From Clubs to Corner Shops: The Rise of Pop-Up Raves

What connects a bakery, a library, a kebab shop, a barbershop, and a Chinese restaurant? While these spaces may seem distinctly separate, one thing has been tying them together in recent months: the rise of pop-up raves. 

When it comes to launching a new release or celebrating the success of a hit, playing a DJ set in a club just doesn’t cut it anymore – or so it seems in the dance world. Instead it’s all about trying to stand out as much as possible, and a unique party certainly ensures this. Judging by the swathe of big names taking over unusual spots this year - most notably house music legend MK, who threw a pop-up party near Camden Tunnel to celebrate his and Chrystal’s number one hit "Dior," and drum ‘n’ bass kings Chase & Status who threw a rave in a pub - it seems the vibe is clear. The more intimate and quirky the better, as it not only allows for greater connection with fans but plenty of WTF moments too.

“People want new experiences, stories to tell and remember,” begins London producer and DJ Rossi., who threw a pop-up rave to promote "High On Me" his collaboration with Irish vocalist Jazzy. Believing the excitement of the unknown makes them stand out, his post-work-friendly party at Shoreditch tunnel - “where the sound could be as loud as possible” - certainly left a lasting impression. Having teamed up with ESCAPISTE, who offered a G-Wagon with a sound system and decks, they decided not to promote it like a proper event. Instead, after posting about the pop-up a day before on restricted social media channels, the location was sent to those who signed up with their phone numbers, just 15 minutes prior to opening time. 

This risky approach left Rossi. unsure of what to expect. “We were happy with just a few hundred people turning up and having a good time… we didn't expect a few thousand!” he says of the roadblock crowd, some of whom climbed up poles and structures to get a better glimpse. Refreshingly, Rossi. saw very few phones and instead ravers seemed to be “really enjoying the experience; it was electric, it felt so raw”, he says, suggesting the response was down to the crowd really wanting to be there – as opposed to the hype of being there. “When it all came together, it was definitely a moment I'll never forget.” He puts the rise of pop-up raves down to two things: the FOMO effect - “for a particular artist, it’s rare – once it’s gone it’s gone and you won't get to experience it” - and the rise of TikTok: “these pop-ups are being blown up on socials more than ever before… people want to be part of it.”

Techno producer Charlie Sparks - who turned up the heat with a rave inside a Hackney bakery in August - feels the same. “It’s the perfect way for artists and communities to come together,” he considers, adding that financial accessibility is a major benefit. “Not everyone always has the means to go to a festival or club and this is one way we can all experience the love for music together.”

When it came to planning his own pop-up, to celebrate the release of his pumping single "Back From The Baker," Sparks knew he needed a spot that was outside the box. “I’ve always wanted to throw a surprise set in a random location away from the club,” he recalls, adding that the idea has “always sounded so fun”. He was proved right: “it was one of the best atmospheres I have ever experienced in my life”. Following its success, Sparks is planning one for this year’s ADE around his POWER UP album release. “I think they are amazing and would love to do them around the world,” he says – “everyone should experience the happiness and spontaneity it brings to the scene”. 

KILIMANJARO, who hosted three pop-ups within three days to kick off his Makalelo (Origins) EP, shares a similar sentiment. “I absolutely love doing shows like this,” he posted on Instagram after turning a barber shop into a sweatbox and taking over the downstairs of Huckle in London where Andrew Weatherall's legendary record collection is housed. “It’s an opportunity to give back as well as perform in front of intimate crowds and create proper memories!” 

It’s a virtually identical story in the US. UK garage revivalist Sammy Virji shut down NYC's Times Square with a surprise set to announce his album Same Day Cleaning. Back in March Zeds Dead turned NYC's famous Katz Deli into a rave, DJ Daddy Trance - aka Berlin-based Marlon Hoffstadt - thew a pop under a bridge in Downtown Los Angeles, and so did producer and DJ jigitz who recently turned a Chinese restaurant in LA into a rave. “People want intimacy and those ‘you had to be there’ moments,” the Brooklyn-based artist says of his last-minute show to celebrate viral hit "tell you straight." Crucially, he wanted it to be free and not in a club. As his manager used to go to UCLA parties at Fu’s Palace, jigitz knew it would be a winning location. “All we had to do was bring in our own sound and gear,” he recalls, adding that while the owners were game, the pop-up nearly disrupted a children’s birthday party. “People were already lining up outside, and we didn’t want to kick the family out, so we just prayed they would be wrapped in time,” jigitz laughs. 

Having only dropped a vague hint on his Instagram story prior to the event, “no one knew what they were walking into.” This if-you-know-you-know ethos paid off: “the people who really cared pieced it together and 400 plus pulled up – the energy was crazy!” Following the success of this pop-up – which featured a surprise back-to-back set between Robby from Louis the Child and Maude Latour – and a “chaotic” one out of his friend’s window in Brooklyn, jigitz plans to throw more in the future. “I want to do as many as I can around the tour,” he says, “so hit me up if you have a spot for us!” 

It’s been the same for the Beatport Live team, who first noticed the trend two years ago when Charlotte de Witte’s team reached out about an event she’d done the previous year in New York and was planning to do again. “It was quite last minute but we got our film crew and plan together and it ended up a huge hit,” recalls director, David Browne, of the Orchard Street pop-up. After that, he says, “we really saw pop ups start to explode. Suddenly they were everywhere - Europe, the US, UK, South America - with promoters, artists, labels taking to the streets and using all kinds of unexpected spaces outside of traditional clubs.”

Realising that Beatport Live could do more in this area, Browne says that “throwing our own pop-ups felt like the next natural step.” Though theirs predominantly took place in the States, a series of May Bank Holiday pop-ups in the UK saw the team take over car park roofs in three British cities. “It was about stripping things back to basics,” Browne says of the parties which were held in collaboration with Airspace. But why car parks specifically? “They are neutral ground. Everyone knows them. Nobody expects them to transform into a dance floor.” This surprise factor, combined with Funktion-One rigs and the “grittiness” of UK rave history, created the “perfect space to celebrate local scenes and upcoming artists.” Not only did these pop-ups go down a storm with ravers, but artists who played, like Special Request, said they were blown away. “The response was genuinely incredible from both sides,” Browne recalls. 

Alongside the many artists taking the lead, also instrumental to the worldwide rise of pop-ups has been Lab54. Already in 2025 they have turned a library into a rave (with between-the-bookshelves sets from Jammer, Hannah Wants, Arielle Free and Tibasko), taken over a super yacht in Sydney with Rudimental, thrown a frat party in Tallahassee, Florida, and hosted Ely Oaks for a pop-up pub rave in London. 

Founder, Joe Gordon, had the idea two-and-a-half-years ago after throwing his brother a giant house party at his uni accommodation in Leeds. “I thought it would be fun to film it,” he explains. After that footage went viral, he saw an opportunity – to level up the way house parties are thrown. After a few more for mates, artists started reaching out wanting to be platformed on Lab54’s channels and to play their parties. “It grew a lot quicker than I or anyone else expected,” he says, adding that he loved seeing shocked faces when they saw the set up and then realised they were still in their mate’s house. 

In the time since, Gordon has travelled the world throwing house parties and pop-ups with some of the biggest names in dance. But he wanted to push things further still. Keen to expand the range of spaces the team could use (“all whilst staying on a rebellious streak against the current clubbing scene”) he landed on the ‘anywhere but a club’ theme. “It was short, to the point and did exactly what it said on the tin and, ever since then, we've stuck with it,” he says. 

Now globally recognised for their viral content and party-planning ability, the wider industry is taking notice. “Labels are keen to find alternative ways to promote new music, and the dance community is looking for cheaper and more exciting options to clubbing,” Gordon suggests, concluding that pop-up raves fit these requirements. “They give artists a chance to connect with their communities without requiring them to pay anything to see them, and they allow them to showcase their music to people who will care the most”. 

The benefits, he believes, are felt as much by fans as musicians of all stages. “For artists used to playing main stage festivals or 5,000-capacity clubs, the opportunity to play an intimate house party always seems to give them the most joy. For up-and-coming artists, the ability to reach a new audience and be platformed on a channel like ours can mean a lot to them.” 

With the appetite for underground pop-ups stronger than ever - Lab54 are in the middle of their appropriately-titled 23-date ‘Anywhere But A Club’ tour and Hedex was joined by rapper ArrDee at a Brighton butcher shop – they’re quickly infiltrating the mainstream too. Lorde hosted a surprise pop-up show in New York's Washington Square Park to promote her single ‘What Was That’ in April this year. Taking to Instagram to invite fans to gather in the park for a special announcement, the event was initially shut down by police due to overcrowding and missing permits. However, when she later returned, viral footage was incorporated into the track’s official music video which was released two days later. Then there’s Charli XCX who, in May 2024, appeared on top of a car for a large crowd of fans at a surprise event in Brooklyn to promote her album BRAT, which went on to define the year. More recently, the music video for Chappel Roan’s "The Subway" bursts to hedonistic life with a club-style subway rave. 

So what does Gordon think about the pop-ification of pop-ups? “I don't think pop-ups can be remotely traced back to the underground dance space because house parties and street parties were around well before they became viral on TikTok,” he says. “However, I do feel there has been somewhat of a decline in the quality of what the pop-up event space used to be with these largest artists losing the reason they were done in the first place.” Rossi. has his own concerns, particularly around how the influx could damage the nighttime economy. “With clubs struggling at the moment, having so many doesn't feel right,” he considers. “We, as an industry, should be working together to support venues where we can.”

While there’s reason to be cautious about the rise of pop-up raves - the importance of grassroots clubs and venues must not be forgotten – there’s no denying that the ongoing trend is far more than a flash in the pan. And, as such events pose greater benefits than challenges, especially in an age where viral moments are commonplace within the dance world, these unique, unpredictable and, crucially, unforgettable parties are fast becoming cultural currency.