Los Angeles Nightlife (2026): Best Nights and Peak Hours by Area

When Los Angeles nightlife gets busy, night by night. BestTime forecasts.

Night by night

Busyness is a percentage of each venue's own weekly peak (100%), not a head count, and the peak hour shows when the average venue is fullest.

Los Angeles builds steadily and then drops fast. On Saturday the average venue is at 45% at 6 PM, 60% at 8 PM and 75% at 10 PM. It falls to 50% by midnight and to 5% at 2 AM.

Friday and Saturday look almost the same, but they split the venues. 42% of venues have their busiest night on Saturday and 34% on Friday. Saturday holds on slightly longer: at 1 AM on Saturday night it is at 35%, against 30% on Friday night.

Weeknights run earlier. From Monday to Thursday the peak sits at 9 PM, and Sunday peaks at 7 PM and 8 PM. Thursday stands out among weeknights, with 35% of venues lively against 14% on Monday.

Night by night at a glance

• Monday: peaks from 7 PM to 9 PM (35%), averaging 20%, with 14% of venues lively.
• Tuesday: peaks from 7 PM to 9 PM (40%), averaging 25%, with 28% of venues lively.
• Wednesday: peaks at 8 PM and 9 PM (45%), averaging 25%, with 24% of venues lively.
• Thursday: peaks at 9 PM (50%), averaging 30%, with 35% of venues lively.
• Friday: peaks at 10 PM (75%), averaging 45%, with 86% of venues lively.
• Saturday: peaks at 10 PM (75%), averaging 45%, with 86% of venues lively.
• Sunday: peaks at 7 PM and 8 PM (40%), averaging 25%, with 24% of venues lively.

Neighborhoods

Hollywood

Hollywood's nightlife centres on Hollywood Boulevard and Cahuenga Boulevard. Its 13 venues are busiest on Saturday and equally quiet on Monday and Sunday. Friday peaks at 10 PM and 11 PM, and Saturday at 11 PM. That is later than the city-wide 10 PM weekend peak. Thursday is the busiest weeknight, and 23% of venues have their busiest night on Thursday, the same share as Friday.

Jameson's Irish Pub, an Irish pub on Hollywood Boulevard, peaks on Saturday at 11 PM and is at 95% at 11 PM on Friday. Scum and Villainy Cantina, a Star Wars-themed bar, peaks on Saturday at 10 PM. Hotel Cafe, an intimate singer-songwriter venue off Cahuenga Boulevard, peaks earlier, on Saturday at 9 PM.

Jameson's Irish Pub:

Hotel Cafe:

WeHo Rainbow District

Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood is one of LA's best-known LGBTQ+ nightlife strips. Its 12 venues are busiest on Saturday and quietest on Monday. Friday and Saturday both peak at 11 PM. This is a Saturday area: 75% of its venues have their busiest night on Saturday, and 92% are lively on Friday and Saturday.

The Abbey Food & Bar, a gay bar and restaurant on Robertson Boulevard, peaks on Saturday at 11 PM. So do Micky's Weho, a gay bar and nightclub, and TomTom Restaurant & Bar. On weeknights these stay low: TomTom reaches only 10% late on Monday to Thursday.

The Abbey Food & Bar:

Micky's Weho:

Sunset Strip

The Sunset Strip is known for rock clubs and hotel bars. Its 5 venues are busiest on Friday and quietest on Tuesday. Friday and Saturday both peak at 11 PM. Every venue here is lively on a Friday, and 80% have Friday as their busiest night. Wednesday is its busiest weeknight.

State Social House, a restaurant and lounge, peaks on Friday at 10 PM. White Rabbit Sky Lounge peaks on Friday at 11 PM but is at 45% at that hour on Saturday. The Backroom peaks on Saturday at 11 PM.

The Backroom:

NoHo Arts District

North Hollywood's 6 venues are busiest on Saturday and quietest on Monday. Friday peaks at 10 PM and 11 PM, and Saturday at 10 PM. 83% of venues have Saturday as their busiest night.

Mr Furley's Billiards Room peaks on Friday at 11 PM. Skinny's Lounge, a lounge bar on Lankershim Boulevard, peaks on Saturday at 11 PM. Player One, a video game-themed bar, peaks on Friday at 10 PM.

Skinny's Lounge:

Sherman Oaks

Sherman Oaks has a neighbourhood bar scene along Ventura Boulevard. Its 5 venues are busiest on Friday and quietest on Sunday. Its weekend peaks come early: Friday peaks at 9 PM, and Saturday from 7 PM to 9 PM. Monday is unusual, with 40% of venues lively.

Tipsy Cow peaks on Friday at 8 PM. Mr. Furley's Bar, on Ventura Boulevard, peaks on Saturday at 11 PM. The Barrel Tavern has its busiest hour on Monday at 10 PM.

The Barrel Tavern:

Lively on a weeknight

The number here is how close a venue gets to its own peak late on Monday to Thursday, on average.

The Woods, a cabin-themed cocktail bar on La Brea Avenue, leads with 75%. It peaks on Friday at 9 PM.

The Baked Potato, a jazz and fusion club on Cahuenga Boulevard open since 1970, reaches 70%. It peaks on Saturday at 9 PM.

The Fox and Hounds, El Carmen and The Palm & The Pine also reach 70%. El Carmen has its busiest hour on Tuesday at 10 PM, and The Palm & The Pine on Wednesday at 9 PM.

El Carmen:

The Palm & The Pine:

Busiest at 11 PM on a Friday

These five venues are at 100% of their own peak at 11 PM on Friday: State Social House, Mr Furley's Billiards Room, Surly Goat, Residuals Tavern and The Snug.

State Social House:

Mr Furley's Billiards Room:

The Snug is a Friday venue: it drops to 55% at 11 PM on Saturday. Mr Furley's Billiards Room stays at 95% then.

Clubs

We analysed 17 venues listed as clubs. They peak at 11 PM on Friday and Saturday, an hour later than the average venue at the weekend. On Wednesday and Thursday they peak at 10 PM and 11 PM. Saturday averages 40% against 35% on Friday, with 82% of clubs lively on both. 41% have Saturday as their busiest night and 35% Friday. Monday is the quietest, with no club lively.

Whisky a Go Go peaks on Friday at 10 PM and is at 95% at 11 PM on Saturday.

AVALON Hollywood & Bardot peaks on Friday at 11 PM and shows no measurable visits late on weeknights, so plan it for the weekend.

AVALON Hollywood & Bardot:

Tips

• Arrive by 8 PM on a weekend for the build-up. The average venue goes from 60% at 8 PM to 75% at 10 PM.
• Start in Sherman Oaks and end in WeHo. Sherman Oaks peaks at 9 PM on Friday, the Rainbow District at 11 PM.
• Choose Friday for the Sunset Strip and Saturday for WeHo and NoHo, matching where most venues peak.
• In the Valley, try Monday: 40% of Sherman Oaks venues are lively that night.
• Do not plan on a late finish. At 2 AM the average venue is at 5% on Friday and Saturday nights.

How we measured

These numbers are BestTime forecasts, built from anonymized, aggregated phone location data combined with real-world signals such as weather, events and holidays. Busyness is a percentage of each venue's own busiest hour of the week (100%), not a head count or capacity. Nights run from 6 AM to 5 AM, so 1 AM on Saturday morning counts as Friday night. The forecasts describe a typical week and do not cover seasons, holidays, special events or door queues. Read more about how the forecasts work.

Next steps

• Find busy bars tonight in the free Los Angeles bar guide.
• Check when clubs fill up in the free Los Angeles nightclub guide.
• Learn how to see if a bar or club is busy before you go.
• Browse all busy times guides.