One Thing Everyone Gets Wrong About Clubbing
Let’s be honest—when most people think about clubbing, their minds jump straight to chaos and hedonism. Loud music, sticky floors, throwing up in cabs, questionable sexual and substance decisions, and a hangover to match. It’s all about hedonism, right? Blow off some steam, act a bit reckless, forget the world for a night.
But if that’s the only lens you see it through, you’ve missed the point. Clubbing isn’t just about letting loose. For a lot of people, it’s where they find themselves. It’s a release valve, a social anchor, and—believe it or not—something that contributes far more to society than it gets credit for.
It’s Not Just About the Party
In a place like Cambridge, nightclubs are part of the cultural infrastructure, even if they rarely get recognised as such. They’re spaces for expression, creativity, and connection—especially for those who might not feel like they fit into the more traditional venues or social settings.
The dance floor can be one of the few places someone feels like they belong. Whether you’re into house, techno, DnB, indie sleaze or old school cheese, you’re sharing a space with strangers who are there for the same reason: to feel something.
And behind the scenes? You’ve got a whole ecosystem of people who make nights happen: bar staff, security, photographers, DJs, promoters, venue managers. We’re not just selling tickets, we’re helping keep the city’s nightlife economy alive.
Mental Health, Community and the Role No One Talks About
There’s plenty of valid criticism about nightlife—drink spiking, drug misuse, anti-social behaviour—but rarely do we talk about what nightlife gives people.
Especially since lockdown, the need for connection has become glaringly obvious. People weren’t rushing back to clubs to drink—but they were desperate to reconnect, to feel part of something again. For many, especially students and young adults, clubbing was and is their only regular time to be social outside of their job or studies.
That sense of belonging? That’s a big deal. You don’t get that from Netflix.
If We Undervalue Nightlife, We Risk Losing It
Right now, venues are under more pressure than ever. Rent’s high, licensing is getting stricter, energy bills are through the roof. And every time someone writes off clubbing as “just drinking,” it becomes easier for decision-makers to ignore the sector entirely.
When venues close, it’s not just a lost night out-it’s lost jobs, lost culture, lost opportunity.
I’ve seen too many dancefloors shuttered because the narrative around nightlife is stuck in the past. It’s treated like a problem to manage rather than something worth supporting. But that narrative only sticks if we let it.
It’s Time to Talk About Clubbing Differently
We need to change the conversation. Clubbing isn’t a side-note to a city’s culture—it’s a part of its heartbeat.
It gives emerging artists their first break. It brings strangers together. It helps keep people going when the rest of life feels a bit too much.
Sure, it can be messy, loud and a bit mad. But it can also be joyful, healing, and vital.
Final Word
I’m not saying clubbing’s perfect—it isn’t. But the idea that it’s just about excess or escapism? That’s lazy.
For many of us, the dancefloor has been a classroom, a sanctuary, a support system and a creative outlet all rolled into one.
So let’s stop writing it off like it’s meaningless. Let’s talk about nightlife like it matters. Because it does.
