Why It’s Time You Rediscover Trinity Nightclub

People think lots of things about Seattle’s Trinity Nightclub. It’s the hip-hop club. It’s the Top 40 club. It’s ghetto. It’s the only real “nightclub.” It’s huge. The rooms are too small. There’s too much EDM. There’s not enough EDM. Dance Music Northwest has long supported Trinity, but we can’t deny that it’s had somewhat of an identity crisis. The trouble with having some of the largest square footage is that you’re gonna draw the biggest crowd – each with their own ideas of what their club experience should be.

So what do you do when you have a huge space to outfit and a huge crowd to please? Simple – you try to do it all. Inevitably you’re going to succeed at some things and fail at others. But there are lessons to be learned when you do, and when you make the right moves, sometimes you strike gold. What’re those right moves? Embrace diversity, find every bright light in Seattle, and get a little help from your friends.

Recognizing that EDM is on a war path, but not wanting to alienate the hip-hop/R&B/Top 40 crowd with few other options, Trinity has remodeled and finally subdivided its rooms. The main room, with new strobe and spotlights and video screens everywhere, has become what it should always have been: the EDM room. New resident DJs Rise Over Run (integral to rebooting the Blue Room in 2013) and a slew of fresh local faces bring the party. And it goes hard. There’s an atmosphere of gleefulness not present in many other Seattle clubs, and it’s a welcome departure.

Not forgetting their roots, the Blue Room has become a bass, pop, and crunk haven. Freshly installed video screens and towering light fixtures elevate the mood, brighten the scene, and help lead people to the upper deck bar – easily the best bar in the club. Want to get down but still be classy? This is the place to go. Trinity GM Guy Godefroy can be found here laying down, and we’ve seen a batch of new talent here too.

You might be asking, “Can it really be that different?” In our opinion, yes. The vibe inside the club has changed immensely, and while some of the same challenges remain (namely how late the main room opens and the frustrating bathroom sizes all Seattle clubs seem to share), the difference is instantly noticeable. Bartenders, security, and clubbers seem happier and less self-aware.  An air of pretense that used to accompany the club is gone, replaced by a good time vibe that is pretty irresistible.

Seattle has always had a vacuum between great “indie” clubs like The Baltic Room and full-bore world-class clubs like Foundation. Somewhere accessible enough for the underground talent but with enough gravitas to be important. Trinity has placed a firm foot directly into that space, newly leveraging its huge space to cater differently to two entirely different crowds. If they keep on that path – there may be no stopping them.

Find lots more photos of the remodeled Trinity Nightclub here!