SoHo Dublin nightclub launches weekly event for over 35s
By Brian Bowe
It happened several years ago. I marched into the Workmans Club and instantly felt out of place. “These are not my people; this is not my music.” And then it hit me. I had become the very thing I promised not to: old.
Or, at least, older. Losing hair in familiar spots and finding hair in those unfamiliar corners of my body has become something of a daily ritual. But hey, when it comes to the music, I can still shimmy my shoulders and shake my knees with the best of them. But where would have me? SoHo Dublin, that’s where! A place where Dubliners over 35 can bust a move to the hits of their youth (that’s right, Baby Cakes by 3 of a Kind is now a golden oldie) away from the judgemental gaze of college kids with haircuts and smelling of vapourized watermelon.
Let’s Dance, a new nightclub event exclusively for the 35-and-over crowd, kicked off last month at SoHo Dublin on D’Olier Street, the city’s newest venue for club-hoppers. Taking place every Saturday night from 5.30pm until 10.30pm, attendees can enjoy a full night of dancing and still catch that last bus out of dodge.
The venue includes a cosy lounge area where guests can retreat from the dance floor, relax with friends, savour a drink, and soak in the vibrant ambience. The event organisers have designed the venue as a nostalgic haven for those longing for the classic days of Dublin’s club scene.
“SoHo has always been about creating memorable nights out,” commented co-owner Jerry Harrington. “We kept hearing from our over-35s guests that they wanted a night where they could really enjoy themselves without the usual late-teen or early-twenties crowd. Let’s Dance is our answer – a night dedicated to bringing back the magic of those classic nightclub experiences, with a modern twist, all in a space where they feel truly comfortable.”
The club had its grand opening in May and aims to blend the old-school clubbing values and standards of Dublin in the nineties with a modern sensibility. SoHo’s unveiling came after a bleak stretch for the city’s nightlife scene. It’s not often you hear about a new venue opening — in fact, it’s usually the opposite. The COVID-19 pandemic had a dreadful impact on Dublin’s nightlife scene; nightclubs and other late-night venues were among the hardest hit. Club owner Ian Redmond went even further, accusing the Government of treating the industry as the “whipping boys” of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the Irish Times.
SoHo looks to turn the clock back to the heyday of Dublin’s buzzing nightlife. Speaking at the time of its launch, the advocacy group Give Us The Night stated, “the nightclub industry here is now so small that it only accounts for 0.6% of the total licensed liquor trade in Ireland. Seven counties in Ireland are now down to their very last nightclub. The government’s promised reform still hasn’t happened, which is halting a rebirth of this once thriving industry,” they added, “Dublin, with its rich nightlife history, needs fresh venue options to keep the city buzzing and alive. So today’s news of ‘SoHo Dublin’ opening in the city centre is very positive industry news, in a time when we often hear far more about closures.”
For more information about SoHo Dublin and their ‘Let’s Dance’ weekly event, please visit www.sohodublin.ie
