Looking for a fun time in New York? Look no further than The Summer Club.
I, like many of my fellow New Yorkers, was completely unaware of this venue until this past summer.
One of my friends turned me on to The Summer Club when Jonas Blue and Sam Feldt (under their combined project “Endless Summer”) announced a DJ set taking place at the venue. Obviously, I was in.
Entry tickets for the venue run something like $25-$40 depending on who is playing. It’s a bit different since they’re playing a club, but compare this to the $80 I spent on Odesza tickets at a traditional venue in Boston. I was also pleased to find that I was familiar with more than half of their headliners- it was like they built their summer lineup with me in mind!
Entry does not include seating, but pool loungers and cabanas can be booked at an additional cost. I found that to be mostly unnecessary, and no one stopped me when I took a quick seat on an unoccupied lounge chair. There is also free seating available closer to the food area.
Prices for food and drinks is, obviously, extraordinary. It is New York, of course! Anticipate paying $17 (plus a tip!) for a canned drink. I find it best to eat before you come- and maybe a little pregaming to save your wallet!
The Summer Club is located on a rooftop of the Ravel Hotel, right on the edge of Long Island City overlooking the East River.
I wouldn’t say that the view is particularly nice, and the guests on the higher levels of the hotel can and will come out on their balconies to watch the party, but I think they did a pretty good job decorating the venue.
The rooftop is decked out with a neon jungle in mind. There are palm leaves and flowers everywhere, with the neon palm tree logo of The Summer Club also in a few strategically instagramable locations.
The pool is small, with a large portion of it left shallow for guests to wade in. As a general rule, I do not go into club pools, and honestly I try not to think too hard about the people who don’t leave their seats at pools with swim up bars. The people who chose to swim in the deeper half of the pool were much braver than me!
Since I was mostly here for the music, I spent a lot of time on the astroturfed dance floor. The DJs play out of a cabana-like stage, with a platform for paid dancers to entertain the crowd. DJs are playing live sets throughout the day, but crowds typically only start gathering just an hour or two before the headliners are due to start.
I liked the bubble machines that would go off periodically throughout the day- I thought it gave a fun summery vibe.
As night began to fall, there was more strobe lighting, and a large LED screen behind the DJ booth to add to the atmosphere. There are CO2 machines for added effect, but it seems like they mostly save that for the headliners. Sam Feldt and Jonas Blue used their CO2 prolifically, so be prepared to get blasted with that all night!
Since this venue is relatively unknown, the crowd was super small- I’d say there were no more than 150 people in the place and those people weren’t necessarily there for the DJs themselves. I was able to squeeze my way right up to the front of the crowd and stay there with absolutely no issue.
Once the headliners finish, the club closes for the night, but I didn’t feel particularly rushed by security which was nice.
My biggest complaint for this venue is that it’s in a bit of an industrial area- I wouldn’t feel very safe walking to the nearest subway station without a few friends and would otherwise have to call an Uber, which is an unwanted expense for me at the end of the night when those stations are only a 12 minute walk away.
Overall, I found this a great place to spend the day! Definitely make sure to hydrate, but for only $30 (not including drinks), it’s the cheapest concert I’ve been to in years and I had a great time!
Keep in mind that The Summer Club is seasonal- they’re currently a rooftop Pumpkin Patch! The website link is not working at this time, but I’ll be keeping an eye for their lineup next year.
Leave a Reply