Dance clubs, live music, rooftop bars, speakeasies, LGBTQ+ venues, listening bars and late-night dives in Sacramento.
Dance clubs, live music, rooftop bars, speakeasies, LGBTQ+ nightlife, listening bars and late-night dives across Sacramento, with where to go and what is worth the late night.
MIX Downtown atop the Firestone Building on L Street in downtown Sacramento is the city's premier rooftop nightclub, three rooms of cocktails and DJs with a Capitol-view terrace.
Tip: Friday and Saturday nights are the busiest. Kitchen runs to midnight Friday and Saturday. Bottle service and VIP available.
Faces on K Street in midtown Sacramento has run as the city's biggest LGBTQ nightclub since 1985, three dance floors, fifteen bar stations and a back patio with pool.
Tip: Saturday is the busiest, with multi-floor DJs and drag shows. The mezzanine is bottle service only.
Badlands on K Street, midtown Sacramento, has been voted Sacramento's number one LGBTQ bar for eight consecutive years, a video-bar dance club opposite Faces.
Tip: Drag and Latin nights run the calendar; check the Instagram for the lineup. Sunday afternoon disco is the long-running standby.
Harlow's on J Street, midtown Sacramento, has booked national and regional touring acts since 1982, with the Starlet Room above for second-stage and DJ nights.
Tip: Capacity around 350; tickets via the operator site or Bandsintown. The Starlet Room is the late-night DJ second stage.
Ace of Spades on R Street in downtown Sacramento is the city's mid-size live concert venue, booking national rock, metal and hip-hop acts in the R Street Corridor.
Tip: Tickets via the operator site or Ticketmaster. Box office Tuesday to Friday 12:00 to 18:00 and Saturday 15:00 to 18:00.
The Torch Club on 15th Street in downtown Sacramento has booked live blues since 1934, two sets a night Wednesday through Sunday across the city's oldest blues room.
Tip: Two shows nightly Wednesday to Sunday. Cash bar; ATM on site. National blues acts pass through monthly.
The Press Club on 21st Street in midtown Sacramento is the city's long-running punk and indie bar, with Emo Night the last Wednesday and DJ nights Thursday through Sunday.
Tip: Calendar runs from punk shows to swing nights to comedy. The patio is the spillover; back room hosts DJs.
MIX Downtown's rooftop on the Firestone Building, downtown Sacramento, is the only rooftop nightclub on K and 16th, with State Capitol views and outdoor cocktail seating.
Tip: The rooftop opens late and runs busy weekend evenings. Bottle service required for the rope-off areas.
The Snug on 15th Street, midtown Sacramento, hides a speakeasy-style cocktail bar behind a discreet entrance, custom leather booths and a craft cocktail list.
Tip: Reservations are smart on Friday and Saturday. The bar features Sacramento's deepest classic-cocktail program.
Bottle & Barlow on R Street in downtown Sacramento is the long-running cocktail lounge attached to a working barbershop, all craft cocktails in a 9,000 sqft mixed-use space.
Tip: Barbershop sessions can be booked with cocktails alongside. The lounge takes walk-ins; weekends run busy.
The Shady Lady Saloon on R Street, downtown Sacramento, runs a 1920s speakeasy aesthetic with craft cocktails, gourmet food and weeknight live music in the R Street Corridor.
Tip: Kitchen runs 15:00 to 21:00 weekdays, longer on weekends. Live music most nights; check the calendar for headline acts.
Faces on K Street, midtown Sacramento, has been the city's biggest LGBTQ club since 1985, three dance floors, multiple bars and a back patio with pool.
Tip: Drag shows multiple nights weekly; Saturday is the headline night. Multi-floor music means there's a room for every mood.
Badlands on K Street, midtown Sacramento, has won Sacramento's best LGBTQ bar award eight consecutive years, a video-music dance club opposite Faces.
Tip: Drag, Latin and disco nights through the week. The Sunday afternoon disco is the longest-running standby in town.
The Snug on 15th Street, midtown Sacramento, runs a vinyl-driven listening lounge from the speakeasy-style cocktail room, the city's deepest classic-cocktail menu.
Tip: Reservations are smart on Friday and Saturday. The room rewards quieter visits when the bartenders can talk through the list.
The Press Club on 21st Street, midtown Sacramento, is the city's punk and indie dive bar, running emo nights, swing nights and DJ sets late into the morning.
Tip: Emo Night is the last Wednesday of the month. DJ nights Thursday through Sunday; live music most Mondays through Wednesdays.
The Torch Club on 15th Street, downtown Sacramento, runs late seven nights a week with live blues, the city's oldest blues bar going since 1934.
Tip: Two sets nightly Wednesday through Sunday. Last set typically winds down by 00:30 weekend nights.