SideTrax, a night club being built on top of Hot Rod’s near 20th and K streets, is now on pace for a Labor Day weekend opening, and an innovative membership program may be the key to allowing 18- to 20-year-olds access despite the club having a full bar. The venue was initially scheduled to open last spring, but the date had to be pushed back due to construction delays involving design changes and the addition of an extensive patio. Owner T.J. Bruce said the club will accommodate about 300 people in a cigar bar-meets-urban lounge setting with high-quality sound and lighting systems. Bruce also owns nearby Lavender Heights night spots The Depot and Badlands, and he said SideTrax will app

Sacramento is coming alive this weekend for St. Patrick's Day! To build upon the great round-up of events included in this article, here are a few more to consider for this Saturday. Block Parties & Pub Parties: -St. Paddy's R Street Pub Crawl: R Street Corridor (14th-15th Streets), Sat Noon-1am Come celebrate St. Paddy's Day at your favorite R District bars: R15 Bar, Ace of Spades, Burgers & Brew, and the Shady Lady. Enjoy a performance by The Cheeseballs, drink specials, and Irish grub at all locations. -St. Paddy's in The Sutter District: The Sutter District, Sat Noon-1am Come celebrate St. Patrick's Day at your favorite Sutter District bars: Ink Eats & Drinks, Blue Cue, BarWest, Mon

Not only does this weekend hold the majority of Sacramento's Mardi Gras events (Mardi Gras is officially Tuesday, February 21 this year), it is also a three-day-er for many, given Monday's Presidents' Day Holiday. If your weekend's not already action-packed, or if you're looking to add a little bit more to your plate, here are a few viable options. If you're the type to get up and dance, head to The Park Ultra Lounge for their Mardi Gras Weekend Celebration, featuring two nights of decorations, masks, and beads galore. Friday night features DJ Scene and Saturday celebrates the 150th Anniversary of Bacardi Rum. If you prefer to hop around from spot to spot, there are two great pub crawls

Can you belive 2011 is practically over? New Year's Eve is this Saturday and if you're still searching for plans, we here at Sacramento365.com have gathered up some activities for you. If you're looking for a great, family friendly New Year's Eve experience, complete with fireworks, be sure to head to Old Sac for the New Year's Eve Sky Spectacular. But, for those of you who are looking for some adult celebrations--no kids allowed--here're a few options to greet 2012 (see even more in our Top 10 & Holiday Event Section). Sacramento nightlife is kickin'! 1. New Year's 2012 Bash with Mickey Avalon: Ace of Spades, 7pm Hailing from Hollywood, Mickey Avalon is known to the world as one of the

The R Street streetscape improvement project that broke ground in 2010 finished in the fall, and several other changes to the R Street corridor signal it as an up-and-coming district heading into 2012, with more improvements on the way. Improvements to R Street between 10th and 13th streets came in at less than the allotted funding, allowing the city to add a few more amenities, including 13 more benches for pedestrians. Other improvements included creating uniform sidewalks, new pavement and new streetlights. Rail lines were left in place in a nod to the area’s history. The construction stayed on schedule, coming to a close in the fall. Completion of the first phase is just one step i

Years ago when our kids were young, my wife would set their alarm to play Toad the Wet Sprocket’s CD “Fear.” Every morning I was treated to the song “Walk on the Ocean.” Some mornings I would hear just the beginning chorus, and other mornings I’d hear the entire CD. Those were the bad days – not to say the music was bad, but the kids just wouldn’t get their butts out of bed. Well, the kids are all grown up now and in their 20s. Don’t ask me for their exact age. I’m not wired that way. So it was quite a delight to take a couple of them over to Harlow’s in Sacramento to see Toad the Wet Sprocket on Thursday. Seeing the two of them watching the band that started their day, every day as kids,

Sacramento, CA | Friends were saying good-bye for the evening downtown when shots rang out and two people were injured. As friends were enjoying the wonderful evening air outside Capitol Garage early Saturday morning and getting ready to part ways, a black male wearing a hoody walked by and shot into the crowed, per Sargent Wendy Brown of the Sacramento Police Department. Brown stated that two women were struck by the shooters bullets. One sustained a significant gunshot wound to the leg while the other woman was grazed in the leg. They were transported to the hospital via paramedics. “We are assuming the women were not the intended targets. There were no problems going on at the club,”

What do you get when you mix drink specials and poker chips? Tipsy Tokens, founded in Sacramento in 2011, is similar to the concept of Groupon, but focuses its promotions on local bars and nightclubs. What sets Tipsy Tokens apart from the other coupon sites is its social focus, co-founder Robert Cima said. “Though you’re purchasing something online, there’s a social aspect involved. There are reps on-site at the event checking people in and making sure everyone is having a good time. Also, you’re provided something physical: Tipsy Tokens. These tokens are colorful poker chips with the company logo on them used for buying drinks and playing games.” According to Cima, the project began ab

Human Soup: the mixture of dancing bodies, exhausted deodorant, sweat and frenetic stirred lovingly by an artisan DJ that is the signature of any good dance club experience… Entering the District 30 on Thursday night the usual early-evening club atmosphere presented itself as the crowd milled around the bar, ordering drinks and preening in the see-and-be-seen milleu of Sacramento’s newest trendy nightclub. Local spinner DJ Benji worked the booth in anticipation of the headlining act, coaxing people on to the dance floor with a selection of club-friendly hits. At first, patrons’ directed their focus on the bar with the exception of a few intrepid girls dancing it up on the floor. Although

The Dive Bar is the last of three new businesses on K St. to have its sign completed. The sign maker put the finishing touches on it early this evening. Pizza Rock and District 30 signs are up and the trio are on track to open on or before Jan. 1, 2011. Crest Theatre's marque is reflected in the glass. For more info on these businesses, CLICK HERE>>> . SacPress Photo | Kati Garner

After having their opening date pushed back, the three establishments on the 1000 block of K Street are on track to open by New Year’s, if not before then. “We think we can have them open before Christmas,” said Russ Conley, superintendent for Terra Nova industries. Conley said power has been supplied to the three businesses and that working with SMUD was a breeze. Construction was delayed due to an unstable electrical vault under the property. The three business concepts include a "mermaid bar," a gourmet pizza restaurant with acrobatic pizza tossers and a high-end, over-30 dance club to further develop K Street Mall into an entertainment district and to bring people from as far away

WOW! AMAZING! Cafe Americain is incredible! I stumbled upon this restaurant while I was looking for a venue to hold my yearly Halloween Vampire Ball. I could not have found a better place anywhere. I'll start with my food experience: WOW! I sat down at the beautiful antique bar when a lovely bartender, Chelsea, greeted me and asked me if I'd like to try the Caviar & Champagne Special ($10.00). I was feeling adventurous since I had never actually had Caviar before. WOW! It was smooth, not too salty, just the right amount of snap, and laid upon a little baked pastry with creme fresh. There was also a buttery pancake type of Bellini that had delicious caviar & creme fresh all wrapped up wit

Close to 125 people packed The Park Ultra Lounge's outdoor patio Thursday night to watch models showcase the styles of the Lush and Spanish Fly salons. Ten models walked a runway parallel to a lengthy fire pit during the opening night of the third-annual Hair Wars competition. Co-hosted by The Park and "Sactown Magazine," the competition will feature two salons every Thursday through June 10 competing to enter a final round. The first place winner will receive a full page ad in "Sactown Magazine" valued at $3,000 and the second place winner will receive a $500 gift certificate to The Park Downtown/Cafeteria 15L. Spanish Fly and Lush are under the same ownership and coordinated together f

It's hard to describe the sensory overload: Cologne, body odor, marijuana. Flashing lights, minor skirmishes barely contained by dozens of bouncers. Not unsafe, but too much "swagger" and body heat. Why would Grammy-nominated rapper Fabolous want to perform at a nightclub instead of a larger venue for his first visit to Sacramento? Why would hundreds hang out in a less-than-savory atmosphere until after midnight to welcome Fabolous? It's hard to recall why much of Thursday night, or early Friday was unique, but it's clear that when Brooklyn rapper Fabolous talks, it makes you want to party. "F-a-b-o-l-o-u-s," as he refers to himself, rocked a mostly-drunk dance party at Azukar, performin

The other day I was talking with some friends who were concerned about new nightclubs being planned in Sacramento. One of us remarked that we may crossed a line with too many "top 40 playing" nightclubs and not enough patrons. Many current restaurant and nightclub owners are already concerned that we have reached our limit. On The Sacramento Press there has been plenty of discussion about nightlife in the central city: here, here, and here. Many local residents in conversations on the site point out that diversity is the real problem. Nightlife should not mean the same club, the same music, more and more alcohol. Perhaps we have reached the limit for one kind of nightlife but not anothe