FAIR VALUE (Valuation Techniques) (Details) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)
Ares Management L.P
FAIR VALUE
Assets, at fair value	$ 278,059	$ 145,611
Ares Management L.P | Level III
FAIR VALUE
Assets, at fair value	239,927	122,521
Liabilities, at fair value		22,156
Ares Management L.P | Level III | Liabilities | Other
FAIR VALUE
Liabilities, at fair value		20,278
Ares Management L.P | Level III | Liabilities | Discounted cash flow
FAIR VALUE
Liabilities, at fair value		$ 1,878
Unobservable Input
Discount rate (as a percent)		6.50%
Ares Management L.P | Level III | Partnership interests | Other
FAIR VALUE
Assets, at fair value	44,769	$ 33,410
Ares Management L.P | Level III | Fixed income - collateralized loan obligations | Broker quotes and/or 3rd party pricing services
FAIR VALUE
Assets, at fair value	195,158	89,111
Consolidated Funds
FAIR VALUE
Assets, at fair value	5,584,208	3,331,023
Liabilities, at fair value	4,963,656	3,034,111
Consolidated Funds | Level III
FAIR VALUE
Assets, at fair value	664,164	544,930
Liabilities, at fair value	462	2,999
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Derivative liabilities | Broker quotes and/or 3rd party pricing services
FAIR VALUE
Liabilities, at fair value	462	2,999
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Equity securities | Transaction price
FAIR VALUE
Assets, at fair value	38,081	54,660
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Equity securities | Broker quotes and/or 3rd party pricing services
FAIR VALUE
Assets, at fair value	126	421
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Equity securities | Discounted cash flow
FAIR VALUE
Assets, at fair value	$ 232,332	$ 171,696
Unobservable Input
Discount rate (as a percent)	19.00%	20.00%
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Equity securities | Discounted cash flow | Weighted Average
Unobservable Input
Discount rate (as a percent)	19.00%	20.00%
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Equity securities | Enterprise value market multiple analysis
FAIR VALUE
Assets, at fair value	$ 63,155	$ 43,011
Unobservable Input
EBITDA multiple	2.7
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Equity securities | Enterprise value market multiple analysis | Minimum
Unobservable Input
EBITDA multiple		2.0
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Equity securities | Enterprise value market multiple analysis | Maximum
Unobservable Input
EBITDA multiple		11.4
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Equity securities | Enterprise value market multiple analysis | Weighted Average
Unobservable Input
EBITDA multiple	2.7	2.3
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Equity securities | Market approach (comparable companies)
FAIR VALUE
Assets, at fair value	$ 61,215	$ 32,598
Unobservable Input
Illiquidity discount (as a percent)		25.00%
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Equity securities | Market approach (comparable companies) | Minimum
Unobservable Input
Net income multiple	27.0	30.0
Illiquidity discount (as a percent)	25.00%
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Equity securities | Market approach (comparable companies) | Maximum
Unobservable Input
Net income multiple	36.2	40.0
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Equity securities | Market approach (comparable companies) | Weighted Average
Unobservable Input
Net income multiple	35.7	35.0
Illiquidity discount (as a percent)	25.00%	25.00%
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Fixed income asset
FAIR VALUE
Assets, at fair value		$ 28,595
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Fixed income asset | Transaction price
FAIR VALUE
Assets, at fair value		4,887
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Fixed income asset | Broker quotes and/or 3rd party pricing services
FAIR VALUE
Assets, at fair value	$ 222,413	170,231
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Fixed income asset | Discounted cash flow
FAIR VALUE
Assets, at fair value		$ 24,052
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Fixed income asset | Discounted cash flow | Minimum
Unobservable Input
Discount rate (as a percent)		11.00%
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Fixed income asset | Discounted cash flow | Maximum
Unobservable Input
Discount rate (as a percent)		15.30%
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Fixed income asset | Discounted cash flow | Weighted Average
Unobservable Input
Discount rate (as a percent)		11.10%
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Fixed income asset | Enterprise value market multiple analysis
FAIR VALUE
Assets, at fair value		$ 6,693
Unobservable Input
EBITDA multiple		7.1
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Fixed income asset | Enterprise value market multiple analysis | Weighted Average
Unobservable Input
EBITDA multiple		7.1
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Fixed income asset | Market approach (comparable companies)
FAIR VALUE
Assets, at fair value	$ 233	$ 1,776
Unobservable Input
EBITDA multiple	6.5	6.5
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Fixed income asset | Market approach (comparable companies) | Weighted Average
Unobservable Input
EBITDA multiple	6.5	6.5
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Fixed income asset | Market approach
FAIR VALUE
Assets, at fair value		$ 546
Unobservable Input
EBITDA multiple		6.5
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Fixed income asset | Market approach | Weighted Average
Unobservable Input
EBITDA multiple		6.1
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Fixed income asset | Income approach, collection rate
Unobservable Input
Collection rates		1.2
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Fixed income asset | Income approach, collection rate | Weighted Average
Unobservable Input
Collection rates		1.2
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Fixed income asset | Income approach, Yield
FAIR VALUE
Assets, at fair value	$ 45,243	$ 5,473
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Fixed income asset | Income approach, Yield | Minimum
Unobservable Input
Yield (as a percent)	10.80%	6.00%
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Fixed income asset | Income approach, Yield | Maximum
Unobservable Input
Yield (as a percent)	22.50%	13.60%
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Fixed income asset | Income approach, Yield | Weighted Average
Unobservable Input
Yield (as a percent)	12.10%	10.90%
Consolidated Funds | Level III | Derivative assets | Broker quotes and/or 3rd party pricing services
FAIR VALUE
Assets, at fair value	$ 1,366	$ 291