Image: Wikimedia Commons
Throngs of excited partygoers lined up outside Arq this Saturday night for its new weekly party, “YOU”. The debut event, which quickly reached capacity, marked the revival of the beloved gay club following its closure last March. This comes after the venue’s previous incarnation, the straight nightclub “AURA”, fell into voluntary administration.
“Arq is back, baby,” one partygoer said. “I haven’t seen it this busy since before COVID.” Indeed, reports from Saturday describe lengthy door-ticket queues pushing as far back as Oxford Street.
“It felt like I was back in my uni days,” another attendee reflected. “Seeing all the floors packed was so refreshing. Even trash alley was a mission to squish through. But that’s how it should be.”
While Instagram user @mistermorilla praised the event for “[making] Arq gay again”, others on team YOU marvelled at the event’s distinctly queer energy.
“It was awesome seeing so many women and queers there,” one contributor wrote. “And it didn’t feel like the straights had come for the spectacle. Everyone there had the same dream. To see Oxford Street shining in all its rainbow glory, like the old days.
“Sure, the plastic phone props were a bit tacky, but I don’t think anyone cared. Actually, I don’t think it even would’ve mattered what party was on. We all turned up to because the bigger picture is that no matter how f*cked the world gets, we’re never phoning in. Dream on. The queers are here to stay.”
YOU, the latest jewel in GAYM Entertainment’s vast portfolio, will return to Arq every Saturday night. Its success is perhaps unsurprising, given the event giant (and caps lock enthusiast) behind it is also responsible for such hits as DÉJÁVU, FINALE, and SHIPREKT.
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