LAGOS, Nigeria — On a recent Friday night, thousands of mostly young people gathered in a large auditorium in Lekki, an upscale neighborhood of Lagos. Inside, the atmosphere was dimly lit by flashing green strobe lights from the stage, making it difficult to see faces just a few meters away. The event was not a traditional party but rather a form of therapy for attendees.
This was Group Therapy, a popular rave in Lagos that offers a unique alternative to the city’s typical club scene. For years, Lagos’ nightlife has been dominated by what is known as “table culture,” where clubs prioritize high spending on drinks and prime seating. This environment often creates a competitive atmosphere, pushing out younger individuals who are struggling with rising inflation and economic challenges.
At Group Therapy, there are no tables. Attendees dance closely together, and the only bar available sells drinks at a fraction of the price found in traditional Lagos nightclubs. This approach makes the event more accessible and inclusive.
“At raves, the dance floor is present. You go to a usual Lagos party, and there is no dance floor,” DJ Aniko, the founder of Group Therapy, 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.”
A Lagos party without tables
Yetunde Onikoyi, 28, started attending raves last year. She described her experience as being “hooked by the neck; it is like a chokehold. I always want to be here.” The traditional nightclub culture in Lagos is driven by a table-based system, where partying often becomes a race to buy the most expensive drinks and secure the best seats. A single bottle of a drink can cost between 100,000 naira ($72.34) to nearly a million naira, pricing out many young residents facing tough economic conditions.
In these settings, bartenders often carry drinks with LED boards displaying the names of the tables for some of the highest spenders of the night. In contrast, a ticket to Group Therapy costs only 21,000 naira ($15.19), with no pressure to purchase drinks.
Experts suggest that raves have grown in response to the table culture in clubs. Oluwamayowa Idowu, founder of Culture Custodian, a leading culture publication in Lagos, said, “Raves are more democratic. 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 shared that several patrons have requested separate seating, which she has declined. “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.
“House music evokes feelings”
Each DJ worked their decks from late night into the early morning, playing an endless loop of high-tempo beats that electrified the crowd. The energy built up to a pulsating crescendo before transitioning into another loop. The sea of heads bobbed rhythmically, and bodies swayed wildly.
Since around 2022, after the post-pandemic crossover of South African music genres, DJs have incorporated African sonic elements into house music, a subgenre of electronic dance music that has become a staple for raves in Lagos. These events are seen as more inclusive than traditional clubs and have gained popularity among the younger generation, who are challenging Nigeria’s conservative society.
“House music evokes feelings,” said Zia Yusuf, a content writer and creator who attended. “You just connect to the music, and you connect to the music with other people who connect to the music with you.”
Culture experts view this trend as part of the crossover of South African musical influence, similar to amapiano. Nigeria has recently taken the global spotlight with the rise of its artists, exporting its music worldwide. However, it has also imported various genres in recent years. According to Aniko, the choice of house music is deliberate. She does not want musicians to control Group Therapy like they often do in big clubs, sometimes previewing unreleased songs or dictating the audience’s choices for the night.
“Once you are reliant on the mainstream industry for the music, the mainstream creeps into the space,” Aniko said.
