Max HeyraudOver 25,000 people attended clubs and festivals across Ireland during St. Patrick’s week, showcasing a resurgence in the club scene and raising the question: how can we maintain this momentum throughout the year?
Last week, Ireland saw an impressive surge in dance music events across the country, with festivals and club shows popping up on nearly every corner, in celebration of the growing club culture. St. Patrick’s festivities provided a unique opportunity for clubs to come alive, and naturally, the bank holiday attracted more people to join in the celebration. With an extra day off and many saving up to experience the festivities at least once over the weekend, it was no surprise that clubs were busier than usual.
The entire week leading up to St. Patrick’s Day itself, which fell on Monday this year, was essentially one long party. From a club culture perspective, this was a time to relish. Historically, Ireland’s club scene struggles to fire on all cylinders like this, but 2025 has seen a noticeable shift in attitudes, with more people embracing the scene. However, we are still somewhat struggling to return to the healthy place club culture that existed before the pandemic.
Often, there’s a perception that club culture is beyond repair. Critics argue that young people are “too health-conscious,” “too broke to party,” “too busy spending time online,” and generally “uninterested” in nightclubs and rave culture. But weekends like the one just passed show that this is not entirely true. Yes, young people have less disposable income, which affects their ability to frequent clubs, but the desire to share a space with others, to experience the communal energy of a packed room or stage, is as strong as ever. If this collective experience weren’t still appealing, sports stadiums would be empty too.
So why does it seem like Irish club culture only reaches its potential during national holidays like St. Patrick’s Day? Not too long ago, from around 2015 to 2017, clubs like Hangar, District 8, Button Factory, Sound House, Opium Rooms, South William, and Tengu were operating close to capacity on a regular basis. Of course, it wasn’t always perfect—there were quiet weekends, and we do tend to romanticise the past. The Irish club scene had its fair share of flaws before COVID. But it’s true that, overall, the scene was in a much healthier place week on week.
While it’s clear that people have less disposable income to spend on clubbing, this shouldn’t signal the end of the scene. Irish club culture has weathered recessions and depressions before. UK club culture was born out of poverty and hardship during Thatcher’s era. Not all clubs are outrageously expensive—mid-sized venues in Ireland, for example, charge relatively affordable prices, with tickets often priced at just 15 euros. Even bigger venues have reasonable rates, and promoters often offer deals such as early-bird discounts or even 1-euro tickets. If people are willing to spend up to 100 euros on a one-day festival ticket, plus the extras, it seems odd to dismiss the idea of buying a much cheaper club ticket.
Weekends like St. Patrick’s are bittersweet because they remind us that the appetite for Irish club culture is alive and well. However, it also highlights a concerning trend: people who rarely engage with the club scene year-round seem to flock to clubs only for special occasions. That’s fine—they don’t owe anything to clubs—but if people are willing to enjoy the music at a festival, why not in a club? This mentality of reserving dance music for specific times of the year, during festival season or special events, is holding Ireland’s club culture back from reaching its full potential.
Photo Credits: The Boyler
