Number of illegal raves in London doubles in a year

The number of illegal raves taking place in London has doubled in a year, new police figures have revealed.

The Metropolitan police identified 133 unlicensed raves in 2017, with the number up from 70 in 2016. The figures were obtained via a freedom of information request carried out by the Sunday Telegraph.

There are a number of reasons leading to the increase of illegal raves in the capitol, including the statistic that over half of London’s clubs shut between 2005 and 2015, according to the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR).

Commenting on the new statistics on illegal raves in London, DJ and author Bill Brewster said it is “tougher for night clubs to open or continuing existing”, blaming other issues like difficulties arising from noise complaints.

He continued, “In an ideal world, there would be lots of places for night clubs to open that don’t disturb the neighbours but we live in a flawed world and it’s becoming harder to throw parties in city centres.”

Read our investigation into the future of London clubbing.

Rob McCallum is DJ Mag’s deputy digital editor. Follow him on Twitter here.