Vancouver's Fox Cabaret

Vancouver has great nightclubs in places like Granville Street where you can go dancing to DJ music, listen to a live band and enjoy the city’s night life.

Top Nightclubs and Music Venues in Vancouver

Vancouver is no sleepy city. It’s hip to a number of trendy nightclubs. If you’re looking for a club that caters to your music and dance tastes, here’s where you’ll find one. What makes a best nightclub, however, depends on a lot of things including your age, tastes, noise tolerance, types of music you like, whether you want to dance, and what’s featured on any particular night.

What’s a “best place” for one person won’t be a “best place” for someone else, and that’s especially true when it comes to night life.

Vancouver’s Nightclubs

Here are some of Vancouver’s most popular places (in our opinion), with a short description and their location.

Celebrities Nightclub – a heritage building at 1022 Davie Street with progressive parties and events.
Fortune Sound Club – featuring top 40 dance music at 147 East Pender in the heart of Chinatown.
The Commodore Ballroom – the Commodore is well-known as a great place for dancing and concerts. At 868 Granville Street, this club is located in the heart of Vancouver’s entertainment district.

New Year's Eve at Commodore Ballroom — The Commodore Ballroom

The Fox Cabaret – a former movie theatre transformed into a present-day live music and nightclub venue in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant neighbourhood at 2321 Main Street.
Guilt & Co. – located at #1 Alexander Street in Gastown, it’s a bar, not a nightclub. It’s still an awesome place, though, and one of Vancouver’s top venues for live music. A different band plays there every night, and great bands too!
The Imperial – a 6,000-square-foot private event and multimedia venue at 319 Main Street (so a few blocks north of Chinatown in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside). It’s not a “nightclub,” but it does have events including live music on various evenings each week. As of May 2023, the venue is temporarily closed.
The Penthouse Nightclub – an infamous club at 1019 Seymour Street that features exotic dancing, burlesque, cabaret and other similar risqué entertainment. It’s also where the Secrets of the Penthouse Tour takes place about once a month with Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours.
The Rec Room – it’s not actually a nightclub, but The Rec Room is a popular place for young adults. It’s a restaurant and bar combo that also includes a large arcade full of games to enjoy. There are two locations – one in Burnaby at The Amazing Brentwood, and one in Vancouver at 855 Granville Street.
The Roxy – a well-known night spot with DJs and/or live bands seven days a week at 932 Granville Street. The club describes its clientele as “a happy mix of industry, locals and tourists with no discernible age range.”
The Vogue – an Art Deco-style former movie house at 918 Granville Street that is today a designated national historic site and event centre. It’s not a nightclub, but it does often host nightclub-style live music events.

Vancouver Boat Parties

In addition to nightclubs, Vancouver sometimes has special nightclub-like parties on yachts out in the water. They take place on special occasions like on New Year’s Eve, St. Patrick’s Day and at Halloween.

If partying out on the ocean is your thing, see our article about Vancouver Boat Parties.