LIV Nightclub to Reopen This Weekend With Alesso and the Martinez Brothers

On March 12, 2020, LIV Nightclub announced that it would be "temporarily pausing operations." It's hard to believe the management of the Fontainebleau venue thought it would still be closed a year later.

But with restrictions loosening — particularly the midnight curfew, which expired this past Monday — LIV has announced that it will reopen this weekend.

The news isn't entirely surprising. LIV's owner, David Grutman, spoke briefly at the April 5 news conference at which Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced the lifting of the curfew.

"As someone who is vaccinated, I really want to encourage my counterparts to get your staff vaccinated, make sure you're telling everyone you're vaccinated, and that's the way we're going to stay open," Grutman said at the time.

Alesso will kick off the club's reopening on Friday. Like many other DJs, the Swedish producer saw his bookings dwindle in 2020, but Alesso still managed to headline Ultra Taiwan last November. (Yes, a festival somehow took place in last year's hellscape.)

The Martinez Brothers, who've popped up to few times at Club Space over the past few months, will take over the decks on Saturday, and DJ Stevie J and Don P will headline on Sunday.

It remains to be seen is how LIV will readjust its clubbing experience to the "New Normal." Miami-Dade County still requires facemasks and social distancing under certain circumstances. When New Times reached out to LIV's representatives to ask what clubgoers can expect on opening weekend, the paper was informed that no one was available to comment.

Other venues, like Space and Treehouse, have eliminated their dance floor and required patrons to book table reservations to encourage social distancing. (This shouldn't be a problem for LIV, whose dance floor has always been nonexistent, opting instead to cram as many tables as possible in the venue.)

LIV opened in 2008 amid the Great Recession, as part of the Fontainebleau's three-year, $1 billion makeover that turned the historic hotel from tired and frumpy into a jet-setter's paradise. LIV was built in the former Tropigala space with its signature piece being the massive dome. (Fun fact: LIV's name, the Roman numeral 54, is the year the hotel opened.)

The club itself was refreshed in 2017, to the tune of $10 million. That's when "the Spider," the massive LED installation that spreads across the venue's ceiling, debuted.

After finding his success with LIV and its sister venue Story, Grutman has diversified his hospitality offerings to include restaurants like Komodo, Papi Steak, and Swan, as well as the Goodtime Hotel, which opened this month in partnership with Pharrell Williams.

LIV. 4441 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; 305-674-4680; livnightclub.com.