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By Kathlen Whitlow
A night on the town!
Dancing, sipping on refreshing beverages, laughing with friends, and letting all your cares subside.
Sounds like a nightclub experience in the River City.
Nightclubs? In Richmond? While the River City is not typically known for having a vibrant nightclub scene, there are a select group of venues that offer the ultimate experience in Richmond nightlife.
So put on your most flattering outfit, gather your fun-loving friends, and hit the town to enjoy some of central Virginia’s best nightclubs and lounges.
Toad’s Place
Not your typical nightclub, Toad’s Place is on Richmond’s charming Canal Walk. Known for bringing some of the hottest musical acts to downtown Richmond, this venue hosts artists from Joan Osbourne to Edwin McCain and Mos Def to Jack Ingram. When not hosting one of its many popular musical acts, Toad’s Place is the home of REFLEX: Dance Night, which is known for its Indie dance music. Also, to add to appeal to club goers Toad’s Place hosts a dance party during the week on Tuesday evenings. What better way to spend an evening in Richmond other than listening and dancing to great music, overlooking the canal!
140 Virginia St. | Richmond, VA 23219 | (804) 648-8623
www.toadsplacerva.com
Lucky Buddha
When it comes to stylish, Lucky Buddha definitely offers its guests a unique setting. This Pan-Asian lounge,known for its eclectic menu and surroundings, is decorated with Buddha-themed art and other Asian inspired embellishments. Open from 5pm until 2am, Lucky Buddha is a prominent location to see and be seen in Shockoe Bottom. A definite way to be seen at this hot spot is to charter the VIP lounge area overlooking the dance floor. The lounge plays top 40 dance tunes and remixes. They also serve a wide variety of assorted sushi. Lucky Buddha is a striking spot to spend a fun evening in downtown Richmond.
1421 E Cary St. | Richmond, VA 23219 | (804) 648-5100
www.theluckybuddha.com
Richbrau
Richbrau is one of Shockhoe Slip’s oldest nightclubs. It’s not only a nightclub, but also home to a restaurant, brewery, and pub. Richbrau’s upstairs dance club is currently going through a revamping process with a grand reopening in early September. The renovated Richbrau nightclub will have all new furniture, a fabulous lighting concept, a gorgeous new paint job, billiard tables, a game area, flat screen TVs, and much more. “The amount of changes that we are making is substantial,” says owner and manager Mike Burn. “We are meeting our competition head on. What was popular has changed and we are making those changes.”
Richbrau will offer a different, more contemporary style as it aims for a wider market. “We want to WOW people,” says Burn. “Our new club is going to be fire-power and I think that our renovations are going to be something that Richmond has never seen.” The one thing that won’t change is the grand dance floor.
1212 E Cary St. | Richmond, VA 23219 | (804) 644-3018
www.richbrau.com
Element
Element lounge is one of the more inviting and stylish nightclubs in the River City. The lounge is known for being adestination for a huge diversity of events and parties…from birthday parties, to graduation events, from bachelorette parties, to corporate events, Element has hosted them all, and definitely done it in style. The club is decorated in a modern, vibrant theme and is as chic as they come in downtown Richmond. The eclectic bar at Element serves assorted martinis and drinks all while offering up mainstream, hip-hop, and house music with a unique presentation. Element boasts the number one sound system in Richmond and an in house DJ.
“At Element you can have a drink, get happy, and go shake your booty on the dance floor,” says co-owner Tony Fernandez. “We have been in this business for years and we know what it takes to entertain our guests.” Ambiance is what Element is selling and it really works for this remarkable River City lounge.
119 N 18th St. | Richmond, VA 23223 | (804) 788-8001
www.elementloungeva.com
The Tobacco Company Club
The Tobacco Company is located in the historic Shockhoe Slip area of downtown Richmond, along the cobblestones of Cary Street. The Tobacco Company restaurant is known for its class and grandeur. The Tobacco Company Club (downstairs) is one of the only dance clubs in the Shockhoe slip area, featuring one of the largest dance floors. The dance club is open Thursday – Saturday evenings and is available for private parties when not open to the public. Tobacco Company Club does giveaways quite often to thank its patrons for their business. These giveaways usually include whatever is hot at the moment and whatever people are talking about. Gas cards are in vogue currently. The club also offers a VIP program for its elite customers. If invited to join this program a VIP card holder is able to get in free, bring in a guest for free, and they have their own separate line that receives priority entry. Besides being able to dance the night away to top 40 music on their huge dance floor, Tobacco Company also has a black jack table for club goers to enjoy. The proceeds from this game are all donated to charity. The Tobacco Company Club is a hot spot among clubbers, but still maintains the class, elegance, and style that has come to be associated with the Tobacco Company.
1201 E Cary St. | Richmond, VA 23219 | (804) 782-9555
www.thetobaccocompany.com/club.php
Blackfinn
“Blackfinn is the premiere nightclub in the River City,” says John N. Klisz, general manager of the saloon. One of the newer hot spots in Richmond, Blackfinn has only been open for 14 months, but is already the talk of the town. “We have five elements that we try to embody: lunch/dinner, private functions, after work, game day, and late night,” says Klisz. At Blackfinn you can make a whole evening of it! You can come in to have drinks with colleagues or to toast a victory from the day and continue into the later part of the night and really enjoy the fun, party-like atmosphere that takes place each night. Known for its Thursday night theme parties and Thursday night club suite, Blackfinn is paramount when it comes to throwing a celebration. Some of the festive Thursday night parties that they have hosted are “Pretty in Pink,” featuring a pink theme, and “Martini and a Makeover,” where they brought in a variety of vendors geared toward beauty and created a comfortable and entertaining environment for the ladies. “We are also, most certainly, the number one place for bachelorette parties,” says Klisz. Around 10pm on Friday and Saturday nights they really take it to the next level with “Club it Up,” an event where “clubbish” or “loungey” type furniture is brought in, the music, featuring 80s, 90s, dance, and top 40, is turned up, and an exciting club environment comes to life. Blackfinn also boasts the largest patio in town which is on Richmond’s legendary Canal Walk. This venue has become the place for the young professionals.
1001 Haxall Point, Suite 100 | Richmond, VA 23219 | (804) 643-3466
www.blackfinnrichmond.com
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