Can my 16 year old characters get into a nightclub without a fake ID? Do they have nightclubs where all ages can come or are 16 and up? If they can't get into nightclubs, what are some other places where they can dance/listen to music and have fun?
Look 19 and flirt with the bouncer. There was a bar I used to go that used to get a lot of live bands and used to be right by a college so there was a lot of pressure to let underage people in. They solved the problem by turning the balcony/second floor into a section for the underaged and would only sell sodas, band merch, and glowsticks, and the floor was licensed for alcohol.Drinkers could go to the balcony to mingle with people that couldn't drink, but they weren't allowed to bring their drinks with them.
Where I lived, we had house parties when I was a teenager. Older kids brought the booze (you can start drinking at 18 over here) for those who wanted to get wasted (most of us). I got to a local night club for the first time when I was 17, but it was a pretty crappy place. I mean, we loved it, but it had a dodgy reputation. When I was 15, I had an exchange stint in the UK and there was a disco where you could have good clean fun, dance and drink soda, basically. When I was 14, we went to Crete on a class trip and the locals didn't check our IDs at all... So, yeah, cultural differences...
I can speak from extensive experience touring experience with this in the US. Age requirements vary from state to state. On most nights, in most states, no, a 16 year=old would not be able to get into a club without a fake ID, because the drinking age in most states is anywhere from 18-21. Most are 21, having been changed in the 1980's when the drinking age in most states was raised from 18/19 to 21. There are exceptions, although off the top of my head I don't recall which states, because it's been a while since I had to know. Exception: Some famous band's club shows are promoted as "All Ages" shows. In that case, people who are of drinking age receive a weristband or hand stamp that allows them to purchase alcohol. There are also "18 and over" shows with the same procedure. If the 16 year old has a fake ID, it's going to have to be a really good one. Many clubs now require the ID to be a state-issued ID, just like airlines do. When I was a club kid (from age 14 getting into clubs with age 19 drinking age), you could use a College ID. The other way I got in was getting on a band member's guest list. It's changed somewhat due to liability, but I almost never got carded when I was on a band's guest list. In some areas, there was also the loophole that starting at age 16, if you were one of the performers or tour personnel, you could of course get in. But often you had to hang out in the manager's office or stay outside when you weren't working, so depending on the club sometimes it wasn't that much of a loophole. It was one I used a lot at 16, though. All ages clubs were a thing in the 1990's. I don't see many of them around anymore, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. I will be blunt here: a lot of the all ages clubs went away because they tended to attract men who were into jailbait, so it was a liability. In some areas of the country there are teen clubs sponsored by churches, but I know that's not what you're looking for. Depending on the area where the story is set, you should know that in 2017 teens who go to clubs are probably not going to be the cool kids. They're going to be their own kind of geek, for lack of a better word. Most teens today in the US aren't that into live music; they didn't grow up going to concerts all the time, because in their lifetime tickets have always been prohibitively expensive, and they're of the generation that has had YouTube for most of their lives. They didn't grow up with MTV, and they frankly haven't been exposed to live music via school music programs (many schools have cut music programs), so it just never occurs to them to go out to listen to music as entertainment. I'm not saying no one does; they're just going to be a really specific group of kids. Everything I said ^^^applies to the US club scene, because my experience was the US. Clubs around the world work differently & have different requirements. Feel free to PM if I can answer anything else.
I forgot about wrist bands. The bouncers would give you one when they checked your ID on the way in, but if you were underage you could easily snag one from someone that was leaving early of get an older friend to grab you one. Then you'd just go in through the front door like you just came back in from a having a smoke. As long as you weren't overtly underage or the bouncers didn't know you personally it was generally pretty rare for them to re-check your ID.
That's one way, but getting on a band member's guest list is much more reliable. Or so I've heard... ;-)
Most clubs that use wrist bands are using the Tyvek ones for exactly that reason. You have to cut 'em off.
Yup, but as long as you cut it cleanly a bit of clear tape and a spot of care matching the ends up means no one's going to notice.
Where did one keep the cutting aparatus? The glove box of the car (which in L.A. would be parked several blocks away or valeted)? Because even with the places without metal detectors at the door, if our guys were working doors, there's no way a knife or scissors would have slipped past. In the 80's or early 90's though, easy peasy.
I have never been to a bar or club with metal detectors that I know of. Though I rarely carry about copious amounts of pocket change or self defense accessories, so it probably would have never been an issue for me. Generally we used a pair of cuticle scissors from the manicure set someone invariably had in their purse and the Scotch tape more than likely came from a late night pharmacy because planning ahead was never really any of our's forte.
If they are female, pretty, and look 18+ no problem. If they don't meet those criteria forget it, unless they are with the band or something (or bunked in through the back in the days before firedoors were alarmed)
They can. When I was in high school (15 to 17 years old), I went to a local night club/bar/concert venue called Jaxx. I didn't need my parents, either. They checked ID at the door and gave you a stamp and/or wristband to signify whether or not you could drink alcohol. It does depend on the club, but it's not unheard of. There were a couple of clubs in the area that let in underage people (dressing skimpy and being female wasn't a requirement).
Ah. Actually quite a few clubs where I worked used metal detectors. Usually hand wanding, but it depended on the venue. Those that didn't use detectors checked purses and frisked. I had to help with door check a few times when the clubs were short handed, which was always interesting.
I've definitely been frisked, but looking the bouncer in the eyes the entire time and smiling generally distracts them enough for them to miss the flask tucked behind your belt.
Let's see...manicure scissors, scotch tape, flask...I'm surprised you didn't clang when you walked! ;-)
A lot also depends on whether or not a particular city has a curfew for minors. Cities with curfews for minors usually don't do All Ages nights or All Ages club shows because the show wouldn't end before curfew. (Example: San Diego's is 10PM 7 days a week for anyone under 18.)
I didn't think about curfews, but out of the 20+ cities I've lived in not one had a curfew that I'm aware of; there's a good chance that we just didn't know about it or cops didn't care.
ETA: You probably just didn't know. Yep, many cities do have them. When you play clubs, curfew time is stated in the contract, so you have to adjust the showtime accordingly or not have it be all-ages. Phoenix has a notoriously strict one. ETA: Depending on the city, both the parents and the kid can be fined, and the club and or band can be accused of contributing to the delinquncy of a minor if the show goes past curfew. In practice, I've never seen a band fined for it, but most aren't going to risk it because it would make them persona non grata.
There are under 18 clubs and under18 nights at normal clubs. Is your book set in the US? Most countries allowing drinking at a much younger age than the Americans do, so it would be far easier for a 16 year old to bluff their way in, if anyone even cared to check.
I can recall some kids talking about teen clubs in high school (although these were the ones that nobody really wanted to go to because well "teen"). But, yeah, those kind of things exists.