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When David Cooley decided to open The Abbey in 1991, the bar scene in West Hollywood looked much different than it does now. Cooley, an Ohioan by way of Las Vegas, moved to the city in 1981, at the start of the AIDS crisis. "When I was coming to bars on Santa Monica Boulevard, it was not as open," he says. "There were no front patios where you could have a cigarette. It was all behind closed doors and through back alleys."
Raise a glass to 2019 and dance the night away to world-class DJs! Read on for our guide to New Year’s Eve events taking place at L.A.’s top bars, lounges and dance clubs. All events are 21 and over unless otherwise noted.
Go Metro: all Metro Rail lines, plus Orange and Silver Lines, will run 24 hours on New Year's Eve with free fares from 9 p.m. on Dec. 31 to 2 a.m. on Jan. 1.
The electronic music scene, nightlife and DJ culture in Los Angeles have come a long way in a relatively short time. Once the Wild West compared to New York's well-established nightclub culture, Los Angeles has long been known for warehouse parties, underground events and full-moon desert parties. The echoes of the 80s and 90s underground scene are still heard at Moontribe and secretive events in Downtown L.A. with ever-changing locations, but legitimate nightclubs that fully embraced electronic music had a ways to go. Then around 2000, the “super club” craze caught on like lightning in a bottle, captured at clubs like Giant and Spundae. The exposure was massive and the underground suddenly started bubbling to the surface.
The after-effects are still being felt today, and the Los Angeles dance music scene has morphed into something strange, beautiful and vital. There are venues throughout the city where you can take part in the culture or just get your groove on and have a lost weekend. Read on for some of L.A.’s best clubs for electronic music.
From elegant black tie affairs to massive dance parties, Los Angeles is ready to ring in 2019 with some of the best New Year's Eve events in the country.
