Pacha

Having lived in Brooklyn for several years, I've been to Pacha many times. First of all, I'd like to point out that given their consistently EXCELLENT lineup and fairly inexpensive cover charge and drink prices, (for NYC) Pacha is one hell of a venue when it gets pumping. Now for some more specific details: I've seen Hardwell, Boregore, Mord Fustang, Sunnery James and Rocky Marciano, and other many other dj's there and trust me, when the dance floor gets going, It gets pretty wild in there. The headliner usually doesn't go on til about 12:30, and then usually plays a full on 3 hour set. The sound setup is excellent for a room of its size, BIG subwoofers surround the dance-floor embedded into the support pillars, when the main act gets going they bump pretty damn hard. The light set up is excellent as well: big LED screens staggered around the dance floor fully synced to amplify the experience. Now for the crowd: Pacha is 18+, if you're 21 and sign up for their email-list they frequently offer a free cover charge + 1 if you sign up for the guest list in time, I got into Boregore and Sunnery/Rocky for free. Expect 18 year olds everywhere, at least earlier in the night, with the crowd turning into a more normal, and sometimes very fratty, and very high crowd around midnight. As mentioned in other reviews, I've always found the staff to be pretty chill guys, the bartenders are great and work fast. All in all, if you're used to Lavo, this might not be the place for you. However, if you're in to Progressive house, Trance, Deep and Dutch house, Dubstep, Trap, DnB, and Crazy Bass music in general is a great change of pace to a typical night in Manhattan. Sure, sometimes its a little grimy, but thats kind of the point. Pacha is a place for kids who love dance music to get the fuck down to dance music.

After a terrible Thursday night at another club, three of our party decided to walk over here for a few drinks to close off the night. We walked in around 2.30 am. The bouncers and security were very friendly and even offered us a discounted cover. We headed over to the biggest room, which was the only one open that night because of the act that was playing. It was definitely some interesting EDM that I had never heard before, and a very young, very high college crowd. Despite that, Pacha's was a great time. Everyone is very friendly here, and nobody really cares about what you're doing. It's definitely a little grimy, but the drinks were good! I probably wouldn't check it out on the weekend - there are definitely better places to go, but if you're in the area and out of options, give Pacha's a try!

So, I see some negative reviews of Pacha and everyone is entitled to their opinion HOWEVER if you aren't into house music, young crowds, and sometimes sporadic chaos then yeah Pacha isn't for you. Pacha is in Hell's Kitchen, not the meat packing district, so if you are thinking Greenhouse or Amnesia, you will be severely mistaken. Pacha mainly draws in EDM artist which is perfect because the basement is decked out in strobe lights, LEDs, horns, and another smoke to kill a hive of bees. You basically die and go to EDM heaven. On the flip side, if you head upstairs the atmosphere is less chaotic and offers more of a hip hop/pop selection and SEATING SO MUCH SEATING!. The lines get long and everyone who works the door looks confused, but to grab your tickets in advance if you are going for a show. Once you are in, prepare for sticky floor, early 20s, and scantly clad women. C'mon you get what you pay for. This is not like Ibiza at all. It's a "dancers" club and if you didn't come to rave then why did you come at all?

Pacha is a good venue for anyone amped up and ready to dance until the break of dawn. Whether coming with a large group or just a couple friends, Pacha's multiple levels and dance floors, with live music flowing every night, provide a spacious, modern spin on the Manhattan club scene. The bartenders have a knack for creating vibrant cocktails on the spot and the crowd of college students and young professionals tend to give off an energetic, live- for-the-moment vibe. If you can, get there for Halloween. Costume contests and drink specials, plus a wildly fun crowd, and great music if you are into house/dubstep/electronica. I have some great memories from Halloween 2011 and would recommend Pacha based on that experience alone! A caveat: it gets really loud in this place. Definitely more a place for dancing than verbal interchange.

There are some people that are made for the Pacha scene and some that are not. I remember my friends a few years back working doubles at our restaurant and jetting over to Pacha for the night. I never did that, but when my favorite DJ, Madeon, came to town I figured it was now or never to check this place out. With two of my biggest Pacha supporting friends with me I ventured to the venue that almost all of my club going friends have sworn off: I now see why they feel this way. Within ten minutes of being there my two friends (two young, attractive women) were apparently hustled out of extra money at the door. All three of us ended up paying a different cover eventhough we were all in line together and on the early guest list for $10 entry. I paid $10. The others paid $20 or $30. Needless to say, weak sauce Pacha. Once we got through that the venue was fun. If there was some form of crowd control at Pacha the night could have been fun. Instead, the venue is overpacked and filled with bros and older men in business suits that care if you worked hard to open up some room to dance. It's like clockwork, open up a circle to dance, two seconds later comes a businessman just standing there not caring about your time. The crowd seems mostly to be there for the Pacha vibe and not the DJs performing. Of the people I talked to there maybe five knew of Madeon before he went on. If that's your crowd, you'll love Pacha. If you're looking to really dance and take in the EDM scene avoid Pacha like the plague.

For somebody who has frequently been to Ibiza, the comparisons to Pacha and one of my favorite cities is rather insulting. One word to describe Pacha? Chaos.. Compared to other global Pacha locations, the Hell's Kitchen installment is a huge let down. Although Pacha frequently features some of my favorite house DJs ( Arango, Vargas, Caballos.. yadadada ), the crowd and atmosphere is enough to make you second guess why you waited, sometimes upwards of an hour, to get in. From the roid-heads to the sloppy "how the hell did they get in here" girls spilling their drinks, the crowd is pretty trashy to say the least. Lets not mention the seizure inducing lights and "we want to give you a respiratory infection" smoke and CO2 spray. The positive? Well if you don't mind all the negatives, the house music and DJ selection is awesome. I spend most of my time being that guy in the middle of the circle shuffling and going nuts, so I tend to forget the overwhelming nature of the venue. For the guys, there are plenty of fine women to choose from as well, although I don't recommend making them your long term girlfriend (lol). All in all? A generous 2 stars.

Pacha NYC is one of the worst “venues” to grace the island of Manhattan. Firstly, I have titled Pacha a “venue” instead of a “club”, because the overwhelming amount of strobe lights/LED screens and columns, CO2 spray, sirens and horns are sufficient for an arena say the size of Roseland Ballroom or the Barclays Center; not a building which sees only a couple thousand people over the course of a entire night. Because Pacha is a brand with branches all over the world, first time New Yorkers as well as tourists believe they will have an experience of a lifetime before entering this over packed and overpriced fire trap. After attending Pacha in Valencia, Ibiza and Munich I can safely say that New York’s branch is the biggest amateur hour of all. Firstly, I don’t think Pacha keeps track of the amount of people entering and leaving the building at all throughout the course of a night. How would you feel knowing you are about to walk inside after waiting on an extremely long line only to find that you are stuck upstairs on the third floor until the main DJ is almost done with their set, just so Pacha can suck as much money out of you as possible through drinks and entrance fees? This has happened to friends of mine time and time again and because Pacha books all the big mainstream artists I don’t see this trend coming to a stop anytime soon. Sure, Saturdays used to be better than Fridays regarding crowd control because of the 21+ vs 19+ age minimum, but with the recent “EDM Boom” most Saturdays have been made accessible to the younger age group. Furthermore, the crowds which enter this place are absolutely horrible. Just stop to look around for a few seconds and you will see customers leaning against the walls and pillars with sunglasses on getting light shows, girls being danced on by aggressive strangers who won’t leave them alone, people swaying back and forth with their eyes shut and an overwhelmingly amount of rude people just pushing through the crowd whom I always want to ask, “where are you going?” Not only is the crowd atrocious, but the whole vibe in Pacha is off. The bouncers are extremely aggressive and it almost feels like they are there to purposely ruin your time. But hey, who can blame them they’re just doing their job right? With the majority of patrons in there on drugs they have to keep the open use to a minimum in order to please the large amount of under cover cops roaming the place looking for a slip up. The only time Pacha is mildly acceptable is in the VIP Mezzanine because it separates you from the general public, you must be 21 and the crowd is composed of press and bottle service. Even then, the sound is completely off, there’s no where to stand on the narrow balconies and there are only two bathrooms with thirty minute wait times, forcing you to venture two floors down into the dingy basement with the rest of the people you were trying to avoid in the first place. Basically, Pacha is the Walmart of nightclubs; overcrowded, low grade, commercial and disappointing. Not only are seasoned music lovers and club goers unhappy with Pacha, but most of the highly respected talent they’ve booked have openly critisczed the venue on social media and in interviews. In January, Drumcode founder Adam Beyer stated it’s time New York hosted a proper label showcase after two of his CDJ’s blew out minutes into his set. How embarrassing! Pacha’s address is iconic of the Sound Factory days, but after the doors closed 2004 in they should’ve remained that way and left NYC on a high note.

If you have has a stressed week and you need somewhere to take your mind out of everything, Pachas is the place to be. There is a mix crowd and delicious drinks. I loved the music and danced the night away.

Lights! Trance! Go-go dancers! More Trance! And... House music! Gasp! Where?! None other than the culturally diverse nightclub known as Pacha NYC. If you’re looking to let loose and party on a psychedelic trance with your eyes closed while fist-pumping until 6am without even the help of liquid courage flowing through your heated veins, then Pacha should be included in your main destination list. Some remarkable performers that have killed the stage and transformed the club into an almost legal rave scene have been the guru of house music, Afrojack and the DJ that gets the crowd high off reverberating beats, Oscar G, among many others. Let’s not forget about the refreshing steam that shoots from every corner every thirty minutes or so after the energizing sound of the “choo-choo” train; a sound that is probably meant to send a sudden wave of energy to anyone who might dare attempt to rest their toes. So let’s break it down. We have “Little Pacha,” the fancy attic lair. Then there’s “The Funky Room,” where the LED lights are the flashiest and girls in bikinis are soaked with sprinkling water. Next is “Mezzanine”, where the beautiful celebrities choose to hang, which is followed by the “Main Room” also referred to as Pacha’s “beating, booming heart.” Lastly is the “Basement”, which occupies coat check, the merchandise store, and most importantly, more water closets. Are you curious yet?! Well, if you just happen to be in the NYC area, miraculously near 46th Street, and are dressed in a seemingly stylish tank, some shorts, and cute but comfortable flats, you should make it your business to visit this four-story nightclub. I mean what can it hurt? But your feet? And arms.

I've been to Pacha multiple times under different circumstances and my experience has varied greatly, from being amazing to downright horrible. On a bad night, the cavernous dance floor will turn into a seething mass of humanity, making it well nigh impossible to carry your overpriced drink to the other side of the club intact. On New Year's Eve, the place was so over capacity that all I could do was stand in a corner by the upstairs bar with my friends and gaze wistfully down at the dj booth, wishing there was room to dance. In order to capitalize on what makes this club great, I would suggest avoiding the really big ticket shows and headliners. In my experience trance shows tend to attract a more mellow crowd, and there are plenty of dj's outside of the mega-mainstream acts that bring great energy to the dance floor. Pacha when it's not that crowded is still pretty crowded, and when it's overcrowded it's a nightmare, so don't be worried that you're missing out on the most popular nights. The best strategy for enjoying yourself is to pre-game well with a group of friends then arrive before 12 to get in with minimal hassle. A night at Pacha done right, with the lights, the pounding speakers, and the dancing girls creates a fever dream that will have fans of electronic music dancing until the AM.

Unlike clubs that practically require that you buy bottle service, Pacha's doors are open to anyone willing to buy a ticket. As such, it's New York City's premiere place for true house music lovers. Yes, it's true; the side effects of a night at Pacha may include 'roided-up frat boys, extreme overcrowding, barely-legal girls sloppily handling their liquor. But New York's installation of the mainstay Ibiza nightclub lives up to its predecessor's music quality. Pacha consistently attracts the premier talent, and you're guaranteed at least two hours of non-mainstream, inventive electronic music. The club will sometimes remain open until 8 or 9 a.m. — and remember, bars must stop serving alcohol at 4 a.m. — so this is a sign of true passion for music. Likewise, leave friends who "listen to whatever's on the radio" at home. The top and basement floors will occasionally play Top 40 and hip hop, but there's no guarantee. Beat the crowds and high cover charges by avoiding nights with big-name headliners like Tiesto or Avicii. Pick a date in advance and check the website for guestlists that typically cost $10 and under for those 21 and over arriving before midnight. But always arrive early, especially in the winter. Coat check lines can span multiple floors and take more than an hour. Bar service also peaks between midnight and 1. Groups will often order large rounds of drinks and shots, and since headlining DJs usually take the decks around 1:30, watching the clock and ordering drinks accordingly is worthwhile. There's no need to raid your entire closet for the perfect outfit. Guys, nice jeans and a button-down will do. Leave the hat at home. Ladies have more freedom, but outfits should stray from the obnoxious side (drop the glowsticks and festival rave gear).

I remember when I first came to New York and heard about Pacha. It was supposed to be this great place with awesome DJs and dancing. Since I had heard so much about it, I decided to take my friends from out of town. The great part about Pacha is that people over 21 on the guest list can get in for free before midnight. However, one of my friends was 20 at the time and had to pay 30 dollars just for admission. Once we entered the club, it wasn't exactly packed, but there were a good amount of people. The lower level was a completely different story. Everyone was packed like sardines. Being a fan of house and dance music, I was a bit disappointed with the DJ downstairs. I just wasn't interested in dancing to the music he was playing, so my friends and i decided to go into another room called Pachita. This room plays top 40 and hip hop music. We had a lot more fun in this room and stayed there for the rest of the night. Pacha is a nice, big club, but the hype isn't all it's cracked up to be. All in all, I ended up having fun with my friends anyway!

My friends and I went to Pacha for Hardwell during Thanksgiving weekend. The line was around the entire block. We waited for an hour and when we finally got in, it was impossible to move and most importantly, impossible to dance. We kind of wanted to leave but could not because we could not move. But Hardwell's set was really good that day. I still would not return to Pacha if the tickets were sold out for the event. However, Pacha does organize a lot of EDM events with all the big-name DJs. That's why I still follow their calendar and receive email alerts from them. If you like EDM, you can look on the Pacha website for decent DJs and events!

As someone who's been to Pacha both in New York and Ibiza...holy crapola - what a difference! While I will give Pacha credit where credit is due, they book some of the best artists in the world, and have a great sound system, the space and the crowd resemble that of Ibiza about as much as a NYC rat resembles your pet dog. Don't get me wrong, I've had quite a few good times there but the Jersey Shore-esque crowd that chugs water and wears sunglasses if you catch my drift, makes it the kind of place I don't necessarily want to tell my friends I'm going to. On nights when they have huge name DJ's like Afrojack or David Guetta the dancefloor gets insanely packed to the point where you can't move no less dance, so if you have the means to reserve a table in the VIP behind the DJ booth do it.

If you think of a straight-up insane nightclub, you're thinking of somewhere like Pacha. This place is almost a caricature of a hot urban club. Where to begin? There's the long line, the insane velvet rope nonsense at its head, the pricey tickets and coat check, the stuffed black leather couches, the VIP shower booths where nude gorgeous women intermittently shower, the stripped poles in the VIP upstairs, the giant squid-like lighting rig, the overpriced drinks, and the thumping DJ sets. Anything I missed? Oh, and the crowd. They show up in stretch pink Hummers, wear tons of dragon embroidery and sequins, and have hair designed by Frankenstein. It's almost scary, this place, but if you're down with all of the above, have fun.

I decided to check this place out when I landed in the Big Apple to watch the US Open and a boy o boy I had an absolutely amazing time. The party went on for so long that I missed the first session of the tennis tournament as I couldn't wake up on time! You might find yourself waiting in a long line but it moves fast and you should be able to get in without waiting for too long however we had decided to buy tickets in advance which served as well since it was easier to get in with a lot less hassle. The place is massive with 2 floors of highly electrifying music and you will for sure be treated to one of the best DJ's from all across the world. However, expect to be crushed by the huge crowd that generally turns up at the main dance floor but luckily there are spots around the club in case you want to get a breather. One thing that hits you is the energy at the place and you will have an amazing time if you go with a group. The party kept going even until 4am (that was how much I could handle) before I bolted from there. If you are really into electronic music then you will absolutely adore this place and you will swear by it til you die. I had an awesome time here and I would recommend it to anyone looking to let their hair down and having a good time in the Big Apple.