A good night out means different things to different people. Maybe it’s sweating it out on a dancefloor until dawn. Maybe it’s catching up over a glass of wine, immersing yourself in rare grooves at a listening bar or even wiling away the hours at a sober club. Whatever your style, America’s nightlife scene has it all, but one city stands out above the rest.
According to Time Out, Las Vegas has been crowned not only the best nightlife city in the U.S., but the world’s best nightlife city for 2025. The city scored an impressive 88-percent approval rating from a survey of locals and won praise from Time Out's expert panel. Sin City still brings the classic casino vibes and and mega-clubs with confetti drops, but the city’s after-dark scene has evolved.
These days, the real magic often happens off the Strip. Vegas’s Arts District is home to cocktail lounges like Stray Pirate, Doberman and Nocturno, where bartenders craft creative drinks with wild infusions. Locals love the city’s speakeasies, too: There’s one hidden behind a barbershop, another behind a bookshelf at a Malaysian eatery and another called The Lock, which you literally crawl into through a safe door. Add tiki bars, live music joints and art-filled night markets, and it’s easy to see why most locals call their nightlife “exciting.”
While Vegas is the only U.S. city to be named among the world's best, America's top nightlife cities are far from tame. At number two, Chicago keeps the party going with its mix of gritty dive bars, rooftop lounges, legendary house music clubs and late-night blues joints. Coming in third is New Orleans, where the soundtrack never stops. Frenchmen Street overflows with brass bands, funk collectives and soul singers playing to crowds that spill onto the sidewalk. The Quarter still has its rowdy energy, but locals swear by the smaller spots—dark, intimate bars where the cocktails are strong and the vibe is easygoing. Miami and New York, nightlife juggernauts, round out the top five.
Whether it’s a huge rave or a quiet whisky at an underground lounge, nightlife in the U.S. has never looked more diverse—or more fun. And right now, Vegas is leading the charge.
Best cities for nightlife in the U.S., according to Time Out
- Las Vegas
- Chicago
- New Orleans
- Miami
- New York
- Los Angeles
- Austin
- San Diego
- Orlando
- Dallas