By Philippe Perez,Sandra Moon

Copyright abc

On a Saturday afternoon at a pub in Albury, people are lining up for a more unique clubbing experience than what is typically offered in regional Australia.

They’re hitting the dance floor in daylight hours so they can be back home and in bed at a reasonable time.

The event is part of a wider movement across the world, aimed at clubbers aged over 30.

Joanna van Deventer said it was the perfect arrangement for people who needed their sleep.

“We might have sore knees and sore backs, but the music is good and it’s great to have it early so we can get sleep.”

Fellow party-goer Lisa Byatt said feeling safe and comfortable when going out was important to her.

“You’re in a safe environment with people who are all grown up, [enjoying] the same kind of music,” she said.

“There’s minimal stuff that caters to a 30-plus demo here … so to have something like this is fantastic.”

Clubbing culture shift

Daytime clubbing is relatively new to regional towns, but has existed in some capital cities since the 1990s, including at popular Melbourne club Revolver, where raves start at 7am.

“It’s actually recognising that we don’t any longer have to have certain activity that only happens from 6pm till 6am,” Vibelab’s Asia Pacific director, Jane Slingo, said.

Ms Slingo said daytime clubbing and coffee raves had been coined as “soft clubbing” in response to declining alcohol consumption.

“I also think it’s worth considering, specifically through a Sydney lens, how we had lockout laws from 2014 to 2019 that definitely shifted the consumer nightlife trends to a pre-1:30am time slot,” she said.

“It steered an increase into daytime clubbing activity and that’s just become a natural habit in Sydney.”

Sam White is part of the Bed By 10pm program, which began in the UK about a year ago and has since sold out venues holding more than 2,000 people.

He said he was approached weekly to stage day clubbing events in the United States, Canada, Australia and South Africa.

A lifeline for venues

The organiser of the Albury day clubbing event at Beer Deluxe, Aiden D’Helin-Lawrie, said it had been well-attended and patrons wanted more.

“There’s a lot more venues having a go at these types of events in the cities, where we’ve only pretty much got about two venues here in Albury who are capable of running something like this,” he said.

Albury Liquor Accord Chair Craig Kidd said local venues had been proactive in providing safe spaces that catered to older demographics, including a current drink spiking test trial and the sponsorship of bus services to transport patrons out of the CBD.

“There’s a huge market here for events … aimed at the whole of the family from younger children right through to adults, and more senior adults,” he said.