A record-breaking number of votes have been recorded in this year’s Top 100 Clubs poll, coming in from 229 territories, with ravers as far flung as Vanuatu, Guadeloupe, Bhutan and Greenland having their say.
Almost 40 countries supply venues this year, making it perhaps the most international list yet. The top five countries — USA, Spain, UK, Brazil, and Croatia — hold their ground, but all except Spain have fewer charting venues than last year. Filling the gaps are a raft of new entries — 16 in total. That’s the most since our 2020 list, which was released just as the world went into Covid-19 lockdown, a clear indicator of the electronic music scene’s post-pandemic recovery. Through these new additions, new nations join (or rejoin) the rankings: Ireland, Malaysia, Slovakia and Azerbaijan all feature this year, the latter officially giving us a transcontinental club.
Earlier today (23rd April), we revealed that The World’s No. 1 club is once again Hï Ibiza, which takes the title for the third year in a row, while Europe at large remains the continent with the most charting clubs. The region also sees new entries from the UK, France and Spain. Italy supplies two new clubs as well — one situated on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia — which boosts it to joint third in the European rankings alongside Germany, who recently recognised the Berlin techno scene as part of its UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list. North America is down two clubs overall, but sees a new entry from Canada. And Asia claims the remaining new entries — two from Vietnam and one from each of Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Japan — bumping it up to second in the continental rankings. Japan’s additional entry pushes it to the top of Asia’s leaderboard, while Indonesia’s newcomer — the luxurious Savaya in Bali — pulls off an incredible feat by jumping straight in at No.9, earning the Highest New Entry award and making it Asia’s highest ranking venue.
South America is down one club, but sees gains elsewhere, with Brazil’s Surreal Park — more a permanent festival than a club, boasting a capacity of 20,000 (someone call Guinness World Records) — up a mind-boggling 48 places to claim the Highest Climber gong. Could it challenge its Camboriú neighbour and previous poll winner, Green Valley, for the national top spot? Only time will tell, though Green Valley is still sitting comfortably in the No. 2 spot this year. Africa holds firm with the same two entries as last year — Kenya’s MUZE and South Africa’s And Club — while Australia’s Home The Venue retains the only placement for the Oceania region.
There are some big shifts in the poll, too, like London’s fabric jumping 10 spots to reclaim a place in the top 10, and Ministry Of Sound climbing 12 to rejoin the top 20. Together with The Warehouse Project at Depot Mayfield (the UK’s new highest-ranking venue) and Studio 338, they ensure over half of all charting British clubs are in the top 20. It remains to be seen if the new venture by the team behind Printworks, Drumsheds— which enters the poll at No.67 this year — will achieve the same success as its predecessor.
The UK also claims one of only two re-entries this year, as London’s KOKO — a venue steeped in history — returns to the poll for the first time since 2008. The other re-entry is LA club, Sound, which has been absent for a year after debuting in 2022. It marks a positive moment for the USA in a year that’s seen it land three fewer clubs overall — though 60% of the clubs that survive have moved up places.
And what of Europe’s strongholds of summer clubbing? Ibiza remains mostly unchanged, retaining the aforementioned No. 1 via Hï Ibiza, and with roughly equal ups and downs among its remaining six entrants — with bonus good news for Pacha as it hops back into the top 20. Croatia, meanwhile, has a new leader in Noa Beach Club, which jumps 16 places to No.12; however, it’s down overall with the loss of Kalypso from the chart, and its remaining four clubs all dropping places.