Clark University - Nightlife

Mint is a newer bar and nightclub that features live DJs Thursday through Saturday. Thereare elevated lounge areas and a dance floor. It's open every night until 2 a.m.

Only a few years ago, Voodoo was nowhere near the thugged-out, ghetto image that it currently portrays. In fact, it used to be Amen, Worcester’s only gay bar. Then it came under new ownership and was changed to the Art Bar (notice the Web site address). It was promoted as less of a gay-friendly haven and more of a karaoke, come-here-to-chill bar. That path didn’t prove to garnish much attention for the venue, so the format has once again been changed, and it is straight up gangsta! Or, at least that is what they would have you believe. Check out Voodoo if you’re into the grimier side of hip-hop and/or don’t mind listening to the 50 Cent album being played back to front. Voodoo does boast a very large VIP section that overlooks the dance floor and has its own private bar. However, the drinks can be very expensive.

Red1888, a.k.a. Club Red, is decked out in, well, red. Red drapes on the walls, red carpets, and red lights give it a pretty nice atmosphere that invokes a calm, sexy mood, which is in stark contrast to the loud, flashy clubs down the street. Red is a favorite hangout among many international Clark students, and a lot of them have the hookup when it comes to getting in and drinking for free. The age is 21-and-over and they are pretty strict on IDs, but the $4 tequila shots are massive. Even though Club Red is within walking distance of the other popular Worcester clubs, most people stay until closing once they arrive.

The Atrium complex boasts no less than five separate rooms. JJ Juggs is the sports bar potion of the complex, serving wings and burgers, and contains over 20 TVs. My Martini is made to be more of an upscale, quieter, relaxing part of the club where people can come together to talk to each other. The Function Room is exactly that, and it is only open to those who rent it. The most popular parts of the club are the Jail House and the Courtyard. The Jail House is said to be “an authentic, historic jailhouse,” but the girls swinging from its bars are probably not contemplating the structure’s origins. The Courtyard lies under a retractable roof that opens and closes depending on the weather. In summer, you get to dance under the stars and have a nice cool place to move around. In the winter, well, in the winter, you have another room to go to. The Atrium is a popular spot, and it is one of the few clubs in Worcester to keep its same name and location for more than a handful of years.

The recently relocated Sh-Booms contains three rooms. The first is called Plum Crazy, and it serves as the classic rock-music-mix-tape bar. The glass window out front is decorated with a huge picture of Jack Nicholson from The Shining. Next comes the club’s namesake. This room mixes things up a bit by playing top 40, hip-hop, rock, and various high energy tunes. Home to the largest open dance floor in the building, and its little-bit-of-everything style, Sh-Booms is where you will find the most mixed crowd in terms of age, race, and taste. Last in line is Déjà vu, the quintessential “back room” of the club. Déjà Vu is dimly-lit, often packed to capacity with people, and plays only hip-hop and reggae. From the walls of the room hang large plasma screen TVs, which play the music video for the song being played. Déjà Vu is often the most popular room in the club because it plays the most recent music. When all things are combined, Sh-Booms club, as a whole, has something for everyone’s taste.

Bender's used to be the Foo Bar, which was a student favorite.

Doherty’s is one of many quintessential Irish bars in Worcester. It’s laid-back, no dancing, tiny, and intimate. People go there when barhopping, but only a small niche of people make it their favorite spot.

Irish Times is actually off of the strip mentioned earlier. It is located downtown near the club area of the city. It is listed here because Clark likes to hold some of its senior week events at this place. Irish Times has two floors, one for acoustic performances and hanging out, and the other for dancing. A lot of people find it to be a pretty good place to hang out, but the drinks can get very expensive. It wouldn’t be uncommon to find yourself paying $9 for a car bomb and $10 for a long island iced tea before the end of the night.

Kicking off the Park Avenue strip is On The Rocks. Roughly a mile from campus, it isn’t hard to reach if you take the escort van and hoof it the rest of the way. However, the effort would be wasted as the place is almost always empty. First, it is very small, with half of the space that could be used for dancing taken up with furniture that can only fit a few people. Next, it seems to be dead 90 percent of the time. However, it is always open, so if you have run out of ideas for the evening and want to get away (but not too far), then head down to On The Rocks.

Mahoney’s is very similar to Doherty’s. It’s a laid-back, Irish bar. It has a pool table and cheap pitchers, which make it a good place to start off the night, especially if you don’t feel like taking the hike down to Leitrim’s.

The Blarney has a decent amount of space, a pool table, and a dart board. It is usually the place to find any Clarkie that isn’t dancing at the Foo. The Blarney gets packed to the brim most weekends and especially around Sox games. It’s a good place to chill with friends, sit and talk, and enjoy the $5 pitchers of Killian’s. It also has free popcorn! The Blarney is open all the time, and if you ever find yourself working around Worcester in the summer, you will find that Clark students continue to make it their preferred watering hole.

The fun begins at Leitrim’s. This place gets so packed some nights that you could lose your friends in the same room, and it isn’t even that big of a place! There is a pool table and a separate back room that people can use for dancing. Mardi Gras nights are thrown weekly, and guys are given one set of beads each as they enter. Girls can then win prizes by collecting as many beads as they can from the guys through whatever means necessary. The prizes can be redeemed at any time, so make sure you save up enough for that sweet Leitrim’s T-shirt! Leitrim’s is right across from On The Rocks.

Typical bar, but they call it a saloon. It’s college night every Thursday, so a lot of students are there.

Foo Bar is now open to the 18-and-over crowd on Thursdays, and between Sh-Booms, Atrium, and Voodoo, one could be out partying on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, as well. Otherwise, you are left with movies, dorm parties, off-campus parties, and the usual Clark routine of wandering around looking for something to do. If you are into coffee and acoustic performances, you could check out Acoustic Java or Java Hut.