Partying in London: a melting pot of cultures

by Silvia Vatta | Dec 16, 2011 in Nomadic Knowledge | Leave A Comment

In London partying is something that can not be avoided.

In London doing strange things is something that seems more than normal.

In London during the weekend everything can happen, more than anywhere else.

I think that London still embodies the destination par excellence for new nomads, like in the ´80s. It still attracts young people looking for ideas but also professionals in search of new opportunities. It looks like the city itself is nourished and built on these people that come and go, take and give experiences, designing the identity of this city upon the contamination of multiple cultures.

Big part of this ‘nomadic life’ is meeting new people and possibly spending good time together. Giving parties is a practice that needs as much skills and experience as any other else, especially here if you do that seriously, it might become your proper job!

A few months ago a dear friend of mine said to me: “I’ll take you to an extraordinary party tonight! It’s organised by an Italian guy. I don’t know him and I’ve heard it through the word of mouth, but should be really cool.”

Since then every time that the Italian guy organises something, I always try to be there.

The last time was the seventh edition of the Rumpus party, which is held almost every two months in a different venue in central London. I have to admit that if I think how a party should look like, this is exactly what I want.

This time the theme was Pirates vs. Ninjas. You feel ashamed if you are not dressed up at least a little bit!

Juggles and acrobats, musicians and costumed dancers performing in every corner, sax players hanging over the crowd wearing a fake tail that you can buy for a few pounds to be part of the circus, hairdressers styling hair of girls making eccentric hairdos. Then there were even five different dance halls and a cinema, all concentrated in an old iron factory in a hidden street near Angel station.

Amid all this it can happen to discover new things like the exciting balkan jazz of Gorgeous George, a young band that makes you dance all night.

If you pop by in London this weekend, go to the next event organised by the same guys on December the 17th. It will take place at The New Empowering Church, another truly nice place in East London to have a great night out, with the Balkan Beats. Don´t miss it!