11-07-2025
Gen X clubbers, the original rave generation of the 90s, reclaim the dance floor
It's 3pm on a Saturday in the heart of Surfers Paradise and hundreds of middle-aged revellers are getting ready to party like it's 1999, but they have no intention of staying up until midnight.
These 90s kids are the original rave generation and while they might be hitting their 50s, they are still keen to hit the dance floor.
Day clubbing events are aimed at the over-30 partygoer and tend to play music from the 70s to the 2000s.
But one of their biggest drawcards is that they usually finish by 8pm.
Dance lover Dave Maguire, 62, is a builder on weekdays but on weekends he hits the day clubs with a group of friends ranging from their 40s to their early 60s.
"After dancing for five hours I'm heading back to Brisbane and in bed by 10pm," he said.
"The magic of dancing is that it reminds me of being back in my glory days when I had less responsibilities.
Nick Shaw, founder of Studio 38, so called because its events run from 3pm until 8pm, said he first started a day club in Brisbane in July 2024 to fill a gap in the market.
Coming of age in London in the 90s, he was at the heart of the rave scene.
"I loved going out to clubs and partying with my friends but as I got older, the other people got younger and I didn't enjoy it anymore," Mr Shaw said.
The feedback he gets from daytime clubbers is clear.
"You can go out and have fun all afternoon and you're home by 9 o'clock at night," he said.
Mr Shaw said there were now four or five other operators holding regular events across Australia.
Some are women only, others are alcohol free, but what many have in common is their popularity with women in their 40s and 50s.
Jenny Parker, 51, is among the hundreds attending the Gold Coast day club event.
She said the only thing about her social life that had changed since the 90s was her bedtime.
"I don't feel any different than I did back then, but I'd rather be at home in bed by 9pm than out till 5 in the morning.
Ms Parker said her generation X friends were showing no signs of hanging up their dancing shoes.
"I'm here as part of a crowd of about 20 women and we're out every time there's an event like this," she said.
The rise in day clubbing's popularity could be because generation X — now aged between 40 and 60 — is aging differently from previous generations, according to demographer Simon Kuestenmacher.
"[Generation X] grew up watching their parents work themselves to death and figured there must be a better way of balancing work and life," Mr Kuestenmacher said.
"When we talk about daytime clubbing, this is gen X realising there is more to life than just work and they might as well live it up.
"Why wouldn't they continue to do this?"
The refusal to grow old gracefully may be a good thing.
Bond University exercise scientist and behavioural researcher Justin Keogh has studied the health benefits of dancing for older adults.
"Most forms of dance are social in some capacity so you're meeting a whole range of people, those benefits are huge.
"Cognitively, dance is quite a complex motor skill that requires lots of connections between the brain, spinal cord, the muscles and the nerves."
Along with the music, Dave Maguire loves seeing his steps rack up on the dancefloor.
"I punch out 37,000 steps in five hours and I'm home in bed by 10pm," he said.
"[Then I can] get up for a bike ride at 4:30am."
Whether it is the benefits of dancing, socialising or the nostalgia of reliving the glory days, the people here agree there are few downsides.
