RAVERS VS CLUBBERS

NOT THE SAME THING

When talking about being multicultural, London is the navel of the world, a city that it's famous for its history, fashion, lifestyle but also for its wild parties and unbridled nightlife. Londoners are workaholic and having fun in the weekend its compulsory especially for young people, the two most famous nightlife subcultures are the ones involving ravers and clubbers.

Often mistaken for each other or put in the same pot, rave and club culture happen to differentiate themselves in many aspects. Rave parties usually take place in illegal venues and are often subjected to be shut down by the police if found, clubs in the other hand are legal for everyone that is 18 and older, when it comes to substances both of the cultures are famous for the presence of illegal drugs in their venues but it's fair to say that drugs are easier to find in raves than in clubs, when it comes to the music, clubs have more variety depending by the theme of the venue while raves stick to techno and dubstep.

Marina Aleksandrova is a 20 year old student originally from Bulgaria, she took part in raves as well as club parties and about her personal experience she said: "I enjoy more raves than clubs, it's true that drugs go around in raves but I personally felt safer there because ravers usually just want to vibe and have fun.When going to clubs I feel like a prey, I'm sure that there are people that just want to dance with their friends but I feel like a lot of them want to get laid easily. Another thing that I don't like about clubs is the spiking of drinks, I have seen that happen in clubs but never once in raves personally".

Berat Ozcan is 24, he grew up in North London and prefers clubs to raves :" I've been to both clubs and raves, I had fun in both but I think that clubs are better. Clubs are more organised, if a fight break ups bouncers will stop it, if you feel bad the staff of the venue will notice it and not leave you by yourself, your documents are checked before the entry so people are less likely to act crazy. I love raves but when I party I rather do it without the paranoia of someone shutting It down, I also don't like to party around people that are visibly on drugs, yet I feel like to make your own opinion you have to try them both".

Thankfully London is full of options, clubbing and raving are both interesting experiences that can spice up your night, whichever one you pick is going to be an adventure. It doesn't matter where you go as long as you do it responsibly.