As clubbing dies, brand nights are taking over

Over the past year there has been a significant shift in the night scene, with nightclubs closing their doors left and right. Most notably Pryzm locations in Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Plymouth and Watford closed down due to low demand and rising costs.  

According to Mix Mag there have been 65 club closures this year in the UK, equivalent to three a week or 11 a month.

So it’s hardly surprising that when the River conducted a survey of 56 students it found that 57% said they do not enjoy clubbing.  

Alongside club closures, Gen Z are also drinking less than millennials. A report from World Finance found that they were drinking 20% less per person than millennials. 

However, as club culture declines, brand parties are on the rise.

Brand parties have always been around, but were usually reserved for notable celebrities, influencers and industry professionals. The most recent London Fashion Week was jam packed with countless fashion parties, swarming with A list celebrities and some of the biggest names around.

However, the industry is slowly shifting to allow students and non-professionals to join in the fun. 

The River recently had the opportunity to attend the LØCI LOCK-IN, a highly popular and exclusive pop up music event hosted by vegan and sustainable fashion and footwear brand LØCI. Unlike your traditional night out, it was an all inclusive and exclusive night of music, dancing and all the vibes, hosted at The House of KOKO.  

The night kicked off with complementary drinks and a seriously sick DJ set from DJ Yuki and DJ Firestarr. We were then serenaded by Eckoes, an up and coming indie singer with a cyberpunk ethereal aesthetic. The main event of the night was when rising R&B singer Nippa performed a selection of his songs.

More and more brands are opening their doors to students and young adults, and trying to rebuild London’s nightlife community as club interest dwindles. Our survey found that 82% of the students who responded would prefer to go to a brand event, party or pop up over clubbing. 

So, how do you get invited to these kinds of events?  

Many brand events will have a mailing list or guest list that you can sign up to, so try and keep an eye out on their social channels for any announcements from your favourite brands.  

For future LOCI events, you can sign up to their newsletter to be notified of events. As with many brand events, places fill up fast, so make sure you check their channels to keep up to date with everything they have going on.