We’ve rounded up the best places to get down, from basement disco to al fresco salsa dancing to a bar that brings the spirit of the South up north.
LessDance with ocean mist in your hair at The Anchor in Charlestown. This open-air wine and beer garden hosts weekly events including salsa dancing and comedy shows right on the water, all summer long — free of charge. Drink custom brews and eat some bar bites before line dancing the night away. Want to bring the kids? Many of The Anchor’s movie nights and live performances are great for all ages.
Stroll into The Beehive on any given night of the week and you’ll be guided downstairs into a white-tablecloth lounge, complete with thick red curtains and chandeliers, serving up elevated bar food (smoked Turkish pepper wings, anyone?) and the latest sounds in jazz and world music. The events calendar is always full, so take a seat and get ready to tune your ears to anything from blues to reggae to Brazilian choro.
Long live the Cantab. Few spots attract as diverse a crowd as this Central Square mainstay, which boasts live music seven days a week on two stages, as well as open mic nights, poetry events, and more. The cheap beers don’t hurt, either. Pro tip: Ask for the pistachio shot to muster up the courage to compete with Cantab’s lively dance floor.
Two hundred and nine Columbus Avenue is a distinguished address for two reasons: first, the Pledge of Allegiance was written there in 1892. Second, it has been home for 40 years to one of Boston’s best nightclubs: Club Café, a restaurant, piano bar, and dance club, as well as legendary gathering space for LGBTQ+ Boston. The entrance line can be formidable (regulars know to get a yearly VIP pass to skip ahead).
Bubbles. Glitter. ABBA. And costumes galore. This all-vinyl disco — which takes place every Friday in the basement of The Sinclair — draws quite the crowd. Arrive early to secure a spot. DJs Kyle Buresh and Steve Maling, now in their 30s, have been going to concerts together since their high school days in Stoughton and they bring the party. Setlists span the ’70s and ’80s. And the records spin until 2am.
Nia Grace brings Southern soul to the Seaport with her eponymous restaurant-meets-jazz-bar. Leather seats and intimate tables face the cabaret-style stage, giving patrons the opportunity to chat over signature cocktails and chargrilled oysters or just sit back and listen.
Hava’s layout — a large, oval bar with a ramp leading down to the dance floor — means more room to show off your moves and a shorter wait to get a drink. Despite the elegant interior, complete with chandeliers and a decorative fireplace, the atmosphere is the opposite of stuffy. The dance floor always remains high energy thanks to the club’s stellar music selection, ranging from hip-hop and Top 40 artists to Latin hits.
The rhythms of bachata and salsa echo through the door as you walk into Havana Club, one of the most established venues for Latin dance in Cambridge. The club hosts dance socials throughout the week — each one starting with a lesson for beginners. With an in-house bar (open Thursday through Saturday) and performances from local dance groups, this dance hall guarantees a fun time for movers of all levels.
La Fábrica offers a seamless transition from day to night with a Latin American dining experience — complete with mofongo, maduros, and chicharrón — that gives way to Latin music at its nightclub on Fridays and Saturdays. But for a full experience, stop by on a Wednesday evening, when the restaurant offers dance lessons starting at 9 p.m. in partnership with Bachata Room, and a party that stretches into the early hours of the morning.
ManRay, the legendary Central Square club that shuttered in 2005, reopened to much fanfare last January, boasting a vast dance floor and elevated stage. Even after an 18-year hiatus, it continues to draw varied crowds: Wednesday caters to the goth/industrial scene; Thursday is a LGBTQ+ dance night; and every Saturday, DJ Chris Ewen spins a delicious mix of ’80s, new wave, electro, and post-punk music.