Welcome to Phoenix’s premier nightlife guide.
On this page, you’ll discover the vibrant and varied nightlife scene in Phoenix. You’ll find the perfect venue for you and your preferred night out. Whether you want to go all-out clubbing or if you’d like a more laid back dinner and drinks with a view, we’ve got your covered.
Enjoy!
A small introduction to Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix City is the most populous city and capital of Arizona State, United States. It is regarded as the fifth most populous city of the United States. The city was discovered and settled in 1867 as a community of agriculturists and was officially incorporated in 1881. Located in the northeastern area of the Sonoran Desert, the city has a hot desert climate. Despite the hot climate, the state of the art irrigation and canal system assists the city is becoming an important area in terms of agriculture. The city anchored on crops like cotton and citrus up until World War II after which high-tech companies started to settle in the city which introduced complex air-conditioning systems.
The city has many performing arts venues located around the city. Phoenix Symphony Hall is a house of similar activities like the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra. The also has numerous Museums throughout the city. Such Museums include the Arizona Capitol Museum, Phoenix Art Museum, Arizona Military Museum, the Pueblo Grande Museum and Cultural Park, Arizona Science Center, Children’s Museum of Phoenix, and the Heard Museum. In 2010, The Musical Instrument Museum also opened, featuring the biggest collection of musical instrument in the world. In 2015 the Children’s Museum of Phoenix was recognized as one of the top three children’s museums in the United States. Phoenix is also known for its renowned Mexican Cuisines. Some of the restaurants have a long historical background. Similarly, some of its stake houses are as old as 70 years. Overall the city is home to diversified food which caters to people from all backgrounds, as tourism is also a strong industry. Exploring more about tourism, the tourism industry is the strongest of today’s top industries in Phoenix. It all started with promotions back in the 1920s, the industry has now successfully grown into one of the top 10 in the city. Due to its climate, Phoenix and its neighboring areas have been consistently ranking among the top destinations in the number of Five Diamond/Five Star resorts in the United States. It has approximately more than 62,000 hotel rooms in over 500 different hotels and 40 resorts. Phoenix sees about more than 16 million tourists each year, the majority of whom are leisure seekers. When it comes to nightlife entertainment, Phoenix is also not behind. Since the city is able to attract such a great number of tourists, there must be something special about the nightlife. This is what we are going to explore in this article. We’ll go through different activities, landmarks, Bars, and restaurant to explore the nightlife of Phoenix City and to tell you about the premium nightlife entertainment that it offers.
The Nightlife in Phoenix
Digging deeper in the nightlife of the Phoenix City, you’ll come to know that it’s quite better than your expectations. You can follow the music in the ballrooms, where the nightlife is one of the most exciting scenes. The nightclubs and ballrooms are equipped with world-class DJs, the craft cocktails are a true signature of art and the dance floors are loaded with people soaking up the bright vibes of the Phoenix city after the sun goes down.
Where can you find the premium nightlife entertainment in Phoenix? Although most of the city’s exciting dance floors are highly concentrated in the Scottsdale and Tempe areas, there are plenty of places to enjoy the nightlife in Phoenix apart from these.
If you’re looking for great live music, music aficionados come nightly at the Ballroom, where free live music in the lounge, and national touring acts inside the ballroom, make it a good spot to mingle and make new friends. There are also restaurants in such Ballroom featuring diversified dishes like Southwestern and Mexican, which makes them a good spot for hanging out when you want to go out and about.
Though Nightclubs, ballrooms, and bars are a good option to spend your night in the city, Phoenix is also famous for its unique set of activities that it provides in the evening and night. These unique activates will make your tour unforgettable. Whether you want to experience some desert safaris, want to ride a hot-air balloon, or just want to hang out with your friends, the city has covered you from all aspects.
We’ve come with a comprehensive list of activities that you can experience in the city, which will make your tour unforgettable:
Arizona Desert Safari
Among all the activities that the Phoenix offers, a desert safari of the Arizona desert is the most exciting. As we already established that Phoenix is a desert city, it offers tremendously mesmerizing and soothing views of the sunset which blends beautifully with the color of sand. The best way to experience the Sonoran desert is to get up very close and personal with it. By booking a UTV for a safari, will give you plenty of chances to get close to wildlife. The safari experience will also provide you a guide who is expert in flora, fauna, and history of the area, with an ample amount of knowledge, and who’ll help you discover plenty about this amazing landscape. It is preferred that you choose to go just at the time of sunset as the view will take you to cloud nine.
Stargazing
Since the City of Phoenix is a desert back area, therefore it is the ideal place to stargaze, far away from city lights. The beautiful and mesmerizing view along with the extraordinarily silent feel of the desert will give an unusual and unique experience. You will be guided by a professional astronomer and with the availability of the high-end telescope, you can get a closer view at the stars above. They will guide you and help you to identify different features of the night sky. All in all, it could be a great experience for pleasure seekers and persons interested in the astronomy. This experience will provide you the knowledge and as well as entertainment away from the busy routine of the city.
Sonoran Desert Hot Air Balloon Ride
Enjoy a charming hot-air balloon flight over the Sonoran Desert in North Phoenix. The whole experience is about 1 hour long. You will experience breathtaking and enthralling 360-degree views of the hottest desert in North America and its nearby landscape while floating easily across the sky. Your pilot will carefully draft a flight path keeping in mind the weather conditions, providing you a safe and exciting ride over the Sonora Desert. Excitingly, you can also celebrate the end with a traditional champagne toast and catered food after the flight, which will really add value to your already awesome tour. The experience will leave you with a Celebratory flight certificate also along with the transportation to and from the landing site.
Admire the beauty of lights from top
You can also watch the beautiful sunset from above as you fly over Phoenix in a high winged airplane. You can Board a Cessna whose high wings wouldn’t come between you and the mesmerizing view. Fly over the South Mountains as the sun sinks low, take in the extraordinarily soothing view of the cityscape, before touching down at a Deer Valley landing strip. The whole flight is a huge photo capturing the opportunity, or you could just sit back and relax as you take in the magnificent view of the cityscape. Attractions like The Symphony Hall, Arizona Science Centre, and Phoenix Art Museum can be seen from above the ground. These Flights leave just 20 minutes before sunset, to provide you with a thrilling view of the setting sun.
Indoor Skydiving
Feel frightened of the extreme heights? But, also want to enjoy the experience of jumping? Don’t be worried because the Indoor Skydiving is an excellent way to experience what a person feels during a free fall without needing to worry about rushing to the ground below, or without worrying about any injury. The place has an enclosed wind tunnel which stands vertically whose giant fans rotating at the base of it allows you to float at wind speeds of 209-282 km/h. you’ll be accompanied by your instructor who’ll guide you through the whole process, ensuring you have an amazing time.
Pub Crawl
Like we already mentioned that Phoenix has some unique activities that attract many tourists, this Pub Crawl is one of them. Phoenix, as you would expect, has some great pubs and a bustling entertainment district. With so many available options it can sometimes become hard to know where to start exactly, and which are the best places to visit. A pub crawl takes all such doubts away, as an expert and local guide that has ample amount of knowledge about the bars and pubs, will take you to some of the best places that Phoenix has to offer you. You can choose from exciting downtown or the old town of Scottsdale. This facility provides the flexibility of time as there are many departure times to choose from, with the very last tours leaving at 9:30 pm for downtown.
Carnival of Illusion
Carnival of Illusion is the best top-rated magic show with tricks and illusions from around the globe, which would leave you wowing. This intimate theater is the perfect setting for old-world and classic magic. The likes of Harry Houdini, Buster Keaton, and Gypsy Rose Lee have inspired Roland Sarlot and Susan Eyed with the magic tricks you will see. Overall it would provide you a unique and exciting experience from the usual hang out places.
Best Bars in the City of Phoenix
Digging further deep into the domain of the nightlife fun activities and specifically crossing the boundaries of premium night-time adult entertainment. When you go out and about enjoying the nightlife of the city chances are pretty high that you would also want to enjoy the finest brews of the bars. Phoenix City has some of the great Bars, which can really impress you with some of their tantalizing brews. People here love sparkling craft beer, fancy cocktailing, margaritas, and freshly brewed wines. The city has a diversity of options to opt for, from age-old dives and bars to classy rooftops and bars open late till dawn.
To make your life easier we have compiled a list of the strongest joints in the city, ranging from dives and icehouses to cocktail lounges and breweries, so you could enjoy the wholesome experience of drinking without needing to actually go through all options:
The Breadfruit & Rum Bar
This highly-awarded Downtown Phoenix drinking place is not like your regular bar or anything else you can find in the Valley. You can’t resist a drink whenever you go there. The Breadfruit has a collection of some of the best rums that you can find in Arizona, over 150 to be precise. In fact. Here you can even light a cigar with your rum cocktail as this place has a well-curated humidor full of fine cigars on site. But, just be sure to light up on the patio. Breadfruit also offers a Jamaican-styled dinner menu that offers fresh seafood and ingredients curated from local farms in Arizona. All in all, the bar can provide you an ultimate experience of cocktailing, with its wide array of drinks and brews from all around the globe. Additionally, you could also have a full dinner to satisfy your craving.
Angel’s Trumpet Ale House
Located at Downtown, Phoenix, This beer bar has 31 direct beer taps (a system that ensures a flawless flow of beer, with its short length of pipe) and offers a regularly changing selection of both local and regional craft brews, as well as a handful of beers from across the country and around the globe, Which makes it a great spot to start or end a Phoenix bar run. If you still aren’t satisfied with your visit to Angel’s Trumpet, then be sure to check out the spot on every Tuesday nights for their TV dinner specials. All in all, it’s a great option for cocktailing, therefore indecisive beer lovers have to be extra conscious with their choices as this place has tons of options to choose from.
Counter Intuitive
Located in Old Town, Scottsdale, the bar has constantly changing themes and menus to surprise you on your every next visit. The craft cocktailing scene in Phoenix is taking a hype, thanks to a handful of talented mixologists running the bars and the creative genius minds behind the scenes. Counter Intuitive’s GM Rich Furnari and head of the CI culinary team Garrison Whiting are examples of such talents. This standout cocktail bar is regularly-changing, switching things up with that reflect a different style or different part of the world, which means the menus and the scenery are constantly changing. You’ll just have to stop by to see what’s happening now. It’s a great option for hanging out with friends of a date.
Valley Bar
Also located at Downtown, Phoenix, it is a Great place to see live music. Valley Bar doesn’t quite fit into one single category as it has diversified options of entertainment, and that’s why people are so fond of this place. Just look at the options available here, you can catch a comedy show, chill in the cocktail lounge, a live music performance, or let your competitive side run rampant in the game room. If you like your politics with a touch of cheeky humor, you’ll appreciate the cocktail menu since more than 50 drinks are named after notable and/or infamous local politicians. Valley Bar’s lounge is named The Rose Room after the late Rose Mofford, Arizona’s first and (by far coolest) lady governor.
Four Peaks Brewing Company Various locations
Located also at various place throughout the city, this bar defines gold standards of the local beer in the Phoenix City. Four Peaks is the typical Arizona brewery. The Eighth Street original is one of Tempe’s essential bar for a good reason. Whether you prefer mainstays like Kilt Lifter or the Peach Ale, or if you’re into the occasional brews, you can be assured that you’ll find something on the menu that will pair perfectly with your beer. Now, with ample locations across the Valley, all craft beer fans and pub food-lovers can get a taste. Stop by happy hour at the Tempe flagship to enjoy a premium experience of the bar.
Best Bar Restaurants in Phoenix City
Checking the recommendations provided in the above section, when you go out and about fulfilling your cocktailing needs in Phoenix City, chances are that at some point you’re going to crave for deliciously and exotic food as well. With Phoenix City bar scenes continuing to grow and innovate, it’s no wonder that a restaurant bar would be a great idea to go with. Phoenix City has some of the finest restaurants that serve delicious food along with great cocktails and drinks that blend perfectly with the food to provide a great combination. For an American city that likes to drink a lot, it’s no surprise that they’re quickly becoming drinking spots in their own sense. The best thing to do is to choose a bar that also serves delicious food. That way your need for booze and craving for the food will be catered under one roof. Therefore, to fulfill your extreme craving for delightful food and awesome booze, we’ve come up with a list of Phoenix City’s best bar restaurants, good enough to stimulate your taste buds to take you to the cloud noun:
Welcome Diner
Located at Downtown, Phoenix, Welcome Diner has everything vintage expect its cocktails. This Garfield neighborhood spot is most frequently visited for its late-night eats. But in addition to the biscuits, burgers, poutine, and everyone’s favorite watermelon salad, Welcome Diner has a short but amazing list of cocktails that every local and tourist should try. You can Choose a classic or go Welcome-style with a cocktail like the Kentucky Thoroughbred (made with Four Roses bourbon and Welcome’s own house ginger beer), or the Paloma with ingredients like tequila, hurricane juice, and grapefruit Jarritos. Space at the bar is tight so It is suggested to order your cocktail and head out to a picnic table.
Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails
Located also at Downtown, Phoenix City, Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails is a perfect place for sophisticated sipping. There’s, without any doubt, no shortage of great hotel bars and restaurants in Phoenix, and Blue Hound inside Downtown Phoenix’s Cityscape is also a not an exception. This American gastro-lounge’s handcrafted cocktails and Chef Sean Currid’s contemporary, occasionally inspired menus offer a refreshing and tantalizing taste of what’s trending in Arizona. Fans of whiskey, bourbon, and brandy have something to get excited about, too, because this place offers the largest menu of spirits in The Valley.
The Larry
Located at 515 E Grant St, The Larry is an all-day food and drink hangout place anchored in the Phoenix Warehouse District that truly caters to lovers of day drinks. The Larry is open for breakfast and lunch with a menu that includes healthy options to comfort food. They also serve specialty coffees for pre or post drinks. It has got you covered with ready-to-eat dishes that let you grab and go! You can expect familiar, but never boring bites.
The Churchill
Located in Downtown, Phoenix, The Churchill isn’t home to just one thing, there are many things to enjoy. The Downtown Phoenix hangout, made from some of the industrial shipping containers, debuted in 2018. The Churchill is home to numerous shops and restaurants including the first brick-and-mortar location of Freak Brothers Pizza, Foxy Fruit, The Brill Line, Provecho, Breadwinner, and Pobrecito, a cocktail bar from the Barter & Shake folks. Visitors can enjoy in a 9,000 square foot courtyard, a space that will also be used for art and fitness classes, pop-up artist galleries, and more.
FnB
Located in Old Town, Scottsdale, FnB offers delicious and sophisticated food along with first-class wine list to make a perfect combination of booze and food. FnB is a place where foodies from all over the city go for local, organic, and sustainable fare and a selection of wines that match. Headed by James Beard nominee Chef Charleen Badman, FnB will make you fall in love with vegetables. And with an award-winning wine list curated by Pavle Milic, you’re bound to fall in love with Arizona wine here, too.
Best Nightclubs in Phoenix City
Apart from the food scenes and eateries, sometimes you may want to simply enjoy dancing on some great beats and enjoy a drink. Or, you just want to hang out with some friends at a nice place or want to make some new friends. Well, you should stop worrying because Phoenix City’s nightclubs offer a perfect spot for everyone. From finding your other half to hanging out with your friends you can enjoy heavily in such nightclubs. With so many options available, it can sometimes become difficult to choose or identify a great option. Therefore, we’ve come up with the following list of some swankiest nightclubs in Phoenix City to entertain you:
Crescent Ballroom
Located in Downtown, Crescent Ballroom is a Part concert venue, bar, and gourmet kitchen. The Crescent Ballroom is one of downtown Phoenix’s newest hot spots which is getting famous for its diversified activities. The Crescent Lounge provides free nightly music, while the ballroom sees some of the country’s top touring acts perform on the intimate stage. This renovated warehouse-turned-music venue features hardwood floors, exposed brick and vaulted ceilings, all adding to the character of this unique nightlife destination. The Ballroom has become one of downtown Phoenix’s most exciting music venues, drawing acclaimed national touring artists and providing a stage for local up-and-comers. Aside from the great food and music, the lounge at Crescent Ballroom is an excellent place to mingle with the downtown crowd.
Wasted Grain
Night Clubbers are often get confused with the difficult decision of choosing between a live band or DJ. But, this decision wouldn’t bother you at Wasted Grain. The Wasted Grain has two major dance areas. On the first floor, where clubbers can seek refuge from the Old Town glitz by hanging out at the main stage. There’s live music going on the weekends with bands covering a wide range of everything from 80s classics to modern rock. Located on the second floor is a 100 Proof Lounge, a fully decked out club complete with DJ’s, VIP bottle service and tables. Wasted Grain also offers outdoor halls and open areas, which is a perfect place to have a drink and reenergize for the dance floor.
The Mint Ultra Lounge
Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, The Mint Ultra Lounge can be regarded as the best dance floor in the Valley. The place offers 7,000-square-foot dance floor which is continuously jammed to the fullest with people dancing to everything from EDM, hip-hop, house and pop music. In addition to the eclectic music selection, the Mint is also said to have one of the best atmospheres in Old Town. The elegant and stylish décor along with sleek designs of the interior make this club worth the price of admission. The place also includes a luxurious 30-foot bar, 4,500 square foot patio, that has custom LED lights and a champagne bar.
Gypsy Bar
Located in Downtown, Phoenix, GypsyBar has the advantage of being one of the tremendously biggest dance clubs in the City. At over 10,000-square-feet, there is plenty of room to show off your coolest dance moves. Confetti Cannons, Go-go dancers, and a state of the art DJ desk surround the fragile dance floor. It also offers specialized cocktails, which are served at the three-sided island bar. Located in the center of downtown Phoenix’s Cityscape development, GypsyBar is able to attract a young and energetic crowd which is ready to mingle. You can also take a break from dancing to play one of the 40 arcade games offered in GypsyBar’s game lounge.
Livewire
Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, Livewire In its two years since its grand opening has had some impressive headliners. This Old Town concert venue has hosted some of the biggest names of musical events as well as local and up-and-coming musicians. Livewire’s state-of-the-art sound and lighting fixtures are a crowd grabber and create an unmatched dance club experience. This two-story dance club believes on an open concept and a 25-foot HD video wall. Though it can fit over 1,000 people, guests will always have an undisturbed view of the performers and dance floor.
To Sum things up . . .
To conclude things a little bit, we had a brief introduction of the City of Phoenix along with touching some of its prominent industries, norms, and culture. We also went through different activities and places to enjoy the nightlife of the Phoenix city with the aerial View tour of the city, Musical arrangements, and Desert Safari on the top. Such activities provide a great source of entertainment for tourists and locals. Moreover, such activities also help in understanding the true cultural norms of a city.
We also established about the diversity in terms of hotels, restaurants, and bars that the City offers. We understood the norms and behavior of the people regarding the nightlife of Phoenix City. With that being said we went through the exotic options available in bars. That led us to virtually visit some of the swankiest, finest, and renowned bars of the Phoenix city. The bar such as Counter Intuitive, Valley Bar Four Peaks topped the list.
For your food cravings during the cocktail run, we also went through a detailed list of bar-restaurants which provide delicious and exotic food along with a touch of booze. This extremely delightful combination of food and booze really push the limits of Nightlife entertainment and add a great value to your tour.
For an experience apart from cocktailing and food specifically, we recommended going to the nightclubs. We explored a comprehensive list of nightclubs that provide premium nigh-time entertainment. GypsyBAr, Wasted Grain and Livewire and many more were some of the clubs that provided the ultra-rich experience of dance and music
Make sure that you prepare for the trip according to the above guidelines so that you never miss an important event or place so that you enjoy your heart out.
