Nightclub in Paris Region

The streets and walls of Paris, the capital of romance, gastronomy and celebration, are packed with festive venues where you can party, with or without moderation. The City of Light was transformed by the arrival of street lights in the 19th century, and nightlife history began.

How did clubbing begin? There was a time when courtiers and the common people went to the ball to dance, but nightclubs as we know them today appeared much later. In the 19th century, the streets of Paris lit up and the Boulevard running between the Madeleine and Bastille districts became the beating heart of Parisian entertainment and festivities. This iconic place was home to multiple theatres, bars, cafés, cabarets and restaurants that would burst into life at night. Here, the festivities went on well after midnight. In the early morning, the district became a crossroads where local workers mingled with the ‘night owls’ as we call them today.

At that time, public balls were all the rage. Men and women came together, whatever their ethnic group or social class, just for the pleasure of dancing the night away.

A few decades later, like many trends, the ball faded out and made way for a new era, the era of jazz clubs. From Montparnasse to Saint-Germain, the roaring twenties were in full swing. People discovered a new kind of music from across the Atlantic, but that’s not all. New, body-liberating dance moves arrived with the shimmy and the charleston at the famous Bœuf sur le toit and other iconic venues.

The modern notion of clubbing is generally considered to have emerged during the war. Young and old secretly got together in basement cellars to swing to the beat of whatever vinyl discs had been saved from the Nazis. Bebop, boogie-woogie and the jitterbug sent the dance floor into a frenzy, and into the first official nightclubs.

You cannot walk past without gazing skyward in awe. The Grand Rex style has left its mark on Paris. It has been a favourite haunt of cinema-goers since 1932, but it conceals in its midst a nightlife hotspot, the Rex Club. The club first opened as a mere concert hall, before it became an electronic music mecca in 1995.

Until then, it was a melting pot of genres: Detroit techno, Chicago house and Frankfurt hardcore mingled with hip-hop and even Gothic rock. It soon became a nightlife hotspot, famous even beyond Paris and the borders of France. Twenty-five years on, the magic continues to operate through the Parisian nights.

Paris Region has a whole array of bars with dance floors or that morph into nightclubs at midnight. Don’t fancy paying the nightclub admission fee? Feel like dancing with your pre-dinner drink? The bars have got it sorted. In the local jargon they call them night bars. Midway between a nightclub and a bar, they often open in time for an aperitif and close a little earlier than the nightclubs.

The atmosphere is right up there with the rest of the city’s clubbing venues. DJ sets and live music to suit every taste, from techno and house to jazz, rap, disco and even country. The 4 Eléments, for example, is an electro nightclub bar that hosts house and techno DJ sets. Its advantages include a happy hour that lasts from 6 to 9pm and, at weekends, evenings that go on until 4 o’clock in the morning.

If you enjoy the atmosphere of bars and nightclubs but don’t like the idea of being shut inside for hours on end, Paris Region comes to the rescue yet again. Rosa Bonheur à l’Est is a guinguette located on the banks of the Minimes lake in the Vincennes woods. Expect a party atmosphere, house tapas, pizza baked in a wood-fired oven and a selection of wines and champagnes. Every Sunday, come and experience the traditional dance with accordion music as it was in its glory days. Have a bop, enjoy the view and make the most of the feel-good atmosphere. This is the perfect compromise when your inner night owl can’t take the pace.

Are you one of those night owls who love stamping their feet and nodding to the beat with their hands in the air? Is your daily life more about nightlife? Paris Region gets it. We enjoy moving to the beat as well, at a whole multitude of nightclubs with an electro or techno atmosphere.

To quench your thirst for the underground vibe, try the Sacré. At this electro club in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris, it all takes place in an industrial decor of concrete flooring and iron girders. With DJ sets, live music and stand-up acts, there’s something for everyone. The venue is divided into two parts, a disco bar with house tapas and jazz or rock concerts, and a club where you can move your hips to the electro sound until the early hours.

You’ve danced to your favourite music while doing the housework and sung along in the shower. Now it’s time for the ultimate pleasure of hearing it on a night out (after a discreet whisper in the DJ’s ear)… Euphoric and wide-eyed, you’ll tingle with delight at the chance to sing and dance at last to that feel-good tune. A sensation shared by many. And it’s no wonder! To meet your every desire, Paris Region has every kind of nightclub you can think of.

Are you dying to dig out your flared trousers and sequin top? Check out Pamela. The seventies atmosphere features disco balls, subdued lighting, vintage sofas and alcoves decorated in aluminium or bright red patterns. Renamed in honour of Jim Morrison’s companion, this club plays house, techno and, above all, disco music. The promise of a wild night spent dancing till dawn.

If you’re more into hip-hop, the music they play on the radio and the tunes that top the playlists, then L’Arc is the place to go. Facing the Arc de triomphe, this is the beating heart of Parisian nightlife. Between luxury and opulence, it is the haunt of famous personalities from across the world. Here, you’ll have to swap your casual wear for more elegant attire. This is the ultimate nightclub if you intend to shine on the dance floor.

Have you ever wished you could enjoy the exciting vibe of a music festival all year round? Well you can, here in Paris Region. If you don’t believe us, try Wanderlust. Wiggle your hips to the urban sound and electro music amid the amazing decor straight out of a video game. It has a vast wooden esplanade above the river Seine and a long fluorescent-green tunnel that leads you inside… As they pump up the bass you’ll know you’re in for an intensely electric night.

The nightclubs of the Paris region celebrate all genders, orientations and origins. No matter what your status, where you come from, who you are or what you like, they invite you into a world that brings everyone together, united in the same desire to party all night long.

If you’re looking for a reference LGBTQ+ nightclub in the heart of the capital, head for the Gibus. This iconic Parisian partying venue near Place de la République has livened up the Paris nightlife for over 50 years. It is a mix of concert hall and nightclub with a top-quality clubbing line-up. Famous artists that have graced the stage here include the likes of the Sex Pistols, Iggy Pop, Bob Sinclar and Daft Punk, if you please!

Prefer a **feminist LGBTQ+ nightclub bar? Go to the Mutinerie in the Marais district of Paris. You’ll recognise its black façade with the name in big red letters at this militant venue with a community feel, decorated in grunge style with a huge LGBT flag and a pool table at the centre. The eclectic programme includes concerts, debates, DJ sets, workshops, live performances, self-defence lessons and much more.