Skip to content
BusinessesGrow
9:30 Club, Washington, DC

Photo: Rock & roll is not dead, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

NightlifeIconicDate Night

9:30 Club

815 V St NW · Washington, DC

Why you should go…

The 9:30 Club opened in 1980 at 930 F Street NW, the address that gave it its name, and moved to this V Street building in 1996. Shows are general admission and standing room, with a few first-come bar stools in the balcony. The stage sits on rails and can be rolled forward or back to fit the crowd. Shows are all ages unless posted otherwise, and you can get tacos and quesadillas at the food stand along with drinks from four full bars and a coffee bar.

  • #live music
  • #concert venue
  • #nightclub
  • #all ages shows

Good to know

General nightlife guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Doors, showtime, last call

    Three different times, and only one of them is usually on the poster. Check all three.

  • Covers and minimums are normal

    Weekend nights often carry a door charge or a per-person minimum, especially for table seating.

  • Bring ID either way

    Age policies shift by night and by room, so carry it even if you have not been asked in years.

  • Weeknights show the room properly

    Quieter nights are the ones where you can actually hear the band and find a seat.

What's around here?

The closest stops to 9:30 Club, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Eat & Drink
    Foodie Favorite

    Ben's Chili Bowl

    Under $25

    Order a chili half-smoke, chili cheese fries and a milkshake at the counter of the U Street diner Ben and Virginia Ali opened in 1958.

    0.3 mi awaySwitch it up: Eat & Drink

  • Nightlife
    Free

    Adams Morgan

    Free

    Bar-hop, eat and browse vintage and record shops along 18th Street and Columbia Road, lined with rowhouses and murals.

    1.1 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    Local Gem

    Dupont Circle

    Free

    Sit by the marble fountain, watch a chess game and explore the galleries and embassies around this traffic circle park.

    1.2 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Museums
    Date Night

    The Phillips Collection

    Under $25

    See Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party and the Rothko Room in a Dupont Circle house museum.

    1.3 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Attractions
    Family Favorite

    Capital One Arena

    $50+

    Catch Capitals hockey, Wizards basketball, Georgetown games and big concert tours at this downtown arena in Chinatown.

    1.4 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Museums
    Rainy-Day Pick

    Smithsonian American Art Museum

    Free

    Browse American art from the colonial era to today, watch conservators at work, and wander thousands of objects in open storage.

    1.4 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums