They say that cats are crepuscular animals, that is, they wake up and activate all their instincts to the maximum at dusk as well as at dawn. Madrid has something to welcome all those cats that come out of the cave in the evenings and extend their activity until the early hours of the next day. To begin with, the city has the best lairs, the best nightclubs ready to make any night owl dance, no matter what kind of music they like. That’s the thing about living here: you know when the clubs open in Madrid but you never know when they will close.
Fabrik
You have to make a pilgrimage to Humanes to reach the mecca of electronic music lovers (from Madrid and the rest of Spain). Fabrik moves the masses and its sessions, classified by genre, are internationally recognized. This is the case of their CODE parties, which celebrate their 20th anniversary with a trilogy of nights with names like Mulero, I Hate Models or Indira Paganotto.
The macro hall is keeping the bar high with a program avant-garde, pioneering and absolutely devoted to the different styles of international electronic music.
📍Avenidade la Industria, 82 (Humanes)
🎶 The cradle of electronic, techno, hardstyle…
Teatro Kapital
The history of one of the most iconic nightclubs of the city begins in the 70’s, when in its magnificent stalls movies were projected in the Cine San Carlos. A decade later, the tapes were exchanged for plates becoming a party room in 1983 (so was Titanic, unstoppable, unsinkable in the nights of Madrid) and the place to go out at night. His fame began to escalate in the city until 1994 when he became what we know today: Teatro Kapital.
📍Callede Atocha, 125 (Atocha)
🎶 House, disco.
Teatro Eslava
More than one hundred years. A century of history bearing the weight of the city’ s art, culture and nightlife, which is soon to be said. Teatro Eslava is an iconic place in the city, a space where, if you look at its ceiling, you will find the father of the place(Hilarión Eslava, nineteenth-century composer whose nephew was the promoter of the theater’s construction) watching every movement of Madrid’s night owls.
A look from that centenary sky that has seen everything since its foundation in 1871: género chico, premieres of works by Lorca or Valle Inclán (among others), flamenco shows, epic concerts… and a lot of night, a lot of discotheques and a lot of partying. Fridays are currently dedicated to BomBom a session in which reggaeton, perreo, dembow and dancehall are the kings. Saturdays are for YASS! the LGBTIQ+ party session with more movement in Madrid.
📍 Calle del Arenal, 11 (Sol)
🎶 BomBom: reggaeton, dembow, dancehall. Yass: indie-rock.
El Sol Room
What happens in “la Sol”, stays in “la Sol”. A classic of the city that dazzles from those mythical stairs to the first floor. In this one you will find the extensive closet and the giant bathrooms where you will always find a free toilet (this is pure service General Info, madrileños).
In its main hall, in the afternoons the concerts of the moment in the city are programmed and in the evenings, the absolute fun in its nightclub . An eclectic room where they play from classics of yesterday and today (they usually play here El cuerpo del disco, for example) to the Trueno session with the best techno.
📍 Calle de los Jardines, 3 (Sol)
🎶 Indie, rock… Trueno Session: electronic, techno, acid, house.
Café Berlin
What a magical place, Café Berlin. What a survivor, too. Born almost half a century ago on Jacometrezo Street, it changed location to Costanilla de los Angeles in 2016. A space that programs epic jazz and flamenco sessions, as is the hallmark of the house, as well as all kinds of music (Pop, rock, indie…).
Program also includes the best electronic, disco, house and alternative genres of clubbing when the night comes. Here we have been able to move to the rhythm of Cuerpo del Disco, John Morales, Rahaan, HUNEE… It’s that place to “come down” to when you know you need to dance. It will never let you down.
📍Costanillade los Ángeles, 20 (Callao)
🎶 Electronic, disco, house.
Siroco
Siroco is like a good friend: always waiting for you, no matter what. Its two floors are a reflection of what Madrid is, two atmospheres, two styles, two places in one to choose from and not leave until the sun comes up.
The Siroco has been programming concerts and sessions since 1989 and today remains a must and a “classic staple” of Madrid’s night owls.
📍Callede San Dimas, 3 (Conde Duque)
🎶 Breaks, electro, techno, urban music…
Maravillas Club
What anecdotes and moments have been lived in one of the temples of Madrid’s nightlife. Sala Maravillas was born as such in the 90’s to become Sala Nasti twenty years ago. In all this time, for its dance floor and small but epic stage, passed groups that were the backbone of the indie of this country (not in vain, there debuted a very young Los Planetas in 93 and its founders were part organizer of the FIB).
But since a few years ago, new airs come to this corner of Malaga returning to the original name: Espectaclub Wonders. It is currently open from Wednesday to Sunday and is known for its commitment to the arts and performance, its drag sessions and its nights.
📍SanVicente Ferrer, 33 (Malasaña)
🎶 Eclectic: indie, indie pop, indie rock…
Barceló Theater
In its origins it was a theater and cinema (we are talking about almost a century ago, since it opened its doors as a neighborhood projector in 1931 with the movie The Unknown Singer). In 1980 it became a discotheque and became one of the most famous brands of the Spanish nightlife: Pachá.
After its change of name (and owners) in 2013, it has not ceased to be an icon of the capital. Known for its dresscode elegant and fine, we recommend that you don’t forget your shirt and nautical shoes. Once inside, you can enjoy three rooms where you can dance to electronic music, Pop and reggaeton.
📍Callede Barceló, 11 (Malasaña)
🎶 Commercial and urban music.
La Paqui Room
Madrid’s nightlife scene would be incomplete if we forgot about Sala Paqui. After the pandemic and with the change of owners, the old Sala But completely renovated the entire facility and was renamed La Paqui, in tune with her older sisters: Medias Puri and Uñas Chung Lee.
Its Program has been maintained, as it continues to host the best concerts of Madrid’s new wave and its most famous party: OchoyMedio Club and its Tres a las Tres, the party in which at three o’clock in the morning a surprise band will come out and play their best three songs.
📍Callede Barceló, 11 (Malasaña)
🎶 Rock, indie, commercial music…
Malasaña Club
Laura Vandall is the brilliant mind behind Club Malasaña. After collecting so much popularity with other events and venues such as ChaChá, Club Malasaña (in the former Sala Taboo) was not going to be less. Its red neon lights have already been the protagonist of more than one video clip or of the publications of many personalities from the world of cinema or the music industry. With a private room worthy of the Great Gatsby and the best house music from Wednesday to Sunday, it has become the trendy club for the ‘nocturnal animals’.
📍Callede San Vicente Ferrer, 23 (Malasaña)
🎶 Commercial and urban music.
Coco Room
The Sala Coco hosts the best techno party in the capital: Mondo Disko. The spaces are spacious, the dance floor safe and secluded. Coco is the resident club of the best techno scene in Madrid from Thursday to Saturday. Not in vain, it hosts sessions of those that are never forgotten by international DJs such as Helena Hauff or Nicolas Jaar.
📍Callede Alcalá, 20 (Seville)
🎶 Techno and electronica.
Lula Club
When we talk about Lula Club, we hear a name that is already a protagonist in the pages of the couché paper. The venue that Íñigo Onieva has managed to turn into an essential of Madrid’s nightlife was a classic dance hall where the chulapos and chulapas de edad swept away displaying their steps evening by evening.
Now, red velvet, dark blue almost black and fantasy, invade a place that invites dancing and confidences (which Onieva knows a lot about).
📍CalleGran Vía, 54 (Santo Domingo)
🎶 Commercial music, dance, electro…
BarCo Room
BarCo is a Malasaña classic that you can find open on a Wednesday (you never know when you’ll need a club open even if it’s until early evening). Upstairs, live music and the best blues, rock, jazz…; downstairs, clubbing sessions to dance until the wee hours of the morning.
📍Calledel Barco, 34 (Malasaña)
🎶 House, dance, techno.
Cuenca Club
is it possible to dance to Camp Rock and Hanna Montana soundtracks in a discotheque? In Cuenca Club, yes. Up to three rooms where you can go interspersed with the latest hits of the ex-participants of OT or the hits of Dua Lipa and Frozen wrapped in the best LGTBI+ atmosphere.
📍Callede Ventura Rodríguez, 7 (Argüelles)
🎶 F irecracker, commercial music, Pop, greatest hits….
Thundercat Club
The classics of blues, jazz and rock have a temple in Madrid. It is Thundercat, the mythical concert hall is between Colón and Tribunal that has programming from Thursday to Sunday. On Thursdays and Fridays, the Program is the most entertaining: Jam Sessions (where you can go out and improvise with your friends) and blues concerts with free tickets from 22:30h.
The rest of the weekend, they bring together the best Tribute bands of Arctic Monkeys, Fito y Fitipaldis and more rock icons, and close the night with some of the most unusual DJs. You won’t listen to reggaeton or techno: Thundercat respects the editorial line.
📍Callede Campoamor, 11 (Justicia)
🎶 Rock, indie-rock.
Cadavra
A good afterwork doesn’t tire anyone, but if you extend it until the wee hours of the morning… maybe it does. In Cadavra (former Costello room), apart from having one of the best afterworks in Gran Vía, they work as a concert hall and, if you have the strength, you can stay until their club sessions, where you can breathe house, elegance and a lot of love for music.
Electronica, acid or a more colorful techno shape Cadavra’s club nights, which, in a short time, has become a platform for new sounds in the city.
📍Calledel Caballero de Gracia, 10 (Gran Vía)
🎶 Techno, acid, electronica.
Florida Park
What Florida Park has seen, it hasn’t seen from anyone. In fact (and we always tell this anecdote because it is pure Spanish history) it was here that Lola Flores lost her earring. Now, Florida is the place for parties, live music sessions, and even the world-famous Bingo for Ladies by Lorena Castell.
📍Parquede El Retiro, Paseo de Panamá, s/n (Ibiza)
rock, indie rock, greatest hits, urban rhythms.
Fitz
Fitz is the discotheque that wants to recover the spirit of the 20s of the last century: the excess made party and overflowing optimism. Its name refers to the writer who best narrated the decade: F. Scott Fitzgerald, who knows if the next Great Gatsby will be set in this Madrid club.
Their forte is electronica, but they also have the best of urban music in concert, such as Ozuna.
📍 Calle de la Princesa, 1 (Argüelles)
🎶 Electronic and urban music.
Shoko
Shoko is one of the most talked-about names in the national festival. In Barcelona, Marbella… and, of course, in Madrid. In the heart of one of the most traditional neighborhoods of the capital (La Latina), this room with capacity for almost a thousand people is a space dedicated to trap, rap, dembow and Latin rhythms.
📍 Calle de Toledo, 86 (La Latina)
🎶 Trap, dembow, dancehall, rap, Latin rhythms.
Oh My Club
Live shows, sparklers and bottles of champagne. This, and a lot of elegance is what you breathe in Oh My Club‘s club nights. But not everything that glitters is a party: Oh My Club has its own restaurant where you can book a pre-dance dinner with friends, where sushi and meat are the protagonists.
📍Callede Rosario Pino, 14 (Tetuán)
🎶 Commercial music.
Kumarah Las Rozas
ready to get lost in more than 1400 m2 of dancing? That’s what awaits you at Kumarah, a large “terrace disco” with different areas, stages and reserved areas: Kumarah Club, a unique and exclusive space; Aviator, a room themed as in the early years of the aviation industry and featuring a glass DJ booth; Versace, a dance floor with a separate terrace; and the Tabú terrace, pure outdoor elegance.
📍SofiaStreet, 3 (Las Rozas)
🎶 Commercial music.
This article has been written in six hands by Carmen Seco, María F. Carballo y Elena French.