San Diego is known for its beaches, craft breweries and fresh, farm-to-table restaurants sprinkled around town. But it isn’t as celebrated for its booming nightlife, especially when compared to places like New York City, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. However, seven of its local watering holes made Nightclub & Bar’s Top 100 list for highest revenue-generating properties in the US. Look who's playing in the big leagues now!
Based on total annual revenue, the Nightclub & Bar Top 100 worked with T.G. Mayer & Co., P.C. to review and verify the data submitted for each establishment. Making the cut for 2014 are Fluxx, Float, 207, Sevilla Nightclub, Sidebar, The Wood, and La Puerta.
Known for its Vegas-like atmosphere, state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems and world-renowned DJs, Fluxx made the list at No. 25 with $10-$15 million in revenue last year. Located downtown in the Gaslamp district, the nightclub changes its interior themes on a regular basis as to make sure its guests are never bored. It also attracts a notable celebrity presence with names like Jessica Biel, Ashton Kutcher and Justin Beiber stopping in during their SD getaways. Snoop Dogg, Moby and Brody Jenner have all spun their beats at the DJ booth, while its live performers include shows by Macklemore, Nas, Big Sean, Dirty South and Ice Cube. With bottle service and VIP tables, this is definitely the place to go all out in your best nightlife attire and favorite heels.
Coming in at No. 29 was Float at the Gaslamp Quarter’s Hard Rock Hotel, registering a $10- to $15-million annual revenue. Sitting atop the 4th floor of the property, the rooftop bar offers both a chill afternoon vibe and a high-energy atmosphere at night. Poolside cabanas are available to rent with flat screen TVs and bottle service available at each. In the evening, guests can warm up by fire pits with specialty cocktails in hand or hit the dance floor to the beats of the city’s best DJs. Until this year, the bar was also known for its pool parties during Intervention Sundays attracting around 1,500 partiers each week. While it brought in DJs such as Deadmau5, Paul Oakenfold and Kaskade, the venue will no longer be holding the summertime events (which could possibly mean a revenue loss in 2015).
Along with their rooftop parties, Hard Rock Hotel’s 207 nightclub also made the list at No. 40 with an annual revenue of $10-$15 million. Located on the ground floor, 207 is a sports bar daily and a lively nightclub Friday through Sunday nights. Boasting a central dance floor, celebrity DJs spinning the latest hip hop, and state of the art LED screens, the venue is a pulsating experience in the heart of downtown. Celebrity guests have included Paris Hilton, Lil Jon and the Black Eyed Peas.
Rounding off the $10- to $15-million category for San Diego, Sevilla Nightclub is listed at No. 42. Sevilla is known among locals as the spot to go for salsa dancing during the week (lessons included) after a tasty meal upstairs at their tapas-style restaurant. On the weekends, Latin/Euro, Top 40, hip hop and EDM can be heard at the downstairs nightclub. There are three VIP booths available for bottle service, including prime seats behind the DJ booth. Sunday nights heat up with Club Brazil featuring the hottest Brazilian music.
Downtown’s Sidebar and The Wood, a Pacific Beach hotspot for the college crowd, made the list at numbers 57 and 69, respectively. Both earned an annual revenue of $5-10 million. Finally, La Puerta (No. 82) had the lowest yearly revenue of the bunch with only $3-5 million.
