Atlanta’s famed nightlife scene gets ready to entertain World Cup revelers
Close your eyes and picture Atlanta. What do you see?
Some will envision the sun glistening off downtown’s skyline or illuminating the city’s verdant tree canopy. But for many, Atlanta distinguishes itself once the sun goes down.
From live music to clubs to adult entertainment, nightlife is deeply ingrained in Atlanta culture and its broader perception. With Atlanta playing host to eight World Cup matches, the first on Monday, the city’s clubs and venues are gearing up for what’s expected to be a busy summer full of U.S. and foreign travelers looking to get a taste of Atlanta after dark.
“Atlanta is very warm and welcoming in the club space, unlike any other city I’ve lived in or visited,” said Rebecca Brown, general manager at Clermont Lounge, the city’s longest-operating strip club.
“Our nightlife sets Atlanta apart,” she continued.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution interviewed nearly a dozen club owners, managers and city officials who oversee the nightlife industry, discussing their expectations and preparation.
Some are leaning into the World Cup festivities with watch parties, themed nights and international performers synced up to the countries playing in Atlanta. Others aim to act as a refuge for locals, proceeding with a “business-as-usual” approach.
Nearly all expect an uptick in crowds throughout the six-week marathon of the world’s most popular sport. An estimated 300,000 unique visitors are expected to come to Atlanta during that time span, according to the Metro Atlanta Chamber.
“Success looks like hundreds of thousands of people leaving the city with an idea of how culturally amazing Atlanta truly is,” said Phillana Williams, director of the Mayor’s Office of Film, Entertainment and Nightlife. “And they’ve discovered that for themselves, not just what they see on TV or see online.”
Crowd proximity
Nightlife represents a pillar of Atlanta’s economy, encompassing restaurants, bars, clubs, venues, promoters and the performing arts.
The sector generates $5.1 billion in annual revenue and represents Atlanta’s fifth-largest employment sector, supporting roughly 41,000 jobs, according to a study commissioned by the city last year. Overall, that represents about 4% of the city’s economy and nearly 8% of its jobs.
Many of the city’s best-known establishments are walking distance from downtown’s hotels and Mercedes-Benz Stadium, dubbed Atlanta Stadium for the World Cup. Lyle Baldes, director of events and activations for Underground Atlanta, said it’s a boon to be located within a mile of where most fans with gather for daytime activities.
“We have so many nightlife institutions next to each other,” he said of Underground Atlanta, which boasts roughly a half-dozen clubs and music venues. Those include Daiquiriville, Insomnia, Lunchbox, the Masquerade, MJQ Concourse and Utopia.
Shaneel Lalani, the owner of Underground Atlanta, added that he expects 24-hour activity as soccer festivities bleed overnight on match days. A new always-open restaurant called Underground Diner recently opened to capitalize on that in addition to other pop-up events.
MJQ Concourse, which moved last year to Underground Atlanta from its prior location in Old Fourth Ward, doesn’t have any TVs and is focusing on other ways to capture soccer spirit, co-owner Ryan Purcell said. The club will partner with FIFA Fan Fest on days when Atlanta hosts evening matches, leveraging connections with the Atlanta United’s “Footie Mob” and Atlanta sports DJs for added cred.
Purcell, however, said they want to avoid imposing a “World Cup tax” on patrons.
“We’re one of the few, if only, places that you can still get a $3 beer and a $6 cocktail,” he said. “ … With people spending so much money on FIFA and everything, it’s probably a sigh of relief to be able to go out and get into a club with no cover (on select nights).”
Within a mile of the stadium lies Magic City, a strip club often touted by celebrities and musicians.
Magic City management said the club’s entrenched reputation means it doesn’t have to sell itself to visitors. Instead, they’re focusing on opening early to prepare for crowds, adding security and accommodating customers who speak various languages.
“We’re making sure our staff is ready, our customer service is on point and that our hospitality level is beyond the grade that it already is,” said Tracy Johnson, a club manager.
Convincing fans to venture
Destinations outside downtown’s core are looking to entice soccer fans to travel their way — or convince locals that it won’t be too chaotic to visit their favorite watering holes.
The Cheetah Lounge strip club in Midtown has revamped its food offerings, completed multimillion-dollar upgrades and is targeting World Cup travelers through social media campaigns targeting specific fanbases, according to the club’s marketing director Al Anderson. He added that the club remains open while a likely yearslong plan to redevelop the property into a student housing project slowly proceeds in the background.
“When you come to the city, there are places you must visit,” he said, rattling off icons like The Varsity and World of Coca-Cola. “What we have is something that visitors look forward to naturally, and to be able to tailor that to be a very specific sport. That’s a big draw.”
Gemma Reed, strategic director for nightclub District Atlanta in Armour Yards just south of Buckhead, said she’s booking music acts related to teams that will be in town, ranging from South African DJs to a Saudi Arabian-themed night. She’s already engaging promoters about the World Cup semifinals, one of which will be in Atlanta, and the final, which will be held in the New York area, to book relevant acts when those matchups are set.
Atlanta’s slate of matches include some noon kickoffs, which Reed said presents logistical travel bottlenecks to overcome. Rather than trying to capture daytime crowds amid afternoon rush hour traffic, District Atlanta is firmly focused on being a second location once the sun sets.
“We don’t want to contribute to massive amounts of traffic leaving downtown,” she said. “So right after the game, people can go back to their hotels, they can shower and get ready, and then they can come back out to the District.”
Jon Dean, owner of LGBTQ+ club Lore in Edgewood, said watch parties are a staple of his business, so it’s a perfect fit to broadcast a few World Cup matches. He was also among 11 businesses in Atlanta’s Eastside to participate in a World Cup-themed bar crawl with each place focusing on a specific country. Lore’s was France, focusing on Champagne specials and French fries.
Dean, however, has his doubts that the World Cup tourism benefits will permeate the entire city, especially with outsized attention focused around the stadium and pop-up vendors.
“I’m thinking about the quick fixes they’ve been doing around us that aren’t really sustainable,” he said. “I hope that those changes and that the World Cup will bring much-needed support to those long-standing businesses that have been here and the community that need the support and foot traffic. But I am skeptical.”
Security is also a paramount focus for many club operators, nightlife stakeholders and police agencies. Williams, of the mayor’s office, said the city is piloting a nightlife ambassador program to place “extra eyes and ears on the street just in case they’re needed” in late-night hot spots, including Edgewood and South Downtown.
Brown of the Clermont Lounge said many nightlife spots are already routinely full and turning away patrons. She urged late-night revelers to remain patient and spread the love around if they aren’t able to get into their designated spot.
“Our capacity is our capacity,” Brown said. “We only get so many people through the door every night.”
About the Author
Zachary Hansen, a Georgia native, covers economic development and commercial real estate for the AJC. He's been with the newspaper since 2018 and enjoys diving into complex stories that affect people's lives.
