How big do you like it?
For size queens, there’s nothing more exciting than stepping into a massive nightclub, especially one packed with hotties. Especially one packed with hotties of a compatible sexual orientation.
The world’s biggest nightclub is, sadly, straight. Set to open in May 30, 2025, UNVRS (Urbanización San Rafael s/n, San Rafael, Ibiza, Spain) is a reinvention of Privilege Ibiza, which was the record-holder as the world’s biggest club when it closed a few years ago. After renovations, UNVRS is expected to have a capacity of more than 10,000 partiers, spread across 6,500 square metres—bigger than a U.S. football field. But as LGBTQ+-friendly as Spain is, UNVRS will be a mainstream club; only a percentage of its patrons will be up for flirting and cruising.
Ibiza is also home to what is probably the world’s second biggest nightclub, Hï Ibiza (Platja d’en Bossa, Ibiza, Spain), which has a capacity of 5,680, according to DJ Mag. We say “probably” because not all clubs release their capacity numbers; sometimes it’s only the management, the police and fire departments who know for sure how many bodies a venue is equipped to handle.
What are the world’s biggest gay nightclubs? We’ve listed them here by capacity and in order of size, based on best estimates from various sources. Some of them are among the largest nightclubs of any orientation.
Remember, these are not necessarily the world’s biggest gay parties or venues that host gay parties—that’s another article. These are places where you can just show up any week—some of them are only open Fridays and Saturdays—and be surrounded by the largest number of partiers possible.
Bogotá, Colombia
Theatron (Cl. 58 #10-32, Bogotá, Colombia). Capacity: An estimated 5,000. With 13 themed party spaces, Theatron has something for everybody (including lots of cool straights). Want to sing along to Mexican party songs? Theatron’s got you. Dance perreo to reggaeton? That’s up these stairs. EDM? Try the room that looks like a gothic church. Circuit? Check. Pop? Duh. There’s also a rooftop food court, not to be confused with the rooftop dancefloor. There are two boutiques and a cruisy hallway commemorating the many incarnations of Shakira. For heaven’s sakes, the coat check area is bigger than your local favourite bar. Sadly, its famous all-you-can-drink-with-the-price-of-cover policy is no more.
São Paulo, Brazil
High Club (R. João Rudge 115, Casa Verde, São Paulo, Brazil). Capacity: An estimated 3,500. Out of the ashes of the beloved The Week comes a megaclub with just as much style as its predecessor. Although High Club is home base for entrepreneur André Almada’s many entertainment projects, it’s not the only one. His TNW group also hosts huge parties in venues like Rio de Janeiro’s Museu do Amanhã (Praça Mauá 1, Centro, Rio de Janeiro). High Club itself follows a party-based model: the music, the show and the vibe vary greatly depending on the night. Sometimes it’s a three-floor takeover, while other times each of the three spaces has its own music and attitude.
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Amerika (Gascón 1040, Buenos Aires, Argentina). Capacity: An estimated 1,900. Seeing a bit of a Latin American trend here? You should. Dancing and staying out late is an integral aspect of Latino culture. Plus, Latinos love one-stop shopping. Megaclubs are the malls of nightlife. The other trend you’ll see at Amerika: it’s a gay bar that’s so fun that it can be overrun with straight people who love that love is love. Opening in 1999, Amerika has had its ups and downs, bouncing back from several prolonged closures, including after a 2003 fire. But the club has survived and thrived, reliably providing three types of music—Latin, electronic and pop—in its three main rooms.
London, UK
Heaven (9 The Arches, Villiers St., London). Capacity: 1,725. Heaven first opened its doors in—wait for it—1979, in the same location underneath the tracks of the Charing Cross railroad station where it remains to this day. By the early 1980s, Heaven had become the world’s best-known gay club. Before it was a club, it was a wine cellar, but these days there are more cans of RTD cocktails and pints of lager than glasses of wine quaffed under its vaulted brick ceilings. Owned for a time by Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, Heaven has gone through many eras: glamorous, underground and nowadays, very pop. But it remains a legend and a giant. There are usually remixed pop and performances in the main room, with something different (perhaps even movie screenings) in the side room and R&B in the R&B room.
Berlin, Germany
Berghain/Panorama Bar/Lab.oratory (Am Wriezener bhf, Berlin, Germany). Capacity: An estimated 1,500. The global temple to electronic dance music, especially techno, is probably the world’s most famous club these days—it’s a Berlin tourist attraction. Despite its popularity among straight people, it’s also, at its core, a gay bar. Lab.oratory, which has its own separate entrance on the first floor, is a dedicated gay and bi male sex space with a variety of themed weekly and monthly parties. The door policy for the main club, enforced by a gay guy, is famously strict and mysterious. Here’s our best tip for getting in: Dress and act like you’re there for the music—know who the DJ is, as well as the aesthetic associated with that night’s genre of music—not for a bachelorette party or a night out with the lads. There are no photos permitted inside, which adds to the allure.
