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DJ Mag Top100 Clubs
3
Echostage
1

Location: Washington D.C., USA 
Capacity: 3,000 

echostage.com

Eye-catching lasers, cryo-jets, confetti cannons, a d&b audiotechnik V-Series audio system and sprawling, high-resolution LED walls sound like the trappings of a festival main stage — but there’s one East Coast venue that has all this fanfare and more packed inside. This epicentre of entertainment is known as Echostage, and at 30,000 square-feet, it’s Washington, D.C.’s largest nightlife venue. 

Established in 2012 by GLOW (the District of Columbia’s longest-running electronic music promotions company), Echostage rose to prominence during the height of America’s EDM boom, and has been delivering top-notch nightlife experiences to a wide range of music lovers ever since. In the past year, both live acts and headlining DJs like Black Coffee, Skrillex, Illenium, FISHER, Martin Garrix and DJ Diesel (aka Shaquille O’Neal) have filled the main room to its 3,000-person capacity, blasting their hits across Echostage’s newly upgraded four-channel D80 amplifiers. These rattling badboys produce upwards of 48,000 watts of sound, sending fans’ eardrums on an auditory adventure they’re unlikely to forget. 

However, it’s not just the bumping soundsystem that makes this warehouse-inspired behemoth tower above the rest. Echostage’s designers have always strived to deliver the full multi-sensory experience to the club's tens of thousands of annual attendees. This is accomplished in part thanks to the expertly designed layout, which includes two 60-foot bars that flank the dancefloor. Either in line for a frosty brew, or perched near the railing of its spacious VIP mezzanine, Echostage audience members can expect to catch unmatched views as the club’s unobstructed sightlines ensure that there’s no wrong way to indulge in the visual feast that sits at the head of Echostage’s ever-packed dancefloors. 

In 2017, Echostage called upon its most technologically savvy enthusiasts to design a backlit LED wall in a contest that saw one lucky innovator take home $2,500 and leave a lasting legacy installed within the hallowed space. Last year, Echostage introduced a brand new state-of-the-art, 16x30-foot LED addition, fulfilling a goal to always remain on the cutting edge of production. 

After the first year in action, Echostage cracked DJ Mag’s Top 100 Clubs poll, entering in the 38th position in 2013. Since that hot debut, the hybrid live concert venue/nightclub has continued to steadily climb the ranks. In 2019, Echostage dethroned Ibiza institution Ushuaïa from its No.2 stronghold, making it the highest ranked North American venue yet. And in 2020, Echostage holds onto a place in the top three, while securing the highest North American club gong for the fourth year in a row. “We are grateful to the dedicated fans who take the time to attend our shows every week and look forward to an exciting year,” GLOW's CEO, Pete Kalamoutsos, tells DJ Mag.