Manny Ita –
A growing rave scene in Lagos is reshaping nightlife for many young Nigerians who say the city’s traditional club culture has become too expensive and exclusive.
On a recent Friday night, thousands of mostly young people gathered inside a large auditorium in the upscale Lekki district of Lagos for “Group Therapy,” a rave event that offers an alternative to the city’s table-driven nightclub culture. The venue was largely dark, illuminated only by flashing green strobe lights as revelers danced closely together on a crowded floor.
Participants said the event offers a different party experience in Nigeria’s commercial capital, where nightlife has long revolved around “table culture,” a system that emphasizes spending on drinks and reserving premium seating.
“At raves, the dance floor is present. You go to a usual Lagos party, and there is no dance floor,” DJ Aniko, founder of the Group Therapy rave, told The Associated Press. “We barely have spaces to just dance, spaces you can just go to literally have a nice time. Most places you have to make a reservation, or book a table, it is a lot more complicated.”
Unlike many nightclubs, the rave does not offer reserved seating. Instead, attendees dance shoulder to shoulder on an open floor, with only a small bar selling drinks at prices far lower than those typically found in Lagos clubs.
Yetunde Onikoyi, a 28-year-old attendee who began attending raves last year, said the experience quickly became addictive. “Ever since then, I have been hooked by the neck; it is like a chokehold. I always want to be here,” she said.
Nightlife in Lagos has traditionally revolved around a competitive environment where patrons compete to purchase the most expensive drinks and reserve premium seating tiers such as VVIP or VIP sections. Bottles at clubs can cost anywhere from 100,000 naira to nearly 1 million naira, prices many young Nigerians say are increasingly unaffordable amid rising inflation and economic pressure.
By contrast, a ticket to Group Therapy costs about 21,000 naira, and attendees say there is no pressure to buy drinks or display wealth.
Oluwamayowa Idowu, founder of the culture publication Culture Custodian, said the rise of raves reflects broader economic realities facing young Nigerians. “Raves are more democratic,” he said. “What this says is that people don’t have the purchasing power to sustain a club lifestyle. Clubs are still open and busy, but just generally in today’s climate, there is more of a focus on you enjoying yourself as opposed to you performing enjoying yourself.”
Aniko said some attendees have asked organizers to create seating areas, but those requests have been declined to preserve the event’s open and inclusive format.
“Finding a place that still focuses on the human aspects of things, as against the materialism or need to amass as much as possible, is always a blessing,” said Dayo Williams, a consultant who attended the event.
Music plays a central role in the rave atmosphere, with DJs performing through the night into the early morning. High-tempo electronic beats build into pulsating crescendos before transitioning into new loops as dancers move in rhythm across the packed hall.
Since around 2022, DJs in Lagos have increasingly incorporated African sonic influences into house music, a subgenre of electronic dance music that has become popular at raves. The trend follows the growing influence of South African genres across the continent, including the widespread popularity of amapiano.
For some attendees, the appeal goes beyond affordability and into the emotional connection created by the music.
“House music evokes feelings,” said Zia Yusuf, a content writer and creator who attended the rave. “You just connect to the music, and you connect to the music with other people who connect to the music with you.”
Aniko said the choice of house music is deliberate, adding that organizers aim to keep the event independent from the mainstream music industry, which often dominates major clubs through celebrity performances and promotional events.
“Once you are reliant on the mainstream industry for the music, the mainstream creeps into the space,” Aniko said.
