Underground Rave/ Afterparty rave

bakedasamule

Hi guys I'm looking for any help/tips/guidance anyone can give.


I'm looking for somewhere to host an underground or illegal rave, as it's an after party so there's no way of making it totally legal. first I'll give you a bit of background.
I'm a 20 yr old college student and there is a popular college night every month featuring nationally and internationally known DJs, mainly the techno genre. The house I lived in last year had a huge living room and I decided to have a huge after party for this rave because I love the atmosphere and giving people a good time and sure everyone loves a good after party. I aimed to make it in a league of its own, not just like the standard after parties. I got DJs that I know from college, hired security and moved out all furniture, basically I wanted to have it as safe and controlled as it is fun.

It was a great success and so I did another one the next month, I forgot to mention I named the after party so as the name got around (stickers and flyers I got) more people started hearing about it and it became more popular. The next one I did was bigger and better as I put more planning into it (more DJs, better sound and lighting equipment, more security/bouncers) and more people knew of the name of this after party, creating a bigger demand for it.

This last after party was near the end of the last semester (April) and the landlord/guards were called with regards noise complaints, which is fair enough, I didn't chance doing it again and we moved to a different house this year because that house was cold and damp/mouldy, it was only good for parties and not really living friendly.

Basically the situation now is that I have a well known after party, but no premises. My intention was to get make some kind of deal with a landlord and rent a warehouse or industrial unit to hold it in, I've done my research and my plan is to make it as legal as possible with safety a top priority (of course it will still technically be illegal) by hiring professional medical trained security, portaloos, emergency exit signs, fire extinguishers etc. this way if the guards did show up there would hopefully be less trouble when they see it was planned properly and that creator isn't some immature lad who didn't think anything through.

I have tried ringing up many warehouse owners and letting agencies and every time I am met with the same response of "no, not a chance". No matter how I try and phrase it, once they hear the word "party" it's an immediate turn off for them, which is understandable as if you see it from their perspective, they probably assume I'm some young immature student who wants to throw a mad rave and wreck the place. I feel it's better being honest with them about my intentions of renting the place as I'd want them on my side, for example, if the guards came and shut it down, they then contact the landlord who had no idea what was going on and inform him and gets angry and maybe wants to sue.
I'm pretty much stumped, I really want to continue it but I don't have anywhere to hold it. Does anyone have any experience with this kind of thing at all or even have a contact with an owner of any kind of premises that would be willing to rent out to me.

Also, people have suggested to try and make it a proper night out legal event. I don't want to make it a proper licensed night (running from 10pm to 2.30am for example) as the whole hype around it and its name is that it is a specific after party for this college night out held every month.

Again, any help is much appreciated
Thanks!

Ferris_Bueller

There are some threads on this from a few years back, can't find the exact one I'm looking for but here are one or two.

I'd imagine it would be very, very hard to arrange and you would probably need to know someone who is willing to let you use their venue. AFAIK there are numerous reasons the guards could shut you down; no licence (dance licence needed I think?), health & safety (Fire Officer needs to grant one), noise pollution, and there will probably be drugs at it which won't go down too well with the authorities. You would probably get in a lot of trouble with the guards no matter how well run it is because you would be breaking numerous laws, I've heard of cases of people getting their equipment seized by the guards too.

Having said that there are numerous ones that go on in Dublin every weekend so it isn't impossible to do, if you were serious about it, it would probably be the best idea to get in touch with the people who organise them and ask them for advice or how they started out. IMO it's not worth the risk, stick to the house parties with a smaller crowd of friends I would say!

sally cinnamon89

Yeah its hard so see how you could get a permanent residents. Although keep them coming the ones in Dublin are great

nxbyveromdwjpg

Try approaching pubs and restaurants that aren't doing well

i 15

I ran the Warehouse Collective for a few years. I now do a monthly night in the basement of Sweeneys called Free Techno. Join the group on facepig and send me a mail. I can give you some advice but nowt I'm willing to go into on a public forum. Its a tough, tough thing to do but it is possible.

bakedasamule

I've also been considering contacting farmers to pay them for the use of their barn for the night, or even a field, and I could rent a marquee for the night. As every warehouse owner or any industrial property like that doesn't want to get involve in essentially illegal stuff. I've organised a rave in the woods last summer also it went very well I used a generator for electricity and and bought tarps and tied them to trees for shelter. The thing about these parties I'm intending to do now is that they'll only start at 3am because they are afterparties for a popular warehouse night each month, the name is known for it being a crazy afterparty so I wouldn't start it any earlier.

bakedasamule

What is the name of the website and the group? I can't find it.

i 15

https://www.facebook.com/groups/149052441815778/

TimeToShine

I'm gonna guess you live in College Court?