San Francisco is sometimes called “The City That Knows How,” and one thing the city knows how to do is party. The nightclub scene in San Francisco stretches over multiple neighborhoods and includes underground clubs, alien-themed party scenes, and massive dance ragers.
Located over three levels in a building in San Francisco’s busy Civic Center neighborhood, Mr. Smith’s is best described as an upscale cocktail bar-meets-underground dance club. On Friday and Saturday nights, the club features a live DJ that plays everything from current Top 40s to 1980s hip-hop throwback songs. An unpretentious nightclub for any kind of party, Mr. Smith’s is a great place to either kick back with a signature cocktail or shake the night away on the dance floor.
Located in a former bathhouse, Oasis is home to outlandish comedy shows and great parties. Opened in 2015 by two drag legends, D’Arcy Drollinger and Heklina, the club hosts the best drag parties in the city hands down. Located in the SoMa district, the club features reserved seating options before each show, and also allows private parties and events with advance notice.
From house music dance parties to goth nights, San Francisco’s Cat Club is a Folsom Street nightlife staple. Known for their relentless dance-the-night-away ragers, Cat Club’s DJs will have the dancers moving for hours. Nightly drink specials keep the crowds coming through the doors, but they stay for the club’s judgment-free atmosphere. Stretching over two dance floors (with a side alley frequented by smokers), the club is a great place to spend a night grooving under colorful lights with an even more colorful crowd of partiers.