Arena sits like discotemple on an otherwise empty stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood, drawing one of the largest multi-ethnic crowds in LA.

Housed in a converted refrigerator that once belonged to one of LA's largest ice companies, Arena (along with its sister club Circus Disco next door) is a melting pot of culture and sexuality. The overly kitsch lobby looks like a Liberace-themed Xanadu and a long ramp along the north wall offers a bird’s eye view of the gigantic dance floor while leading up to one of the most spacious outdoor patios in the city—if only it didn’t overlook a parking lot. Arena's sheer size and alternating vibes allow it to be many things to many people, which is perhaps why it has prospered for so long. Relying almost entirely on the work of outside promoters five nights a week, Arena starts off the weekend early on Wednesday with an 18+ gay night that attracts a balanced mix of blacks, whites and Latinos for hours of hip-hop and reggaeton. TigerHeat Thursdays are a KIIS-FM’s weekly gay night, which, with the help of daily radio ads, draws a surprising number of attractive, straight women. Attention straight guys: this is the night to go if you want to find a girl with her guard down. Fridays are definitely the club’s weakest night—probably because it’s the only “straight” night—but the boys come running back Saturday and Sunday for the Latin dance nights.—Daniel Weisman