If you’ve stuck around in your corner of the world for a few years—or, heaven forbid, more than a few—you might have noticed that adult entertainment spots thrive like mayflies. They flutter in, throw a wild party, and disappear faster than your paycheck after a night out. Welcome to Central Maine, where the nightlife is as stable as a toddler on roller skates.
One of the legendary but now-defunct night haunts was Shenanigans Nightclub. Even after closing its doors four years ago, locals can’t help but reminisce about it during coffee breaks. It’s the kind of nostalgia that puts the spark back in mundane conversation, like recalling that time you almost lost a shoe trying to navigate the dance floor.
Launched in 2012 under the dubious watch of Frank Berenyi, this Water Street oasis for ‘young adults’ (read: anyone who could still pass for under 30) served up bargain drinks and questionable decisions in equal measure. Think Portland’s Old Port, but with a hefty dose of “let’s see if we can convince people to drink on a Wednesday.” Wet t-shirt contests? Check. Ugly sweater competitions? Double check. And don’t forget the classic—the Springfield-style Easter Egg Hunt, complete with adult-sized bunnies inspecting ID.
As if that wasn’t enough, it drew in local DJs like DJ Matt James, who apparently thought he could out-spinning talent with DJ Swails and DJ Doze. Honestly, it was like a talent contest where the prize was more DJ gigs—because who doesn’t want to spend their weekends in a room full of questionable choices and flashing lights? Every Saturday night was a live hip hop show, which had a less-than-brief lifespan compared to the DJ line-up.
The grand finale came after the New Year’s Eve party in 2017, marking the jubilant end of an era. Frank and his staff decided it was time for a metal-detector break. The place needed renovations and an insurance plan against the inevitable chaos—likely with the kind of repairs that would make a drill sergeant weep. Alas, it never reopened, leaving a void where good times used to be.
The site now belongs to local realtor Matt Pouliot, who’s apparently on a mission to turn the old Shenanigans into something that doesn’t include “adult” in the title. Extensive renovations brought new retail spaces and apartments, proving that even an old nightclub building can get baptized into a new life—perfectly ironic for a place that was known for completely different kinds of “units.” Rumor has it the former club will be reborn as an event space, which is just a polite way of saying it’ll host fancy gatherings where people pretend to have their lives together.
Though Shenanigans is as gone as your memories of that wild birthday party you don’t quite remember, the vibe it created still lingers. Legends have it that Frank Berenyi once quipped, “The average nightclub lasts about 18 months,” so at least the folks over at Shenanigans didn’t die of overexposure. And though that may sound defeatist, it’s really just the circle of nightlife—from booming to “What happened to that place again?” in record time. Unless you’re in a tourist trap, in which case place names change but the cheap beer remains eternal.
5 Central Maine Party Bars
Maine may not boast the bustling nightclub scene of larger states, but we certainly know how to throw a party. Check out our list to see if your favorite dive made the cut!
