The Party Scene Across the Pond
- Steffi Sarmiento Mena
- Feb 26
- 6 min read
What’s going on at clubs an ocean away?
By: Steffi Sarmiento Mena
Gainesville, London, Montreal and Salem, Oregon. These are the places my best friends and I chose to call home when we made that big decision senior year of high school. It’s almost as if we were thrown into a sack and tossed away by a strong gust of wind. Having met my core three in elementary school, I knew that our bonds were too strong to break just because of a few thousand miles. Still, I sometimes find myself wishing I was with them as I write in my journal.
Luckily, there is one big benefit to this. So far, I have traveled to Montreal and London, and I am shooting for a 2027 spring break in Oregon (Mari, if you’re reading this, just know I’m coming.)
Many aspects of these cities are indistinguishable from each other. At their core, places like Montreal and London, although with different identities, are big, bustling cities full of a bountiful culture and unsurmountable crowds. Visiting my friends made me realize how different their experiences are from those of the average University of Florida student, especially when it comes to nightlife.
Gainesville, Florida
The nickname “The Swamp” can apply to many parts of Gainesville, and one of those should be its nightlife: the nearly year-round humidity that leaves girls with frizzy hair and guys with sweaty pits would give any of my home friends a heat stroke. As someone who frequents University Club on most weekends, I know what it’s like to get home at 3 a.m. with a red face from dancing.
Our most popular going-out venues being a series of musty bars at a "midtown", really just one street crowded by 19-year-olds with fake IDs, pretty much sums up everything the ‘Ville has going for itself.
I will note though — UF students have mastered the art of the backyard party.
Taking a walk through the student-populated neighborhoods of Gainesville on a weekend night almost guarantees the spotting of a bunch of students hanging in someone’s backyard guzzling beers, seltzers and jungle juice while a local band or DJ takes to a makeshift stage.
Drinks in hand, students tend to be dotted in jeans, a plain tank and a pair of boots or sneakers. We like to keep it simple here — and to be honest, why wouldn’t we? A stiletto would sink straight into the dirt, and sparkles don’t go too well with the concept of having to pee in the woods (Note: people aren’t trekking into the woods for this, the woods are just everywhere here).
London
My sole experience going out in London was not at all representative of the typical night out. It was a Tuesday, at an underground club my friend had never been to, and we were there because one of her friends was DJing at the venue.
Even though I do not have enough first-hand experience to speak on the London club scene, my best friend Zoé does.
In explaining the basics to me, she split up going out in London into four categories: Wednesday sports night, Mayfair clubs, the techno/rave scene and music bars. Not a single similarity to Gainesville in sight.
Highly common in the U.K., the concept of the Wednesday sports night.
“Wednesday is the day where all the teams have their games, so after that, everyone goes out,” said Zoé, my friend who goes to the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Each “uni” has its own bar or club, which is where sports nights are hosted. Just the thought of going clubbing at the Reitz Union would drive me insane.
To Zoé’s disdain, the second category of nights out in London are Mayfair clubs. Mayfair is one of the most expensive districts in London, so clubbing there is only for the posh. These clubs consist of promoter-only entry and exclusive clothing, and are ultimately offensive to my uber-chill best friend.
It’s almost a given that the third category would be the techno/rave scene, as London, one of the biggest cities in the world, would obviously have one. A drug haven, at these clubs most people are on one thing or another, yet lots have still managed to perfect the concept of sober clubbing.
Last, and according to Zoé, certainly not least, are live music venues. Unlike some of the other places mentioned, a vast variety of people attend these, not only students. There are also many music bars that turn into clubs, which are Zoé’s favorite places to go.
To sum up the London going-out experience, Zoé says, “It’s the U.K. and everyone loves to get drunk.”
Montreal
Yet another time where my only going-out experience was not representative of the average night out in a city: my best friend, Daphné, decided to take me to Unity, one of Montreal's gay clubs. She had never been, and we ended up realizing that we probably should have just gone somewhere else.
Luckily for me, Daphné has enjoyed more than enough nights out for the both of us. The McGill University party-girl stereotype proved a little too true with this one.
Montreal nightlife reflects the multicultural aspect of the city. For students, it is typical to go to the bar on Thursdays from around 4-7 p.m. for a type of happy hour event, cocktails and beers in hand.
On weekends, there are hundreds of bars and clubs to choose from, and uniquely, there is a phenomenon of most of these places being themed.
Daphné enjoys frequenting Salsathèque (a Spanish club) or 212 (a rap club), but there are also beer halls, Western clubs and more. “There’s something for everyone,” she says.
Despite the city’s freezing cold temperatures, girls wear boots with short skirts and guys wear the average nice shirt with jeans on nights out. Coat checks at club entrances are a given no matter where you go.
Salem, Oregon
Upon saying she goes to school in Oregon, Mari already knows that everyone thinks she attends University of Oregon. However, instead of Eugene, she’s out in a town called Salem, home to Willamette University.
“It certainly isn’t the school for you if going out every weekend is your vibe,” said Mari.
And when students do go out, it’s run like the navy. “There is always a strict theme, and the majority of people will follow it.”
This could be attributed to the fact that Willamette is a pretty artsy school, so creatives jump at any chance to show off their stuff.
House parties dominate the nightlife scene, usually with a DJ, but sometimes just a speaker in someone’s living room. Always haunting the narrative, the theme plays a large role in the music being played. For Coachella night, 2016 songs were bumping.
“Of course there’s also always a backyard area for people to smoke, ‘cause it’s Oregon.’”
With the frat flick taking parties by storm, most nights out are really just for socializing and taking cute pictures.
Leeds, England
Surprise! I bet you weren’t expecting this one. Daphné is back again, this time to talk about her experience studying abroad at University of Leeds. She’s only been there about a month, but she’s gone out over 10 times already.
According to Daphné, the club scene in Leeds is not overly developed. Going to the “pub” is the norm, and places stay open until around 2:30 a.m. on weekends.
On paper, this is basically just British Gainesville.
Girls rock jeans and a cute top as their staple outfit, but everyone’s drinking a pint or cider because seltzers are apparently kind of an untapped market in Europe.
Similarly to London, Wednesday is a big day for students to go out and get drinks at the pub.
As someone who loves a party, I think that no matter where I am, I will be turnt. If I’ve managed to dance my heart out in Surf Club’s backyard, I think I could hit up a rave in London and do pretty good for myself. On the other hand, The Swamp might be a bit of a step down for my friends speaking to me from across the pond.
Steffi is a self-proclaimed world traveler with a heart split between two cities: Gainesville and Miami. Some may say she’s got a Tom Petty brain with Pitbull hips.
Loved that “Tom Petty brain and Pit bull hips”