Location: Valinhos, Brazil
Capacity: 5,000
Laroc Club is nestled in the rolling green hills of Valinhos, about an hour outside of São Paulo. It is a stunning open-air venue with a vast pool, some beautiful architecture (the design of which is changed on a regular basis, with new lights added in the last 12 months) and boasts brilliant views. It has just one main stage, a quality L’accoustic system and hosts 5,000 party people.
Part of the appeal of the club is that is kicks off the party mid-afternoon and invites DJs to start early and play as the sun sets into the hills. That obviously makes for some pretty special moments, and in the last year the international likes of Kölsch, Armin van Buuren and Solomun have all played, Elrow have rolled into town with their colourful production, and Brazilian superstars like ALOK and Vintage Culture have also headlined.
“We party just once in a month, so every opening is special,” says the club’s Mario Sergio Albuquerque. “But our most important nights are carnival and our anniversary in October.” Now four years old, the club prides itself on residents Cajun and Viktor Mora, who really know the crowd and can open, close or play in the middle of the headliners, and always serve up the goods — just another reason Laroc is so revered.