As part of our ongoing lost nightclubs series, DJWORX heads to Vegas. Over the decades, Vegas has played host to everything from Rat Pack lounges to superclubs with DJs flown in from Ibiza and every style in between. All of them come with the unique backdrop of Las Vegas itself. And of course as fashions change, these then become the lost Las Vegas nightclubs we cover in this article.
Las Vegas nightlife timeline
Las Vegas has never been shy about a good night out. Which is why DJWORX have visited so many times. Before our time, in the 1940s and ’50s, the clubs were smokey side rooms off the casino floor – a few booths, a small stage and a band playing. Intimate, glamorous and often full of famous (or infamous) faces.
When disco landed in the late ’70s Vegas wanted mirror balls, flashing floors and all-night dancing like everywhere else. By the ’90s megaclubs arrived: multi-level dancefloors, laser shows, booming sound systems and superstar DJs imported from Europe. It’s fair to say even at this point though Vegas wasn’t a clubbing destination. They were a by product of big spenders being in town.
By the 2000s though Vegas nightlife had fully embraced the megaclub blueprint – five-level dance floors, high-budget visual production and DJs touring like rock stars. Today, clubs such as Hakkasan at MGM Grand were built out of that era; think LED arrays and top-tier EDM acts like Calvin Harris or Tiësto. In fact we can specifically remember landign in Vegas in 2001 and the first billboard ad we saw was for Paul Oakenfold, clearly the game had changed. Vegas had become a proper nightclub destination resort to rival Ibiza, as the US finally embraced the dance music explosion.
Cosmopolitan’s Marquee, which opened in 2011, combines a nightclub, dayclub and lounge called The Chandelier – two million crystals dangling overhead – hybrid luxury nightlife.
Tao Las Vegas (based at the Venetian) promotes itself as a “clubstaurant” (Ed – not a word) – an Asian-fusion restaurant, nightclub and dayclub (Beware, this is a dark club, nearly broke our neck last time in here)
Drai’s Beach Club & Nightclub is on the roof of The Cromwell hotel. Launched in 2014, the $100 million venue was born out of it’s previous incarnation as an all night venue. Some spectacular sights used to roll out of there at 6am..
The newest club on the Strip is LIV Nightclub at the Fontainebleau. There is a Miami’s A‑list, celebrity-packed vibe here. Think high-end bottle service.
Resorts World has Zouk Nightclub, opened in 2021. It’s USP is adjustable layouts and incredible visuals, although it’s fair to say that like Resorts World in general it is still searching for it’s Vegas identity.
It seems impossible that todays mega Vegas clubs will ever become lost, but they will. The pace of change in Vegas means that we will be adding to this list of lost Las vegas nightclubs regularly. Can we suggest a Neon Museum but for lost Las Vegas nightclubs instead?
El Morocco’s elegance, the Copa Room’s Rat Pack swagger, Club Bingo’s humble charm, Cleopatra’s Barge’s playful kitsch, Utopia’s megaclub energy, Ra’s Egyptian grandeur and Ice’s off-Strip cool – each defined its era. Today’s Vegas Strip is ruled by high-tech superclubs with superstar DJs. We can only guess what tomorrows will be like.
Club Bingo – The Las Vegas strip’s first nightclub
Before the megaclubs, before the Rat Pack lounges, before the themed hotel showrooms, there was Club Bingo – the venue that helped set the stage for modern Las Vegas nightlife. Club Bingo proved that nightlife could be more than just gaming.
Club Bingo opened in 1947, just as post-war America was discovering Las Vegas. While its name might suggest little more than a hall full of dabbers and numbered balls, this was one of the Strip’s earliest entertainment hubs. It’s mix of gambling and live music attracted locals, tourists, and Hollywood’s curious.
Club Bingo was small and so felt lively and modern for its time. The décor leaned toward mid-century glamour – soft lighting and polished wood. People did actually play Bingo, then moved over to the bar for cocktails and dancing to jazz combo or traditioanl Vegas singer.
Why did Bingo Club Las Vegas close?
It didn’t exactly close – it evolved. In 1952, Club Bingo was transformed into the Sahara Hotel and Casino, one of the most famous resorts in Vegas history. The bingo hall, music stage and dance floor were replaced by the casino floor. The Sahara still stands, though it’s been through multiple rebrands, renovations and a total rebuild in 2011. The original Club Bingo building is long gone, but the footprint remains part of the modern resort complex.
El Morocco at the Desert Inn
Long before Vegas became the home of EDM superclubs, its nightlife was built on style, supper and live music – and El Morocco was a touch of North Africa in the Nevada desert. Inside the Desert Inn hotel during the 1950s and ’60s, jazz, big bands and the Rat Pack all shared the same room. A stylish nigh out that many of today’s high-end nightclubs would like to impersonate.
Teh decor was banquettes under ornate arches, mosaic tile floors and the lighting was low, the atmosphere smoky and the music swung until dawn. Old-school Vegas glamour with a Moroccan twist.
Why did El Morocco close?
By the late ’60s, tastes were changing. Lounges gave way to bigger showrooms, and casino floor space was far more valuable than a themed nightclub. The Desert Inn is long gone, replaced by the Wynn and Encore resorts. El Morocco proved Vegas could do immersive theming decades before modern “experience” venues became a thing.
Copa Room – The Rat Pack’s playground
In the golden age of the Strip, if you wanted to see the biggest names in music, comedy and Hollywood all in one night, you booked a table at the Copa Room.
If El Morocco was exotic elegance, the Copa Room at the Sands was pure Vegas royalty. The Rat Pack held court here, (not that Ratpack – no searchin’ for my rizla here) – Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford. Part concert hall, part clubhouse, part after-hours salon, it was a magnet for celebrities, high rollers and anyone lucky enough to land a seat. The guest list included – Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Elizabeth Taylor, Cary Grant. It was THE place to be seen.
The Copa Room was intimate. Every table had a perfect view of the stage, waiters wore white jackets. It was class personified. Some nights followed a set list, with the Rat Pack at their slick, rehearsed best. Apparently others went off-script: Sinatra breaking into a story halfway through a song, Dean Martin wandering on stage with a drink in hand, Sammy Davis Jr tap-dancing in the middle of a gag.
Why did the Copa Room close?
When the Sands was imploded in 1996 the Copa Room went up with it. The Venetian and Palazzo now occupy the site, with polished marble, upscale dining and luxury suites (and with dare we say little atmosphere?). The exact spot where the Copa once stood is now buried somewhere beneath designer boutiques and gaming floors.
If nightclubs mean celebrities and glamour to you then the Copa Room set the standard for Vegas nightlife.
Cleopatra’s Barge – Comin’ at ya
If there was ever a nightclub that embodied the kitsch of old-school Vegas, it was Cleopatra’s Barge at Caesars Palace. Opened in 1970, it managed the rare feat of lasting five decades, and without ever pretending to be trendy. Cleopatra’s Barge was a floating wooden barge with sails, gold trim and enough red velvet to upholster a small theatre. It hosted live bands, cabaret acts, celebrity appearances and late-night dancing (but of the lounge-core variety). Vegas legends like Wayne Newton and Paul Anka were regulars.
As Vegas nightlife became increasingly obsessed with bottle service and VIP exclusivity, Cleopatra’s Barge catered to a more relaxed crowd.
Why did Cleopatra’s Barge close?
Like many long-running Vegas spots, Cleopatra’s Barge met its end during the pandemic shutdown in 2020. Caesars decided not to reopen it, shifting focus to more modern venues. The space has been repurposed within Caesars Palace as Caspians Bar. Where are you going to take a photo clasping Cleopatra’s enormous gold bosoms now?
Utopia – The first Vegas superclub
By the mid-1990s, Las Vegas nightlife was changing fast. Apparently we wanted bigger, louder and more theatrical nights out, so Utopia was opened in 1997 on the south end of the Strip in a mall across from what is now Park MGM. Utopia was one of the first venues in Las Vegas to fully embrace the European superclub model.
The club had multiple floors, the main room had LED screens before they were commonplace, the side lounges were essentially chill out areas, and there was a balcony looking down on the dance floor.
Utopia brought in house and trance DJs from Ibiza, London and New York, helping to establish Vegas on the global clubbing circuit. It’s music programming pushed electronic dance music years before it became the Strip’s dominant sound, the mid-90s were the hip hop and R and B era.
Why did Utopia Las Vegas close?
Essentially competition from the nightclub boom that Utopai had helped to launch. By the early 2000s, newer venues with bigger budgets and production opened, and by 2001 it has becoem another lost Las Vegas nightclub. It’s name changed to Mosaic on the Strip, Krave, and Empire Ballroom and now there is planned a 300,000-square-foot restaurants, retail shops, bars, supper clubs, and outdoor entertainment complex.
Ra – Dancing in the Pyramid
In the late ’90s, Vegas was deep in its themed-resort phase. Excalibur, Treausre Island etc, so when the Luxor decided to open a nightclub in 1997, it created Ra, quite literally an Egyptian dance temple.
Ra had Golden statues, hieroglyphic wall panels, fire and light effects. The DJ booth was framed by giant scarabs and glowing ankh symbols. At this time Luxor had a full blown Nile river running through it, so despite sounding outlandish, this decor actually fitted in well.
Ra booked major house, trance and hip-hop DJs, making it one of the most musically versatile clubs of its era. The crowd was a mix of Strip hotel guests understandably curious to see the Egyptian club they’d heard about and serious clubbers who came for the music.
Why did Ra Las Vegas close?
By the mid-2000s, the Egyptian theme felt dated, and Vegas nightlife was moving toward sleeker, more modern aesthetics. Luxor, like other Vegas hotels was de-theming. And Ra became another lost Las Vegas nightclub by closing for good in 2006, where it is now casino floor. Luxor is no longer a premiere hotel, and feels like it it could do with some of Ra’s glamour.
See Ra at the Luxor Las Vegas in 1997 in all of it’s glory
Ice – Jersey Shore in Vegas
In the early 2000s, the Las Vegas nightclub scene was dominated by casino-based venues (as it is now). But Ice was different. Opening in 2003 in an old warehouse space just south of the main strip, it was one of the first standalone off-Strip clubs. And it was pure 2000s in it’s style.
Ice became a household name after being heavily featured in MTV’s The Real World: Las Vegas. The exposure put it on the map and attracted the 30s who were increasingly heading to Vegas. Think gym and frat bro’s, the spring break crowd. Ice hosted international DJs alongside hip-hop artists and also a more local, in-the-know crowd than the tourist heavy Strip clubs. The music policy leaned heavily toward progressive house, trance and underground music, giving Ice a more “club culture” feel than the commercial playlists dominating other venues. Ice had an industrial chic vibe – high ceilings, exposed beams and frosted glass, like a Soho media agency. The main room had a massive dance floor, but the VIP areas were were people wanted to be.
Despite its TV fame, Ice faced the constant challenge of being off-Strip. Tourists will always prefer to stay within walking distance of their hotels. (We have been to Vegas a lot, and we never went to Ice). The explosion of high budget casino clubs around 2005–2006 (Xs, Hakkasan) made competition fierce. By 2006, the owners sold the space, and the Ice brand quietly melted away as yet another lost Las Vegas nightclub. Ironically despite being at the start of the bottle service culture, Ice as ill prepared for when that took over. We’ve driven past Ice many times, in the daylight it looks like massive mens aftershave shop. Who knows what will happen to this icon of 2000s culture next.
If you enjoyed this trip through Vegas nightlife history and lost Las vegas nightclubs, check out our Top 5 Lost London Nightclubs of the 90s – from iconic West End haunts to gritty basement raves that shaped a generation. Or else our whole series on lost nightclubs
