The best thing about Charlotte nightlife is not just the variety of venues, but the variety of events going on during any given weekend. This weekend, you can party like a rock star one night and go back in time to the roaring ’20s another. Even restaurants are serving nightlife. Here’s a guide to get you started:

Thursday

What Women Want: Hickory Tavern’s Charlotte-Mallard location (2005 E. Arbors Drive) is hosting a new ladies’ happy hour. Even though what we want tends to change on a weekly basis, girls always wanna have fun. And we want cheap fruity drinks, which we’ll get from 5-7 p.m. (By the way, guys: “Ladies’ night” is typically a good opportunity to go meet ladies. Just saying.) 704-570-1037.

Friday

House Wars: The underground house party at Crown Station (1425 Elizabeth Ave.) is hosted by composer, producer and audio engineer Damon Fonooni. 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Free. 980-224-8020.

Saturday

Great Gatsby Gala: This is the Greater Carolinas Chapter of the National MS Society’s annual 1920s black tie costume fundraising ball, held at Wells Fargo Atrium (201 S. Tryon St.). A party with a purpose, for a cause near and dear to my heart: my sister suffers from multiple sclerosis. 8 p.m.-midnight. $75 in advance, $100 at the door. (Yes, that’s expensive, but it’s a tax write-off and that price includes unlimited food, beer, and wine, live music, ballroom dancing, a silent auction, and more.) www.gatsbygala.org.

Dolce Grand Opening party: I’m allergic to shellfish, but I’ll venture into the sushi hot spot Nikko (315 Arlington Ave.) anytime. Not for the food, sadly, but for the atmosphere. Owner Joanna Nix is known for her singing and dancing (and her cowboy hat and feather boa); now you can get up and dance with her, because Nikko is also a club on Saturday nights – the internationally themed Dolce, which features Latin dancing and Euro music. 9 p.m. Reservations: 704-526-8217.

Sunday

Live Band Karaoke: That’s right, RiRa Irish Pub (208 N. Tryon St.) hosts a karaoke night with a real, live band. So BYOV (Bring Your Own Voice) and pretend you’ve got the moves and pipes like Jagger … or just have the band play louder when you can’t hit the high notes. RiRa even have a costume closet so you can really play the part. 9 p.m.-close. Free. 704-333-5554.