for 2024, and it was also the venue that Troye Sivan chose to host the official afterparty for his Sydney Opera House shows. If that isn't a ringing endorsement, we don't know what is. 

Winnie Stubbs
Winnie Stubbs
Lifestyle Writer
  • Gay and lesbian
  • Darlinghurst

Best for: silly drag fun, heaving dancefloors, and chats in the smoko

This Oxford Street venue has nicely cultivated itself into an inclusive hub where you can drink cocktails with rubber ducks in them and see drag most nights of the week, from lively amateur performers to the matriachs of the Pink Mile. The upstairs night club, formerly known as the stalwart Midnight Shift, is where the beats really heat up. 

Alannah Sue
Alannah Sue
Arts and Culture Editor, Time Out Sydney
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  • Music
  • Music venues
  • Darlinghurst
  • price 1 of 4
  • Recommended

Best for: Live music and a boogie after

Oxford Arts is a battler. It became one of the last remaining live music venues on Oxford Street, which was previously littered with them, and it continues to host incredible gigs in a relatively intimate space. International bands coming to town will play here unless they’re Coldplay-sized, and the moshpit is known to get sweaty. The venue also boasts indie electronic producers and DJs, as well as local acts in its gallery bar. It’s a guaranteed great night out.

Emily Lloyd-Tait
Former National Food & Drink Editor
  • Clubs
  • Darling Harbour

Best for: Die-hard club action with a world-class view

Once you're at Home, the bangers will be booming and you'll be bouncing off the walls with a sweet view of the dazzling Darling Harbour lights glistening in your starry eyes. Heralded as Sydney's only true "superclub", Home has an eclectic mix of events. 

Alannah Sue
Alannah Sue
Arts and Culture Editor, Time Out Sydney
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  • Surry Hills
  • price 1 of 4
  • Recommended

Best for: Partying with exceptional sides 

This Japanese booze and snack palace turns into a neon-bathed rager after hours. With free karaoke booths, fluro arcade games and regular early '00s and '90s nostalgia nights, it's a party playground. What's better than scarfing down a delicious plate of yakitori and then dancing to Nelly until late? Nothing.

Emily Lloyd-Tait
Former National Food & Drink Editor
  • Erskineville
  • price 1 of 4
  • Recommended

Best for: Outrageously fun queer nights in the Inner West

Remember when Guy Pearce christened a giant silver bus ‘Priscilla, Queen of the Desert’? That Champagne-smashing moment from the movie happened outside this very venue. So it comes as no surprise that it's still a much-loved haven for the LGBTQIA+ crowd. Head downstairs to the expansive basement club that hosts international artists and DJs, catering to the most fabulous of crowds. If hectic raving ain't yo thang, make your way upstairs to catch a drag show and sing your heart out to some classic party tunes.

Alannah Sue
Alannah Sue
Arts and Culture Editor, Time Out Sydney
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  • Newtown
  • price 1 of 4
  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • Recommended

Best for: Twisting to Bowie like you're in a teen movie
 
Up on the first floor of the heaving Bank Hotel in Newtown you’ll find Waywards, a bar and music venue on Friday and Saturday nights. A night out here starts with live jangly guitar music and ends with some classic indie toe-tapping. Vinyl DJs play a double digit amount of Bowie tracks and there's a joyous teen-movie-party-scene atmosphere as a result. It's not strictly a club, but it's a solid option if you're looking for a sweaty Saturday night – and you're on King Street, so within easy walking distance of some of the city's best late night bars if you decide to change venues.

Winnie Stubbs
Winnie Stubbs
Lifestyle Writer
  • Darling Harbour

Best for: Pop bangers in a Euro-club style waterside location

Swinging open its doors in 2000 – the same year as the Sydney Olympics – Cargo Bar has been a reliable go-to spot for night owls, providing high-octane fun for 24 years. For its 24th birthday, the team behind this Darling Harbour institution decided it was time for a glow-up – and Cargo Bar 2.0 comes complete with cutting-edge lighting and sound systems, a killer new DJ booth, a luxe VIP area, and fresh bar, lounge and dining spaces. And yes, the dance floor and pop hits remain.

Avril Treasure
Avril Treasure
Food & Drink Editor, Time Out Sydney
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  • Darlinghurst
  • price 1 of 4
  • Recommended

Best for: Grinding to trap music in a tropical oasis

Sydney’s only under-the-sea-themed, tiki nightclub has been slinging tropical themed cocktails and wrangling huge crowds for a while now. There's a lot to take in visually, it's a sensory explosion of lighting and shipwrecked decor, but once you settle in to the sunken dancefloor, pineapple in hand, you'll never want to leave. Cliff Dive's vibe lately is hip hop, trap, grime, and R'n'B focused, so gear up for an aquatic grind time.

Alannah Sue
Alannah Sue
Arts and Culture Editor, Time Out Sydney
  • Pubs
  • Chippendale
  • price 1 of 4
  • Recommended

Best for: Low-key vibes and a groove after the graveyard shift

Run by the people behind the aforementioned Oxford Art Factory, this multi-story Chippendale institution is a stalwart in Sydney's live music scene. Catch sunset from the roof, then warm up with a live gig before heading to the ground floor – the dancefloor gets wild on weekends.

Winnie Stubbs
Winnie Stubbs
Lifestyle Writer
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  • Pubs
  • Darlinghurst
The Flinders
The Flinders

Best for: Reinvigorated, all-inclusive dive bar feels

We shed a tear when this late-night dive bar, known for its pickleback shots and secret sets from famous touring artists like Mark Ronson and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, closed its doors in 2015 after being strangled by the lockout laws. But we dried our eyes when the Flinders re-opened under new management. Come here for long sprawling guest DJ sets and the odd flashback night, all mostly incorporating house music.

Alannah Sue
Alannah Sue
Arts and Culture Editor, Time Out Sydney
  • Surry Hills

Best for: Weekend party nights to soul and disco hits

If you want somewhere that pumps out party vibes even on a Wednesday and is all about cheap fun, then Soda Factory is the place. This place is extremely popular with anyone who wants to boogie to soul tunes, golden oldies, and disco from the '70s to now – the queues can get hectic. 

Emily Lloyd-Tait
Former National Food & Drink Editor
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  • Clubs
  • Darling Harbour

A night at this sprawling, multi-level venue in Sydney's CBD is a choose-your-own-advenuture affair. With three indoor dancefloors and one under the stars, you'll find your beat somewhere in this Euro-club style megavenue. The crowd skews towards the younger end of legal clubbing age, but it's a fun time regardless of how old you are – with some of Australia's most beloved DJs often appearing on the line-up.

Winnie Stubbs
Winnie Stubbs
Lifestyle Writer
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