underage dj-ing & clubbing (US)

So I’m 18, a bedroom DJ and a big fan of clubbing.

Very soon, though, I’ll be moving to the US (Bay area, specifically) for College. In the US, the minimum age for entering a nightclub is 21, I believe.

Here, the legal age is 18, but I’ve been clubbing since I was much younger. What’s the situation like over there? Do I have any chance of getting in, or do I need to prepare for a 3-year hiatus?

Also, I’ve been doing this bedroom DJ-ing thing for about a year now, and I was thinking of moving up to club play once I feel comfortable with my skills. I was wondering what the situation is like in the US for underage DJs. Do they make exceptions for DJs, or will I have to wait until I turn 21?

Well one of the best DJs to come out of my city lately started DJing clubs when he was 17. Last time he played out (he's like 18 or 19 now) he just brought a bottle of grey goose with him and drank it in the booth. I believe the promoter and bar just kind of looked the other way.

So it is possible to do so. I guess you'll have to have a good relationship with the club. I was drinking in clubs at 18. Got a lot of drinks taken away. But I still did it. Beware though. Some clubs have different policies. They might just kick you out and ban you all together. Risky business. lol

So wait, are you saying that in the US you can attend clubs at 18+, provided you don’t drink (which still sucks, but not as badly…)?

Depends on the club, or with some clubs it depends on the night. Some events are 21+ only, some are 18+ but you get X's on your hands if you are under 21. You have to have a wristband to drink.

Oh, also, posting this here for the record, this got nuked by the forum move, I got it thru the mail:

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Originally Posted by djhipnotikk

not really familiar at all with the bay area scene (there are a few people on here that are though), but i have a feeling they will have a variety of 18+ and 21+ events. as far as Djing, in my experience the promoters/owners are paranoid to book a DJ that's under 21 for a 21+ event, just because it poses some legal complications obviously. your best bet is to try and get yourself booked on an 18+/all ages event. good luck to you!

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There are a lot of clubs (at least in the Chicago area) that are 17+ to enter and 21+ to drink. Granted, the majority of them are 21+ to enter, but I can think of at least 4 or 5 off the top of my head that you can enter at 17.

You shouldn't have trouble at all.

Some of the clubs by me commonly have ample 18+ nights. Just get to talking to people, youll find your way in.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lambox

There are a lot of clubs (at least in the Chicago area) that are 17+ to enter and 21+ to drink. Granted, the majority of them are 21+ to enter, but I can think of at least 4 or 5 off the top of my head that you can enter at 17.

You shouldn't have trouble at all.

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dude my girlfriend goes to university of chicago and told me about how few events are anything but 21+ up there, it was unbelievable to me. here in atlanta it's like a 50/50 18+/21+. i think it depends on the markets?

Yeah dance nights in my city are pretty minimal. We seriously have about 10 top. So they are alway 18+ to get more people involved in the scene.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by djhipnotikk

dude my girlfriend goes to university of chicago and told me about how few events are anything but 21+ up there, it was unbelievable to me. here in atlanta it's like a 50/50 18+/21+. i think it depends on the markets?

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Yeah that's true. When there are big events a lot of the time it is 21+. I'm just talking about clubs open once a week- just regular nights where they have resident dj's spin. I guess I should've clarified that most of the clubs I'm talking about aren't actually in Chicago, but rather are located in places within, say, a 10-20 mile radius of the city.

Most of the events downtown are 21+. My bad.