‘Nothing good ever happens after 2am’ – the rise of the daytime ravers

With a nightclub shutting down every two days, we are just six years from the UK becoming a cultural desert after midnight.

Economic problems in the industry, the rise of the sober curious movement and the cost of living are among the myriad reasons that clubs are shutting down, and if they are to follow this trajectory, from 2030, there will be nowhere left to dance until dawn, according to a troubling report from the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA).

But all is not lost, apparently.

Clubs and clubbers are evolving and revellers, such as 29-year-old Clarissa Bloom,are finding new ways, times and places to party.

The Londoner tells Metro that she no longer goes out at night, opting instead, for the safer and more relaxed atmosphere of a day rave. For her and thousands of others, daytime has become the new nighttime.

While it’s a model that has been attractive for a while to parents, sober ravers – and of course older revellers who cannot afford to lose sleep the way they once could – it’s steadily being embraced by a younger generation eager to reimagine what clubbing should look like.

‘I stopped enjoying evening drinking a long time ago,’ relationship expert Clarissa says, adding, ‘Nothing good ever happens after 2am.’

Her first day rave in Brighton was ‘amazing fun’, she recalls.

‘It felt truly bizarre leaving; it being daylight and everyone is sober around me. I also had that buzz and didn’t know whether to carry on or get home.

Also, Clarissa – who works with events business The Stag Company – points out, people aren’t as drunk.

‘So they’re generally much nicer and in control of themselves,’ she says. ‘With night clubbing, the next day is always a write-off. I can handle some prosecco but I can’t handle a lack of sleep.’

Which clubs are having success?

Superclub DRUMSHEDS – one of the world’s largest nightclubs – has capitalised on this more ‘sensible’ approach by setting up a 15,000-capacity venue inside an old Ikea warehouse in Tottenham, north London.

‘The appeal is that people can come early, get the full club experience, and still have the rest of their night — or even next morning — free,’ he tells Metro. ‘It opens up the scene to a wider group, and it’s a different energy when people are fully charged and ready to go earlier in the day. It’s a fresh take on clubbing, but we keep the intensity of the late-night experience intact.’

There’s nothing new about dayclubbing

Despite the recent boom, clubbing in the day isn’t a new phenomenon – far from it. They actually emerged around 40 years ago with the ‘daytimers’ – the vibrant bhangra-and-bass underground raves held by South Asians in the UK in the eighties and nineties.

Held in the dark club rooms of London and the suburbs, and in parts of the north, Young British Asians would go to college in their traditional Salwar Kameez, then change into western clothes in the toilets and head to the dancehall. The parties – which were often held between 2 and 6pm – created a safe and trusting space for first-generation immigrants where they could explore their new identities while busting a bhangra groove. 

However, it’s thought that lockdown was a huge catalyst behind today’s movement.

For example, TV presenter-turned DJ Gok Wan set up Isolation Nation by accident during the Covid lockdowns, by holding virtual kitchen raves, which he broadcast to his fans and within weeks thousands of people joined him online.

As we came out of lockdown, he transferred the daytime parties to venues and festivals across the UK, which have since become a sell-out success. Gok describes the experience of Isolation Nation as a ‘family that came together through a shared fear of the unknown and love of music.’

Changing the party landscape

Daytime clubber Will Soer adds that he believes that many revellers are attracted to daytime partying because they missed out crucial development years in lockdown and feel increasingly stressed by social situations and heavy drinking.

Will, 29, Founder of Out Of Body Pop, says he likes to day-party every fortnight.‘I love being able to sleep and take care of my head while still being silly enjoying myself and I love being able to see the sun-lit smiles on my friend’s faces,’ he tells Metro.

‘But the younger generation still needs new social experiences, in spaces that are as easy to navigate as Tinder and as colourful as TikTok.’

Ajay Jayaram is the Director of Music at Broadwick Live and tells Metro that although social media has made people feel more connected than ever, the entertainment industry has to work more creatively to get people to commit to nights out.

‘We have witnessed a proliferation of unrelated additional changes, such as the cost of living or the appearance of a more health-conscious younger cohort within the clubbing demographic,’ he explains.

Metro’s social reporter Lucia Botfield is a die-hard Gen Z daytime clubber.

‘I had been nightclubbing five nights in a row when I went to my first daytime rave,’ she explains.

‘It was a Dolce Sol student event in Nottingham, at the Canalhouse, in the city centre and overlooking the river. I was knackered and really not up for it, but the weather was nice and my friends were insistent, so I buckled knowing that I could leave early – or even when it finished – and still be in bed by 10pm.

‘However once there, I loved every second. The atmosphere was electric, and there was a magic feeling in the air that had been lingering all week – Covid was finally over. I remember talking to a man on crutches with a broken leg at the event, who had told me that no medical ailment would have stopped him from attending what would be remembered as a historic week.’

‘Although they’ve been going for a while it really does feel that day raves are becoming ‘cool’,’ she says. ‘They have really good DJs – I’ve seen Y U QT, Yung Singh and Interplanetary Criminal all before the sun goes down – and they take place in great venues, such as DRUMSHEDS and the Cause.

Normal clubs are washed and there aren’t a lot I would go to now unless a particular DJ was playing, in fact I don’t think I’ve bothered for a year now.

‘Plus, no one cares if you drink or not,’ says Lucia.

‘I do though, and I suppose the only downside is the strange looks I might get as I tipsily navigate my journey home while everyone is getting on with their day. But it also means that I always feel much less hungover the next day – as I have had a proper night’s sleep.’

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing [email protected] 

Share your views in the comments below.

MORE : Public warned to not approach patient who escaped secure mental health facility

MORE : ‘Doomsday shipwreck’ stuffed with explosives could unleash a Thames tsunami

MORE : The UK’s best croissant has been revealed and it costs just £3.45 from ‘divine’ bakery

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.