11 dance clubs worth the night across United Kingdom, editor-ranked. All United Kingdom guides.
Fabric ★ 4.8 · London
Farringdon · 77A Charterhouse Street, Farringdon, London EC1M 6HJ
The 1999-opened Farringdon warehouse with three rooms and a Bodysonic dancefloor is still the global benchmark for how a serious dance club should sound, programme and last the night.
Tip: Buy in advance, the door queues on Saturday curl down Charterhouse Street by midnight. Room One is the bass-rattled main floor.
Sneaky Pete's ★ 4.6 · Edinburgh
Old Town · 73 Cowgate, Edinburgh EH1 1JW
The intimate 100 capacity Cowgate basement is the city's most consistent stage for new touring guitar bands and late-night club residencies, busy every night of the week.
Tip: The room sells out fast for any name booking, buy in advance and arrive by doors to avoid being turned away at 22:00.
The Bongo Club ★ 4.5 · Edinburgh
Old Town · 66 Cowgate, Edinburgh EH1 1JX
The arts-trust run Bongo Club just off the Cowgate is the long-running heart of Edinburgh underground clubbing, with weekly drum and bass, dub and disco residencies.
Tip: Cash for the cloakroom moves the queue quickly, and the side door on Cowgate is the shorter wait after midnight on a Saturday.
Phonox ★ 4.5 · London
Brixton · 418 Brixton Road, Brixton, London SW9 7AY
The Brixton Road club run by the Mixmag-tested Phonox crew runs a no-headliner format where one resident plays the whole night, and the Saturday booking policy has built a loyal regular crowd.
Tip: Get there before midnight, the door cuts off well before close and the queue gets brutal on a name Saturday.
FOLD ★ 4.5 · London
Canning Town · Gillian House, Stephenson Street, Canning Town, London E16 4SA
The Canning Town warehouse with a 24-hour license has built a reputation for serious techno bookings and a strict no-phones-on-the-floor policy that protects the room from becoming an Instagram set.
Tip: Phones go in pouches at the door, that is the rule and it is enforced. Cash for the cloakroom moves the queue.
Cabaret Voltaire ★ 4.4 · Edinburgh
Old Town · 36-38 Blair Street, Edinburgh EH1 1QR
The Blair Street basement carved into Edinburgh's old underground vaults is one of Scotland's most iconic electronic venues, with seven-night-a-week programming.
Tip: The vaulted side rooms run different sounds from the main floor, walk the full venue before committing to one bar queue.
La Belle Angele ★ 4.4 · Edinburgh
Old Town · 11 Hastie's Close, Edinburgh EH1 1HJ
Originally formed in the early 1990s, rebuilt after the 2002 Cowgate fire, La Belle remains one of Edinburgh's most loved live music and club rooms in the Old Town.
Tip: Access is via the steep close stairs from Guthrie Street or the Cowgate, wear sensible shoes if it has been raining.
Ministry of Sound ★ 4.4 · London
Elephant and Castle · 103 Gaunt Street, Elephant and Castle, London SE1 6DP
The 1991 Elephant and Castle warehouse that exported British clubbing as a global brand is still pulling tier-one DJs into the Box, with a sound rig that earns its reputation.
Tip: The Box main room sound is the experience, do not get sidetracked into the smaller rooms before midnight.
Drumsheds ★ 4.4 · London
Tottenham · 6 Glover Drive, Meridian Water, Tottenham, London N18 3HF
The 14,999 capacity warehouse in the former Meridian Water IKEA is the country's biggest indoor club, run by Broadwick, and is where the touring superstar electronic sets land in north London.
Tip: The Overground to Meridian Water is the only sensible way in, taxis pile up on Glover Drive and the walk from Tottenham Hale is long after a 10-hour set.
The Mash House ★ 4.3 · Edinburgh
Old Town · 37 Guthrie Street, Edinburgh EH1 1JG
The three-floor Cowgate venue accessed via Hastie's Close is a rustic brick and scaffold space running electronic club residencies, ceilidhs and the odd punk gig.
Tip: Easier to find via the Guthrie Street staircase than the Cowgate side, and the upstairs bar is the quietest spot for between-set drinks.
E1 ★ 4.3 · London
Wapping · 110 Pennington Street, Wapping, London E1W 2BB
The Wapping warehouse on Pennington Street runs a multi-room curated programme of techno and house with the kind of long-form bookings that pull in international touring DJs and Sunday-morning crowds.
Tip: Wapping Overground is the quickest way home at 7am, the night buses out of Shadwell are a long wait after a closing set.