It’s been almost a year since we have set foot on the dancefloors of our favorite nightclubs, a direct consequence of the health crisis. In no time at all, we’ve had to say goodbye to parties with friends, multicolored cocktails, guinguettes, rave parties, and globally to any dancefloor where social distancing is not possible.
With nowhere to go, the evenings seem very long… Between the physical distancing, the number of people gathered reduced to six, and the 6.00 p.m. curfew, the heart is not in the party… And then there’s the inconvenience of the mask. Faced with this frustrating situation, inventive minds have been able to show creativity, while respecting restrictions. Since the first confinement, invitations such as “Big night at home, but don’t come !” have appeared on the web.
Thus, virtual evenings were born ! The principle is simple : party remotely via a videoconference platform while staying at home. Getting ready to dance on your webcam with complete strangers may seem like a rather crazy idea, yet these new parties are attracting more and more people.
Although they are digital, these parties share many common features with those we knew before the pandemic. For example, before entering a Zoom meeting that looks like a dancefloor, you have to be patient : there is a security guard at the entrance, making sure that the maximum number of people is not exceeded … and, as in any self-respecting nightclub, you have to pay for your ticket to get in. Taking out your wallet to connect to a videoconference seemed unimaginable just a few years ago, but finding a way to exist within a health crisis tends to shake up our habits. Some clubs that have become virtual have even launched online jackpot schemes: users pay the artists, the technological means deployed, and sometimes even the employees. The price of certain evenings is also justified by the presence, virtual, of course, of celebrities from the music world: Nina Kraviz, Charli XCX, Carl Cox… so many artists and musicians in vogue who are central to elevating the reputation of clubs and allowing the world of nightlife to escape certain death and be reborn, slowly but surely.
Acumen has selected for you the best digital clubs to liven up your evenings. So, what are you waiting for ? Let’s dance and have fun !
L’appart chez moi
L’appart chez moi is the French virtual club not to be missed. Every Saturday, since the first confinement, Axel Bonnichon and DJ and activist Leslie Barbara Butch organize virtual parties on Zoom from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Entry is 5€ if you “come” alone and 10€ if you are several. Access to the party is given on their Facebook and Instagram pages shortly before the event starts.
Club Quarantine
It’s the most popular virtual club on Zoom ! Inspired by the famous Berghain in Berlin, Club Quarantine, dedicated to the LGBTQ community, welcomes partygoers from Monday (9:00 p.m.–12:00 a.m.) to Saturday (6:00 p.m.–12:00 a.m.) and parades eccentric and delirious characters on the screen. An ideal place to meet new people, as the club welcomes between 500 and 1,000 participants every night. A real success that attracts many celebrities who now want to organize events there.
Quarantee
Quarentee, based in New York City, is one of the select virtual clubs. The price of a night varies, between $10 and $200, and can pay more if you wish to rent a private room to rub shoulders with the most famous DJs. Depending on where you live, you even have the option of having a kit delivered to you to prepare your own cocktail. A top-of-the-line service, like in a VIP room, to make the most of your evening !
House of Yes
House of Yes is a very popular club in New York City. After its closure during the first lockdown, it migrated to videoconferencing platforms to offer digital dance parties. In addition to its “Cyber Saturday” offers, which are very popular, the club offers theme evenings and virtual yoga classes.
The Zone
The Zone evenings are organized by the Co-Reality collective. On the Zoom channel, no less than 16 videoconference rooms with different atmospheres are available for partying. Electro, hip-hop or hard rock ? The choice is yours, and you have the whole evening to decide !
You want to start organizing digital parties ? Here is some advice from Romain Richard, managing director and founder of Moon Event, an avant-garde event agency.
What makes a successful virtual party ?
Romain Richard : It is, above all, the content. The content must really be dynamic: we must be able to visualize the event, especially through a live event. Secondly, you have to pay attention to the technique, the stage and the choice of platforms. For example, when there are more than 60 people present, we recommend dedicated and personalized platforms, imagined as mini websites, with a video player that can broadcast the live event.
What is the profile of the audience at these events ?
The profile is exactly the same as in a physical event ! It is a solution that keeps the social link between people.
What attracts the audience and makes it vibrate ?
It is, above all, the fact that it is possible to get together and share festive moments, despite the barrier of the screen. For New Year’s Eve, we made duplexes all over the world! We celebrated the New Year with Australia when it was 3:00 p.m. in France, then with French Polynesia at 5:00 p.m…. it was a world tour which lasted until the following day. People loved it !
How do you create emotions and collective sharing through a screen ?
Unfortunately, we will never recreate the sensations or emotions of a physical event : the setting and the universe will never be the same. So, while waiting for better days to come, digital events bring people together. It is necessary to make sure to create a dynamic, with an animator or presenter of the event. Several studies show that after two to three hours behind a screen, we become less attentive !
In terms of costs, is a digital event a less expensive investment than a physical festive event of the same nature ?
You can’t compare the two. A digital event costs €20,000 on average, because you have to count the platform, the live set with a DJ, the animators… The advantage of digital is that the cost is the same, regardless of the number of participants !
Do you think this new event format will be sustainable in the long term ?
The forecasts of the entire industry are moving towards a continuation of the digital event, especially the hybrid event (physical events shared live in digital mode). A new event format will therefore emerge.
