Hakkasan Nightclub

A sky of triangles over the dance floor

The Hakkasan Grid is not an ornament: it is the gesture that defines Hakkasan Nightclub. Fifty-seven 1.2-meter triangles, 3D-printed and moved by 169 Kinetic Lights motors from Berlin, form a piece about nine meters wide and weighing over five tons that, since 2019, has been presented as the largest permanent kinetic light installation in the United States. It hangs over the MGM Grand dance floor, changing shape and color with the set and placing the DJ booth under a ceiling that is rewritten every night.

From the West End to the site of Studio 54

The venue opened to the public on April 18, 2013, with deadmau5, in the space that Studio 54 had occupied at the MGM Grand until 2012. Hakkasan, a Cantonese brand born in Hanway Place by Alan Yau, partnered with Angel Management Group to build a five-story, 7,400 m² complex: restaurant downstairs, nightclub upstairs, overlooking the Strip. Today it is operated by Tao Group Hospitality. The interior starts with the brand's chinoiserie—latticework, marble, a blue that runs through the dining room—and intensifies as you go up. Level 3 Club and Level 3 Lounge, the main room of about 930 m², the Pavilion—an oriental garden, two-level fountain, and retractable wall—and a VIP mezzanine with Sky Booth boxes make up four dance floor environments with a capacity of up to 3,900 people.

The superclub that signed the Top 100

The bet in the early years was an EDM megaclub: residencies by Tiësto, Calvin Harris, Hardwell, Steve Aoki, Afrojack, and NERVO. In the DJ Mag Top 100 Clubs, Hakkasan debuted at number 10 in 2014—the best premiere for a new club until then—rose to 3 in 2015, and remained at 7 in 2016. The dance floor was calibrated for that circuit: Turbosound Flex Array PA by Audiotek, L-Acoustics KARA monitors, and an Absen LED canvas that wraps around the booth, wall, and ceiling. The Pavilion can be joined to the main room or function as an autonomous club, with its own booth and screens.

From Wednesday to Saturday under the same Grid

More than a decade later, the venue opens from Wednesday to Saturday, from 10:30 PM to 4:00 AM. In 2025, DJ Mag ranked it 58th, with names like Chris Lake, Steve Aoki, and Tyga. Downstairs, the Cantonese restaurant remains; upstairs, the megaclub that was born to compete on the Strip and still concentrates electronic music, hip hop, and pop under the same kinetic ceiling.