Looking around the club, there was such a mix of people – from kids in their 30s dancing with their parents right up to some who were well into their 60s.
But age really didn’t seem to matter, the vibe was just so fun and chilled. It was clear that everyone had come for the same purpose – to dance like no one was watching and to enjoy themselves.
I made friends, drank enough to get merry, and had an absolute blast. It was a win-win.
The best part, though, was the fact it started and finished early.
That’s because it was a daytime rave, so no one dozed off at the bar and I certainly didn’t lose any sleep at all. I also didn’t have to worry about any of my female friends getting home safely as it was still broad daylight when we eventually left.
At 50 years young, it finally felt like I had the old me back. And I’m not going to give that up again so easily.
Before I had kids, I lived for a party. Weekends in the West End, raves in fields and warehouses in secret locations that I heard about on pirate radio.
I dressed up in sequins and sparkles, clubbing my heart out while the sun rose. I was ‘Dancing Donna’.
But at 20, I embraced a new title: Mum. I gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, and with this came new responsibilities.
Amidst the bottle-feeding, nappy-changing and bottom-wiping, there wasn’t time for clubbing. And while I loved my new role, there’s no denying that part of my identity slipped away.
This persisted for almost three decades.
Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t completely lose my old self. Instead of clubbing, I opted for boozy daytime activities, like bottomless brunches.
But clubbing took even more of a backseat when, in 2022, I was diagnosed with a thyroid eye disease called Graves – a progressive, autoimmune condition in which the eye muscles, eyelids, tear glands and fatty tissues behind the eye become inflamed.
One of the cruel things about my condition is how it changed the way my eyes look. My eyeballs stick out more, so you see more of ‘the white’, giving me a startling, staring look. And I now have bad double vision that can only be managed by wearing an eye patch or special glasses.
It was a massive blow to my confidence because all of a sudden I couldn’t recognise the person in the mirror. I felt really self-conscious and uncomfortable going out and bumping into people I know.
Combined with motherhood, my ‘Dancing Donna’ persona was behind me. Or so I thought.
In September last year, I stumbled on Studio38.Club. I was looking online for a bottomless brunch for a group of girls from work and an event for over-30s daytime rave popped up.
I showed it to my friend Trish and we were instantly keen. It offered clubbing from 3pm to 8pm (hence the name) playing nostalgic tracks from the 80s and 90s. We, a group of six girls from work, booked tickets instantly for the London event in September 2023.
When I go anywhere for the first time, I’m always a bit nervous, especially about the dress code. I want to look nice but also don’t want to look like an idiot while travelling on the Tube at 2pm in head-to-toe sparkles.
But when we arrived at that first event, I instantly felt relaxed. There was such a positive energy and the venue really was a club – not a community centre or hall where you might witness a cheesy kids’ disco.
It was a proper club, like the old days.
Since then, I have attended three daytime raves, with tickets booked for two more. Even my husband has joined me a couple of times.
Like me, he used to go clubbing all the time, but that fizzled out with parenthood. Now, I get to watch him and other partygoers (also in their 50s) having a heated dance-off.
He even dropped to do the splits one time which was hilarious and looked very cool, but, as you can imagine, he paid the price the next day.
Daytime raving has affected me – and my husband – in such a positive way. The events have given me a bit of myself back and a licence to go a bit wild.
It’s improved my confidence in so many ways that I feel like my old self again. But the biggest impact it’s had has been on feeling comfortable with my condition.
Not knowing anyone at the events has helped a lot as I didn’t feel I had to explain to people why I looked different – they just accepted me as I was and it feels incredible.
My twins, now almost 30, and my 18-year-old son think my husband and I are crazy because we love going out clubbing in our 50s. They can’t keep up with us. They’re amazed at how much energy we have!
It’s great having somewhere to go that’s fully inclusive – a safe space that’s just full of nice people who are going out for a no-drama afternoon.
I’d recommend it for anyone over 30 who’s looking to relive the old days or just get a bit of excitement back in their lives.
Dancing Donna is back, and she’s officially here to stay.
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk.
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