A Nightclub Description

A nightclub (also night club, simply club, discothèque or disco) is an entertainment venue
which usually operates late into the night. A nightclub is generally distinguished from bars, pubs
or taverns by the inclusion of a dance floor and a DJ booth, where a DJ plays recorded dance and
pop music.
The music in nightclubs is either live bands or, more commonly, a mix of songs played by a DJ
through a powerful PA system. Most clubs or club nights cater to certain music genres, such as
techno, house music, trance, heavy metal, garage, hip hop, salsa, dancehall, Drum and Bass,
Dubstep or soca music. Many clubs also promote playing the Top 40 which has most of the night
playing the most broadcast songs of the previous week.
Laser lights illuminate the dance floor at a Gatecrasher dance music event in Sheffield, England
Types
Major cities around the world often have a variety of nightclubs, and small towns and cities also
have nightclubs. Nightclubs often feature lighting and other effects, to enhance the dancing
experience. Lighting and effects include flashing colored lights, moving light beams, laser light
shows, strobe lights, mirror-covered disco balls, or foam, and smoke machines.
Nightclub hours vary widely across the world; in areas with strict liquor regulations in place,
nightclubs may have a legal requirement to close at a certain hour. These cities sometimes have
illegal "after hours" clubs that stay open and serve alcohol after this legal closing time. In non-
regulated areas, nightclubs stay open all night and into early daylight hours.
Entertainment is the main attraction at some types of nightclubs. One type of club is a concert
club, which specializes in hosting performances of live music. In contrast to regular night clubs,
concert clubs are usually only open when a performance is scheduled. Other types of clubs
include "all-ages" clubs, which allow non-drinking age attendees.
Nightclubs can be built in former warehouses and cinemas, deconsecrated churches, underground
buildings, and custom-built buildings, and generally have thick insulated walls and few or no windows,
so that the neighboring buildings will not be disturbed by the powerful beat of the dance music, the
flashing lights and crowd noise generated throughout the night. This style of construction also keeps
light and noise from the street from entering the club. This allows the nightclub to turn the dance floor
into an alternate, illusory realm of timelessness. Even if an all-night rave at a nightclub lasts until 6 a.m.,
when it is light outside, to the clubgoers, it is still dark inside the club, and the partying and dancing
continue
Dancers move to the beat of a DJ's dance music at a nightclub
Entry criteria
Many nightclubs choose who can enter, on bases other than just age, e.g. dress code and guest
list. It is used to make their status as a nightclub more "elitist". Quite often, there are no clear
policies governing entry to a nightclub, thereby allowing the doormen to deny entry to anybody
to their will.
[edit] Discrimination
The lack of clearly defined rules regarding entry often allows the doormen to discriminate and
deny entry to people based on their ethnicity, attractiveness etc. There have been several reports
of alleged racism in nightclubs.[2][3] Operators of such clubs often argue that they are not violating
any human rights because their establishment is of "private" nature and their "services are not
customarily available to the general public".[4] However, the courts argue that most nightclubs
fall under the ambit of the laws against discrimination. In Shew v. S.T.C Systems Ltd., a
Vancouver club owned by the defendant ended the dance a half-hour early, telling the Chinese
Varsity Club officials that “Chinese do not drink enough.” The court ruled against the club.[5]
There are several accounts of discrimination of all forms by nightclubs, pubs, restaurants etc.[6]
Various establishments apart from just nightclubs have a discriminatory dress code policy. In the
case of Singh v. Royal Canadian Legion, Singh, a Sikh was denied entry to a Royal Canadian
Legion function because he refused to remove his turban, an integral part of his religion. The
court ruled in his favour.[7]
[edit] Cover charge
In most cases, entering a night club requires a flat fee called a cover charge. Early arrivers and
women may have their cover charge waived or reduced (in the United Kingdom, this latter
option is illegal under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975). Friends of the doorman or the club
owner may gain free entrance. Sometimes, especially at larger clubs in continental European
countries, one only gets a pay card at the entrance, on which all money spent in the discothèque
(often including the entrance fee) is marked. Sometimes, entrance fee and cloakroom costs are
paid by cash and only the drinks in the club are paid using a pay card.
Guestlist
Many nightclubs operate a "guestlist" that allows certain attendees to enter the club for free, or at
a reduced rate. Some nightclubs have a range of unpublicised guestlist options ranging from free,
to reduced, to full price with line by-pass privileges only. Nightclub goers that are on the
guestlist usually have a separate queue and possible a separate entrance to the one used by full
price paying attendees. It is not uncommon for the guestlist line-up to be as long or longer than
the full-paying or ticketed queues. Some nightclubs allow clubbers to register for the guestlist
through their websites.
[edit] Dress code
Many nightclubs enforce a dress code in order to ensure a certain type of clientele is in
attendance at the venue. Some upscale nightclubs bar attendees from wearing trainers or jeans,
while other nightclubs will advertise a vague "dress to impress" dress code that allows the
bouncers to discriminate at will against those vying for entry to the club. Many exceptions are
made to nightclub dress codes, with denied entry usually reserved for the most glaring rule
breakers or those thought to be unsuitable for the party. Certain niche clubs like fetish nightclubs
may apply a leather-only, rubber-only or fantasy dress code. The dress code criterion is often an
excuse for discriminatory practices, such as in the case of Carpenter v. Limelight Entertainment
Ltd.

A Nightclub Description

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

A Nightclub Description

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

A Nightclub Description

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

What are some common features of nightclubs?

How do nightclubs regulate entry?

A nightclub (also night club, simply club, discothèque or disco) is an entertainment venue

Dancers move to the beat of a DJ's dance music at a nightclub

[edit] Dress code

You might also like