Body Party at Miranda inside the Ace Hotel London Shoreditch.   (Photo: Taylor Kay)

One way to immerse yourself in a foreign city is by exploring the museums, shopping the back alleys, and dining on Michelin-starred lunches and blogged-about pastries. Another way is to have fun like the locals do: in a bar (or several). We polled native nightlife lovers in London, Bangkok, Palm Springs, and beyond to tell us their go-to dives, mid-aughts R&B dance dens, and elegant hotel lounges. There’s also the latest on the après-ski front, some multiday festivals that aren’t Burning Man, and nightlife bigwigs’ picks for the best party in the world right now.