Socially distanced raving is coming to the NQ

If you’re missing going out clubbing, you might be intrigued by a new ‘rave in a box’ experience coming to the Northern Quarter this summer.

Puffin Box, from the creators of La Discothèque, means you can immerse yourself in a 90-minute mini clubbing experience within your own social bubble – and it’s launching exclusively in Manchester next month.

Set in the basement at Hilton House, the venue will hold five cubed ‘Puffin Boxes’ which surround the DJs and performers.

The boxes will hold up to eight guests at a time, and are complete with a fully stocked fridge of pre-ordered drinks packages, comfy sofas, poseur table and dancefloor space.

Each session will have a maximum capacity of forty guests, and at the end of each session the boxes will be cleaned before welcoming the next set of guests.

It’s running for eight weeks from 12th August, and confirmed takeovers include Hit & Run, Kaluki, Funkademia, Joy Social vs High Hoops, Zutekh, So Flute, Ghosts of Garage, Bad Fun, Hip Hop / Hula, Love Dose and La Discothèque.

The aim of Puffin Box, say organisers, is to support music, hospitality and events industry workers with paid work whilst simultaneously creating a safe environment for music lovers to come together. 

They hope it will become a place to socialise with friends and family, dance to music and enjoy clubbing culture once again within a controlled venue that strictly adheres to government social distancing regulations.

“As the spiritual home of rave, we’re so excited to launch Puffin Box in Manchester,” said co-founder Kat Warburton.

“While we can’t go to stereotypical raves in the city we have to adapt, so here we have a rave in a box.

“Manchester’s a buzzing city and everyone’s desperate to get back out but still stay safe, so this is exactly what we’re offering – ace music, exciting entertainment, decent drinks packages, a space for people to enjoy a mini-clubbing experience with friends in a safe and controlled environment.” 

Safety measures include a one-way entry-exit system, a 2m rule in queues, boxes disinfected between each session, and boxes consisting of up to eight people from the same social bubble.

“As the hospitality industry slowly recovers, it’s so important to support DJs, performers, sound and light engineers as much as we can, and with Puffin Box we can offer opportunities for those in need of work,” says co-founder Natalie Lea.

“We’ll be partnering with loads of amazing artists,  collectives and brands, both local and international, we can’t wait to reveal it all very soon.”

Puffin Box launches on the 7th August at Hilton House, with tickets going on sale Wednesday 22nd July at 9am. You can register below to receive exclusive pre-sale tickets on Tuesday 21st July, 24 hours before general sale goes live.

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