Circus Disco

Was a «client» for over 30 years. It was a great place to «throw it down» as said. Lot’s of memories here. In the halcycon days it was the epicentre of amylnitrate and ground zero for electromama. Danced «sweaty hard» in a twirly spell, sauced, scantily clad and partied even harder (is this what I aspired to?)…soooo many memories. If the walls could talk. This was one of the best discos ever,
It’s not traditional of me to pay «homage» to a place that has closed, but I just had to.

Will miss Everyone here had some amazing times for the past 20 years met some great dancers and awesome DJs.
Don’t ever think there will be another club like Circus?

RIP Circus Disco and Arena! NYE was amazing!!! Many many fun years and LA nightlife will never be the same but glad I lived it! Will miss all the people that worked there as well. As of this week it has been undergoing demolition. but the Music keeps on playing on and on…

NOOOOOOOOOOO!
I drive by often and often see trucks outside at night, so it appeared to open but I guess I was massively mistaken Productions did shoot stuff here though at least during the day, so maybe that is what I was seeing?
Otherwise, I’ll always remember the blast I had here so long ago. Perhaps it’s best I never returned since I can’t top that night.
RIP, CD.

Many memories over the years at Circus Disco and Arena from the 1990’s thru 2015. I think about all great times, friends made, and those friends gone. Circus and Arena will be missed by many, including me.
Everything happens for a reason. Gene created a great place for everyone to belong. Cheers to him.

So my clubbing days are well over, like years ago; but of course I had to come and check it out before they close the doors forever. Circus Disco and the Arena are landmarks for anyone who ever clubbed in Los Angeles. The venue is huge, lots of different rooms with the main room hosting a stage and pop-​up bars. We came on a EDM night, not my kind of crowd but it was a night that all the «old school clubbers» got together to say one last goodbye. Had a great time, thanks for the memories Gene and good luck!

I will miss coming here every Saturday night like church. I met some great people over the years. It was such a great atmosphere to come get your grove on. Best of luck Gene!

Looooved the three different stages, the cool lasers at the mainstage, the many bars and ample restrooms! The outdoor area was great to hangout and chill, with crazy little statues and weird figurines… and oh! The entrance itself was all lit up with decorations! And you can’t forget the food truck outside either… only thing was that the location looked kinda shady and at first glance may be a bit scary. Oh, how I wish it wasn’t closing for good!

This place is okay, however I think the feel of this club is a little too outdated for my taste. The way the club is set up, it makes you feel like you’re lost. There are probably 4 – 5 rooms I believe, or maybe even more — but still, it’s just too much.
I commend them for having food trucks inside though, which is pretty convenient since there is nothing else around to eat. From a more objective perspective, I like that they they have multiple rooms because you don’t feel so bunched up in a room; and you at least have the option to dance to whatever type of music you want.
The bartenders are nice, and they do give in to your needs. Drinks are strong, and about 5 – 6 dollars and that VERY affordable compared to actual Weho. I think you would have fun if you go with a lot of people, however, for my personal taste this place is not the best to me. It’s just too outdated for me.

I love this place for two reasons: 1) chill/​nice bartenders 2) 4 dancefloors (huge place, different kinds of music). So, so much fun.

I don’t like this scene but dude this place was pretty fun. We went last night which was tuesday. They have two for one drinks till 11. They have 3 rooms, WEIRD CROWD and I mean weird like literally I feel like you would see your highschool teacher here.
Pretty cool spot.

Went here for a girls night with a couple friends, after leaving the Echo. As my first club experience, i thought this place was better than Echo. Much nicer place overall and better music. I enjoyed dancing here.

Went on a tuesday night, so there wasn’t too many people, but had a great time!
My roommate comes here all the time, so I came with him. There was a latin-​type drag queen show… host was hilarious! There are some super hot guy go-​go dancers (apparently they’re straight — yay!), which made for great eye candy.
I feel like this would be a great place to come and dance the night away.

I was here for a pole performance. The drinks were okay. Not too strong and $ 10 each. I asked for water and he pulled out two Sparkletts bottles and was going to charge me an arm and a leg for them.
I can’t speak to the venue on a normal clubbing night but it’s pretty spacious so I can only imagine that it’d be fun. I hear the area is kind of «jank» but that’s up to each person’s personal ideals.
I know this review is kind of pointless. I apologize.

Wow so this place is an interesting party joint… They sometimes bring in more food trucks than people it would seem (granted that is not true, just there are a ton of food trucks here), carnival rides, and lots of craziness on the dance floor.
So the last time I came here, there were about 15 food trucks allowing the dancers to grub as much as their cash would allow. You could get everything from tacos to some kinda fancy looking hot chocolate to who knows what all else.
On top of all the food trucks, they had a ferris wheel and a scrambler here… I am thinking what a great idea, lets get a bunch of people hammered off their azz, feed them and then toss them on the scrambler… I just hope they hose down the seats in between rides… Otherwise its kinda scary to think about.
I like the DJs spinning house, techno, edm etc. Some great tunes can be heard and grooved to while here. The dance floor is rather large and fun looking. There are not a ton of tables in the middle of the dance floor, but lined on the edges and not overly done as happens in many situations. Love that they have random laser shows. Definitely something to give it an extra boost of fun =)
Pro Tip: The self parking lot is only $ 6 so that is a good deal
They had at least four bars (1 outside and 3 inside) that I can remember =P However the well drinks start at $ 10 so we are looking at the typical overpriced dance club bar scene here. This tells me that you might be wise to preparty and drink outside before coming into the club to dance and party. Personally, this is something that I do for just about any club that I plan on going to. No one wants to pay for drinks at club prices, that is for sure.
Have you ever seen a nice restroom at a club? Well you wont see a nice one here. These infact may be inferior to a gas station bathroom. They are very weird in that they have mirrored walls next to the urnials/​toilets, but dont have other mirrors around anywhere.
Overall its a typical club with EDM music. If you like some funky nuances like the rides and or grub, this is what you need. I would go back, but only in a group of friends… Not a place I would head to solo…

Visited here on a Saturday night («Studio 54 West» disco night) in the company of my hair stylist/​dancing buddy/​friend (see my review for Krystal Salon to see how awesome he is!) and a group of his friends. This was my first visit to this disco and overall it’s a decent place to dance the night away. The DJ Robbie Leslie was great and kept the tunes rolling. It was explained to me that the typical Disco playlist would NOT be heard (no Bee Gee’s!) as this was REAL Disco that, according to my friend, started in the gay clubs in the very early seventies, way before Saturday Night Fever. And, sure enough, I only recognized one song the whole evening… and we danced from 10 pm straight until 2 am. It was cool to hear songs I’d never heard before in my life and to learn about what they meant to the gay community in an era when oppression was the norm. Very cool, actually.
DJ: ⁵⁄₅. Fantastic.
Lights/​sound/​fog/​wind: ⁴⁄₅. The light effects were decent, there was intermittent fog and the fans would start blowing randomly (which caused a couple of wardrobe malfunctions with my wraparound skirt but no one cared!). Sound system was great. I noticed that one of the disco balls was not revolving but the lasers were a nice touch.
Décor: ³⁄₅. The place could use a face-​lift. The floor outside is uneven in spots which makes it difficult if you’re wearing heels.
Drinks: ⁴⁄₅. Nothing special but pretty good. My g&t was heavy on the gin, light on the tonic.
Crowd: ⁴⁄₅. My advice is go with a group of people or a partner who likes to dance. People seem really intent on dancing. Very open and accepting crowd: I saw all ages, genders, orientations, body shapes, no judgement here! As a straight female, I noticed that most of the straight men in the crowd were there with their wives/​girlfriends.
Money: ⁴⁄₅. The cover on Saturday nights is $ 20. On Fridays, they have a deal where if you text them, you can get in free. Drinks: $ 9 for a pretty large drink.
Parking: If you get there early, you can self-​park for $ 6, which is what I did. Don’t know how much valet is but it is available.
Food:? I came to dance, not eat. Maybe next time!
Overall, if you’re into dancing, I would recommend this spot. While $ 20 seems a bit steep to cheap me, it broke down to $ 5/​hour for the evening. Not bad for lots of fun and an awesome aerobic work-​out!

I was expecting my night to end up playing Fast and Furious on the 405/​101, dodging the Hollywood wannbees on B-​vard, evading the po-​po at every corner, the parking lot full and ending up wasting 60 minutes for street parking, waiting in a long line with pretentious people, and ending my night with a towed car and a (Santa Monica) Boulevard of broken dreams.
Luckily, none of that happened and in fact I was super impressed with the place. I did go for a concert, so this review is based on the building itself. The first thing that has it going is the parking. I can’t stress enough how important a parking lot is! Very cheap $ 6 and even an option for valet. The attendants were very nice as well. Security was visible but not threatening.
The venue itself is HUGE. You walk in to the main floor that just goes on forever. There is a ramp left and right that goes to the upper floor complete. The bar is fully stocked and bartenders were super nice, even giving me free water when I was burning up the dance floor. Bathroom was squeaky clean too. Everyone there were cool and I had no problems at all during and after. I would totally recommend coming here for an event!

Circus Disco is a chill, edm-​friendly club. Just to be clear, this isn’t anything like Belasco or Exchange. It’s more like a chill, underground warehouse party type feel. I used to come here often to check out many DJs that I have never seen. The tickets are fairly cheap; usually about $ 25. The club doesn’t have strict dress code so girls can go in with tshirt and jeans and a flip flop for all they care! Love the jolly security guard who’s at the door. He always gives everyone a big smile and a hug (and a fist bump for the guys).
I also really like their bartenders Thomas & Ernesto. Thomas is super friendly and sweet and Ernesto makes this bomb drink called «Grateful Dead». Caution: this drink is yummy but deadly. It’ll get you more than fucked up if you consume three or more. Trust me, you’ve been warned!
PS. There are hotdog stands that’s inside and outside Circus. They sell bacon wrapped hot dogs (our friends and I call it dirty dogs cuz it’s street food) and it tastes SO GOOD especially as drunk munchies. Do yourself a favor and grab one after circus.

Ok, so me and my friends decided to come on a Saturday, which was a mistake!!! We paid $ 15 and that was because we RSVP’d and got on guest list. We arrived at 10:30 pm and usually the lines are long and the place is packed, but not this time. The place was empty, and it wasn’t the usual crowd. No one was dancing, everyone was just standing around. So disappointed and so not worth the $ 15. The only thing great was the DJ and the laser lights!
Don’t get me wrong I love Circus on Friday nights when all my wonderful gay friends are out in numbers and everyone is dancing and having the greatest time ever!!! I mean we should have saved our money and got it free at Arena (on the same lot) and had tons of fun.
I can’t give this place less than 4 stars because we had a not so fun night. But from now on we will only be coming on Friday nights. And get on the list so you can receive free texts for free admission on Fridays at Circus and Saturdays at Arena!!!

A place to get your dance on… casual wear, $ 15-​$ 25 admission, awesome screens, lights and lots of room. MUSIC AND DANCE — I’m sold!
Pretty much a mini rave.
It is a down place. A place for people who are down for music and dance. If you’re not, get the heck out cause you’ll probably just be a hater. The night depends on the DJ, so check them up and know who to come for.
Not sure if this is the place to really meet much people. Its definitely a great time with friends. Drinks are cheaper than any other club I know of…$ 10 henny shots, include soda/​drink. Outdoor patio with bar and food. They have their own taco/​hot dog stand!!! How awesome could this place get?!
Two sets of bathrooms. One in back and one in the front of building.
Parking: Street (free).
Don’t get confused. The Gay Lounge/​Club is next door on the street front. Circus Disco is in the back. Saturday night is straight nights, Fridays I think are Gay nights according to the website.