IT’S BEEN A rough few years for many industries across the country. During the height of the Covid 19 pandemic, we saw nightclubs, bars and restaurants all shut their doors for the good of the nation. The nightclub industry, in particular, suffered crippling losses and many clubs closed their doors for good as a result. Towards the end of 2021, the party seemed to be well and truly over. 

With all that being said, we’re known to love a good party round these parts, and as restrictions began to lift, it became clear that people were ready to fight for their club nights out. One brand that stepped forward to really change the narrative was Absolut. Last year, they launched the Absolut Clubbing Council, a campaign that saw a brand actively support creators within nightlife culture. They wanted to lend their support to the diminishing club scene and make sure they did their part in protecting the long history of nightclub culture in Ireland. 

Credit: Karl Magee / @_bits.

The Absolut Clubbing Council was an innovative and never-been-done-before approach to actively support nightclub culture in Ireland – giving back to promoters, venues and punters who want to attend creative and engaging club events.

It comprised of a renowned mix of personalities and familiar faces in club culture including internationally known Irish DJ, Krystal Klear, club culture activist Andrea Horan and event promoters & record label, Souletiquette.

 Among other things, the council unveiled the winner of a 10k fund set up to create a bespoke clubbing event. Temporary Pleasure were the lucky recipients, a collective of architects and club creatives fighting the disappearance of Irish club spaces. Their club-building workshops aim to empower participants to create DIY venues. 

Speaking about the project at the time, brand manager at Irish Distillers Jane Goldrick, had this to say:

We were blown away with the support for the Absolut Clubbing Council initiative, people from all corners of culture came out to say we were doing something worthwhile, so we knew we were on the right track. We know the important role clubbing plays in Irish Society. We received so many creative, exciting, detailed plans from applicants – it was heartening to see the talent and creativity out there just needing support. It was genuinely very hard to choose our winner but I know myself and the rest of the Absolut Clubbing Council were very excited with Temporary Pleasure and it was great to put all our support behind them to create a very special club moment that we hope inspired others.

So, what’s next? Although the entire hospitality sector was hit hard, what we can all agree on is that clubbers are keen to take to the dancefloors once again. It may take some time for the revenue numbers to fully recover, but with years of missed-experiences now behind us, and with brands like Absolut backing our culture, the resilience of the nightclub industry is shining through and let’s be honest… we could all use a dance!