Supermarkets and corner shops across Europe are being transformed into nightclubs as GenZ make a beeline for these sober dance parties.
Videos posted on TikTok highlighted the rise of ‘market rave culture’ in cities like Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, and the UK where everyday places like takeaway restaurants, grocery stores, and bakeries are hosting these buzzy social gatherings.
One such clip showed electronic music act Mr Belt and Wezol playing their remix of Whitney Houston’s ‘It’s Not Right But It’s Okay’ in the middle of a ‘fruit and veggie’ store in the Dutch capital.
Partygoers could be seen dancing while holding up leeks, with the DJ duo’s turntables precariously positioned between boxes of avocados and oranges.
TikTok users flocked to the comments section to find out the name of the store, with one person declaring ‘a good veggie store rave is exactly what’s missing from my life’.
Locals and tourists in several European cities have stumbled upon these surprise raves, with one Parisian creator captioning their clip: ‘Guys am I dreaming or is there a rave party in a supermarket?’
The TikTok user @Goms’ clip appears to have been filmed inside a shop located opposite the Galeries Lafayette department store on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris.
‘That’s why I love Paris,’ one translated comment, posted under her clip, read.
Videos posted on TikTok highlighted the rise of ‘market rave culture’ in cities like Amsterdam, Berlin , Paris, and Antwerp, where everyday places like takeaway restaurants, grocery stores, and bakeries are hosting these buzzy social gatherings
Electronic music act Mr Belt and Wezol at a gig in a ‘fruit and veggie’ store in the Dutch capital
Similar videos have been filmed at a variety of different locations, including Asian grocery stores, bakeries, chippies, and kebab shops in Vienna, Antwerp, and even the UK
A video shared by up-and-coming UK-based DJ Louis Bekk showed him takeover a burger shop in Istanbul that showed chips sizzling in hot oil and customers being served their sandwiches, while a group of people stormed a makeshift dance floor.
The TikTok was captioned ‘anything can be a rave challenge’ and highlighted the advent of ‘raves in unconventional space’, with one person writing: ‘Food + Rave = 2025 business model.’
Similar videos have been filmed at a variety of different locations, including Asian grocery stores, bakeries, chippies, and kebab shops in Vienna, Antwerp, and even the UK.
A Bristol-based pizza shop served ‘heavyweight slices of bass’ at their rave event last October, while baguettes and house music were both on the menu at a Dutch bakery in Amsterdam that went viral on TikTok in 2023
Commenting under the short clip, which has over one million views at the time of writing, one person noted: ‘All my interests have merged.’
Another TikTok user shared: ‘Carbs in the club. I would truly be in heaven.’
A third comment read: ‘Raise the vibes while raising the dough.’
Videos also showed revellers enjoying dance music in furniture shops, cafes, matcha shops, and even the parking lots of grocery stores.
The rise of these supermarket raves highlights how musicians and events organisers are branching outside of nightclubs and conventional venues to create one-of-a-kind experiences for younger partyseekers
As the popularity of these supermarket raves surge, brands are also capitalising on the trend in the hope of going viral on TikTok
As these unconventional social events gain popularity, brands are also capitalising on the trend in the hope of going viral on TikTok.
For instance, in September last year, it was reported that shoppers at a Morrisons in Stratford, London, attended a morning rave hosted by MOJU drinks – with attendees swapping vodka shots for wellness drinks.
According to industry publication Grocery Trader, MOJU’s morning rave was part of the F&B firm’s wider launch plans in their nationwide rollout to Morrisons stores in the UK.
Ultimately, however, the rise of these supermarket raves highlights how musicians and events organisers are branching outside of nightclubs and conventional venues to create one-of-a-kind experiences for younger partyseekers.
In 2023, Leeds-based music platform Off-Licence Sessions took over a corner shop in Bristol to host a unique event that left Love Island host Maya Jama impressed.
The Bristolian TV presenter reposted a video documenting scenes from the rave inside The Best Supermarket located on Stokes Croft, according to a report by Bristol Live.
Describing their work, Off-Licence Sessions said they were ‘taking over local bossmen’s shops up and down thr UK with 140 and Grime sounds’.
At the time of writing, Off-Licence Sessions have organised similar events in Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, and even Sao, Paulo, Brazil.
Meanwhile, the owner of the Stokes Croft corner shop Bilal Khan, who was spotted looking calm and composed in footage from the 2023 rave, told Bristol247 that he was suprised by the turnout.
‘They said there was only going to be about ten people, but there was a it more,’ he said at the time. ‘It was fun, I didn’t dance but I was watching. It was good music.’
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