260 NIGHTLIFE SEPTEMBER 25, 2025 | WWW.BESTOFPHOENIX2025.C0M | BEST OF PHOENIX 2025 the handle of what looks like a walk-in freezer door. Behind it is Stardust Pinbar, a seven-nights-a-week disco and pinball quasi-speakeasy with a dance floor straight out of “Saturday Night Fever.” The floor, aglow with a rainbow of changing lights, is jammed with an eclectic cast of downtown Phoenix’s sharpest night owls, moving beneath a mirrored ceiling and a moon-sized disco ball. The lit floor is a catalyst any night of the week. We’ve seen it inspire a full-on conga line during a Harry Belafonte number at Uncle Joe’s weekly Wednesday karaoke night, with two dozen strangers holding one another by the waists. On the weekend, the floor gets even zanier. By midnight on a Friday you’ll notice that these colored tiles have gone from dry to damp to so sticky your soles peel off the floor with a crackling noise audible even over Pitbull or Selena or Sheck Wes booming from the speakers overhead. When some folks leave it all on the dance floor, they’re clearly referring to their Tecate or their Bad Bunny (Don Q coconut rum, hibiscus-mango syrup, lime and soda). But you, with your plastic cup held stable and your waist in a spin cycle? You’re leaving with tired legs and probably a couple of phone numbers. e e e B E S T A F T E R - H O U R S D A N C E S P O T KARAMBA NIGHTCLUB 1724 E. MCDOWELL ROAD 602-254-0231 KARAMBANIGHTCLUB.COM Metro Phoenix isn’t exactly a hotspot for after- hours action. Permit hassles, steep insurance costs and a lack of liquor sales after 2 a.m. tend to kill the vibe (and the motivation) for most clubs to keep going past last call. Still, a few Phoenix dance joints keep the grooves going deep into the night, and none does it hotter than Karamba. The party at the LGBTQ- friendly Latin club stays lit until 4 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, and everyone’s invited: guys, girls and every gorgeous identity in between. The dance floor is pure energy, packed with young, pretty party people ready to get moving and go hard. DJ Jesus Vega gets the perreo pumping as he spins some of the most fire remixes of Top 40 en Español in the Valley. Who needs sleep when you can make the scene down at Karamba? e e e B E S T O U T D O O R D A N C E P A R T Y THUNDERBIRD LOUNGE 710 W. MONTECITO AVE. 602-283-4621 THUNDERBIRDLOUNGEPHX.COM The ’80s called. They have a few demands. They want you to grab a can of Aqua Net or any other hairspray with the kind of power that will hold your hair firmly in place, prefer- ably pointing high to the sky. Next, get dressed — ’80s fashion, if you have it. Think neon, lace, pearls, paisley. Mix it up or just throw on whatever allows you to flow freely across the dance floor and head to this nightlife spot for Back to the 80’s. Every second Saturday, DJ Bueller takes the club back four decades, turning the outdoor patio into a supercharged retro party. Sweat out the hair gel and melt the goopy eyeliner using your best moves dancing to songs from The Cure, INXS, New Order, Depeche Mode and on and on. Head to the Melrose District for this totally bitchin’ good- mood party and spin yourself right round, like a record, baby. e e e B E S T E D M V E N U E WALTER WHERE?HOUSE 702 N. 21ST AVE. 602-586-5906 WALTERWHEREHOUSE.COM From the outside, it’s just a bulky warehouse. But step inside to one of the country’s most distinctive venues and you’ll have a hard time believing your eyes — even if you’re sober as a surgeon. Nestled in Phoenix’s industrial district, Walter Where?House hosts some of the world’s top DJs, big names like Folamour, Claude VonStroke, Adam Ten and Vintage Culture. The warehouse’s stage — named Kalliope — should be in the running for
