No-Phone Dance Floors: The NYC Clubs That Ask You to Put It Away
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Several New York clubs don't allow phones or photos on the dance floor: BASEMENT (no phones, photos, video or smart glasses), Nowadays, Refuge and Club Rawhide (phones off the floor), Signal (a sticker over your camera) and House of Yes (no photos on the floor). It is most common in the Brooklyn and Queens dance-music clubs.
Quick answer
| Club | Area | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| BASEMENT | Maspeth, Queens | No phones, photos or video; smart glasses banned | Nightlife guide; Futurism |
| Nowadays | Ridgewood, Queens | No phones or photos on the dance floor | Nightlife guides, 2026 |
| Refuge | East Williamsburg | Strict no-phone policy | Nightlife guide, 2026 |
| Signal | East Williamsburg | Sticker over your phone camera | Nightlife guide; Mixmag |
| Club Rawhide | Chelsea | No phones on the dance floor | so.gay |
| House of Yes | Bushwick | No photos on the dance floor | Nightlife guides, 2026 |
| Jupiter Disco | Bushwick | Asks guests to keep phone use to a minimum | Club listing |
Stickers on cameras: Signal
Signal, at 175 Morgan Ave in East Williamsburg, puts a sticker over your phone's camera at the door. You keep your phone; you just can't film. It opened in May 2025 with the policy from day one, as Mixmag reported.
BASEMENT and smart glasses
BASEMENT, under Knockdown Center in Maspeth, bans phones, photos and video, and went further by banning smart glasses with cameras, according to Futurism. It is the strictest rule set we found in the city.
Refuge, Nowadays and Club Rawhide
Refuge, which opened on Ten Eyck St in September 2025, has a strict no-phone policy along with no VIP and no bottles. Nowadays in Ridgewood keeps phones and photos off its dance floor, indoors and in the garden. Club Rawhide, the queer house and disco club that opened in Chelsea in June 2026, brought the same rule to Manhattan.
House of Yes: no photos
House of Yes in Bushwick bans photos on the dance floor, alongside strict consent rules and no re-entry. Its performers and costumed crowd are part of the show; which lets people dress up without ending up online.
Green Room: the newest no-phone club
Green Room, a 300-person club in East Williamsburg that opened on Nov 14, 2025, launched with a strict no-phones, no-photos policy and promotes its parties by text message, as DJ Mag, Mixmag and Time Out reported.
Why clubs do it
The idea is simple: a dance floor where nobody is filming is one where people relax, dance with strangers and pay attention to the DJ. It also protects people who don't want to appear online. For visitors, it means taking your photos outside or before you go in, and putting the phone away once you're on the floor.
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Which NYC clubs don't allow phones?
BASEMENT, Nowadays, Refuge and Club Rawhide keep phones off the dance floor, Signal covers your camera with a sticker, and House of Yes bans photos on the floor. Green Room in East Williamsburg also bans phones and photos.
Can I take photos at BASEMENT?
No. BASEMENT bans phones, photos and video on the floor, and it has banned smart glasses too.
Do NYC clubs take your phone at the door?
Not at the clubs we checked. Signal puts a sticker over your camera; the others ask you to keep your phone away on the dance floor.
Can I use my phone at Nowadays?
Not on the dance floor: Nowadays doesn't allow phones or photos there. Use it outside the dancing areas.
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