Ministry Of Sound

Ministry of Sound & Lab54 team up on April Fools Stunt paying homage to UK Rave Culture

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Club Culture x Pop Up Culture: The legendary nightclub and anti-club party specialists unite, championing the evolution of club culture.

On March 19th, London’s legendary Ministry of Sound joined forces with pop-up specialists Lab54 to host a first-of-its-kind secret party—in the women’s toilets. Now, revealing the secret collaboration, Ministry of Sound and Lab54 are announcing the start of an on-going partnership with more pop-ups to come. Kicking off on May 4th, Lab54 will return to the site of the ‘break-in’, minus the bolt cutters, to host the first in a series of Toilet Takeovers.

Late on a mid-week evening, Lab54 and 100 accompanying ravers ‘broke’ into the venue, armed with balaclavas, sound systems, and a trolley load of alcohol, with footage from the event spreading virally across social media and reaching 15 million views so far. Experts in the unconventional, Lab54’s ‘anywhere but a club’ ethos has led founder, Joe Gordon, and the lab-community, to party all around the world, from castles to arcades to bagel shops, hotel rooms to yachts and beyond. 

Inspired by the enduring spirit of club culture, the inaugural party witnessed the unlikely marriage between the ‘Anywhere but a club’ specialists with one of the UK’s most iconic venues to spark conversations around the ever-evolving nightlife landscape. United in their combined reverence for community, the event paid homage to where Ministry, and rave culture itself, started some 35 years ago.

Says Lab54 founder Joe Gordon, “I think the paradigm shift we’re seeing in nightlife at the moment makes it important for clubs like Ministry to work with communities like ours to help reflect this in their offerings to ravers and what better way to do that than going back to their roots and pranking the online rave community!”

Since its inception in a disused bus garage in Elephant & Castle, Ministry of Sound has continued to evolve and shape the capital’s nightlife industry, maintaining its revolutionary attitude. Today, the iconic venue continues to pave the way for superclubs to support the modern raver, with accessible £5 tickets, sober raves, and 3 brand-new in-house club nights launched: Smoove, URGE, and Disco Daddy.

Says Ministry Group’s Managing Director Caitlin McAllister, “Club culture has always been about pushing boundaries, and the intersection of pop-up culture with establishments like Ministry of Sound is a reflection of how the industry is evolving. There’s an irony in a pop-up ‘breaking in’ to a club but that’s exactly the point – we need to bring new ideas to our spaces.”

Landing on the bank holiday weekend, the first official Ministry x Lab54 Toilet Takeover party will see the club’s loos transformed once more on Sunday 4 May. More details, dates and events to be announced – keep your eyes peeled at; @ministryofsound @lab54_uk

Ministry of Sound Embraces ‘Sober Curious’ Era with Launch Brand New Dry Day Rave Featuring Rising Star DRIIA

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This summer, Ministry of Sound is launching a brand new sober rave series, catering to a new generation of sober and sober-curious ravers. The inaugural event is set to take place May 11th and will run quarterly through to November, with DRIIA heading up the dry day rave. 

Having hosted the likes of Ecstatic Disco and Dry Disco at the iconic club in the past, the launch of 2025’s sober series marks the first in-house brand to embrace alcohol-free ravers and a step in a new direction for nightlife in the city. Leading the march is DRIIA, inspired by her relationship with sober raving. With an ethereal sound blending elements of UKG, Jungle, and Breaks, the young talent is a rising star in her own right, having been named Danny Howard’s BBC Radio 1 Future Star last year. The London-based artist, supported by genre favourites including Main Phase, Turno, and Jaguar, aims to spark conversations about sober raving in underground scenes. 

Accompanying the new initiative is an exclusively made mocktail menu available in the new guest area and a range of No and Low-alcohol drinks across the venue from February.. Laura Andrijauskaitė, the club’s bar manager expertly curated the exclusive menu after meticulous research, taste testing, and her own experience with a sober lifestyle to include low, no alcohol beer, mushroom, and CBD drinks from brands such as LUCKY SAINT, Trip, and REAL.co.

Nightlife is evolving and Ministry of Sound is leading the way with this new range and party initiative. No hangovers. No regrets. Just memory-making nights.

Quotes

“I’d love to be a part of creating a fresh space in London for people to experience a (largely) sober day of music. For me, the focus would be demonstrating that sobriety doesn’t impinge on enjoyment – if anything it can enhance it. By working with Ministry of Sound nightclub, we can demonstrate that you can still love underground genres like UKG, DnB, Dubstep, Jungle, and be sober/sober-curious. Dancing isn’t something that should be mutually exclusive with drinking, and to offer a space where music and community takes priority would be important in this ever-growing sober-curious society we live in.” – DRIIA

“At Ministry of Sound, our egalitarian roots have always led to positive change, for the growing number of us that are ‘sober curious’ we know what our patrons want, more inclusive nightlife experiences. Our daytime raves and ‘No and Low’ alcohol range cater for a growing community, like us, who believe that clubbing should be about connection, energy and making memories whether you’re sipping a zero-proof mocktail or a low-alcohol beer.” – Matt Long, Club Director at Ministry of Sound.

“I’ve put together a great lineup of options for sober ravers, we wanted an offering that tastes amazing like CBD-infused Trip, a delicious alternative to wine drinks from Real.co, Low-alcohol functional spirits from Smiling Wolf (perfect in cocktails or with mixers), and 0% beer options from Lucky Saint” – Laura Andrijauskaitė

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Ministry of Sound

Website | Instagram | TikTok

DRIIA 

Instagram | Soundcloud 

Ministry of Sound kicks off 2025 with launch of heady new tech house night URGE

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URGE Sign Up | Website | Instagram | TikTok

The forward-thinking line ups blend heady tastemakers and international stars

London’s iconic Ministry of Sound continues to lead from the front with the arrival of URGE, a brand new and underground celebration of gritty, on-the-edge tech house. The party launches on Saturday 1st February with David Squillace, Cuartero, Rennie Peters, Jan, Sanne Dammers, Travis Casa, Metronomy’s Olugbenga and Batida Perfeita. 

Designed for the hedonistic and music-obsessed late night dancer, URGE strips away the unnecessary and hones in on the essence of tech house, a genre born in the clubs of London back in the 90s. Parties will feature raw, gritty beats from the underground and a minimalist, low-lit and hazy yet immersive production aesthetic which allows the music to take centre stage and for meaningful connections to be made between DJs and dancers.

The first event kicks off in style with tech house titan and Italian tastemaker Davide Squillace who heads up the This And That label. He is joined by fellow underground favourite and Spanish mainstay Cuartero who has long been at the sharp edge of the scene. Also playing are Rennie Peters who is a key member of the INLV crew, DJ and Metronomy bassist Olugbenga, Dutch selector Sanne Dammers with a seductive take on tech house, plus EDD, Travis Casa and Batida Perfeita.

This pure celebration of tech house, house and techno excellence from across the ages will take place across all five rooms of Ministry of Sound. Recent refurbishments include a new lighting rig in The 103, and an all-year-round canopy in the courtyard while The Box, The Baby Box and The Loft all continue to lead from the front with their own unique atmospheres, immersive audio-visuals and punchy sound systems.

Travis Derrick, Head of Promotions & Talent at Ministry of Sound “Shining a light on the headsier side of tech house, house and techno with elite headliners thrown in for good measure. We wanted to refocus a tech house brand on underground talent: raw, garish, daring, with minimal yet impactful branding that provokes something in you so the senses will tune in.”

URGE is an unmissable addition to the offerings from Ministry of Sound which continues to innovate…. It’s time to feel the Urge.

Ministry of Sound Head to Butlin’s Skegness with Sigma, Basement Jaxx, Tom Zanetti, High Contrast

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Ministry of Sound are heading to Butlin’s Skegness for a massive weekender from November 22nd to 24th.

Headliners have been revealed as Sigma, Basement Jaxx, Tom Zanetti, High Contrast, Fabio & Groove Rider, Barely Legal and DJ Hype.

This unmissable experience will feature no less than six superb sarges hosted by Ministry of Sound as well as leading party brands Pretty Weird, Sleepin is Cheatin, Hedkandi, Euphoria, Throwback and Euphoria.

Next to the nocturnal dances, you can also look forward to day time raves, pool parties, and a non-stop mix of fun and games including pool halls, bowling, arcade game rooms, bars, big sports screens, seaside treats and much more across the site that means you can plot your own fun.

With comfortable and stylish accommodation on site, this is an essential adult playground for a weekend of dance music fun like never before.

Ministry of Sound announce M25 Festival

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Celebrating 25 years at the heart of British club culture, Ministry of Sound announce a new all-day event M25 Festival, taking place at Trent Park in North London on Sunday 7th August 2016.
 
M25 Festival will reunite some of dance music's most legendary names with arenas hosted by A Night In Paradise in honour of Paradise Garage, and Shoom.
 
 
From 1977 – 1987, NYC music institution Paradise Garage nurtured house music from it's disco origins and launched the careers of seminal figures such as Larry Levan, Frankie Knuckles and Nicky Siano. Alongside peers such as The Loft and Studio 54, Paradise Garage set the mould for club culture as we know it today and established dance music's enduring ethos of vibrant inclusivity.  
 
As Paradise Garage closed it's doors for the last time in New York, London's Shoom was just getting started as a young Danny Rampling returned from Ibiza, bringing Balearic club culture to the UK. First opening it's doors in 1987, Shoom Club became a launching point for acid house, spearheading one of the UK's most recognisable social movements in recent history. 
 
Representing the northern corner-stone of club culture, M25 Festival will host the Haçienda Classical for their only UK festival performance this season. With a forty-piece orchestra in tow, the Haçienda Classical will reinterpret classic club anthems, bringing a truly unique music offering to the show.
 
Two further acts revealed ahead of the full lineup announcement take the form of Eric Morillo, a vanguard of house music since the early 90s who relaunched his revered imprint Subliminal Records last year. Original house gangster, DJ Sneak is also confirmed. Famed for his playful, high-energy sets, Sneak's performance at M25 Festival is sure to prove a highlight of the day.
 
As the home for last year's inaugural 51st State Festival, the stunning surrounds of Trent Park in Cockfosters offers a gleaming gem of urban countryside, providing the perfect place for Ministry Of Sound's all-day celebration.
 
Taking place on a Sunday as a nod to early British rave culture, the North London location is situated a stone's throw from the M25 motorway, aiming to recapture the magic and integrity of the M25 rave scene and invite festivals goers from all generations to enjoy the free-spirited atmosphere and revelry on offer.