Club Love: A DC Nightclub Review

MARY TURNER

LOVE Nightclub, located in Washington, D.C., was recently named one of the top nightclubs in the country by Nightclub and Bar Magazine for 2009.
At the annual Nightclub and Bar Convention in Las Vegas, LOVE was recognized as the 16th best club in the country, out of 100. Annual profits and national reputation weighed heavy on the outcome of the list.
LOVE, which hosts celebrities on a regular basis, has most recently entertained T-Pain, Mya, and Slick Rick. Fashion shows, end of the season wrap-up parties for the Wizards, and album release parties are some of the typical events scheduled.
LOVE’s DJs spin mostly hip hop, R&B, reggae and pop, throughout the four-level venue. Though different levels play different gernres of music, it’s all dancable. The fourth floor is reserved for special occasions and is also known as the VIP level. Special permission is needed to gain access to that floor during celebrity parties.
While LOVE is the most well-known and advertised club in the D.C. metro area, lately bloggers and party-goers have been less than pleased.  While there is a valet service, parking is a big issue for many because it runs between $20-$30. Those who choose not to utilize this service are often harassed by transients for money, in order to “watch” their car.
LOVE offers a college night every Saturday, when 18 to 20-year-old patrons are granted access into the club. The club also offers promotional free passes into the club for joining the website email list.
Other clubs that offer college nights are 9:30 Club, Lima and DC Star. Some of the 18-and-over clubs only bring down the age limit for women—primarily to attract more women into their venue. However, considering that most nightclubs make their profit from the alcohol sold, most of D.C.’s biggest clubs avoid underage nights.
Sophomore Melissa Rodriguez, 24, has been to several clubs in D.C., including Fur and Zanzibar, but has yet to visit LOVE.
“My friends have been there,” said Rodriguez, “so I might try to check it out this summer.”
Jonathan Wigginton, 20, and fan of small bands said, “I like 9:30 Club because it offers great music and live bands.”
Fur, 9:30 Club, Ibiza, H2O and the newly renovated DC Star, are among some of LOVE’s competitors. Each club offers separate rooms with different music and atmospheres, and each one also offers clubgoers the chance to party in the same building with celebrity stars on a weekly basis.
When asked about LOVE, several UMW students including Rodriguez asked, “Isn’t that the old Dream?”
Oftentimes in the D.C. area, clubs will shut down for a few months, change ownership, and re-open under a new name. LOVE was formerly known as Dream. DC Star, also used to go by another name, Tunnel.
Regardless of the current name, LOVE Nightclub is among the most highly recognized in the country and with a combination of celebrity concerts, multi-level dance floors, well-know DJs and sexy young people, it seems to have established a successful formula that other D.C. clubs have tried to imitate.