A nightclub (often shortened to club) is an entertainment venue which does its primary business after dark. In most other languages, nightclubs are referred to as "discos" or "discothèques" (French: discothèque; German: Disko or Tanzveranstaltungen). In Japanese ディスコ, disuko refers to an older, smaller, less hip venue; while クラブ, kurabu refers to a more recent, larger, more popular venue. The term night is often used to refer to an event hosted within a nightclub. A dance area too small to be considered a night club, but which has a bar, music and lighting effects, is occasionally referred to as a disco bar.
Gatherings in nightclubs that primarily involve music mixed by a DJ involve dancing and in most cases alcohol. Illegal use of recreational drugs such as ecstasy are commonplace in many modern clubs featuring electronic dance music. Clubs are often advertised by the handing out of flyers on the street, in record shops, and at other clubs and events, they are often highly decorative and eye-catching.