Introducing the party of summer 2024: the wine rave

If you thought raving was relegated to Fabric, abandoned warehouses and car parks on the outskirts of town, that’s about to change, because a bunch of stylish London people have reinvented the concept for those who can no longer hack the seriously hardcore — or simply no longer want to.

At these parties, amphetamines, glow sticks and crumpled plastic bottles are out, while low intervention wine, loud music and inventive, delicious little snacky snacks are in. See for yourself next weekend, because on Sunday 26 May (if you forgot the 27th was a bank holiday, you’re welcome) hospitality heavyweights Joshua Bratt of Carousel and Jake Norman of Trullo are hosting their 10th ‘wine rave’ with their pop-up concept, Close Ties.

Teaming up with head chef of Sager and Wilde, Diarmuid Goodwin, the night will see the trio take over the wine bar at Carousel, offering rare, lesser-known pours from their personal cellars, snacks including cuttlefish and prawn crumpets with jalapeño sauce, and buttermilk crispy quail in a smoked anchovy ceasar dressing, plus music by Soft Touch, founder of Laibund Seele Records, and GGee, founder of Turn the Screw.

Similarly, the brothers behind London-based South African wine brand New Theory, Charlie and Thom Bradley, are gearing up to host their fifth wine rave, which has previously seen them offer their White Lies, Love Bite, Pot Luck and Growing Pains wines alongside beats by Next Door Records and food by Chubby Dumpling within the vast expanse of the Allpress Roastery. Watch this space.