Downtown’s Discopussy Nightclub Sprouts Tentacles

By Scott Roeben, on October 04 2023

2 min read 1 comment

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Discopussy, a nightclub in the Fremont East Entertainment District, has some eye-catching new appendages.

The club recently got some colorful tentacles sure to grab the attention of downtown denizens.

Here’s a look at these new flourishes in an already quirky neighborhood.

“Octopus” comes from the ancient Greek, “oktupus,” meaning “eight feet.” Octopuses don’t have feet. Ancient Greeks also believed sneezing prevented pregnancy. Ancient Greeks were clearly morons.

The exterior tentacles are an extension of the theme established inside the venue.

The club features a distinctive, programmable, custom-built octopus featuring 10,000 laser-cut components illuminated by more than 5,000 LEDs. Yes, we counted.

The new exterior tentacles were created by artists who go by the names Filthy Luker and Pedro Estrellas. We suspect “Pedro Estrellas” is a pseudonym.

According to their Web site, “The duo have time [and] again proven to be pioneers in the inflatable medium as well as carving themselves a unique niche in the international Street Art movement with their larger than life sculptures and anarchic humor. Their pop-up installations never fail to turn heads, raise smiles and create epic scenes that shift the mundane towards the surreal, the sublime and often the downright ridiculous.”

They got the “ridiculous” part right, as the tentacles at Discopussy are ridiculously fun and whimsical.

Discopussy is owned by Ryan Doherty, a known art fan with a growing collection of downtown restaurants and bars.

Doherty’s downtown offerings include Cheapshot, Commonwealth, La Mona Rosa, Lucky Day, Park on Fremont, Peyote, We All Scream and Meatball Hero.

Discopussy’s space was formerly occupied by the shitshow that was Red. Long story.

The tentacles may not fit the throwback vibe of some of the spots on Fremont East, like the classic El Cortez casino, but they definitely represent a flair and flavor that appeals to youths, the club-goers and partiers who prefer bar-hopping on Fremont East over the tourist circus that is Fremont Street Experience.

Or as the kids call it, calamari. Little to they know calamari is squid, not octopus. The kids are sometimes like ancient Greeks.

We aren’t a nightclub person, but Ryan Doherty has created a bona fide music and dance destination with Octopussy and Commonwealth and We All Scream.

You can find out more about all these venues at the official Web site for Doherty’s Corner Bar Management.

Doherty is always opening something or refreshing something.

He acquired La Comida and rebranded it to La Mona Rosa. The restaurant serves the only shrimp dish we have ever loved (Camarones al Mojo de Ajo). Doherty recently reopened a renovated Park on Fremont, now with a an expanded outdoor patio and a focus on top-notch burgers. Another dance club across the street, We All Scream, is getting a Sorry Not Sorry Creamery. Cheapshot is a bar with entertainment, including burlesque. Our favorite new offering is the Meatball Hero truck next to Park on Fremont.

Each venue has its own vibe and energy, each has surprises galore (many not publicized, they’re intended to be discovered), from a painting of horses doing the wild thing at Park on Fremont to the color-shifting, LED-covered ceiling at Lucky Day to the incredible restrooms at Discopussy. No, really.