Nearly every kind of after-dark entertainment can be found in Detroit. In fact, the city is fast becoming known as the dance-music capital of the world: People flock there each May to hear local DJs spin and scratch at the Movement Festival. The rest of the year, however, the action tends to be spread out, so you may have to do some significant driving across the metro area to find what you're after. But there's a range of music (jazz, blues, rock and folk) as well as dance clubs, comedy clubs and casinos.
The liveliest centers for nightlife are strung along Woodward Avenue, but don't plan on hitting more than one or two in a single evening: They are quite a distance apart. Close to downtown, in the Theater District (near the Fox Theatre), you'll find the State Theater dance club as well as some lower-key bars. A few dance clubs have sprouted up in downtown and in some of the suburbs: Places such as Bleu cater to an upscale, edgy dance crowd. A half-hour drive north is the town of Ferndale (if you travel Woodward Avenue to get there from downtown, you'll pass through Highland Park and some other run-down areas—taking Interstate 75 may be a better option). Ferndale is home to the Magic Bag movie theater and nightclub, a mix of Irish bars, a brewpub and several dance hot spots, including Boogie Fever and Bosco.
Just north of Ferndale is Royal Oak, with one of the most comprehensive and popular downtowns in metropolitan Detroit: Detour onto Main Street to find the center of the action. Choices include Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle, several hip coffeehouses and some run-of-the-mill bars that do brisk business on the weekends. But the best entertainment in Royal Oak may be the parade of extroverts who jam the streets and sidewalks on Friday and Saturday nights.
Alcohol can't be sold after 2 am in Michigan nightspots. Most of them close at that time, although a few remain open until 4 am on weekends.
