{"id":2179730,"date":"2025-11-28T11:40:02","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T11:40:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2179730"},"modified":"2025-11-28T11:40:02","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T11:40:02","slug":"madison-nightclub-cielo-on-state-was-inspired-by-the-heavens-entertainment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/madison-nightclub-cielo-on-state-was-inspired-by-the-heavens-entertainment\/","title":{"rendered":"Madison nightclub Cielo on State was inspired by the heavens | Entertainment"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Cielo, a new nightclub on State Street, was designed to have flow.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Owner Susan McKinney, who also owns Sotto Night Club, runs Cielo with her daughters, Sean and Carla Ortega. Open at 118 State St. since Sept. 25, the space offers house music, cocktails and immersive design inspired by the family\u2019s years living in Mexico \u2014 \u201cgood music, good vibes, different levels where you can go through the building and explore,\u201d McKinney said.<\/p>\n

Cielo was designed to be layered experience, as patrons drift from one area to the next. The space unfolds across multiple floors, each with its own character. There\u2019s a first-floor bar seating area, a second-floor lounge, and an upstairs dance room known as the Boiler Room.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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People gather and dance on one of Cielo\u2019s dance floors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cYou don’t have to find a table and stay there the whole night,\u201d McKinney said. \u201cYou can come in and sit and have one experience and then you don’t have to leave and go to another bar to have another experience.\u201d This vibe allows guests to decide how they interact with the space, whether that\u2019s talking, dancing or simply unwinding.<\/p>\n

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Cielo is a new nightclub in the 100 block of State Street, open since September in downtown Madison.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Tin stars and techno<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Much of Cielo\u2019s design draws from McKinney\u2019s daughters\u2019 upbringing in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The name Cielo translates to \u201csky\u201d or \u201cheaven\u201d in Spanish, and the space grew out of that vision.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Their designer Teresa Wachter, a close family friend from San Miguel, incorporated the theme using stars, clouds and metallic accents. She was \u201cthe art director for several films,\u201d McKinney said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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A sign for Cielo sign glows above 118 State St. with the Wisconsin Capitol in the distance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019re like, who could fill this idea that we want to bring Mexico here? It can\u2019t be anybody other than Terry,\u201d Sean Ortega said.<\/p>\n

Many of the details around Cielo come directly from Mexico: tin stars hanging from the ceiling, handmade in San Miguel, and a framed lucha libre poncho, a nod to Mexico\u2019s all-star wrestling, found in a Mexican artisan market.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t want to be a Mexican place,\u201d McKinney said. \u201cBut we wanted little accents of where we come from.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A bartender serves guests at one of the operating bars inside Cielo on State Street during a late-night event on a November Saturday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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House music is another key element of Cielo\u2019s atmosphere. The bar fills what the family saw as a gap in Madison\u2019s nightlife: a space for fans of house and techno to experience live DJs, with a slightly older crowd.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s another population here that loves house and techno. People who might be a little older, older than 21, let\u2019s say, that want to come in for a chill night,\u201d McKinney said. Cielo intends to be \u201ca place to dance and hear the music that they really like in a nice venue.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Carla Ortega, who\u2019s deeply connected to the regional house\/techno community, curates much of the music programming. She also brought one of Cielo\u2019s most distinctive events to Madison: the coffee rave.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Inspired by ones she attended in Chicago, these daytime raves pair electronic music with $6 espresso martinis and mimosas. Cielo hosted its first coffee rave shortly after opening.<\/p>\n

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Guests dance during a late-night event at Cielo, a new nightclub in downtown Madison.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Espresso and tequila<\/h3>\n

The team is slowly adding more events as their staff settles in, everything from DJ nights to educational tasting sessions that highlight spirits like mezcal and tequila.<\/p>\n

Cielo doesn\u2019t yet serve much food \u2014 McKinney said the restaurant intends to begin serving its online menu in 2026, which includes things like charcuterie and Dorilocos<\/a>\/Fritolocos (what some might call a walking taco<\/a>, made in a bag of chips).\u00a0<\/p>\n