By ADANAI Staff

AA month ago a bunch of us were sitting at the pool party at the SLS hotel in Miami (which is very underrated by the way) and got into a very heated debate about which establishment can claim the title of best club in the world. The group included people from New York City, Sao Paulo, Miami, Stockholm and London. After a while we all agreed to disagree but it sparked an idea – let’s put it to a broad vote. To organize our thoughts we decided to create four regions based on city. While imperfect (apologies to some of the amazing clubs in places like St. Tropez, Mykonos and Florianopolis), we had to start somewhere. Perhaps down the line we will delve into some of the best clubs not in major party hubs.

For this contest, we pit NYC, Miami, Las Vegas and Ibiza (yes, Ibiza isn’t a city but you know what we mean) against each other. The four best clubs in each region will battle it out then the regional champs will settle the question at hand in the semis and finals. Using JustRivals.com, you vote on each match up and eventually we can crown the winner as best club in the world. Here is the bracket:

Region One: New York City and Miami

New York

In most cities it’s hard to name four nightclubs that are worth ever attending. In NYC, the list of top-notch nightclubs can go a while, a long while. As a result this contest is missing revelry luminaries such as Output, Lavo and Provocateur. Maybe one day we’ll come back with a more thorough NYC contest but in this one it’s just 1Oak, TAO, Up & Down and Marquee.

1Oak vs. Marquee

1Oak
Nothing sums up 1Oak better than the neon sign inside those we wish they could talk walls – “…Ended Up at 1 Oak”. That text has probably been sent hundreds of thousands of times the morning after since Oak opened its doors in 2007. Owner Richie Akiva knows celebs, models and rich guys. That combo has created one of the best running parties in NYC. Since 2007, the NYC cool set has started their nights at places like Tenjune, Marquee, SL, Avenue and now Vandal to name a few and they’ve always ended up at 1Oak.

Marquee
13 years. In a city like NYC that is five lifetimes for a nightclub. It’s the only survivor of the 27th street region club scene. Marquee is a perfect example of why the Tao group is so good at what they do. A few years after this club opened it was so successful that it was the subject of a Harvard Business School case. They did this while keeping it hot. Once Marquee got long in the tooth they did a renovation to make it more DJ friendly to fit the celeb DJ world we live in now. They pivoted on the weekends to a more mass audience approach (selling tickets to all comers online). They did this while still doing their VIP only Wednesday night hip-hop parties which harkened back to the early days of Marquee. Bravo…

TAO Downtown vs. Up & Down

TAO downtown
This match-up represents two of the more recent entrants on the NYC nightlife scene – and it’s still a TAO group vs. Richie Akiva thing. TAO is genius at work once again. Mega restaurant brings big crowds but a super VIP lounge on the side brings heat. If you don’t want the craziness that a Tiesto appearance at LAVO or David Guetta at Marquee, this is the spot – high end crowd, spectacular music and always a good time.

Up & Down
Maybe this is finally the club that can make this space work for a long time. It’s got the right team behind it. Want the 1Oak vibe but don’t feel like waiting until 2:30am (when Oak gets going)? Go to Up & Down. And while you are at it, check out Black Tap burger right above it. Place is fire. Ironically Black Tap comes from members of the original Marquee team. Damn, nightlife in NYC really is a duopoly isn’t it?

Miami

It’s sad to write this and not be able to include South Beach legend Mansion but it closed after unsuccessfully trying to compete with LIV and Story in the mega DJ arms race. They also had a shooting and that is usually the end for most nightclubs. Thus for Miami, we have a match-up between two kings of Miami Beach vs. two kings of after-hours.

LIV vs. Club Space

LIV
If you love big name DJs, LIV is the place for you. Calvin Harris, Tiesto and Diplo are all regulars. When you look up nightclub in the dictionary, LIV is what you find. It’s got energy, a great sound system and lots of good-looking people. Dave Grutman created something that feels like it should be in Las Vegas but gave it that South Beach flair. Oh and then there is Sunday nights. How is this for a bold statement – Sunday nights at LIV is the best hip-hop party in the world. Period. On any given Sunday you will randomly have Lil Wayne DJing, Busta Rhymes and Snoop Dogg freestyling from their respective dance floor tables. Oh, and the best parade of outfits you’ll ever see. Yes it’s that crazy.

Club Space
Old school techno and trance heads might throw up in their mouths with the grand daddy of all Miami clubs having to compete for the Miami title. For years Space has had a cult following. It’s been the go to place for most after-hours activities in Miami. Things don’t get going until 5am and the party keeps going past noon. Hardcore Space fans make it a habit to have dinner at normal dinnertime, take a nap from 11-4 and then make their move over to Space for the morning.

Rockwell vs. E11even

Rockwell
One of the newest to the South Beach scene and it’s off to an incredible start. Nightlife veteran Chris Paciello sensed that the big club EDM thing was getting stale and created a place for those that want a VIP atmosphere and appreciate other forms of dance music. For you New Yorkers reading this, imagine 1Oak but everyone is wearing just a little (or a lot) less. Their Monday night party has taken the crown from Mokai as the place to be on Mondays.

E11even
Before this place even opened we knew what it was going to be. Is it a nightclub? Sure. A strip club? Yep. Open 24 hours? Absolutely. E11even has become the place to go after-hours and not just for guys looking for a bunch of silicon in their face (although that is available). There is no stigma in Miami about spending the night at E11even and that’s pretty damn cool. When standing at the bar you might look to your left and see a woman looking to give you a dance or two and then look to the right and see that woman from accounting that you’ve had your eyes on grabbing drinks with her girlfriends. That’s what we call unique.

Region Two: Ibiza and Las Vegas

Ibiza

There is no better place in the world to party than in Ibiza. It has everything: top nightclubs, beautiful people, a global vibe, sick day parties and beach/yachts for hangover recovery.

Space vs. Privilege

Space
The mecca. If you consider yourself a house music fan, you haven’t partied until you’ve spent a night/morning at Space. Carl Cox held sermon there for over 10 years and his nights became a must attend for anyone visiting Ibiza. It spawned Club Space in Miami, which is legendary on its own.

Privilege
This place rocks and has been rocking for a long, long time. It’s also big, real big as in the largest nightclub in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records. It can hold 10,000 people and has a massive swimming pool (yes they used to do foam parties). It’s actually one of the few places on the island where hip-hop can be heard after 2am (only sometimes!).

Pacha vs. Amnesia

Pacha
The Pacha brand is the most famous global brand in nightlife. While the first Pacha opened in 1967 outside of Barcelona, Pacha Ibiza (opened in 1973) is the one everyone knows. Resident DJs over the years include Bob Sinclar, David Guetta, Swedish House Mafia and Pete Tong. For these DJs it was not huge paydays that drove their residencies, it was the honor of being able to reside over the chicest party in the world on a weekly basis.

Amnesia
In some form Amnesia has been rocking in Ibiza for 40 years. Back in the day it was disco and now some of the most progressive house in the world. It’s a big one too with a 5,000-person capacity. In the ‘90s it was considered one of the best clubs in the world – this is when the UK dance scene showed up in earnest and Amnesia was their home base. You can still feel that legacy there and that legacy makes it a must stop for many top European DJs.

Las Vegas

While Ibiza is still the king of party destinations, Las Vegas closed the gap real quick over the past 15 years. Las Vegas has come a long way since the days of The Beach and ICE.

Some are turned off by the corporate nature of Vegas partying but it’s hard to argue with the quality of the nightclubs there.

XS vs. Omnia

XS
The Rolls Royce of nightclubs. Steve Wynn only does things big and his nightlife business is as big as it gets. Big name DJs, big format bottles and big name celebs can all be found in this masterpiece of a nightlife establishment. When the Cleveland Cavaliers needed to go celebrate their championship, Lebron James & Co got on a plane from San Francisco right after Game 7 to Las Vegas to blow it up at XS. After Floyd Mayweather beat Manny Pacquiao in 2015, he went to XS that night to toast the victory (although he doesn’t even drink, Floyd is known to buy copious amounts of booze and pass it out to his lucky table neighbors.)

Omnia
It’s predecessor, Pure, was one of the clubs that helped create the current big club nightlife scene in Vegas. There was a point in time where Pure was considered one of the top two or three clubs in Vegas. Then it fell behind and shuttered. After a total renovation, Omnia emerged. The beauty of Omnia is that it’s managed by the Hakkasan group and has access to the same absurd DJ lineup that Hakkasan does. Just an example, this weekend Steve Angello and Afrojack are playing there. Next weekend, Calvin Harris is on deck (he is there almost every Friday – guess he has a bunch of extra time this summer sans Taylor Swift) and Nervo on Saturday.

Hakkasan vs. Marquee Las Vegas

Hakkasan
Their resident DJ lineup includes: Above & Beyond, Axwell, Calvin Harris, Dada Life, Hardwell, Sebastian Ingrosso, Lil Jon, Steve Aoki and Tiesto. Don’t think much more info is needed but suffice it to say that this place has star power. They came onto the Vegas scene with a bang by signing up almost every major EDM artist out there. At the time some thought they would put every other club in Vegas out of business. That hasn’t happened but there is no doubt that just about every Friday and Saturday night there is major.

Marquee Las Vegas
The TAO group brought their Midas touch to Vegas with their marquis brand (see what we did there) and took the city by storm. TAO combined Jason Strauss’s sick ability to service whale spenders, great operating / marketing skills and a great piece of real estate to create a place that is guaranteed fun. When the DJ arms race was going on between Hakkasan and XS, they went for lower cost acts with a loyal following to keep things moving in the right direction. No matter where you sit in the club, it feels like you are a VIP. Oh and they quietly have one of the best hip-hop clubs in the country buried deep within the club (the Boom Box Room). Remember – this club opened with Jay-Z and Coldplay as its first act. Since that storied night, it’s been one serious party.

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