Nightlife in Denver

15 clubs, live music venues and late-night spots in Denver.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

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Denver Barbarians Rugby Club
The lower-profile but more successful of Denver's two rugby union teams, competing in the U.S. Rugby Super League since 1967 with three championships to their name.
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Fillmore Auditorium
Capitol Hill is where you'll find what may be the epicenter of Denver's live music scene. This cavernous space is famous for its dual Minors with Adults Liquor License, so if you're underage, you're not necessarily segregated into crappy seats.
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Larimer Lounge
You can't miss this hipster-friendly club and concert hall in RiNo, with huge, brightly painted Op Art murals covering the whole front of the building. Catch mostly local rock, country, and electronica acts, with a few national touring artists to mix things up, in an ambience that's a lot cleaner and less skeevy than some of the dives around town.
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Mercury Cafe
Highly recommended. This popular restaurant/cafe/event center is a must for any lovers of poetry, theater, or counterculture. Live music almost every night, salsa classes, and more. Particularly recommended Sundays nights, when it hosts Denver's best poetry slam. Often, you might run into well-known names like Andrea Gibson. Check out their schedule for more information.
Tue-Sun 5PM-midnight
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Squire Lounge
This is a serious dive bar, complete with nasty bathrooms, unkempt floors, characters, a couple pool tables, and a jukebox. And cheap late night drinks accompanied by some seriously plastered clientèle. Clearly not for everyone, but it has its place. If you are up for a real wild ride, order The Beaver, a huge pitcher of impromptu God-only-knows-what, usually less than $10.
Mon-Fri noon-2PM, Sat noon-late
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The Church
Part of the "SoCo" (South of Colfax) club district, the Church is one of the most popular dance clubs in the city, and as its name suggests, is housed in a former Episcopalian church. That however, does not prevent hundreds if not thousands of people from descending on the dance floor every night to shake what God has given them.
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Blue Ice
A Broadway dance club and lounge with a strong Latin influence. Music and programming vary by night, with dancing continuing late into the evening.
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Club Vinyl
A multi-level dance club in the South of Colfax nightlife district. Different floors can feature different styles of electronic and dance music, and the building includes a rooftop patio.
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Grizzly Rose
A huge country-western nightclub and honky-tonk north of downtown, operating since 1989. It has a large hardwood dance floor, live country music, dance lessons, pool tables and a mechanical bull. Major country artists regularly perform here.
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Herb's Hideout
A longtime downtown nightlife spot near Coors Field with live music, DJs and dancing. More casual and bar-like than Denver's large electronic nightclubs and generally open late.
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La Rumba
A long-running Latin dance club specializing in salsa, bachata and other Latin music. Dance lessons are offered on many nights before the club gets going, making it approachable for visitors who are new to Latin dancing.
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Milk Bar
An underground, multi-room club with different music and atmospheres throughout the venue. Programming includes goth, industrial, alternative, retro, synthwave, techno and other electronic and alternative genres depending on the night.
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Temple Denver
A large electronic-music nightclub in the Golden Triangle known for elaborate lighting, a powerful sound system and touring DJs. The club has multiple rooms and is one of Denver's more production-heavy nightlife venues.
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The Black Box
An intimate Capitol Hill electronic-music club particularly known for bass music and its powerful sound system. It attracts local DJs and touring electronic acts and has a more underground atmosphere than Denver's large mainstream clubs.
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Tracks
A large LGBTQ+ nightclub in RiNo and a longtime fixture of Denver nightlife. Tracks hosts dance parties, drag events, themed nights and other events. Some events are 18+ while others are 21+, so check the schedule.

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Denver (CC BY-SA 4.0).