+44 Secret Parties

I noticed that many club promoters were heavily relying on Facebook event pages, which had become oversaturated and competitive. I wanted to host my own parties with friends but needed a creative way to stand out from the noise. The challenge was to make these events feel exclusive, underground, and harder to access, recapturing the mystery and excitement of earlier UK rave culture.

As the creator and promoter, I conceptualised and executed the idea of secret parties that could only be found by calling a hotline. I handled everything from the event’s promotion strategy to the visual identity and logistics, collaborating with co-host Ollie Mawbs to bring the vision to life.

Instead of following the crowd, I took inspiration from the UK rave scene of the 90s, where partygoers relied on hotlines and word-of-mouth to find events. I bought a cheap Nokia phone, left a cryptic voicemail with event details, and scattered posters and flyers around the city featuring only the phone number and minimal information. This created intrigue and buzz around the event, turning it into an exclusive experience.

To further the sense of adventure, we hosted the event in a remote location that required effort to reach, adding to the underground feel.

The concept was a huge success. Despite the secrecy and the effort required to find the venue, the debut night was packed out, surpassing our expectations. The buzz generated from the event caught the attention of a local brewery, which partnered with us for the second party. We captured their product placement organically using 35mm photography, enhancing the event’s nostalgic and underground aesthetic.

The success of +44 highlighted the power of innovative event promotion and cemented the event series as something distinct within the local nightlife scene.