Max HeyraudClub culture is full of unspoken rules, but it’s time to rethink them.
As nightlife evolves, so do the myths around it. Certain assumptions, ranging from age limits to clothing requirements, headliners to high production, have become accepted truths, limiting the scene’s growth, diversity, and integrity.
You Need to Stop Raving When You Hit 30
There seems to be an unwritten rule that you should stop going to clubs once you turn 30. This mindset excludes a huge group of people and is generally harmful to the culture overall. It’s important to have a mix of ages at parties; it helps preserve the culture and ensures the passing down of knowledge and education about the history and values of club culture.
Good Parties Only Happen in the City Centre
This is a huge misconception and detrimental to the club scene. Outside city centres, there is often easier access to bigger spaces, which can create a completely different and refreshing atmosphere for events. When people travel to attend an event, they tend to be more invested: arriving early, staying late, and fully engaging with all the sets. Avoiding clubs outside of the city centre unnecessarily shrinks the scene. The best dance floors are often found off the beaten path.
Underground Parties Aren’t Profitable
Community-led parties are essential to maintaining a healthy ecosystem for club culture. The misconception that underground parties aren’t profitable is simply untrue and discourages people from promoting underground sounds and spaces. While the scene has evolved, there is still a strong demand for underground events. Booking based on music quality rather than followers, likes, or trends doesn’t mean you won’t turn a profit. Many attendees seek meaningful spaces with a strong identity and atmosphere—something they’re willing to support financially.
More Lights and Production Mean a Better Party
The idea of club nights becoming more of a “show” rather than a “gig” or “night” has been harmful in many ways to club culture. It has created a distorted perception of what club culture is and how a nightclub should look and be presented. Big production can be great and often adds to the party, but it shouldn’t be the standard approach to how we experience club culture. It’s flashy and looks cool, but sometimes a dark, foggy room with a strobe light and a good sound system is all that’s needed. When you get that combination right, it can often outshine all the production in the world.
You Need to Know the Lineup to Enjoy the Party
Club culture has often become overly focused on headliners, creating a problematic trend where people only engage with “big names.” This mindset goes against the true spirit of club culture. Clubs like FOLD have challenged this by hosting events like their flagship night, UNFOLD, where no lineup is announced, and it’s been a huge success because people trust their curation. It doesn’t have to be that extreme, though. In most cities, there are multiple club nights every weekend. Why not try one where you don’t know the DJ? You might discover something new and open your mind to fresh sounds.
Club Culture Has a Certain Fashion Style
Probably influenced by the rise of social media, there’s a growing trend of “raving outfits” that goes against the true spirit of club culture. Clubbing has always been about bringing together people from different scenes and backgrounds under the unifying umbrella of the dancefloor. Creating a uniform style for certain scenes fragments what club culture stands for and makes a traditionally nonconformist space feel restrictive. Dance in whatever makes you comfortable and authentically yourself—the dancefloor should be a place to express individuality.
Photo Credits: Wibez Photography
