Nightlife in Long Beach

Rihanna, Shania Twain, Mumford & Sons, and Elton John. That's not from the playlist of an indecisive radio DJ—it's from the song list at Radio Star Karaoke, which boasts more than 28,000 English and Spanish tunes. Visitors belt out melodies from nine private rooms, the biggest of which can fit up to 40 singers. Bolder singers exercise their pipes on the stage of the ultra-modern bar area, decked out with translucent plastic chairs illuminated by multicolored, club-style lighting. Dots of laser light flit across the entire space, framing wrap-around couches and flat-screen TVs. In the front hallway, a museum of vintage microphones and RCA Victor radios is on display to inspire singers. Fueling the festivities, which on some nights can last until 4 a.m., is a menu of spirited beverages and sharable appetizers that have all been stolen from Prince’s kitchen.

Selected by Nightclub & Bar magazine as the Nightclub of the Year in 2011 and designated a city landmark in 2008, Webster Hall's four floors hold more than 125 years of history, from the Grand Ballroom to the Balcony Lounge. The building’s iconic framework has hosted such major acts as Prince and Mick Jagger, and served as a speakeasy, a lecture hall, and a mentor to troubled teenage buildings since its construction in 1886.

Weekend dance parties fill the twin floors at Columbus 72, soundtracked by live swing and Latin bands or DJs spinning Top 40 dance hits. Piloted by a premium-liquor-packing waitstaff, the pillar-peppered Columbus ballroom accompanies a private-lounge sidecar boasting cocktail tables, an LCD screen, and optional helmet laws. Right off the expansive boogie zone nestles a brood of plush red and black VIP booths, which seat six to eight and may be enhanced with bottle service. Meanwhile, the Broadway Bar serves a separate dance floor in a more intimate setting with its own DJ and sound system on Friday and Saturday nights. The club's strict dress code demands casual, neat wear such as collared shirts and dress sneakers, with black-tie attire required for carousing team mascots.

At Conga’s Bar & Lounge, the weekend begins on Thursday night, when DJs set up their decks for the first of three straight evenings of musical mixology. They lob Latin and Top 40 beats through the venue, caroming subtle bass lines and fervent tempos off the Cuban-themed décor.

All week long Conga’s kitchen slings wings spun in signature sauces, such as cranberry honey mustard, Louisiana ranch, and a Jack Daniel’s zest. Bartenders pour pitchers from 11 beers on tap, and they also dice fruit for sangria and shake exotic cocktails, such as the electric-red or blue fishbowl, named for its globe-like cup and ice cubes shaped like tiny plastic castles.

A flashing neon marquee that stands out even against the chromatic overload of New York proudly announces B.B. King Blues Club & Grill's lineup of soulful musicians of all kinds. Doused in colorful spotlights and wreathed by strands of fairy lights per the rider of several famous wood nymphs, the stage is a regular venue for national acts and a stop for many visitors taking in the 42nd Street sights.