Simon’s

Simon’s first opened in October 1990, by a DJ turned owner, Naji “Simon” Semrani. His original vision for the club was simply to have a place where his close friends could hang out. The club started out selling only beer and wine. From 1990-1995, Simon’s was a members-only club. With membership growing rapidly, Simon had no choice but to continue to expand the rooms of his club to accommodate the growing crowds.

Simon’s first large show housed world renowned DJ “Sasha” in 1991. Simon’s was the home to multiple famous DJs who grew accustomed to coming to the small town of Gainesville, Florida to showcase their talents.

After opening its doors to the public with a full bar in the fall of 1995, Simon’s quickly became the talk of the state for electronic music. Although there were many reasons to open the club, Simon said, “Clubs closed at 2 a.m., so I wanted a late night dance place, and at the time, there were none. So, I opened mine. This way I could bring DJs from all over the world to let myself and our guests be exposed to their sound.” Selling alcohol wasn’t the motivation, he says. Simon’s gave club goers the opportunity to continue to party throughout the night and beyond.

Since then, Simon’s has hosted incredible global DJs such as Sasha, Digweed, Paul van Dyk, Danny Tenaglia, Carl Cox, Rabbit in the Moon, Mark Farina, LTG Bukem, DJ Icey, and many more. In September 1999, Simon’s Nightclub was recognized as the 3rd best nightclub in the United States from Thousand Words magazine, which had a great influence in the electronic dance music scene. Electronic music fans from all over the state would drive to Simon’s to experience the stimulating atmosphere, lights, and, of course, the music.

Dress Code: Club Attire

Website: http://simonsnightclub.com/