Trocadero Transfer – San Francisco, CA (1978–1997)
Also known simply as “The Troc.”
Before mega-clubs and velvet ropes, there was Trocadero Transfer — a cavernous, high-drama disco temple that defined late-’70s San Francisco nightlife.
Opening in 1978 in a converted warehouse at 520 Fourth Street, Trocadero Transfer wasn’t just a club — it was spectacle. Massive dance floor. Elevated DJ booth. State-of-the-art sound (for its time). Lighting rigs that felt futuristic. It was built for scale, built for sweat, built for transcendence.
At the height of disco and into the dawn of high-energy and early house sounds, the Troc became one of the city’s most important gay dance clubs. Thousands packed the floor on weekends — leather guys, Castro boys, drag royalty, artists, tourists, and regulars who treated the club like church.
