When the sun sets, downtown San Diego’s historic Gaslamp Quarter emerges as the undisputed nightlife capital of the entire city. With more than 40 bars and clubs occupying a 16-block area, Gaslamp provides a year-round entertainment zone, with rooftop lounges and basement clubs featuring distinctive experiences for groups and corporate parties.
Since the sun shines at least 300 days out of the year in San Diego, rooftop lounges quickly became de facto as soon as downtown began to reinvent itself. Many hotels, office buildings and beachfront bars all utilize the near-perfect weather and provide magnificent ocean views for any event.
Atop 22 stories, on the roof of the San Diego Marriott Gaslamp Quarter,
Altitude Sky Lounge offers music and martinis with utterly extravagant views of downtown San Diego and the Petco Park. Groups can rent the entire club for private parties and even watch a Padres game from 22 stories high.
Offering 13,000 square feet of space for private parties and events within walking distance of the San Diego Convention Center, Stinagree is a 2,000-capacity restaurant and nightclub rebuilt from a historic warehouse. Highlighted by three stories, floor-to-ceiling waterfalls and translucent floating staircases, the venue includes a rooftop bar retreat.
For a more Americana-style setting, The Firehouse Lounge at Pacific Beach offers a spacious rooftop patio with double-wide chaise lounges, an elegant fire pit and amazing views of the Pacific Ocean.
Generally speaking, many historical buildings in the Gaslamp Quarter have basements, a feature not too common throughout the rest of Southern California. As a result, groups can take advantage of the underground experience.
One example is Belo Nightclub, housed within a remodeled 20,000-square-foot historic basement building dating back to the 1930s. The club features three distinct rooms, sufficient for hosting small parties of 50 people, corporate events for 1,100 executives or sit-down dinners for 300 guests.
For a more bohemian experience, Side Bar embodies an Art Deco modern feel with an upscale nightclub ambience. The decor includes a European gypsy-like approach to furnishings, featuring a collection of birdcages that dangle from the lofted ceilings at various heights and brick walls painted in black. A company logo can be projected on seven plasmas screens throughout the venue or on a 12-foot built-in projector screen.